TW202326175A - Methods of operation of imaging systems - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method that includes capturing with an image sensor of an imaging system multiple partial images of an object. The image sensor captures each partial image of the multiple partial images while the image sensor is on a circular orbit of circular orbits (i), i=1, …, M. All centers of the circular orbits (i), i=1, …, M are on a same axis. All the circular orbits (i), i=1, …, M have a same radius and are respectively on M different planes perpendicular to the axis. For each value of i, the image sensor captures Ni partial images of the multiple partial images while the image sensor is on the circular orbit (i). M, Ni, i=1, …, M are integers greater than 1.

Description

How the Imaging System Operates

The invention relates to an operation method of an imaging system.

A radiation detector is a device that measures the properties of radiation. Examples of such properties may include the spatial distribution of the intensity, phase and polarization of the radiation. The radiation measured by the radiation detector may be radiation that has passed through the object. The radiation measured by the radiation detector may be electromagnetic radiation, such as infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays or gamma rays. Radiation can be of other types, such as alpha and beta rays. An imaging system may include one or more image sensors, each of which may have one or more radiation detectors.

A method is disclosed herein, the method comprising: using an image sensor of an imaging system to capture a plurality of partial images of an object, wherein when the image sensor is in a circular orbit (i), i=1, ......, M on a circular orbit, the image sensor captures each partial image of the plurality of partial images, wherein the circular orbit (i), i =1,...,M all centers are on the same axis, where all said circular orbits (i), i=1,...,M have the same radius and on M different planes perpendicular to the axis, where for each value of i, when the image sensor is on the circular orbit (i), the image sensor captures Ni partial images of the plurality of partial images, and wherein M, Ni, i=1, . . . , M are integers greater than 1.

In an aspect, said capturing said plurality of partial images comprises moving said image sensor between said circular orbits (i), i=1, . . . ,M.

In an aspect, for each value of i, the image sensor captures the Ni partial images from Ni different image capture positions on the circular orbit (i).

In an aspect, the method further comprises reconstructing a 3D (three-dimensional) image of the object based on the plurality of partial images.

In one aspect, the reconstructing the 3D image of the object comprises: for each value of i, reconstructing the partial 3D image of the object based on the Ni partial images; and combining the obtained M A local 3D image, so as to obtain the 3D image of the object.

In an aspect, each point of the object is in at least one partial image of the plurality of partial images.

In one aspect, each point of the object is in a circular orbit when the image sensor is on the circular orbit (i), i=1,...,M In at least two of the plurality of partial images captured by the image sensor.

In one aspect, the image sensor captures the plurality of partial images one by one.

In one aspect, when the image sensor moves relative to the object along the circular orbit (i), one of i=1, . . . , M, the An image sensor captures each partial image of the plurality of partial images.

In an aspect, for each value of i, the image sensor captures all of the Ni partial images without leaving the circular orbit (i).

In an aspect, the image sensor has an angular orientation, and wherein for each value of i, when the image sensor captures the partial image of Ni, the image sensor moves along the angle direction to move.

In an aspect, for at least one value of i, the image sensor captures at least one of the Ni partial images but not all of the Ni partial images and then moves to the circular Orbit (i), another circular orbit in i=1,...,M.

In an aspect, said capturing said plurality of partial images with said image sensor comprises rotating said image sensor about said axis.

In an aspect, said capturing said plurality of partial images with said image sensor further comprises translating said image sensor relative to said object along a direction parallel to said axis.

In an aspect, the imaging system includes a radiation source configured to transmit radiation to the object and to the image sensor, wherein when capturing the plurality of partial images of the object , the image sensor uses radiation from the radiation source that has been transmitted through the object, and wherein the capturing of the plurality of partial images includes rotating the radiation source about the axis and the image sensor, while the radiation source and the image sensor remain stationary relative to each other.

In one aspect, said capturing said plurality of partial images further comprises moving said image sensor relative to said object along a direction parallel to said axis from said circular orbit (i), i= 1, ..., a circular orbit in M translates to the circular orbit (i), i=1, ..., another circular orbit in M, and the The radiation source and the object are stationary relative to each other.

In one aspect, said radiation emitted by said radiation source comprises X-rays.

In an aspect, the radiation transmitted by the radiation source comprises pulses of radiation, and wherein radiation in each of the pulses of radiation that has transmitted through the object is used by the image sensor to capture the A partial image among a plurality of partial images.

