Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

General Electric Company

Oki Data Corporation

Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology, LLC

Ge Yokogawa Medical Systems, Limited

Nippon Hume Pipe Company Limited

Akira Hagiwara

Akihiko Nishide

Kotoko Morikawa

Makoto Gohno

Toru Kosaka

Yasuhiro Imai

Tetsuya Horiuchi

Kenichi Nishizawa

Masao Yaji

Jiang Hsieh

Saad Ahmed Sirohey

Kazuhiko Sato

Tadashi Kasai

Jiro Tanuma

Paul Edgar Licato

Masatake Nukui

Hideaki Ishimizu

Xueli Wang

Naoji Akutsu

Mark Vincent Profio

Yoshiaki Ishii

Mitsuru Yahata

Ryosuke Fujimoto

Karen Procknow

Eiji Wagatsuma

Yasuhiro Shirai

Olga Imas

Srinivas Aluri

Yusuke Satta

Yasuhiro Shinoda

Tsuyoshi Ogata

Tsuneto Takaso

Yoshifumi Takahashi

A radiation tomography system is provided that includes a control unit to control a data collection system to acquire first data by scanning a first scan region centered on a first position in a body axis direction of a subject in synchronization with heartbeats, and second data by scanning a second scan region adjacent to the first scan region and centered on a second position in the body axis direction in synchronization with the heartbeats. A reconstructing unit is provided to reconstruct an image of a slice between the first position and second positions using the first and second data. The reconstructing unit determines a view-angle-range-based use rate for the first data and a view-angle-range-based use rate for the second data according to the position of the slice relative to the first and second positions.

Radiation tomography apparatus and program for cardiac-gated imaging

To reduce variability in a result of correction by beam-hardening correction in a radiation tomographic image: There is provided an image processing apparatus comprising: a first-index obtaining component configured to obtain, for each individual subregion in a beam-hardening correction-processed image representing a body region including a bone part and a soft part, a first index indicating how much beam hardening due to the bone part affects the subregion based on pixel values at a plurality of positions surrounding the subregion and a distance from the subregion; a determining component configured to determine an amount of correction on a pixel value for the subregion using the first index for the subregion; and a pixel-value correcting component configured to correct the pixel value of the subregion according to the amount of correction on the subregion.

Image processing method, image processing apparatus and radiation tomographic imaging apparatus, and program

To reduce streak-like artifacts more in a radiation tomographic image: There is provided an image producing apparatus comprising: a processing component configured to, in scan data acquired by a radiation CT scan, apply suppression processing with which noise components are suppressed to a high noise level portion having a radiation detection level lower than a specified threshold, and apply enhancement processing with which noise components are enhanced to a low noise level portion having a radiation detection level equal to or higher than the specified threshold; and a reconstructing component configured to reconstruct an image based on the scan data subjected to the processing by the processing component.

[Problem] To further reduce artifacts of a reconstructed image. [Solution] Provided is an image generating apparatus which includes: a determining unit configured to determine projection data collected by scan of an imaging object using a radiation source and a detector; a first setting unit configured to set a plurality of first reconstruction planes corresponding to images to be supplied to an operator, in the body axis direction of the imaging object; a second setting unit configured to set one or more second reconstruction planes corresponding to one or more images not to be supplied to the operator and different from the first reconstruction planes, in the body axis direction; a reconstruction unit configured to reconstruct a plurality of images corresponding to the plural first reconstruction planes and images corresponding to the one or more second reconstruction planes, based on the projection data; and a processing unit configured to perform an artifact reduction process on an image corresponding to a given first reconstruction plane using a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of reconstruction planes including the plural first reconstruction planes and at least one of the one or more second reconstruction planes.

Image generating apparatus, radiation tomography imaging apparatus, and image generating method and program

To detect motion in a subject, particularly, local rapid motion, during radiation tomographic imaging. There is provided a radiation tomographic imaging method causing a computer to execute: a controlling step of controlling a data collection subsystem comprising a multi-slice detector to collect data by performing a helical scan on a subject; a first reconstructing step of reconstructing a plurality of tomographic images at an identical slice position and at different times using data obtained by applying weighting to the collected data according to the slice position, the reconstruction being performed for a plurality of slice positions; a fragmenting step of fragmenting each of the plurality of tomographic images at each of the plurality of slice positions into a respective plurality of local-region images; and a difference identifying step of, for each combination of a plurality of local-region images at the same position and at different times, identifying a difference among local-region images in the combination.

Radiation tomographic imaging method, apparatus, and program

An image producing apparatus comprising a reconstructing unit configured to use a first reconstruction filter to reconstruct an image based on projection data collected by a scan on a subject to be imaged using a radiation source and a detector; a difference-calculating unit configured to calculate a difference between two images based on said projection data, said two images being reconstructed using second and third reconstruction filters respectively having spatial frequency characteristics such that degrees of enhancement in a mid-/low-frequency region are substantially identical to each other and degrees of enhancement in a high-frequency region are different from each other; and an image production unit configured to produce an image having reduced aliasing artifacts using said image reconstructed using said first reconstruction filter, and said difference.

Image producing apparatus, radiation tomography apparatus, and program

Provided is a heater controlling unit that includes: a power factor correction circuit configured to convert a first alternating-current voltage supplied from a power supply into a direct-current voltage; an inverter configured to generate a second alternating-current voltage from the direct-current voltage converted by the power factor correction circuit; and a heater to which the second alternating-current voltage generated by the inverter is applied.

