KR101742012B1 - Method to reduce signal loss and to resolve pulse pile-up at the signal readout integrated circuit in all radiation counting image sensors only with digital circuit, Apparatus, Program and Recording Medium thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of resolving a pulse overlap in a signal processing unit of a radiation counting type image sensor using only a digital process, which is strong in noise, low in power consumption, And a recording medium. A comparator output change sensing step of sensing a change of a comparator output which is a pulse signal output of the comparator; A C variable setting step of setting a comparator output as a C variable when a change in the output of the comparator is detected in a step of detecting a change in the output of the comparator; A maximum minimum discrimination step of comparing the preset A variable, the predetermined B variable and the C variable set in chronological order to determine whether the B variable is a maximum value or a minimum value in a specific interval; And an energy information generation step of generating energy information by using a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific period determined by the maximum minimum discrimination step, wherein the step of detecting the change in the output of the comparator or the maximum minimum discrimination step is performed at least once, And the maximum value and the minimum value of the interval are derived. According to this, it is possible to solve the pulse pile-up problem in medical devices such as PET and CT which are accompanied with a large amount of exposure dose.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a pulse overlap detection method, a pulse overlap detection method, a program, and a recording medium storing the pulse overlap detection method and a signal readout integrated circuit all radiation counting image sensors only with digital circuit, Apparatus, Program and Recording Medium thereof}

The present invention relates to a pulse overlapping resolution method, a pulse overlap resolution device, a program, and a recording medium storing the pulse overlap resolution method, More specifically, in the conventional radiation counting type image sensor, it is an effective method for measuring one incident radiation, which is strong against noise, has low power consumption, and can be easily implemented by digital only. The present invention relates to a pulse overlap detection method, a pulse overlap detection method, a program, and a recording medium storing the same.

At the end of the nineteenth century, X-rays were found that could penetrate the human body by Röntgen. An X-ray, which is an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength of several tens pm to several millimeters, has a special characteristic that is divided into permeability and linearity. X-ray is useful in many fields due to these features, and its application in medical imaging is remarkable.

Radiation image sensors are divided into direct and indirect methods. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a radiation image sensor of an indirect method and a direct method. As shown in FIG. 1, an indirect method converts radiation into visible light through a scintillator, converts a visible light signal into an electric signal from an optical element called a photodiode, and detects an accumulated electric signal to obtain an image. On the other hand, the direct method is a method in which each radiation reacts to an optical element to generate an electron pair, and the generated electric signal is input to the signal processing end and outputted as a single signal waveform. In the direct method, the electrical signal and the comparator voltage of the signal processing stage are compared to obtain the energy information and the incident information, and finally, the image is reconstructed using the energy information and incident information.

2 is a conceptual diagram showing a hybrid pixel detector. As shown in FIG. 2, the image sensor module of the recent X-ray counting method is developing a hybrid pixel sensor technology in which a sensor chip and a ROIC chip (Readout Integrated Circuit) are three-dimensionally coupled. Since the direct-type image sensor can process each X-ray incident photon, the influence of the noise can be reduced by setting the voltage of the comparator higher than the noise of the signal processing stage, There is an advantage in obtaining images.

[Patent Document 1] United States Patent No. 5,225,682 A, a method and apparatus for pulse pile-up correction in charge quantizing radiation detection systems, United States Department of Energy

There is no period of radiation incident randomly. Therefore, in the radiation environment where the radiation is incident arbitrarily, the sensor of the radiation line counting method also receives the radiation even when the electric signal output of the signal processing end is not located in the base line for receiving the next signal. 3 is an output graph showing a pulse pile-up phenomenon. FIG. 3 (a) is an output of the amplifier input to the comparator, and FIG. 3 (b) is a graph showing output values output from the comparator. As shown in Fig. 3, pulse overlap may occur in any incident radiation environment. The pulse superposition phenomenon distorts the energy of the incident radiation as well as the number of incident radiation that is finally recorded in the radiation counting sensor.

