Radiography systems based on distributed ray source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10371648-B2
Application number	US-201515301345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2015
Priority date	Dec 17, 2014
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a radiography system including: a ray source, comprising a plurality of X-ray generators which are distributed on one or more planes intersected with a moving direction of an object being inspected; a detector module comprising a plurality of detection units; a data collection circuit; a controller, configured to control at least two X-ray generators of the plurality of X-ray generators in the ray source to generate X-rays alternately such that the object is scanned by the generated X-rays; and control the detector module and the data collection circuit to respectively obtain detection data corresponding to the at least two X-ray generators; and a data processing computer, configured to create images of the object being inspected in view angles of the at least two X-ray generators based on the detection data. The above embodiments may implement a multi-view-angle perspective imaging system within a single scan plane by utilizing a distributed X-ray source and reuse of the detectors.

First claim

We claim:

1. A radiography system comprising:
a ray source comprising a plurality of X-ray generators which are distributed on one or more planes intersected with a moving direction of an object being inspected;
a detector module comprising a plurality of detection units and configured to receive X-rays transmitting through the object being inspected;
a data collection circuit coupled to the detector module and configured to convert a signal generated by the detector module into detection data;
a controller connected to the ray source, the detector module and the data collection circuit, and configured to control at least two X-ray generators of the plurality of X-ray generators in the ray source to generate X-rays alternately such that object is scanned by the generated X-rays as moving of the object, and control the detector module and the data collection circuit to respectively obtain detection data corresponding to the at least two X-ray generators;
a data processing computer configured to create images of the object being inspected in view angles of the at least two X-ray generators based on the detection data;
wherein the ray source implements pulse-type emitting so as to emit X-rays only within a sampling period of the detector module and stop emitting the X-rays outside the sampling period of the detector module; wherein the detector module detects rays from different X-ray generators in the ray source, and in each collection process, rays emitted from only one X-ray generator are collected by the detector module at a time; and
wherein the radiography system further comprises an object border detection apparatus, the object border detection apparatus configured to detect an object border of the object before the object passes through a scan plane; wherein an X-ray generator is selected according to the detected object border such that the generated X-ray covers the object completely.

2. The radiography system according to claim 1 , wherein the detector module comprises a low-energy detector and a high-energy detector located behind the low-energy detector.

3. The radiography system according to claim 1 , wherein the ray source comprises a plurality of carbon nanotube X-ray generators or a plurality of magnetic-confinement X-ray generators.

4. The radiography system according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of X-ray generators are configured to generate high-energy X-rays and low-energy X-rays in a switching way.

5. The radiography system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of X-ray generators are arranged on a support in an L shape, an inverted-L shape, a U shape or an arc shape, for emitting the X-rays to the detector module.

6. The radiography system according to claim 1 , wherein the ray source comprises a first row of X-ray generators and a second row of X-ray generators, which are configured to respectively generate high-energy X-rays and low-energy X-rays in a switching way under control of the controller; and the detector module comprises a first row of detectors and a second row of detectors arranged in parallel, which are configured to respectively make response to high-energy X-rays and low-energy X-rays.

7. The radiography system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of X-ray generators are distributed in pairs, two target points in a pair being close to each other in a spatial distance and having a sequential emitting order, one of which is configured to generate the X-rays using a high voltage with a first energy, and the other of which is configured to generate the X-rays using a high voltage with a second energy.

8. The radiography system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of X-ray generators are configured to use high voltage with a first energy at one emitting process, and use high voltage with a second energy at the next emitting process, and so on back and forth.

9. The radiography system according to claim 1 , at least one of the plurality of X-ray generators is determined to be activated according to spatial resolutions of images to be achieved along a conveying direction under each view angle in connection with a current conveying speed and/or a signal-to-noise ratio of the images.

10. The radiography system according to claim 1 , at least one of the plurality of X-ray generators is manually determined to be activated according to a projection angle to be viewed; or an X-ray generator in a best perspective view angle is determined according to a shape and a size of a target object.

Assignees

• Nuctech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Li
• Jin Xin
• Tang Huaping
• Huang Qingping
• Sun Yunda
• Chen Zhiqiang

Classifications

• G01N2223/643

  object on conveyor · CPC title

• G01N2223/423

  multispectral imaging-multiple energy imaging · CPC title

• G01N2223/3307

  source and detector fixed; object moves · CPC title

• G01N23/046

  using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT] · CPC title

• G01N23/04 Primary

  and forming images of the material · CPC title