Detector cooling device and PET imaging system

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of medical equipment, and particularly relates to a detector cooling device and a PET imaging system.The detector cooling device comprises a detector module, a first liquid cooling plate and a second liquid cooling plate, the detector module comprises a submodule and a circuit board, and the submodule is electrically connected with the circuit board; the first liquid cooling plate is arranged close to the sub-module and is used for cooling the sub-module; and the second liquid cooling plate is arranged close to the circuit board and is used for cooling the circuit board. The detector cooling device provided by the utility model can accurately and effectively perform thermal management on the detector, and ensures the performance of the detector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of medical devices, and more specifically, relates to a detector cooling device and a PET imaging system. Background Art

[0002] Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a molecular imaging device with extremely high biochemical sensitivity, which can detect metabolic changes inside the object to be measured and provide image information. Among them, the detector is one of the core components of the PET imaging system and is used to detect the gamma rays emitted by the positron tracer injected into the patient's body. The relevant performance of the detector is relatively sensitive to the temperature of the SiPM chip (silicon photomultiplier). When the temperature of the SiPM chip is too high, the performance will decrease sharply with the increase of temperature. And the relevant electronics in the detector usually have large heat dissipation power consumption, so it is necessary to perform thermal management on the detector to provide a suitable and stable temperature environment for the detector. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of this application is to provide a detector cooling device and a PET imaging system to solve the technical problem in the prior art that the performance of the detector in the PET imaging system is affected by temperature changes.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted in this application is:

[0005] In a first aspect, a detector cooling device is provided, including:

[0006] A detector module, the detector module includes sub-modules and a circuit board, and the sub-modules are electrically connected to the circuit board;

[0007] A first liquid cooling plate, the first liquid cooling plate is disposed close to the sub-module and is used for cooling and dissipating heat from the sub-module;

[0008] A second liquid cooling plate, the second liquid cooling plate is disposed close to the circuit board and is used for cooling and dissipating heat from the circuit board.

[0009] In one of the embodiments of the first aspect, a first liquid cooling channel is opened in the first liquid cooling plate, a coolant flows in the first liquid cooling channel, the first liquid cooling plate is provided with a first liquid inlet and a first liquid outlet, and the first liquid cooling channel communicates with the first liquid inlet and the first liquid outlet.

[0010] In one of the embodiments of the first aspect, a second liquid cooling channel is opened in the second liquid cooling plate, a coolant flows in the second liquid cooling channel, the second liquid cooling plate is provided with a second liquid inlet and a second liquid outlet, and the second liquid cooling channel communicates with the second liquid inlet and the second liquid outlet.

[0011] In one embodiment of the first aspect, a heating chip is provided on the circuit board. The second liquid cooling channel includes a liquid inlet channel, a heat conduction channel, and a liquid outlet channel that are connected in sequence. The liquid inlet channel is connected to the second liquid inlet, the liquid outlet channel is connected to the second liquid outlet, and the heat conduction channel is located at a position corresponding to the heating chip on the second liquid cooling plate.

[0012] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the first liquid cooling plate is fixedly arranged on the sub-module, the second liquid cooling plate is connected to a side of the first liquid cooling plate away from the sub-module, and the circuit board is fixedly arranged on the second liquid cooling plate.

[0013] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the second liquid cooling plate is a metal part; and / or, the first liquid cooling plate is a metal part.

[0014] In one embodiment of the first aspect, a heat insulation pad is provided between the first liquid cooling plate and the second liquid cooling plate.

[0015] The second aspect provides a PET imaging system, including the detector cooling device as described above.

[0016] In one embodiment of the second aspect, the number of the detector cooling devices is multiple, and the multiple detector cooling devices are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. One of the adjacent two detector cooling devices is connected with a liquid inlet pipe, the other of the adjacent two detector cooling devices is connected with a liquid outlet pipe, and a circulation pipe is connected between the remaining adjacent two detector cooling devices.

[0017] In one embodiment of the second aspect, both the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe are three-way pipes. The liquid inlet pipe is communicated with the corresponding first liquid cooling plate and the second liquid cooling plate, and the liquid outlet pipe is communicated with the corresponding first liquid cooling plate and the second liquid cooling plate; the circulation pipe includes a first pipe and a second pipe. The first pipe connects two adjacent first liquid cooling plates, and the second pipe connects two adjacent second liquid cooling plates.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of a detector cooling device and a PET imaging system provided by the present application are as follows:

[0019] For the detector cooling device of the first aspect, in view of the different operating temperatures of the sub-module and the circuit board, the first liquid cooling plate is used to cool and dissipate heat from the sub-module, and the second liquid cooling plate is used to cool and dissipate heat from the circuit board. While improving the heat dissipation effect, it can more accurately and effectively control the temperature of the sub-module and the circuit board respectively, avoid the temperature influence between the sub-module and the circuit board, maintain the performance of the sub-module, and thus ensure that the device can operate for a long time.