The energy information is distorted by the circuit that obtains the energy information by dividing the energy region without the conventional pulse pile-up. As shown in FIG. 3, when information is obtained using only the output of the comparator, the output of the first comparator 2, the output of the second comparator 2, the output of the third comparator 4, Thus, the radiation image sensor acquires energy information with 2 energy of 2, 1 energy of 3, and 1 energy of 4. This is an energy information distortion phenomenon caused by the fact that the second signal generated by the second radiation does not process the pulse overlap caused by the incident of the third signal before returning to the base line. In Fig. 3, the actual incident energy is 2 energy of 2, and 2 energy of 3.

4 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional pulse overlap avoiding method. As shown in FIG. 4, a method for solving the present pulse pile-up problem includes a method of solving a pulse incidence problem in which only one incident radiation is subjected to a GATE There is a way. However, this method has a problem of increasing the number of discarded signals and increasing the exposure to the object.

In order to solve such a pulse overlap problem, there is a CDM method using an analog replica signal. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a CDM method among conventional pulse overlap avoiding methods. In FIG. 5 (a), the gray line represents a signal output by radiation, and the black line represents a duplicate signal by duplicating a signal output by radiation. In FIG. 5 (b), the output of the comparator can be confirmed. The CDM method generates a crossing signal using black, which replicates the signal output by gray radiation. This crossing signal is used to generate a reference signal that can store the peak of the signal and the lowest point of the signal. The CDM method is a method of finding the correct energy information through deduction of two signals stored using these reference signals. FIG. 5 (c) shows the results of the conventional method without using the CDM method, and FIG. 5 (d) shows the results of the method using the CDM method.

6 shows a circuit diagram of an energy discrimination circuit using the CDM method. As shown in FIG. 6, the disadvantage of the CDM method is that it is difficult to design an analog circuit for signal duplication, continuous power consumption occurs, and the area of the analog circuit increases.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems.

An object of the present invention is to solve a pulse overlapping problem, a program for solving a pulse overlap, a program and a program for solving a pulse overlap problem using only pure digital logic, And to provide a storage medium on which the recording medium is stored.

This can be applied to various fields of application of the radiation counting method. In particular, it is possible to solve the energy distortion problem in the medical image field and obtain a more accurate patient image. In addition, a more accurate patient image results in a significant effect on the reduction of the patient dose. The present invention can also be applied and used in many fields such as radiation counting sensors such as all radiation medical equipments, industrial non-destructive observation equipment, electronic personal dosimeters, and all pulse processes.

Hereinafter, specific means for achieving the object of the present invention will be described.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pulse overlapping resolution method, which is performed by a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing stage, comprising: a comparator output change sensing step of sensing a change in a comparator output which is a pulse signal output of a comparator; A C variable setting step of setting the output of the comparator as a C variable when a change of the comparator output is sensed in the comparator output change sensing step; A maximum minimum discrimination step of comparing the A variable and the B variable determined in chronological order with the C variable to determine whether the B variable is a maximum value or a minimum value in a specific interval; And an energy information generation step of generating energy information by using a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific period determined by the maximum minimum discrimination step, wherein the step of detecting the change in output of the comparator to the maximum minimum discrimination step is performed at least once And extracting a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific section by performing the pulse overlapping method.

If the B variable is greater than the C variable and equal to or greater than the A variable in the maximum minimum discrimination step, the B variable is determined as a maximum value in the specific period, and the B variable is less than the C variable And the B variable is determined as a minimum value in the specific period when the A variable is less than or equal to the A variable.

Also, after the maximum minimum discrimination step, the C variable is newly set as a B variable, the B variable is newly set as an A variable, and the output of the comparator is changed until a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific interval are derived, And then repeatedly performed from the detection step.

