US 11,726,215 B2
Total time-over-threshold (TTOT) processing for a photon-counting x-ray detector
Martin Sjölin, Stockholm (SE)
Assigned to Prismatic Sensors AB, Stockholm (SE)
Filed by Prismatic Sensors AB, Stockholm (SE)
Filed on Nov. 23, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/534,091.
Application 17/534,091 is a continuation of application No. 17/092,752, filed on Nov. 9, 2020, granted, now 11,255,981.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/970,308, filed on Feb. 5, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0082710 A1, Mar. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. G01T 1/17 (2006.01); G01T 1/24 (2006.01); A61B 6/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01T 1/17 (2013.01) [G01T 1/247 (2013.01); A61B 6/4241 (2013.01); A61B 6/482 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A circuit configured for operation with a multi-bin photon-counting x-ray detector for counting a number of photons that have interacted in the detector during an overall measurement time, said multi-bin photon-counting x-ray detector having multiple energy thresholds and configured for operating based on corresponding comparators,
wherein said circuit is configured to obtain or generate plural Total Time-Over-Threshold (TTOT) signals corresponding to plural different energy thresholds based on comparator output from corresponding comparators as input,
wherein said circuit is configured to generate or obtain each of the TTOT signals based on input including a total number of clock cycles during which an input voltage pulse exceeds a reference voltage during said measurement time in a respective comparator, and/or said circuit is configured to generate or obtain each of the TTOT signals from comparator output by summing a number of clock cycles that a respective comparator is triggered during said measurement time, wherein the circuit is configured to compute a sum of the clock cycles during which each comparator is a highest energy level triggered comparator, and
wherein said circuit is configured to provide energy integrating information as a digital energy-integrating signal based on an aggregation and/or combination of said plural TTOT signals.