In one aspect, the image sensor includes P active regions, wherein each of the P active regions includes a plurality of sensing elements, wherein the P active regions are arranged In the Q active region columns, each active region column in the Q active region columns includes a plurality of active regions in the P active region columns, wherein for the Q active region columns For each active area column in the area columns, a straight line perpendicular to the axis intersects all active areas of each active area column, wherein P and Q are integers greater than or equal to 1.

In one aspect, any two adjacent active regions of any one active region column in the Q active region columns are relative to the best The directions of the fitted planes overlap each other.

In one aspect, the image sensor further includes a column gap between any two adjacent active area columns among the Q active area columns, and wherein the column gap is along a direction perpendicular to the The direction of the axis.

In one aspect, when the image sensor captures the plurality of partial images, the image sensor moves on the circular track (1), and then moves on the circular track (2) ), ..., and then on said circular orbit (M), where for each value of i, i=1, ..., (M-1), for Each pair of (A) the first image capture position of the image sensor on the circular track (i) and (B) the image sensor on the circular track (i+ 1) On the second image capture position, the straight line passing through the first capture position and the second capture position is not parallel to the axis.

radiation detector

Fig. 1 schematically shows a radiation detector 100 as an example. Radiation detector 100 may include an array of picture elements 150 (also referred to as sensing elements 150 ). The array may be a rectangular array (as shown in Figure 1), a honeycomb array, a hexagonal array, or any other suitable array. The array of primitives 150 in the example of FIG. 1 has 4 columns and 7 rows; however, in general, the array of primitives 150 can have any number of rows and any number of columns.

Each primitive 150 may be configured to detect radiation incident thereon from a radiation source (not shown), and may be configured to measure properties of the radiation (eg, energy, wavelength, and frequency of particles). Radiation can include particles such as photons and subatomic particles. Each primitive 150 may be configured to count the number of radiation particles having energies incident thereon that fall within a plurality of energy bins over a period of time. All primitives 150 may be configured to count the number of radiation particles incident thereon in multiple energy intervals within the same time period. When incident radiation particles have similar energies, primitive 150 may only be configured to count the number of radiation particles incident thereon over a period of time without measuring the energy of individual radiation particles.

Each primitive 150 may have its own analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to digitize an analog signal representing the energy of an incident radiation particle into a digital signal, or to convert an analog signal representing the total energy of a plurality of incident radiation particles into a digital signal. Analog signals are digitized into digital signals. Primitives 150 may be configured to work in parallel. For example, while one primitive 150 is measuring incoming radiation particles, another primitive 150 may be waiting for the radiation particles to arrive. Primitives 150 may not necessarily be individually addressable.

The radiation detector 100 described herein may have features such as X-ray telescopes, X-ray mammography, industrial X-ray defect detection, X-ray microscopy or microradiography, X-ray casting inspection, X-ray non-destructive testing, X-ray Applications such as welding inspection, X-ray digital subtraction angiography, etc. It may be appropriate to use the radiation detector 100 in place of a photographic plate, photographic film, PSP plate, X-ray image intensifier, scintillator, or other semiconductor X-ray detector.

Figure 2 schematically illustrates a simplified cross-sectional view of the radiation detector 100 of Figure 1 along line 2-2, according to an embodiment. Specifically, the radiation detector 100 may include a radiation absorbing layer 110 and an electronics layer 120 (which may include one or more ASICs or application specific integrated circuits) for processing or analyzing electrical signals generated in the radiation absorbing layer 110 by incident radiation. ). The radiation detector 100 may or may not include a scintillator (not shown). The radiation absorbing layer 110 may include a semiconductor material such as silicon, germanium, GaAs, CdTe, CdZnTe, or a combination thereof. Semiconductor materials may have high mass attenuation coefficients for radiation of interest.

As an example, FIG. 3 schematically shows a detailed cross-sectional view of the radiation detector 100 of FIG. 1 along line 2-2. Specifically, the radiation absorbing layer 110 may include one or more diodes (eg, p-i-n or p-n) formed by the first doped region 111 , one or more discrete regions 114 of the second doped region 113 . The second doped region 113 may be separated from the first doped region 111 by an optional intrinsic region 112 . The discrete regions 114 may be separated from each other by the first doped region 111 or the intrinsic region 112 . The first doped region 111 and the second doped region 113 may have opposite types of doping (eg, region 111 is p-type and region 113 is n-type, or region 111 is n-type and region 113 is p-type). In the example of FIG. 3 , each discrete region 114 of the second doped region 113 forms a diode with the first doped region 111 and an optional intrinsic region 112 . That is, in the example of FIG. 3 , the radiation absorbing layer 110 has a plurality of diodes (more specifically, 7 diodes correspond to 7 primitives 150 in a column in the array of FIG. 1 , for simplicity, In Fig. 3, only 2 of them are marked 150). Multiple diodes may have electrical contact 119A as a common (common) electrode. The first doped region 111 may also have discrete portions.