In the energy information generation step, the energy information may be set as a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value in the specific period.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pulse overlap detector which is configured in a signal processing stage of a radiation counting type image sensor, wherein a comparator output, which is a pulse signal output of a comparator, is received, and when a change in the output of the comparator is detected, An output change detection module that sets the output value to a value C; A maximum minimum discrimination module for comparing whether the B variable is a maximum value or a minimum value in a specific interval by comparing the A variable and the B variable that are set in chronological order with the C variable; And an energy information generation module that generates energy information using a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific period determined by the maximum minimum discrimination module, and wherein the comparator output change detection module and the maximum minimum discrimination module each have at least one And a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific period are derived from the pulse width of the image signal.

In the maximum minimum discrimination module, if the B variable is greater than the C variable and equal to or greater than the A variable, the B variable is determined as a maximum value in the specific period, and the B variable is less than the C variable And the B variable is determined as a minimum value in the specific period when the A variable is less than or equal to the A variable.

The maximum minimum discrimination module newly sets the C variable as a B variable, newly sets the B variable as an A variable, and sets a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific interval The output change detection module and the maximum minimum discrimination module are repeatedly driven repeatedly until all of them are derived.

The energy information generation module may set the energy information as a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value in the specific period.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium on which a program for performing a pulse overlapping resolution method on a computer, which is performed by a control unit of a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing unit, A comparator output change detecting step of detecting a change in output of the comparator; A C variable setting step of setting the output of the comparator as a C variable when a change of the comparator output is sensed in the comparator output change sensing step; A maximum minimum discrimination step of comparing the A variable and the B variable determined in chronological order with the C variable to determine whether the B variable is a maximum value or a minimum value in a specific interval; And an energy information generation step of generating energy information using a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific period determined by the maximum minimum discrimination step, And a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific section are derived by performing the pulse overlapping resolution method of the radiation counting method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a program stored in a recording medium such that a pulse overlapping resolution method performed by a control unit of a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing stage is performed on a computer, Sensing a comparator output change sensing step; A C variable setting step of setting the output of the comparator as a C variable when a change of the comparator output is sensed in the comparator output change sensing step; A maximum minimum discrimination step of comparing the A variable and the B variable determined in chronological order with the C variable to determine whether the B variable is a maximum value or a minimum value in a specific interval; And an energy information generation step of generating energy information using a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific period determined by the maximum minimum discrimination step, A pulse overlapping resolution method of a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing stage is performed on a computer so as to derive a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific section.

As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

First, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to solve the pulse pile-up problem in a medical device such as PET and CT, which has a large amount of exposure dose. As a result, the user obtains a much better image, which can help the doctor's diagnosis and judgment of the patient.

Second, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since only the digital logic is utilized, there is an effect that the required circuit area is smaller and the power consumption is lower than the conventional one, and the circuit design through programming is enabled, The effect is raised.

Thirdly, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to process radiation that comes in a short time, so that information can be processed quickly without losing information than in the prior art. Therefore, It is obviously reduced.

Fourth, according to one embodiment of the present invention, an extension that can solve the information loss problem caused by pulse overlapping in communication, data communication, image, data transmission, etc., which is a signal processing field that performs all pulse processing as well as radiation The effect of gender is generated.

Fifth, according to one embodiment of the present invention, even in the case of a dosimeter using the counting method among the radiation electronic personal dosimeters, the radiation dose can be measured more accurately and reliably.

Sixth, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a faster operation can be realized than the CDM method, and thus a faster signal processing speed can be achieved. This is due to the fact that digital logic can utilize a finer process than a new analog circuit, resulting in an operating speed that can be designed much higher than analog.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to provide a further understanding of the technical idea of the present invention. And should not be construed as limiting.
1 is a schematic diagram showing a radiation image sensor of an indirect method and a direct method,
2 is a conceptual diagram showing a hybrid pixel detector,
3 is an output graph showing a pulse pile-up phenomenon,
4 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional pulse overlap avoiding method,
FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a CDM method among conventional pulse overlap avoiding methods,
6 is a circuit diagram of an energy discrimination circuit using the CDM method,
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a pulse overlap canceling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a pulse overlapping method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
9 is a graph showing the output of the pulse overlapping resolution method according to an embodiment of the present invention,
10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of reconstructing an image of a pulse overlapping resolution method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description of the operation principle of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention.

