X-ray detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9753154-B2
Application number	US-201414458411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2014
Priority date	Sep 3, 2013
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

An X-ray detector is disclosed, in particular for a computed tomography system. In an embodiment, the X-ray detector includes a regular arrangement of measuring pixels for covering a measuring surface. A plurality of the measuring pixels of the regular arrangement are constructed as direct converting measuring pixels, and remaining ones of the measuring pixels are constructed as indirect converting measuring pixels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An X-ray detector, comprising:
a regular arrangement of measuring pixels covering a measuring surface, the regular arrangement including two different types of measuring pixels, wherein a plurality of the measuring pixels of the regular arrangement are constructed as direct converting measuring pixels and remaining ones of the measuring pixels are constructed as indirect converting measuring pixels, and wherein at least two adjacent of rows of measuring pixels are direct converting measuring pixels, a row being a plurality of measuring pixels adjacent to one another and extending along the entire measuring surface in a direction of rotation of the x-ray detector, wherein each direct converting measuring pixel includes a detector layer, and wherein the detector layer is provided with a reflective surface at least at boundary surfaces between direct converting measuring pixels and indirect converting measuring pixels.

2. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , wherein the direct converting measuring pixels and the indirect converting measuring pixels are arranged in a periodic sequence.

3. The X-ray detector of claim 2 , wherein a plurality of measuring pixels are mounted side by side in a row direction to form a measuring pixel row, wherein only measuring pixels of a same type are mounted side by side in each measuring pixel row, and wherein a plurality of measuring pixel rows are mounted side by side in a column direction, orthogonal to the row direction, to form the regular arrangement of measuring pixels.

4. The X-ray detector of claim 3 , wherein, viewed in the column direction, measuring pixel rows with direct converting measuring pixels and measuring pixel rows with indirect converting measuring pixels are arranged in a periodic sequence, and wherein each measuring pixel row with measuring pixels of a first type respectively follows a number of measuring pixel rows.

5. The X-ray detector of claim 3 , wherein, viewed in the column direction, measuring pixel rows with direct converting measuring pixels and measuring pixel rows with indirect converting measuring pixels are arranged in a periodic sequence, and wherein, following a number of measuring pixel rows with measuring pixels of a first type, is a same number of measuring pixel rows with measuring pixels of a second type.

6. The X-ray detector of claim 3 , wherein measuring pixel rows with direct converting measuring pixels and measuring pixel rows with indirect converting measuring pixels are mounted side by side so as to alternate in the column direction.

7. The X-ray detector of claim 2 , wherein each measuring pixel includes a detector layer and a signal processing layer with an application-specific integrated circuit.

8. The X-ray detector of claim 2 , wherein each indirect converting measuring pixel includes a scintillator layer with walls for segregation from adjacent measuring pixels, and wherein the walls are omitted at boundary surfaces between indirect converting measuring pixels and direct converting measuring pixels.

9. The X-ray detector of claim 2 , further comprising an evaluation unit, the evaluation unit being configured to evaluate the measuring signals of all direct converting measuring pixels and the measuring signals of all indirect converting measuring pixels independently of each other, wherein two independent pixel type-based data records are generated, and wherein the two data records are then used for an image reconstruction.

10. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of measuring pixels are mounted side by side in a row direction to form a measuring pixel row, wherein only measuring pixels of a same type are mounted side by side in each measuring pixel row, and wherein a plurality of measuring pixel rows are mounted side by side in a column direction, orthogonal to the row direction, to form the regular arrangement of measuring pixels.

11. The X-ray detector of claim 10 , wherein, viewed in the column direction, measuring pixel rows with direct converting measuring pixels and measuring pixel rows with indirect converting measuring pixels are arranged in a periodic sequence, and wherein each measuring pixel row with measuring pixels of a first type respectively follows a number of measuring pixel rows.

12. The X-ray detector of claim 11 , wherein the number of direct converting measuring pixel rows is three measuring pixel rows.

13. The X-ray detector of claim 10 , wherein, viewed in the column direction, measuring pixel rows with direct converting measuring pixels and measuring pixel rows with indirect converting measuring pixels are arranged in a periodic sequence, and wherein, following a number of measuring pixel rows with measuring pixels of a first type, is a same number of measuring pixel rows with measuring pixels of a second type.

14. The X-ray detector of claim 10 , wherein measuring pixel rows with direct converting measuring pixels and measuring pixel rows with indirect converting measuring pixels are mounted side by side so as to alternate in the column direction.

15. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , wherein the direct converting measuring pixels and the indirect converting measuring pixels have the same dimensions in row direction.

16. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , wherein each measuring pixel includes a detector layer and a signal processing layer with an application-specific integrated circuit.

17. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , wherein each indirect converting measuring pixel includes a scintillator layer with walls for segregation from adjacent measuring pixels, and wherein the walls are omitted at boundary surfaces between indirect converting measuring pixels and direct converting measuring pixels.

18. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , wherein the reflective surface is achieved with aid of a silicide.

19. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , further comprising an evaluation unit, the evaluation unit being configured to evaluate the measuring signals of all direct converting measuring pixels and the measuring signals of all indirect converting measuring pixels independently of each other, wherein two independent pixel type-based data records are generated, and wherein the two data records are then used for an image reconstruction.

20. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , wherein the X-ray detector is included in a computed tomography system.

21. A computed tomography system, comprising the X-ray detector of claim 1 .

22. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , wherein half of the measuring surface is covered by adjacent measuring pixels of a first type and half of the measuring surface is covered by adjacent measuring pixels of a second type.

23. The X-ray detector of claim 1 , wherein the direct converting measuring pixels comprising a row of measuring pixels abut one another and the indirect converting measuring pixels comprising a row of measuring pixels abut one another.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Hackenschmied Peter
• Schröter Christian
• Strassburg Matthias

Classifications

• G01T1/208 Primary

  Circuits specially adapted for scintillation detectors, e.g. for the photo-multiplier section · CPC title

• G01T1/247

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

• G01T1/2018

  Scintillation-photodiode combinations · CPC title

• G01T1/2928 Primary

  using solid state detectors · CPC title

• G01T1/2002

  Optical details, e.g. reflecting or diffusing layers · CPC title