Method and apparatus for bone morphometry and a morphometric bone assay system
First Claim
1. A bone-morphometric apparatus comprising, in combination:
- automatic image read means for automatically reading the bone-morphometric data of the image of a sample bone formed on an X-ray film by irradiating the sample bone together with a given standard matter with X-rays, through the illumination of the image and the detection of the quantity of light transmitted through the image wherein said automatic image read means comprises automatic film feed means for feeding the X-ray film;
linear light source means for emitting light to illuminate the X-ray film; and
linear image detecting means for detecting the quantity of transmitted light transmitted through the X-ray film;
image storage means for storing the bone-morphometric data of the image of the sample bone obtained by the automatic image read means;
arithmetic means for processing the bone-morphometric data of the image stored in the image storage means for bone morphometry; and
bone-morphometric data output means for providing the results of bone morphometry obtained through the operation of the arithmetic means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A bone-morphometric apparatus (20) is provided with a bone-morphometric data processing unit (32), including at least an image storage unit, such as an image memory (56), a microprocessor unit (60), and an input unit for entering reference points to specify an object measuring region. The data processing unit (32) stores either digital data of an X-ray image (22a) of a sample bone formed on an X-ray film (22) simultaneously with an image of a given standard block (11), obtained by illuminating the X-ray film with illuminating light from a light source (41) and automatically detecting the quantity of light transmitted through the image (22a) by an image detector (42), or digital data of a radiographic image of the sample bone obtained by a radiographic image-forming apparatus (90) in the image storage unit, so as to subject the stored digital data to arithmetic operation, to thereby obtain bone-morphometric data. At least one bone-morphometric apparatus (20) may be connected to a morphometric bone assay apparatus (351) by means of a communications means (350), in order to constitute a morphometric bone assay system.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A bone-morphometric apparatus comprising, in combination:
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automatic image read means for automatically reading the bone-morphometric data of the image of a sample bone formed on an X-ray film by irradiating the sample bone together with a given standard matter with X-rays, through the illumination of the image and the detection of the quantity of light transmitted through the image wherein said automatic image read means comprises automatic film feed means for feeding the X-ray film;
linear light source means for emitting light to illuminate the X-ray film; and
linear image detecting means for detecting the quantity of transmitted light transmitted through the X-ray film;image storage means for storing the bone-morphometric data of the image of the sample bone obtained by the automatic image read means; arithmetic means for processing the bone-morphometric data of the image stored in the image storage means for bone morphometry; and bone-morphometric data output means for providing the results of bone morphometry obtained through the operation of the arithmetic means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 21, 22, 23)
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8. A bone-morphometric apparatus comprising, in combination:
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automatic image read means for automatically reading the bone-morphometric data of the image of a sample bone formed on an X-ray film by irradiating the sample bone together with a given standard matter with X-rays, through the illumination of the image and the detection of the quantity of light transmitted through the image wherein said automatic image read means comprises; light source means for emitting light for illuminating the X-ray film; image detecting means for detecting the quantity of transmitted light transmitted through the X-ray film; region search means for searching the image of the given standard matter for a region that transmits a quantity of light meeting predetermined conditions; first decision means for making a decision as to whether or not a range of the quantity of transmitted light for an object measuring region for bone morphometry is included in the range of the quantity of transmitted light for the region in the image of the standard matter; second decision means for making a decision as to whether or not the quantity of light transmitted through the object measuring region and the quantity of light transmitted through the standard matter meet a given resolution; and illuminating light adjusting means for adjusting the quantity of light to be emitted by said light source means on the basis of the decision made by the first decision means; image storage means for storing the bone-morphometric data of the image of the sample bone obtained by the automatic image read means; arithmetic means for processing the bone-morphometric data of the image stored in the image storage means for bone morphometry; and bone-morphometric data output means for providing the results of bone morphometry obtained through the operation of the arithmetic means. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A bone-morphometric apparatus comprising, in combination:
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automatic image read means for automatically reading the bone-morphometric data of the image of a sample bone formed on an X-ray film by irradiating the sample bone together with a given standard matter with X-rays, through the illumination of the image and the detection of the quantity of light transmitted through the image wherein said automatic image read means comprises; automatic film feed means for automatically feeding the X-ray film; linear light source means extended perpendicularly to a film feed direction in which the X-ray film is fed, to emit illuminating light for illuminating the X-ray film; linear image detecting means for detecting the quantity of transmitted light transmitted through the X-ray film; and image read region setting means for setting a distance a from a reference position with respect to the film feed direction for the skipping feed of the X-ray film, a distance b for the image reading feed of the X-ray film, on the extension of the distance a, a distance c from a reference position with respect to a direction perpendicular to the film feed direction along the direction perpendicular to the film feed direction and an image scanning distance d on the extension of the distance c; image storage means for storing the bone-morphometric data of the image of the sample bone obtained by the automatic image read means; arithmetic means for processing the bone-morphometric data of the image stored in the image storage means for bone morphometry; and bone-morphometric data output means for providing the results of bone morphometry obtained through the operation of the arithmetic means. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A bone-morphometric apparatus comprising, in combination:
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automatic image read means for automatically reading the bone-morphometric data of the image of a sample bone formed on an X-ray film by irradiating the sample bone together with a given standard matter with X-rays, through the illumination of the image and the detection of the quantity of light transmitted through the image;
