Image buffers and access schedules for image reconstruction systems

• US 20050047637A1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Barford, Lee A., Jefferson, Stanley T., Greenbaum, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 7,436,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/005 Specific pre-processing for tomographic reconstruction, e.g. calibration, source positioning, rebinning, scatter correction, retrospective gating
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/436 Limited angle

Abstract

A system and method utilize data buffers and data access schedules to improve handling of captured image data of an object under inspection for tomosynthetically processing such captured image data to reconstruct desired cross-sectional images therefrom. One embodiment implements a data buffer communicatively coupled to a radiographic imaging system that allows for storage of captured radiographic image data for at least a portion of multiple different projections of an object under inspection, such as image data associated with one or more angles of view of one or more different regions of the object, and then later that stored data may be used for tomosynthetically reconstructing cross-sectional images for the object under inspection.

Claims

1. A method for reconstructing cross-sectional images from captured radiographic image data, said method comprising:

capturing radiographic image data for a first region of an object under inspection;

storing said captured radiographic image data for said first region to a data buffer;

capturing radiographic image data for a second region of said object under inspection before processing said captured radiographic image data for said first region for reconstructing a cross-sectional image of said first region; and

processing said captured radiographic image data for said first region and said captured radiographic image data for said second region to reconstruct at least one cross-sectional image of said first and second regions of said object.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing said processing of said captured radiographic image data for said first region and said captured radiographic image data for said second region in accordance with a pre-defined data access schedule to tomosynthetically reconstruct at least one cross-sectional image of said first and second regions of said object.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising:

capturing said radiographic image data for said first region and said radiographic image data for said second region in parallel.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising:

capturing said radiographic image data for said first region of the object under inspection at a first multi-detector array; and

capturing said radiographic image data for said second region of the object under inspection at a second multi-detector array.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said capturing radiographic image data for said first region of the object under inspection comprises:

capturing radiographic image data for said first region at a first angle of view.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

determining whether a desired number of different angles of view of said first region are stored to said data buffer; and

responsive to determining that said desired number of different angles of view of said first region are stored to said data buffer, triggering said processing of said radiographic image data of said first region to reconstruct said at least one cross-sectional image thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing to said data buffer the captured radiographic image data for said second region of said object under inspection.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising:

storing to said data buffer the captured radiographic image data for said second region of said object under inspection before processing said captured radiographic image data for said first region for reconstructing a cross-sectional image of said first region.

9. A system comprising:

an image capture system operable to capture radiographic image data at a plurality of different projections of an object under inspection;

at least one image reconstruction processor operable to process captured radiographic image data for tomosynthetic reconstruction of cross-sectional images of the object under inspection; and

a data buffer to which captured radiographic image data from said image capture system is stored, wherein said data buffer comprises a plurality of segments, each for storing radiographic image data for a different projection of said object under inspection.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising:

a scheduler that controls processing of the captured radiographic image data, wherein radiographic image data of multiple ones of said plurality of different projections are stored to said data buffer before any of said multiple ones of said plurality of different projections are processed by said at least one image reconstruction processor.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said plurality of different projections comprises radiographic image data of a plurality of different regions of said object under inspection.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said plurality of different projections comprises radiographic image data of at least one region of said object under inspection at a plurality of different angles of view.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said scheduler is operable to determine whether a target number of different projections for a region are stored to said data buffer, and upon determining that said target number of different projections for said region are stored to said data buffer, communicate said radiographic image data of said target number of different projections of said region to said at least one image reconstruction processor.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein said image capture system comprises:

a plurality of multi-detector arrays operable to simultaneously capture multiple ones of said plurality of different projections.

15. A system comprising:

means for capturing radiographic image data at a plurality of different projections of at least one region of an object under inspection;

means for storing said captured radiographic image data of said plurality of different projections of said at least one region;

means for processing the captured radiographic image data to tomosynthetically reconstruct a cross-sectional image of said at least one region; and

means for determining whether captured radiographic image data for a target number of said different projections of at least a first one of said at least one region is stored to said means for storing, and if said target number of said different projections of said at least a first one of said at least one region is stored to said means for storing, triggering processing of said captured radiographic image data of said at least a first one of said at least one region by the processing means.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said plurality of different projections comprises radiographic image data of a plurality of different regions of said object under inspection.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said plurality of different projections comprises radiographic image data of said at least one region of said object under inspection at a plurality of different angles of view.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said means for capturing radiographic image data comprises:

a plurality of multi-detector arrays operable to simultaneously capture multiple ones of said plurality of different projections.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein means for storing comprises a data buffer having a plurality of segments, each for storing radiographic image data for a different projection of said object under inspection.

20. A method comprising:

imaging at least one region of an object under inspection at a plurality of different projections;

storing image data for at least a first projection of said at least one region to a first segment of a data buffer;

storing image data for at least a second projection of said at least one region to a second segment of said data buffer;

determining whether image data for a target number of different projections of at least a first one of said at least one region is stored to said data buffer; and

if determined that image data for said target number of different projections of said at least a first one of said at least one region is stored to said data buffer, triggering processing of said image data of said at least a first one of said at least one region for tomosynthetically reconstructing a cross-sectional image of said at least a first one of said at least one region.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said imaging said at least one region of said object under inspection comprises:

capturing radiographic image data for multiple ones of said plurality of different projections concurrently.

22. The method of claim 21 comprising:

storing said captured radiographic image data for said multiple ones of said plurality of different projections to said data buffer.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein said imaging at least one region of an object under inspection at a plurality of different projections comprises:

capturing radiographic image data for said at least a first one of said at least one region at a first angle of view.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein said determining whether image data for a target number of different projections of at least a first one of said at least one region is stored to said data buffer comprises:

determining whether image data for a sufficient number of different projections for tomosynthetically reconstructing at least one desired cross-sectional image of said at least a first one of said at least one region is stored to said data buffer.