Design Constraints and Reconstruction Algorithms for Traverse-Continuous-Rotate CT Scanners

In this paper a new configuration for a computerized tomographic (CT) scanner is presented. The machine is essentially a hybrid combination of second- and third-generation scanners. A single source of X-rays and an array of detectors are mounted on a gantry. The source/detector array grouping traverses the object while the gantry continuously rotates around the object. Conditions will be derived so that the projection data will completely cover the Radon space without any holes or partial overlaps, thus ensuring the existence of efficiently implementable reconstruction algorithms for inverting the data. We will also present a new convolution-backprojection algorithm for reconstructing tomographic images from data generated on such a scanner.