JP2001148787A - Image processing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize an image processing unit that can automatically obtain an image optimum to a diagnosis without the need for a troublesome operation by selecting an optimum filter for each area of a radioactive ray image. SOLUTION: The image processing unit that processes a radioactive ray picture obtained by detecting a radioactive dose transmitted through an object is provided with a filter storage means 50 that stores a plurality of filters the shapes and the sizes of masks of which are different, a filter selection means 40 that selects one or a plurality of filters among filters stored in the filter storage means, an image processing means 60 that conducts filtering processing on the basis of the filter selected by the filter selection means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for processing a radiation image, and more particularly, to an image processing apparatus capable of selecting and processing an optimum filter for a radiation image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, devices capable of directly taking a radiation image as a digital image have been developed. For example, as a device that detects the amount of radiation applied to a subject and obtains a radiation image formed in accordance with the detected amount as an electric signal, a method using a detector using a stimulable phosphor is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-110,026. 55-12429 gazette, JP-A-63-189853 gazette,
Many have been disclosed.

[0003] In such an apparatus, a stimulable phosphor is applied to a sheet-like substrate, or a detector fixed by vapor deposition or the like is once irradiated with radiation that has passed through a subject to absorb the radiation into the stimulable phosphor. Let it.

Thereafter, the stimulable phosphor is excited by light or heat energy to emit radiation energy accumulated by the stimulable phosphor as a result of the absorption, and the fluorescence is photoelectrically converted. To obtain an image signal.

On the other hand, an electric charge corresponding to the intensity of the irradiated radiation is generated in the photoconductive layer, the generated electric charge is accumulated in a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged capacitors, and the accumulated electric charge is taken out. Has been proposed.

[0006] Such a radiation image detecting apparatus uses what is called a flat panel detector (FPD). As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-90048, this type of FPD can detect fluorescence with a photodiode or a CCD or C-MOS sensor. A similar FPD is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-342098.

Further, as a flat panel detector, a configuration as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 (split type FPD)
It can be. FIG. 8 is a front view of a radiation image detector that can be used as a flat panel detector, and shows an example in which the radiation image detector is composed of a plurality of units. The broken line in FIG. 8 is a line of the grid 150 of the radiation image detector, but is actually hidden by the protective member and the X-ray scintillator and cannot be seen from the front. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the number of units is 6 × 6 = 36, but the number is not limited to this.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a longitudinal section of the radiation image detector. The radiation image detector is an X-ray scintillator 15
1, the lens array 152, and the lens array 15
Area sensor 154 corresponding to each lens 153
Are arranged in this order. X-ray scintillator 15
1 is protected by a protection member 155. Each lens 153 of the lens array 152 includes a lens support member 158.
X-ray scintillator 151 and lens array 1
52, a transparent member 156 is arranged. The area sensor 154 is supported by the area sensor support member 157.

[0009]

By the way, in these apparatuses, in order to express a radiographic image with a gradation suitable for diagnosis, the above-mentioned apparatus is used so that a doctor can easily see a portion (region of interest) of interest. It is desirable to automatically perform gradation conversion on the image obtained in step (1).

In order to perform such automatic gradation conversion, processing conditions are determined from statistical characteristics (maximum value, minimum value, histogram, etc.) of image data, and image processing is performed on the entire image. Is performed.

Further, in order to make it easy to see the structure of the details, edge enhancement processing is performed or the signal area of the subject is narrowed.
A dynamic range compression process or the like is also performed to make it easy to observe high density portions and low density portions simultaneously.

However, in radiography used for diagnosis,
There are a wide variety of sites to be imaged, from the head to the limbs. Even if a single image is taken, for example, in the case of a chest image, various parts such as the lungs, spine, and subdiaphragm are shown. Nevertheless, uniform image processing was performed on the entire image.

That is, when image processing is performed using a filter, image processing has conventionally been performed on one radiation image using the same filter. As described above, in the processing of a radiation image up to now, no consideration has been given to performing optimal image processing, that is, specialized image processing for each region of a subject.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and selects an optimum filter for each area of a radiation image, and automatically obtains an image optimal for diagnosis without complicated operations. It is an object of the present invention to realize an image processing apparatus capable of performing the above.

