Scintillation camera

Claim 2

In a device for producing a display representative of the spatial distribution of incident stimuli from a subject under investigation including a light-emitting mechanism for emitting flashes of light in response to such incident stimuli and a plurality of light responsive components each of which emits electrical signals in response to light signals incident upon it with such signals each being proportional to the intensity of the light signal responded to, an improved light pipe forming at least a portion of an optical coupling between the mechanism and the components, the improvement comprising: a. a sheet of light-transmitting material having input and output surfaces defining an input face and a plurality of separate output faces; b. the input surface of the sheet being oriented toward the mechanism; c. the output surface of the sheet including walls defining a plurality of truncated pyramids formed therein with each of said truncated pyramids defining a separate one of said output faces; d. at least one of said components being optically coupled to each pyramid to receive light energy conducted through such pyramid; and, e. the ends of the pyramids nearest said mechanism being contiguous and at least intersecting to provide a continuous field of view area.

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 wherein each pyramid is hexagonal in a plane of cross section paralleling the input surface.

Claim 4

The device of claim 1 wherein selected surfaces of said sheet perimetral of said field of view are blackened.

Claim 5

The device of claim 3 wherein the blackened surfaces comprise a perimetral surface of the sheet and portions of an output face of the sheet perimetral of the field of view and generally transverse to the perimetral surface.

Claim 6

The device of claim 1 wherein there is a white coating on the pyramid walls and a black coating over the white and on perimetral portions of the sheet.

Claim 7

A scintillation camera comprising: a. collimation means; b. a light emitting mechanism for providing a light output in response to incident radiation stimuli, said light output including light scintillations representative of the spatial distribution of said incident radiation stimuli; c. light responsive means to receive the light output from said light emitting mechanism and to produce an output representative of the spatial distribution of the scintillations emitted by said light emitting mechanism and received by said light responsive means; d. structure mounting said light emitting mechanism at a position between said collimator means and said light responsive means and shielding said light emitting mechanism from incident radiation other than that which passes through said radiation delineating means; e. light transmitting mechanism interposed between said light emitting mechanism and said light responsive means and including a sheet of light transmitting material having an input surface oriented toward said light emitting mechanism defining an input window for receiving light scintillations and an output surface optically coupled to said light responsive means at a plurality of spaced positions, said positions defining a plurality of spaced output windows; and, f. light absorbing means on said light transmitting material and forming at least one light absorbing ring around at least one of said output windows.

Claim 8

A scintillation camera comprising: a. collimation means; b. a light emitting mechanism for providing a light output in response to incident radiation stimuli, said light output including light scintillations representative of the spatial distribution of said incident radiation stimuli; c. light responsive means to receive the light output from said light emitting mechanism and to produce an output representative of the spatial distribution of the scintillations emitted by said light emitting mechanism and received by said light responsive means; d. structure mounting said light emitting mechanism at a position between said collimator means and said light responsive means and shielding said light emitting mechanism from incident radiation other than that which passes through said radiation delineating means; e. light transmitting mechanism interposed between said light emitting mechanism and said light responsive means and including a sheet of light transmitting material having an input surface oriented toward said light emitting mechanism defining an input window for receiving light scintillations and an output surface optically coupled to said light responsive means at a plurality of spaced positions, said positions defining a plurality of spaced output windows; and, f. light absorbing means on said light transmitting material and forming at least one light absorbing ring around at least one of said output windows.

Claim 9

The scintillation camera of claim 6 wherein said light absorbing ring is of light absorbing material disposed around the perimeter of said light transmitting material and surrounding said output windows.

Claim 10

The scintillation camera of claim 6 wherein said light absorbing ring comprises a black coating.

Claim 11

The scintillation camera of claim 6 wherein said light absorbing means includes a separate light absorbing ring surrounding each of said output windows.

Claim 12

The camera of claim 9 wherein a white coating underlies said light absorbing material in regions adjacent said output windows.

Claim 13

The scintillation camera of claim 9 wherein said light absorbing means comprises a black coating.

Claim 14

The scintillation camera of claim 9 including still another light absorbing ring disposed around the perimeter of said light transmitting material surrounding all of said output windows.

Claim 15

The scintillation camera of claim 11 wherein said light absorbing rings comprise black coatings.

Claim 16

The scintillation camera of claim 6 wherein said light absorbent means comprises a layer of light absorbent material adhered to the peripheral surface of the sheet.

Claim 17

The scintillation camera of claim 14 wherein the layer of light absorbent material comprises a coating which is deposited on the peripheral surface.

Claim 18

In a gamma imaging device, the improved detector head for emitting signals that result in positioned signals on an output device comprising: a. a housing; b. a collimator connected to the housing; c. a scintillation crystal carried by the housing inwardly of said collimator; d. a plurality of phototube means within the housing and adapted to emit electric signals in response to light scintillations occurring in the crystal; e. a crystal housing around the crystal and including an output window between the crystal and phototube means; f. a solid light pipe optically connecting said window to the phototube means; g. said light pipe having an input face of planar configuration in tight juxtaposed optical coupling with said window; h. said light pipe having an output surface; i. each of said phototube means being optically coupled to said output surface; and, j. light-absorbing means on said light pipe and disposed perimetrally of at least certain of said phototube means for absorbing light transmitted to said light pipe such that some of the scintillations occurring in the crystal, even if photopeak events, will not produce signals on an output devIce.

Claim 19

In a gamma imaging device, the improved detector head for emitting signals that result in positioned signals on an output device comprising: a. a housing; b. a collimator connected to the housing; c. a scintillation crystal carried by the housing inwardly of said collimator; d. a plurality of phototube means within the housing and adapted to emit electric signals in response to light scintillations occurring in the crystal; e. a crystal housing around the crystal and including an output window between the crystal and phototube means; f. a solid light pipe optically connecting said window to the phototube means; g. said light pipe having an input face of planar configuration in tight juxtaposed optical coupling with said window; h. said light pipe having an output surface; i. each of said phototube means being optically coupled to said output surface; and, j. light-absorbing means on said light pipe and disposed perimetrally of at least certain of said phototube means for absorbing light transmitted to said light pipe such that some of the scintillations occurring in the crystal, even if photopeak events, will not produce signals on an output devIce.

Claim 20

The device of claim 16 wherein said light-absorbing means includes an annulus.

Claim 21

The device of claim 17 wherein said annulus is perimetral of said phototube means.

Claim 22

The device of claim 16 wherein said light-absorbing means is disposed around the perimeter of said light pipe.

Claim 23

The device of claim 16 wherein the light-absorbing means is black coating material.

Claim 24

The device of claim 16 wherein: a. said output surface defines a plurality of spaced output windows disposed in a common plane; b. each of said output windows is surrounded by walls defining a truncated pyramid with the walls of all such pyramids other than perimetral ones of said walls, flaring outwardly to intersect adjacent walls and provide continuous coverage over a field of view.

Claim 25

The device of claim 16 wherein the walls of each pyramid define a hexagon in a plane of cross section.

Claim 26

The device of claim 16 wherein each pyramid wall has a portion at an obtuse angle with respect to its associated output face.

Claim 27

The device of claim 23 wherein each pyramid wall other than perimetral walls is connected to an adjacent wall by a curved surface which is concave as viewed from the phototube side of the light pipe.