Radiation Tomography Image Artifact Reduction via Intermediate Reconstruction Planes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing methods, such as filtering, are insufficient in reducing artifacts in images reconstructed from projection data obtained by helical scan in radiation tomography imaging, particularly the windmill artifact, which limits the effectiveness of artifact reduction.
Innovation Solution
An image generating apparatus that sets additional reconstruction planes at different positions along the body axis and uses these planes, along with the primary reconstruction planes, to perform an artifact reduction process, including a filtering process with weighted addition, to enhance the accuracy of artifact reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a filtering process is performed on reconstructed images in the body axis direction, then artifacts with gradual variation are reduced, but windmill artifacts from helical scan cannot be sufficiently reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the reconstruction process by introducing intermediate reconstruction planes between the standard first reconstruction planes. These second reconstruction planes are set at positions between adjacent first reconstruction planes, allowing the filtering process to operate on a finer grid and effectively reduce windmill artifacts that occur between the coarser first reconstruction planes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds an intermediate dimension of reconstruction planes (second reconstruction planes) between the existing first reconstruction planes. This creates a denser sampling in the body axis direction, enabling the filtering process to capture and reduce artifacts that were previously missed due to insufficient sampling density.
2Manufacturing precision
If additional reconstruction planes are added to improve artifact reduction, then the number of images used for filtering increases, but the reconstruction range widens
Solution Approach 1:
The second reconstruction planes are locally inserted between specific first reconstruction planes within the existing reconstruction range. This local addition of planes increases the density of images used for filtering without expanding the overall reconstruction range, as the second planes are positioned within the boundaries defined by the first planes.
Data Source
AI summary
[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.