Radiation image processing apparatus, image processing system, radiation image processing method, storage medium, and program

• US 7,142,705 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Hitoshi, Nokita, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jingge
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, CHONG R
• Application Number:
  US10/131,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20030016854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,678 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5252 removing objects from field of view, e.g. removing patient table from a CT image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/10 using non-spatial domain filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/70 Denoising; Smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/77 Retouching; Inpainting; Scratch removal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/68 applied to defects
• 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

Abstract

The disclosure is made for an apparatus for processing a radiation image of an object obtained by radiography using a grid which is used to remove scattered radiation from the object.

The apparatus includes generation means for generating image components due to the grid on the basis of data of the radiation image, to remove the image components due to the grid from the radiation image.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a radiation image of an object obtained by radiography using a grid which is used to remove scattered radiation from the object, to remove image components due to the grid, comprising:

generation means for generating the image components due to the grid on the basis of a predetermined radiation image; and

removal means for executing a removal process of the image components for a plurality of radiation images on the basis of the image components of said predetermined radiation image obtained by said generation means,

wherein said generation means comprises analysis means for analyzing the predetermined radiation image to obtain a spatial frequency and an angle of a periodic pattern that the image components form;

wherein said generation means farther comprises;

extraction means for extracting predetermined components containing the image components from the predetermined radiation image on the basis of an analysis result of said analysis means; and

processing means for processing the predetermined components obtained by said extraction means to obtain the image components;

wherein said removal means removes the image components obtained by said processing means from the plurality of radiation images.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said removal means executes the removal process of the image components for a plurality of radiation images using identical image components obtained by said generation means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generation means generates the image components on the basis of a feature that the image components superposed on the predetermined radiation image are steady.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said extraction means executes filtering for extracting components having the spatial frequency obtained by said analysis means from the predetermined radiation image.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing means executes a process for estimating and processing an unsteady portion of the predetermined components from steady portions before and after the unsteady portion as the process of the predetermined components.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said processing means detects the unsteady portion on the basis of envelope information of the predetermined components.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said processing means estimates an amplitude and phase of a sine

wave corresponding to the image components on the basis of the steady portions of the predetermined components before and after the unsteady portion, and the spatial frequency, and mends the unsteady portion on the basis of the estimation result.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said processing means obtains the image components by executing another filtering of the mended predetermined components.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said processing means obtains the image components by substituting an unsteady portion that satisfies a predetermined condition in the unsteady portion by a predetermined value.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generation means executes the generation process of the image components for a predetermined line selected from the predetermined radiation image.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said generation means executes the generation process for a resulted line data obtained by averaging a plurality of lines selected from the predetermined radiation image.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said generation means executes the generation process of the image components for the predetermined line which is representative of a plurality of lines of the predetermined radiation image.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, farther comprising:

image extraction means for extracting a partial image corresponding to a radiation irradiation field from the predetermined radiation image, and

wherein said generation means generates the image components of the partial image obtained by said image extraction means.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, farther comprising:

detection means for detecting if the grid is used for radiography, and

wherein said generation means executes the process on the basis of a detection result of said detection means.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, farther comprising:

image storage means for storing radiation images obtained by removing the image components generated by said generation means from the plurality of radiation images.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, farther comprising:

image sensing means for capturing the plurality of radiation images by a solid-state image sensing element having an image-receiving surface with a size within which a spatial distribution of radiation, at the image-receiving surface, corresponding to the object to be captured falls.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, farther comprising:

image component storage means for storing the image components generated by said generation means.

18. A system for processing a radiation image of an object obtained by radiography using a grid which is used to remove scattered radiation from the object, to remove image components due to the grid, said system being built by connecting a plurality of apparatuses intercommunicatably, comprising:

generation means for generating the image components due to the grid on the basis of a predetermined radiation image; and

removal means for executing a removal process of the image components for a plurality of radiation images on the basis of the image components of said predetermined radiation image obtained by said generation means,

wherein said generation means comprises analysis means for analyzing the predetermined radiation image to obtain a spatial frequency and an angle fo a periodic pattern that the image components form;

wherein said generation means farther comprises;

extraction means for extracting predetermined components containing the image components from the predetermined radiation image on the basis of an analysis result of said analysis means; and

processing means for processing the predetermined components obtained by said extraction means to obtain the image components;

wherein said removal means removes the image components obtained by said processing means from the plurality of radiation images.