[0020] For the PET imaging system of the second aspect, the detector cooling device provided in the embodiments of the present application is adopted to cool and dissipate heat from the sub-module and the circuit board respectively. While improving the heat dissipation effect, it can more accurately and effectively control the temperature, maintain the long-term performance of the components, and ensure that the PET imaging system can operate for a long time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic perspective view of the PET imaging system provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a schematic perspective view of the PET imaging system provided in the embodiments of the present application with the gantry removed;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a schematic perspective view of the detector cooling device provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a schematic perspective view of the detector cooling device provided in the embodiments of the present application from another perspective;

[0026] Figure 5 It is a schematic exploded view of the sub-module provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0027] Among them, the reference numerals in the figures:

[0028] 1 - Gantry; 2 - Detector cooling device; 3 - Liquid inlet pipe; 4 - Liquid outlet pipe; 5 - First pipe; 6 - Second pipe; 7 - Quick-release joint;

[0029] 20 - Detector module; 21 - First liquid cooling plate; 22 - Second liquid cooling plate; 23 - Thermal insulation pad;

[0030] 200 - Sub-module; 201 - Circuit board;

[0031] 2000 - Mounting bracket; 2001 - SiPM chip; 2002 - Crystal;

[0032] 2010 - Heating chip;

[0033] 210 - First liquid cooling channel; 211 - First liquid inlet; 212 - First liquid outlet;

[0034] 220 - Second liquid cooling channel; 221 - Second liquid inlet; 222 - Second liquid outlet;

[0035] 2200 - Liquid inlet flow channel; 2201 - Heat conduction flow channel; 2202 - Liquid outlet flow channel. Detailed implementation manners

[0036] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present application clearer and more understandable, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0037] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0038] It should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0039] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present application, "a plurality of" means two or more unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0040] Please refer to Figures 3 to 5, the detector cooling device provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described below. The detector cooling device 2 includes a detector module 20, a first liquid cooling plate 21, and a second liquid cooling plate 22. Among them, the detector module 20 includes a sub-module 200 and a circuit board 201, and the sub-module 200 is electrically connected to the circuit board 201. The first liquid cooling plate 21 is disposed close to the sub-module 200 and is used to cool and dissipate heat from the sub-module 200. The second liquid cooling plate 22 is disposed close to the circuit board 201 and is used to cool and dissipate heat from the circuit board 201.

[0041] The sub-module 200 includes a mounting frame 2000, a SiPM chip 2001 (silicon photomultiplier), and a crystal 2002. The number of crystals 2002 can be multiple, and the multiple crystals 2002 are arranged in the mounting frame 2000 and are used to convert incident rays (such as gamma rays) into photons that can be detected by the SiPM chip 2001. The SiPM chip 2001 is disposed on the crystal 2002 and is used to convert the optical signal generated by the crystal 2002 into an electrical signal for subsequent signal processing and imaging. The SiPM chip 2001 is electrically connected to the aforementioned circuit board 201 through an FPC connector.

[0042] The circuit board 201 is responsible for receiving signals from the SiPM chip 2001 and performing operations such as amplification, filtering, and pulse shaping to facilitate subsequent signal processing and analysis.

[0043] During the operation of the detector module 20, the SiPM chip 2001 and the circuit board 201 in the sub-module 200 are the main heat-generating and power-consuming components. Specifically, the normal operating temperature of the SiPM chip 2001 needs to be controlled between 23°C and 26°C. During operation, the temperature of the circuit board 201 usually rises above 30°C. Since the performance of the SiPM chip 2001 is very sensitive to temperature changes, effective thermal management needs to be carried out on the sub-module 200 and the circuit board 201 respectively to ensure the performance of the detector module 20.

[0044] Compared with the prior art, the detector cooling device provided by the present application uses the first liquid cooling plate 21 to cool and dissipate heat from the sub-module 200 and the second liquid cooling plate 22 to cool and dissipate heat from the circuit board 201. While improving the heat dissipation effect, it can more accurately and effectively control the temperature, avoid temperature influence between the sub-module 200 and the circuit board 201, maintain the performance of the sub-module 200, and thus ensure that the detector can maintain long-term operation.

