Patent · US Expired

Ultra-high resolution computed tomography imaging

US6421409B1 · kind B1 · utility

6Cited by
2References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 2, 2000
Grant dateJul 16, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 2, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S378/901
  • WIPO fieldEnvironmental technology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A method for ultra-high resolution computed tomography imaging, comprising the steps of: focusing a high energy particle beam, for example x-rays or gamma-rays, onto a target object; acquiring a 2-dimensional projection data set representative of the target object; generating a corrected projection data set by applying a deconvolution algorithm, having an experimentally determined a transfer function, to the 2-dimensional data set; storing the corrected projection data set; incrementally rotating the target object through an angle of approximately 180°, and after each the incremental rotation, repeating the radiating, acquiring, generating and storing steps; and, after the rotating step, applying a cone-beam algorithm, for example a modified tomographic reconstruction algorithm, to the corrected projection data sets to generate a 3-dimensional image. The size of the spot focus of the beam is reduced to not greater than approximately 1 micron, and even to not greater than approximately 0.5 microns.

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