Patent · US Expired

CCD and phosphor screen digital radiology apparatus and method for high resolution mammography

US5142557A · kind A · utility

63Cited by
21References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 21, 1990
Grant dateAug 25, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 21, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S378/901
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system for locating a region of varying density in biological tissue such as a breast includes a controlled x-ray source for directing x-rays through the breast, a phosphor screen positioned to receive x-rays exiting from the tissue and producing light in response thereto, a cooled, slow scan CCD camera, a variable magnification optical system positioned to receive light emitted by the phosphor screen and directing it to the cooled, slow scan CCD camera, a high resolution monitor, and a control system receiving signals from the cooled, slow scan CCD camera and digitizing the signals to produce digital data representative of the densities of various locations of the tissue. The control system includes a processor operated to determine a signal-to-noise ratio of light received by the cooled, slow scan CCD camera from the variable magnification optical system and to control the intensity of x-rays in response to the signal-to-noise ratio to determine locations of the object at which the corresponding densities exceed a certain level. The addresses of such locations are stored. The variable magnification optical system is controlled to focus and enlarge "digitally marked" locations o…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.