Preventive maintenance system for the photomultiplier detector blocks of pet scanners

Patent · Tue Jan 24 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:869724

Levy, Alejandro V ^[1]; Warner, Donald ^[2]

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1. Center Moriches, NY
2. Shirley, NY

A system including a method and apparatus for preventive maintenance of PET scanner photomultiplier detector blocks is disclosed. The quantitive 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.

• Research Organization: ASSOC UNIVERSITIES INC
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• Assignee: Associated Universities, Inc. (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5384699
• Application Number: 07/934,714
• OSTI ID: 869724
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/250/702/
adapted
adjustments
advising
alerts
analyzing
apparatus
block
blocks
calculations
calibrate
carrying
catastrophic
catastrophic failure
combination
comparisons
computer
computer control
configured
controlling
counter
date
defective
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detector
detector block
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drifting
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eliminating
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expensive
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form
histo
host
host computer
including
indication
intermittently
iterative
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memory
method
operations
perform
pet
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photomultiplier
photomultiplier detector
preferably
preventative
preventive
preventive maintenance
printout
prior
processor
programmed
provide
quantitive
record
replace
resides
scanner
scanners
scheduled
software
stable
storing
time
unscheduled
unstable
user
values