Three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus and method

• US 20040028265A1
• Filed: 08/07/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nishide, Akihiko
• Application Number:
  US10/636,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20040028265A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators

Abstract

For the purpose of conducting three-dimensional spatial filtering with coefficients dependent upon a pixel value throughout a three-dimensional image, in conducting filtering on the three-dimensional image by a three-dimensional spatial filter, coefficients of the three-dimensional spatial filter are changed according to a property of a pixel value of the three-dimensional image. The property of the pixel value is represented by the pixel-of-interest value, the average pixel value, maximum pixel value, minimum pixel value, or median pixel value of the pixel-of-interest and its neighboring pixels, or the property of the pixel value, the sum of absolute values or the square sum of the differences between pixel values of the pixel-of-interest value and the other pixels.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus for conducting filtering on a three-dimensional image by a three-dimensional spatial filter, comprising:

a coefficient adapting device for changing coefficients of said three-dimensional spatial filter according to a property of a pixel value in said three-dimensional image.

2. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a pixel value of a pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter.

3. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is an average value of pixel values of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and its neighboring pixels.

4. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a maximum value of pixel values of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and its neighboring pixels.

5. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a minimum value of pixel values of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and its neighboring pixels.

6. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a median value of pixel values of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and its neighboring pixels.

7. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a maximum value of absolute values of differences between a pixel value of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and pixel values of its neighboring pixels.

8. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a maximum value of squares of differences between a pixel value of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and pixel values of its neighboring pixels.

9. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a minimum value of absolute values of differences between a pixel value of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and pixel values of its neighboring pixels.

10. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a minimum value of squares of differences between a pixel value of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and pixel values of its neighboring pixels.

11. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a median value of absolute values of differences between a pixel value of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and pixel values of its neighboring pixels.

12. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property is a median value of squares of differences between a pixel value of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and pixel values of its neighboring pixels.

13. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coefficients of the three-dimensional spatial filter are adapted depending upon, as said property, a property of a pixel value of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter or its neighboring pixels.

14. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 13, wherein a standard deviation of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and its neighboring pixels is employed as an indicator of said property.

15. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 13, wherein a sum of absolute values of differences between a pixel value of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and pixel values of its neighboring pixels is employed as an indicator of said property.

16. The three-dimensional spatial filtering apparatus of claim 13, wherein a square sum of differences between a pixel value of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and pixel values of its neighboring pixels is employed as an indicator of said property.

17. A three-dimensional spatial filtering method for conducting filtering on a three-dimensional image by a three-dimensional spatial filter, comprising the step of:

adapting coefficients of said three-dimensional spatial filter according to a property of a pixel value in said three-dimensional image.

18. The three-dimensional spatial filtering method of claim 17, wherein said property is a pixel value of a pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter.

19. The three-dimensional spatial filtering method of claim 17, wherein said property is an average value of pixel values of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and its neighboring pixels.

20. The three-dimensional spatial filtering method of claim 17, wherein said property is a maximum value of pixel values of the pixel-of-interest in the three-dimensional image convoluted with the filter and its neighboring pixels.