Computed tomography thermal management system and method for operation of said system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022071057-A1
Application number	US-202117463049-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 31, 2021
Priority date	Aug 31, 2020
Publication date	Mar 3, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A thermal management system and method for cooling a CT detector assembly of a CT imaging system. The thermal management system uses a combination of air cooling for the readout electronics of the CT detector assembly and liquid cooling for the X-ray sensors of the CT detector assembly. The hybrid air and liquid cooling systems and methods may be coupled together in the thermal management system and method to create a cooler temperature in the CT detector assembly. The CT detector assembly components may include CT detector modules, which may include X-ray sensors, readout electronics and other components.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A thermal management system for a computed tomography (CT) imaging system, the thermal management system comprising:
a liquid cooling assembly including a liquid coolant pumped through a closed loop conduit from a heat exchanger and a liquid coolant temperature controller through a CT detector assembly and back to the heat exchanger and liquid coolant temperature controller, the liquid coolant assembly including a first plurality of fans configured to pull inlet air from the outside to flow over the closed loop liquid conduit with temperature control to cool a liquid coolant and exhaust air to outside of the thermal management system; and an air cooling assembly coupled to the liquid coolant assembly, the air cooling assembly including a second plurality of fans configured to pull inlet air from outside the thermal management system to flow over a rail radiator, the closed loop conduit, the CT detector assembly and exhaust air to outside of the thermal management system.

2 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , further comprising a liquid coolant circuit that is included in the liquid cooling assembly.

3 . The thermal management system of claim 2 , further comprising a pump coupled to the liquid coolant circuit to pump liquid coolant through the closed loop liquid conduit.

4 . The thermal management system of claim 2 , wherein the liquid coolant circuit traverses a first radial section and a second radial section of a rail, and wherein at least one CT detector module is positioned axially between the first radial section and the second radial section.

5 . The thermal management system of claim 4 , further comprising a thermal barrier positioned between the at least one CT detector module and a CT detector readout electronics.

6 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid cooling assembly cools a plurality of CT detector modules.

7 . The thermal management system of claim 6 , wherein the liquid cooling assembly cools a plurality of X-ray sensors within the plurality of CT detector modules.

8 . The thermal management system of claim 5 , wherein the air cooling assembly cools the CT detector readout electronics.

9 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid coolant is water.

10 . The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid coolant is a refrigerant.

11 . A thermal management system for a CT imaging system, the thermal management system comprising:
a liquid cooling assembly including:
a coolant conduit routing liquid coolant from a heat exchanger to a rail and from the rail to a rail radiator and back to the heat exchanger; and
a coolant pump coupled to the coolant conduit to pump the liquid coolant through the coolant conduit;
a plurality of CT detector modules coupled to a first side of the rail; a plurality of detector hardware components coupled to a second side of the rail, positioned in an airflow duct, and in electronic communication with the plurality of CT detector modules; and an air cooling assembly including a plurality of fans positioned in a plurality of outlet openings in the airflow duct; and a rail radiator positioned in an inlet opening of the airflow duct.

12 . A method for operating a thermal management system in a CT imaging system, the method comprising:
operating a coolant pump in a liquid cooling assembly to generate liquid coolant flow through a coolant conduit, wherein the coolant pumps liquid coolant through the coolant conduit from a heat exchanger to a rail and from the rail to a rail radiator, wherein the rail radiator is positioned in an airflow duct, and wherein a plurality of CT detector modules are coupled to a first side of the rail; and operating a plurality of fans in an air cooling assembly, the plurality of fans positioned in a plurality of outlet openings of the airflow duct to generate airflow through the airflow duct, and wherein a plurality of detector hardware components are positioned within the airflow duct.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of operating the plurality of fans includes adjusting the plurality of fans output based on a first temperature set-point, the first temperature set-point corresponding to a temperature of the plurality of detector hardware components.

14 . The method of claim 12 , where the step of operating the coolant pump includes adjusting the pump output based on a second temperature set-point, the second temperature set-point corresponding to a temperature of the plurality of CT detector modules.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first temperature set-point is less than the second temperature set-point.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the steps of operating the coolant pump and/or the plurality of fans includes setting an output of the coolant pump and an output of the plurality of fans at discrete levels during operation of the plurality of CT detector modules.

17 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising operating a second plurality of fans to direct air at the heat exchanger in the liquid cooling assembly, wherein the heat exchanger is separate from and spaced apart from the rail radiator.

18 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising duty cycling the plurality of CT detector modules during CT imaging system operation.

Assignees

• Ge Prec Healthcare Llc
• Prismatic Sensors Ab

Inventors

• Konkle Nicholas
• Aasen Eric
• Slavic Scott
• Reiser Kyle
• Boehm Michael
• Hedberg Mats

Classifications

• A61B6/032

  Transmission computed tomography [CT] · CPC title

• A61B6/4488 Primary

  Means for cooling (A61B6/045 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01T7/00

  Details of radiation-measuring instruments · CPC title

• G01T1/2985 Primary

  In depth localisation, e.g. using positron emitters; Tomographic imaging (longitudinal and transverse section imaging; apparatus for radiation diagnosis sequentially in different planes, steroscopic radiation diagnosis); (using external radiation sources A61B6/02) · CPC title

• H05K7/20263 Primary

  Heat dissipaters releasing heat from coolant · CPC title