The electronics layer 120 may include an electronic system 121 suitable for processing or interpreting signals generated by radiation incident on the radiation absorbing layer 110 . Electronic system 121 may include analog circuits such as filter networks, amplifiers, integrators, and comparators, or digital circuits such as microprocessors and memory. Electronic system 121 may include one or more ADCs (analog-to-digital converters). The electronic system 121 may include elements that are common to the various primitives 150 or elements that are specific to a single primitive 150 . For example, electronic system 121 may include an amplifier dedicated to each picture element 150 and a microprocessor shared among all picture elements 150 . Electronic system 121 may be electrically connected to graphics element 150 through via 131 . The spaces between the via holes may be filled with a filling material 130 , which may increase the mechanical stability of the connection of the electronic device layer 120 to the radiation absorbing layer 110 . Other bonding techniques may connect electronics 121 to primitive 150 without using vias 131 .

When radiation from a radiation source (not shown) strikes the radiation absorbing layer 110 comprising diodes, radiation particles may be absorbed and generate one or more charge carriers (eg, electrons, holes) through a variety of mechanisms. Charge carriers can drift to the electrodes of one of the diodes under the electric field. The electric field may be an external electric field. Electrical contacts 119B may include discrete portions each in electrical contact with a discrete region 114 . The term "electrical contact" may be used interchangeably with the word "electrode". In an embodiment, the charge carriers may drift in all directions such that the charge carriers generated by a single radiation particle are not substantially shared by two distinct discrete regions 114 (herein "substantially not. … .shared means that less than 2%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.1%, or less than 0.01% of these charge carriers flow to a different discrete area 114). Charge carriers generated by radiation particles incident around the footprint of one of the discrete regions 114 are substantially not shared with the other of the discrete regions 114 . A primitive 150 associated with discrete region 114 may be the region surrounding discrete region 114 in which substantially all (more than 98%, more than 99.5%, more than 99.9%, or more 99.99%) of the charge carriers flow to the discrete regions 114 . That is, less than 2%, less than 1%, less than 0.1%, or less than 0.01% of the charge carriers flow through the primitive 150 .

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a detailed cross-sectional view of the radiation detector 100 of FIG. 1 along line 2 - 2 according to an alternative embodiment. More specifically, the radiation absorbing layer 110 may include resistors of semiconductor materials such as silicon, germanium, GaAs, CdTe, CdZnTe, or combinations thereof, but not diodes. Semiconductor materials may have high mass attenuation coefficients for radiation of interest. In one embodiment, the electronics layer 120 of FIG. 4 is similar in structure and function to the electronics layer 120 of FIG. 3 .

When radiation strikes the radiation absorbing layer 110, which includes a resistor but does not include a diode, it can be absorbed and generate one or more charge carriers through a variety of mechanisms. Radiation particles can generate anywhere from 10 to 100,000 charge carriers. Charge carriers can drift to electrical contacts 119A and 119B under the electric field. The electric field may be an external electric field. Electrical contacts 119B may include discrete portions. In an embodiment, the charge carriers may drift in all directions such that the charge carriers generated by a single radiation particle are not substantially shared by two different discrete portions of the electrical contact 119B (herein "substantially not. .....shared means less than 2%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.1%, or less than 0.01% of these charge carriers compared to the rest of the charge carriers flow to a different discrete segment). Charge carriers generated by radiation particles incident around the footprint of one of the discrete portions of electrical contact 119B are substantially not shared with the other of the discrete portions of electrical contact 119B. A primitive 150 associated with a discrete portion of electrical contact 119B may be the area around the discrete portion in which substantially all (more than 98%, more than 99.5%, more than 99.9% of the radiation produced by radiation particles incident therein) % or more than 99.99%) of the charge carriers flow to the discrete portion of the electrical contact 119B. That is, less than 2%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.1%, or less than 0.01% of the charge carriers flow through the picture element associated with a discrete portion of the electrical contact 119B.

