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Innovation & Technologie Angebot

UK-developed novel design lightweight collimator available for licence

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Reference Number: TOUK20180214001
Publication Date: 16 January 2020

Summary

A technology transfer organisation in the UK that specialises in the commercialisation of defence research is licensing a high-performance, low size, weight and power scanning beam collimator.  Its novel design generates uniform beam path lengths and spot shape, and it is also mechanically much simpler. The company is offering a license agreement to manufacturers of portable backscatter x-ray devices as typically used for security and screening applications.

Description

Collimators are a key component in high energy radiation (e.g. x-ray, particle beam) equipment however current designs for scanning (pencil) beams are subject to both performance and physical limitations. Current state-of-the-art scanning beam collimators are typically large and are comprised of multiple moving parts which require significant power to maintain their correct rate of spin or oscillation. This impacts their portability and limits their use, for example, in man-portable backscatter x-ray scanners for security applications. Additionally, due to the way existing collimators operate, the radiation beam produced varies in shape, size and path length dependent upon the azimuth and elevation it is directed in. This adds further complexity to the system and reduces overall performance.



A UK technology transfer organisation, specialised in the commercialisation of intellectual property generated from defence research, has developed a new lightweight design collimator that overcomes the size, weight, power and performance issues of current collimators and produces higher resolution images while reducing mechanical complexity. 



The new collimator achieves much of its benefits due to its unique shape. Its prolate spheroid (rugby ball) shape with a twisted slit running through it maintains a uniform path length and beam shape. The improved beam properties are expected to give this collimator superior performance to current collimators, such as spinning flywheel designs. It is smaller and lighter compared to existing technologies and only needs to rotate in one direction. Its simpler mechanical design makes it easier to control; it is therefore expected to introduce fewer system errors which in turn would improve performance.



The company is looking to license out its novel device to manufacturers of security and screening applications, e.g. manufacturers of portable x-ray equipment.

Advantages and Innovations

● Better image quality due to uniform spot size/shape

● Small, lightweight design improves portability

● X-ray shielding is smaller and lighter

● Wide field of view/scanning angle (~120º)

● Mechanically simpler and less power needed

Stage Of Development

Prototype available for demonstration

Stage Of Development Comment

A 3D-printed prototype of the Prolate Spheroid Collimator has been produced and trialled using a light beam. 

Under testing, the design provided a constant collimation effect across a wider field of view than conventional collimators, and produced a uniform illumination across the image.

Requested partner

The company is offering license agreement to manufacturers of portable x-ray devices that preferably operate in the defence and security markets. The partner is expected to complete the tasks necessary in order to develop the technology to advance it from a demonstrator of a component part to becoming an integrated part of a product offering.