[0015]

That is, the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is as follows. (1) The invention according to claim 1 is an image processing apparatus for processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, and stores a plurality of filters having different filter shapes and mask sizes. Filter storing means, filter selecting means for selecting one or a plurality of filters from filters stored in the filter storing means, and image processing for performing a filtering process based on the filters selected by the filter selecting means. And an image processing apparatus.

According to the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, one or more filters are selected from filters stored in advance, and the selected filter is selected. The filtering process is performed based on.

This makes it possible to select a filter for each region of the radiation image and execute the filtering process. For example, even for the same image, by changing a filter selected according to the purpose of diagnosis, information necessary for diagnosis is emphasized, and other information is attenuated, so that image processing that is easy to diagnose can be performed. become.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, wherein the obtained radiation image is based on a structure in the subject. Recognition means for recognizing an area by a filter, filter storage means for storing a plurality of filters having different filter shapes and mask sizes, and filters recognized from the filters stored in the filter storage means. An image processing apparatus comprising: a filter selection unit that selects a filter for each region; and an image processing unit that performs a filtering process based on the filter selected by the filter selection unit.

According to the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting the amount of radiation transmitted through a subject, a filter is selected for each recognized area and filtering processing is performed.

This makes it possible to automatically select a filter for each region of the radiation image and execute the filtering process. That is, by changing the filter for performing the filtering process for each region, it becomes possible to perform image processing in consideration of local image characteristics, and it is possible to more accurately set a portion where information is emphasized and a portion where attenuation is desired. Become. Then, only information necessary for diagnosis can be emphasized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, wherein an input of an area setting is performed for the obtained radiation image. Area setting means to be performed, a filter storage means for storing a plurality of filters having different filter shapes and mask sizes, and an area set by the area setting means from among the filters stored in the filter storage means. An image processing apparatus comprising: a filter selection unit that selects a filter for each filter; and an image processing unit that performs a filtering process based on the filter selected by the filter selection unit.

According to the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting the amount of radiation transmitted through a subject, a filter is selected for each region where division or the like is set, and filtering processing is performed.

Thus, it becomes possible to select a filter for each region of the set radiation image and execute the filtering process. That is, by determining an area based on the setting from the area setting unit and using a filter that is set accurately and matches each area, an image suitable for a desired diagnostic purpose can be generated.

(4) The invention according to claim 4 further comprises characteristic analyzing means for analyzing characteristics of the recognized or set area, wherein the filter selecting means refers to the characteristics analyzed by the characteristic analyzing means. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a filter is selected for each recognized or set area from among the filters stored in the storage unit. .

According to the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation dose transmitted through a subject, characteristics are analyzed for each recognized or set region, and recognition is performed based on the analyzed characteristics. Alternatively, a filter is selected for each of the set regions and the filtering process is performed.

This makes it possible to automatically select a filter suitable for each region of the radiation image and execute the filtering process. That is, by selecting a filter in accordance with the characteristics of the region, the output value can be changed depending on the difference in the characteristics of the same region, so that the most optimal filter in the region can be selected.

(5) The invention according to claim 5, further comprising selection filter display means for displaying the type of filter selected by the filter selection means. An image processing apparatus according to any one of the above.

According to the present invention, the type of the filter selected by the filter selecting means is displayed, so that it is possible to easily determine what kind of image processing has been performed, thereby preventing erroneous determination beforehand. Will be able to

(6) According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an input means for inputting diagnostic information, wherein the filter selecting means comprises:
6. A filter is selected by referring to the diagnostic information input by the input unit.
An image processing device according to any one of the above.

According to the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting the amount of radiation transmitted through a subject, one or a plurality of filters are stored in advance by referring to the input diagnostic information. A filter is selected, and a filtering process is performed based on the selected filter.

This makes it possible to automatically select a filter for each region of the radiation image in accordance with the diagnostic information and execute the filtering process. In other words, by deciding the filter to be selected based on the diagnostic information, for example, it is possible to cope with a different diagnostic purpose even if the same part is photographed, and it is possible to easily and stably produce an image suitable for the diagnostic. It can be created.

