Preventive maintenance system for the photomultiplier detector blocks of PET scanners
Abstract
A system including a method and apparatus for preventive maintenance of PET scanner photomultiplier detector blocks is disclosed. The qualitative comparisons used in the method of the present invention to provide an indication in the form of a display or printout advising the user that the photomultiplier block is stable, intermittently unstable, or drifting unstable, and also advising of the expected date of failure of a photomultiplier block in the PET scanner. The system alerts the user to replace the defective photomultiplier block prior to catastrophic failure in a scheduled preventative maintenance program, thus eliminating expensive and unscheduled downtime of the PET scanner due to photomultiplier failure. The apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention preferably resides in the host computer controlling a PET scanner. It includes a memory adapted for storing a record of a number of iterative adjustments that are necessary to calibrate the gain of a photomultiplier detector block i at a time t[sub 0], a time t[sub 1] and a time T, where T>t[sub 1]>t[sub 0], which is designated as Histo(i,j(t)). The apparatus also includes a processor configured by a software program or a combination of programmed RAM and ROM devices to performmore »
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 6649263
- Patent Number(s):
- 5384699
- Application Number:
- PPN: US 7-934714
- Assignee:
- Associated Universities, Inc., Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 24 Aug 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; PHOTOMULTIPLIERS; MAINTENANCE; POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY; RADIOISOTOPE SCANNERS; CALIBRATION; COMPUTERIZED CONTROL SYSTEMS; COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY; CONTROL SYSTEMS; DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES; EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY; ON-LINE CONTROL SYSTEMS; ON-LINE SYSTEMS; PHOTOTUBES; TOMOGRAPHY; 550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics
Citation Formats
Levy, A V, and Warner, D. Preventive maintenance system for the photomultiplier detector blocks of PET scanners. United States: N. p., 1995.
Web.
Levy, A V, & Warner, D. Preventive maintenance system for the photomultiplier detector blocks of PET scanners. United States.
Levy, A V, and Warner, D. Tue .
"Preventive maintenance system for the photomultiplier detector blocks of PET scanners". United States.
@article{osti_6649263,
title = {Preventive maintenance system for the photomultiplier detector blocks of PET scanners},
author = {Levy, A V and Warner, D},
abstractNote = {A system including a method and apparatus for preventive maintenance of PET scanner photomultiplier detector blocks is disclosed. The qualitative comparisons used in the method of the present invention to provide an indication in the form of a display or printout advising the user that the photomultiplier block is stable, intermittently unstable, or drifting unstable, and also advising of the expected date of failure of a photomultiplier block in the PET scanner. The system alerts the user to replace the defective photomultiplier block prior to catastrophic failure in a scheduled preventative maintenance program, thus eliminating expensive and unscheduled downtime of the PET scanner due to photomultiplier failure. The apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention preferably resides in the host computer controlling a PET scanner. It includes a memory adapted for storing a record of a number of iterative adjustments that are necessary to calibrate the gain of a photomultiplier detector block i at a time t[sub 0], a time t[sub 1] and a time T, where T>t[sub 1]>t[sub 0], which is designated as Histo(i,j(t)). The apparatus also includes a processor configured by a software program or a combination of programmed RAM and ROM devices to perform a number of calculations and operations on these values, and also includes a counter for analyzing each photomultiplier detector block i=1 through I of a PET scanner. 40 figures.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 24 00:00:00 EST 1995},
month = {Tue Jan 24 00:00:00 EST 1995}
}