# US 10,502,698 B2 · Data processing apparatus and data processing method for X-ray examination, and X-ray examination system provided with the data processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,698 B2 - Document ID: US10502698B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/329,598 - Filed: 2016-04-20 - Published: 2018-07-26 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-20 - Assignees: Job Corporation - Applicants: Job Corporation - Inventors: Tsutomu Yamakawa; Shuichiro Yamamoto; Yoshiharu Obata; Masashi Yamasaki; Masahiro Okada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502698B2 ## CPC - G01N 23/083: the radiation being X-rays - A61B 6/00: Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment (instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161) - A61B 6/12: Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies - A61B 6/51: for dentistry - G01N 23/04: and forming images of the material - G01N 23/087: using polyenergetic X-rays - G01N 23/18: Investigating the presence of flaws defects or foreign matter - G06T 7/0004: {Industrial image inspection} - G06T 7/0012: {Biomedical image inspection} - G06T 11/26: Drawing of charts or graphs - G01N 2223/401: image processing - G01N 2223/402: mapping distribution of elements - G06T 2207/10116: X-ray image - G06T 2207/30068: Mammography; Breast - G06T 2207/30128: Food products - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract The type and/or properties of a substance included in an object is identified highly accurately regardless of the thickness of the substance. A data processing apparatus processes counts detected at each of pixels of a photo counting detector in each of a plurality of energy ranges of X-rays. The X-rays are radiated from an X-ray tube, and transmitted through an object. The apparatus calculates an image of the object based on the counts, and sets a region of interest on the image. The apparatus further removes, from the image, pixel information showing a background present in the region of interest, and calculates, pixel by pixel, inherent information inherent to the substance, based on the counts detected at each of the respective pixels in each of the energy ranges of the X-rays in the region of interest. The inherent information indicates a transmission characteristic inherent to the X-rays. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A data processing apparatus processing counts detected at each of pixels of a photon counting detector in each of a plurality of energy ranges of X-rays, the X-rays being radiated from an X-ray tube, transmitted through an object, comprising: image calculating means for calculating an image of the object based on the counts; region-of-interest setting means for setting a region of interest on the image; background removing means for removing, from the image, pixel information showing a background present in the region of interest; inherent information calculating means for calculating, pixel by pixel, i) as inherent information inherent to a substance of the object, scatter diagram information showing a transmission characteristic of the X-rays at the respective pixels as mass attenuation vectors in the respective energy ranges, based on the counts detected at each of the respective pixels in every one of the energy ranges of the X-rays in the region of interest, the inherent information indicating, the transmission characteristic inherent to the X-rays provided when the X-rays are transmitted through the substance, and ii) attenuation information showing both lengths of the mass attenuation vectors and an attenuated degree of the X-rays attenuated due to the substance based on the mass attenuation vectors; image producing means for producing a two-dimensional absorption vector-length image whose pixels are presented by the attenuation information; and image presenting means for presenting, on a display as a two-dimensional image, the absorption vector-length image. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inherent information calculating means comprises scatter diagram producing means for producing, as a scatter diagram, scattering point data of two or more dimensions from the scatter diagram information; and the image presenting means comprises scatter diagram presenting means for presenting the scatter diagram. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The data processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the two or more dimensions are either a three dimension or a two dimension. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The data processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the space of the dimension is a three dimensional space; the inherent information calculating means calculate, at each of the pixels, as the inherent information, a three-dimensional vector whose start point is an origin of a three-dimensional space, and the scatter diagram producing means produce the scattering point data in the three-dimensional space. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The data processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the inherent information calculating means comprises normalizing means for normalizing the three-dimensional vectors, pixel by pixel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The data processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the scatter diagram producing means produce, as the scattering point data, data showing directions of the three-dimensional vectors having start points and end points, the start points being located at the origin of the three-dimensional space, the end points being mapped on a single surface. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The data processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the single surface is either whole or a part of a sphere, the sphere having a radius from the origin, the radius being constant. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The data processing apparatus of claim 7, comprising projecting means for two-dimensionally projecting a whole or a part of the surface of the sphere, the scattering points being displayed on the surface; and two-dimensional displaying means for displaying the whole or the part of the two-dimensional surface projected by the projecting means. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The data processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the single surface is a planar surface which intersects with points in respective axes defining the three-dimensional space, the intersecting points being equal to each other in distances from the origin. