Method, apparatus, device and storage medium for digitizing flicker pulses

Abstract

This application discloses a method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for digitizing flicker pulses. The method includes: presetting multiple thresholds, wherein the number of thresholds is greater than or equal to three; sampling the flicker pulse based on the multiple thresholds to obtain multiple sets of sampling point data corresponding to the multiple thresholds; determining two or three target thresholds from the multiple thresholds, wherein when there are two target thresholds, the largest or second largest threshold and the smallest or second smallest threshold are selected as target thresholds; when there are three target thresholds, the ratio of the threshold size interval between two adjacent target thresholds approaches 1 or is equal to 1; and determining the expression function corresponding to the flicker pulse based on the sampling point data corresponding to the at least three target thresholds. This application can achieve real-time processing of flicker pulses with low computational resource consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of data processing, and in particular to a method, apparatus, device and storage medium for digitizing scintillation pulses. Background Technology

[0002] Multi-Voltage Threshold (MVT) is a promising method for digitizing scintillation pulses. It involves digitally sampling the time it takes for a scintillation pulse to cross a set threshold, resulting in a series of threshold-time pairs. Based on prior information about the scintillation pulse shape, pulse fitting is used to process the sampled data, enabling accurate acquisition of particle energy deposition information. The Levenberg-Marquardt method is currently the most widely used pulse fitting optimization algorithm and the most widely used nonlinear least squares iterative algorithm. It utilizes gradients to find the maximum (minimum) value, falling between Newton's method and gradient descent, and possesses the advantages of both methods.

[0003] However, this method requires 100 to 1000 iterations. During the algorithm, the parameter values ​​calculated after each iteration need to be evaluated, and the result of this iteration is then fed into the next iteration. Therefore, 100 to 1000 iterations undoubtedly slows down the computation speed, making it unsuitable for scenarios with tight computation time constraints. Furthermore, this fitting method cannot be further improved in terms of hardware or software methods to increase the fitting rate. Even using a higher-speed CPU or multi-threaded processing cannot compensate for the time consumption caused by the excessive number of iterations. Using hardware circuits such as FPGAs or ASICs for fitting would be difficult to complete due to their excessive hardware resource consumption and numerous clock cycles of computation.

[0004] Meanwhile, due to the current fitting algorithm requiring software implementation, the sampled data is output from hardware circuitry and then transmitted to a computer via serial ports, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other transmission channels for software processing. This data transmission consumes significant bandwidth. In applications requiring ultra-long-distance information transmission, to ensure stable and reliable transmission, the sampled information must be sent to the computer via carrier communication or similar methods. In such cases, the bandwidth available for transmission is extremely limited. Existing methods will suffer from low count rates due to bandwidth constraints.

[0005] Furthermore, to handle the sampling of flicker pulses with a wide dynamic range (which can also be understood as an energy range), a larger number of sampling points are required. While more sampling points can acquire more sampling data, this inevitably increases the amount of data that needs to be calculated, consumes more computing resources, increases power consumption, and reduces the operating temperature range of the circuit. This is not ideal for certain application scenarios, such as high-temperature environments. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the embodiments of this application is how to reduce the resource consumption and time consumption in the processing of flicker pulses.

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, this application discloses a method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for digitizing scintillation pulses.

[0008] According to a first aspect of this application, a method for digitizing a flicker pulse is provided. The method includes: presetting a plurality of thresholds, wherein the number of thresholds is greater than or equal to three; sampling the flicker pulse based on the plurality of thresholds to obtain multiple sets of sampling point data corresponding to the plurality of thresholds; determining two or three target thresholds from the plurality of thresholds, wherein when there are two target thresholds, the largest or second largest threshold and the smallest or second smallest threshold are selected as target thresholds; when there are three target thresholds, the ratio of the threshold size interval between two adjacent target thresholds approaches 1 or is equal to 1; and determining an expression function corresponding to the flicker pulse based on the sampling point data corresponding to the target thresholds.

[0009] According to some embodiments of this application, the plurality of thresholds are arranged in an arithmetic or geometric sequence based on the threshold size.

[0010] According to some embodiments of this application, the plurality of thresholds form a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 2 based on the threshold values.

[0011] According to some embodiments of this application, the processing method further includes: integrating the expression function to obtain the energy information of the flashing pulse.

[0012] According to some embodiments of this application, the first threshold includes a voltage threshold, a current threshold, an energy threshold, and a sound intensity threshold.

[0013] According to some embodiments of this application, the threshold value is set to not exceed the maximum amplitude of the flashing pulse.

[0014] According to some embodiments of this application, the target threshold includes the minimum threshold and the maximum threshold among the plurality of thresholds.

[0015] According to some embodiments of this application, when there are 3 target thresholds, the target thresholds include the minimum threshold, the maximum threshold, and the second maximum threshold among the plurality of first thresholds.