(7) The invention according to claim 7, further comprising a correction means for inputting correction of the diagnostic information input by the input means, wherein the filter selecting means comprises a diagnostic information corrected by the correction means. And reselecting one or a plurality of filters from among the filters stored in the filter storage means. The image processing means performs a refiltering process based on the filters reselected by the filter selection means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image processing is performed.

According to the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, one or a plurality of filters may be selected from filters stored in advance by referring to corrected diagnostic information. The filter is reselected, and the filtering process is performed based on the reselected filter.

This makes it possible to automatically reselect a filter for each region of the radiation image in accordance with the corrected diagnostic information and execute the filtering process. That is, even when image processing is to be performed with diagnostic information other than diagnostic information once determined, re-filtering can be easily performed.

(8) The invention according to claim 8 is provided with input means for inputting diagnostic information, and when a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information are input to the input means, the filter selecting means uses the input means. A plurality of filters are selected with reference to the plurality of pieces of input diagnostic information, and the image processing unit performs a plurality of filtering processes using the selected plurality of filters, and is generated by the plurality of filtering processes. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of images are output as one screen.

According to the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation dose transmitted through a subject, a plurality of filters are selected based on a plurality of diagnostic information, and a plurality of filtering processes are performed by the plurality of filters. And outputs the results of the plurality of filtering processes as one screen.

Thus, it is possible to select a filter according to each piece of diagnostic information and execute a filtering process. That is, it is possible to simultaneously see the filtering processing results according to a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information, and it is easy to select an image processing result suitable for the diagnosis.

(9) According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image selecting means for selecting a desired image from a plurality of images output on one screen, and the image is selected by the image selecting means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus outputs the image.

According to the present invention, a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information are input, image processing corresponding to the diagnostic information is performed, and only images of interest (for example, necessary for diagnosis) are selected and output. Will be able to

(10) The invention according to claim 10, further comprising diagnostic information display means for displaying diagnostic information inputted by the input means. An image processing apparatus as described in the above.

According to the present invention, the inputted diagnostic information is displayed, so that it is possible to easily determine what kind of diagnostic information is used, so that erroneous image processing or erroneous determination is prevented beforehand. Will be able to

(11) The invention according to claim 11, further comprising image processing condition determining means for determining a condition of image processing other than the filtering processing by referring to a result of the filtering processing performed by the image processing means. An image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein:

According to the present invention, since the conditions of image processing other than the filtering processing are determined by referring to the result of the filtering processing, other image processing suitable for the filtering processing can be performed. .

(12) The image according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein the invention according to the twelfth aspect is provided with an area display means for displaying the recognized or set area. Processing device.

In the present invention, the recognized or set area is displayed, so that it is possible to easily determine based on which area the filter has been selected and the image processing has been performed. Judgment can be prevented beforehand.

(13) The invention according to claim 13 is characterized by comprising a region-by-region selection filter display means for displaying the type of filter selected according to the region. An image processing device according to any one of the above.

According to the present invention, the type of filter selected for each area is displayed, so that it is possible to easily determine which filter has been selected and to perform image processing. Can be prevented beforehand.

(14) The invention according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the selection filter display means or the area-specific selection filter display means, a filter change means for changing a filter selected by the filter selection means,
An image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising:

According to the present invention, the type of filter selected for each area is displayed and the filter can be changed. Therefore, it is determined which filter has been selected and image processing has been performed. Then, the filter can be re-selected, so that erroneous image processing and determination can be prevented beforehand.

[0050]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. <Configuration of Image Processing Apparatus> Hereinafter, the configuration of the image processing apparatus will be described according to rough blocks. Each unit of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment can be configured by hardware, firmware, or software. For this reason, a functional block diagram according to the processing procedure of each means is shown.

(A) Radiation image generating means As shown in FIG. 1, the radiation image generating means 10 generates an image having a signal value proportional to the logarithm of the irradiated radiation dose.

As the radiation image generating means 10, those using sensors such as the above-described FPD and CCD, and a known device which reads a stimulable phosphor plate and generates a radiation image can be used. . In each case, a signal value proportional to the logarithm of the radiation dose is obtained, and the larger the dose, the higher the signal value.

Further, in order to reduce the time required for the subsequent processing of each unit, the reduced radiation image obtained by sampling the original radiation image and reducing the number of pixels by the reduced image generation means (not shown) is used. May be created.

