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US 6,154,515 AGranted
Computerized tomography reconstruction using shadow zone patching
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsWen-Tai Lin, Peter Michael Edic
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A source applies imaging energy that passes through an object being imaged and is then detected by a detector connected to a processor. A scanning trajectory includes first and second scan paths. The first scan path has a shadow zone where a complete image cannot be obtained from corresponding first scan path data. The second scan path provides data from the shadow zone. Partial images from the first scan path and the second scan path are Fourier transformed after which some data is removed prior to adding the Fourier data together. An inverse Fourier transform is then used to provide an overall image.
Claims20
A method of imaging an object comprising the steps of:
- applying imaging energy from a source to the object;
- detecting imaging energy that has passed through the object by use of a detector;
- scanning the object in first and second scan paths with the imaging energy such that the detector collects first path measured image data from the first scan path and second path measured image data from the second scan path, the first scan path defining a shadow zone for which Radon data are not available from the first scan path, the second scan path being sufficient to provide measured image data for at least the shadow zone and a near shadow zone, the shadow zone and near shadow zone together being an augmented shadow zone, the object having a complementary zone complementary to the augmented shadow zone, the first and second scan paths being geometrically distinct;
- reconstructing first and second images corresponding respectively to first and second reconstructed image data from the respective first path measured image data and the second path measured image data;
- applying Fourier transforms to the first and second reconstructed image data to respectively provide first and second Fourier transform data;
- obtaining augmented shadow zone Fourier transform data from the second Fourier transform data;
- obtaining complementary Fourier transform data by removing augmented shadow zone Fourier transform data from the first Fourier transform data;
- combining the augmented shadow zone Fourier transform data and the complementary Fourier transform data to provide overall Fourier transform data;
- applying an inverse Fourier transform to the overall Fourier transform data to provide overall image data;
- and
- supplying an image of the object based on the overall image data.
8 more elements
A system for imaging an object comprising:
- a source of imaging energy;
- a detector;
- a positioner scanning the object with the imaging energy such that the detector collects first path measured image data from a first scan path and second path measured image data from a second scan path, the first scan path defining a shadow zone for which Radon data are not available from the first scan path, the second scan path being sufficient to provide measured image data for at least the shadow zone and a near shadow zone, the shadow zone and near shadow zone together being an augmented shadow zone, the object having a complementary zone complementary to the augmented shadow zone, the first and second scan paths are geometrically distinct;
- a processor operably connected to the detector and operable to reconstruct first and second images corresponding respectively to first and second reconstructed image data from the respective first path measured image data and the second path measured image data, the processor operable to apply Fourier transforms to the first and second reconstructed image data to respectively provide first and second Fourier transform data, the processor obtaining augmented shadow zone Fourier transform data from the second Fourier transform data and obtaining complementary Fourier transform data by removing augmented shadow zone Fourier transform data from the first Fourier transform data, the processor operable to combine the augmented shadow zone Fourier transform data and the complementary Fourier transform data to provide overall Fourier transform data, the processor further operable to apply an inverse Fourier transform to the overall Fourier transform data to provide overall image data;
- and
- an image supplier operably connected to the processor and supplying an image of the object based on the overall image data.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.