Dual-Energy X-Ray Imaging with Radiation Blocking During Energy Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dual-energy scanners require transition times between radiation energies, leading to unnecessary radiation doses for patients and complicating the scanner's structure, as existing methods only allow for dose modulation rather than energy masking during these transitions.
Innovation Solution
A medical imaging method and device that generates radiations at two distinct energy levels and blocks or diverts emitted radiations during intermediate phases when the scanner switches between these levels, using a radiation source with a deflection system to control the electron flux and prevent non-useful energies from reaching the patient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If transition time between radiation energies is reduced, then image quality is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful intermediate energy radiations during transition phases using a blocking device, separating the useful radiations (at stable energy levels E1 and E2) from the harmful ones (during transition). This allows maintaining longer transition times without degrading image quality, as the harmful radiations are physically removed rather than requiring faster switching.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a blocking device as an intermediary element between the radiation source and the patient. This mediator physically blocks the harmful intermediate energy radiations during transition phases while allowing useful radiations to pass through, resolving the contradiction without modifying the radiation source itself.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If transition time between radiation energies is reduced, then unnecessary radiation dose is decreased, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking device extracts and removes harmful intermediate energy radiations from the radiation beam during transition phases, preventing them from reaching the patient. This physically removes the harmful factor without requiring complex electronic circuits or faster switching, thus reducing radiation dose while maintaining simple device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful intermediate energy radiations into a controlled situation by using a blocking device that selectively absorbs or deflects them. The transition process itself, which originally caused harm, is transformed into a controlled phase where harmful radiations are deliberately blocked, turning a problematic feature into a manageable aspect of the imaging process.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If dose modulation is applied during transition, then radiation exposure is reduced, but energy masking capability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking device physically extracts and removes harmful intermediate energy radiations from the beam path during transition phases, providing complete energy masking rather than just dose modulation. This selectively eliminates specific energy ranges that would otherwise reach the patient, achieving superior adaptability in controlling which energies are delivered.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking device serves as an intermediary that provides precise control over radiation energies by selectively blocking harmful intermediate energies while allowing useful energies to pass. This intermediary approach offers greater versatility and adaptability compared to simple dose modulation, as it can completely mask specific energy ranges based on the imaging requirements.
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 reduces unnecessary radiation exposure to patients while maintaining image quality by ensuring only useful energies are used for imaging, thereby minimizing patient dose and simplifying the scanner's structure.
Implementation Method 1
a source of radiations of the type comprising a source of electrons and a target, adapted so as to emit a flux of X-rays towards a patient
Implementation Method 2
The source further comprises a system for deflecting the flux of electrons, which modifies the path of the electron flux so that it attains another point of the target
Implementation Method 3
emitting the generated radiations at an output of the radiation source towards a detector, and blocking or diverting the emitted radiations during at least one intermediate phase
Data Source
AI summary
A medical imaging method comprising generating a radiation at a first energy level by a radiation source, generating a radiation at a second energy level different from the first energy level by the radiation source, emitting the generated radiations at an output of the radiation source towards a detector, and blocking or diverting the emitted radiations during at least one intermediate phase during which the radiation source switches in a transient way from one of the first energy level and the second energy level to the other of the first energy level and the second energy level.