The same reference numerals are used for portions having similar functions and functions throughout the drawings. Throughout the specification, when a part is connected to another part, it includes not only a case where it is directly connected but also a case where the other part is indirectly connected with another part in between. In addition, the inclusion of an element does not exclude other elements, but may include other elements, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Radiation Coefficient Method Image Sensor Sensor Pulse Overlay Canceller

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a pulse overlap eliminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in conjunction with a pulse overlap detector of a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing stage. 7, the pulse overlap resolving apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 1, a comparator 2, a minimum value memory unit 3, a maximum value memory unit 4, An information memory unit 5, an output change detection module 11, a maximum minimum discrimination module 12, an energy information generation module 13, a counter 14 and an image processing module 15.

The comparator 2 is connected to an amplifier for outputting a pulse signal generated by radiation, and has an output of the amplifier as an input voltage, and has a plurality of threshold voltages or reference voltages V _R having specific intervals, Is a device for outputting whether or not the pulse signal exceeds a specific reference voltage.

The minimum value memory unit 3 stores the output value of the comparator 2 determined as the minimum value in the maximum minimum discrimination module 12 of the control unit 1 as a minimum value. The minimum value stored in the minimum value memory unit 3 can be generated as energy information by specific arithmetic processing with the maximum value stored in the maximum value memory unit 4 and the energy information can be stored in the energy information memory unit 5 have.

The maximum value memory unit 4 stores the output value of the comparator 2 determined as the minimum value in the maximum minimum discrimination module 12 of the control unit 1 as a minimum value.

The energy information memory unit 5 stores the minimum value stored in the minimum value memory unit 3 and the energy information generated by the specific arithmetic processing of the maximum value stored in the maximum value memory unit 4. [ In one embodiment of the present invention, the specific arithmetic processing for deriving the energy information may refer to a process of subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value.

The control unit 1 receives the comparator output, which is the output of the comparator 2, and detects the change in the output of the comparator. The control unit 1 discriminates the maximum value and the minimum value, generates energy information, counts the number of energy information, . ≪ / RTI > The control unit 1 includes an output change detection module 11, a maximum minimum discrimination module 12, an energy information generation module 13, a counter 14 and an image processing module 15 according to an embodiment of the present invention. can do.

The output change detection module 11 detects a change in the output of the comparator 2 so that it can discriminate whether the input value in real time is the maximum value or the minimum value every time the signal is inputted in the comparator 2 And activates the maximum minimum discrimination module 12.

The maximum minimum discrimination module 12 is a device for discriminating whether the output of the comparator 2 inputted is a maximum value or a minimum value within a specific interval. In one embodiment of the present invention, the determination of the maximum value and the minimum value can be made using three consecutive comparator outputs. When the output change detection module 11 detects a change in the output of the comparator 2, the maximum minimum discrimination module 12 stores the output value as a C value. The maximum minimum discrimination module 12 then compares the values A and B, which are pre-stored beforehand, with the value C, to determine whether the value B is the maximum value or the minimum value, In the maximum value memory unit 4 or the minimum value memory unit 3. At this time, the comparing process according to an embodiment of the present invention can be divided into a maximum value determining process and a minimum value determining process.

The maximum value discrimination process of the maximum minimum discrimination module 12 determines whether the value B is the maximum value through whether or not the following expression (1) is satisfied. That is, if the proposition of Equation (1) is true, the corresponding B value is determined as the maximum value, and is stored in the maximum value memory unit 4.

The minimum value determination process of the maximum minimum discrimination module 12 determines whether the value B is the minimum value through whether or not the following expression (2) is satisfied. That is, if the proposition of the following equation (2) is true, the corresponding B value is determined as the minimum value and stored in the minimum value memory unit 3.

