Method for operation of a counting radiation detector with improved linearity

US7268354B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Bjoern Heismann · Erlangen, DE
• Silke Janssen · Heroldsbach, DE
• Thomas Van Der Haar · Nuremberg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 8, 2004
• Grant date: Sep 11, 2007
• Expiry date: Apr 13, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B6/583
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method is for operation of a counting radiation detector, in particular of a counting X-ray detector, with improved linearity, in which each detector element of the counting radiation detector supplies counting pulses at counting rates as a function of a number of radiation quanta which occur per unit time during operation. In the method, the counting rates which are supplied from each detector element or from subsections of the detector element are converted via a functional relationship to actual counting rates or are multiplied by correction factors which are dependent on the magnitude of the counting rates. The correction factors are determined in advance for the respective detector element or for the subsections of it, and any discrepancy (which occurs as a result of a dead time of the detector element, for example) in the counting rates is corrected from the actual number of radiation quanta which arrive per unit time. The method allows the linearity of counting radiation detectors to be improved, particularly at high radiation intensities, so that the linearity condition for X-ray CT systems is also satisfied.