wherein said automatic image read means comprises;automatic film feed means for automatically feeding the X-ray film; linear light source means extended perpendicularly to a film feed direction in which the X-ray film is fed, to emit illuminating light for illuminating the X-ray film; linear image detecting means for detecting the quantity of transmitted light transmitted through the X-ray film; coarse image-read means for coarsely reading images including those of the standard matter and the sample bone formed in a wide object measuring region to obtain the data of picture elements in a coarse distribution while the X-ray film is being fed by the automatic film feed means; display means for displaying a coarse picture represented by the data obtained by the coarse image-read means; object measuring region specifying means for specifying narrow object measuring regions respectively including the respective small portions of the images of the standard matter and the sample bone in the coarse picture displayed by the display means; and minute image-read means for reading portions of the images of the standard matter and the sample bone in the narrow object measuring regions specified by the object measuring region specifying means in a dense picture element distribution by said image detecting means while the X-ray film is being fed by said automatic film feed means; image storage means for storing the bone-morphometric data of the image of the sample bone obtained by the automatic image read means; arithmetic means for processing the bone-morphometric data of the image stored in the image storage means for bone morphometry; and bone-morphometric data output means for providing the results of bone morphometry obtained through the operation of the arithmetic means. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A bone-morphometric apparatus comprising, in combination:
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automatic image read means for automatically reading the bone-morphometric data of the image of a sample bone formed on an X-ray film by irradiating the sample bone together with a given standard matter with X-rays, through the illumination of the image and the detection of the quantity of light transmitted through the image wherein said automatic image read means comprises; light source means for emitting light to illuminate the X-ray film; image detecting means for detecting the quantity of transmitted light transmitted through the X-ray film; light quantity control means for controlling the quantity of illuminating light for illuminating the X-ray film; detecting means for detecting a portion of the image of the standard matter corresponding to the thicker end of the standard matter by measuring the quantity of light transmitted through a portion of the image of the standard matter corresponding to the vicinity of the thickest end of the standard matter, during the application of a given smaller quantity of L0 of illuminating light to the same portion of the image corresponding to the vicinity of the thickest end of the standard matter; and measuring means for measuring the quantity of transmitted light transmitted through the image of the standard matter formed on the X-ray film, during the application of a given larger quantity L of illuminating light to the image of the standard matter, to determine the relation between the quantity of transmitted light and the distance from the thicker end of the image of the standard matter; image storage means for storing the bone-morphometric data of the image of the sample bone obtained by the automatic image read means; arithmetic means for processing the bone-morphometric data of the image stored in the image storage means for bone morphometry; and bone-morphometric data output means for providing the results of bone morphometry obtained through the operation of arithmetic means.
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24. A morphometric bone assay system comprising:
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a bone-morphometric apparatus for the bone morphometric sample bone; first transmission means for transmitting bone-morphometric data obtained by the bone morphometry of the sample bone as output data; morphometric bone assay means for storing the bone-morphometric data transmitted by the first transmission means thereto and for performing the morphometric bone assay of the sample bone by using the stored bone-morphometric data in combination with corresponding previously stored bone-morphometric data and, if need be, other stored data; and second transmission means for transmitting the results of the morphometric bone assay of the sample bone provided by the morphometric bone assay means to the bone-morphometric apparatus; wherein said bone-morphometric apparatus is provided with self-diagnostic means for diagnosing its own operating condition. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A bone-morphometric method comprising:
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an image reading step of reading a radiographic image of a sample bone formed by irradiating the sample bone with radioactive rays and recording the transmitted radioactive rays transmitted through the sample bone; a pattern smoothing step of obtaining a first smoothed density pattern by obtaining a plurality of density patterns of said radiographic image recorded with respect to a predetermined object measuring region thereof along a plurality of different scanning lines, and by averaging the plurality of density patterns of said radiographic image at predetermined points where the plurality of substantially parallel scanning lines cross a line extending longitudinally through said radiographic image, so as to be substantially perpendicular to said plurality of scanning lines; a data converting step of converting the data representing the first smoothed density pattern into those represented by the thickness of a standard matter to obtain a converted density pattern; and an arithmetic step of operating the data representing the converted density pattern for the bone morphometry of the sample bone. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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32. A bone-morphometric method for bone morphometry of a sample bone, comprising illuminating an X-ray film carrying respective images of a sample bone and a given standard matter having varying thickness formed simultaneously thereon, and using a quantity of light transmitted through a X-ray film, characterized in:
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determining a region in the image of the standard matter transmitting a quantity of transmitted light meeting a given condition; making a first decision as to whether or not the range for the quantity of light transmitted through an object measuring region is included in a range for the quantity of light transmitted through a region in the image of the standard matter determined in the region determining step; making a second decision as to whether or not the quantity of light transmitted through the object measuring region and the corresponding quantity of light transmitted through the image of the standard matter meet a given resolution; and adjusting the quantity of illuminating light to be applied to the X-ray film according to the second decision. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35)
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36. A bone-morphometric method for the bone morphometry of a sample bone, comprising illuminating an X-ray film carrying the respective images of a sample bone and a give standard matter having varying matter formed simultaneously thereon, and using a quantity of transmitted light transmitted through the X-ray film, characterized in:
applying a predetermined smaller quantity L0 of illuminating light to a portion of an image of the standard matter corresponding to the vicinity of the thicker end of the standard matter, detecting the quantity of transmitted light transmitted through the portion of the image of the standard matter to detect the thicker end of the image of the standard matter, applying a predetermined larger quantity L of illuminating light greater than the quantity L0 to the image of the standard matter to determine the relationship between the thickness of the standard matter and the gradation of the image of the same on the basis of the relation between the quantity of light transmitted through the image of the standard matter and the distance from the detected end of the same.
Specification