# US 2014/0193099 A1 · Image diagnostic device and image correction method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0193099 A1 - Document ID: US20140193099A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/236,347 - Filed: 2012-07-24 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-08-03 - Assignees: Hitachi Medical Corporation - Inventors: Hideki Yoshikawa; Takashi Azuma - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140193099A1 ## CPC - G06T 7/337: {involving reference images or patches} - A61B 6/5235: {combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT} - A61B 6/5241: {combining overlapping images of the same imaging modality, e.g. by stitching} - A61B 8/5246: {combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode} - A61B 6/032: {Transmission computed tomography [CT]} - A61B 6/461: {Displaying means of special interest} - A61B 6/469: {for selecting a region of interest [ROI]} - A61B 6/481: {involving the use of contrast agents} - A61B 6/486: {involving generating temporal series of image data} - A61B 6/5211: {involving processing of medical diagnostic data} - A61B 6/5264: {due to motion} - A61B 6/58: Testing, adjusting or calibrating thereof - A61B 8/485: {involving measuring strain or elastic properties} - A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image} - A61B 8/5215: {involving processing of medical diagnostic data} - A61B 2576/00: Medical imaging apparatus involving image processing or analysis (A61B1/00009, A61B6/52 and A61B8/52 take precedence) - G06T 2200/24: involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs] - G06T 2207/20104: Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI] - G06T 2207/30004: Biomedical image processing - G16H 30/40: for processing medical images, e.g. editing - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA ## Abstract Provided is an image diagnostic device with which it is possible to correct location misalignment of an image capture subject, and to improve the reliability of the result of the correction, in time series image data. An image diagnostic device is configured of: an input part (13) which receives image data input; a correction unit (14) which computes a correction vector which denotes location misalignment of an image capture subject, and selects image data used with an image correction unit; an image correction part (20) which carries out a correction process on the image data based on the correction vector and creates corrected image data; a control part (21) which controls the correction unit and the image correction part; a memory (22) which stores the corrected image data and measurement data as stored data; an output unit (23) which outputs the stored data externally; a display unit (24) which displays the stored data; and an external input device (30) where an operator makes an input operation ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image diagnostic device that corrects time-series image data, the device comprising: a correction unit that selects image data to be corrected from the time-series image data on the basis of a similarity to a reference image and outputs correction vectors representing the positional shift of the selected image data; an image correction unit that performs a correction process for the image data on the basis of the correction vectors to create corrected image data; and a display unit that displays an image on the basis of the corrected image data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit comprises: an area setting unit that sets an area where the correction process is performed for the time-series image data; a reference setting unit that sets the reference image from the time-series image data; a first similar area search unit that searches the image data for an area similar to the reference image and outputs a similarity value indicating the similarity; a similarity evaluation unit that generates a similarity parameter for evaluating the similarity value; and an image selection unit that selects the image data used in the image correction unit on the basis of the similarity parameter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image diagnostic device according to claim 2, wherein the first similar area search unit performs the search using a pattern matching method, and creates and outputs a similarity value map representing the similarity value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image diagnostic device according to claim 3, wherein the similarity evaluation unit creates a similarity value distribution map by applying an edge emphasis filter to the similarity value map. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image diagnostic device according to claim 4, wherein the similarity evaluation unit uses, as the similarity parameter, at least one of the maximum value or the minimum value on the similarity value map, the maximum value or the minimum value on the similarity value distribution map, or a distance of a position representing the maximum value or the minimum value calculated on the similarity value map and the similarity value distribution map. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The image diagnostic device according to claim 2, wherein the display unit displays time changes of the similarity parameter in the form of a graph or a histogram. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The image diagnostic device according to claim 2, wherein the image selection unit compares a threshold value set for the similarity parameter by an operator with the similarity parameter to select the image data to be corrected. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The image diagnostic device according to claim 2, wherein the image selection unit calculates an outlier with a statistical process using the average value, the distribution value, or the standard deviation of the similarity parameters, and selects the image data to be corrected by removing the outlier. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The image diagnostic device according to claim 2, wherein: a vector connection unit is further provided; in the case where a plurality of reference images are set, the correction unit calculates the correction vectors and the similarity parameter for each of the plurality of reference images for the image data among the plurality of reference images; and the vector connection unit selects the correction vector corresponding to a smaller one of the calculated a plurality of similarity parameters to be output to the image correction unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The image diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein the image correction unit further processes an averaging image or a maximum brightness image holding the maximum brightness of each pixel for the plurality of pieces of corrected image data with the correction process performed. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The image diagnostic device according to claim 2, wherein a deformation correction unit is further provided, and the deformation correction unit includes an area division unit that divides the area where the correction process set by the correction unit is performed to set a plurality of divided areas, a second similar area search unit that searches the plurality of divided areas for the area similar to the reference image to calculate the correction vectors, and an error correction unit that performs error correction for the correction vectors calculated by the second similar area search unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image diagnostic device according to claim 11, wherein the second similar area search unit searches for the area similar to the reference image at a position moved by the correction vectors calculated by the similar area search unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The image diagnostic device according to claim 11, wherein the error correction unit detects a vector of an outlier as an error vector among the correction vectors of the divided areas calculated by the second similar area search unit, and corrects the error vector using the average value of the correction vectors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The image diagnostic device according to claim 11, wherein an external input device is further provided to select whether or not the process of the deformation correction unit is performed. ### Claim 15 An image correction method in which a processing unit corrects time-series image data, wherein the processing unit selects image data to be corrected from the time-series image data on the basis of a similarity to a reference image, calculates correction vectors indicating the positional shift of the selected image data, and performs a correction process for the image data on the basis of the correction vectors to create corrected image data.