The energy information generation module 13 is a device for generating energy information of a corresponding interval through a specific arithmetic process of the maximum value and the minimum value stored in the maximum value memory unit 4 and the minimum value memory unit 3. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the specific arithmetic processing for generating the energy information of a specific section may mean a processing for decreasing the minimum value to the maximum value.

The counter 14 counts the energy information generated by the energy information generating module 13. [

The image processing module 15 is a device for reconstructing an image through each energy information and its weight. Low energy information in radiation energy represents a soft object well, and high energy has information to reconstruct a hard object. According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to separate the image of the soft tissue of the image counted using the information of the low energy region with the obtained energy information, It is also possible to view hard images separately. In addition, if the energy information is processed with an optimized weight value, it is possible to contribute to obtaining a clear image.

Hereinafter, a pulse overlapping resolution method using such a pulse overlap resolving apparatus will be described concretely.

Radiation Coefficient Method Image Sensor Sensor Pulse Overlay Resolution Method

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of resolving a pulse overlap according to an embodiment of the present invention, in connection with a method of resolving a pulse overlap in a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing stage. 8, the method of resolving pulse overlap according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a step of detecting a change in output of a comparator (S10), a step of storing a comparator output value (S20), a step of converting a C value (S30) A maximum value discrimination step S50, a data acquisition end discrimination step S60, an energy information generation and storage step S70, a spectral calculation step S80 and an image reconstruction step S90. At this time, S40 and S50 may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously.

The comparator output change detection step S10 is a step of detecting a change in the pulse signal output of the comparator 2 in the output change detection module 11. [ In S10, a change in the pulse signal output of the comparator 2 is sensed to read and store the output value of the comparator 2 at S20 every time an event occurs in the circuit.

The comparator output value storing step S20 stores the output value of the comparator 2 in the control unit 1 when a change in the pulse signal output of the comparator 2 is sensed at S10.

The C value conversion step S30 is a step of symmetrically converting the output value obtained in S20 to an interval value such as 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, which is interval information of the comparator, and storing it as a C value in the controller 1. In S30, the corresponding output value of the comparator 2 is converted into the energy position value.

The minimum value determination step S40 compares the A value and the B value, which are stored in advance, and determines whether the B value is the minimum value. The minimum value memory step 3 (S41). According to an embodiment of the present invention, the comparison processing in S40 determines that the value of B is the minimum value when the proposition of Equation 1 is true, and rejects that the value of B is the minimum value when the proposition of Equation 1 is false . ≪ / RTI >

The maximum value discrimination step S50 discriminates whether the value B is the maximum value by performing a comparison process with the A value and the B value, which are preliminarily stored output values before the C value, and outputs the information about the maximum value to the maximum value And is stored in the memory unit 4 (S51). According to an embodiment of the present invention, the comparison processing in S50 determines that the value of B is the maximum value when the proposition of the equation (2) is true, and determines that the value of B is the maximum value when the proposition of the equation (2) is false It can be done in a way that is rejected.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the order of S40 and S50 may be configured to be performed in reverse order or concurrently. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the step S42 may include resetting the B value to the A value and the C value to the B value to receive the next comparator output. In addition, when the method of solving the pulse overlap according to an embodiment of the present invention is performed for the first time, an A and B value setting step S41 may be further performed to set the A value and the B value to 0 before S40.

The data acquisition end determination step S60 is a step of inputting the pulse signal of the comparator to the control unit 1 or determining the end of the data acquisition arbitrarily by the user. If the end of data acquisition is recognized, the process proceeds to S70, and if the end of data acquisition is rejected, the process proceeds to S10.

The energy information generation and storage step S70 generates energy information through specific arithmetic processing of the maximum value and the minimum value stored in the maximum value memory unit 4 and the minimum value memory unit 3 in the energy information generation module 13 And stores energy information generated in the energy information memory unit 5. [

The spectral calculation step S80 is a step of performing spectral calculation based on the generated energy information and counting energy information for each interval such as 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, which is interval information of the comparator.

