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At least 55 records · Page 3

Real-time 3-D X-ray and gamma-ray viewer

A multi-pinhole aperture lead screen forms an equal plurality of invisible mini-images having dissimilar perspectives of an X-ray and gamma-ray emitting object (ABC) onto a near-earth phosphor layer. This layer provides visible light mini-images directly into a visible light image intensifier. A viewing screen having an equal number of dissimilar perspective apertures distributed across its face in a geometric pattern identical to the lead screen, provides a viewer with a real, pseudoscopic image (A'B'C') of the object with full horizontal and vertical parallax. Alternatively, a third screen identical to viewing screen and spaced apart from a second visible light image intensifier, may be positioned between the first image intensifier and the viewing screen, thereby providing the viewer with a virtual, orthoscopic image (A"B"C") of the object (ABC) with full horizontal and vertical parallax.

Yin, L. I.↗

Monitoring Both Sides Of A Weld In Progress

Proposed remote vision system provides simultaneous viewing of front and back of workpiece while being welded. Enables human or automatic controller to monitor both weld pool on front and weld penetration on back. Nitrogen laser generates ultraviolet light, distributed to both sides of workpiece through two optical fiber cables. Image-intensifier tubes convert reflected ultraviolet light to visible light. Video cameras equipped with high-resolution charge-coupled devices convert visible outputs of image intensifiers into images for viewing on video monitors.

Dickinson, C. B.↗

The smoothing dissector.

A technique for adding a form of buffer store to an image dissector is described that increases markedly the photoelectron-detecting ability of the image dissector. The buffer-store function is accomplished in the phosphor screen of an image intensifier tube by the metastable electronic excitation states resulting in the phosphor screen from high-energy photoelectron bombardment. The addition of this image intensifier to an image dissector is shown to cause no nonlinearity in the input/output characteristics of the image dissector.

Eberhardt, E. H.↗

Computer measurement and representation of the heart in two and three dimensions

Methods for the measurement and display by minicomputer of cardiac images obtained from fluoroscopy to permit an accurate assessment of functional changes are discussed. Heart contours and discrete points can be digitized automatically or manually, with the recorded image in a video, cine, or print format. As each frame is digitized it is assigned a code name identifying the data source, experiment, run, view, and frame, and the images are filed for future reference in any sequence. Two views taken at the same point in the heart cycle are used to compute the spatial position of the ventricle apex and the midpoint of the aortic valve. The remainder of the points on the chamber border are corrected for the linear distortion of the X-rays by projection to a plane containing the chord between the apex and the aortic valve center and oriented so that lines perpendicular to the chord are parallel to the image intensifier face. The image of the chamber surface is obtained by generating circular cross sections with diameters perpendicular to the major chord. The transformed two- and three-dimensional imagery can be displayed in either static or animated form using a graphics terminal.

Rasmussen, D.↗

Dynamic radionuclide determination of regional left ventricular wall motion using a new digital imaging device

In 47 men with arteriographically defined coronary artery disease comparative studies of left ventricular ejection fraction and segmental wall motion were made with radionuclide data obtained from the image intensifier camera computer system and with contrast cineventriculography. The radionuclide data was digitized and the images corresponding to left ventricular end-diastole and end-systole were identified from the left ventricular time-activity curve. The left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic images were subtracted to form a silhouette difference image which described wall motion of the anterior and inferior left ventricular segments. The image intensifier camera allows manipulation of dynamically acquired radionuclide data because of the high count rate and consequently improved resolution of the left ventricular image.

Steele, P.↗

Three-dimensional and tomographic imaging device for X-ray and gamma-ray emitting objects

An instrument for obtaining quantitative, three-dimensional and tomographic information relating to X-ray and gamma-ray emitting objects and for the orthoscopic viewing of such objects includes a multiple-pinhole aperture plate held spaced from an X-ray or gamma-ray to visible-light converter which is coupled to a visible-light image intensifier. The spacing between the aperture plate and the converter is chosen such that the mini-images of an emitting object formed by the pinholes do not substantially overlap as they impinge on the converter. The output of the image intensifier is digitized by a digitizing camera in terms of position and intensity and fed into a digital computer. The computer may output quantitative information relating to the emitting object directly, such as that relating to tomograms, or provide information in analogue form when coupled with a suitable viewing device to give an orthoscopic, three-dimensional image of the object.

Yin, L. I.↗

Contrast changes in fluoroscopic imaging systems and statistical variations of these changes

Experimental studies have indicated that: (1) The response of digitized fluoroscopic imaging systems is linear systems is linear with contrast over a rather wide range of absorber and cavity thicknesses. (2) Contrast changes associated with the addition of aluminum, iodine containing contrast agents and air of thicknesses 1mm or less can be detected with a 95% confidence level. (3) The standard deviation associated with such determination using clinically available X-ray generators and video disc recording is less than 1 percent. A large flat screen X-ray image intensifier has been constructed and some preliminary results obtained. Sensitivity achieved makes dose reduction a factor often greater than previously reported for a system using a conventional X-ray image intensifier.

Bailey, N. A.↗

Intensified-CCD focal plane detector for space applications A second generation

An intensified-CCD detector system developed for space applications from commercially available components is described. This detector uses components which are readily available and are mechanically, thermally, and optically coupled to produce the final compact system. The CCD is cooled using a Peltier-effect thermoelectric cooler to reduce thermal noise. The image is formed on the photocathode of a proximity-focused image intensifier and is transferred fiber-optically from the intensifier to the CDD. Various photocathode and window materials are used to optimize the system for use within the wavelength range extending from the far UV to the near IR. The basic design, including the image intensifier, intensifier-CCD interface, CCD array, cooling, electronics, and mounting, and the detector performance are described in detail.

