Apparatus and method for channel count reduction in solid-state-based positron emission tomography

摘要

An apparatus and method for channel count reduction in solid-state-based positron emission tomography that multiplexes read-outs from photo-detectors using a sum delay circuit, including a sum channel and a delay-sum channel. The sum channel sums signals from sensors in an array and is digitized to extract the timing and energy information. A delay-sum channel includes a discrete delay line that introduces a known delay after each sensor, creating a time signature for the sensor, followed by a summing circuit that adds the delayed signals. The delay-sum channel is digitized using a high speed counters to extract location information. Start and Stop signals for the counter are derived when the sum channel output and the delay-sum channel output cross a pulse ID threshold, respectively. The pulse ID threshold is chosen to minimize the Compton scatter and not clip the photo-peak events.

主权项

1. A data acquisition device for a gamma ray detector, comprising:
a summing circuit configured to sum a plurality of electrical signals from a corresponding plurality of sensors coupled to an array of scintillation crystals to generate a first signal, the plurality of sensors converting received light into the plurality of electrical signals, wherein the light is generated by a crystal of interaction in response to incident gamma rays generated by an annihilation event; a delay summing circuit configured to selectively delay and sum the plurality of electrical signals to generate a second signal; a first circuit configured to receive the first signal and to determine an energy and an event time of the first signal; and a second circuit configured to receive the first signal and the second signal and to determine, based on when the first and second signals respectively exceed a predetermined threshold, which sensor of the plurality of sensors corresponds to a location of the crystal of interaction.