Patent ID: 8553835
Filing Date: 2013-10-08
Classification: A61B,G21K

Abstract:
1. A computed tomography scanner comprising a component mounting assembly, an x-ray tube, a filter assembly, and a detector assembly, wherein: the x-ray tube is operable to radiate x-ray photons within an x-ray beam toward the detector assembly; the x-ray tube is coupled to the component mounting assembly at a first end, and the detector assembly is couple to the component mounting assembly at a second end that is opposite from the first end; the component mounting assembly is rotatable such that the x-ray tube and the detector assembly are rotatable about a rotation axis within a central opening of the component mounting assembly; the filter assembly is positioned in a path of the x-ray beam and comprises an x-ray filter with a first filter element and a second filter element and configured to pass x-ray photons propagating toward the detector assembly within a high dose portion of the x-ray beam, and reduce the number of x-ray photons propagating toward the detector assembly in one or more low dose portions of the x-ray beam, the detector assembly comprises an array of detector elements capable of detecting x-ray photons of the x-ray beam, and configured such that the high dose portion of the x-ray beam strikes a high resolution region of the detector assembly and the one or more low dose portions of the x-ray beam strike one or more low resolution regions of the detector assembly.