JP2003245274A - Radiographic apparatus, method for radiographing, radiograph display apparatus and method for displaying radiograph - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radiographic apparatus and the like which can be used for both stereo observation and general photographic observation. <P>SOLUTION: The radiographic apparatus comprises a first photographing means for photographing a subject from its substantially front direction and acquiring a first image, a second photographing means for photographing the subject from a direction at a certain angle with respect to the front direction and acquiring a second image, and a processing means for processing the first and second images so that the images can be used as left and right images for the stereo observation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radiation imaging apparatus, a radiation imaging method, a radiation image display device, and a radiation image display method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A stereoscopic imaging method is an imaging method that is expected to improve diagnostic accuracy over general X-ray imaging (simple imaging in which one X-ray image is acquired). Stereo observation has the merit that it is easy to determine the three-dimensional distribution of diseased parts, but has the demerit that it is difficult to grasp detailed density changes (luminance changes). On the other hand, in general photography observation, on the contrary,
It is difficult to understand the three-dimensional lesion distribution, but it is possible to delicately determine the change in concentration.

[0003]

From the above, it is possible to improve the diagnostic ability by complementing the diagnostic ability of each observation by using both the general photographing observation and the stereo photographing observation. Become.

By the way, in stereo photography / observation, when the vergence angle is α, photography is performed from a direction displaced by an angle α / 2 to the left and right with respect to the front direction of the subject,
A stereo image from the front was observed with the images obtained by the respective photographing as left and right images (see FIG. 3).

However, since each of the above-mentioned left and right images is an oblique image, when it is used for general radiography observation, it becomes an image that is difficult for a diagnostician to observe.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a radiation imaging apparatus, a radiation imaging method, a radiation image display apparatus, and a radiation image display method which are suitable for achieving both stereoscopic observation and general radiographic observation.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a radiation photographing apparatus having a function of acquiring an image of a subject by radiation, wherein the subject is photographed substantially from the front direction. And a first photographing means for obtaining a first image, and a second photographing means for photographing the subject from a direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the front direction to obtain a second image. , And processing means for processing the first and second images so that they can be used as left and right images for stereoscopic observation.

A second invention is the same as the first invention,
It is characterized in that the processing means performs a process of storing the first and second images together with information regarding respective shooting directions.

A third invention is the same as the first invention,
It is characterized by further comprising a photographing direction setting means for setting the positive or negative of the predetermined angle.

A fourth invention is based on the third invention.
It is characterized in that the photographing direction setting means selects either positive or negative of the predetermined angle according to the information regarding the body position of the subject.

A fifth invention is the same as the first invention,
The second photographing means is characterized by having an X-ray tube and a moving means for moving the X-ray tube according to information regarding a photographing distance.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a radiation imaging apparatus having a function of acquiring an image of an object by radiation, the first imaging means for imaging the object substantially from the front direction to acquire the first image. A second image capturing unit that captures a second image by capturing an image of the subject from a first direction that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the front direction;
A third image capturing unit that captures a third image by capturing an image in a second direction that is symmetric to the first direction with respect to the front direction, and a predetermined two of the first to third images. And a processing unit that processes the image so that it can be used as left and right images for stereo observation.

A seventh invention is a radiation image display apparatus corresponding to the radiation imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, wherein a stereo display means and a display for switching between a general observation mode and a stereo observation mode are provided. A switching means, wherein the display switching means displays the first image on the stereo display means in the general observation mode.

An eighth aspect of the invention is a radiation imaging method using an apparatus having a function of acquiring an image of an object by radiation, wherein the object is imaged substantially from the front side to acquire the first image. 1 is a photographing step, a second photographing step is a step of photographing the subject from a direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the front direction to obtain a second image, and the first and second images are stereo images. And a processing step for processing so as to be usable as left and right images for observation.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is a radiation imaging method using an apparatus having a function of acquiring an image of a subject by radiation, wherein the subject is photographed substantially from the front side.
A first photographing step of obtaining a first image; and a second photographing step of photographing the subject from a first direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the front direction to obtain a second image. ,
Of the first to third images, a third image capturing step of capturing the third image by capturing the subject from a second direction that is symmetrical to the first direction with respect to the front direction. And processing steps for processing the predetermined two images as left and right images for stereoscopic observation.

A tenth invention is a radiation image display method corresponding to the radiation imaging method of the eighth or ninth invention, wherein in the radiation image display method for displaying a radiation image on a stereo display device, a general observation mode is set. There is a display switching step of switching between the stereoscopic observation mode, and the display switching step is characterized in that the first image is displayed on the stereoscopic display device in the general observation mode.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) For comparison, FIG. 3 shows the conventional radiation stereoscopic imaging system described above. Conventionally, left and right images are collected by arranging X-ray focal points at positions L and R that are displaced from the front side by the angle α / 2 (1/2 of the convergence angle α). This is the concept of the conventional stereo photography system.

FIG. 1 shows a radiation imaging system of this embodiment. Instead of the conventional distribution of the convergence angle to the left or right, the image capturing from the front and the image capturing from the direction displaced right or left (right in FIG. 1) by the angle α are performed. In this way, the image captured from the front can be used as the image captured by conventional general imaging.

In the above example, the X-ray focal point is displaced to the right, but by doing so, when the subject is the chest of the human body, the X-ray focal point can be moved as far away as possible from the heart. In general, a front chest image is generally taken by PA, that is, an X-ray is incident from the back side of the human body and an image sensor is placed on the chest side. It is to make the shadow as small as possible. Similarly, in order to make the shadow of the heart as small as possible, as shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable to move the tube focus away from the heart as much as possible, that is, it is desirable to shift the X-ray focus to the right.