[0016] According to a second aspect of this application, a digitization device for flicker pulses is provided. The processing device includes: a setting module, a sampling module, a determining module, and a calculation module. The setting module is used to preset multiple thresholds, wherein the number of thresholds is greater than or equal to three. The sampling module is used to sample the flicker pulses based on the multiple thresholds, acquiring multiple sets of sampling point data corresponding to the multiple thresholds. The determining module is used to determine two or three target thresholds from the multiple thresholds; wherein, when there are two target thresholds, the largest or second largest threshold and the smallest or second smallest threshold are selected as target thresholds; when there are three target thresholds, the ratio of the threshold size interval between two adjacent target thresholds approaches 1 or is equal to 1. The calculation module is used to determine the expression function corresponding to the flicker pulse based on the sampling point data corresponding to the target thresholds.

[0017] According to some embodiments of this application, the plurality of thresholds are arranged in an arithmetic or geometric sequence based on the threshold size.

[0018] According to some embodiments of this application, the plurality of thresholds form a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 2 based on the threshold values.

[0019] According to some embodiments of this application, the plurality of thresholds form a Fibonacci sequence based on the threshold size.

[0020] According to some embodiments of this application, the processing apparatus further includes a post-processing module. The post-processing module is used to integrate the expression function to obtain the energy information of the flashing pulse.

[0021] According to some embodiments of this application, the thresholds include voltage thresholds, current thresholds, energy thresholds, and sound intensity thresholds.

[0022] According to some embodiments of this application, the threshold value is set to not exceed the maximum amplitude of the flashing pulse.

[0023] According to some embodiments of this application, the target threshold includes the minimum threshold and the maximum threshold among the plurality of thresholds.

[0024] According to some embodiments of this application, when there are 3 target thresholds, the target thresholds include the minimum threshold, the maximum threshold, and the second maximum threshold among the plurality of thresholds.

[0025] According to a third aspect of this application, a digitizing device is provided. The digitizing device includes a digitizing apparatus for flashing pulses as described above.

[0026] According to a fourth aspect of this application, a digitization device is provided. The device includes a processing circuit board configured to perform a sampling operation on the flicker pulse and implement the flicker pulse digitization method as described above.

[0027] According to a fifth aspect of this application, a digital device is provided. The digital device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When executed by the processor, the computer program implements the steps of the method described above.

[0028] According to a sixth aspect of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described above.

[0029] The digitization method for scintillation pulses disclosed in this application enables online solving of complex functions with minimal computational resource consumption. It yields accurate results without requiring significant computational resources or time, supports on-board fitting, improves computational speed, and significantly contributes to power consumption reduction. Attached Figure Description

[0030] This application will be further described by way of exemplary embodiments, which will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are not limiting; in these embodiments, the same reference numerals denote the same structures, wherein:

[0031] Figure 1 This is an exemplary flowchart of scintillation pulse sampling according to some embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary relationship between a flashing pulse and a threshold according to some embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 3 This is an exemplary block diagram of a processing system for flash pulse processing according to some embodiments of this application;

[0034] Figure 4 This is an exemplary functional block diagram of a processing system for flash pulse processing according to some embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0036] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly fixed to the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The terms “and / or” or “and / or” as used herein include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0038] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrates some preferred embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that the following description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0039] Figure 1 This is an exemplary flowchart of a method for digitizing flicker pulses according to some embodiments of this application. In some embodiments, the flicker pulse digitization method 100 can be executed by a data processing system 300. For example, the flicker pulse digitization method 100 can be stored in a storage device (such as the built-in storage unit of the data processing system 300 or an external storage device) in the form of a program or instructions, which, when executed, can implement the flicker pulse digitization method 100. Figure 1 As shown, the digitization method 100 for flashing pulses may include the following steps.

[0040] Step 110: Preset multiple thresholds.

[0041] In some embodiments, the plurality of thresholds can be used for comparison with the amplitude of the flicker pulse. Exemplarily, the plurality of thresholds can be applied to the flicker pulse sampling using a Multi-Voltage Threshold (MVT) method. In the MVT method, the thresholds are compared with the flicker pulse to determine the time point at which the flicker pulse crosses the threshold. The flicker pulse is then reconstructed based on these pairs of thresholds and time points. For example, a function representing the waveform of the flicker pulse can be determined through function fitting.

[0042] See Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary relationship between the flicker pulse and the threshold according to some embodiments of this application. Figure 2 As shown, a typical flicker pulse is given. The flicker pulse 200 includes a rapidly rising edge 210 and a slowly falling edge 220. 230-1, 230-2, 230-3, and 230-4 represent four different thresholds. These thresholds are within the amplitude of the flicker pulse 200, and data sampling can be performed by detecting the time points when the flicker pulse 200 crosses the above four thresholds.