[0045] By using the detector cooling device 2 provided by the present application, the operating temperature of the SiPM chip 2001 in the sub-module 200 is maintained at about 25°C, and the operating temperature of the circuit board 201 is maintained at about 29°C, both of which are in a suitable operating temperature environment.

[0046] In another embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figures 3 to 4 A first liquid cooling plate 21 is provided with a first liquid cooling channel 210. A coolant flows through the first liquid cooling channel 210. The first liquid cooling plate 21 is provided with a first liquid inlet 211 and a first liquid outlet 212. The first liquid cooling channel 210 communicates with the first liquid inlet 211 and the first liquid outlet 212.

[0047] Since the first liquid cooling plate 21 is disposed close to the sub-module 200, the coolant flowing through the first liquid cooling channel 210 can effectively take away the heat accumulated near the sub-module 200. During use, an external coolant is introduced into the first liquid cooling channel 210 through the first liquid inlet 211. The coolant flowing through the first liquid cooling channel 210 takes away the heat generated by the sub-module 200, and then the coolant is discharged through the first liquid outlet 212 for cyclic heat conduction.

[0048] In another embodiment of the present application, please continue to refer to Figures 3 to 4 The shape of the first liquid cooling channel 210 is "U"-shaped. The "U"-shaped first liquid cooling channel 210 enables the first liquid inlet 211 and the first liquid outlet 212 to be arranged on the same side, so as to facilitate connecting the first liquid inlet 211 and the first liquid outlet 212 to a refrigeration device at the same time, which is beneficial to providing a circulating coolant.

[0049] The refrigeration device specifically adopts a thermoelectric refrigeration method. Compared with the existing compression refrigeration method, the thermoelectric refrigeration method can remove the compressor device, greatly reduce the volume of the PET imaging system, make the overall system more portable, and improve the problems of high noise and large vibration.

[0050] In another embodiment of the present application, please continue to refer to Figures 3 to 4 A second liquid cooling plate 22 is provided with a second liquid cooling channel 220. A coolant flows through the second liquid cooling channel 220. The second liquid cooling plate 22 is provided with a second liquid inlet 221 and a second liquid outlet 222. The second liquid cooling channel 220 communicates with the second liquid inlet 221 and the second liquid outlet 222.

[0051] Since the second liquid cooling plate 22 is disposed close to the circuit board 201, the coolant flowing through the second liquid cooling channel 220 can effectively take away the heat accumulated near the circuit board 201. During use, an external coolant is introduced into the second liquid cooling channel 220 through the second liquid inlet 221. The coolant flowing through the second liquid cooling channel 220 takes away the heat generated by the circuit board 201, and then the coolant is discharged through the second liquid outlet 222 for cyclic heat conduction.

[0052] In another embodiment of the present application, please continue to refer to Figures 3 to 4, the shape of the second liquid cooling channel 220 is "U"-shaped. Adopting the "U"-shaped second liquid cooling channel 220 enables the second liquid inlet 221 and the second liquid outlet 222 to be arranged on the same side, so that the second liquid inlet 221 and the second liquid outlet 222 can be connected to the refrigeration device simultaneously, which is beneficial to providing circulating coolant.

[0053] In another embodiment of the present application, please continue to refer to Figures 3 to 4 , a heating chip 2010 is provided on the circuit board 201. The second liquid cooling channel 220 includes an inlet flow channel 2200, a heat conduction flow channel 2201, and an outlet flow channel 2202 that are connected in sequence. The inlet flow channel 2200 is connected to the second liquid inlet 221, the outlet flow channel 2202 is connected to the second liquid outlet 222, and the heat conduction flow channel 2201 is located at a position corresponding to the heating chip 2010 on the second liquid cooling plate 22.

[0054] The heating chip 2010 is the main heat source on the circuit board 201. Setting the heat conduction flow channel 2201 in the second liquid cooling channel 220 at a position corresponding to the heating chip 2010 can more accurately and effectively cool and dissipate heat from the circuit board 201.

[0055] In another embodiment of the present application, please continue to refer to Figures 3 to 4 , there are two heat conduction flow channels 2201, and the two heat conduction flow channels 2201 are arranged in parallel, that is, the coolant in the inlet flow channel 2200 is split into the two heat conduction flow channels 2201 and then converges to the outlet flow channel 2202. Thus, the area through which the coolant flows can be increased, and the heat conduction effect can be enhanced.

[0056] In another embodiment of the present application, the coolant can be water or oil.

