Three-Layer X-Ray Detector for Dual-Energy Imaging

The patent removes the metal beam-hardening mid-filter from the dual-energy X-ray imaging system. Instead of using a metal filter to achieve spectral separation, the system employs two sensor layers with different energy responses positioned behind the patient, eliminating the waste of X-rays in a mid-filter while maintaining spectral separation capability.

The patent transitions from a single-layer detector with a metal filter to a two-layer stacked detector configuration. By adding the dimension of layer stacking in the vertical direction, the system achieves spectral separation through the different energy responses of the two sensor layers rather than through metal filtration, thereby improving patient dose efficiency.

The patent combines both low-energy and high-energy image acquisition into a single simultaneous exposure using the two-layer detector. The first sensor layer captures predominantly low-energy photons while the second sensor layer captures predominantly high-energy photons during the same exposure time, enabling dual-energy imaging without requiring multiple exposures and thereby improving motion tolerance.

The patent implements continuous simultaneous acquisition of both low-energy and high-energy images during a single X-ray exposure. This continuous action approach eliminates the temporal gap between exposures that would exist in sequential methods, ensuring that both energy spectra are captured from the same anatomical position and reducing motion artifacts.