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AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorsGary A. Ransford, Vivien J. Cambridge
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A process for X-ray registration and differencing results in more efficient compression. Differencing of registered modeled subject image with a modeled reference image forms a differenced image for compression with conventional compression algorithms. Obtention of a modeled reference image includes modeling a relatively unrelated standard reference image upon a three-dimensional model, which three-dimensional model is also used to model the subject image for obtaining the modeled subject image. The registration process of the modeled subject image and modeled reference image translationally correlates such modeled images for resulting correlation thereof in spatial and spectral dimensions. Prior to compression, a portion of the image falling outside a designated area of interest may be eliminated, for subsequent replenishment with a standard reference image. The compressed differenced image may be subsequently transmitted and/or stored, for subsequent decompression and addition to a standard reference image so as to form a reconstituted or approximated subject image at either a remote location and/or at a later moment in time. Overall effective compression ratios of 100:1 are possible for thoracic X-ray digital images.
A method for the processing of digital imagery data, comprising the steps of:
A method for compression of radiographic imagery, said method comprising:
A method for the compression and transmission and/or storage of a chest X-ray containing diagnostically important data, which method reduces transmission time and storage requirements by exploiting prior known information about such chest X-ray, said method comprising the steps of
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Image coding: model-based coding, e.g. wire frame
ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images: for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
ICT specially adapted for medical diagnosis, medical simulation or medical data mining; ICT specially adapted for detecting, monitoring or…: for…
Image data processing or generation, in general
Term ended 6 Feb 2013 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention generally concerns a digital data processing system capable of reducing transmission time and storage requirements, and particularly concerns compression and subsequent decompression of digital data images, such as X-rays, which are inherently similar in many respects; and, wherefore, a priori knowledge of such images can be used in their compression.
Although the preferred areas of application (and the following discussion of background and description) of the invention pertain mainly to the medical and teleradiological fields, similar problems as discussed herein exist in other similar systems which deal with the compression and storage of large amounts of digital data; accordingly, advantages and benefits of this invention are equally applicable to such other systems. With such an understanding, it should be appreciated that the following discussion of specific exemplary present embodiments is in no way meant to limit the scope of the present invention to strictly medical applications.
Electronic transmission of various types of digital data, in particular radiological data (teleradiology), involves the transmission of a tremendous volume of data. Unless expensive broadband systems are used, such high data volume causes the transmission process to be relatively slow, and with the quality of the transmitted image often deteriorated. In the case of teleradiology, the transmission time is crucial for prompt analysis of a patient's condition and the sharing of analytical expertise between hospitals, clinics, and the like.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the remainder of the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram overview of one preferred exemplary embodiment of the method of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another present exemplary embodiment;
Repeat use of reference characters throughout the present specification and appended drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or aspects of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the following disclosure is for purposes of example only, and is not intended to limit broader aspects of the invention referenced thereby.
Broadly speaking, the method of the present invention for the effective compression (and optional transmission) or digital imagery data exploits prior known information of an image. The method makes use of the fact that images are inherently similar and that therefore, a priori knowledge of the images can be used in their compression. Such technique allows subtraction of two images, for example, one standard "healthy" image and one containing data of relative diagnostic significance, including correction for differences in orientation and geometry of the features contained in the images before subtraction. The image which remains after subtraction comprises information due to the differences between the images. It is this difference information caused by the diagnostically significant data that is potentially meaningful and which desirably should be preserved for storage and/or transmission.