Collimator Channel Characterization via Optical Mapping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing collimator quality in nuclear imaging are unable to accurately and precisely measure individual channel characteristics, such as hole shape, direction, and septal dimensions, especially for large field-of-view collimators with tens of thousands of channels, leading to compromised imaging performance and lack of cost-effective quality control.
Innovation Solution
A framework that generates an optical characterization map (OCM) based on high-resolution digital images of the collimator's sides, allowing for comprehensive characterization of channel location, direction, and septal thickness, enabling accurate simulation and prediction of image quality and collimator performance without the need for emission data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional manufacturing methods (casting, stacking, extrusion, 3D printing) are used to produce collimators with tens of thousands of channels, then manufacturing cost and time are reduced, but manufacturing precision of individual channel characteristics (hole shape, direction, septal dimensions) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The collimator is divided into multiple individual channels, and each channel's characteristics are measured and characterized separately using the optical method. This segmentation allows precise tracking of each channel's properties (location, direction, septal dimensions) independently, resolving the contradiction between mass production and individual precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical measurement methods (which are too slow and expensive for tens of thousands of channels) with an optical characterization method using photographs and image processing. This substitution enables high-throughput measurement while maintaining precision, as the optical system can capture all channels simultaneously in a single photograph.
2Ease of manufacture
If no individual quality assessment is performed on each channel, then manufacturing cost and time are reduced, but measurement precision of channel quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The collimator channels themselves serve as the measurement targets for their own quality assessment. By photographing the collimator and analyzing the optical characteristics of each channel opening, the system enables self-characterization without requiring external probing or complex measurement equipment for each individual channel.
Solution Approach 2:
A single optical characterization system using standard photography and image processing serves multiple functions: measuring hole location, determining channel direction, assessing septal dimensions, and evaluating overall collimator quality. This universal method replaces multiple specialized measurement tools, reducing cost while maintaining precision.
3Measurement precision
If emission data is used to assess collimator quality, then measurement accuracy is improved, but loss of time and radiation exposure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs optical characterization of the collimator during or immediately after manufacturing, before the collimator is put into service for imaging. This preliminary characterization captures the actual physical state of each channel, allowing quality assessment to be completed in advance without requiring time-consuming emission-based measurements later.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses optical photographs and image processing algorithms as an intermediary to infer channel characteristics without directly using radiation. Instead of measuring how the collimator affects gamma rays (which requires emission sources and time), the optical method measures geometric and optical properties that correlate with channel quality, providing a faster indirect assessment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides precise and cost-effective characterization of collimators, improving image quality, increasing manufacturing yield, and enabling quick detection and correction of errors during production, while being safer and more efficient than existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
first and second sides of the collimator are photographed to generate first and second image data
Data Source
AI summary
A framework for characterization of a collimator. In accordance with one aspect, first and second sides of the collimator are photographed to generate first and second image data. An optical characterization map (OCM) may be generated based on the first and second image data, wherein the optical characterization map characterizes the individual channels of the collimator. Quality assessment or image reconstruction may then be performed based on the OCM.