X-ray imaging apparatus and method for controlling X-ray imaging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9433395-B2
Application number	US-201313940465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2013
Priority date	Jul 12, 2012
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an X-ray imaging apparatus and a method of controlling the same. The X-ray imaging apparatus includes an X-ray emitter to irradiate an object with X-rays and be movable, an X-ray detector to detect X-rays having passed through the object, convert the detected X-rays into an electric signal, and be movable, a location information collector to collect location information regarding the object, and a controller to control the X-ray emitter or the X-ray detector based on the location information regarding the object collected by the location information collector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An X-ray imaging apparatus comprising:
an X-ray emitter configured to irradiate an object with X-rays and be independently movable with respect to an X-ray detector of the X-ray imaging apparatus;
the X-ray detector configured to detect X-rays having passed through the object, convert the detected X-rays into an electric signal, and be independently movable with respect to the X-ray emitter;
a location information collector configured to collect location information regarding the object; and
a controller configured to execute a computer program stored in a computer readable medium,
wherein the computer program is provided to perform controlling the X-ray emitter or the X-ray detector based on the location information regarding the object collected by the location information collector, by determining a first movement location of one of the X-ray emitter and the X-ray detector, and
using the determined first movement location to determine a second movement location of a remaining one of the X-ray emitter and the X-ray detector after the first one of the X-ray emitter and the X-ray detector moves to the first movement location.

2. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the location information regarding the object is a location of the object in a three-dimensional coordinate system.

3. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the location information collector is a three-dimensional sensor to sense the object.

4. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the location information collector collects location information regarding the object by identifying a marker on the object.

5. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the location information collector is at least one of a range sensor, a three-dimensional (3D) camera, a 3D depth camera, a 3D color/depth camera, a stereo camera, an infrared camera, and a position sensitive device (PSD).

6. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the X-ray emitter or the X-ray detector by transmitting one of first movement location information on the X-ray emitter and second movement location information on the X-ray detector to the X-ray emitter or the X-ray detector or by generating one of a first movement command based on the first movement location information and a second movement command based on the second movement location information, and transmitting the generated one of the first and the second movement command to the X-ray emitter or the X-ray detector.

7. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the controller transmits the one of the first and the second movement location information or one of the first and the second movement command of the X-ray emitter or the X-ray detector to the X-ray emitter or the X-ray detector using a wired communication network or a wireless communication network.

8. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the computer program is further provided to perform generating the first movement command for the X-ray emitter based on the first movement location information on the X-ray emitter or the second movement command for the X-ray detector based on the second movement location information on the X-ray detector.

9. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an input unit configured to receive data or a command.

10. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the computer program is further provided to perform calculating a first movement location information of the X-ray emitter and a second movement location information of the X-ray detector using user input information input via the input unit and the location information of the object collected by the location information collector.

11. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the user input information comprises at least one from among a radiographic location and a radiographic range of the object to be X-ray imaged by a user, unique information of the object, information on a marker to be identified, setting information for operation of the X-ray imaging apparatus or the location information collector, and location information of the object.

12. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the input unit transmits at least one input movement location to the controller using a wired communication network or a wireless communication network.

13. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the computer program is further provided to perform determining a first movement location information of the X-ray emitter based on the location information of the object collected by the location information collector and determining a second movement location information of the X-ray detector using the determined first movement location information of the X-ray emitter, or determining the second movement location information of the X-ray detector based on the location information of the object collected by the location information collector and determining the first movement location information of the X-ray emitter using the determined second movement location information of the X-ray detector.

14. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the computer program is further provided to perform determining a second movement location information of the X-ray detector based on the location information of the object collected by the location information collector and a first movement location information of the X-ray emitter, or determining the first movement location information of the X-ray emitter based on the location information of the object collected by the location information collector and the second movement location information of the X-ray detector.

15. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the first movement location information of the X-ray emitter or the second movement location information of the X-ray detector, used to calculate a movement location of the X-ray detector or a movement location of the X-ray emitter, is input by a user.

16. A method of controlling an X-ray imaging apparatus, the method comprising:
collecting location information of the object, by a location information collector;
determining a first movement location of one of a movable X-ray emitter and a movable X-ray detector based on the location information of the object collected by the location information collector;
moving the one of the movable X-ray emitter or the movable X-ray detector according to the determined first movement location; and
determining a second movement location of a remaining one of the movable X-ray emitter and the movable X-ray detector based on the first movement location of the one of the movable X-ray emitter and the movable X-ray detector after the one of the movable X-ray emitter and the movable X-ray detector moves to the first movement location.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the location information collector is a 3D sensor configured to sense the object, and the collecting is performed by sensing the object, the sensing being performed by the 3D sensor, generating three-dimensional location information regarding the sensed object, and collecting the generated three-dimensional location information.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the location information collector is a marker identification sensor configured to identify a marker formed on the object, and the collecting is performed such that the marker identifi

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kang Dong Goo
• Sung Young Hun

Classifications

• G06T12/10

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

• A61B6/547

  involving tracking of position of the device or parts of the device · CPC title

• A61B6/4476

  related to motor-assisted motion of the source unit · CPC title

• G01N2223/419

  computed tomograph · CPC title

• H01J37/302

  Controlling tubes by external information, e.g. program control (H01J37/304 takes precedence) · CPC title