Method for generating an image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11216991-B2
Application number	US-201615145943-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2016
Priority date	May 13, 2015
Publication date	Jan 4, 2022
Grant date	Jan 4, 2022

Abstract

A method is disclosed for generating an image. An embodiment of the method includes detecting a first projection data set via a first group of detector units, the first group including a first plurality of first detector units, each having more than a given number of detector elements; detecting a second projection data set via a second group of detector units, the second group including a second plurality of second detector units, each including, at most, the given number of detector elements; reconstructing first image data based on the first projection data set; reconstructing second image data based on the second projection data set; and combining the first image data and the second image data. A non-transitory computer readable medium, a data processing unit, and an imaging device including the data processing unit are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating an image, comprising:
detecting a first projection data set via a plurality of first detector units, the plurality of first detector units each including more than a given number of detector elements, wherein the plurality of first detector units are each configured to detect the first projection data set based on spectrally resolved detection of radiation quanta;
detecting a second projection data set via a plurality of second detector units, the plurality of second detector units each including, at most, the given number of detector elements, wherein the plurality of second detector units are each configured to detect the second projection data set based on spectrally resolved detection of radiation quanta, and wherein
each of the detector elements is the same size,
the plurality of first detector units and the plurality of second detector units each have a respective size based on a respective number of detector elements incorporated in each respective detector unit,
the plurality of first detector units have a larger size than the plurality of second detector units, and
a different number of detector elements is incorporated into each of at least two of the plurality of first detector units, or a different number of detector elements is incorporated into each of at least two of the plurality of second detector units;
reconstructing first image data based on the first projection data set;
reconstructing second image data based on the second projection data set; and
combining the first image data and the second image data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first image data is filtered via a first filter and the second image data is filtered via a second filter, and the combining includes adding the filtered first image data and the filtered second image data pixel-by-pixel.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first filter includes a first transfer function and the second filter includes a second transfer function, a total of the first transfer function and the second transfer function being a constant function.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first filter includes a low pass filter and the second filter includes a high pass filter.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one of-the plurality of first detector units and the plurality of second detector units each correspond to a respective spatial resolution, the respective spatial resolution being defined by the respective number of detector elements incorporated in each respective detector unit.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first filter includes a low pass filter and the second filter includes a high pass filter.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of-the plurality of first detector units and the plurality of second detector units each correspond to a respective spatial resolution, the respective spatial resolution being defined by the respective number of detector elements incorporated in each respective detector unit.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the combining includes multiplying the first image data and the second image data pixel-by-pixel.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a detector element is assignable to one of the plurality of first detector units or one of the plurality of second detector units, or both one of the plurality of first detector units and one of the plurality of second detector units.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of first detector units and the plurality of second detector units each correspond to a respective spectral resolution, the respective spectral resolution being defined by the respective number of detector elements incorporated in each respective detector unit.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of first detector units and the plurality of second detector units each correspond to a respective spatial resolution, the respective spatial resolution being defined by the respective number of detector elements incorporated in each respective detector unit.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reconstructing second image data based on the second projection data set comprises:
generating back projection data based on the second projection data set, wherein a back projection path is assignable to a pixel of the back projection data;
normalizing the back projection data by dividing a value of the pixel of the back projection data by a total of values of pixels of the first image data assignable to the back projection path; and
adding the normalized back projection data pixel-by-pixel.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the plurality of first detector units have a different ratio of rows of the detector elements to columns of the detector elements.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least two of the plurality of second detector units have a different ratio of rows of the detector elements to columns of the detector elements.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the plurality of second detector units have a different ratio of rows of the detector elements to columns of the detector elements.

16. A data processing unit communicatively coupled to a memory storing computer-readable instructions, the data processing unit being configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to:
detect a first projection data set using a plurality of first detector units, the plurality of first detector units each including more than a given number of detector elements, wherein the plurality of first detector units are each configured to detect the first projection data set based on spectrally resolved detection of radiation quanta;
detect a second projection data set using a plurality of second detector units, the plurality of second detector units each including, at most, the given number of detector elements, wherein the plurality of second detector units are each configured to detect the second projection data set based on spectrally resolved detection of radiation quanta, and wherein
each of the detector elements is the same size,
the plurality of first detector units and the plurality of second detector units each have a respective size based on a respective number of detector elements incorporated in each respective detector unit,
the plurality of first detector units have a larger size than the plurality of second detector units, and
a different number of detector elements is incorporated into each of at least two of the plurality of first detector units, or a different number of detector elements is incorporated into each of at least two of the plurality of second detector units;
reconstruct first image data based on the first projection data set;
reconstruct second image data based on the second projection data set; and
combine the first image data and the second image data to generate an image.

17. The data processing unit of claim 16 , wherein the data processing unit is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to reconstruct the second image data based on the second projection data set by
generating back projection data based on the second projection data set, wherein a back projection path is assignable to a pixel of the back projection data;
normalizing the back projection data by dividing a value of the pixel of the back projection data by a total of values of pixels of the first image data assignable to the back projection path; and
adding the normalized back projection data pixel-by-pixel.

18. An imaging device comprising:
the data processin

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Inventors

• Flohr Thomas
• Kappler Steffen

Classifications

• G06T12/20

  Inverse problem, i.e. transformations from projection space into object space · CPC title

• G06T12/30 Primary

  Image post-processing, e.g. metal artefact correction · CPC title

• G06T12/10 Primary

  Image preprocessing, e.g. calibration, positioning of sources or scatter correction · CPC title

• G06T2211/408

  Dual energy · CPC title

• G06T11/008 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic