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:
Feb. 17, 2009
Filed:
Apr. 04, 2006
Walter Garms, Berkeley, CA (US);
Pierfrancesco Landolfi, Newark, CA (US);
Walter Garms, Berkeley, CA (US);
Pierfrancesco Landolfi, Newark, CA (US);
GE Security, Inc., Bradenton, FL (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for scanning an object with a helical CT scanner, the method comprising: acquiring an amount of data corresponding to the object that is scanned by the CT scanner, wherein the amount of data is generated by an x-ray source that projects a fan beam of x-rays toward a detector array on an opposite side of a gantry of the CT scanner, the fan beam being generated at multiple x-ray source positions as the x-ray source is rotated about the object as the object passes through an opening in the gantry disposed about a conveyor for moving the object through the opening; monitoring a position of the conveyor as the object passes through the opening in the gantry; determining if the conveyor has been stationary for more than one rotation of the gantry and discarding redundant data after one rotation, optionally turning off the x-ray tube if the conveyor has been stationary for more than one gantry rotation, and if so preventing the conveyor from moving again until the tube is turned on and is stable, inputting the position of the conveyor at each x-ray source position into a reconstruction algorithm; and presenting an image of the object.