Method and apparatus for forming images using orthogonal polynomials for temporal deconvolution

• US 5,249,122 A
• Filed: 03/15/1990
• Issued: 09/28/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University
• Original Assignee: Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University
• Inventors: Stritzke, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail O.
• Application Number:
  US07/494,121
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 364/413.07, 364/715.01
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

The present invention disclose a tool in the form of an array processor, or, in the alternative, a method, wherein, multi-pixel images containing digitized information can be deconvolved in conjunction with other information to extract information contained in multiple time related images or similar time sequential data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the extraction of blood flow rate in an internal organ of a human body by analysis of a time sequence of scintigraphic images taken from the internal organ comprising:

means for digitizing scinitgraphic data, whose amplitude represents the time sequence of activity of a radioactive tracer in the internal organ;

means for storing and retrieving a first plurality of orthonormal functions c_z ;

means for storing and retrieving a second plurality of orthonormal functions d_z having the same number of elements as function c_z ;

means for calculating a set of values f_z from the product of the elements of d_z and the amplitude value of each pixel of each of said images; and

means for calculating said blood flow rate from the sum of the products of each individual element of c_z and f_z.

2. A method of extracting information about blood flow rate in an internal organ from a sequence of digitized scintigraphic images comprising the steps of:

injecting a radioactive tracer into the blood stream;

monitoring scintigraphic activity at an area of interest;

digitizing said scintigraphic activity, whose amplitude represents the time sequence of concentration of said tracer in the blood stream at said area of interest to form a time sequence of images;

identifying a first plurality of orthonormal functions c_z having a number of elements equal to the product of the number of images times the number of orthonormal polynomials used within said c_z functions

applying a second plurality of orthonormal functions d_z having the same number of elements as said function cz to calculate a set of values f_z from the product of the elements of d_z and the amplitude value of each pixel of each of said images; and

calculating said blood flow rate from the sum of the products of each individual element of c_z and f_z.

3. An apparatus for extraction of features of a portion of space by analyzing a time sequence of RADAR system acquired impages, comprising:

means for digitizing RADAR system acquired data in the form of images, said images having pixels whose amplitudes represent the amount of microwave energy returned from the portion of space;

means for computing a first plurality of orthonormal functions, each of said first orthonormal functions having a plurality of first elements, said functions derived from known characterisitcis of said RADAR system;

means for computing a second plurality of orthonormal functions, each of said second orthonormal functions having a plurality of second elements;

means for computing a first product for each pixel element contained in said sequence of images, said first product being computed from each second element of said second plurality of orthonormal functions and pixels from said images; and

means for computing a sum of a second product, said second product computed from each first element of said first orthonormal functions and each element of said first product.

4. A method for the extraction of features contained within a time sequence of RADAR system acquired images, comprising:

digitizing RADAR system acquired data in the form of images, said images having pixels whose amplitudes represent the amount of microwave energy returned from a portion of space;

computing a first plurality of orthonormal functions, each of said first orthonormal functions having a plurality of first elements, said functions derived from known characteristics of said RADAR system;

computing a second plurality of orthonormal functions, each of said second orthonormal functions having a plurality of second elements;

computing a first product for each pixel element contained in said sequence of images, said first product computed from each second element of said second orthonormal functions and pixels from said images;

computing a sum of a second product, said second product computed from each first element of said first orthonormal functions and each element of said first product.

5. An apparatus for the extraction of geophysical details about a selected area by analyzing a time sequence of seismic images comprising:

means for collecting and digitizing seismic data in the form of seismic images, said seismic images having pixels whose amplitudes represent the amount of shock energy returned from the selected area;

means for computing a first plurality of orthonormal functions, each of said first orthonormal functions having a plurality of first elements, said functions being related to the known transfer function of said means for collecting seismic data;

means for computing a second plurality of orthonormal functions, each of said second orthonormal functions having a plurality of second elements;

means for computing a first product for each pixel element contained in said sequence of images, said first product being computed from each second element of said second plurality of orthonormal functions and pixels from said images; and

means for computing a sum of a second product, said second product computed from each first element of said first orthonormal functions and each element of said first product.

6. A method for the extraction of geophysical details contained within a time sequence of seismic images acquired with a means for collecting seismic data, comprising:

collecting and digitizing seismic data in the form of images, said images having pixels whose amplitudes represent the amount of shock energy returned from an area to be surveyed;

computing a first plurality of orthonormal functions, each of said first orthonormal functions having a plurality of first elements, said first orthonormal functions being related to the known transfer function of said means for collecting seismic data;

computing a second plurality of orthonormal functions, each of said second functions having a pluurality of second elements;

computing a first product for each pixel element contained in said sequence of images, said first product computed from each second element of said second orthonormal functions and pixels from said images;

computing a sum of a second product, said second product computed from each first element of said first orthonormal functions and each element of said first product.