Patent ID: 8729480
Filing Date: 2014-05-20
Classification: G01T

Abstract:
1. A tomography scanner for obtaining an image of a body, comprising a plurality of axially aligned detector rings forming a cylindrical detector array around a body to be imaged with a well defined, intentional axial gap between each axially adjacent pair of said detector rings, each of said gaps being axially and circumferentially continuous between each axially adjacent pair of said detector rings, each of said gaps creating a cylindrical dead space between each axially adjacent pair of said detector rings, each of said detector rings including a plurality of detector modules aligned with one another transaxially throughout said detector ring, each of said plurality of detector modules comprising a matrix of detector elements, each of said detector elements having an axial dimension, each of said gaps having an axial dimension between each axially adjacent pair of said detector rings purposely selected to be greater than or equal to said axial dimension of said detector elements, said detector rings producing signals in response to radiation emanating from the body in three dimensions; and a data processor responsive to said signals to produce tomographic image reconstruction throughout the axial field-of-view including said gaps.