Method and systems for camera-aided x-ray imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10835196-B2
Application number	US-201916256843-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2019
Priority date	Jan 24, 2019
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

Various methods and systems are provided for x-ray imaging. In one embodiment, a method for an image pasting examination comprises acquiring, via an optical camera and/or depth camera, image data of a subject, controlling an x-ray source and an x-ray detector according to the image data to acquire a plurality of x-ray images of the subject, and stitching the plurality of x-ray images into a single x-ray image. In this way, optimal exposure techniques may be used for individual acquisitions in an image pasting examination such that the optimal dose is utilized, stitching quality is improved, and registration failures are avoided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for an image pasting examination, comprising:
acquiring, via an optical camera, image data of a subject;
controlling an x-ray source and an x-ray detector according to the image data to acquire a plurality of x-ray images of the subject;
stitching the plurality of x-ray images into a single x-ray image;
wherein the image data comprises optical images of the subject acquired at a plurality of angular positions relative to the subject, further comprising registering the optical images of the subject; and
stitching the plurality of x-ray images into the single x-ray image according to the registration of the optical images.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, from the image data, exposure parameters for the x-ray source for a plurality of angular positions of the x-ray source.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein controlling the x-ray source according to the image data comprises controlling the x-ray source with the exposure parameters to generate an x-ray beam at each angular position of the plurality of angular positions.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining, from the image data, one or more positions for an x-ray detector for each angular position of the plurality of angular positions of the x-ray source.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising adjusting a position of the x-ray detector to the one or more positions for each angular position of the x-ray source to acquire the plurality of x-ray images.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein a field-of-view of the x-ray source covers a different portion of the subject for the plurality of angular positions of the x-ray source, and wherein determining, from the image data, exposure parameters for the x-ray source for the plurality of angular positions of the x-ray source comprises measuring, from the image data, a thickness of the subject at the different portions for the plurality of angular positions, and selecting exposure parameters for each angular position according to the thickness of the subject.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein registering the optical images of the subject comprises iteratively minimizing a cost function with the optical images input to the cost function to obtain transform parameters, and wherein stitching the plurality of x-ray images into the single x-ray image according to the registration of the optical images comprises registering the plurality of x-ray images with the transform parameters.

8. A method, comprising:
prior to a scan of a subject, acquiring image data of the subject via a camera;
during the scan, controlling an x-ray source according to the image data to generate a plurality of x-ray images; and
stitching the plurality of x-ray images into a single x-ray image according to image data acquired via the camera during the scan;
register a plurality of camera images acquired via the camera, and stitch the plurality of x-ray images into the single x-ray image according to the registration of the plurality of camera images.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein acquiring the image data via the camera prior to the scan comprises controlling the camera to identify a position of a desired anatomical region of the subject for imaging.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising measuring a thickness of the subject at the desired anatomical region from the image data, determining a plurality of x-ray source positions for the x-ray source according to the position of the desired anatomical region, and determining exposure parameters for the x-ray source at the plurality of x-ray source positions according to the thickness of the subject at the desired anatomical region.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein controlling the x-ray source according to the image data to generate the plurality of x-ray images comprises controlling the x-ray source with the exposure parameters to generate x-rays at the plurality of x-ray source positions, and detecting the generated x-rays with an x-ray detector to generate the plurality of x-ray images.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the camera comprises a depth camera, and wherein measuring the thickness of the subject at the desired anatomical region from the image data comprises measuring the depth of the subject at the desired anatomical region with the camera.

13. An x-ray imaging system, comprising:
an x-ray source for generating x-rays;
an optical camera positioned adjacent to the x-ray source;
an x-ray detector configured to detect the x-rays; and
a processor configured with instructions in non-transitory memory that when executed cause the processor to:
acquire, via the optical camera, image data of a subject;
control the x-ray source and the x-ray detector according to the image data to acquire a plurality of x-ray images of the subject;
stitch the plurality of x-ray images into a single x-ray image;
register a plurality of images acquired via the optical camera, and stitch the plurality of x-ray images into the single x-ray image according to the registration of the plurality of images.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising one or more motors, wherein the processor is further configured with instructions that when executed cause the processor to control the one or more motors to adjust a position of the x-ray source relative to the subject to acquire the plurality of x-ray images.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured with instructions that when executed cause the processor to estimate a thickness of the subject, and determine exposure parameters for the x-ray source according to the thickness, wherein controlling the x-ray source according to the image data to acquire the plurality of x-ray images comprises controlling the x-ray source with the determined exposure parameters.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the optical camera comprises a depth camera, and wherein the processor estimates the thickness of the subject based on depths of the subject measured via the optical camera.

17. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a display device, wherein the processor is further configured with instructions in the non-transitory memory that when executed cause the processor to output the single x-ray image to the display device for display.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Wang Dejun
• V Srikrishnan
• Rao Gireesha
• Nye Katelyn Rose
• Desai Nasir Ahmed
• Chandrashekarappa Arun Kumar
• Li Huanzhong

Classifications

• H04N23/30

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