Radiographic apparatus and image processing method

• US 5,825,032 A
• Filed: 01/16/1997
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Isao, Kaifu, Noriyuki, Kameshima, Toshio, Ogura, Takashi, Nonaka, Hideki, Endo, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David P.
• Application Number:
  US08/783,864
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 250/366, 250/370.09, 250/370.11, 378/98.8, 378/98.9, 378/98.12
• US Class Current: 250/370.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/325 Image enhancement, e.g. by subtraction techniques using polyenergetic X-rays

Abstract

The present invention relates to a radiographic apparatus and an imaging processing method. The radiographic apparatus has first and second radiation detection units each of which converts information of a radiation image into an electrical signal, and which are arranged in the radiation incidence direction, and an image information combining unit for forming a combined image by combining the two pieces of radiation image information respectively obtained by the first and second radiation detection units.

Claims

1. A radiographic apparatus comprising:

first and second radiation detection units for converting information of a radiation image into an electrical signal, said first and second radiation detection units being arranged one after the other along a radiation incidence direction; and

an image information combining unit for forming a combined image by combining two pieces of radiation image information respectively obtained by said first and second radiation detection units, said information combining unit forming the combined image on the basis of a coordinate difference between the two pieces of radiation image information obtained by position information of a specific image in at least one of the two pieces of image information.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of sensitivity and spatial resolution characteristics of said first radiation detection unit is different from that of said second radiation detection unit.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said image information combining unit combines the two pieces of radiation image information respectively obtained by said first and second radiation detection units at combining ratios determined in advance in units of portions of a radiation image.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image information combining unit executes combining of the two pieces of image information to change a density and an image sharpness of the combined image in units of portions of a radiation image.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first and second radiation detection units are arranged to have a gap therebetween.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an index member used for detecting a coordinate difference between the two pieces of radiation image information respectively obtained by said first and second radiation detection unit.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first radiation detection unit comprises a first scintillator for absorbing radiation and emitting visible light corresponding to energy of the absorbed radiation and a first light detection element for detecting the visible light from said first scintillator, and said second radiation detection unit comprises a second scintillator for absorbing radiation and emitting visible light corresponding to energy of the absorbed radiation and a second light detection element for detecting the visible light from said second scintillator.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least one of sensitivity and sharpness characteristics of said first scintillator is different from that of said second scintillator.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a light-shielding portion arranged between said first and second radiation detection units.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image information combining unit corrects a coordinate difference between the two pieces of image information before combining the two pieces of image information.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image information combining unit removes scattering ray information in the image information before combining the two pieces of image information.

12. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

acquiring two pieces of radiation image information from first and second radiation detection units arranged one after the other along a radiation incidence direction; and

combining the two pieces of radiation image information obtained by the first and second radiation detection units, said combination being performed on the basis of a coordinate difference between the two pieces of radiation image information obtained by position information of a specific image in at least one of the two pieces of image information.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the step of acquiring the radiation image information is executed while at least one of sensitivity and spatial resolution characteristics of said first and second radiation detection units is set to be different from each other.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the step of combining the image information is executed after a coordinate difference between the two pieces of radiation image information is corrected.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein the step of combining the image information is executed after scattering ray information in the image information is removed.

16. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

acquiring two pieces of radiation image information from first and second radiation detection units arranged one after the other along a radiation incidence direction; and

detecting a coordinate difference between the two pieces of radiation image information respectively obtained by the first and second radiation detection units,

wherein said detecting step is executed on the basis of position information of a specific image in at least one image information.

17. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

acquiring two pieces of radiation image information from first and second radiation detection units arranged one after the other along a radiation incidence direction, said first and second radiation detection units being arranged to define a space between them with no member interposed in the space; and

detecting scattering ray information in the image information using the two pieces of radiation image information respectively obtained by said first and second radiation detection units.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the step of detecting the scattering ray information is executed in at least one image information.

19. A method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of removing the scattering ray information from said at last one image information.