(B) Recognition Means The recognition means 30 first analyzes the radiation image transmitted from the radiation image generation means 10. As a result, the area of the radiation image obtained by the radiation image generating means 10 is recognized based on the structure in the subject.

The recognition of the subject is disclosed in
A direct X-ray irradiation region and a human body region may be divided by using a known discriminant analysis method as described in JP-A-96380 or JP-A-11-85950. Then, by binarizing the area recognized as the subject with a certain threshold, an area above the threshold can be made a lung field area.

Further, in the region recognized as the subject, the horizontal or vertical averaging profile may be calculated to divide the region in the subject.

In the case of a chest front image, there is a boundary between the subdiaphragm and the lung area near where the vertical averaging profile initially changes greatly from a lower pixel value to a higher pixel value from the lower end of the image. Can be considered subdiaphragm. At this time, in order to more accurately find the boundary between the subdiaphragm and the lung field area, the profile is calculated again near the boundary found in the past flow, and the boundary is determined again when the pixel value changes greatly. You may.

In the case of the chest front image, the area under the diaphragm is
It exists near the lower end of the image, the average value is relatively small, and the variance is also relatively small. The lung area has a relatively high density and a large variance. In the bone region, the average value is a small value, and furthermore, since the bone edge is included,
The variance value increases. Such a determination may be added.

In order to determine the lung field area and the subdiaphragm area recognized by the above method as more accurate, FIG.
The area may be re-determined using the edge extraction filter shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, an example as a Sobel filter is shown in FIG.
(A) and FIG. 2 (b). They extract horizontal and vertical edges, respectively.

As another area dividing method, a local threshold value method for locally analyzing a threshold value, or a method called hierarchical clustering can be adopted. As described above, after the recognition of the area is completed, a recognition result is output. Then, the output recognition result is sent to the filter selecting means 40.

(C) Filter selecting means Based on the recognition result obtained by the recognizing means 30, the filter selecting means 40 reads out an optimum filter from the filter storing means 50 storing various filters. Note that the filter storage unit 50 stores a plurality of filters having different filter shapes and mask sizes.

The filter selecting means 40 comprises:
Is possible. The filter is selected with reference to the diagnostic information input by the diagnostic information input means 21 to which the diagnostic information is input. Thereby, automatically selecting a filter for each region of the radiographic image according to the diagnostic information, automatically reselecting a filter for each region of the radiographic image according to the corrected diagnostic information, This makes it possible to select a filter for each region of the radiation image.

The diagnostic information input by the diagnostic information input means 21 is inputted, and the diagnostic information corrected by the correcting means 22 is referred to, and one or more of the filters stored in the filter storage means 50 are selected. Is re-selected. This makes it possible to automatically re-select a filter for each region of the radiographic image according to the corrected diagnostic information and execute a filtering process. That is, even when image processing is to be performed with diagnostic information other than diagnostic information once determined, re-filtering can be easily performed.

A filter to be applied to each area of the subject set by the area setting means 23 is selected. The setting of the area in this case corresponds to division of the area. This makes it possible to automatically select a filter for each region of the radiation image and execute the filtering process.
That is, by determining an area based on the setting from the area setting unit and using a filter that is set accurately and matches each area, an image suitable for a desired diagnostic purpose can be generated.

The diagnostic information in the above description is
The information is information on the suspicious disease name, age, gender, weight, body type, etc., and the filter selection means 40 selects a corresponding filter from the diagnosis information using a correspondence table.

Here, a case where the sub-diaphragm of the subject has already been recognized will be described as an example. In this case, the density under the diaphragm is low (high brightness). If diagnosis requires no subdiaphragm, it can be dazzling and adversely affect the diagnosis.
For this reason, a filter that outputs a high density (low luminance) under the diaphragm may be passed. In this case, a filter that converts all values to the highest density, a filter that shifts the density of all values so as to increase the density by 1 to 2 or the like is applicable. In addition, since the brightness is high, the granularity is conspicuous and may adversely affect the diagnosis. Therefore,
It is also desirable to select a filter that smoothes below the diaphragm (such as a filter that smoothes by the moving average method) so that the graininess is less noticeable.

