Method for stitching partial radiation images to reconstruct a full image

The method of forming a composite digital image comprising:

• providing 1-N digital formed from 1-N contiguous phosphor screens wherein N is equal to or greater than 2 and wherein the image content in the overlapped region of contiguous images is the same, and an end edge of a screen nearest an x-ray source is present in both contiguous images;
• selecting a pair of contiguous digital images, wherein one image of the pair is closer to said x-ray source than an other image of the pair;
• correcting for any geometric distortion if applicable in said pair of digital images based on the distance between x-ray source and said storage phosphor screen;
• determining any rotational displacement and any vertical displacement between said pair of digital images by matching an end edge of said one image present in said pair of images;
• correcting for image orientation if applicable based on any said rotational displacement;
• determining any horizontal displacement between said pair of digital images by correlating the image content in said overlapping regions of said pair of digital images;
• stitching said pair of digital images together to form a larger composite digital image along said one image edge based on any said horizontal and vertical displacement;
• and
• repeating said correcting for any geometric distortion to said stitching with the larger composite image and the next consecutive overlapping digital image until all N digital images are stitched together to form a full composite image,
• wherein, at the time of recording, said overlapping storage phosphor screens are contained in a single cassette in one of (a) an alternating arrangement, (b) a staircase-wise arrangement, or (c) an oblique arrangement.

A method of forming a composite digital image comprising:

• providing 1-N digital images formed from 1-N contiguous segments of a larger radiographic image recorded in 1-N overlapping storage phosphor screens wherein N is equal to or greater than 2 and wherein the image content in the overlapped region of contiguous images is the same, and an end edge of a screen nearest an x-ray source is present in both contiguous images;
• selecting a pair of contiguous digital images, wherein one image of the pair is closer to said x-ray source than an other image of the pair;
• correcting for any geometric distortion if applicable in said pair of digital images based on the distance between x-ray source and said storage phosphor screen;
• determining any rotational displacement and any vertical displacement between said pair of digital images by matching an end edge of said one image present in said pair of images;
• correcting for image orientation if applicable based on any said rotational displacement;
• determining any horizontal displacement between said pair of digital images by correlating the image content in said overlapping regions of said pair of digital images;
• stitching said pair of digital images together to form a larger composite digital image along said one image edge based on any said horizontal and vertical displacement;
• and
• repeating said correcting for any geometric distortion to said stitching with the larger composite image and the next consecutive overlapping digital image until all N digital images are stitched together to form a full composite image,
• wherein at the time of recording, said overlapping storage phosphor screens are arranged so that alternating screens are contained in cassettes and screens intermediate said cassettes directly overlap said cassettes.

A method of forming a composite digital image comprising:

• providing 1-N digital images formed from 1-N contiguous segments of a larger radiographic image recorded in 1-N overlapping storage phosphor screens wherein N is equal to or greater than 2 and wherein the image content in the overlapped region of contiguous images is the same, and an end edge of a screen nearest an x-ray source is present in both contiguous images;
• selecting a pair of contiguous digital images, wherein one image of the pair is closer to said x-ray source than an other image of the pair;
• correcting for any geometric distortion if applicable in said pair of digital images based on the distance between x-ray source and said storage phosphor screen;
• determining any rotational displacement and any vertical displacement between said pair of digital images by matching an end edge of said one image present in said pair of images;
• correcting for image orientation if applicable based on any said rotational displacement;
• determining any horizontal displacement between said pair of digital images by correlating the image content in said overlapping regions of said pair of digital images;
• stitching said pair of digital images together to form a larger composite digital image along said one image edge based on any said horizontal and vertical displacement;
• and
• repeating said correcting for any geometric distortion to said stitching with the larger composite image and the next consecutive overlapping digital image until all N digital images are stitched together to form a full composite image,
• wherein said correcting for any geometric distortion is a function of the distance of each said storage phosphor screen from said x-ray source, and wherein a reference detector plane is defined at a pre-selected distance from said x-ray source and wherein all the digital images are normalized to this plane.

A method of forming a composite digital image comprising:

• providing 1-N digital images formed from 1-N contiguous segments of a larger radiographic image recorded in 1-N overlapping storage phosphor screens wherein N is equal to or greater than 2 and wherein the image content in the overlapped region of contiguous images is the same, and an end edge of a screen nearest an x-ray source is present in both contiguous images;
• selecting a pair of contiguous digital images, wherein one image of the pair is closer to said x-ray source than an other image of the pair;
• correcting for any geometric distortion if applicable in said pair of digital images based on the distance between x-ray source and said storage phosphor screen;
• determining any rotational displacement and any vertical displacement between said pair of digital images by matching an end edge of said one image present in said pair of images;
• correcting for image orientation if applicable based on any said rotational displacement;
• determining any horizontal displacement between said pair of digital images by correlating the image content in said overlapping regions of said pair of digital images;
• stitching said pair of digital images together to form a larger composite digital image along said one image edge based on any said horizontal and vertical displacement;
• and
• repeating said correcting for any geometric distortion to said stitching with the larger composite image and the next consecutive overlapping digital image until all N digital images are stitched together to form a full composite image,
• wherein at the time of recording, collimation is used such that collimation shadow present in said digital images to improve the robustness of said determining any horizontal displacement.