Patent Number: 
Section: description

In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth, such as particular techniques and applications in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known methods and apparatuses are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary details. The present invention may be applied using a variety of X-ray detectors, such as detectors employing direct TFTs, indirect TFTs, CCDs equipped with scintillator, Cmos detectors, PIN-diodes and gas detectors. TFT detector elements have a minimum size of e.g. 100xc3x97100 micrometer. However, if a TFT detector element is made longer it may also be made narrower still maintaining a high fill factor. Thus, it is possible to achieve a TFT detector element being narrower than a conventional TFT and for instance 0.1-100 mm long. Thus, a detector element is achieved having a better spatial resolution than the spatial resolution normally achieved in one direction at the expense of the resolution in the other direction. FIG. 1a shows a top view of a preferred embodiment according to the invention where such elongated detector elements are used. A first array of detector elements 101 and a second array of detector elements 102 are covered with a collimator 103. Each of the arrays 101 and 102 comprise several elongated detector elements arranged, with their respective longer side, side by side, to make up an e.g. 25 cm long array of detector elements. Each of the individual detector elements can be made between 0.01 mm and 5 mm wide, e.g. 50 xcexcm. This is the distance xcex1 in FIG. 1b. Each element can then be made between 0.05 and 100 mm long, e.g. 1 mm, distance xcex2 in FIG. 1a. Even though FIGS. 1a-1c only show two arrays, more arrays may of course be incorporated. Thus, as an example, to cover a 25 cmxc3x9725 cm area using 50 xcexcm wide and 1 mm long detector elements, 250 arrays of 5000 detector elements would be needed. In the figures each detector element is schematically shown separated from its neighbours by some distance. However, this separation can be made very short, e.g. 3-5 xcexcm, so that the radiation detecting elements can be regarded, for all practical purposes, to be arranged side-by-side. The figures are thus not to scale. The collimator 103 is arranged to prevent radiation from reaching the detector elements, apart from at selected areas. Thus, the radiation source (not shown) is placed above the collimator 103, as taken in a Z-direction. The collimator 103 has a first elongated slit 104 and a second elongated slit 105. Each of the elongated slits 104 and 105 is e.g. 50 xcexcm wide and 25 cm long, thus covering the complete length of each respective array 101 and 102 in a X-direction but only a relative short distance of the length of each individual detector element in a Y-direction. The radiation reaching each detector element is thus limited in the X-direction by the width of the detector element to 50 xcexcm and limited in the Y-direction to the width of the elongated slits 104 and 105, respectively, to 50 xcexcm. Thus a spatial resolution is obtained where each pixel is 50xc3x9750 xcexcm. The X-direction, Y-direction and Z-direction are substantially orthogonal. FIG. 1b shows the arrangement in FIG. 1a taken along the line Axe2x80x94A. FIG. 1c shows the arrangement in FIG. 1a taken along the line Bxe2x80x94B. To achieve an image of the radiation the collimator 103 is moved at constant speed, or alternatively step-wise with e.g. 50 xcexcm increment in the Y-direction. The slits 104 and 105 will move over the detector element arrays 101 and 102 and let through radiation from different parts of the scanned area to the detector elements during the scanning. The radiation reaching the detector elements is continuously monitored and recorded in a computer (not shown) and an image of the radiation is assembled. As an alternative the slit 104 may pass over both the detector element arrays 101 and 102. An over sampling, or a double scanning would thus be achieved of the part of object to be imaged that are located above the original position of detecting element array 102. If, as sometimes occur in these kind of detectors, a detector element in array 102 is broken an improved imaged is obtained, since it is very unlikely that the corresponding element in detector element array 101 would also be broken. It should be clear to the man skilled in the art that in practical applications where not only two arrays are used but a multitude of arrays, substantially the complete object would be subject to over sampling. Only the part over the first array would not be subject to over sampling. It would of course also be possible to move the object to be imaged and the detecting element arrays in relation to a fixed collimator. It is also preferable to move the radiation source with the collimator, as will be discussed later. FIG. 2 shows a top view of a radiation detector according to a preferred