The image reconstruction step S90 is a step of acquiring a more accurate image through image reconstruction through weighting using each energy information.

Example

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the output of the pulse overlap elimination method according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the context of an embodiment of the present invention. When an output as shown in Fig. 9 (a) is input to the comparator, the comparator output as shown in Fig. 9 (b) is input to the control unit. FIG. 9 (c) shows an embodiment in which the pulse overlapping resolution method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 9C shows a digital output of the comparator according to a chronological order (comparator output change sensing step S10), converts the comparator output into a comparator interval (C value conversion step S30), and determines a minimum value and a maximum value (S40, S50), and energy information is obtained (S70).

As shown in FIG. 9C, the output change detection module of the control unit detects a change in output of the comparator and outputs a comparator output (for example, 0000, 0001, 0011 ...). In S30, the comparator output received from the control unit is converted into the interval value (for example, # 0, # 1, # 2, ...) of the comparator. In S40 and S50, the interval value of the comparator is determined by a maximum value (for example, 2 ...) and a minimum value (for example, 0 ...) through Equations 1 and 2. In step S70, energy information (for example, 2 ...), which is an energy peak, is generated through the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value. In FIG. 9 (c), 2 energy of 2 and 2 energy of 3 are obtained. This is actually the same as the pulse signal input to the comparator. As compared with the conventional case where such a pulse signal is input to the comparator, as shown in Fig. 3, two energy of two, one energy of three, and one energy of four are obtained, an embodiment of the present invention It can be confirmed that the problem of pulse overlapping is solved according to the pulse overlapping resolution method.

The red box of the 'maximum minimum finding result' in FIG. 9 (c) directly illustrates the effect of the pulse overlapping resolution method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the red box in (c) of FIG. 9, it can be confirmed that the comparator output (interval value) at the start point of the pulse is # 1 in step S40. As a result, the energy information of the red box point is confirmed to be energy of 3.

10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of reconstructing an image of a pulse overlapping resolution method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, the pulse overlap cancellation method according to an embodiment of the present invention operates more effectively in an environment where radiation exposure is high. The obtained image information can contribute to obtaining a more accurate image through image reconstruction through weighting using each energy information. Low energy information of radiation energy represents soft object well, and high energy has information to reconstruct hard object. Accordingly, it is possible to separate the images of the soft tissues of the images counted using the information of the low energy region by using the information obtained through the pulse overlap decomposition method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and to use the coefficient information of the high energy region So that a hard image can be separated and viewed. In addition, if energy information is processed with optimized weight values, it can contribute to obtaining a clear image.

The size, position, and arrangement of the above-mentioned pulse overlap de-essing device are not limited to the drawings, but are preferably determined according to each situation in order to achieve the object of the present invention.

The apparatus described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the apparatus and components described in the embodiments may be implemented within a computer system, such as, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable array (FPA) A programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software. For ease of understanding, the processing apparatus may be described as being used singly, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the processing apparatus may have a plurality of processing elements and / As shown in FIG. For example, the processing unit may comprise a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing, and may be configured to configure the processing device to operate as desired or to process it collectively or collectively Device can be commanded. The software and / or data may be in the form of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage media, or device , Or may be temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over a networked computer system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to an embodiment may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions to be recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiments or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like.

Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

As described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1:
2: comparator
3: minimum value memory section
4: maximum value memory section
5: Energy information memory unit
10: Pulse overlap canceling device
11: Output change detection module
12: Maximum minimum discrimination module
13: Energy information generation module
14: Counter
15: Image processing module

Claims (10)

