Tomography technique in which a single recording film retains spatial information to permit constructing all planar sections of object

Claim 2

Apparatus for producing tomographic images of a three dimensional object comprising exposing means for exposing an object on one side to a source of penetrating radiation along an extended path having a preselected geometry; image recording means adapted to be supported in a stationary position on an opposite side of said object for recording a single holotomgraphic shadow image having a characteristic response function for each point in said object depending on said preselected geometry; and decoding means for decoding said shadow image on the basis of said characteristic response function to produce an in-focus image of a selectably oriented surface through said object.

Claim 3

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein SAID exposing means comprises a substantially point source of x-rays moving at a uniform rate along said extended path; said image recording means comprises a sheet of recording film; and said decoding means comprises a decoding light source and a decoding lens system constructed and arranged to illuminate said recording film with light rays directed in a reverse sense along ray paths substantially corresponding to ray paths from said x-ray source through said object to said recording film so as to produce on a side of said recording film opposite said light source and lens system a three dimensional image space representative of said three dimensional object.

Claim 4

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said decoding light source comprises a substantially point source of light moving at a uniform rate along a path having a geometry corresponding to said preselected geometry, and said decoding means further comprises a decoding film adapted to be supported in a selectable orientation in said three dimensional image space to record said in-focus image of a surface through said object.

Claim 5

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said decoding light source comprises an extended source of light having a geometry corresponding to said preselected geometry so as to produce said three dimensional image space on a continuous basis; and said decoding means further comprises one of a decoding screen or a decoding film adapted to be supported in a selectable orientation in said three dimensional image space.

Claim 6

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said exposing means comprises an extended source of x-rays having said preselected geometry; said image recording means comprises a sheet of recording film; and said decoding means comprises an extended decoding light source having a geometry corresponding to said preselected geometry and a decoding lens system between said decoding light source and said recording film constructed to direct light rays from said decoding light source through said recording film in a reverse sense along ray paths substantially corresponding to ray paths from said extended source of x-rays through said object to said recording film, thereby to produce on an opposite side of said recording film a three dimensional image space representative of said three dimensional object.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said decoding means further comprises a planar decoding element adapted to be supported in a selectable orientation in said three dimensional image space to manifest an in-focus image of said object across a surface corresponding to said orientation.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said planar decoding element comprises one of a decoding screen or a decoding film.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said extended source of x-rays comprises a plurality of individual point sources of x-rays arranged in a regularly spaced manner; and said extended decoding light source comprises a plurality of individual point sources of light corresponding in number to said point sources of x-rays and arranged in a corresponding regularly spaced manner.

Claim 10

Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said individual point sources of x-rays each comprises a radioisotopic x-ray source.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said extends source of x-rays comprises a body of radioactive material emitting x-rays and shaped in said preselected geometry.