Apparatus and method for controlling start and stop operations of a computed tomography imaging system
US7492860B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 4, 2006 |
| Grant date | Feb 17, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 6, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2223/419
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus and method for scanning an object with a helical CT scanner, the method comprising: acquiring an amount of data corresponding to the object that is scanned by the CT scanner, wherein the amount of data is generated by an x-ray source that projects a fan beam of x-rays toward a detector array on an opposite side of a gantry of the CT scanner, the fan beam being generated at multiple x-ray source positions as the x-ray source is rotated about the object as the object passes through an opening in the gantry disposed about a conveyor for moving the object through the opening; monitoring a position of the conveyor as the object passes through the opening in the gantry; determining if the conveyor has been stationary for more than one rotation of the gantry and discarding redundant data after one rotation, optionally turning off the x-ray tube if the conveyor has been stationary for more than one gantry rotation, and if so preventing the conveyor from moving again until the tube is turned on and is stable, inputting the position of the conveyor at each x-ray source position into a reconstruction algorithm; and presenting an image of the object.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.