The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 05, 1998
Filed:
Nov. 20, 1992
David L Gilblom, Los Altos, CA (US);
Peter S Castro, Los Altos, CA (US);
Picker International, Inc., Highland Heights, OH (US);
Abstract
A latent image is formed on a stimulable phosphor plate (10) by irradiating the phosphor plate with x-rays from an x-ray source (14). To develop the stimulable phosphor plate, the plate is irradiated with light of a different wavelength from developer light source (32). The light from the developer light source causes the stimulable phosphor plate to give off light of yet another characteristic wavelength. Light from the stimulable phosphor plate is filtered (38) to remove the wavelength of the developer light and focused (42) on a light sensing element (46) of a time delay and integration video camera (34). The stimulable phosphor plate and the video camera are moved relative to each other and the rate of movement is monitored (60). An array control (50) shifts rows of data or charge values along the light sensing element in coordination with movement of the stimulable phosphor plate such that the light emitted by each incremental element of the stimulable phosphor plate is integrated over a full column of detector elements of the light detector array. The time delay and integration video camera produces a video signal indicative of the latent x-ray shadowgraphic image from the stimulable phosphor plate. In one embodiment (FIG. 1), the developer is in a separate unit. In other embodiments, the time delay and integration camera and the stimulable phosphor plate are in a common darkbox such that the latent image is developed immediately and automatically to produce the video image (FIGS. 3, 4, and 5).