Heater control unit and image forming apparatus

An image generating method is provided. The method includes performing a rearrangement process and an interpolation process on fan beam projection data, the fan beam projection data acquired by a scan that includes rotating a radiation source and a detector having a plurality of detecting elements arranged in a channel direction, wherein the interpolation process generates equally-spaced parallel beam projection data in which channel-direction intervals are equal therebetween, and wherein the interpolation process is performed with respect to a plurality of view directions. The method further includes performing a back-projection process on the equally-spaced parallel beam projection data to thereby reconstruct an image, wherein the channel-direction intervals between the equally-spaced parallel beam projection data are smaller than a reference interval obtained by dividing an interval between the detecting elements in the channel direction by a projection enlargement rate.

Image generating method, image generating apparatus and radiation tomographic imaging apparatus, and program therefor

An image producing method is provided. The method includes acquiring regular-interval parallel-beam projection data whose intervals in a channel direction are the same and parallel to each other in a plurality of view directions by applying interpolation processing in a view direction, rearrangement processing, and interpolation processing in the channel direction to fan-beam projection data, and reconstructing an image by applying back projection processing to the acquired regular-interval parallel-beam projection data, wherein the interpolation processing in the view direction includes interpolation processing which is performed along a curve or a first straight line made by deforming or rotating a second straight line parallel to the view direction so as to be proximate to a trajectory drawn by dots corresponding to a desired position in a Scan Field Of View region on a sinogram of the collected fan-beam projection data in the plurality of views.

Image producing method, image producing apparatus and radiation tomographic imaging apparatus, and program

An image processing apparatus is provided. The image processing apparatus includes an acquiring device configured to acquire a typical pixel value corresponding to a noted region in an image, a calculating device configured to calculated index values of variances in pixel values in the noted region or in both the noted region and a region adjacent to the noted region, a first enhancement degree determination device configured to determine an enhancement degree according to the acquired typical pixel value and each of the calculated index values, and an image processing device configured to perform high-frequency enhancement processing on the noted region, based on the enhancement degree determined by the first enhancement degree determination device.

Image processing apparatus, program and image diagnostic apparatus for high-frequency enhancement processing

An image reconstruction method includes a reconstruction algorithm of pixel data, weighting coefficients by which first projection data and second projection data at which a corresponding X-ray beam passes through a pixel lying on a reconstruction plane and which are opposite in view angle direction to each other, are to be multiplied, are calculated by equations each using a term of a distance between an X-ray generator and detector system and the reconstruction plane plus an offset distance at the acquisition of the projection data.

Image reconstruction method and X-ray CT apparatus

An X-ray CT apparatus reconstructs a CT image (extended CT image) at each slice position lying outside a relative linear movement range at a helical scan or the like at low exposure and with high image quality. Scans each provided with a residence time are executed at relative linear movement start and end points (Zs and Zf). Projection data in a view range (F) corresponding to a predetermined view angle centering on a view (CVp,zs) corresponding to a relative linear movement start time or a view shifted previously therefrom by the number of views (M), or a view (CVp,zf) corresponding to a relative linear movement end time or a view shifted backward therefrom by the number of views (N) are used as image reconstruction projection data for extended CT images in image extension regions (Rs and Rf).

X-ray CT apparatus

A power supply device includes: an oscillator configured to output a clock signal; a pulse output unit configured to output a pulse by dividing the frequency of the clock signal; a switching element driven by the pulse; a piezoelectric transformer configured to intermittently receive a voltage from the switching element and to output a high alternating current voltage; a rectifier configured to convert the high alternating current voltage to a high direct current voltage; an output voltage conversion unit configured to convert the high direct current voltage to a low direct current voltage; a target setter configured to output a target value; and a comparison unit configured to compare the low direct current voltage with the target value and to output a comparison result. A frequency division ratio of the pulse is controlled according to the comparison result, and thereby is changed so as to obtain the target value.

Power supply device and image forming apparatus

A power source device includes an oscillator generating a clock, a frequency division unit dividing the clock to output a pulse, a sequence generation unit generating sequences 'N' with respect to each switching of the pulse, a frequency division ratio setting unit setting frequency division ratio, a switching element driven by the pulse, and a piezoelectric transformer outputting alternating high voltage from a secondary-side when a primary-side is applied with voltage. The generated sequence and the set frequency division ratio are compared to output the pulses of fractional-M, -M+1 frequencies. An average frequency division ratio of the pulses of fractional-M, -M+1 frequencies determined by (M&#xd7;&#x3b1;)+(M+1)&#xd7;&#x3b2;/(&#x3b1;+&#x3b2;), where &#x3b1; and &#x3b2; respectively represent the number of pulses of 'M' and &#x201c;M+1&#x201d; per unit time. The average frequency division ratio and frequency division ratio become equal at a sequence generation cycle and approximated in a period shorter than the sequence generation cycle.

Power source device and image forming apparatus

A piezoelectric transformer driving device including: an oscillator; a frequency-divider outputting a pulse by dividing a clock signal from the oscillator by a frequency-divide ratio received thereto; a switching element driven by the pulse and intermittently applying a voltage to a primary side of a piezoelectric transformer; a frequency-divide ratio instructing unit holding a frequency-divide ratio instruction value of a real number having an integer part and an fractional part; a binarization unit binarizing the frequency-divide ratio instruction value into two different integer frequency-divide ratios and selectively outputting the frequency-divide ratios. The binarization unit adjusts an appearance ratio of the frequency-divide ratios such that an average of the frequency-divide ratios output from the binarization unit is equal to an average of the frequency-divide ratio instruction value.

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Tokyo, Japan

Akira Hagiwara