Similarly, a case in which the lung field area of the subject has already been recognized will be described as an example. Here, when the predetermined area is recognized to be the range of A in FIG. 3, the predetermined area is the center of the lung field area, and the edge by the rib forms a line edge extending in the horizontal direction. A filter that emphasizes edges (for example, see FIG. 4A) is selected. In addition, when the predetermined area is recognized as being in the range of B in FIG. 3, it is a part near the side of the human body in the lung field area, and the edge by the rib forms a line edge extending in an oblique direction. A filter (for example, see FIG. 4B) that emphasizes the line edge in the direction is selected. Then, if it is desired to emphasize the bones included in the radiographic image according to the purpose of diagnosis, it is desirable to emphasize the signal at a location where the absolute value of the output of this filter is large, and to emphasize the blood vessel portion included in the radiographic image , A filter is selected that attenuates the signal at the location where the absolute value of the output of this filter is large.

The filter selected as described above is sent to the image processing means 60. (d) Image processing means The image processing means 60 performs image processing on the radiation image, which is the original image sent from the radiation image generation means 10, using the plurality of filters selected by the filter selection means 40. To obtain the final output image. In the image processing means 60, a plurality of filtering processes, gradation conversion, frequency processing, and equalization processes are performed. Then, a plurality of images generated by the plurality of filtering processes are output as one screen. In addition, one screen is
Outputting to a film means outputting to one film, and outputting to a display means outputting to one display screen.

The filtering process is to replace the value of the pixel of interest by performing an arithmetic process defined by the selected filter on a region near the pixel of interest.
Through such processing, the pixel of interest can be emphasized or attenuated.

For example, when the filter shown in FIG. 5 is selected, the image processing means 60 performs the following processing. Assuming that the target pixel (i, j) is at the center, the multiplication A _{i−1 of the} filter a _{i−1, j−1} and the pixel (i−1, j−1) at the position corresponding to the coefficient _{, j-1} , the coefficient of the filter a _{i, j-1} and the pixel (i, j,
The multiplication A _{i, j-1 of} j-1) is performed, and the corresponding pixel is multiplied by a coefficient. Finally, the sum of all multiplication results is replaced as the value of the pixel of interest.

Further, as the image processing in the image processing means 60, it is also possible to refer to the result of the filtering processing, select a filter, and perform the filtering processing. For example, a vector of pixel values is calculated by a Sobel filter or the like shown in FIG. When the filter of FIG. 2 is used, the parameter X of the horizontal component is obtained by the filter # 1 of FIG. 2A, and the parameter Y of the vertical component is obtained by the filter # 2 of FIG. 2B. And
The filter selecting unit 40 selects a filter that enhances the degree of enhancement of the pixel values near the collection of the vectors.

When a filtering process is performed by this filter, a circular concave area or a circular convex area is emphasized.
For example, a tumor shadow forms a circular concave area or a circular convex area on a radiographic image. By setting a region where a tumor shadow is likely to be present as large emphasis and reducing the degree of emphasis on a region which is considered not to exist, it is possible to execute a filtering process for surely emphasizing a tumor shadow included in a radiographic image.

In this image processing, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting the amount of radiation transmitted through the subject,
It is possible to select one or a plurality of filters from the filters stored in advance, and perform a filtering process based on the selected filters. This allows
It becomes possible to select a filter for each region of the radiation image and execute the filtering process. For example, even for the same image, by changing a filter selected according to the purpose of diagnosis, information necessary for diagnosis is emphasized, and other information is attenuated, so that image processing that is easy to diagnose can be performed. become.

In this image processing, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting the amount of radiation transmitted through the subject,
A filter is selected for each area where the setting such as division is performed, and a filtering process is performed. This allows
It becomes possible to execute a filtering process by selecting a filter for each region of the set radiation image. That is, by determining an area based on the setting from the area setting unit and using a filter that is set accurately and matches each area, an image suitable for a desired diagnostic purpose can be generated.

In this image processing, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject,
It is also possible to select a plurality of filters based on a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information, perform a plurality of filtering processes using the plurality of filters, and output a result of the plurality of filtering processes as one screen. This makes it possible to select a filter according to each piece of diagnostic information and execute a filtering process. That is, it is possible to simultaneously see the filtering processing results according to a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information, and it is easy to select an image processing result suitable for the diagnosis.

