Method and device for the registration of images

• US 20020122576A1
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Weese, Juergen, Netsch, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,062,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/147 using affine transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the registration of a series of at least three temporally successively acquired images I¹-I_n) of an object, where individual images (I₂-I_n) to be registered are transformed into registered images (I₂′-I_n′) by means of an individual mapping rule (T₂-T_n) and where a similarity measure (M) is used so as to determine the mapping rule (T₂-T_n). In order to achieve a higher registration accuracy, in accordance with the invention it is proposed to utilize a common similarity measure (M) of all images (I₁′-I_n′) in order to determine the mapping rules (T₂-T_n) for all images. The invention also relates to a corresponding registration device.

Claims

1. A method for the registration of a series of at least three temporally successively acquired images of an object, where individual images to be registered are transformed into registered images by means of an individual mapping rule, and where a similarity measure is used to determine the mapping rule, characterized in that a common similarity measure of all images is used to determine the mapping rules for the images to be registered.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the determination of the mapping rules is performed iteratively in that alternately one or more mapping rules are varied and that the similarity measure of all images is determined by means of said varied mapping rules until a given limit value or an extreme value is reached for the similarity measure.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the determination of the mapping rules for the individual images to be registered is performed in steps in that alternately in one step of the procedure each time only a single mapping rule is varied and the similarity measure is determined thereby until an optimum is found, and that in subsequent steps of the procedure each time a further optimum mapping rule is determined.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that characteristic structures or characteristic image values in the images are used for the registration.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the mapping rules compensate for arbitrary geometrical variations of the object, notably translations, rotations, compressions and expansions.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the method is used for the registration of a series of medical images of an object to be examined, notably a series of two-dimensional or three-dimensional images acquired by means of a medical imaging modality.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the method is used for the registration of a series of images, notably images of the brain, that have been acquired by means of functional magnetic resonance tomography.

10. A computer program for carrying out the method claimed in claim 1 and/or for controlling the device claimed in claim 8.

8. A device for the registration of a series of at least three temporally successively acquired images of an object, which device includes a storage unit for storing images and an arithmetic unit for determining individual mapping rules for the transformation of individual images to be registered into registered images, a similarity measure being used for the determination of the mapping rules, characterized in that the arithmetic unit is arranged in such a manner that a common similarity measure of all images is used to determine the mapping rules for the images to be registered.

9. A device for the temporally successive acquisition of a series of medical image data of an examination zone of an object to be examined, which device includes a registration device as disclosed in claim 8.