Radiation image acquiring method, apparatus, and program

A radiation image acquiring apparatus, comprising:

• i) image read-out means for reading out a radiation image, which has been stored on a stimulable phosphor sheet, from the stimulable phosphor sheet, and
• ii) composite image acquiring means for performing composition processing on a plurality of read-out images, each of which has been obtained from an image read-out operation performed by the image read-out means and represents the identical radiation image having been stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet, and thereby acquiring a single composite image, which represents the radiation image having been stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet,
• wherein the image read-out means performs the image read-out operation for obtaining each of the read-out images, such that an efficient pixel existence range of efficient pixels, which are capable of being read out within a read-out sensitivity range of the image read-out means, varies for different read-out images, and such that the efficient pixel existence range in each of the read-out images contains an overlapping area, which overlaps with the efficient pixel existence range in one of the other read-out images,
• the composite image acquiring means performs correction processing on the read-out images, which have the common overlapping area, for correcting pixel values of pixels in at least either one of the read-out images, such that the pixel values of the pixels in the overlapping area of one of the read-out images become identical with the pixel values of the pixels in the overlapping area of the other read-out image, and
• the composite image acquiring means performs the composition processing for composing a single image from the read-out images, which have been obtained from the correction processing, whereby the composite image is acquired.

A computer program for causing a computer to execute a radiation image acquiring method, wherein composition processing is performed on a plurality of read-out images, each of which has been obtained from an image read-out operation performed by image read-out means for reading out an identical radiation image having been stored on a stimulable phosphor sheet, and wherein a single composite image, which represents the radiation image having been stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet, is thereby formed, the computer program comprising the procedures for:

• i) performing the image read-out operation with the image read-out means for obtaining each of the read-out images, such that an efficient pixel existence range of efficient pixels, which are capable of being read out within a read-out sensitivity range of the image read-out means, varies for different read-out images, and such that the efficient pixel existence range in each of the read-out images contains an overlapping area, which overlaps with the efficient pixel existence range in one of the other read-out images,
• ii) performing correction processing on the read-out images, which have the common overlapping area, for correcting pixel values of pixels in at least either one of the read-out images, such that the pixel values of the pixels in the overlapping area of one of the read-out images become identical with the pixel values of the pixels in the overlapping area of the other read-out image, and
• iii) performing the composition processing for composing a single image from the read-out images, which have been obtained from the correction processing, whereby the composite image is formed.