embodiment of the invention where only one array of detector elements 201 is used and a collimator 202 comprises a corresponding elongated slit 203. If an object 204, larger than the detector, as defined by the length of the array of detecting elements in one dimension and the length of the individual detector elements in the other dimension, should be imaged, the detector can be made to move between successive scannings. FIG. 2 shows the detector in a first starting position 200a, indicated by dotted lines and in a second end position 200b, where the detector has been moved in the Y-direction in successive steps of length L, where L is the length of the detector elements in the y-direction, so as to scan the object 204. Thus the slit 203 is brought over the complete area of the object 204 and an image is recorded. That is, both the detector, comprising the array of detector elements 201, and the collimator is moved during the scan. FIG. 3 shows a side view of a preferred embodiment according to the invention comprising a first collimator 301 and a second collimator 302. The first collimator 301 has two elongated slits 303 and 304 and the second collimator has two elongated slits 305 and 306 aligned with the first collimators 301 slits 303 and 304. The elongated slits 303 and 304 are preferably arranged at the projection of incident X-ray radiation, emitted by a radiation source 310, through the slits 305 and 306. A first array of detector elements 307, of which only the first detector element is visible in this view, and a second array of detector elements 308, of which only the first detector element is visible in this view, are arranged below said first collimator 301. The first 301 and second 302 collimator are arranged at a distance to allow for an object 309, to be imaged, to be positioned there between. The primary purpose of the first collimator 301 is to prevent radiation from reaching the detector elements 307 and 308 in other positions than governed by the slits 303 and 304. The primary purpose of the second collimator 302 is to reduce the radiation dose to the object 309. This is specifically important where a living object, such as a human, is to be imaged. The radiation source 310 radiates X-rays towards the second collimator 302. The second collimator transmits photons only through the slits 305 and 306 and photons thus radiate the object 309 substantially only directly under the slits 305 and 306. The slits 303 and 304 transmit radiation towards the detector elements 307 and 308 so that a reading is obtained relating to the radiation passing through the object 309. The collimators 301 and 302 and the radiation source 310 are moved in fixed relation to each other in the Y-direction, while radiation data is continuously read by the detector elements 307 and 308, scanning the object 309. FIG. 4 shows a schematic drawing in side view of an E-arm detector apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The E-arm comprises a first arm 401 carrying the radiation source, a second arm 402 carrying a first collimator and a third arm 403 carrying a second collimator. The first, second and third arms are fixed in relation to each other. The radiation source is arranged to radiate X-rays towards the first collimator. The E-arm is attached to a stand 404 so as to allow the E-arm to expose a pendulum movement around an axis 405, and/or a horizontal transverse movement along the x- or y-direction. An object 406 to be imaged is positioned between the first and second collimators and is fixed in relation to the stand 404. By moving the E-arm a scanning of the object 406 is achieved. A fourth arm 407 is carrying the radiation detecting elements. The fourth arm 407 may be independently movable in relation to the E-arm as required by some embodiments described herein. FIG. 5 shows a side view of a preferred embodiment according to the invention where a gas detector 501 is employed. Gas detectors are per se known and thus no detail will be given as to the specific operation of the gas detector 501. In this respect we refer to our co-pending patent applications by Francke et al. having U.S. Pat. Nos. 09/443,294, 09/698,173, 09/709,305, 09/752,722 and the Swedish patent application by Francke et al. having Swedish patent application number SE 0102097-3 all incorporated herein by reference. A first collimator 502 comprises slits 503 and 504, respectively. The first collimator 502 is primarily used for preventing excess radiation to reach an object 505 to be imaged. Slits 503 and 504 admit radiation towards to object 505 along defined openings. A second collimator 506, having two slits 507 and 508 respectively, is arranged over the gas detector 501 for admitting X-ray photons into the gas detector 501. The photons ionize the gas, resulting in that electrons, schematically indicated 509 in FIG. 6a, being released. The electrons, accelerated by a voltage 510 applied over a cathode 511 and an anode 512, is