一种低成本高效率的PET闪烁晶体阵列时间性能检测方法与装置

A measurement method and device of time performance of PET scintillation crystal array with low cost and high efficiency

目的:设计一种快速测量闪烁晶体阵列中每个晶条衰减时间常数的低成本检测方法,为保障正电子发射计算机断层显像(PET)探测器时间性能的一致性提供技术支持。方法:采用多通道光电倍增管(滨松H8500),结合电阻网络和4个通道的高速模拟数字转换器(ADC)采样电路及上位机算法,实现对上百根晶条的衰减时间常数信息的测量。结果:通过实验验证了测量结果的有效性和准确性,验证了用衰减时间常数间接估计闪烁晶条的符合时间分辨率(CTR)的可行性。结论:该装置可很好的应用于PET设备生产厂商探测器生产质量控制环节,保障PET探测器时间性能的一致性,也可应用于改善医学探测器时间性能的实验室研究。

Objective: To design a detection method with low cost that can fast measure decay time constant of each crystal bar in scintillation crystal array so as to provide technique support for ensuring the consistency of time performance of positron emission tomography (PET) detector. Methods: The photomultiplier (Hamamatsu H8500) with multi-channel was adopted to combined with resistance network, sampling circuit of high-speed analog-digital converter with 4 channels and upper computer algorithm so as to realize measurement for the information of decay time constant of over one hundred crystal bars. Results: The validity and accuracy of the measurement results have been verified by experiments. And the feasibility that using decay time constant indirectly estimated the coincidence timing resolution (CTR) of scintillation crystal bar was verified. Conclusion: This device can be well used in the quality control of production of PET detector of PET equipment manufacturers to ensure the consistency of time performance of PET detector, and it can also be used in laboratory research to improve the time performance of medical detectors.