X-ray detector and radiographic X-ray apparatus

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Diagnosis & Surgery (A61B)

Published March 31st, 2026

Detected March 31st, 2026

Summary

USPTO granted patent US12588878B2 to Sharp Display Technology Corporation for an X-ray detector featuring alternately stacked scintillators and low refractive index layers with light collecting portions. The invention improves light collection efficiency in radiographic imaging by focusing emitted light toward corresponding photoelectric conversion elements. This patent has 5 claims and covers technology applicable to radiographic X-ray apparatus.

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What changed

USPTO granted patent US12588878B2 for an X-ray detector and radiographic X-ray apparatus to Sharp Display Technology Corporation (inventor: Kozo Takahashi). The invention comprises a plurality of scintillators configured to convert X-rays into light, alternately stacked low refractive layers with lower refractive index than the scintillators, and a photoelectric conversion element array with arrayed elements. A key feature is the light collecting portion that focuses emitted light toward corresponding photoelectric conversion elements.

This is a routine patent grant establishing intellectual property rights with no regulatory compliance obligations. Companies manufacturing X-ray detection equipment or radiographic imaging devices should review this patent to assess potential freedom-to-operate implications and avoid infringing the protected technology when developing similar light collection mechanisms for scintillator-based detectors.

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Grants

X-ray detector and radiographic X-ray apparatus

Grant US12588878B2 Kind: B2 Mar 31, 2026

Assignee

Sharp Display Technology Corporation

Inventors

Kozo Takahashi

Abstract

An X-ray detector includes a plurality of scintillators each configured to convert incident X-rays into light and emit the light, a plurality of low refractive layers that are alternately stacked with the plurality of scintillators and that have a refractive index lower than the scintillators, and a photoelectric conversion element array including a plurality of arrayed photoelectric conversion elements each configured to convert the light emitted from the alternately stacked scintillators and low refractive layers into an electrical signal. At least one of the scintillator and the low refractive layer includes a light collecting portion that focuses the emitted light toward a corresponding one of the photoelectric conversion elements.