[0057] In another embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figures 3 to 4 together. The first liquid cooling plate 21 is fixedly arranged on the sub-module 200, the second liquid cooling plate 22 is connected to a side of the first liquid cooling plate 21 away from the sub-module 200, and the circuit board 201 is fixedly arranged on the second liquid cooling plate 22.

[0058] Considering thermal management, it is necessary to separate the circuit board 201 from the sub-module 200. In the existing detector module 20, in some cases, the circuit board 201 is arranged on the frame of the device, which will cause the distance between the sub-module 200 and the circuit board 201 to be too far, and thus it is easy to have problems with poor signal transmission.

[0059] While serving as the cooling and heat dissipation structure of the circuit board 201, the second liquid cooling plate 22 of the embodiment of the present application also serves as the support and mounting member of the circuit board 201, and connects the second liquid cooling plate 22 to the side of the first liquid cooling plate 21 away from the sub-module 200. When the circuit board 201 is fixedly mounted on the second liquid cooling plate 22, the circuit board 201 is spaced from the sub-module 200 and the spacing distance is not too far. This structural arrangement improves the structural utilization efficiency, saves structural space, and rationalizes the mounting position of the circuit board 201.

[0060] In another embodiment of the present application, the second liquid cooling plate 22 is a metal part. Using a metal part is beneficial to conduct the heat generated by the circuit board 201 to the coolant. Specifically, the aluminum alloy plate is an aluminum alloy plate.

[0061] The material of the first liquid cooling plate 21 as a metal part is the same as that of the second liquid cooling plate 22.

[0062] In another embodiment of the present application, please continue to refer to Figures 3 to 4 , the side surface of the first liquid cooling plate 21 opposite to the sub-module 200 (specifically the SiPM chip 2001) covers the side surface of the sub-module 200 opposite to the first liquid cooling plate 21, so as to ensure the heat conduction area of the first liquid cooling plate 21, and thus improve the heat conduction effect.

[0063] In another embodiment of the present application, the side surface of the second liquid cooling plate 22 opposite to the circuit board 201 covers the side surface of the circuit board 201 opposite to the second liquid cooling plate 22, so as to ensure the heat conduction area of the second liquid cooling plate 22, and thus improve the heat conduction effect.

[0064] In another embodiment of the present application, please continue to refer to Figures 3 to 4 , a heat insulation pad 23 is provided between the first liquid cooling plate 21 and the second liquid cooling plate 22. By providing the heat insulation pad 23, the temperature between the first liquid cooling plate 21 and the second liquid cooling plate 22 can be prevented from affecting each other, and thus the temperature control effect is affected.

[0065] In another embodiment of the present application, the first liquid cooling plate 21 and the sub-module 200 are fixed by bolts. The second liquid cooling plate 22 and the circuit board 201 are fixed by bolts.

[0066] In another embodiment of the present application, a thermal conductive silica gel is provided between the heating chip 2010 of the circuit board 201 and the second liquid cooling plate 22 to further improve the heat conduction effect between the circuit board 201 and the second liquid cooling plate 22.

[0067] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2 , the present application also provides a PET imaging system, and the PET imaging system includes the detector cooling device 2 provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0068] The PET imaging system provided by this application adopts the detector cooling device 2 provided by the embodiments of this application to cool and dissipate heat from the components that mainly generate heat power consumption respectively. While improving the heat dissipation effect, it can control the temperature more accurately and effectively, maintain the long-term performance of the components, and ensure that the device can work for a long time.

[0069] In another embodiment of this application, please refer to Figures 1 to 2 , the number of detector cooling devices 2 is multiple, and the multiple detector cooling devices 2 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, that is, the multiple detector cooling devices 2 are arranged in a ring distribution. Among two adjacent detector cooling devices 2, one detector cooling device 2 is connected with a liquid inlet pipe 3, and the other detector cooling device 2 is connected with a liquid outlet pipe 4, and a circulation pipe is connected between the remaining two adjacent detector cooling devices 2. That is, the coolant is introduced into the corresponding detector cooling device 2 through the liquid inlet pipe 3, circulated through the circulation pipe to the adjacent detector cooling devices 2 in turn, and finally discharged from the liquid outlet pipe 4. The coolant is circulated among the multiple detector cooling devices 2 in series through the pipeline, which can conveniently and quickly transport the coolant to each detector cooling device 2.

[0070] In another embodiment of this application, please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , both the liquid inlet pipe 3 and the liquid outlet pipe 4 are three-way pipes. The liquid inlet pipe 3 is communicated with the corresponding first liquid cooling plate 21 and second liquid cooling plate 22, and the liquid outlet pipe 4 is communicated with the corresponding first liquid cooling plate 21 and second liquid cooling plate 22; the circulation pipe includes a first pipe 5 and a second pipe 6. The first pipe 5 connects two adjacent first liquid cooling plates 21, and the second pipe 6 connects two adjacent second liquid cooling plates 22.

