Radiography systems based on distributed ray source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017122884-A1
Application number	US-201515301345-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 14, 2015
Priority date	Dec 17, 2014
Publication date	May 4, 2017
Grant date	—

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

I/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; 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.

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 configure 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 are 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 are 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.

11 . The radiography system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an object border detection apparatus configured to detect the object border of the object before the object passes through a scan plane, wherein X-ray generators are selected according to the detected object border such that the generated X-ray covers the target object completely.

Assignees

• Nuctech Co Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G01N23/04 Primary

  and forming images of the material · CPC title

• G01N2223/643

  object on conveyor · CPC title

• G01N23/046

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

• G01N2223/3307

  source and detector fixed; object moves · CPC title

• G01N2223/423

  multispectral imaging-multiple energy imaging · CPC title