Method for automatic foreground and background detection in digital radiographic images
First Claim
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1. A method for automatically segmenting desired regions in a digital radiographic image signal from undesired regions, comprising the steps of:
- providing a digital radiographic image signal including a foreground region, a background region, and an object region;
detecting edges in the image signal based on a morphological edge detector;
decomposing said image signal into a set of nonoverlapping, contiguous blocks of pixel signals;
classifying a block of pixel signals to be homogeneous or nonhomogeneous as a function of its edge density and variance;
applying a set of syntactic rules to detect the nonhomogeneous blocks of pixel signals in the foreground/background, as well as the homogeneous blocks of pixel signals in the object;
refining the blocks consisting of a mixture of object and foreground/background; and
producing a segmented image signal.
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Abstract
A digital image processing method automatically separates (segments) the desired regions in a digital radiographic image (i.e., the body part being imaged) from the undesired regions (background areas around the body part that have received unattenuated radiation or foreground areas that have received very little radiation due to the use of radiation limiting devices). The method includes the steps of edge detection, block generation, block classification, block refinement and bit map generation.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for automatically segmenting desired regions in a digital radiographic image signal from undesired regions, comprising the steps of:
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providing a digital radiographic image signal including a foreground region, a background region, and an object region; detecting edges in the image signal based on a morphological edge detector; decomposing said image signal into a set of nonoverlapping, contiguous blocks of pixel signals; classifying a block of pixel signals to be homogeneous or nonhomogeneous as a function of its edge density and variance; applying a set of syntactic rules to detect the nonhomogeneous blocks of pixel signals in the foreground/background, as well as the homogeneous blocks of pixel signals in the object; refining the blocks consisting of a mixture of object and foreground/background; and producing a segmented image signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification