X-ray imaging apparatus and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10085706-B2
Application number	US-201414547559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2014
Priority date	Nov 19, 2013
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

An X-ray imaging apparatus includes an X-ray source configured to radiate X-rays onto an object region, an X-ray detector configured to detect the radiated X-rays and obtain image frames of the object region based on the detected X-rays, and a filter configured to filter X-rays radiated from the X-ray source such that the X-rays incident on a region of interest (ROI) of the object region have a lower dose than a dose of X-rays incident on a non-ROI of the object region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An X-ray imaging apparatus comprising:
an X-ray source configured to radiate X-rays onto an object region including an object of interest;
an X-ray detector configured to detect the radiated X-rays and obtain image frames of the object region based on the detected X-rays;
a filter configured to filter the X-rays radiated from the X-ray source such that the X-rays incident on a non-region of interest (ROI) of the object region have a lower dose than a dose of the X-rays incident on an ROI of the object region; and
a controller configured to set an X-ray imaging mode according to a movement characteristic of the object of interest.

2. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an image processor configured to set the ROI using the image frames, combine a current image frame, of the image frames, obtained when X-rays of the lower dose are incident on the non-ROI with a previous image frame of the image frames, and perform image restoring on the non-ROI of the current image frame based on the combined image frames.

3. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the filter, and
wherein the image processor is configured to obtain information about the ROI from the current image frame and transmit the information to the controller.

4. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the filter includes:
an ROI filter made of a filtration material that reduces the X-rays; and
a filter driver configured to move the ROI filter.

5. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to detect an object of interest from the current image frame, and set the ROI based on a position, a size, or a movement characteristic of the object of interest.

6. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to detect the object of interest by detecting a marker attached to the object of interest, from the image frame.

7. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to estimate a periodic movement pattern of the object region and reset the ROI using the estimated movement pattern.

8. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
an object of interest detector configured to detect an object of interest.

9. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the controller is configured to turn on the filter driver based on a position of the object of interest.

10. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to estimate a movement direction and a movement speed of an object of interest based on a position of the object of interest, and
the controller is configured to move the ROI filter in advance according to the estimated movement direction and movement speed of the object of interest.

11. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to detect the object of interest and set the ROI in real time according to a frame rate of the X-ray imaging apparatus.

12. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to detect the object of interest from the image frame, set the ROI based on a position, a size, or the movement characteristic of the object of interest, obtain information about the set ROI, and transmit the information about the set ROI to the controller, and
the information about the set ROI may be at least one of a position of the ROI, a size of the ROI, and the movement characteristic of the ROI.

13. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 12 ,
wherein the filter includes:
an ROI filter made of a filtration material that reduces X-rays; and
a filter driver configured to move the ROI filter, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the filter driver to move the ROI filter to a position corresponding to a position of the non-ROI based on the information about the set ROI.

14. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to perform the image restoring by at least one of averaging the current image frame and the previous image frame, summing the current image frame and the previous image frame, and applying motion-compensated temporal filtering or motion-compensated spatial filtering to the current image frame and the previous image frame.

15. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 14
wherein the image processor is configured to perform the image restoring on the non-ROI and the ROI.

16. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 15 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to select a type of filtering applied to the non-ROI and the ROI based on a movement characteristic of an object of interest.

17. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to perform image registration or motion estimation and compensation on the non-ROI on which the image restoring is performed by combining the current image frame with the previous image frame.

18. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the image processor is configured to use an image equalization algorithm for matching brightness and contrast of the ROI and the non-ROI of the current image frame on which the image restoring is performed on the non-ROI.

19. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the controller is configured to set the X-ray imaging mode based on information about the current image frame, information about an imaging mode, or information about a stage of an X-ray imaging operation.

20. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 19 ,
wherein the information about the current image frame includes the information about the set ROI.

21. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 20 ,
wherein the controller is configured to set the X-ray imaging mode as one of a full imaging mode in which the X-rays of a uniform dose are radiated onto the ROI and the non-ROI and an ROI mode in which the X-rays having the lower dose than the dose of the ROI are radiated onto the non-ROI according to the movement characteristic of the object of interest.

22. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 21 ,
wherein, in response to the movement characteristic of the object of interest being greater than a first reference value, the controller is configured to set the X-ray imaging mode to the full imaging mode.

23. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 22 ,
wherein, in response to the movement characteristic of the object of interest being equal to or less than the first reference value, the controller is configured to set the X-ray imaging mode to the ROI mode.

24. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 23 ,
wherein, in response to the movement characteristic of the object of interest being equal to or less than the first reference value and greater than a second reference value, the controller is configured to set the X-ray imaging mode to a dynamic mode in which the ROI is moved according to a movement of the object of interest.

25. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 24 ,
wherein, in response to the movement characteristic of the object of interest being equal to or less than the second reference value, the con

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kang Dong-Goo
• Kang Sunghoon
• Sung Young Hun
• Yi Jaemock
• Lee Jae Hak
• Han Seokmin

Classifications

• A61B6/5211 Primary

  involving processing of medical diagnostic data · CPC title

• A61B6/4035

  the source being combined with a filter or grating · CPC title

• A61B6/504

  for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography · CPC title

• A61B6/542

  involving control of exposure · CPC title

• A61B6/12

  Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies · CPC title