[0043] It is important to note that flicker pulses can take many forms, such as electrical pulses, acoustic pulses, thermal pulses, and pressure wave pulses. Therefore, the energy of a flicker pulse can be represented by voltage, current, energy, heat, sound intensity, etc. Correspondingly, the threshold value, depending on the form of the flicker pulse, can be a voltage threshold, current threshold, energy threshold, sound intensity threshold, etc. Furthermore, Figure 2 The flashing pulse shown is a discrete signal, but this does not limit the flashing pulse in this application from being a continuous signal. For example, the continuous signal can be as follows: Figure 2 The discrete signals shown are arranged according to a certain period. This application does not impose any limitations.

[0044] In some embodiments, the number of thresholds can be greater than or equal to 3. It is understood that setting a reasonable number of thresholds can make the information collected during sampling closer to the true state of the flicker pulse, and can accurately restore the shape of the flicker pulse.

[0045] In some embodiments, the multiple thresholds may be set randomly. (Continue to refer to...) Figure 2 Assuming the flicker pulse is an electrical pulse signal with a voltage amplitude range of 5mV-220mV, the four voltage thresholds can be randomly set to 10mV, 50mV, 120mV and 200mV, or 15mV, 70mV, 150mV and 210mV.

[0046] It should be understood that, in order to better determine the start time of the rising edge of the flash pulse, the smaller the minimum threshold among the multiple thresholds, the better. For example, the minimum threshold can be no more than 10mV. For example, 5mV, 8mV, 10mV, etc.

[0047] In some embodiments, the plurality of thresholds can form an arithmetic or geometric sequence based on their magnitudes. Assuming the flicker pulse is an electrical signal, the plurality of thresholds can form an arithmetic sequence with common differences of 10mV, 20mV, 30mV, etc. For example, the plurality of thresholds could be 10mV, 20mV, 30mV, 40mV, 50mV… The plurality of thresholds can also form a geometric sequence with a common ratio of any real number, such as 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. For example, the plurality of thresholds could be 5mV, 15mV, 45mV, 135mV…

[0048] In some embodiments, the plurality of thresholds can be arranged in a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 2 based on their magnitudes. For example, assuming that the flicker pulse is an electrical pulse signal with a voltage amplitude range of 0-3V, the plurality of thresholds can be 10mV, 20mV, 40mV, 80mV, 160mV, 320mV, 640mV, 1280mV, and 2560mV.

[0049] In some embodiments, the plurality of thresholds are arranged in a Fibonacci sequence based on their magnitudes. That is, starting from the third term, each term is equal to the sum of the previous two terms. For example, the plurality of thresholds could be 5mV, 10mV, 15mV, 25mV, 40mV, 65mV, 105mV, ...

[0050] Step 120: Sample the flashing pulse based on the multiple thresholds to obtain multiple sets of sampling point data corresponding to the multiple thresholds.

[0051] In some embodiments, the sampling can be digital sampling. After the scintillation pulse is acquired by a radiation detection device, it can be digitally sampled using a multi-threshold sampling operation. The radiation detection device can be a scintillation detector. The scintillation detector can include a scintillation crystal and a photoelectric conversion device coupled together. The scintillation crystal (e.g., BGO, PWO, LYSO:Ce, GAGG:Ce, NaI:Tl, CsI:Tl, LaBr3:Ce, BaF2, etc.) is used to convert the detected high-energy rays (such as gamma rays, neutron rays, etc.) into visible light signals, and the photoelectric conversion device (e.g., photomultiplier tube PMT, silicon photomultiplier tube SiPM, etc.) is used to convert the visible light signals into electrical signals, which are output as scintillation pulse signals through electronic devices connected to the photoelectric conversion device. In the process of implementing multi-threshold sampling, the multiple thresholds can be compared with the scintillation pulse. When the scintillation pulse crosses a threshold, the corresponding time information can be acquired. The crossed threshold and the corresponding time information constitute a threshold-time pair, which is a sample data. For the same threshold, a flash pulse can cross the threshold from bottom to top on the rising edge, or from top to bottom on the falling edge. Therefore, after sampling, a threshold can have two corresponding sampling point data.

[0052] Return to reference Figure 2 During the rising phase of the scintillation pulse 200, the pulse first crosses the voltage threshold 230-1 (also referred to as V1) from bottom to top, at time t1. Then, the pulse crosses the voltage threshold 230-2 (also referred to as V2) from bottom to top, at time t2. This continues, with the pulse crossing the voltage threshold 230-3 (also referred to as V3) from bottom to top at t3, and crossing the voltage threshold 230-4 (also referred to as V4) from bottom to top at t4. During the falling phase, the pulse first crosses the voltage threshold 230-4 (also referred to as V5, V5 = V4) from top to bottom, at time t5. Then, the pulse crosses the voltage threshold 230-3 (also referred to as V6, V6 = V3) from top to bottom, at time t6. Similarly, the flicker pulse 200 crosses the voltage threshold 230-2 (also referred to as V7, V7 = V2) from top to bottom at t7, and crosses the voltage threshold 230-1 (also referred to as V8, V8 = V1) from top to bottom at t8. The voltage threshold-time pairs formed by these voltage thresholds and their corresponding times can be represented as (y(t1), t1), (y(t2), t2), ..., (y(t8), t8). Where y(t1) = V1, y(t2) = V2, ..., y(t8) = V8. This series of data can be derived from eight sampling points corresponding to the four thresholds.

