Image processing apparatus and control method and program therefor

• US 20050169534A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Naoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,570,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/203
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation

Abstract

Information associated with the shape of an irradiation field candidate area is input from an operation panel. A second irradiation field recognition circuit performs irradiation field recognition on the basis of the information associated with the shape.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus which extracts an irradiation field area in an image taken by radiography, comprising:

input means for inputting information associated with a shape of an irradiation field candidate area; and

second irradiation field recognition means for performing irradiation field recognition on the basis of the information associated with the shape.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second irradiation field recognition means changes an irradiation field recognition method on the basis of the information associated with the shape.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second irradiation field recognition means executes irradiation field recognition for circles when the information associated with the shape indicates a circle, and executes irradiation field recognition for rectangles when the information associated with the shape indicates a rectangle.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said second irradiation field recognition means extracts a plurality of irradiation field end candidate points regarded as located at end portions of an irradiation field, and determines the irradiation field area by applying a curved line to the plurality of irradiation field end candidate points when the information associated with the shape indicates a circle.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said second irradiation field recognition means extracts a plurality of irradiation field end candidate points regarded as located at end portions of an irradiation field, and determines the irradiation field area by applying straight lines to the plurality of irradiation field end candidate points when the information associated with the shape indicates a rectangle.

2. An image processing apparatus which extracts an irradiation field area in an image taken by radiography, comprising:

first irradiation field recognition means for extracting an irradiation field candidate area in the image;

shape analysis means for calculating a feature amount associated with a shape of the irradiation field candidate area extracted by said first irradiation field recognition means and discriminating the shape of the irradiation field candidate area on the basis of the feature amount; and

second irradiation field recognition means for performing irradiation field recognition on the basis of information associated with the shape discriminated by said shape analysis means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said first irradiation field recognition means extracts a plurality of irradiation field end candidate points regarded as located at end portions of an irradiation field, and extracts an area surrounded by the plurality of irradiation field end candidate points as an irradiation field candidate area.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said shape analysis means calculates at least one of a squareness and a circularity as a feature amount associated with the shape of the irradiation field candidate area extracted by said first irradiation field recognition means.

9. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said second irradiation field recognition means changes an irradiation field recognition method on the basis of the information associated with the shape.

10. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said second irradiation field recognition means executes irradiation field recognition for circles when the information associated with the shape indicates a circle, and executes irradiation field recognition for rectangles when the information associated with the shape indicates a rectangle.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said second irradiation field recognition means extracts a plurality of irradiation field end candidate points regarded as located at end portions of an irradiation field, and determines the irradiation field area by applying a curved line to the plurality of irradiation field end candidate points when the information associated with the shape indicates a circle.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said second irradiation field recognition means extracts a plurality of irradiation field end candidate points regarded as located at end portions of an irradiation field, and determines the irradiation field area by applying straight lines to the plurality of irradiation field end candidate points when the information associated with the shape indicates a rectangle.

13. A control method for an image processing apparatus which extracts an irradiation field area in an image taken by radiography, comprising:

an input step of inputting information associated with a shape of an irradiation field candidate area; and

a second irradiation field recognition step of performing irradiation field recognition on the basis of the information associated with the shape.

14. A control method for an image processing apparatus which extracts an irradiation field area in an image taken by radiography, comprising:

a first irradiation field recognition step of extracting an irradiation field candidate area in the image;

a shape analysis step of calculating a feature amount associated with a shape of the irradiation field candidate area extracted in the first irradiation field recognition step and discriminating the shape of the irradiation field candidate area on the basis of the feature amount; and

a second irradiation field recognition step of performing irradiation field recognition on the basis of information associated with the shape discriminated in the shape analysis step.

15. A program for realizing control of an image processing apparatus which extracts an irradiation field area in an image taken by radiography, comprising:

a program code for an input step of inputting information associated with a shape of an irradiation field candidate area; and

a program code for a second irradiation field recognition step of performing irradiation field recognition on the basis of the information associated with the shape.

16. A program for control of an image processing apparatus which extracts an irradiation field area in an image taken by radiography, comprising:

a program code for a first irradiation field recognition step of extracting an irradiation field candidate area in the image;

a program code for a shape analysis step of calculating a feature amount associated with a shape of the irradiation field candidate area extracted in the first irradiation field recognition step and discriminating the shape of the irradiation field candidate area on the basis of the feature amount; and

a program code for a second irradiation field recognition step of performing irradiation field recognition on the basis of information associated with the shape discriminated in the shape analysis step.