[0071] A total liquid inlet pipe 3 is used to input the coolant into the first liquid cooling plate 21 and the second liquid cooling plate 22 respectively. The first liquid cooling plates 21 of adjacent detector cooling devices 2 are sequentially transported through the first pipe 5, and the second liquid cooling plates 22 of adjacent detector cooling devices 2 are sequentially transported through the second pipe 6 until they are converged and output together at the liquid outlet pipe 4, forming a coolant circulation pipeline in the PET imaging system. In addition, since the first liquid cooling channels 210 of the first liquid cooling plate 21 and the second liquid cooling channels 220 of the second liquid cooling plate 22 are both "U"-shaped structures, all the liquid inlet pipes 3, first pipes 5, second pipes 6 and liquid outlet pipes 4 can be arranged on the same side, making the structural arrangement more reasonable.

[0072] In another embodiment of this application, please refer to Figures 2 to 3 , quick-release joints 7 are used to connect between the liquid inlet pipe 3 and the detector cooling device 2, between the liquid outlet pipe 4 and the detector cooling device 2, and between the circulation pipe and the detector cooling device 2.

[0073] In another embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figure 1 , the PET imaging system further includes a gantry 1, which has a frame structure, so the overall shape is hollow, which can greatly reduce the weight of the main structure of the PET imaging system. Moreover, the material of the gantry 1 is aluminum profile, making the whole PET imaging system lighter.

[0074] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A detector cooling device, characterized in that, Comprising: A detector module, the detector module includes a sub-module and a circuit board, and the sub-module is electrically connected to the circuit board; A first liquid cooling plate, the first liquid cooling plate is disposed close to the sub-module and is used for cooling and dissipating heat from the sub-module; A second liquid cooling plate, the second liquid cooling plate is disposed close to the circuit board and is used for cooling and dissipating heat from the circuit board.

2. The detector cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first liquid cooling channel is formed in the first liquid cooling plate, a coolant flows in the first liquid cooling channel, the first liquid cooling plate is provided with a first liquid inlet and a first liquid outlet, and the first liquid cooling channel communicates with the first liquid inlet and the first liquid outlet.

3. The detector cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A second liquid cooling channel is formed in the second liquid cooling plate, a coolant flows in the second liquid cooling channel, the second liquid cooling plate is provided with a second liquid inlet and a second liquid outlet, and the second liquid cooling channel communicates with the second liquid inlet and the second liquid outlet.

4. The detector cooling device according to claim 3, characterized in that, A heating chip is provided on the circuit board, the second liquid cooling channel includes a liquid inlet flow channel, a heat conduction flow channel and a liquid outlet flow channel connected in sequence, the liquid inlet flow channel is connected to the second liquid inlet, the liquid outlet flow channel is connected to the second liquid outlet, and the heat conduction flow channel is located at a position corresponding to the heating chip on the second liquid cooling plate.

5. The detector cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first liquid cooling plate is fixedly disposed on the sub-module, the second liquid cooling plate is connected to a side of the first liquid cooling plate away from the sub-module, and the circuit board is fixedly disposed on the second liquid cooling plate.

6. The detector cooling device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second liquid cooling plate is a metal part; and / or, the first liquid cooling plate is a metal part.

7. The detector cooling device according to claim 6, characterized in that, A heat insulation pad is provided between the first liquid cooling plate and the second liquid cooling plate.

8. A PET imaging system, characterized in that, Comprising the detector cooling device according to any one of claims 1-7.

9. The PET imaging system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The number of the detector cooling devices is multiple, and the multiple detector cooling devices are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. One of the adjacent two detector cooling devices is connected with an inlet pipeline, and the other of the adjacent two detector cooling devices is connected with an outlet pipeline. A circulation pipeline is connected between the remaining adjacent two detector cooling devices.

10. The PET imaging system according to claim 9, characterized in that, Both the inlet pipeline and the outlet pipeline are three-way pipelines. The inlet pipeline communicates with the corresponding first liquid cooling plate and the second liquid cooling plate. The outlet pipeline communicates with the corresponding first liquid cooling plate and the second liquid cooling plate. The circulation pipeline includes a first pipeline and a second pipeline. The first pipeline connects two adjacent first liquid cooling plates, and the second pipeline connects two adjacent second liquid cooling plates.

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