Patent ID: 7760853

Claim:
A fused tomosynthesis/mammography system comprising: an x-ray source mounted for movement along a tomosynthesis trajectory and between mammography imaging positions; said x-ray source emitting imaging x-rays while moving along said tomosynthesis trajectory, and emitting imaging x-rays while stationary at said mammography imaging positions; compression surfaces configured to immobilize a patient's breast; an imaging receptor mounted to receive said imaging x-rays, after passage thereof through the compression surfaces, both when the x-ray source is emitting the imaging x-rays in the course of moving along said tomosynthesis trajectory and when the source is emitting the imaging x-rays while at said mammography imaging positions; an anti-scatter grid mounted to reside between the compression surfaces and the imaging receptor when the x-ray source is emitting x-rays while at said mammography imaging positions such that the imaging x-rays from the source pass through said grid, but to be decoupled from the imaging receptor when the x-ray source is emitting the imaging x-rays while moving along said tomosynthesis trajectory; and the system being configured to operate in a tomosynthesis mode in which the x-ray source emits the imaging x-rays while moving along the tomosynthesis trajectory or in a mammography mode in which the x-ray source emits the imaging x-rays while stationary in one or more of said mammography imaging positions.