Liquid resistant digital detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9354326-B2
Application number	US-201414308981-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2014
Priority date	Jul 2, 2013
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A radiographic imaging detector has photoimaging pixels disposed in an array, control electronics for controlling operation of the array to capture radiographic images, and a voltage source for powering the array of photoimaging pixels and the control electronics. A housing with multiple parts encloses at least the array and the control electronics and provides a seating for the voltage source. A first part has a first mating surface, a second part has a second mating surface. The first and second mating surfaces are disposed adjacent to each other and define a gap therebetween with a hydrophobic material deposited along at least one of the first and second mating surfaces.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A digital radiographic detector comprising:
a plurality of photoimaging pixels disposed in an array;
a scintillator over the photoimaging pixels;
control electronics for controlling operation of the array to capture radiographic images;
a voltage source for powering the array of photoimaging pixels and the control electronics; and
a housing comprising a plurality of parts,
wherein the housing encloses at least the array, the scintillator, and the control electronics when the plurality of parts are assembled together,
a first one of the plurality of parts comprises a first mating surface,
a second one of the plurality of parts comprises a second mating surface,
the first and second mating surfaces are adjacent and face each other when the plurality of parts are assembled together, and
wherein a hydrophobic material is deposited on at least one of the first and second mating surfaces.

2. The digital detector of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of parts are made from a metal alloy.

3. The digital detector of claim 2 , wherein the first and second mating surfaces at least partially abut and provide a liquid tight seal, wherein the liquid tight seal is not air tight.

4. The digital detector of claim 3 , wherein the first and second mating surfaces are spatially separated at least in some regions, the spatially separated regions of the first and second mating surfaces defining a gap less than about 0.020 inches.

5. The digital detector of claim 4 , wherein the gap is less than about 0.005 inches.

6. The digital detector of claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of parts comprises a housing opening for receiving a connector, the housing opening and the connector configured such that the housing opening can be sealed using a cap having a coating made from a hydrophobic material.

7. The digital detector of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic material comprises multiple layers of a polyelectrolyte.

8. The digital detector of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic material provides a contact angle in excess of about 120 degrees.

9. The digital detector of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polysiloxanes, organosilicon polymers, poly(tetrafluorethene), polypropylene (PP), reactive inorganic nanoparticles, compositions of nano-fillers dispersed within a fluoroelastomer matrix, compositions with a nano-filler having a core-shell structure with a silica shell over a metal oxide core, sol-gel foam, sol-gel alumina, and multilayered film coatings.

10. A digital radiographic detector comprising:
a plurality of photoimaging pixels disposed in an array;
control electronics for controlling operation of the array to capture radiographic images;
a voltage source for powering the array of photoimaging pixels and the control electronics; and
a housing comprising a plurality of parts,
wherein the housing encloses at least the array and the control electronics,
a first one of the plurality of parts comprises a first mating surface,
a second one of the plurality of parts comprises a second mating surface,
the first and second mating surfaces face each other,
wherein a hydrophobic material is deposited on at least one of the first and second mating surfaces, and
wherein at least one of the plurality of parts comprises a fastener opening for a fastener to be inserted therethrough and to fasten together the plurality of parts, and wherein the fastener opening is coated with the hydrophobic material.

11. The digital detector of claim 10 , wherein the fastener is configured to tighten the first and second mating surfaces against each other when the fastener is tightened.

12. A method of assembling a digital radiographic detector, the method comprising:
assembling internal components of the digital radiographic detector, the internal components comprising at least an array of photoimaging pixels, a scintillaor over the photoimaging pixels, and electronics circuits;
applying a hydrophobic material to a first portion of a first housing part; and
attaching the first housing part to a second housing part such that the first portion of the first housing part is adjacent to and faces a second portion of the second housing part, and the attached first and second housing parts form an enclosure surrounding the assembled internal components.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising at least partially abutting the first portion of the first housing part against the second portion of the second housing part.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising attaching the first housing part to the second housing part such that the first portion of the first housing part is within a gap of about 0.005 inches to about 0.02 inches from the second portion of the second housing part, including providing a liquid tight seal in the gap but not an air tight seal in the gap.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising coating at least a portion of a sealing cap with the hydrophobic material and covering a connector port in at least one of the housing parts with the sealing cap.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising depositing the hydrophobic material within at least one ventilation orifice in the first housing part to form a liquid tight ventilation orifice.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of applying comprises aerosol spraying the applied hydrophobic material.

18. A method of assembling a digital radiographic detector, the method comprising:
assembling internal components of the digital radiographic detector, the internal components comprising at least an array of photoimaging pixels and electronics circuits;
applying a hydrophobic material to a first portion of a first housing part;
attaching the first housing part to a second housing part such that the first portion of the first housing part faces a second portion of the second housing part and the first and second housing parts form an enclosure surrounding the assembled internal components;
forming a fastener opening in the first housing part; and
applying the hydrophobic material to the fastener opening,
wherein the step of attaching comprises inserting a fastener through the fastener opening and coupling the fastener to the second housing part such that the fastener is secured against the hydrophobic material applied to the fastener opening.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising screwing the fastener into the second housing part.

20. A method of assembling a digital radiographic detector, the method comprising:
assembling internal components of the digital radiographic detector, the internal components comprising at least an array of photoimaging pixels and electronics circuits;
applying a hydrophobic material to a first portion of a first housing part;
attaching the first housing part to a second housing part such that the first portion of the first housing part faces a second portion of the second housing part and the first and second housing parts form an enclosure surrounding the assembled internal components; and
applying the hydrophobic material to the second portion of the second housing part.

Assignees

• Carestream Health Inc

Inventors

• Maclaughlin Scott T
• Langley Robert J

Classifications

• G01T1/244

  Auxiliary details, e.g. casings, cooling, damping or insulation against damage by, e.g. heat, pressure or the like · CPC title

• B82Y15/00

  Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors · CPC title

• G01T1/00 Primary

  Measuring X-radiation, gamma radiation, corpuscular radiation, or cosmic radiation (G01T3/00, G01T5/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49117

  Conductor or circuit manufacturing · CPC title

• Y10S977/954

  Of radiant energy · CPC title