Accelerated data capture in an x-ray system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10028718-B2
Application number	US-201514958038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Dec 3, 2014
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

Data of a predetermined volume portion of an object under examination is captured by an x-ray system that includes an x-ray source and a detector. The x-ray source is activated to generate x-rays that emerge from the x-ray source, radiate through the volume portion, and after radiating through, impinge on the detector. X-rays impinging on the detector are captured pixel by pixel, in order to capture the data of the predetermined volume portion. With the pixel-by-pixel capture, only a subset of all the pixels of the detector is evaluated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for capturing data of a predetermined volume portion of an object under examination by an x-ray system, the x-ray system comprising an x-ray source and a detector, the method comprising:
generating x-rays that emerge from the x-ray source, radiate through the predetermined volume portion, and after radiating through, impinge on the detector, the generating comprising activating the x-ray source;
capturing the data of the predetermined volume, the capturing of the data comprising capturing pixel by pixel the x-rays impinging on the detector, wherein with the pixel-by-pixel capture, only a subset of all of the pixels of the detector are evaluated; and
determining a rectangle in which the determined pixels are arranged, the determining of the rectangle being dependent on a trajectory of the x-ray source,
wherein the subset of the pixels to be evaluated is determined dependently on the rectangle, and
wherein only rows of the detector that run through the rectangle are read, such that rows that do not run through the rectangle are not read.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising carrying out a transmission test, in which x-rays from the x-ray source are produced, pass through the predetermined volume portion, and impinge on the detector;
determining pixels that capture x-rays that have previously passed through the predetermined volume portion, the determining comprising capturing the x-rays impinging on the detector pixel by pixel and evaluating the captured x-rays; and
determining the subset of the pixels to be evaluated dependently on the pixels that are determined.

3. The method of claim 2 ,
wherein the pixels of the detector are arranged in the form of multiple straight-running parallel rows, and
wherein two opposite sides of the rectangle are arranged parallel to the straight-running rows.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining two peripheral rows and two peripheral columns of the detector that lie at the periphery of the determined pixels,
wherein the rectangle is determined based on the peripheral rows and peripheral columns.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising combining pixel values that belong to neighboring pixels outside the rectangle into one pixel value when reading, the one pixel value being discarded after the reading.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the subset of the pixels to be evaluated corresponds to a set of pixels of the detector that are arranged within the rectangle.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising producing multiple projections, a different direction in which the x-rays radiate through the predetermined volume portion being set for each of the projections,
wherein three dimensional (3D) dimensions of the volume portion ( 12 ) are determined, and
wherein the subset of the pixels to be evaluated is determined dependently on the 3D dimensions of the predetermined volume portion.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein, for each projection, the subset of the pixels to be evaluated is individually determined dependently on the direction in which the x-rays radiate through the predetermined volume portion for the respective projection, or
wherein the same subset of the pixels to be evaluated is determined for all of the projections, the same subset of the pixels to be evaluated comprising each individual subset of the pixels to be evaluated of each projection.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the subset of the pixels to be evaluated is determined dependently on a geometry of the x-ray system, the geometry of the x-ray system defining a position of the detector in relation to a position of the x-ray source for the respective direction in which the x-rays radiate through the predetermined volume portion.

10. An x-ray system comprising:
a detector;
an x-ray source operable to emit x-rays directed at the detector, an object under examination being positionable between the x-ray source and the detector such that the x-rays pass through a predetermined volume portion of the object under examination before the x-rays impinge on the detector;
a controller operable to activate the x-ray source and the detector; and
an image processor configured to:
receive data of the predetermined volume portion captured by the detector;
produce data of the predetermined volume portion, the detector being configured to capture pixel by pixel the x-rays impinging on the detector, wherein the image processor is configured, with the pixel-by-pixel capture, to evaluate only a subset of all of the pixels of the detector; and
determine a rectangle in which the determined pixels are arranged, the determination of the rectangle being dependent on a trajectory of the x-ray source,

wherein the subset of the pixels to be evaluated is determined dependently on the rectangle, and
wherein only rows of the detector that run through the rectangle are read, such that rows that do not run through the rectangle are not read.

11. The x-ray system of claim 10 , wherein the x-ray system is configured to carry out a tomosynthesis.

12. The x-ray system of claim 10 , wherein the x-ray system is configured to carry out a transmission test, in which x-rays from the x-ray source are produced, pass through the predetermined volume portion, and impinge on the detector,
wherein the x-ray system is further configured to determine pixels that capture x-rays that have previously passed through the predetermined volume portion, the determination comprising capture of the x-rays impinging on the detector pixel by pixel and evaluation, by the image processor, of the captured x-rays, and
wherein the image processor is configured to determine the subset of the pixels to be evaluated dependently on the pixels that are determined.

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a programmable controller of an x-ray system to capture data of a predetermined volume portion of an object under examination by the x-ray system, the x-ray system comprising an x-ray source and a detector, the instructions comprising:
generating x-rays that emerge from the x-ray source, radiate through the predetermined volume portion, and after radiating through, impinge on the detector, the generating comprising activating the x-ray source;
capturing the data of the predetermined volume, the capturing of the data comprising capturing pixel by pixel the x-rays impinging on the detector, wherein with the pixel-by-pixel capture, only a subset of all of the pixels of the detector are evaluated; and
determining a rectangle in which the determined pixels are arranged, the determining of the rectangle being dependent on a trajectory of the x-ray source,
wherein the subset of the pixels to be evaluated is determined dependently on the rectangle, and
wherein only rows of the detector that run through the rectangle are read, such that rows that do not run through the rectangle are not read.

14. In a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a controller of an x-ray system to capture data of a predetermined volume portion of an object under examination by the x-ray system, the x-ray system comprising an x-ray source and a detector, the instructions comprising:
generating x-rays that emerge from the x-ray source, radiate through the predetermined volume portion, and after radiating through, impinge on the detector, the generating comprising activating the x-ray source;
capturing the data of the predetermined volume, the capturing of the data comprising capturing pixel by pixel the

Assignees

• Bartl Peter
• Jerebko Anna
• Weidner Tom
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Bartl Peter
• Jerebko Anna
• Weidner Tom

Classifications

• A61B6/025

  Tomosynthesis · CPC title

• A61B6/5205 Primary

  involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data · CPC title

• A61B6/502

  for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography · CPC title

• A61B6/4233

  using matrix detectors · CPC title

• A61B6/542

  involving control of exposure · CPC title