Image processing apparatus

• US 7,545,968 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tabatabai; Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US11/271,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20060067590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 382128-134, 382/162, 382/168, 382/235, 382/307, 382/317, 378/4, 378/6, 378 21- 27, 378/94, 378/901, 378/92, 378/98.4, 378/98.6, 378/140, 378/185, 600/407, 600/410, 600/411, 600/412, 600/425, 600/310, 600/473, 600/556, 250/208.4, 250/336.1, 250/366, 250/370.09, 710/69
• US Class Current: 382/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes an image processing circuit having a first mode that corrects an offset between a first image and a second image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize the first image and the second image into a new third image, and a second mode that corrects an offset between the third image and a fourth image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize the third image and the fourth image into a new fifth image.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a sensor constituted by a plurality of elements each of which converts radiation to an electric signal;

a plurality of analog-digital converters for converting the electric signals to partial image data for respective partial image data areas;

a calculation unit which calculates an inclination of a line segment crossing partial image data for respective partial image data areas adjacent to each other, based on inclinations of the partial image data between an edge contacting a boundary of the respective partial image data areas and points which are predetermined distances apart from the edge in the respective partial image data areas, and then calculates a step value based on the inclination; and

an image sensing means for correcting steps between the adjacent partial image data-which are output from the respective analog-digital converters, based on the step value calculated by the calculation unit to obtain an image data.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of elements output electric signals proportional to an incident X-ray intensity.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image sensing means calculates said step value using only pixel values within a range where input/output characteristics of an X-ray sensor panel are linear.

4. An image processing method for constituting an image from a plurality of partial image data for respective image data areas output from a plurality of analog-digital converters, comprising:

using a processor for processing the steps of;

a step of calculating a step value based on an inclination of a line segment crossing partial image data for respective image data areas adjacent to each other, wherein the inclination is calculated based on inclinations of the partial image data between an edge contacting a boundary of the respective partial image data areas and points which are predetermined distances apart from the edge in the respective partial image data areas; and

a step of correcting steps between the adjacent partial image data based on the step value calculated in the calculating step.

5. A computer-readable recording medium, which records a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 4.