Dedicated breast computed tomography system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10413264-B2
Application number	US-201816161112-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2018
Priority date	Aug 18, 2016
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a computed tomography system, comprising: a table with a hole therein, wherein the table is configured to support a person lying face down thereon, with at least one of the person's breasts projecting through the hole; an X-ray source; an X-ray detector comprising a plurality of pixels; wherein the X-ray source is configured to rotate around the at least one of the person's breasts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computed tomography system, comprising:
a table with a hole therein, wherein the table is configured to support a person lying face down thereon, with at least one of the person's breasts projecting through the hole;
an X-ray source;
an X-ray detector comprising a plurality of pixels;
wherein the X-ray source is configured to rotate around the at least one of the person's breasts;
wherein the X-ray detector comprises:
an X-ray absorption layer comprising an electric contact;
a first voltage comparator configured to compare a voltage of the electric contact to a first threshold;
a second voltage comparator configured to compare the voltage to a second threshold;
a controller;
a plurality of counters each associated with a bin and configured to register a number of X-ray photons absorbed by one of the pixels wherein the energy of the X-ray photons falls in the bin;
wherein the controller is configured to start a time delay from a time at which the first voltage comparator determines that an absolute value of the voltage equals or exceeds an absolute value of the first threshold;
wherein the controller is configured to determine whether an energy of an X-ray photon falls into the bin;
wherein the controller is configured to cause the number registered by the counter associated with the bin to increase by one;

wherein a rate of change of the voltage is substantially zero at expiration of the time delay.

2. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the X-ray detector further comprises a capacitor module electrically connected to the electric contact, wherein the capacitor module is configured to collect charge carriers from the electric contact.

3. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to activate the second voltage comparator at a beginning or expiration of the time delay.

4. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to connect the electric contact to an electrical ground.

5. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the X-ray absorption layer comprises a diode.

6. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the X-ray absorption layer comprises silicon, germanium, GaAs, CdTe, CdZnTe, or a combination thereof.

7. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein each pixel of the X-ray detector is configured to count numbers of X-ray photons incident thereon whose energy falls in a plurality of bins, within a period of time; and wherein the X-ray detector is configured to add the numbers of X-ray photons for the bins of the same energy range counted by all the pixels.

8. The computed tomography system of claim 7 , wherein the X-ray detector is configured to compile the added numbers as a spectrum of the X-ray photons incident on the X-ray detector.

9. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the X-ray detector does not comprise a scintillator.

10. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels are arranged in an array.

11. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the pixels are configured to count the numbers of X-ray photons within a same period of time.

12. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein each of the pixels comprises an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to digitize an analog signal representing the energy of an incident X-ray photon into a digital signal.

13. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the pixels are configured to operate in parallel.

14. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein each of the pixels is configured to measure its dark current.

15. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein the X-ray detector is configured to capture images for X-ray at different wavelengths.

Assignees

• Shenzhen Xpectvision Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cao Peiyan
• Ding Rui

Classifications

• A61B6/0435

  with means for imaging suspended breasts · CPC title

• A61B6/4233

  using matrix detectors · CPC title

• A61B6/032

  Transmission computed tomography [CT] · CPC title

• A61B6/502 Primary

  for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography · CPC title

• A61B6/4241

  using energy resolving detectors, e.g. photon counting · CPC title