Patent ID: 9128053
Filing Date: 2015-09-08
Classification: G01J,G01N,G01T

Abstract:
1. A film densitometer comprising: a film support adapted to hold a radiosensitive film extending along a scanning plane; a light source; a light detector; a housing having an aperture sized to allow light rays along a common axis substantially perpendicular to the scanning plane to pass through the aperture and rejecting substantially off-axis light rays from passing through the aperture; a scanning mechanism movably supporting the light source, the housing and the light detector so that the light source, the housing, and the light detector remain aligned along the common axis substantially perpendicular to the scanning plane, the light source on an opposite side of the scanning plane from the housing and light detector, and the scanning mechanism moving the light source and a light with respect to the support over an area of the support according to received electrical movement signals wherein the scanning mechanism provides at least one tray element supporting the film at edges of the film so that a center of the film is removed from contact with any support material; and a controller communicating with the scanning mechanism and executing a stored program to: (1) generate electrical movement signals to move the light source, the housing, and the light detector among a set of different locations on respective sides of a film as held in the support while illuminating the film with the light source; (2) detect transmitted light through the film at the set of different locations with the light detector to provide a detection signal at each location; and (3) output scan data providing a set of density values and associated locations based on the detection signal at multiple locations; wherein the light source is a laser emitting a focused laser beam along the common axis and the light detector is a photo detector selectively receiving light primarily along the common axis; and wherein the aperture of the housing, is sized to approximate a size of a focal spot of the focused laser beam on the radiosensitive film.