Radiation Detector Package

FIG. 5 schematically shows a top view of a radiation detector package 500 comprising the radiation detector 100 and a printed circuit board (PCB) 510 . The term "PCB" used herein is not limited to a specific material. For example, a PCB may include semiconductors. The radiation detector 100 may be mounted to the PCB 510 . For clarity, the wiring between the radiation detector 100 and the PCB 510 is not shown. Package 500 may have one or more radiation detectors 100 . PCB 510 may include an input/output (I/O) area 512 not covered by radiation detector 100 (eg, to accommodate bond wires 514 ). The radiation detector 100 may have an active area 190, which is where the primitive 150 (FIG. 1) is located. The radiation detector 100 may have a peripheral region 195 near an edge of the radiation detector 100 . The peripheral area 195 has no picture elements 150 and the radiation detector 100 does not detect radiation particles incident on the peripheral area 195 .

image sensor

FIG. 6 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of an image sensor 600 according to an embodiment. Image sensor 600 may include one or more radiation detector packages 500 of FIG. 5 mounted to system PCB 650 . Electrical connections between PCB 510 and system PCB 650 may be made through bond wires 514 . To accommodate bond wires 514 on the PCB 510 , the PCB 510 may have an I/O area 512 not covered by the radiation detector 100 . To accommodate bond wires 514 on system PCB 650 , there may be gaps between packages 500 . The gap may be about 1 mm or greater. Radiation particles incident on the perimeter region 195 , the I/O region 512 or the gap cannot be detected by the package 500 on the system PCB 650 . A dead zone of a radiation detector (eg, radiation detector 100 ) is a region of a radiation receiving surface of the radiation detector where radiation particles incident thereon cannot be detected by the radiation detector. A dead zone of a package (eg, package 500 ) is an area of the package's radiation receiving surface where radiation particles incident thereon cannot be detected by one or more radiation detectors in the package. In this example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the dead area of package 500 includes perimeter area 195 and I/O area 512 . The dead zone (eg, 688 ) of an image sensor (eg, image sensor 600 ) having a set of packages (eg, package 500 mounted on the same PCB and arranged in the same layer or in different layers) includes A combination of the dead zone of the packages in this group and the clearance between packages.

In an embodiment, self-operating radiation detector 100 (FIG. 1) may be considered an image sensor. In an embodiment, package 500 ( FIG. 5 ) operating by itself may be considered an image sensor.

The image sensor 600 including the radiation detector 100 may have a dead zone 688 in the active area 190 of the radiation detector 100 . However, the image sensor 600 can capture multiple partial images of an object or scene (not shown) one by one, and then stitch these captured partial images to form a mosaic of the entire object or scene picture.

The term "image" in this specification is not limited to the spatial distribution of radiation properties such as intensity. For example, the term "image" may also include the spatial distribution of the density of a substance or element.

imaging system

7A-8D schematically illustrate perspective views of an imaging system 700 in operation according to an embodiment. In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 7A , an imaging system 700 may include a radiation source 710 and an image sensor 600 . In an embodiment, object 720 may be located between radiation source 710 and image sensor 600 .

In an embodiment, radiation source 710 may transmit radiation beam 712 toward object 720 and toward image sensor 600 . Image sensor 600 may capture an image of object 720 using the radiation of radiation beam 712 that has passed through object 720 .

In an embodiment, radiation beam 712 may include X-rays. In an embodiment, radiation beam 712 may include radiation pulses, wherein radiation in each of the radiation pulses that has been transmitted through object 720 may be used by image sensor 600 to capture an image of object 720 .

Operation of the Imaging System

Image sensor on the first circular track

In an embodiment, referring to FIGS. 7A-7D , imaging system 700 may operate as follows. In an embodiment, radiation source 710 and image sensor 600 may rotate counterclockwise about axis 730 while radiation source 710 and image sensor 600 remain stationary relative to each other. As a result, the image sensor 600 moves along a first circular track (not shown) from a first starting position as shown in FIG. 7A, then through a first image capturing position as shown in FIG. The second image capture position shown in FIG. 7C, and then back to the first starting position shown in FIG. 7D. The rotation of radiation source 710 and image sensor 600 does not have to complete a full revolution.

In an embodiment, shaft 730 may be stationary relative to object 720 . In an embodiment, axis 730 may intersect object 720 as shown. In general, axis 730 may or may not intersect object 720 .

In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 7B , as image sensor 600 moves along a first circular track through a first image capture position, image sensor 600 may A first partial image of the object 720 is captured using the radiation in the radiation that has been transmitted through the object 720 .

