Multi-color charged particle detector apparatus and method of use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020406063-A1
Application number	US-202017016372-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 10, 2020
Priority date	Apr 16, 2010
Publication date	Dec 31, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for using a multi-layer multi-color scintillation based detector element to image a tumor of a patient using a process of determining residual energies of positively charged particles after passing through the patient, the process comprising the steps of: (1) transmitting the positively charged particles at known energies through the patient and into a multi-layer detector element; (2) detecting first and second secondary photons, resultant from passage of the positively charged particles, respectively from a first layer of a first scintillation material and a second layer of a second scintillation material at two respective layer depths, where the first wavelength range differs from the second wavelength range; (4) determining residual energies of the positively charged particles, using output from the step of detecting; and (5) relating the residual energies to body densities to generate an image.

First claim

1 . An apparatus for determining residual energy of positively charged particles after passing through a patient, comprising:
a multi-layer detector, comprising;
a first layer comprising a first scintillation material, said first scintillation material, responsive to passage of the positively charged particles, emitting first secondary photons over a first wavelength range; and
a second layer comprising a second scintillation material, said second scintillation material, responsive to passage of the positively charged particles, emitting second secondary photons over a second wavelength range, the first scintillation material differing from the second scintillation material.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , said multi-layer detector further comprising:
a third layer comprising a third scintillation material, said third scintillation material, responsive to passage of the positively charged particles, emitting third secondary photons over a third wavelength range, said third scintillation material differing from both said first scintillation material and said second scintillation material.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , said multi-layer detector further comprising:
a first sub-stack of scintillation materials comprising said first layer, said second layer, and said third layer; and a second sub-stack comprising a manufactured copy of said first sub-stack.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , said multi-layer detector further comprising:
at least ten layers of scintillation materials, said at least ten layers of scintillation materials comprising:
said first sub-stack; and
said second sub-stack.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an imaging system configured to use output from said multi-layer detector to generate an image of a tumor of the patient.

6 . A method for determining residual energy of positively charged particles after passing through a patient, comprising the steps of:
passing the positively charged particles into a multi-layer detector element; detecting first secondary photons, resultant from passage of the positively charged particles, over a first wavelength range from a first layer of said multi-layer detector, said first layer comprising a first scintillation material; and detecting second secondary photons, resultant from passage of the positively charged particles, over a second wavelength range from a second layer of said multi-layer detector element, the first wavelength range differing from the second wavelength range; accelerating the positively charged particles using an accelerator; transporting the positively charged particles from said accelerator, through the patient, and into said multi-layer detector element of a detection system; and generating an image of a tumor of the patient from output from said multi-layer detector element.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of:
detecting third secondary photons, resultant from passage of the positively charged particles, over a third wavelength range from a third layer of said multi-layer detector element, a third mean wavelength of the third wavelength range differing from both a first mean wavelength of the first wavelength range and a second mean wavelength of the second wavelength range by at least ten nanometers.

Assignees

• Petterson Maureen
• Lee W Davis

Inventors

• Petterson Maureen
• Lee W Davis

Classifications

• A61B6/4092

  for producing synchrotron radiation · CPC title

• A61B6/0421

  with immobilising means · CPC title

• A61B6/032

  Transmission computed tomography [CT] · CPC title

• A61B6/4241

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

• A61B6/4258

  for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation (A61B6/037 takes precedence) · CPC title