US 12,004,890 B2
Intraoral tomosynthesis X-ray imaging device, system, and method with interchangeable collimator
Captain Capo, Durham, NC (US); Andrew Tucker, Cary, NC (US); Julianna Burney, Cary, NC (US); Otto Z. Zhou, Chapel Hill, NC (US); and Jianping Lu, Chapel Hill, NC (US)
Assigned to Surround Medical Systems, Inc., Morrisville, NC (US)
Appl. No. 17/288,556
Filed by XIN VIVO, INC., Morrisville, NC (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 26, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/057719
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 25, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/086094, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0110595 A1, Apr. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 6/51 (2024.01); A61B 6/00 (2006.01); A61B 6/02 (2006.01); A61B 6/06 (2006.01); A61B 6/40 (2024.01); A61B 6/42 (2024.01); A61B 6/46 (2024.01)
CPC A61B 6/512 (2024.01) [A61B 6/022 (2013.01); A61B 6/025 (2013.01); A61B 6/06 (2013.01); A61B 6/4007 (2013.01); A61B 6/425 (2013.01); A61B 6/461 (2013.01); A61B 6/469 (2013.01); A61B 6/56 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An x-ray intraoral tomosynthesis imaging system comprising:
an x-ray source array comprising one or more spatially distributed x-ray focal spots configured to produce a scanning x-ray beam;
a voltage power supply and a current source;
a switching circuit configured to connect the current source to a plurality of cathodes of the x-ray source array, one at a time, to produce a scanning x-ray beam;
a collimation assembly configured to provide rectangular or circular radiation fields;
a digital intraoral x-ray detector;
an input panel configured to allow a user to select one or more of x-ray energy, tube current, exposure time, and imaging mode; and
an image viewer configured to display a stack of reconstructed tomosynthesis slice images,
wherein the x-ray source array is configured to selectively produce either: (a) a scanning x-ray beam illuminating an object from different viewing angles without mechanically moving the x-ray source array for tomosynthesis; or (b) a single two dimensional (2D) radiograph; and
wherein the collimation assembly is configured to substantially collimate x-ray radiation from all x-ray focal spots to the digital intraoral x-ray detector.