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The data processing apparatus of claim 6, further comprising an analyzing means for analyzing a property of the substance by analyzing the scattering point data to identify a type of the substance, to identify a state of the substance, or to detect either another substance different from the substance or a specified substance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The data processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the analyzing means comprises representative point calculating means for grouping a plurality of the scattering points mapped on the single surface and calculating, as a representative point, a center of gravity in each group of the scatting points; and property determining means for determining a property of the substance which is present within the region of interest and a property of another substance which is present around the substance within the region of interest, by comparing positional information with a previously stored reference positional information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The data processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the scatter diagram presenting means comprise grouping means for changing, group by group in the groups of the scattering points, at least one of densities and colors of the scattering points for display; and three-dimensional displaying means for three-dimensionally displaying the grouped scattering points on the single surface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The data processing apparatus of claim 12, comprising line of view designating means for designating a line of view when the single surface is observed, the scattering points being displayed on the single surface by the three-dimensional displaying means; re-calculating means for re-calculating positions of the scattering points being mapped on the single surface in a three-dimensional coordinate rotated according to the line of view designated by the line of view designating means; and re-displaying means for re-displaying both the three-dimensional coordinate and the scattering points on the single surface, which are re-calculated by the re-calculating means. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The data processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the analyzing means is configured to identify the type of the substance which is present within the region of interest. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The data processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the analyzing means is configured to identify the property of the substance which is present within the region of interest. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The data processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the analyzing means is configured to detect that there is a substance different from the object itself in the region of interest or to identify the type of the substance different from the object itself. ### Claim 17 A data processing apparatus processing counts detected at each of pixels of a photon counting detector in each of a plurality of energy ranges of X-rays, the X-rays being radiated from an X-ray tube, transmitted through an object, comprising: a non-transitory computer readable medium in which a computer readable program is stored in advance; a processor provided with a CPU executing sequentially procedures given by the program read from the non-transitory computer readable medium; and an interface obtaining information from outside the data processing apparatus, wherein the procedures enable the processor to calculate an image of the object based on the counts in response to the information obtained through the interface, under execution of the procedures of the CPU, set a region of interest on the image, remove, from the image, pixel information showing a background present in the region of interest, calculate, pixel by pixel, i) as inherent information inherent to a substance of the object, scatter diagram information showing a transmission characteristic of the X-rays at the respective pixels as mass attenuation vectors in the respective energy ranges, based on the counts detected at each of the respective pixels in every one of the energy ranges of the X-rays in the region of interest, the inherent information indicating, the transmission characteristic inherent to the X-rays provided when the X-rays are transmitted through the substance, and ii) attenuation information showing both lengths of the mass attenuation vectors and an attenuated degree of the X-rays attenuated due to the substance based on the mass attenuation vectors; produce a two-dimensional absorption vector-length image whose pixels are presented by the attenuation information; and present on a display, as a two-dimensional image, the absorption vector-length image. ### Claim 18 An X-ray examination system, comprising an X-ray source radiating X-rays; a photon counting X-ray detector; a data processing apparatus, the processing apparatus processing counts detected at each of pixels of the photon counting detector in each of a plurality of energy ranges of X-rays, the X-rays being radiated from the X-ray source, transmitted through an object; and wherein the data processing apparatus comprises: image calculating means for calculating an image of the object based on the counts; region-of-interest setting means for setting a region of interest on the image; background removing means for removing, from the image, pixel information showing a background present in the region of interest; inherent information calculating means for calculating, pixel by pixel, i) as inherent information inherent to a substance of the object, scatter diagram information showing a transmission characteristic of the X-rays at the respective pixels as mass attenuation vectors in the respective energy ranges, based on the counts detected at each of the respective pixels in every one of the energy ranges of the X-rays in the region of interest, the inherent information indicating, the transmission characteristic inherent to the X-rays provided when the X-rays are transmitted through the substance, and ii) attenuation information showing both lengths of the mass attenuation vectors and an attenuated degree of the X-rays attenuated due to the substance based on the mass attenuation vectors; image producing means for producing a two-dimensional absorption vector-length image whose pixels are presented by the attenuation information; and image presenting means for presenting on a display, as a two-dimensional image, the absorption vector-length image. ### Claim 19 A data processing method processing counts detected at each of pixels of a photon counting detector in each of a plurality of energy ranges of X-rays, the X-rays being radiated from an X-ray tube, transmitted through an object, the method comprising steps of: calculating an image of the object based on the counts; setting a region of interest on the image; removing, from the image, pixel information showing a background present in the region of interest; and calculating, pixel by pixel, i) as inherent information inherent to a substance of the object, scatter diagram information showing a transmission characteristic of the X-rays at the respective pixels as mass attenuation vectors in the respective energy ranges, based on the counts detected at each of the respective pixels in every one of the enemy ranges of the X-rays in the region of interest, the inherent information indicating, the transmission characteristic inherent to the X-rays provided when the X-rays are transmitted through the substance, and ii) attenuation information showing both lengths of the mass attenuation vectors and an attenuated degree of the X-rays attenuated due to the substance based on the mass attenuation vectors; producing a two-dimensional absorption vector-length image whose pixels are presented by the attenuation information; and presenting, as a two-dimensional image, the absorption vector-length image.