registered by two different detector elements 513 and 514, respectively. Alternatively, the voltage 510 may be strong enough to cause electron avalanche amplification during the acceleration towards the detector elements 513 and 514, respectively. The collimators 502 and 506 are moved in the Y direction in relation to the gas detector 501 to perform a scan of the object 505 and thus a 2-dimensional image is recorded. It should be clear that, even though two collimators have been shown in FIG. 5, one of the collimators 502 and 506 might be disposed with. If the amount of radiation reaching the object 505 is of no importance, the collimator 502 may be omitted. The arrangement in FIG. 6a may instead do without collimator 506 but, due to scattering of radiation, a lower resolution might be achieved. It should also be clear that, even though the detector elements 513 and 514 have been depicted as being located below the anode 512, they could equally well be positioned above the anode 512, arranged to function as the anode, in which case the anode 512 would be replaced with the detector elements, or the detector elements could even be positioned adjacent the cathode, in which case they would detect positive ions. FIG. 6 shows a preferred embodiment according to the invention having a first 601 and a second 602 array of detector elements. A collimator 603 has two slits 604 and 605 for admitting radiation towards selected parts of the detector element arrays 601 and 602. The detector elements in the two arrays of detector elements 601 and 602 are arranged with a distance xcex1 from each other, e.g. 2 mm, in X-direction. In this embodiment xcex1 is substantially larger than a distance xcex5, being the width of the detecting area in the X-direction of the detector element. In other aspect the present embodiment is similar to the embodiment described in connection with for instance FIG. 1. To obtain a complete 2-dimensional image of an object it is thus necessary to scan not only in the Y-direction by moving the collimator 603, but also to scan in the X-direction by movement of the detector arrangement, as defined by all individual detector elements, and the collimator 603 (and also possibly the radiation source) but not the object. First the collimator 603 moves in the Y-direction from its start position to its end position scanning over substantially the complete length of the detector elements. Thus, a set of image lines is obtained, however the lines are separated by the distance xcex1 in the X-direction. To obtain a complete 2-dimensional image the detector arrangement and the collimator is moved in the X-direction a distance xcex5xe2x80x2 substantially equal to the line width distance xcex5, e.g. 50 xcexcm. The collimator is again moved in the Y-direction, however this time in the opposite direction from what was the end position during the first scan, to what was the start position during the first scan, to obtain a second set of image lines in the Y-direction. The process is then repeated until the detector elements 601, 602 and the collimator 603 has moved substantially the complete distance xcex1. Thus, in summary, the collimator 603 can be said to oscillate back and fourth in the X-direction, while the detector elements 601 and 602, together with the collimator, is moved a line width distance in the X-direction, at each turning of the collimator. Even though, the FIG. 6 only shows two arrays of detector elements with 14 detector elements each, a complete detector arrangement would typically include many more arrays having many more detector elements. Typically, in practical applications, a detector arrangement, which would cover 25xc3x9725 cm, could employ detector elements having a length in Y-direction of 5 mm, and in X-direction of 50 xcexcm, being separated with 2 mm. Such an arrangement would thus have 250/5=50 arrays of detector elements, each array having 125 detector elements. Of course the collimator would have 50 slits, each slit corresponding to a respective detector array. The detector would need approximately 40 scans to complete a 2-dimensional image. If the dose administrated to the object to be imaged need to be minimal, a second collimator might be employed. It should be noted that in the description given above no specific detail has been given to the electronics involved in reading the individual radiation values by the radiation detecting elements or regarding how the assemble the images from the obtained pixel data. This is, however, well known to the man skilled in the art and the present description is therefore not burdened with these details. It will be obvious that the invention may be varied in a plurality of ways. For instance, the number of radiation detecting elements, arrays and slits may be varied without limitations. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the scope of the invention. All such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.