Scintillation camera with improved resolution

Claim 1

Apparatus for imaging an object containing a radioactivity distribution comprising: a radiation detector, including a radiation sensitive transducer, of the type producing an output representing coordinates of interaction of quanta of radiation with said transducer, said detector having a predetermined resolution value expressed in terms of full width at half maximum, said detector further including an output screen, said output comprising flashes of light each spatially located on said screen at coordinates corresponding to coordinates of interaction with said transducer of a particular quantum of radiation; radiation filter means interposed between said transducer and said object for defining a plurality of mutually spaced radiation passageways to said transducer for radiation quanta emitted from said object; a documentation medium; a signal filtering means comprising a funnel-type optical filter interposed between said output screen and said documentation medium, said funnel-type optical filter dEfining a plurality of optical passageways to said documentation medium from said screen, each passageway having a wide light admitting port adjacent said screen and a narrow light exiting port adjacent said documentation medium, said optical passageways having a geometric arrangement corresponding to said radiation passageways; scanning means for producing relative scanning between said object and said radiation filter means and a corresponding synchronous relative scanning between said documentation medium and said signal filtering means such that all of said object is exposed to said transducer through said radiation passageways; the size and separation distance of said radaition passageways being preselected in terms of said full width at half maximum resolution value of said detector to produce a desired value of resolution of the overall apparatus.