Similarly, in an embodiment, referring to FIG. 7C , when the image sensor 600 moves along the first circular track past the second image capture position, the image sensor 600 may use radiation from the radiation source 710 The radiation in beam 712 that has been transmitted through object 720 captures a second partial image of object 720 .

The image sensor is translated to another circular orbit

In an embodiment, after image sensor 600 returns to the first starting position as shown in FIG. 7D , image sensor 600 may move relative to object 720 along The direction translates from a first starting position as shown in FIG. 7D to a second starting position as shown in FIG. 8A. In FIG. 8A , dashed lines (except the dashed line on the axis 730 ) represent the image sensor 600 in the first initial position.

In an embodiment, the radiation source 710 and the object 720 may be stationary relative to each other while the image sensor 600 is translated from the first starting position to the second starting position as described above.

Image sensor on second circular track

In an embodiment, referring to FIGS. 8A to 8D , after the image sensor 600 reaches the second initial position as shown in FIG. 8A , the radiation source 710 and the image sensor 600 may rotate counterclockwise around the axis 730 , while the radiation source 710 and the image sensor 600 remain stationary relative to each other. As a result, the image sensor 600 moves along a second circular track (not shown) from a second starting position as shown in FIG. 8A , then through a third image capturing position as shown in FIG. The fourth image capture position as shown in FIG. 8C, and then return to the second starting position as shown in FIG. 8D. The rotation of radiation source 710 and image sensor 600 does not have to complete a full revolution.

For simplicity, in the above embodiments, the number of image capturing positions on the first circular track is the same as that on the second circular track (the number of both is 2). Usually, the number of image capture positions on each circular track is greater than 1, and does not have to be the same as the number of image capture positions on another circular track. For example, the number of image capturing positions on the first circular orbit may be 2 as described above, and the number of image capturing positions on the second circular orbit may be 3 (instead of 2 as described above). indivual).

Due to the rotation and translation of the image sensor 600 as described above, the centers of the first and second circular orbits are on the axis 730 . In addition, the first and second circular orbits have the same radius and are respectively located on two different planes perpendicular to the axis 730 .

In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 8B , as the image sensor 600 moves through the third image capture position along the second circular track, the image sensor 600 may use the radiation beam 712 from the radiation source 710 A third partial image of the object 720 is captured using radiation from the object 720 that has passed through the object 720 .

Similarly, in an embodiment, referring to FIG. 8C , when the image sensor 600 moves through the fourth image capture position along the second circular track, the image sensor 600 may use radiation from the radiation source 710 Radiation in beam 712 that has been transmitted through object 720 captures a fourth partial image of object 720 .

Flow chart outlining the operation of the imaging system

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart 900 outlining the operation of imaging system 700 according to an embodiment. At step 910, an image sensor of an imaging system captures a plurality of partial images of an object. For example, in the above embodiments, referring to FIGS. 7A to 8D , the image sensor 600 of the imaging system 700 captures first, second, third and fourth partial images of the object 720 .

In addition, also in step 910, when the image sensor is on a circular track (i), i=1, . . . , M, the image sensor captures more than Each of the partial images. For example, in the above embodiment, referring to FIGS. 7A to 8D , when the image sensor 600 is in one of the first and second circular orbits (here, M=2), the image sensor 600 captures the first , each of the second, third and fourth partial images.

Furthermore, also in step 910, all the centers of the circular orbit (i), i=1, . . . , M are on the same axis. For example, in the above embodiment, referring to FIGS. 7A to 8D , the two centers of the first and second circular orbits are on the same axis 730 .

In addition, also in step 910, all circular orbits (i), i=1, . . . , M have the same radius, and are respectively located on M different planes perpendicular to the axis. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, referring to FIGS. 7A to 8D , all the first and second circular orbits have the same radius and are respectively located on two different planes perpendicular to the axis 730 .

Furthermore, also in step 910, for each value of i, the image sensor captures Ni partial images of the plurality of partial images when the image sensor is on the circular orbit (i). For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, referring to FIG. 7A to FIG. 8D, for i=1, when the image sensor 600 is on the first circular track, the image sensor 600 captures one of the four partial images N1 = 2 partial images (ie first and second partial images). For i=2, when the image sensor 600 is on the second circular orbit, the image sensor 600 captures N2=2 partial images out of 4 partial images (ie, the third and fourth partial image).

other embodiments

3D (three-dimensional) image of an object

In an embodiment, a 3D image of the object 720 may be reconstructed based on the first, second, third and fourth partial images of the object 720 . Specifically, in an embodiment, the first partial 3D image of the object 720 may be reconstructed based on the first and second partial images of the object 720 . Similarly, a second partial 3D image of object 720 may be reconstructed based on the third and fourth partial images of object 720 . Then, a 3D image of object 720 may be created by combining the first and second partial 3D images of object 720 . Note that the partial 3D image of object 720 is a 3D image of a part of object 720 .