In the case of a chest image, a soft portion, a bone portion, a lesion such as a tumor shadow, a different purpose are emphasized, and all of them are displayed on a screen. Diagnosis can be performed at the same time, and the optimal processing can be selected.

(E) Other Embodiments (1) For each region of the subject recognized by the recognition means 30 as described above, as shown in FIG. 6, for each region for analyzing the characteristics of each region. It is possible to provide the characteristic analyzing means 35. In this case, the filter selection unit 40 selects a filter for each region from the filters stored in the filter storage unit 50 with reference to the characteristics of each region analyzed by the region-specific characteristic analysis unit 35. Recognition means 3
It is also possible to perform the same characteristic analysis not only on the area recognized by 0 but also on the area set by the area setting means 23.

In such a configuration, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting the amount of radiation transmitted through a subject, characteristics are analyzed for each recognized or set area, and the characteristics are analyzed based on the analyzed characteristics. Thus, a filter suitable for each area is selected and filtering processing is performed. This makes it possible to automatically select a filter suitable for each region of the radiation image and execute the filtering process. That is, by selecting a filter in accordance with the characteristics of the region, the output value can be changed depending on the difference in the characteristics of the same region, so that the most optimal filter in the region can be selected.

That is, the filter to be selected is changed by recognizing whether or not the metal is embedded in the bone and the characteristics such as the overall signal value of the region. If there is metal in the bone, a histogram of the recognized or set area is obtained, and the information obtained from the histogram (the fact that there is a high-intensity peak due to the metal, and the cumulative value is calculated, If the value is low, use a metal, etc.) or use the average value or variance (the average value decreases and the variance increases if the region contains metal) May be.

The selected or recognized area has a low density (high brightness) like a metal area embedded in bone.
In this case, since the roughness of the graininess is conspicuous, the filter for that region may be subjected to frequency processing with a relatively large mask size to make the roughness of the graininess inconspicuous.

When the region has a high density (low brightness), such as a side portion of a human body, the average value, the mode, and the like of the region also have high values indicating the high density. In this case, it is possible to perform frequency processing using a relatively small mask size, or to output using a filter that moves the output value to a lower density side so that the end of the human body region can be clearly seen. Good.

Further, in the mammogram, when the average value of the breast region is low or the histogram is biased in a very narrow range, the thick mammary gland region is expanded.
Since most of the mammary glands are often regressed, frequency processing may be performed using a relatively small mask size so that the state inside the mammary glands can be seen. In particular, when the average value of the breast region is low and the histogram is biased to a very narrow range, it is considered that the thick mammary gland region is spread, and the possibility of high brightness (low density) is high, and By a filter that moves a little to the low luminance (high density) side,
By moving the overall density and performing frequency processing using a relatively small mask size, it may be easier to detect microcalcification shadows and the like that may be present in thick mammary gland regions.

(F) Other Embodiments (2) In each of the above embodiments, the type of the filter selected by the filter selection means 40 is displayed on the display means 7.
0 can be displayed on the selection filter display section (see FIG. 7). In this case, since the type of the filter selected by the filter selecting unit 40 is displayed, it is possible to easily determine what kind of image processing has been performed, and it is possible to prevent erroneous determination beforehand. become able to.

Each display section in the display means 70 of FIG. 7 may be a separate display section, a display section using another area of one screen, or various display sections sharing one screen. May be performed.

(G) Other Embodiments (3) In each of the above embodiments, the type of the diagnostic information input from the diagnostic information input means 21 is displayed on the display means 70.
Can be displayed on the diagnostic information display section (see FIG. 7). In this case, since the input diagnostic information is displayed, it is possible to easily determine what diagnostic information has been used, so that erroneous image processing or erroneous determination can be prevented beforehand. Become like

(H) Other Embodiments (4) In each of the above embodiments, the recognized or set area is displayed on the area display section of the display means 70 (see FIG. 7). Is possible. Accordingly, it is possible to easily determine on which basis the filter has been selected and the image processing has been performed, so that an erroneous determination can be prevented beforehand.

(I) Other Embodiments (5) In each of the above embodiments, the type of filter selected for each area is displayed on the area-by-area selection filter display section of the display means 70 (FIG. 7). Reference).
As a result, it is possible to easily determine which filter has been selected and the image processing has been performed, so that erroneous determination can be prevented beforehand.

