Line-locked digital fluorography system

Abstract

In a digital fluorography system a television (TV) camera converts X-ray images to analog video signals that are converted to digital pixel words in an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The sync signals for the TV camera and the sample clock signals for the ADC are derived from a novel resettable crystal controlled sync generator. A phase-locked loop provides an ac reference signal at one-half power line frequency which is equivalent to TV frame rate. The sync generator is reset to start a new frame and an ensuing sequence of crystal controlled horizontal sync pulses only in response to occurrence of ac reference signals so every frame is in registration. A digital video processor (DVP) subtracts a mask image from each image in a sequence of images that are acquired while an X-ray contrast medium is appearing in and disappearing from a blood vessel. The resulting difference images are stored in analog video signal format in an analog video disk recorder. The DVP and, hence the horizontal and vertical sync signals recorded on disk for each frame are also locked to the ac reference signal and are independent of sync signals from the crystal controlled oscillator. A novel digital storage FIFO buffer system couples the digitized pixel data from the ADC to the DVP and compensates for the timing differences between them. During image reprocessing wherein recorded difference images are subtracted from a selected difference or substitute mask image, the sample clock for the ADC is derived from a phase-locked loop that is locked to the recorded horizontal sync signals so the sample clock is varied in correspondence with or modulated by the recorded sync signals.