Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited

Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh

Torsten Solf

Volkmar Schulz

Thomas Frach

Johan Overweg

Andreas Thon

Gordon D DeMeester

Michael Andrew Morich

Carolina Ribbing

Bjoern Weissler

Dennis Groben

Christoph Herrmann

Herfried Karl Wieczorek

Roger Steadman Booker

Jerome John Griesmer

Kai Eck

Bernd Schweizer

Guenter Zeitler

Christian Baeumer

Gordian Prescher

Martin Weibrecht

Oliver Muelhens

Christoph Lerche

Poornima Sampath

Petrus Wilhelmus Helena Van Loon

Peter Michael Jakob Dueppenbecker

Peter Fischer

The present application relates generally to silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) detector arrays. In one aspect, there is a system including an array of cells each including a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) reverse-biased above a breakdown voltage of the SPAD. Each cell may further include trigger logic connected to the SPAD, and configured to output a trigger signal indicating whether the SPAD is in breakdown. Each cell may still further include a conditional recharge circuit configured to recharge the SPAD conditional upon both (i) the recharge circuit applying the recharge signal to the cell and (ii) the trigger signal output by the trigger logic of the cell indicating the SPAD of the cell is in breakdown.

Recharge circuit for digital silicon photomultipliers

The present application relates generally to silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) detector arrays. In one aspect, there is a system including an array of cells each including a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) reverse-biased above a breakdown voltage of the SPAD. The system may further include a trigger network configured to generate pulses on a trigger line in response to SPADs of the array undergoing breakdown. The system may still further include a pulse-width filter configured to block pulses on the trigger line whose pulse width is less than a threshold width.

Time-domain filtering of gamma events

The present invention relates to a calibration method for a gamma ray detector () including a pixelated scintillator array () for emitting scintillation photons at photo conversion positions () in response to incident gamma rays (), and a pixelated photodetector array () for determining a spatial intensity distribution of the scintillation photons. The present invention bases on the idea that using the concept of optical light sharing of scintillation photons, which are emitted in one element, i.e., one scintillator pixel () of the scintillator array () and distributed over multiple photodetector pixels () of the pixelated photodetector army (), allows obtaining an estimate for the time skew between adjacent photodetector pixels (). The present invention further relates to a calibration module () for a gamma ray detector () including a recorder () and a processing module () for performing the function of the above-explained method. Still further, the present invention relates to a gamma my detector () as well as to a medical imaging device () comprising this gamma my detector ().

Sub-pixel time skew correction for positron emission tomography (PET)

A scalable medical imaging detector arrangement is provided having interchangeable sensor tiles with fixed outer dimensions for a fixed or universal mechanical, electrical, and cooling interface. Different sensor tile types with different performance grades and production costs care configured with a common interface for coupling to the medical imaging device, while the rest of the imaging system can remain unchanged.

Versatile PET detector

The invention relates to a gamma radiation detector that provides compensation for the parallax effect. The gamma radiation detector includes a plurality of scintillator elements, a planar optical detector array, and a pinhole collimator that includes a pinhole aperture. Each scintillator element has a gamma radiation receiving face and an opposing scintillation light output face. The gamma radiation receiving face of each scintillator element faces the pinhole aperture for generating scintillation light in response to gamma radiation received from the pinhole aperture. The scintillator elements are arranged in groups. Each group has a group axis that is aligned with the pinhole aperture and is perpendicular to the radiation receiving face of each scintillator in that group. The scintillation light output faces of each of the scintillator elements are in optical communication with the planar optical detector array.

Gamma radiation detector with parallax compensation

In a combined system, a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner includes a magnet configured to generate a static magnetic field at least in a MR examination region from which MR data are acquired. Radiation detectors are configured to detect gamma rays generated by positron-electron annihilation events in a positron emission tomography (PET) examination region. The radiation detectors include electron multiplier elements having a direction of electron acceleration arranged substantially parallel or anti-parallel with the static magnetic field. In some embodiments, the magnet is an open magnet having first and second spaced apart magnet pole pieces disposed on opposite sides of a magnetic resonance examination region, and the radiation detectors include first and second arrays of radiation detectors disposed with the first and second spaced apart magnet pole pieces.

