Systems and methods for an integrated filter assembly with two carriages

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12369869-B2
Application number	US-202217828928-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2022
Priority date	May 31, 2022
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

Various systems and methods are provided for an integrated filter assembly including at least one bowtie filter and at least one beam hardening filter mounted on a carriage. In one embodiment, an imaging system may include a first carriage including at least one beam hardening filter and at least one bowtie filter, a second carriage including at least two additional bowtie filters, and a carriage driving system for moving the carriages to selectively position the at least one beam hardening filter and one of the bowtie filters in a path of an X-ray beam. The at least one beam hardening filter may overlap with at least one of the bowtie filters.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An imaging system, comprising:
a collimator assembly, the collimator assembly positioned adjacent to an X-ray source, the X-ray source generating an x-ray beam through the collimator assembly, wherein the collimator assembly includes:
at least one carriage including at least one beam hardening filter and at least one bowtie filter, wherein the beam hardening filter is coupled to an edge of the carriage and extends away from the at least one bowtie filter, wherein the beam hardening filter includes one or more metal sheets and a support structure having a window frame member and a bottom support member, wherein the one or more metal sheets are positioned between the window frame member and the bottom support member.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 , further including a carriage driving system for moving the at least one carriage to selectively position one of the at least one beam hardening filter and the at least one bowtie filter in and out of a path of the X-ray beam.

3. The imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the carriage driving system includes a motor coupled to the carriage via a shaft, the motor operated to translate the shaft for positioning one of the at least one beam hardening filter and the at least one bowtie filter in and out of the path of the X-ray beam.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one carriage is a first carriage, and further comprising a second carriage, wherein the second carriage includes one or more bowtie filters, and wherein the at least one beam hardening filter of the first carriage may be moved into a position to overlap with one of the one or more bowtie filters of the second carriage.

5. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one beam hardening filter is a heavy element material that emits mono-energy X-rays for energy calibration of an X-ray detector.

6. The imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one bowtie filter of the first carriage is a first bowtie filter, and wherein the one or more bowtie filters of the second carriage includes a second bowtie filter and a third bowtie filter positioned adjacent to each other within the second carriage.

7. The imaging system of claim 6 , wherein the first bowtie filter is positioned within a first slot formed in the first carriage and wherein the second bowtie filter is positioned within a second slot formed in the second carriage and the third bowtie filter is positioned within a third slot formed in the second carriage, the first slot separated from the second slot via a tab.

8. The imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one beam hardening filter is coupled to a top surface of the edge of the first carriage such that the beam hardening filter may be moved into a position above one of the one or more bowtie filters of the second carriage to overlap with one of the one or more bowtie filters of the second carriage.

9. The imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one beam hardening filter of the first carriage may be moved into a position where the X-ray beam passes through the at least one beam hardening filter.

10. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one beam hardening filter includes a support structure and one or more metal sheets, the support structure and the one or more metal sheets are stacked together and coupled to the at least one beam hardening filter via a plurality of fasteners.

11. The imaging system of claim 10 , wherein the support structure and the one or more metal sheets are a same dimension, and wherein the support structure is made of a material different from that of the one or more metal sheets.

12. A method for an imaging system, comprising:
during a first imaging, moving a first carriage to position a beam hardening filter coupled to an edge of the first carriage in a path of an X-ray beam and moving a second carriage to position a second bowtie filter housed in the second carriage in the path of the X-ray beam; and
during a second imaging, moving the first carriage to move the beam hardening filter out of the path of the X-ray beam, wherein the beam hardening filter includes one or more metal sheets and a support structure having a window frame member and a bottom support member, wherein the one or more metal sheets are positioned between the window frame member and the bottom support member.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, during the second imaging, moving the first carriage or the second carriage to position a first bowtie filter, the second bowtie filter, or a third bowtie filter in the path of the X-ray beam.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first imaging is a scout scan, and the second imaging is a diagnostic scan, and wherein an X-ray beam size used in the first imaging is smaller than an X-ray beam size used in the second imaging.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the moving the first carriage includes actuating a motor coupled to the first carriage via a shaft, the shaft translating the first carriage in a direction perpendicular to a direction of the path of the X-ray beam to position the beam hardening filter into or out of the path of the X-ray beam.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein each of the second bowtie filter and the third bowtie filter are positioned inside corresponding, adjacent slots within the second carriage and the beam hardening filter is coupled to the first carriage adjacent to the first bowtie filter, wherein the beam hardening filter is attached to a top surface of the first carriage such that the beam hardening filter may extend over the second bowtie filter.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the beam hardening filter overlaps with the second bowtie filter and wherein, during the first imaging, the X-ray beam first passes through the beam hardening filter and then passes through the second bowtie filter.

18. A computed tomography (CT) imaging system, comprising:
a gantry;
an X-ray source positioned in the gantry for emitting X-rays;
an X-ray detector positioned in the gantry opposite the X-ray source;
a first carriage including a first bowtie filter and a first beam hardening filter, wherein the first beam hardening filter is coupled to an edge of the first carriage and wherein the first beam hardening filter includes one or more metal sheets and a support structure having a window frame member and a bottom support member, wherein the one or more metal sheets are positioned between the window frame member and the bottom support member;
a second carriage including a second bowtie filter and a third bowtie filter with a second beam hardening filter positioned between the second bowtie filter and the third bowtie filter; and
a carriage driving system for switching filters by moving one or more of the first bowtie filter, the second bowtie filter, the third bowtie filter, and the first beam hardening filter, the second beam hardening filter into or out of an X-ray beam.

19. The CT imaging system of claim 18 , wherein each of the first bowtie filter and the second bowtie filter include a first, straight long side and a second, parallel long side including a central ridge.

20. The CT imaging system of claim 18 , wherein the second beam hardening filter includes a support structure, and one or more metal strips stacked under the support structure.

21. A pre-patient collimator assembly for a computed tomography (CT) imaging system, the pre-patient collimator assembly comprising:
a first carriage including a beam hardening filter and a f

Assignees

• Ge Prec Healthcare Llc

Inventors

• Behlmer Timothy
• Smith Brandon
• Kim Changlyong

Classifications

• A61B6/582

  Calibration · CPC title

• A61B6/488

  involving pre-scan acquisition · CPC title

• A61B6/4435

  the source unit and the detector unit being coupled by a rigid structure · CPC title

• A61B6/06

  Diaphragms · CPC title

• A61B6/481

  involving the use of contrast agents · CPC title