Patent ID: 7209547

Claim:
An apparatus for spatially modulating an x-ray beam propagating in a beam direction and exhibiting a 2D radiation field, comprising: a carrier; a plurality of planar attenuation elements for x-ray radiation disposed in a 2D grid on said carrier substantially perpendicular to the beam direction and within said 2D radiation field each of said attenuation elements being a piezoelectric flex transducer having one end thereof fastened in said carrier; at least one piezoelectric actuator in mechanical engagement with each attenuation element for piezoelectrically displacing that attenuation element independently of all others of said attenuation elements to attenuate a portion of said x-ray beam in said 2D radiation field, the mechanically engaged attenuation element and piezoelectric actuator forming an element/actuator combination, and each of said attenuation elements and each of said actuators having a piezoelectrically influenced region exhibiting a piezoelectrically-caused change selected from the group consisting of a length change, a width change and a position change; and at each element/actuator combination, a sensor in mechanical contact with one of the piezoelectrically influenced regions of that element/actuator combination for detecting said piezoelectrically caused change and generating an electrical signal corresponding thereto.