Torr, M. R.↗

The response of fluoroscopic image intensifier-TV systems

Three different types of X-ray fluoroscopic TV chains were investigated: two standard clinical units, one with a vidicon camera tube, the other with a plumbicon camera tube; and the third was a large flat-screen unit. In each an X-ray beam generated at 100 kVp was passed through 10 cm of H2O before aluminum absorbers of varying thickness were introduced. Five video recordings were made at each absorber thickness. The video image was digitized directly from the disk recording and quantized into 128 gray levels. The five recordings were averaged on a point-to-point basis, and the central 900 averaged points were again averaged to yield a value for the gray level assigned to each particular image. This 30 by 30 matrix of points corresponds to input screen areas of 29, 8.2, and 3.6 sq cm for the three units investigated.

Baily, N. A.↗

STS atmospheric luminosities

During the STS-8 space shuttle mission special photographic and TV operations were carried out to record the properties of the spacecraft induced luminosities. One of these luminous phenomena is the quiescent vehicle glow which was photographed during the STS-8 mission with an image intensified photographic camera, with and without an objective grating. During the latter part of the mission the altitude of the shuttle was relatively low (120 n.m. = 222 km) and unprecedentedly high intensity of the glow was observed. The crew reported that the glow was easily visible to the naked eye. The proper orientation of the shuttle with respect to the velocity vector and the objective grating permitted the exposure of good objective spectrum of the glow in the visible region. From the results it is clear that the spectrum appears to be a continuum as observed by the image intensifier objective grating camera. Qualitative examination of the data shows that there is very tail little glow ion the wavelength range of 4300 to about 5000 angstroms. Above 5000 angstroms the glow becomes stronger towards the red and then it falls off towards higher wavelength and of the spectrum presumably because of the responsivity of the device.

Mende, S. B.↗

Observation of orbiting vehicle induced luminosities on the STS-8 mission

Image-intensified photographic observations of vehicle glow from the STS-8 Space Shuttle mission are discussed. An objective grating spectrometer preceding a camera was used to measure the intensity of the glow. It is found that glow intensity is dependent on the nature of the vehicle material. With limited resolution of the objective spectrum vehicle glow appeared as a continuum emission. The intensity of the glow from the tail of the vehicle became detectable at 4600 A and increased toward the red. Between 7000 and 8000 A, a slight decrease in the glow intensity is inferred. The absolute intensity of the obliquely viewed tail glow was measured at 450 Rayleighs per Angstrom at 7000 A and 1 MR in the range within the transmission band of the image intensifier camera. The spectral distribution is found to be in agreement with measurements taken from the atmospheric explorer satellite. Samples of the photographic data are provided.

Mende, S. B.↗

LumaCam: a novel class of position-sensitive event mode particle detectors using scintillator screens

A new type of position-sensitive detectors is gaining attention in the neutron community. They are scintillator based detectors that detect the scintillation light on an individual photon basis via an image intensifier and a fast image sensor. Their readout operates in event mode i.e. it produces information about individual neutron interactions, reconstructed from the sensor data, thus enabling to achieve superior spatial and temporal resolutions compared to regular detectors. Although the development of current detectors is focused on neutrons, the concept is also applicable to the detection of other particles such as high-energy photons. This document provides a description on how these detectors are built, how they operate, and what their characteristics are. An example of a detector implementation based on a Timepix3 chip is described to illustrate the detector concept. This includes a detailed description of the algorithm that reconstructs the neutron interactions from the sensor data, one of the core components that sets it apart from established scintillator-based imaging detectors. Energy-resolved epithermal neutron radiography was performed at the ISIS EMMA beamline with this detector, illustrating some of the fundamental differences in the data that can be produced with the new type of detector compared to more established types of scintillator based neutron detectors. The term LumaCam is proposed to refer to this new class of position-sensitive event-mode detectors.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

An X-ray shadowgraph to locate transient high-energy celestial sources

A new technique has been developed to locate strong, transient X-ray sources such as the recently discovered gamma ray bursts. The instrument, termed a shadowgraph, locates sources by detecting the X-ray shadow cast by a large occulting mask pattern on an imaging detector. Angular resolutions of from 2 to 10 arc minutes are obtainable while essentially full sky coverage is maintained. The optimum energy range of operation is between 20 keV and 100 keV. The high efficiency X-ray imaging detectors, which make it possible to locate bursts with intensities down to approximately 10 photons/sq cm sec, are capable of detecting single 20 keV photons with a spatial resolution of approximately 0.2 mm. The detectors consist of an X-ray to optical conversion phosphor, a multistage image intensifier, and a CCD image readout.

Fishman, G. J.↗

An intensified photodiode array detector for space applications

The Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) is a general purpose moderate resolution spectrograph which is now being constructed for launch on the Space Shuttle. The instrument contains a Rowland spectrograph, which is located at the prime focus of a 0.9-m f/2 parabola. A description is given of the progress which has been made in the development of a flight detector for HUT. The detector developed is an intensified photodiode array. The image intensifier part of the detector contains two 25-mm 80:1, 12-micron pore microchannel plates (PCPs). A thin layer of CsI deposited on the front surface of the first microchannel plate has the objective to increase the quantum efficiency of the detector below 1850 A. The detector system utilizes a spectrometer processor (SP) which is based upon a bit-sliced microprocessor. The current status of the HUT detector system is discussed, and aspects of performance are evaluated. It is felt that the developed system will meet or exceed the design requirements.

Long, K. S.↗

Image intensification of developed photographs

Autographic technique intensifies image on developed film using organic sulfur compound. Organic sulfur compound combines with silver on original film. Beta emission of compound exposes new film. Technique is less time consuming and safer than existing methods.

Askins, B. S.↗