Dental panoramic X-ray imaging apparatus

• US 5,784,429 A
• Filed: 07/02/1997
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nihon University Educational Association
• Original Assignee: J Morita Manufacturing
• Inventors: Arai, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, DON KITSUN
• Application Number:
  US08/886,956
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 378/38-40, 378/4, 378/21, 378/23, 378/24, 378/25, 378/26, 378/901, 378/98.5, 378/98.6, 378/98.8, 378/98
• US Class Current: 378/38
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/51 for dentistry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5241 combining overlapping images of the same imaging modality, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/419 computed tomograph
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/046 using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 42/02 using X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/32 Transforming X-rays cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from X-rays H04N23/30; circuitry of SSIS for transforming X-rays into image signals H04N25/30
• CPC Class Codes: H05G 1/64 Circuit arrangements for X-ray apparatus incorporating image intensifiers

Abstract

A dental panoramic X-ray imaging apparatus which can use wide X-ray beams and obtain a tomographic image with a reduced level of blur is provided.

By using image information detected by an X-ray image detector, tomographic images which are eight in total and correspond to plural tomographic planes arranged at predetermined intervals along the X-ray irradiation direction, for example, eight tomographic planes are calculated. Next, attention is paid to a specific one of the eight tomographic images, and a convolution process is conducted by using image information of one or more of the tomographic images, thereby removing blur from the specific tomographic image. Furthermore, the blur removal is conducted on two or more of the tomographic images, and the tomographic images from which blur is removed are summed each other so as to obtain a final synthesized tomographic image.

Claims

1. A dental panoramic X-ray imaging apparatus comprising:

an X-ray source for irradiating an object with X-rays;

X-ray image detecting means for detecting an image of X-rays which have passed through the object;

swivel means for integrally swiveling the X-ray source and the X-ray detecting means around the object;

image storing means for storing image information output from the X-ray detecting means during a period when the swivel means operates; and

image processing means for on the basis of image information stored in the image storing means, forming a tomographic image along a desired tomographic plane and conducting a calculation process on the tomographic image,

wherein plural tomographic images corresponding to plural tomographic planes which are arranged at predetermined intervals along a direction of the X-ray irradiation are calculated, a convolution process or a frequency process is conducted on a specific tomographic image by using image information of at least one of the tomographic images, and thereby blur from the specific tomographic image is removed.

2. The dental panoramic X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein removal of blur is conducted on two or more images of the tomographic images, and the tomographic images from which blur has been removed are summed each other to obtain a synthesized tomographic image.