In this case, the filter can be changed by the operator via the correcting means 22 or the operating means (not shown). For this reason, it is possible to determine which filter has been selected for the image processing and to reselect the filter, so that erroneous image processing and determination can be prevented beforehand.

(J) Other Embodiments (6) In each of the above embodiments, the image processing means 6
It is also possible to include an image processing condition determining unit that determines the conditions of image processing other than the filtering process by referring to the result of the filtering process performed in step 0. In such a configuration, the conditions of the image processing other than the filtering processing are determined with reference to the result of the filtering processing, so that other image processing suitable for the filtering processing can be performed.

[0090]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation dose transmitted through a subject, one or more of filters stored in advance are processed. Is selected, and the filtering process is performed based on the selected filter. Therefore, it is possible to select a filter for each region of the radiation image and execute the filtering process. As a result, even for the same image, by changing the filter selected in accordance with the purpose of diagnosis, information necessary for diagnosis is emphasized, and other information is attenuated, so that image processing that is easy to diagnose can be performed. Become like

(2) According to the second aspect of the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, a filter is selected for each recognized area and filtering processing is performed. Therefore, it is possible to automatically select a filter for each region of the radiation image and execute the filtering process. As a result, by changing the filter for filtering for each area,
Image processing can be performed in consideration of local image characteristics, and a portion where information is emphasized and a portion where attenuation is desired can be set more accurately. Then, only information necessary for diagnosis can be emphasized.

(3) According to the third aspect of the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting the amount of radiation transmitted through a subject, a filter is selected for each region where division or the like is set and filtering processing is performed. Is performed, it is possible to select a filter for each region of the set radiation image and execute the filtering process. As a result, the area is determined by the setting from the area setting means, and an image suitable for a desired diagnosis purpose can be generated by using a filter which is set accurately and matches each area.

(4) According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation dose transmitted through a subject, characteristics are analyzed for each recognized or set area, and this analysis is performed. Filters are selected for each area that has been recognized or set based on the characteristics that have been set, and filtering processing is performed. Therefore, a filter that is appropriate for each area of the radiation image is automatically selected and filtering processing is executed. It becomes possible to do. As a result, by selecting a filter according to the characteristics of the region, the output value can be changed due to the difference in the characteristics of the same region,
It becomes possible to select the most optimal filter in that region.

(5) According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the type of the filter selected by the filter selecting means is displayed, it is possible to easily determine what kind of image processing has been performed. Wrong judgment can be prevented beforehand.

(6) According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation dose transmitted through a subject, a filter stored in advance is referred to by referring to input diagnostic information. One or more filters are selected from among them, and the filtering process is performed based on the selected filters. Therefore, the filtering process is performed by automatically selecting a filter for each region of the radiographic image according to the diagnostic information. Can be executed. As a result, by deciding the filter to be selected based on the diagnostic information, for example, even if the same part is imaged, it is possible to cope with a different diagnostic purpose, and it is possible to easily and stably apply an image suitable for the diagnostic. Can be created.

(7) According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, a filter stored in advance by referring to corrected diagnostic information is used. One or more filters are re-selected from among them, and the filtering process is performed based on the re-selected filters. It becomes possible to execute the filtering process by reselecting. As a result, even when image processing is to be performed with diagnostic information other than the diagnostic information once determined, re-filtering can be easily performed.

(8) In the invention according to claim 8, when processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation dose transmitted through a subject, a plurality of filters are selected based on a plurality of diagnostic information, and the plurality of filters are selected. Since a plurality of filtering processes are performed by the filter and the results of the plurality of filtering processes are output as one screen, it is possible to select a filter according to each piece of diagnostic information and execute the filtering process. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously see the filtering processing results according to a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information, and it becomes easy to select an image processing result suitable for diagnosis.

(9) In the ninth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information are input, and image processing is performed in accordance with the diagnostic information. ) Only images can be selected and output.

(10) According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the input diagnostic information is displayed, it is possible to easily determine what kind of diagnostic information has been used. Wrong judgment can be prevented beforehand.