[0053] It should be understood that in actual sampling, the waveform of the flicker pulse is not as shown. Figure 2 Instead of the smoothness shown, there will be more fluctuations, which will actually manifest as... Figure 2 The waveform shown fluctuates upwards or downwards within its upper and lower range. Figure 2 The smoothed waveform shown is for illustrative purposes. Therefore, in actual sampling, the waveform may cross the same threshold multiple times within a very short period of time at the rising or falling edge. In actual sampling, the average time of crossing the threshold multiple times within a certain time window or time period can be used as the time of crossing the threshold. This is something that can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art based on the teachings of this application, and will not be elaborated here.

[0054] Step 130: Determine two or three target thresholds from the plurality of thresholds.

[0055] In some embodiments, the two target thresholds may satisfy the following condition: based on the threshold size of the target thresholds, the largest or second largest threshold and the smallest or second smallest threshold are selected as the two target thresholds. As an example, assuming the multiple thresholds are 10mV, 20mV, 30mV, 40mV, 50mV, 60mV, and 70mV, then the two determined target thresholds can be 10mV and 70mV, 10mV and 60mV, 20mV and 70mV, or 20mV and 60mV, where 10mV is the minimum threshold, 20mV is the second smallest threshold, 70mV is the maximum threshold, and 60mV is the second largest threshold.

[0056] In some embodiments, when the two target thresholds are a minimum threshold and a maximum threshold, the minimum threshold is generally selected rather than discarded because it is closely related to the pulse waveform's rise-edge triggering and fall-edge cutoff. On the other hand, to ensure the effectiveness of subsequent processing (e.g., the maximum threshold achievable by the final determined scintillation pulse waveform determines the corresponding scintillation pulse energy level), using sampling point data corresponding to the maximum threshold position close to the pulse peak for subsequent calculations can directly determine the type of different pulse waveforms, such as X-ray pulses, gamma rays, or neutron rays. By utilizing sampling point data corresponding to a portion of the thresholds for subsequent processing, the computational load is reduced, enabling rapid counting and measurement of different types of radiation in radiation detection applications. This not only ensures accurate results but is also convenient and fast.

[0057] In some embodiments, the three target thresholds may satisfy the following condition: the ratio between any two threshold intervals determined by adjacent target thresholds approaches or equals 1, depending on the threshold value of the target threshold. As an example, assuming the plurality of thresholds are 10mV, 20mV, 30mV, 40mV, and 50mV, the three determined target thresholds can be 10mV, 30mV, and 50mV, satisfying (50-30) / (30-10) = 1. The three determined target thresholds can also be all the thresholds, because the threshold interval between any two thresholds is 10mV. As another example, suppose the multiple thresholds are 10mV, 20mV, 40mV, 80mV, 160mV, 320mV, 640mV, 1280mV, and 2560mV. That is, the above multiple thresholds form a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 2. Since (2560-1280) / (1280-10)→1, the three target thresholds can be 10mV, 1280mV, and 2560mV.

[0058] In some embodiments, the three target thresholds may include the minimum threshold and the maximum threshold among the plurality of thresholds. Because the minimum threshold is closely related to the pulse waveform where the flash pulse is triggered by the rising edge and cut off by the falling edge, it generally needs to be selected rather than discarded. On the other hand, to ensure the effectiveness of subsequent processing (e.g., the final determined flash pulse waveform conforms to the original flash pulse waveform), it is necessary to use the sampling point data corresponding to the maximum threshold, which is close to the peak of the pulse, for subsequent calculations. The other target thresholds among the three target thresholds may be thresholds located in the middle of the flash pulse waveform. For example, this target threshold may be located between the minimum threshold and the maximum threshold. Alternatively, other target thresholds may divide the threshold interval between the minimum threshold and the maximum threshold into equal parts. By using the sampling point data corresponding to some thresholds for subsequent processing, both the processing effect can be determined and the computational load can be reduced.

[0059] In some embodiments, the number of the three target thresholds may be three. The three target thresholds may include the minimum threshold, the maximum threshold, and the second-maximum threshold among the plurality of thresholds. Assume the plurality of thresholds are V1, V2, V3, ..., V... n-1 V n If this is the case, then the three target thresholds can be V1, V... n-1 and V n For example, in the example above, three target thresholds were selected: 10mV, 1280mV, and 2560mV. V1 = 10mV, V n-1 =1280mV, V n = 2560mV. (V) n -Vn-1 ) / (V n-1 When -V1)→1, the minimum threshold, maximum threshold, and second-maximum threshold among the multiple thresholds are selected as the target threshold. This takes into account the sampling points of the low, medium, and high parts of the waveform of the corresponding flickering pulse, ensuring the subsequent processing effect while avoiding too much sampling point data corresponding to low thresholds from having a negative effect on the processing result. At the same time, it reduces the data involved in fitting, reducing the amount of computation and resource usage.

