X-ray moving image radiographing apparatus

• US 8,842,807 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Urushiya, Hiroyuki, Tsujii, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Artman, Thomas R
• Application Number:
  US13/542,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20120277581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 378/63
• US Class Current: 378/63
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4028 resulting in acquisition of views from substantially different positions, e.g. EBCT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/405 Source units specially adapted to modify characteristics of the beam during the data acquisition process A61B6/4021, A61B6/4035 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4291 the detector being combined with a grid or grating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4417 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/482 involving multiple energy imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5217 extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5247 combining images from an ionising-radiation diagnostic technique and a non-ionising radiation diagnostic technique, e.g. X-ray and ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/547 involving tracking of position of the device or parts of the device

Abstract

An X-ray moving image radiographing apparatus includes an X-ray detector configured to detect an X-ray transmitting through a subject to acquire a subject image, an image processing unit configured to process an X-ray radiographic image output from the X-ray detector, and a control unit configured to capture a mask image by selectively scanning X-ray focal positions of an X-ray source which has a plurality of X-ray focal points so that an X-ray incident angle varies with respect to a target point of the subject, and to capture a moving image after a predetermined work is performed on the subject by selectively scanning X-ray focal positions of the X-ray source similar to the scanning operation used to capture the mask image.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for controlling an X-ray source, the control apparatus comprising:

a first acquisition unit configured to acquire an endoscopic image from an endoscope inserted in a subject;

a second acquisition unit configured to acquire an X-ray image of the endoscope in the subject by detecting with an X-ray detector an X-ray emitted from the X-ray source;

a determination unit configured to determine a position of the endoscope in the subject based on the X-ray image of the endoscope;

a radiation control unit configured to control the X-ray source to emit an X-ray to capture a next X-ray image of the endoscope based on the determined position of the endoscope; and

a display control unit configured to display on a display unit the endoscopic image acquired from the endoscope together with the captured next X-ray image.

2. The control apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the control unit is configured to select an X-ray focal point from a plurality of X-ray focal points of the X-ray source, and

wherein the control apparatus further comprises a storage unit configured to store a correspondence relationship between the X-ray image and the X-ray focal point as a table.

3. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit is further configured to determine a top end of the endoscope as a target point of the subject based on a change between the X-ray image and the next x-ray image.

4. The control apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an image processing unit configured to generate an energy subtraction image from the X-ray image and the next X-ray image,

wherein irradiations for the X-ray image and the next X-ray image are different from each other in X-ray energy.

5. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit is configured to acquire, based on a change between the X-ray image and the next x-ray image, a region where contrast medium is in the subject.

6. An X-ray imaging apparatus comprising:

a control apparatus of claim 1; and

a X-ray detector defining a 2-dimensional detection area configured to detect an X-ray to generate a X-ray image.

7. The X-ray imaging apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a display unit configured to display the X-ray image and the endoscopic image.

8. The X-ray imaging apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a X-ray source having a plurality of X-ray focal points.

9. The X-ray imaging apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

an X-ray detector defining a 2-dimensional detection area and configured to detect an X-ray to generate a X-ray image;

a X-ray source having a plurality of X-ray focal points;

a C-arm member coupled to the X-ray detector at one end and coupled to the X-ray source at another end, configured to rotate the X-ray detector and the X-ray source around the subject.

10. The X-ray imaging apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

an endoscope having a shape insertable into the subject, configured to obtain an endoscopic image inside the subject.

11. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to display the acquired endoscopic image and the acquired X-ray image in which a top end of the endoscope that has captured the acquired endoscopic image is captured.

12. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to display the endoscopic image together with next X-ray image in which a top end of the endoscope is captured.

13. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to chronologically display the X-ray image and the next X-ray image so that a traced top end of the endoscope is captured.

14. The control apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

an image processing unit configured to analyze the X-ray image and the next X-ray image in order to track the top end of the endoscope.

15. A method for controlling an X-ray source, the method comprising;

acquiring an endoscopic image from an endoscope inserted in a subject;

acquiring an X-ray image of the endoscope in the subject by detecting with an X-ray detector an X-ray emitted from the X-ray source;

determining a position of the endoscope in the subject based on the X-ray image;

controlling the X-ray source to emit an X-ray to capture a next X-ray image of the endoscope based on the determined position of the endoscope; and

controlling to display on a display unit the endoscopic image together with the next X-ray image.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program including instructions to cause at least one computer to execute a process for controlling an X-ray source, the program comprising:

instructions for acquiring an endoscopic image from an endoscope inserted in a subject;

instructions for acquiring an X-ray image of the endoscope in the subject by detecting with an X-ray detector an X-ray emitted from the X-ray source;

instructions for determining a position of the endoscope in the subject based on the X-ray image;

instructions for controlling the X-ray source to emit an X-ray to capture a next X-ray image of the endoscope based on the determined position of the endoscope; and

instructions for controlling to display on a display unit the endoscopic image together with the next X-ray image.