Objects are fully imaged

In an embodiment, object 720 may be fully imaged or scanned. In other words, in general, referring to step 910 in FIG. 9 , each point of the object is in at least one partial image among the plurality of partial images. In the above embodiments, each point of the object 720 is in at least one of the first, second, third and fourth partial images.

In an alternative embodiment, each point of object 720 is located in at least two partial images captured by image sensor 600 when image sensor 600 is on a circular orbit. In other words, in the above embodiments, each point of the object 720 is at least in (A) the first and second partial images or (B) the third and fourth partial images.

Image Sensor Details

FIG. 10 schematically shows a top view of the image sensor 600 of FIG. 6 according to an embodiment. Note that FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of the image sensor 600 of FIG. 10 along line 6 - 6 according to an embodiment. However, in FIG. 10, the peripheral area 195 is not shown for simplicity.

In an embodiment, referring to FIGS. 6 and 10 , the image sensor 600 may have 2 radiation detector packages 500 and each radiation detector package may have 3 active regions 190 . In general, image sensor 600 may have multiple radiation detector packages 500 and each radiation detector package 500 may have multiple active regions 190 . The 6 active regions 190 of the image sensor 600 may be arranged in 2 active region columns each having 3 active region 190 as shown in FIG. 10 .

In an embodiment, 2 columns of active areas may be on 2 columns of PCB 510 respectively. In an embodiment, the 2-column PCB 510 may be on the system PCB 650 .

In an embodiment, the direction 1091 may be parallel to the active area columns of the image sensor 600 . In other words, for each of the 2 active-area columns of the image sensor 600 , a straight line parallel to the direction 1091 intersects all 3 active-area columns 190 of said each active-area column.

In an embodiment, axis 730 ( FIGS. 7A-8D ) may be selected such that direction 1091 is perpendicular to axis 730 . As a result, the two columns of active areas of image sensor 600 are perpendicular to axis 730 . In other words, for each of the 2 active-area columns of image sensor 600 , a line perpendicular to axis 730 intersects all 3 active-area columns 190 of said each active-area column.

In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 10 , the image sensor 600 may include any two adjacent active regions 190 in any one of the two active region columns of the image sensor 600 Row gap 192 between. In an embodiment, each row gap 192 of the image sensor 600 may be along a direction 1092 perpendicular to the direction 1091 .

In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 10 , the image sensor 600 includes 2 columns of I/O areas 512 for 2 active area columns, respectively. In an embodiment, 2 columns of I/O regions 512 and 2 columns of active regions may be arranged in an alternating manner as shown in FIG. 10 .

In the above-described embodiments, referring to FIG. 10 , there is a row gap 192 between any two adjacent active regions 190 of any of the two active region columns of the image sensor 600 . In an alternative embodiment, any 2 adjacent active regions 190 in any of the 2 active region columns of image sensor 600 may be relative to the direction perpendicular to image sensor 600 The directions of the best-fit plane where all sensing elements intersect overlap each other 150 (the best-fit plane is not shown, but should be parallel to the page of Figure 10). In other words, for any two adjacent active regions 190 , there is a straight line perpendicular to the best fitting plane and intersecting any two adjacent active regions 190 .

For example, referring to FIG. 11 (which shows a cross-sectional view of the image sensor 600 of FIG. 10 along line 11-11 in the case of the alternative embodiment described above), the two left active regions 190 (which are adjacent) are relative to the vertical The directions 1120 in the best fit plane overlap each other.

In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 11 , the above two left active regions 190 may be respectively located in two different wafer layers 1101 and 1102 . In an embodiment, the image sensor 600 may be fabricated as follows. The elements of the image sensor 600 may be formed on two separate wafer layers 1101 and 1102 , which may then be bonded together to obtain the image sensor 600 of FIG. 11 .

In an embodiment, referring back to FIG. 10 , the image sensor 600 may include a column gap 194 between two adjacent columns of active areas. In an embodiment, column gap 194 may be along a direction perpendicular to axis 730 ( FIGS. 7A-8D ).

