초록 ▼

An imaging system for imaging an object has an x-ray source for emitting x-rays. A detection system has a plurality of position sensitive detector planes, and the object is located between the x-ray source and the detection system. A portion of the x-rays pass through said object and pass into said

An imaging system for imaging an object has an x-ray source for emitting x-rays. A detection system has a plurality of position sensitive detector planes, and the object is located between the x-ray source and the detection system. A portion of the x-rays pass through said object and pass into said plurality of detector planes and are detected within the plurality of detector planes. A multi-channel readout system is coupled to the plurality of position sensitive detector planes. A display system is coupled to the multi-channel readout system, and the display system displays an image of said object. A portion of the x-rays passing into the plurality of detector planes undergoes at least one Compton scatter within the plurality of detection planes and is detected. A total or partial energy corresponding to each portion of the emitted x-rays is recorded by a multichannel readout system. The direction for the said detected x-ray is determined and the direction and total or partial energy corresponding to each detected x-ray is processed by a multi-channel readout system to generate said image.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An imaging system for imaging an object comprising an x-ray source emitting x-rays; a detection system comprised of plurality of position sensitive detector planes, wherein said object is located between said x-ray source and the said detection system, wherein a portion of s

What is claimed is: 1. An imaging system for imaging an object comprising an x-ray source emitting x-rays; a detection system comprised of plurality of position sensitive detector planes, wherein said object is located between said x-ray source and the said detection system, wherein a portion of said x-rays passing through said object pass into said plurality of detector planes and are detected within said plurality of detector planes; a multi-channel readout system coupled to said plurality of position sensitive detector planes; a display system coupled to said multi-channel readout system; and said display system displaying an image of said object. 2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein shielding in included, said shielding substantially preventing exposure of said multi-channel readout system to said emitted x-rays. 3. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein said shield collimates said emitted x-rays. 4. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of position sensitive detector planes is comprised of a single detector plane. 5. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of position sensitive detector planes is comprised of a plurality of silicon, or Ge, or GaAs, or CdTe, or CdZnTe, or selenium or a combination of these detection planes. 6. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of detection planes has an area between 1 square centimeter and 100,000 square centimeters. 7. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of detection planes has thickness between about 0.1 and about 1, 000 millimeters. 8. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein a portion of said x-rays passing into said plurality of detector planes undergo at least one Compton scatter within said plurality of detection planes and detected, a total or partial energy corresponding to each of said portion of said emitted x-rays is recorded by the multichannel readout system, the direction for the said detected x-ray is determined and wherein said direction and said total or partial energy corresponding to each of said detected x-ray is processed by said multi-channel readout system and the said display system to generate said image. 9. The imaging system of claim 8, wherein the said total energy is used to produce one or more spectral images or different images for different energy spectra. 10. The imaging system of claim 8, wherein a recoil electron is formed by a portion of said x-rays undergoing Compton scatter within said plurality of detection planes, said Compton interaction producing recoil electron, said recoil electron passing through a portion of said plurality of detection planes, wherein the interaction position of said recoil electron is recorded for each of said portion of said plurality of detection planes, wherein the energy of the said recoil electron is determined which corresponds to the energy deposited by the said Compton scattered x-ray. 11. Recoil electron information of claim 10, reduces imaging of the incident x-ray photon to an arc or a point instead of a circle. 12. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of detection planes have a predetermined orientation with respect to said emitted x-rays, said predetermined orientation selected from the group consisting of parallel, perpendicular, or an angle. 13. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of detection planes is any combination of detection planes selected from the group consisting of microstrip detectors, strip detectors, pad detectors, pixel detectors, cross microstrip detectors, cross strip detectors, double-sided microstrip detectors, and double-sided strip detectors. 