A method of resolving pulse overlap, which is performed by a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing stage,
A comparator output change sensing step of sensing a change of a comparator output which is a pulse signal output of the comparator;
A C variable setting step of setting the output of the comparator as a C variable when a change of the comparator output is sensed in the comparator output change sensing step;
A maximum minimum discrimination step of comparing the A variable and the B variable determined in chronological order with the C variable to determine whether the B variable is a maximum value or a minimum value in a specific interval; And
An energy information generation step of generating energy information using the maximum value and the minimum value of the specific period determined by the maximum minimum discrimination step;
Lt; / RTI >
After the maximum minimum discrimination step, the C variable is newly set as a B variable, the B variable is newly set as an A variable,
Wherein the maximum minimum discrimination step is repeated from the comparator output change detection step until the maximum value and the minimum value of the specific period are all derived. The method according to claim 1,
In the maximum minimum discrimination step,
And if the B variable is greater than the C variable and greater than or equal to the A variable, the B variable is determined as the maximum value in the specific period,
Wherein when the B variable is smaller than the C variable and smaller than or equal to the A variable, the B variable is determined as a minimum value in the specific interval. delete The method according to claim 1,
In the energy information generation step,
Wherein the energy information is set to a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value in the specific period. A pulse overlap detection apparatus for use in a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing stage,
An output change detection module that receives a comparator output that is a pulse signal output of the comparator and sets the comparator output as a C variable when a change in the output of the comparator is sensed;
A maximum minimum discrimination module for comparing whether the B variable is a maximum value or a minimum value in a specific interval by comparing the A variable and the B variable that are set in chronological order with the C variable; And
An energy information generation module that generates energy information using a maximum value and a minimum value of the specific period determined by the maximum minimum discrimination module;
/ RTI >
The maximum minimum discrimination module newly sets the C variable as a B variable, newly sets the B variable as an A variable after the maximum minimum discrimination of the B variable,
Wherein the output change detection module and the maximum minimum discrimination module are repeatedly driven repeatedly until both the maximum value and the minimum value of the specific section are derived. 6. The method of claim 5,
In the maximum minimum discrimination module,
And if the B variable is greater than the C variable and greater than or equal to the A variable, the B variable is determined as the maximum value in the specific period,
Wherein when the B variable is smaller than the C variable and smaller than or equal to the A variable, the B variable is determined as a minimum value in the specific interval. delete 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the energy information generation module sets the energy information as a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value in the specific period. A recording medium on which a program for performing a pulse overlapping resolution method performed by a control unit of a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing unit on a computer is recorded,
A comparator output change sensing step of sensing a change of a comparator output which is a pulse signal output of the comparator;
A C variable setting step of setting the output of the comparator as a C variable when a change of the comparator output is sensed in the comparator output change sensing step;
A maximum minimum discrimination step of comparing the A variable and the B variable determined in chronological order with the C variable to determine whether the B variable is a maximum value or a minimum value in a specific interval; And
An energy information generation step of generating energy information using the maximum value and the minimum value of the specific period determined by the maximum minimum discrimination step;
Lt; / RTI >
After the maximum minimum discrimination step, the C variable is newly set as a B variable, the B variable is newly set as an A variable,
The method of detecting a pulse overlap of a radiation sensor type image sensor signal processing unit repeatedly performs the maximum minimum discrimination step from the comparator output change detection step until both the maximum value and the minimum value of the specific interval are derived. A program recorded on a recording medium. A program stored in a recording medium such that a pulse overlapping resolution method performed by a control unit of a radiation counting method image sensor signal processing stage is performed on a computer,
A comparator output change sensing step of sensing a change of a comparator output which is a pulse signal output of the comparator;
A C variable setting step of setting the output of the comparator as a C variable when a change of the comparator output is sensed in the comparator output change sensing step;
A maximum minimum discrimination step of comparing the A variable and the B variable determined in chronological order with the C variable to determine whether the B variable is a maximum value or a minimum value in a specific interval; And
An energy information generation step of generating energy information using the maximum value and the minimum value of the specific period determined by the maximum minimum discrimination step;
Lt; / RTI >
After the maximum minimum discrimination step, the C variable is newly set as a B variable, the B variable is newly set as an A variable,
The pulse overlapping method of the radiation counting method image sensor signal processing unit is repeatedly performed on the computer until the maximum value and the minimum value of the specific interval are all derived again from the comparator output change detection step The program stored in the recording medium.

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