No 2 image capture positions on 2 consecutive circular orbits in time are at the same angle

In an embodiment, referring to FIGS. 7A to 8D , no 2 image capture positions may be at the same angle on 2 temporally consecutive circular orbits, respectively. In other words, in the above-described embodiments, for each pair of (A) the image capturing position of the image sensor 600 on the first circular orbit and (B) the image sensor 600 on the second circular orbit The image capture positions of , the straight line passing through these two image capture positions are not parallel to the axis 730 .

Please note that in the above embodiments, the first and second circular orbits are two consecutive circular orbits in time, because the image sensor 600 moves on the first circular orbit and then moves on the second circular orbit. Move on the orbit, but do not move on the third circular orbit after moving on the first circular orbit and before moving on the second circular orbit.

alternative embodiment

The image sensor leaves a circular orbit before capturing all partial images for the orbit

In the above embodiments, the image sensor 600 captures all partial images for a circular track without leaving the circular track. In other words, the image sensor 600 does not leave the circular orbit until the image sensor 600 captures all partial images for the circular orbit. For example, the image sensor 600 does not leave the first circular orbit until the image sensor 600 captures all partial images (ie, the first and second partial images) for the first circular orbit.

In an alternative embodiment, image sensor 600 may leave the circular orbit before image sensor 600 captures all partial images for that circular orbit. For example, image sensor 600 may capture a first partial image as image sensor 600 moves along a first circular track past a first image capture location. Then, the image sensor 600 can translate from the first circular orbit to the second circular orbit. Then, the image sensor 600 may capture a third partial image as the image sensor 600 moves through the third image capture position along the second circular track.

Then, the image sensor 600 can translate from the second circular orbit back to the first circular orbit. The image sensor 600 may then capture a second partial image as the image sensor 600 moves along the first circular track past the second image capture position. Then, the image sensor 600 can translate from the first circular orbit to the second circular orbit again. Then, the image sensor 600 may capture a fourth partial image as the image sensor 600 moves through the fourth image capture position along the second circular track.

The image sensor moves in different angular directions

In the above embodiments, the image sensor 600 moves in the same angular direction (ie, counterclockwise) along the first and second circular tracks. In alternative embodiments, image sensor 600 may move in different angular directions along the first and second circular tracks. For example, as described above, image sensor 600 may move counterclockwise along a first circular orbit to capture first and second partial images, but image sensor 600 may move clockwise along a second circular orbit. The hour hand moves to capture the third and fourth partial images.

In yet another alternative embodiment, image sensor 600 may reverse its angular orientation on a circular track. For example, when the image sensor 600 captures the first partial image of the object 720, the image sensor 600 may move counterclockwise along the first circular track through the first image capture position, however, when the image sensor 600 When sensor 600 captures a second partial image of object 720, image sensor 600 may reverse its angular orientation and then may move clockwise along the first circular track through the second image capture position.

Although various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the appended claims.

2-2, 6-6, 11-11: line 100: radiation detector 110: Radiation absorbing layer 111: the first doped region 112: Intrinsic area 113: the second doped region 114: discrete area 119A, 119B: electrical contacts 120: Electronic device layer 121: Electronic system 130: filling material 131: Through hole 150: primitive 190: active area 192: row gap 194: column gap 195: Surrounding area 500: Radiation detector package 510: printed circuit board 512: Input/Output area 514: bonding wire 600: image sensor 650: System PCB 688: dead zone 700: Imaging system 710:Radiation source 712:Radiation Beam 720: object 730: axis 900: flow chart 910: step 1091, 1092, 1120: directions 1101, 1102: wafer layer

Fig. 1 schematically shows a radiation detector according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 schematically shows a simplified cross-sectional view of a radiation detector according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 schematically shows a detailed cross-sectional view of a radiation detector according to an embodiment. Fig. 4 schematically shows a detailed cross-sectional view of a radiation detector according to an alternative embodiment. Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a top view of a radiation detector package including a radiation detector and a printed circuit board (PCB) according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of an image sensor including the package of FIG. 5 mounted to a system PCB (Printed Circuit Board) according to an embodiment. 7A-8D schematically illustrate perspective views of an imaging system in operation according to an embodiment. Figure 9 shows a flowchart outlining the operation of the imaging system, according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 schematically shows a top view of the image sensor of FIG. 6 according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the image sensor of FIG. 10 according to an alternative embodiment.