19. A method of processing a radiation image of an object obtained by radiography using a grid which is used to remove scattered radiation from the object, to remove image components due to the grid, comprising:

a generation step of generating the image components due to the grid on the basis of a predetermined radiation image; and

a removal step of executing a removal process of the image components for a plurality of radiation images on the basis of the image components of said predetermined radiation image obtained in said generation step,

wherein said generation step comprises analysis step for analyzing the predetermined radiation image to obtain a spatial frequency and an angle of a periodic pattern that the image components form;

wherein said generation step further comprises;

an extraction step of extracting predetermined components containing the image components from the predetermined radiation image on the basis of an analysis result of said analysis step; and

a processing step of processing the predetermined components obtained in said extraction step to obtain the image components;

wherein said removal step removes the image components obtained in said processing step from the plurality of radiation images.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for making a computer function as means of an apparatus for processing a radiation image of an object obtained by radiography using a grid which is used to remove scattered radiation from the object, to remove image components due to the grid, said apparatus comprising:

generation means for generating the image components due to the grid on the basis of a predetermined radiation image; and

removal means for executing a removal process of the image components for a plurality of radiation images on the basis of the image components of said predetermined radiation image obtained by said generation means,

wherein said generation means comprises analysis means for analyzing the predetermined radiation image to obtain a spatial frequency and an angle of a periodic pattern that the image components form;

wherein said generation means further comprises;

extraction means for extracting predetermined components containing the image components from the predetermined radiation image on the basis of an analysis result of said analysis means; and

processing means for processing the predetermined components obtained by said extraction means to obtain the image components;

wherein said removal means removes the image components obtained by said processing means from the plurality of radiation images.

21. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for making a computer execute a step of method of processing a radiation image of an object obtained by radiography using a grid which is used to remove scattered radiation from the object, to remove image components due to the grid, said method comprising:

a generation step of generating image components due to the grid on the basis of a predetermined radiation image; and

a removal step of executing a removal process of the image components for a plurality of radiation images on the basis of the image components of said predetermined radiation image obtained in said generation step,

wherein said generation step comprises analysis step for analyzing the predetermined radiation image to obtain a spatial frequency and an angle of a periodic pattern that the image components form;

wherein said generation step further comprises;

an extraction step of extracting predetermined components containing the image components from the predetermined radiation image on the basis of an analysis result of said analysis step; and

a processing step of processing the predetermined components obtained in said extraction step to obtain the image components;

wherein said removal step removes the image components obtained in said processing step from the plurality of radiation images.

22. A program stored on a computer-readable medium for making a computer function as means of an apparatus for processing a radiation image of an object obtained by radiography using a grid which is used to remove scattered radiation from the object, to remove image components due to the grid, said apparatus comprising:

generation means for generating the image components due to the grid on the basis of a predetermined radiation image; and

removal means for executing a removal process of the image components for a plurality of radiation images on the

basis of the image components of said predetermined radiation image obtained by said generation means,

wherein said generation means comprises analysis means for analyzing the predetermined radiation image to obtain a spatial frequency and an angle of a periodic pattern that the image components form;

wherein said generation means further comprises;

extraction means for extracting predetermined components containing the image components from the predetermined radiation image on the basis of an analysis result of said analysis means; and

processing means for processing the predetermined components obtained by said extraction means to obtain the image components;

wherein said removal means removes the image components obtained by said processing means from the plurality of radiation images.

23. A program stored on a computer-readable medium for making a computer execute a step of method of processing a radiation image of an object obtained by radiography using a grid which is used to remove scattered radiation from the object, to remove image components due to the grid, said method comprising:

a generation step of generating the image components due to the grid on the basis of a predetermined radiation image; and

a removal step of executing a removal process of the image components for a plurality of radiation images on the

basis of the image components of said predetermined radiation image obtained in said generation step,

wherein said generation step comprises analysis step for analyzing the predetermined radiation image to obtain a spatial frequency and an angle of a periodic pattern that the image components form;

wherein said generation step further comprises;

an extraction step of extracting predetermined components containing the image components from the predetermined radiation image on the basis of an analysis result of said analysis step; and

a processing step of processing the predetermined components obtained in said extraction step to obtain the image components;

wherein said removal step removes the image components obtained in said processing step from the plurality of radiation images.