[0060] Step 140: Based on the sampling point data corresponding to the two or three target thresholds, determine the expression function corresponding to the flashing pulse.

[0061] In some embodiments, the expression function can be a specific function representing the shape of the flicker pulse. This function can be a linear-exponential function, a double-exponential function, a triangular wave function, a sine wave function, a cosine wave function, etc. For example, the expression function can be determined by solving a function model that the flicker pulse conforms to. This function model can be determined based on prior information obtained by acquiring prior information about the flicker pulse using a digital oscilloscope. By comparing whether the waveform of the flicker pulse conforms to a certain type of function model, the expression of that type of function model can be used as an unsolved expression function. When acquiring prior information about the flicker pulse using a digital oscilloscope, noise can be filtered out using a low-frequency filter circuit, and unfilterable noise can be converted into white noise using a high-frequency filter circuit, thereby making the acquired prior information more accurate. In some embodiments, the expression function can be represented as shown in Equation 1 below:

[0062] y(t)=f(a1,a2,...,an,t) (1)

[0063] Where t is a variable representing the sampling time (e.g., t1, t2, ..., t8 in the previous examples), and y(t) is a function of t, representing the sampled value of the flash pulse at the sampling time (e.g., V1, V2, ..., V8 in the previous examples). a1, a2, ..., an represent parameters. a1, a2, ..., an can be determined by solving Equation 1. (t1), (y(t2), t2), ..., (y(t8), t8).

[0064] In some embodiments, the expression function may be predetermined. For example, the expression function may be determined before process 100 is executed and stored in the built-in storage unit of the data processing system 300 or in an external storage device. The expression function can be obtained through communication and transmission.

[0065] In some embodiments, the expression function can be determined based on a direct solution method. For example, a method for solving a system of equations can be used, employing at least N sample points to solve a system of equations with N parameters. The sample point data corresponding to the two or three target thresholds can be directly substituted into the unsolved expression function to obtain a system of equations. By solving this system of equations, the parameters can be solved, thereby determining the expression function. Using a direct solution method can save significant computational resources and time. The result can be obtained in real time using minimal computational resources.

[0066] In some embodiments, the expression function can be solved using an iterative method. For example, the parameters of the expression function can be initially assigned values, and then the sampling point data corresponding to the two or three target thresholds and the parameter-assigned expression function can be substituted into the Levenberg-Marquardt fitting function for fitting. After fitting, the parameters of the expression function can be determined.

[0067] In some embodiments, the expression function can be integrated to obtain the energy value corresponding to the scintillation pulse. The energy value can be used for image reconstruction (e.g., PET image reconstruction) or material identification (e.g., identifying the elemental composition of geological layers in geological exploration).

[0068] It should be noted that the above-mentioned Figure 1 The descriptions of the various steps in this specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of this specification. Those skilled in the art can, under the guidance of this specification, [perform certain tasks / activities]. Figure 1 Various modifications and changes may be made to the various steps in the process. However, these modifications and changes are still within the scope of this specification. For example, the expression function of the flicker pulse can be determined first.

[0069] The data processing system 300 disclosed in this application for implementing the exemplary process 100 can be either a device with a large amount of computing resources (e.g., a computer, server, cloud computing, etc.) or a device with limited computing resources (e.g., hardware circuits such as FPGA chip boards, ASIC chip boards, etc.).

[0070] The digitization method for scintillation pulses disclosed in this application enables online solution processing of complex functions with minimal computational resource consumption. It obtains calculation results without requiring large amounts of computational resources and time, significantly reducing the computational resource requirements and contributing considerably to power consumption reduction. It is particularly suitable for applications where pulses experience explosive growth over short periods, such as oil saturation detection.

[0071] Figure 3This is an exemplary block diagram of a data processing system according to some embodiments of this specification. This data processing system can achieve real-time processing of scintillation pulses with low computing resources. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the data processing system 300 may include a setting module 310, a sampling module 320, a determination module 330, and a calculation module 340.

[0072] The setting module 310 can be used to preset multiple thresholds as described in step 110 above. The multiple thresholds can be used to compare with the amplitude of the flicker pulse. For example, it can be applied to a multi-voltage threshold (MVT) operation for sampling the flicker pulse. The number of thresholds can be greater than or equal to 3. The setting module 310 can randomly set the multiple thresholds. The setting module 310 can also set the multiple thresholds into an arithmetic sequence or a geometric sequence according to the threshold size. For example, an arithmetic sequence with a common difference of 10mV or a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 2. The setting module 310 can set the multiple thresholds into a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 2 according to the threshold size. In the sequence obtained by setting the thresholds according to their size, the first and second terms can be the same, and starting from the second term, the ratio of each subsequent term to the preceding term is 2. The setting module 310 can also set the multiple thresholds into a Fibonacci sequence according to the threshold size.

