The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 19, 1989
Filed:
Oct. 30, 1987
James T Dobbins, III, Durham, NC (US);
Duke University, Durham, NC (US);
Abstract
Method and apparatus for variably compensating a radiographic image irradiates the patient with an x-ray beam. X-ray attenuation (or transmission) variations within the patient are detected and used to modulate the x-ray beam in order to produce an image with equalized exposure and increased SNR. The beam modulation information is used to produce a beam profile image which is an image of the exposure modulation given to the x-ray beam. After the modulated x-ray beam passes through the patient, a compensated image is produced. Both the beam profile image and the compensated image are logarithmically transformed and combined. The logarithmically transformed beam profile image is selectively weighted in order to alter the appearance of the compensated image by various degrees. The combined image is then retransformed and provided to a video monitor for display. An interactive control device controls the amount of weighting to the beam profile image, thus allowing the diagnostician to vary the amount of displayed image compensation desired in the resultant image. The invention produces an image which can be retrospectively adjusted by the diagnostician, or which may be used in either dual-energy imaging systems, or as input in further digital filtering routines.