14. The detection planes of claim 13, wherein said group of different kind of detection planes is comprised of a plurality of silicon, or Ge, or GaAs, or CdTe, or CdZnTe, or selenium, or solid state or a combination of these detection planes. 15. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein said multi-channel readout system is partly comprised of ASIC chips, wherein said plurality of position sensitive detection planes is comprised of microstrips, strips, pads, pixels, and wherein said microstrips, strip, pads, pixels are fanned in or fanned out to match a chip bonding pitch corresponding to said ASIC chips. 16. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said emitted x-rays have an energy in the range of about 10 to 10,000 keV. 17. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said emitted x-rays are monoenergetic. 18. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said emitted x-rays are from a radioactive source with multiple emission lines. 19. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said x-ray source is a continuous energy x-ray source. 20. The imaging system of claim 1, said detection system further comprising a calorimeter, said calorimeter comprising a detector plane, at least partially enclosing a hodoscope. 21. The imaging system of claim 20, wherein said calorimeter detector plane comprising a plurality of position sensitive detector planes. 22. The imaging system of claim 20, wherein said calorimeter is shielded from said emitted x-rays not passing through a hodoscope. 23. The imaging system of claim 20, wherein said calorimeter is comprised of a group of scintillator type detector materials including Csl (Tl), CdWO4, CsF, Nal (Tl), Csl (Na), BGO, LSO, GSO crystals or a combination of these crystals. 24. The imaging system of claim 23, wherein said Csl (Ti), CdWO4, CsF, Nal (Tl), Csl (Na), BGO, LSO, GSO crystals are coupled to PIN photodiodes or avalanche photodiodes (APDS) or photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) or Multi Anode PMTs. 25. The imaging system of claim 20, wherein said calorimeter is selected from the group of solid state detector materials including HpGe, Ge, CdTe, CdZnTe, Hgl2, GaAs, and Pbl2. 26. The imaging system of claim 20, wherein said calorimeter has its own multi-channel readout system or coupled to said multi-channel readout system. 27. The imaging system of claim 20, wherein a portion of said emitted x-rays incident onto a hodoscope make at least one Compton scatter during passage through said plurality of position sensitive detector planes, wherein the energy deposited to one or more detector planes by the Compton scattered x-ray is determined, wherein said scattered x-rays are totally absorbed within said calorimeter, and wherein an energy of said absorbed x-rays is determined by said calorimeter, wherein at least one scatter position in said hodoscope and the absorption position in said calorimeter determines a direction for each one of the said portion of said emitted x-rays, wherein the x-ray energies determined through the imaging system is also used to determine the direction for each one of the said portion of said emitted x-rays, wherein said direction and said total energy corresponding to each of said portion of emitted x-ray is combined by said multi-channel readout system or said display system to generate said image, or one or more said spectral images or different images for different energy spectra. 28. The imaging system of claim 27, wherein said x-rays passing through said hodoscope form recoil electrons due to said Compton scattering during passage through said plurality of position sensitive detector planes, wherein said hodoscope determines a track direction for the recoil electron and an energy associated with said recoil electrons, wherein said interaction position and said energy of the recoil electron and the interaction position and energy at the calorimeter are used in determining the direction and energy of the said incident x-ray corresponding to each of said portion of emitted x-ray. 29. Recoil electron information of claim 28, reduces imaging of the incident x-ray photon to an arc or a point instead of a circle. 30. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a rotation stage coupled to said object, wherein said rotation stage rotates said object relative to said detection system, wherein said image is a three-dimensional tomographic image. 31. The imaging system of claim 30, wherein said rotation stage rotates said object relative to said detection system and then moves in steps perpendicular to the rotation plane, wherein said image is comprised of three-dimensional tomographic image slices. 32. The imaging system of claim 20, wherein said image includes energy spectrum information and the said image is a hyperspectral image. 33. The imaging system of claim 32, wherein different energy spectra of said energy spectrum information are represented in said image by different colors, gray tones, print or display density or brightness or contrast. 34. The imaging system of claim 33, wherein an intensity corresponding to each of said different energy spectra is represented by a color or gray tone with intensity corresponding to said different colors or gray tones. 35. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said image is a two-dimensional image. 36. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said image is a three-dimensional or stereoscopic image. 37. The imaging system of claim 1, comprising a second shielding member proximate to an entrance aperture of a hodoscope.