[0073] The sampling module 320 can be used to sample the scintillation pulse based on the multiple thresholds as described in step 120 above, acquiring multiple sets of sampling point data corresponding to the multiple thresholds. The sampling module 320 can use multi-threshold sampling operations to sample scintillation pulses captured by a radiation detection device, such as a scintillation detector. When the scintillation pulse crosses a threshold, the sampling module 320 can acquire the corresponding time information. The crossed threshold and the corresponding time information constitute a threshold-time pair, which is one set of sampling data. For the same threshold, the scintillation pulse can cross the threshold from bottom to top and simultaneously pass through the threshold from top to bottom. Therefore, after sampling, for a given threshold, the sampling module 320 can acquire two sets of corresponding sampling data.

[0074] The determining module 330 can be used to determine two or three target thresholds from the plurality of thresholds as described in step 130 above. The two target thresholds can satisfy the following condition: based on the threshold size of the target thresholds, the largest or second largest threshold and the smallest or second smallest threshold are selected as the two target thresholds. The three target thresholds can satisfy the following condition: based on the threshold size of the target thresholds, the ratio between any two threshold intervals determined by two adjacent target thresholds approaches 1 or is equal to 1. In some embodiments, the at least three target thresholds determined by the determining module 330 may include the minimum threshold and the maximum threshold among the plurality of thresholds. In some embodiments, the number of at least three target thresholds determined by the determining module 330 is three, including the minimum threshold, the maximum threshold, and the second largest threshold among the plurality of thresholds.

[0075] The calculation module 340 can be used to determine the expression function corresponding to the flicker pulse based on the sampling point data corresponding to the two or three target thresholds, as described in step 140 above. The expression function can be a specific function representing the shape of the flicker pulse. This function can be a linear-exponential function, a double-exponential function, a triangular wave function, a sine wave function, a cosine wave function, etc. By comparing whether the waveform of the flicker pulse conforms to a certain type of function model, the expression of that type of function model can be used as an unsolved expression function. The calculation module 340 can directly substitute the sampling point data corresponding to the two or three target thresholds into the unsolved expression function to obtain a system of equations. By solving this system of equations, the parameters can be solved, thereby determining the expression function. The calculation module 340 can also initially assign values ​​to the parameters of the expression function, and then substitute the sampling point data corresponding to the two or three target thresholds and the parameter-assigned expression function into the Levenberg-Marquardt fitting function for fitting. After fitting, the parameters of the expression function can be determined.

[0076] The data processing system 300 may also include other modules, such as a post-processing module and / or a storage module. The post-processing module can be used to integrate the expression function after parameter determination to obtain the energy value corresponding to the scintillation pulse. Based on this energy value, image reconstruction (e.g., PET image reconstruction) or material identification (e.g., confirming the elemental composition of geological layers in geological exploration) can be performed. The storage module can be used to store the outputs of the above modules for later retrieval.

[0077] For further descriptions of the above modules, please refer to other parts of this application, for example, Figure 1 .

[0078] It should be understood that Figure 3The systems and modules shown can be implemented in various ways. For example, in some embodiments, the systems and modules can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of both. The hardware portion can be implemented using dedicated logic; the software portion can be stored in memory and executed by an appropriate instruction execution system, such as a microprocessor or dedicated-design hardware. Those skilled in the art will understand that the methods and systems described above can be implemented using computer-executable instructions and / or included in processor control code, for example, on a carrier medium such as a disk, CD, or DVD-ROM, a programmable memory such as read-only memory (firmware), or a data carrier such as an optical or electronic signal carrier. The systems and modules of this specification can be implemented not only by hardware circuits such as very large-scale integrated circuits or gate arrays, semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or programmable hardware devices such as field-programmable gate arrays, programmable logic devices, etc., but also by software, for example, executed by various types of processors, or by a combination of the aforementioned hardware circuits and software (e.g., firmware).

[0079] It should be noted that the above description of the modules is for convenience only and should not be construed as limiting this specification to the embodiments described. It is understood that those skilled in the art, after understanding the principles of the system, may arbitrarily combine the modules or construct subsystems connected to other modules without departing from these principles. For example, modules may share a single storage module, or each module may have its own separate storage module. Such modifications are all within the scope of this specification.

[0080] The data processing system disclosed in this application may include devices with a large amount of computing resources (e.g., computers, servers, cloud computing, etc.) or devices with only limited computing resources (e.g., hardware circuits such as FPGA chip boards and ASIC chip boards). Figure 4 This is an exemplary block diagram of a digital device according to some embodiments of this application. The digital device 400 may include any components used to implement the systems described in the embodiments of this application. For example, the digital device 400 may be implemented using hardware, software programs, firmware, or a combination thereof. For example, the digital device 400 may implement the data processing system 300. For convenience, only one digital device is shown in the figure; however, the computing functions described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in a distributed manner by a set of similar platforms to distribute the system's processing load.

