Image processing apparatus for generating combined image signal of region-of-interest image signal and second image signal, the region-of-interest image signal being generated based on blank portion and initial region-of-interest of first image signal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10210610-B2
Application number	US-201615369033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2016
Priority date	Jul 30, 2014
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

An image processing apparatus processes a first image signal including pixel signals, the first image signal having a picture portion in which a subject is shown and having a blank portion surrounding the picture portion. The apparatus includes: a blank detection unit configured to set similar frames different in size from one another within a display area of a screen representing the first image signal, in a stepwise manner from an outer periphery, and to detect the blank portion based on whether or not a part of the pixel signals belonging to a region outside each of the similar frames has the uniform color or brightness; a region-of-interest setting unit configured to set an initial region-of-interest corresponding to the picture portion in the first image signal, based on the blank portion; and a region-of-interest image generation unit configured to generate a region-of-interest image signal representing the initial region-of-interest.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus for processing a first image signal including a plurality of pixel signals, the first image signal having a picture portion in which a subject is shown and having a blank portion surrounding the picture portion, the image processing apparatus comprising:
a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to:
detect, as the blank portion, a portion having uniform color or brightness in the first image signal, by performing at least:
set a plurality of frames having the same shape but different sizes within a first image created by the first image signal, in a stepwise manner from an outer periphery of the first image; and
detect the blank portion based on whether or not a part of the plurality of pixel signals belonging to a region outside each of the plurality of similar frames has the uniform color or brightness;

set an initial region-of-interest corresponding to the picture portion in the first image signal, based on the blank portion detected;
generate a region-of-interest image signal representing the initial region-of-interest; and
arrange and combine the region-of-interest image signal and a second image signal of a different type from that of the first image signal, thereby to generate and output a combined image signal,
wherein the first image signal is an X-ray image signal or an ultrasound image signal, and the second image signal is an endoscopic image signal.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to detect the blank portion by performing:
start detection of the blank portion for a region outside an outermost frame of the plurality of similar frames; and
iterate the detection of the blank portion for each of the plurality of similar frames while reducing the size in a stepwise manner until the part of the plurality of pixel signals is found to have non-uniform color or brightness.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the processor is configured to detect the blank portion by performing, when the part of the plurality of pixel signals is found to have the non-uniform color or brightness for one of the plurality of similar frames, detect, as the blank portion, a region outside an outer frame adjacent to the one of the plurality of similar frames.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to detect the blank portion by performing:
scan the plurality of pixel signals for each horizontal line of the screen representing the first image signal; and
detect, as the blank portion, the portion having the uniform color or brightness in each horizontal line.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to generate the region-of-interest image signal by performing:
clip the initial region-of-interest from the first image signal; and
enlarge or reduce the initial region-of-interest clipped from the first image signal depending on a display for the first image signal, thereby to generate the region-of-interest image signal.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to generate the region-of-interest image signal by performing:
superpose a frame surrounding the initial region-of-interest onto the first image signal, thereby to generate and output the region-of-interest image signal.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a change in size of the frame surrounding the initial region-of-interest and receive input of region-of-interest instruction information for designating a region surrounded by the frame of the initial region-of-interest after the size of the frame is changed, as a region-of-interest to be displayed on a display for the first image signal;
clip the region-of-interest from the first image signal based on the region-of-interest instruction information;
receive input of enlargement-reduction instruction information for instructing enlargement or reduction of the region-of-interest clipped; and
enlarge or reduce the region-of-interest clipped to generate an image signal based on the enlargement-reduction instruction information.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Iwasaki Tomoki
• Suzuki Tatsuhiko
• Hashimoto Susumu
• Kutsuma Yuji
• Hamada Toshihiro

Classifications

• A61B8/469

  for selection of a region of interest · CPC title

• G06T7/0012 Primary

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title

• A61B6/5247

  combining images from an ionising-radiation diagnostic technique and a non-ionising radiation diagnostic technique, e.g. X-ray and ultrasound · CPC title

• G06T2207/10116

  X-ray image · CPC title

• A61B8/5261

  combining images from different diagnostic modalities, e.g. ultrasound and X-ray · CPC title