Patent ID: 9103924
Filing Date: 2015-08-11
Classification: G01T,H04N

Abstract:
1. A detector having a 2-dimensional matrix of pixels for detecting and measuring energy of individual photons striking pixels in said matrix, said matrix including at least one group of pixels and further comprising for each group: a respective electronic circuit coupled to each pixel in the group, each electronic circuit being responsive to an individual photon striking the pixel for generating in respect of each of said photons a respective local trigger and for generating and storing in respect of each of said photons a respective analog signal level of the pixel whose value is a function of an energy of the respective photon, an analog databus that is common to all pixels in the group and which feeds each of said analog signals on a per-individual-photon basis to an external processing circuit for processing the analog signals, a common signaling line coupled to all pixels in the group for conveying to the respective electronic circuit a signal indicating that the databus is available to convey the respective analog signal level of the corresponding pixel, and each of the electronic circuits in the group including logic responsive to the local trigger and to the signaling line being available, for indicating to the other electronic circuits in the group that the databus is unavailable; and each of the electronic circuits including a respective timer that is configured to set a preset duration for usage of the databus to feed the analog signal level to the external processing circuit and for thereafter freeing the signaling line and resetting the respective electronic circuit.