[0081] In some embodiments, the digitizing device 400 may include a processor 410, a memory 420, an input / output component 430, and a communication port 440. In some embodiments, the processor (e.g., CPU) 410 may execute program instructions as one or more processors. In some embodiments, the memory 420 includes different forms of program memory and data memory, such as a hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), etc., for storing a wide variety of data files processed and / or transmitted by a computer. In some embodiments, the input / output component 430 may be used to support input / output between the digitizing device 400 and other components. In some embodiments, the communication port 440 may be connected to a network for data communication. Exemplary digitizing devices may include program instructions executed by the processor 410 stored in read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and / or other types of non-transitory storage media. The methods and / or processes of the embodiments of this specification may be implemented as program instructions. The digitizing device 400 may also receive programs and data disclosed in this application via network communication.

[0082] For ease of understanding, Figure 4 Only one processor is illustrated in this specification. However, it should be noted that the digitizing device 400 in the embodiments of this specification may include multiple processors, and therefore the operations and / or methods implemented by one processor as described in the embodiments of this specification may also be implemented jointly or independently by multiple processors. For example, if in this specification, the processor of the digitizing device 400 executes steps 1 and 2, it should be understood that steps 1 and 2 may also be executed jointly or independently by two different processors of the digitizing device 400 (e.g., the first processor executes step 1, the second processor executes step 2, or the first and second processors jointly execute steps 1 and 2).

[0083] The scintillation pulse digitization method provided in this application can be specifically used in photon detection and is applicable to various fields, such as medical imaging technology, high-energy physics, lidar, autonomous driving, precision analysis, and optical communication. In a specific example, the scintillation pulse digitization method, apparatus, detector, electronic device, and storage medium provided in this application can be applied to positron emission tomography (PET). In a PET system, photon data can be acquired using the scheme described in the embodiments of this application, followed by image reconstruction. In other specific examples of this application, the scintillation pulse digitization method, apparatus, detector, electronic device, and storage medium provided in this application can be applied to various digitization devices, such as CT equipment, MRI equipment, radiation detection equipment, oil exploration equipment, low-light detection equipment, SPECT equipment, security inspection equipment, gamma cameras, X-ray equipment, DR equipment, and other devices utilizing the high-energy ray conversion principle, as well as other photoelectric conversion application devices, or a combination of the above devices.

[0084] The basic concepts have been described herein. It is obvious that the detailed disclosure above is merely illustrative and does not constitute a limitation of this specification. Although not explicitly stated herein, various modifications, improvements, and corrections may be made to this specification by those skilled in the art. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are suggested in this specification and therefore remain within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0085] Furthermore, this specification uses specific terms to describe embodiments thereof. For example, "an embodiment," "one embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with at least one embodiment of this specification. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that references to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" in different locations throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this specification can be appropriately combined.

[0086] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this specification can be described and illustrated in several patentable ways or situations, including any new and useful combination of processes, machines, products, or substances, or any new and useful improvements thereof. Accordingly, various aspects of this specification can be implemented entirely by hardware, entirely by software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or by a combination of hardware and software. All of the above hardware or software may be referred to as a “data block,” “module,” “engine,” “unit,” “component,” or “system.” Furthermore, various aspects of this specification may be represented as a computer product located on one or more computer-readable media, including computer-readable program code.

[0087] Computer storage media may contain a propagated data signal containing computer program code, for example, on baseband or as part of a carrier wave. This propagated signal may take various forms, including electromagnetic, optical, and suitable combinations thereof. Computer storage media can be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, which can be connected to an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device to enable communication, propagation, or transmission of a program for use. The program code located on the computer storage medium can be propagated through any suitable medium, including radio, cable, fiber optic cable, RF, or similar media, or any combination of the above media.

[0088] The computer program code required for the operation of each part of this manual can be written in any one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C#, VB.NET, Python, etc.; conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C, Visual Basic, Fortran 3003, Perl, COBOL 3002, PHP, ABAP; dynamic programming languages ​​such as Python, Ruby, and Groovy; or other programming languages. This program code can run entirely on the user's computer, or as a standalone software package on the user's computer, or partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter case, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer through any network, such as a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), or connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet), or in a cloud computing environment, or used as a service such as Software as a Service (SaaS).

[0089] Furthermore, unless expressly stated in the claims, the order of processing elements and sequences, the use of numbers and letters, or other names described in this specification are not intended to limit the order of the processes and methods described herein. Although various examples have been discussed in the foregoing disclosure of some embodiments of the invention that are currently considered useful, it should be understood that such details are for illustrative purposes only, and the appended claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments; rather, the claims are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent combinations that conform to the spirit and scope of the embodiments described herein. For example, while the system components described above can be implemented using hardware devices, they can also be implemented solely using software solutions, such as installing the described system on existing servers or mobile devices.

[0090] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the description disclosed herein and thus aid in the understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, the foregoing description of embodiments in this specification may sometimes combine multiple features into a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this method of disclosure does not imply that the subject matter of this specification requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the embodiments contain fewer features than all the features of a single embodiment disclosed above.