(11) According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the conditions of image processing other than the filtering processing are determined by referring to the result of the filtering processing, other image processing suitable for the filtering processing is performed. Can be performed.

(12) In the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the recognized or set area is displayed, it is possible to easily determine on which area the filter is selected and the image processing is performed. As a result, incorrect judgment can be prevented beforehand.

(13) In the invention according to the thirteenth aspect, since the type of the selected filter is displayed for each area, it is possible to easily determine which filter has been selected and the image processing has been performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a wrong decision beforehand.

(14) According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the type of the selected filter is displayed for each area and the filter can be changed. Since it is possible to judge whether the image processing has been performed and to reselect the filter, it is possible to prevent erroneous image processing and judgment from occurring.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a filter used in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of image processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a filter used in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a filtering process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a flat panel detector.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a flat panel detector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Radiation image generation means 21 Diagnosis information input means 22 Correction means 23 Area setting means 30 Recognition means 40 Filter selection means 50 Filter storage means 60 Image processing means 70 Display means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 4C093 AA26 CA01 CA15 CA17 CA21 DA03 DA04 DA06 EE01 FD03 FD05 FD09 FF06 FF08 FF09 FF13 FF16 FF17 FF19 FF20 FF28 FF32 5C077 LL19 MM30 MP01 NN02 PP01 PP22

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An image processing apparatus for processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, comprising: a filter storage unit configured to store a plurality of filters having different filter shapes and mask sizes; 1 out of the filters stored in the filter storage means
An image processing apparatus comprising: a filter selecting unit that selects one or a plurality of filters; and an image processing unit that performs a filtering process based on the filter selected by the filter selecting unit. 2. An image processing apparatus for processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, comprising: a recognition unit configured to recognize an area of the obtained radiation image based on a structure in the subject; Filter storage means for storing a plurality of filters having different filter shapes and mask sizes; and among the filters stored in the filter storage means,
An image processing apparatus comprising: a filter selection unit that selects a filter for each area recognized by the recognition unit; and an image processing unit that performs a filtering process based on the filter selected by the filter selection unit. apparatus. 3. An image processing apparatus for processing a radiation image obtained by detecting a radiation amount transmitted through a subject, comprising: an area setting means for inputting an area setting for the obtained radiation image; Filter storage means for storing a plurality of filters having different shapes and mask sizes, from among the filters stored in the filter storage means,
An image, comprising: a filter selection unit that selects a filter for each region set by the region setting unit; and an image processing unit that performs a filtering process based on the filter selected by the filter selection unit. Processing equipment. 4. A characteristic analyzing unit for analyzing characteristics of the recognized or set area, wherein the filter selecting unit refers to the characteristic analyzed by the characteristic analyzing unit and stores the characteristic in the storage unit. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a filter is selected from the filters for each recognized or set area. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection filter display unit that displays a type of the filter selected by the filter selection unit. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: input means for inputting diagnostic information, wherein said filter selecting means selects a filter by referring to the diagnostic information input by said input means. The image processing device according to claim 5. 7. A correction means for inputting correction of diagnostic information inputted by said input means, wherein said filter selecting means refers to the diagnostic information corrected by said correcting means, and stores said diagnostic information in said filter storage means. Re-selecting one or a plurality of filters from the stored filters, the image processing unit performs a re-filtering process based on the filters re-selected by the filter selecting unit;
7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: 8. An input device for inputting diagnostic information, wherein when a plurality of diagnostic information is input to the input device, the filter selecting device refers to the plurality of diagnostic information input by the input device. The image processing means performs a plurality of filtering processes using the selected plurality of filters, and outputs a plurality of images generated by the plurality of filtering processes as one screen. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 9. An image processing apparatus comprising: an image selection unit for selecting a desired image from a plurality of images output on one screen; and outputting the image selected by the image selection unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1. 10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a diagnosis information display unit that displays the diagnosis information input by the input unit. 11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an image processing condition determining unit that determines a condition of image processing other than the filtering process by referring to a result of the filtering process performed by the image processing unit. The image processing device according to claim 10. 12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an area display unit that displays the recognized or set area. 13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: an area selection filter display unit that displays a type of filter selected according to the area. . 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of said selection filter display means or said area-specific selection filter display means, and filter changing means for changing a filter selected by said filter selection means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.