Semi-Transparent Collimators for Panoramic X-Ray Dose Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current X-ray imaging techniques require large overlapping areas for creating panoramic images, leading to increased X-ray doses for patients and complex arithmetic operations, making it difficult to align partial images effectively.
Innovation Solution
The use of semi-transparent collimators in the X-ray diaphragm unit allows for controlled reduction of X-ray doses in overlapping areas, enabling the creation of panoramic images with reduced exposure and precise alignment using parallax-free features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If large overlapping areas are used for aligning partial X-ray images, then image alignment accuracy is improved, but patient radiation dose increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using semi-transparent collimators to create different X-ray transmission properties in different regions of the image. Specifically, the collimators reduce X-ray transmission in overlapping areas while maintaining full transmission in non-overlapping areas, allowing sufficient overlap for alignment without exposing the entire patient body to reduced doses unnecessarily.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the X-ray imaging process into distinct regions: overlapping areas covered by semi-transparent collimators and non-overlapping areas with full exposure. This segmentation allows differential radiation dosing where only the necessary overlapping regions receive reduced doses, while other areas maintain optimal exposure for diagnostic quality.
2Measurement precision
If correlation methods are used to align partial X-ray images, then alignment accuracy is improved, but calculation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-defining the overlap area width and positioning the semi-transparent collimators before image acquisition. This pre-planning ensures that sufficient overlapping regions are captured with appropriate radiation doses, providing adequate feature matching areas for correlation methods without requiring excessive computation or post-processing adjustments.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If semi-transparent collimators are used to reduce X-ray dose in overlapping areas, then patient radiation exposure is reduced, but image quality in those areas may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making different parts of the imaging system have different properties: semi-transparent collimators in overlapping regions versus full-aperture collimators in non-overlapping regions. This allows optimized radiation dosing and image quality for each region's specific requirements, maintaining diagnostic quality where needed while reducing dose where overlap provides redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple partial X-ray images with overlapping regions during composite image creation. By combining these images, the system achieves sufficient signal and image quality in overlapping areas through image fusion, compensating for the reduced individual image quality caused by lower radiation doses in those specific regions.
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 significantly reduces X-ray exposure for patients, facilitates quick and reproducible panoramic imaging, and allows for seamless joining of partial images without visible transitions, optimizing X-ray doses for high-informative areas.
Implementation Method 1
the first and/or second semi-transparent collimator can be controlled such that the collimators are moved into the collimator aperture of the X-ray collimator unit in such a way that at least parts of the overlapping areas of the partial X-ray images to be joined can be acquired with a reduced X-ray dose
Data Source
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AI summary
The device and the associated method reduce the radiation exposure for the patient when creating a panoramic X-ray image, despite larger overlap areas when taking partial X-ray images, through the use of semi-transparent X-ray apertures.