[0091] In some embodiments, numbers describing the quantity of components and attributes are used. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of embodiments are modified in some examples with the terms "approximately," "approximately," or "generally." Unless otherwise stated, "approximately," "approximately," or "generally" indicates that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may be changed depending on the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, numerical parameters should take into account specified significant digits and employ a general method of digit reservation. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to confirm their breadth of range in some embodiments of this specification are approximate values, in specific embodiments, such values ​​are set as precisely as feasible.

[0092] For each patent, patent application, patent application publication, and other material, such as articles, books, specifications, publications, and documents, referenced in this specification, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This excludes historical application documents that are inconsistent with or conflict with the content of this specification, as well as documents that limit the broadest scope of the claims in this specification (currently or subsequently appended to this specification). It should be noted that in the event of any inconsistency or conflict between the descriptions, definitions, and / or terminology used in the supplementary materials to this specification and the content of this specification, the descriptions, definitions, and / or terminology used in this specification shall prevail.

[0093] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the embodiments described herein. Other variations may also fall within the scope of this specification. Therefore, alternative configurations of the embodiments described herein are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting, and should be considered consistent with the teachings of this specification. Accordingly, the embodiments described herein are not limited to those explicitly introduced and described herein.

Claims

1. A method for digitizing scintillation pulses, characterized in that, The digitization method includes: Multiple thresholds are preset, wherein the number of thresholds is greater than or equal to 3; The flicker pulse is sampled based on the multiple thresholds to obtain multiple sets of sampling point data corresponding to the multiple thresholds; Two or three target thresholds are determined from the plurality of thresholds. When there are two target thresholds, the largest or second largest threshold and the smallest or second smallest threshold are selected as target thresholds. When there are three target thresholds, the ratio of the threshold size interval between two adjacent target thresholds is between 0.8 and 1.

2. Based on the sampling point data corresponding to the target threshold, the expression function corresponding to the flashing pulse is determined.

2. The method for digitizing scintillation pulses according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple thresholds are arranged into an arithmetic or geometric sequence based on their values.

3. The method for digitizing scintillation pulses according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple thresholds form a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 2 based on their values.

4. The method for digitizing scintillation pulses according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple thresholds form a Fibonacci sequence based on their values.

5. The method for digitizing scintillation pulses according to claim 1, characterized in that, The digitization method also includes: Integrating the expression function yields the energy information of the flashing pulse.

6. The method for digitizing scintillation pulses according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thresholds include voltage threshold, current threshold, energy threshold, and sound intensity threshold.

7. The method for digitizing scintillation pulses according to claim 1, characterized in that, The threshold value is set to not exceed the maximum amplitude of the flash pulse.

8. The method for digitizing scintillation pulses according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, When there are 3 target thresholds, the target thresholds include the minimum threshold, the maximum threshold, and the second maximum threshold among the multiple thresholds.

9. A digitizing device for scintillation pulses, characterized in that, The digitization device includes: The setting module is used to preset multiple thresholds, wherein the number of thresholds is greater than or equal to 3; The sampling module is used to sample the flashing pulse based on the multiple thresholds and obtain multiple sampling point data corresponding to the multiple thresholds; The determining module is used to determine two or three target thresholds from the plurality of thresholds, wherein when there are two target thresholds, the largest or second largest threshold and the smallest or second smallest threshold are selected as target thresholds; when there are three target thresholds, the ratio of the threshold size interval between two adjacent target thresholds is between 0.8 and 1.

2. The calculation module is used to determine the expression function corresponding to the flashing pulse based on the sampling point data corresponding to the target threshold.

10. The digitization device for scintillation pulses according to claim 9, characterized in that, The multiple thresholds are arranged into an arithmetic or geometric sequence based on their values.

11. The digitization device for scintillation pulses according to claim 9, characterized in that, The multiple thresholds form a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 2 based on their values.

12. The digitization device for scintillation pulses according to claim 9, characterized in that, The multiple thresholds form a Fibonacci sequence based on their values.

13. The digitization device for scintillation pulses according to claim 9, characterized in that, The digitization device also includes a post-processing module; The post-processing module is used to integrate the expression function to obtain the energy information of the flashing pulse.

14. The digitization device for scintillation pulses according to claim 9, characterized in that, The thresholds include voltage threshold, current threshold, energy threshold, and sound intensity threshold.

15. The digitization device for scintillation pulses according to claim 9, characterized in that, The threshold value is set to not exceed the maximum amplitude of the flash pulse.

16. The digitization device for scintillation pulses according to any one of claims 9-15, characterized in that, When there are 3 target thresholds, the target thresholds include the minimum threshold, the maximum threshold, and the second maximum threshold among the multiple thresholds.

17. A digital device, characterized in that, include: The digitization device for the scintillation pulse as described in any one of claims 9 to 16.

18. A digital device, characterized in that, The device includes a processing circuit board for performing a sampling operation on the flicker pulse and implementing the digitization method of the flicker pulse as described in any one of claims 1-8.

19. A digital device, characterized in that, include: A memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the digitization method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the digitization method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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