Radiation imaging apparatus and radiation imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9417333-B2
Application number	US-201314010379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2013
Priority date	Aug 31, 2012
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

A radiation imaging apparatus comprises: a detector that includes a detection unit in which pixels having a conversion element that converts radiation to an electric charge are arranged in a matrix shape, a drive circuit that drives the detection unit, and a read circuit that outputs an electric signal corresponding to the electric charge as image data; a radiation detection unit that detects a radiation irradiation state at a plurality of positions in the detection unit; and a control unit that controls operations of the drive circuit and the read circuit in accordance with a detection result obtained by the radiation detection unit, wherein the radiation detection unit detects a radiation irradiation state at least at a center region and a peripheral region in the detection unit, and a detection capability at the center region is set to a higher capability than a detection capability at the peripheral region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiation imaging apparatus comprising:
a detector including a detection unit in which pixels having a conversion element that converts radiation into an electric charge are arranged in a matrix shape, a drive circuit configured to drive the detection unit to output electric signals that correspond to the electric charges from the pixels, and a read circuit configured to output the electric signals as image data;
a radiation detection unit configured to detect an irradiation state of radiation at a plurality of positions in the detection unit such that the irradiation state of radiation at least at a center region in the detection unit and at a peripheral region in the detection unit that is separated from the center region is detected, the irradiation state of radiation being different from the image data; and
a control unit configured to control operations of the drive circuit and the read circuit in accordance with a detection result obtained by the radiation detection unit,
wherein the radiation detection unit is configured to have a plurality of sensitivities such that the sensitivity at the center region in the detection unit is greater than the sensitivity at the peripheral region in the detection unit.

2. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
when a start of irradiation of radiation is detected by the radiation detection unit, the control unit makes an operating state of the detector transition from a standby state in which the detector repeatedly performs resetting of the conversion elements to an accumulation state in which the detector accumulates the electric charges in the conversion elements, and
when an end of irradiation of radiation is detected by the radiation detection unit, the control unit makes the operating state of the detector transition from the accumulation state to a read state in which the detector outputs electric signals that correspond to the electric charges that are accumulated in the conversion elements.

3. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation detection unit comprises:
a radiation detection sensor that is arranged in the detection unit and is configured to convert irradiated radiation to a current signal;
a current detection unit configured to convert the current signal from the radiation detection sensor to a voltage signal; and
a comparison unit configured to compare the voltage signal from the current detection unit and a threshold voltage,
wherein, when the voltage signal from the current detection unit exceeds the threshold voltage of the comparison unit, the radiation detection unit outputs a radiation detection signal indicating a start of irradiation of radiation, and when the voltage signal from the current detection unit is less than the threshold voltage of the comparison unit, the radiation detection unit outputs the radiation detection signal that indicates an end of irradiation of radiation,
wherein the threshold voltage is changed according to at least one of the plurality sensitivities of the radiation detection unit, and
wherein each of the plurality sensitivities of the radiation detection unit comprises a sensitivity of the radiation detection sensor and a gain of the current detection unit.

4. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a radiation determination unit configured to receive from the radiation detection unit a plurality of the radiation detection signals that respectively correspond to a plurality of the radiation detection sensors that are arranged in the detection unit, and determine a radiation irradiation state,
wherein, when any one of the radiation detection signals that indicates a start of irradiation of radiation is input from the radiation detection unit, the radiation determination unit outputs a radiation determination signal that indicates a start of irradiation of radiation to the control unit.

5. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, when any one of the radiation detection signals that indicates an end of irradiation of radiation is input from the radiation detection unit, the radiation determination unit outputs a radiation determination signal that indicates an end of irradiation of radiation to the control unit.

6. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, when two or more of the radiation detection signals that indicate an end of irradiation of radiation are input from the radiation detection unit, the radiation determination unit sends a radiation determination signal that indicates an end of irradiation of radiation to the control unit.

7. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a radiation determination unit configured to receive from the radiation detection unit a plurality of the radiation detection signals that respectively correspond to a plurality of the radiation detection sensors that are arranged in the detection unit, and determine a radiation irradiation state,
wherein, when two or more of the radiation detection signals that indicate a start of irradiation of radiation are input from the radiation detection unit, the radiation determination unit outputs a radiation determination signal that indicates a start of irradiation of radiation to the control unit.

8. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein, when any one of the radiation detection signals that indicates an end of irradiation of radiation is input from the radiation detection unit, the radiation determination unit outputs a radiation determination signal that indicates an end of irradiation of radiation to the control unit.

9. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein, when two or more of the radiation detection signals that indicate an end of irradiation of radiation are input from the radiation detection unit, the radiation determination unit sends a radiation determination signal that indicates an end of irradiation of radiation to the control unit.

10. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation detection unit comprises:
a radiation detection sensor that is arranged in the detection unit and is configured to convert irradiated radiation to a current signal;
a current detection unit configured to convert the current signal from the radiation detection sensor to a voltage signal;
a gain setting unit configured to set a gain of the current detection unit;
a comparison unit configured to compare the voltage signal from the current detection unit and a threshold voltage;
a threshold setting unit configured to set the threshold voltage of the comparison unit; and
a saturation determination unit configured to determine a state of the current detection unit;
wherein, when the voltage signal output from the current detection unit exceeds a threshold voltage that is set to lower than a voltage signal at a time that the current detection unit saturates, the saturation determination unit sends a saturation determination signal to the gain setting unit, and
wherein, upon receiving the saturation determination signal from the saturation determination unit, the gain setting unit lowers the gain of the current detection unit.

11. A radiation imaging system comprising:
a radiation imaging apparatus; and
a radiation generating apparatus configured to irradiate radiation,
wherein the radiation imaging apparatus comprises:
a detector including a detection unit in which pixels having a conversion element that converts radiation into an electric charge are arranged in a matrix shape, a drive circuit configured to drive the detection unit to output electric sig

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Sato Sho
• Kameshima Toshio
• Yagi Tomoyuki
• Takenaka Katsuro
• Okada Hideyuki
• Iwashita Atsushi
• Sugawara Eriko

Classifications

• H04N23/30 Primary

  for generating image signals from X-rays · CPC title

• G01T1/17 Primary

  Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular type of detector {(pulse-selection circuits H03K, G01R)} · CPC title

• H04N5/32

  Transforming X-rays (cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from X-rays H04N23/30; circuitry of SSIS for transforming X-rays into image signals H04N25/30) · CPC title

• G01T1/247

  Detector read-out circuitry (for processing gain or off-set correction H04N) · CPC title

• H04N25/707

  Pixels for event detection · CPC title