A method, target, and apparatus are disclosed for investigating a specimen using X-ray tomography. The specimen in mounted on a specimen holder. An X-ray target has a substrate of relatively low-atomic-number material carrying an array of mutually isolated nuggets of a relatively high-atomic number material. X-rays are generated by irradiating a single nugget in the target with a charged particle beam, which then illuminates the specimen along a first line of sight through the specimen. A flux of X-rays transmitted through the specimen is detected to form a first image. The illumination process is repeated for a series of different lines of sight through the specimen, to produce a series of images. A mathematical reconstruction on the series of images is then performed to produce a tomogram of at least part of the specimen.

A quality control phantom comprises a container and a frame to secure quality control accessories in position within the container during radiologic exposure testing.

A quality control phantom comprises a container and a frame to secure quality control accessories in position within the container during radiologic exposure testing.

A reaching and grabbing assist device is provided having a reaching extension for aid in reaching out of distance objects. The distal terminus of the extension has an articulating grapnel that may be angularly positioned about the lateral centerline of the shaft. A support strip on the user's wrist allows total control without the risk of the device falling out of one's grasp or reach. Made of a hard outer casing, the shaft may allow internal rigging to connect the articulating grapnel to controls at the handle. The instant abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Systems and methods are provided for calibrating computed tomography (CT) system. In one example, a method for a computed tomography (CT) system comprises, during a calibration of the CT system, measuring a position of a detector element of a detector array of the CT system using a wire of a wire phantom coupled to a table of the CT system, during a rotational scan performed using the CT system; and during a subsequent scan performed on a subject using the CT system, applying the measured position of the detector element rather than a design target position of the detector element during reconstruction of an image from projection data acquired via the CT system; and displaying the reconstructed image on a display device of the CT system.

Provided is a dynamic imaging quality control device that performs quality control concerning dynamic imaging in which dynamics of a subject is imaged by sequential radiation emissions to the subject. The dynamic imaging quality control device includes a hardware processor. The hardware processor presents information on the quality control. The information on the quality control includes at least one of information on a framerate, information on a system sensitivity, and information on an image region.

A phantom for use in quality control of tomographic images, the phantom including a cylindrical plate made of a uniform material having a density d1, with two cylinders being inserted in the plate, the cylinders being made out of uniform materials having different densities d2, d3, the density of one of the cylinders being greater than the density d1 of the plate, and the density of the other cylinder being less than the density d1 of the plate, and including a first series of pairs of holes of different diameters drilled in the plate, the axes of the holes of the first series being oriented axially relative to an axis of revolution of the plate, and the holes in a given pair being spaced apart from each other by a distance equal to their diameter.

There is set forth herein a method including performing with an X-ray detector array of a CT imaging system one or more calibration scans, wherein the one or more calibration scans include obtaining for each element of the first through Nth elements of the X-ray detector array one or more calibration measurements; and updating a spectral response model for each element of the first through Nth elements using the one or more calibration measurements. In another aspect, a CT imaging system can perform imaging, e.g. including material decomposition (MD) imaging, using updated spectral response models for elements of an X-ray detector array. The spectral response models can be updated using a calibration process so that different elements of an X-ray detector array have different spectral response models.

There is provided a method for at least partly determining the orientation of an edge-on x-ray detector with respect to the direction of x-rays from an x-ray source. The method includes obtaining (S1) information from measurements, performed by the x-ray detector, representing the intensity of the x-rays at a minimum of two different relative positions of a phantom in relation to the x-ray detector and the x-ray source, the phantom being situated between the x-ray source and the x-ray detector and designed to embed directional information in the x-ray field when exposed to x-rays. The method also includes determining (S2) at least one parameter associated with the orientation of the x-ray detector with respect to the direction of x-rays based on the obtained information from measurements and a geometrical model of the spatial configuration of the x-ray detector, x-ray source and phantom.

A calibration assembly, including: a base; and a plurality of calibration wires dispersedly connected to the base. An absorption capacity of the calibration wire for X rays is greater than that of the base for X rays. Through a specific structure design of a plurality of calibration wires in the calibration assembly, the calibration wires are dispersedly connected to the base, and taking advantage of the characteristics that the absorption capacity of the calibration wire for X rays is greater than that of the base for X rays, the calibration wires are applied to the calibration phantom, and the calibration phantom is scanned in the scanning system. By continuously adjusting the geometric parameter values in the imaging method, the optimal geometric parameter values that are closest to the real scanning system structure may be obtained, thereby improving the imaging effect of the scanning system.