X-ray CT system for x-ray phase contrast and/or x-ray dark field imaging

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This invention relates to an X-ray computed tomography (CT) system capable of performing X-ray phase contrast and/or dark-field imaging. The system uses a special arrangement of three grating structures mounted on a rotating gantry. By redesigning the order and periods (spacing) of these gratings, the system allows for enhanced imaging of small density differences within a sample (such as a human body) with improved efficiency and lower material cost. The core improvement is that the largest and most technically demanding grating is made easier to manufacture, reducing cost and complexity without sacrificing image quality.

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• Medical imaging, especially for soft tissue contrast in organs or tumors where conventional X-ray images lack sufficient detail.
• Non-destructive testing in industrial applications, such as detecting flaws or stresses within materials.
• Biological and preclinical research to visualize internal structures in small animals or biological samples.
• Security scanning (e.g., airport baggage scanning) where internal microstructure detection is critical.
• Material science studies for analyzing composite materials or detecting inclusions/voids.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables highly sensitive detection of small density differences, providing better contrast for soft tissues.
• Reduces manufacturing and operational costs by allowing use of less expensive and easier-to-produce gratings.
• Allows larger measurement fields, making it suitable for clinical and industrial CT scanners.
• Minimizes the need for high absorption (and expensive) materials like gold in large gratings, potentially substituting with cheaper materials like lead.
• Improves technical feasibility and robustness of the CT system, with similar phase sensitivity to conventional systems but less technical complexity.

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Patent Abstract

The X-ray computed tomography system has a grating-interferometer arranged on a gantry. A grating structure has multiple lamellar and parallelly arranged X-ray emissions maxima and minima, which contains a grating period (p-0). Another lamellar grating structure effects a partial phase offset of a passing X-ray radiation as phase grating and has another grating period (p-1). The third grating structure has a grating period (p-2), which is larger than the grating period of the first grating structure.