PET/MR scanners for simultaneous PET and MR imaging

A radiation detection device, a system, a method, or a computer program product are used in timestamping detected radiation quanta. The device includes an optical detector pixel array, a timestamp trigger unit and a timing unit. The timestamp trigger unit determines a pixel cell triggering rate for pixel cells within the optical detector pixel array. The timestamp trigger unit causes the timing unit to generate a timestamp based on the pixel cell triggering rate.

Timestamping detected radiation quanta

Spatial intensity distributions of scintillation photons emitted by the scintillator array () in response to multiple incident gamma rays in record are recorded (S). Sets of coincidently emitted scintillation photons from the recorded spatial intensity distributions are determined (S). The sets of coincidently emitted scintillation photons center-of-gravity positions (S) and cumulative energies are determined (S). A clustering analysis based on the determined center-of-gravity positions and cumulative energies to obtain clusters () of gamma ray events attributed to a scintillator array element is performed (). A cluster () of the spatial intensity distributions is cumulated (S) to determine a cumulative spatial intensity distribution of scintillation photons emitted in response to incident gamma rays in the scintillator array element. A light matrix including expected spatial intensity distributions of scintillation photons for different scintillator array elements () is determined (S) based on the cumulative spatial intensity distributions.

Pixel identification for small pitch scintillation crystal arrays

An energy application apparatus applies energy to an object. The object (), such as a tumor which has absorbed a radioisotope tracer, defines a location () of radioactive material. A location detection unit detects the location with the radioactive material. An x-ray unit applies x-rays to the detected location of the object. Since the location, to which energy should be applied, includes radioactive material, this location can be accurately detected by using the location detection unit. Moreover, since the application of the x-rays can be well controlled by controlling, for example, the intensity and the energy spectrum of the x-rays, energy can be accurately applied to the accurately detected location. The overall process of applying energy to the object can therefore be performed with increased accuracy.

Energy application apparatus

A generally cylindrical set of coil windings includes primary coil windings and shield coil windings at a larger radial position than the primary coil windings, and an arcuate or annular central gap that is free of coil windings, has an axial extent of at least ten centimeters, and spans at least a 180&#xb0; angular interval. Connecting conductors disposed at each edge of the central gap electrically connect selected primary and secondary coil windings. In a scanner setting, a main magnet is disposed outside of the generally cylindrical set of coil windings. In a hybrid scanner setting, an annular ring of positron emission tomography (PET) detectors is disposed in the central gap of the generally cylindrical set of coil windings.

Split gradient coil and hybrid systems using same

The invention is directed to several crystal arrangements for time-of-flight (ToF) positron emission tomography (PET) with depth of interaction (DOI) encoding for high spatial, energy and timing resolution. Additionally, several implementations of the ToF-DOI PET detector arrays are proposed with related measurements which all show that no timing degradation is visible in the used setup for first photon trigger for digital silicon photo multipliers (dSiPMs).

Modelling of ToF-DOI detector arrays

A diagnostic imaging device includes a signal processing circuit () processes signals from a detector array () which detects radiation from an imaging region (). The hit signals are indicative of a corresponding detector () being hit by a radiation photon. The signal processing circuit () includes a plurality of input channels (), each input channel receiving hit signals from a corresponding detector element () such that each input channel () corresponds to a location at which each hit signal is received. A plurality of integrators () integrate signals from the input channels () to determine an energy value associated with each radiation hit. A plurality of analog-to-digital converters () convert the integrated energy value into a digital energy value. A plurality of time to digital converters () receive the hit signals and generate a digital time stamp. OR logic () relays signal hits from a subset of the plurality of input channels () to one of the ADC () and one of the time to digital converters (), the subset including more than one input channel such that more than one input channel is connected with each ADC () and/or each time-to-digital converter (). A register and read out () reads out the locations, the digital energy values, and the digital time stamps for hit signals.

Low power TDC-ADC and anger logic in radiation detection applications

A method includes obtaining an image of a region of interest of a subject, wherein the image is generated with image data produced by an imaging system used to scan the subject, obtaining a signal indicative of a physiological state of the subject before the scan, and displaying both the image and data indicative of the physiological state. In another aspect, a method includes correcting, via a processor, a tracer uptake value for a target region of interest based on a tracer uptake correction factor.

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Aachen, Germany

Torsten Solf