900: flow chart

910: step

Claims (22)

A method of operating an imaging system, comprising: capturing a plurality of partial images of an object using an image sensor of the imaging system, Wherein, when the image sensor is on a circular track (i), i=1, ..., M, the image sensor captures the multiple Each partial image of partial images, Wherein, in the circular orbit (i), all centers of i=1, ..., M are on the same axis, Wherein, all the circular orbits (i), i=1, ..., M all have the same radius and are respectively on M different planes perpendicular to the axis, where, for each value of i, when the image sensor is on the circular track (i), the image sensor captures Ni partial images of the plurality of partial images ,and Wherein, M, Ni, i=1, ..., M are integers greater than 1. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, the capturing of the plurality of partial images includes moving the image sensor among the circular tracks (i), i=1, . . . , M. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, for each value of i, the image sensor captures the Ni partial images from Ni different image capture positions on the circular track (i). The operating method of the imaging system according to claim 1, further comprising reconstructing a 3D (three-dimensional) image of the object based on the plurality of partial images. The operating method of the imaging system according to claim 4, wherein the reconstructing the 3D image of the object comprises: For each value of i, reconstructing a partial 3D image of the object based on the Ni partial images; and The obtained M partial 3D images are combined to obtain the 3D image of the object. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, each point of the object is in at least one partial image among the plurality of partial images. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, each point of the object is in the circular orbit when the image sensor is on the circular orbit (i), i=1,...,M, the In at least two of the plurality of partial images captured by the image sensor. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, the image sensor captures the plurality of partial images one by one. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, when the image sensor moves relative to the object along the circular orbit (i), i=1,...,M, the image A sensor captures each partial image of the plurality of partial images. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, for each value of i, the image sensor captures all of the Ni partial images without leaving the circular orbit (i). The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the image sensor has an angular orientation, and Wherein, for each value of i, when the image sensor captures the Ni partial image, the image sensor moves along the angular direction. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, for at least one value of i, the image sensor captures at least one of the Ni partial images but not all of the Ni partial images, and then moves to the circular orbit ( i), another circular orbit in i=1,...,M. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, using the image sensor to capture the plurality of partial images includes rotating the image sensor around the axis. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 13, Wherein, using the image sensor to capture the plurality of partial images further includes translating the image sensor relative to the object along a direction parallel to the axis. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imaging system comprises a radiation source configured to transmit radiation to the object and to the image sensor, wherein, in capturing the plurality of partial images of the object, the image sensor uses radiation from the radiation source that has been transmitted through the object, and Wherein said capturing said plurality of partial images comprises rotating said radiation source and said image sensor about said axis while said radiation source and said image sensor remain stationary relative to each other. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 15, Wherein, the capturing of the plurality of partial images further includes moving the image sensor relative to the object along a direction parallel to the axis from the circular orbit (i), i=1, ......, a circular orbit in M translates to the circular orbit (i), i=1, ..., another circular orbit in M, and the radiation source and the objects are at rest relative to each other. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 15, Wherein said radiation emitted by said radiation source comprises X-rays. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said radiation emitted by said radiation source comprises radiation pulses, and Wherein, the radiation that has passed through the object in each of the radiation pulses is used by the image sensor to capture a partial image of the plurality of partial images. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, the image sensor includes P active regions, Wherein, each active area in the P active areas includes a plurality of sensing elements, Wherein, the P active regions are arranged in Q active region columns, Wherein, each active area column in the Q active area columns includes a plurality of active areas in the P active area columns, Wherein, for each active area column of the Q active area rows and columns, a straight line perpendicular to the axis intersects all active areas of each active area column, and Wherein, P and Q are integers greater than or equal to 1. A method of operating an imaging system as claimed in claim 19, Wherein, any two adjacent active regions of any active region column in the Q active region columns are relative to the best fitting perpendicular to all sensing elements of the image sensor The directions of the planes overlap each other. A method of operating an imaging system as claimed in claim 19, Wherein, the image sensor further includes a column gap between any two adjacent active area columns in the Q active area columns, and Wherein, the column gap is along a direction perpendicular to the axis. The method of operating the imaging system as claimed in claim 1, Wherein, when the image sensor captures the plurality of partial images, the image sensor moves on the circular track (1) and then on the circular track (2) move, ..., then move on said circular orbit (M), Wherein, for each value of i, i=1, ..., (M-1), for each pair (A) the image sensor is on the circular track (i) and (B) the second image capture position of the image sensor on the circular track (i+1), passing through the first capture position and the second The line of the two capture positions is not parallel to the axis.

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