Ucl Business Plc

Robert Speller

Alessandro Olivo

Konstantin Ignatyev

Peter Munro

Caroline Reid

Gary Royle

A method of aligning masks for phase imaging or phase contrast imaging in X-ray apparatus using a pixel-type X-ray detector makes use of non-idealities of all real detectors. A mask may be provided before the sample to generate beams, adjacent to the pixels of the detector or both. The method includes moving the mask into a plurality of translational position increments and identifying the increment for which the intensity has a maximum or minimum. The identified value of the increment may vary over the pixels of the detector. Alignment positions are selected in which steps in a plot of the increment over the area of the detector are minimized and/or aligned with the rows and columns of pixels.

X-ray imaging

A method of phase imaging uses X-ray beams having edges overlapping with pixels. A phase image may be obtained from first and second images using one or more X-ray beam, the first image being measured with the first edge but not the second edge of each X-ray beam overlapping the corresponding pixel(s) and the second image being measured with the second edge but not the first edge overlapping the corresponding pixel(s). The gradient of the X-ray absorption function may be calculated and a proportional term included in the image processing to calculate a quantitative phase image.

Phase imaging

A radiation detector includes a scintillator crystal () in the form of a slab mounted to be rotated by a drive () in a housing (). A photon detector () detects photons emitted by the crystal (). The crystal () is rotated to a number of measurement angles and the radiation emitted by a radiation source determined by counting the photons detected by the photon detector. This is used to determine the direction towards the radiation source.

Radiation detector

An X-ray inspection system is mounted around conveyor (). An X-ray source () and a number of X-ray detectors record X-ray images of an object () such as baggage moving along the conveyor. A visual recordal system () tracks the motion of the object along the conveyor to identify the location and orientation of the object as it moves along the conveyor. A tomosynthesis image of the object is calculated from the plurality of X-ray images using the location and orientation information from the visual recordal system.

Tomosynthesis apparatus and method

Phase contrast imaging is achieved using a sample maskand a detector mask (). X-rays emitted from x-ray source () are formed into individual beams () by sample mask which pass through sample () and arrive at individual pixels () of the detector () through detector mask (). The individual x-ray beams are arranged to hit the pixel edge () of individual rows of pixels, individual columns of pixels or individual pixels. Small deviations &#x3b8; in the individual beams () cause a significant increase or decrease in the signal hitting the exposed area () of the pixel resulting in a significant phase contrast signal.

Phase contrast imaging

A method and an arrangement for an intelligent adaptive x-ray imaging system, in which the exposure conditions of the object to x-rays is dynamically controlled and optimized in real-time in order to provide the optimum diagnostic information. The arrangement splits the imaging beam into two separate fan beams that scan over the object in a single pass, where the first beam (scout) collects information from the object, that is analyzed to control the intensity or spectral quality or spatial distribution of the second beam (I-ImaS). The CMOS image sensors deployed in the arrangement are able to process detected information either on-chip or within a field programmable gate array, so as to compute a measure related to the diagnostic value of the information.

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Bedfordshire, United Kingdom

Robert Speller