IMAGE ANALYSIS APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE ANALYSIS PROGRAM STORAGE MEDIUM, IMAGE PROCESSING PROGRAM STORAGE MEDIUM, IMAGE ANALYSIS METHOD AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20090087058A1
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: IHARA, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/457 by analysing connectivity, e.g. edge linking, connected component analysis or slices
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/03 Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

Plural sectional images are acquired at a plurality of slice positions arranged in a predetermined direction in a subject. Each of the plural sectional images acquired by the image acquisition section is binarized based on a predetermined reference image density. Each image included in the sectional images binarized by the binarizing section is classified into a first image group having the images inside the subject and a second image group having the images outside the subject, based on the relative position of the each image from the other images in the same sectional image and also the relative position of the each image from other images contained in another sectional images.

Claims

1. An image analysis apparatus comprising:

an image acquisition section that acquires a plurality of sectional images at each of a plurality of slice positions arranged in a predetermined direction in a subject;

a binarizing section that binarizes each of the plurality of sectional images acquired by the image acquisition section, based on a predetermined reference image density; and

a classification section that classifies each image contained in the sectional image binarized by the binarizing section into a first image group having the images inside the subject and a second image group having the images outside the subject, based on the relative position of the each image from the other images in the same sectional image and also the relative position of the each image from other images contained in another sectional images.

2. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the classification section classifies a series of images continuous over a plurality of sectional images into the same image group.

3. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in the case where an image in one sectional image surrounds another image, the classification section classifies these images into the same image group.

4. The image analysis apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the classification section reclassifies, among the images having been classified into the second image group, an image that is inserted between the images classified into the first image group in a sectional image containing the image and that is sandwiched as well in the predetermined direction by the images classified into the first image group, as the first image group.

5. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image acquisition section that acquires a plurality of sectional images at each of a plurality of slice positions arranged in a predetermined direction in a subject;

a binarizing section that binarizes each of the plurality of the sectional images acquired by the image acquisition section, based on a predetermined reference image density;

a classification section that classifies each image contained in the sectional image binarized by the binarizing section into a first image group having the images inside the subject and a second image group having the images outside the subject, based on the relative position of the each image from the other images in the same sectional image and also the relative position of the each image from other images contained in another sectional images; and

an image processing section that removes the second image group included in each of the plurality of the sectional images.

6. An image analysis program storage medium that stores an image analysis program which is executed in a computer, and which constructs on the computer,

an image acquisition section that acquires a plurality of sectional images at each of a plurality of slice positions arranged in a predetermined direction in a subject;

a binarizing section that binarizes each of the plurality of the sectional images acquired by the image acquisition section, based on a predetermined reference image density; and

a classification section that classifies each image contained in the sectional image binarized by the binarizing section into a first image group having the images inside the subject and a second image group having the images outside the subject, based on the relative position of the each image from the other images in the same sectional image and also the relative position of the each image from other images contained in another sectional images.

7. An image processing program storage medium that stores an image processing program which is executed in a computer, and which constructs on the computer,

an image acquisition section that acquires a plurality of sectional images at each of a plurality of slice positions arranged in a predetermined direction in a subject;

a binarizing section that binarizes each of the plurality of the sectional images acquired by the image acquisition section, based on a predetermined reference image density;

a classification section that classifies each image contained in the sectional image binarized by the binarizing section into a first image group having the images inside the subject and a second image group having the images outside the subject, based on the relative position of the each image from the other images in the same sectional image and also the relative position of the each image from other images contained in another sectional images; and

an image processing section that removes the second image group covered in each of the plurality of the sectional images.

8. An image analysis method comprising the steps of:

acquiring a plurality of sectional images at each of a plurality of slice positions arranged in a predetermined direction inside a subject;

binarizing each of the plurality of the sectional images acquired by the image acquisition step, based on a predetermined reference image density; and

classifying each image contained in the sectional image binarized by the binarizing section into a first image group having the images inside the subject and a second image group having the images outside the subject, based on the relative position of the each image from the other images in the same sectional image and also the relative position of the each image from other images contained in another sectional images.

9. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

acquiring a plurality of sectional images at each of a plurality of slice positions arranged in a predetermined direction in a subject;

binarizing each of the plurality of sectional images acquired by the image acquisition step, based on a predetermined reference image density;

classifying each image contained in the sectional image binarized by the binarizing section into a first image group having the images inside the subject and a second image group having the images outside the subject, based on the relative position of the each image from the other images in the same sectional image and also the relative position of the each image from other images contained in another sectional images; and

removing the second image group included in each of the plurality of the sectional images.