However, due to the circumstances of the human body (patient), PA
It may not be possible to shoot. For example, when photographing the lung field of a debilitated patient on a supine table, A
In some cases, P imaging (imaging performed by making X-rays incident from the chest side of the patient and placing an image sensor on the back side). An imaging system in this case is shown in FIG. In this case, it is desirable to place the X-ray focus on the left side in order to make the shadow of the heart on the lung field region as small as possible.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows a radiation imaging system of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, in addition to shooting from the front, shooting is performed from the directions displaced left and right by an angle α / 2, that is, a total of three shots are sequentially shot. In the present embodiment, the radiation dose to the patient increases, but in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, there is an effect that stereoscopic vision can be performed from the front of the subject. That is, the front image is used in simple observation using one image, and the left and right images are used in stereo observation.

(Structure of Apparatus According to Embodiments 1 and 2)
Here, a radiation imaging / observation system including a radiation imaging apparatus and a radiation image display apparatus according to the first and second embodiments will be described with reference to FIG. The X-ray generation means 502 including an X-ray tube is attached to the X-ray moving means 501. The X-ray moving means 501 is the X-ray position control means 50.
It is configured to be movable under the control of 3. The X-ray position control means 503 controls the movement (position and / or speed, etc.) of the X-ray movement means 501. By the above means, X
The X-ray focal point of the X-ray tube is configured to be movable to a predetermined position. Information regarding the predetermined position is stored in advance in the X-ray position data storage unit 504. This storage means is a ROM
Etc. The predetermined position information may be transferred from the system control unit 512 that controls the entire system.

The photographing instruction means 511 includes means for the user to instruct the photographing method as described in the first or second embodiment, and the information regarding the instructed photographing method is sent to each unit via the system bus 513. Communicate to. The instruction information includes (1) distinction between PA shooting and AP shooting, (2)
Shooting distance, and / or (3) distinction between two-image mode (first embodiment) and three-image mode (second embodiment). Two
When the single image mode is selected, as can be understood from the above description, in which direction the X-ray focal point is to be shifted from the front by distinguishing between PA imaging and AP imaging (that is, a predetermined direction with respect to the front direction of the subject). It is possible to determine the positive / negative of the predetermined angle when photographing from the direction forming the angle. Further, the moving amount of the X-ray tube for obtaining the convergence angle (5 to 6 degrees) suitable for observation can be set by the photographing distance information. The X-ray position control means 503 can obtain the predetermined position information of the X-ray tube by searching the table stored in the X-ray position data storage means 504 or by calculation based on the above instruction information. .

The X-rays transmitted through the subject S are converted into image data by the sensor means (image sensor) 505. The image data is subjected to image processing by the image processing means 506. The image processing includes various correction processing (offset correction, gain correction, defect correction, etc.), various enhancement processing (sharpening, gradation conversion, etc.) and the like. The processed image is stored in the image storage unit 507 together with the information on the shooting direction. The stored image is displayed on the stereo display unit 510 via the display switching unit 508 based on the designation of the switching instruction unit 509 for instructing the observation method by the user.

In the present embodiment, the stereo display device is used even during simple observation with one front image. A liquid crystal display device and polarizing glasses can be used as the stereo display device. Here, the liquid crystal display device displays the odd lines and the even lines with polarized light whose polarization directions are orthogonal to each other. Therefore, by using polarized glasses compatible with this liquid crystal display device, the odd line on the right eye,
Only the image of an even line can be presented to the left eye (the reverse is also possible, but this will be explained below).

In the case of simple observation, the same image is displayed on both odd and even lines. In this case, since the images presented to the left and right eyes are the same, a stereoscopic effect cannot be obtained, but the observer can simply observe while wearing polarized glasses.

In the case of stereo observation, the left and right images are displayed on even lines and odd lines, respectively.
You can get a sense of stereo. Switching between the simple observation mode and the stereo observation mode is performed by the switching instruction means 5 described above.
This is realized by the display switching unit 508 selecting an image displayed on the odd line and the even line based on the instruction information from 09.

In the above embodiment, one X-ray tube is used, and the X-ray tube is moved while capturing two or three images. However, a plurality of X-ray tubes are used. The invention can also be constructed by using a sphere or an X-ray tube having multiple X-ray focal points. Using a plurality of X-ray tubes or an X-ray tube having a plurality of X-ray focal points can reduce the time interval between each radiography, and thus a set (2 to 3 images) of a patient with small body movement can be obtained. There is an effect that it is easy to obtain.

According to the radiation imaging apparatus of the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain a radiation stereo image suitable for general imaging observation while keeping the exposure dose equivalent to that of conventional stereo imaging. According to the radiation imaging apparatus of the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain a radiation image suitable for general imaging observation and stereoscopic observation. Further, the display switching means 508 as in the present embodiment,
By including the switching instruction unit 509 and the stereo display unit 510, it is possible to seamlessly perform general imaging observation and stereo observation using the stereo display device.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, there are provided a radiation imaging apparatus, a radiation imaging method, a radiation image display apparatus, and a radiation image display method suitable for achieving both stereoscopic observation and general radiographic observation. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a radiation imaging system according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a radiation imaging system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a conventional radiation imaging system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the radiation imaging system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the radiation imaging / observation system according to the first and second embodiments.

[Explanation of symbols]

501 X-ray moving means 502 X-ray generation means 503 X-ray position control means 504 X-ray position data storage means 505 sensor means 507 Image storage means

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A radiation imaging apparatus having a function of acquiring an image of a subject by radiation, the first imaging means for capturing the first image by imaging the subject substantially from the front direction, and the subject. Can be used as left and right images for stereoscopic observation, and a second image capturing unit that captures a second image by capturing a second image from a direction that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the front direction. A radiation imaging apparatus, comprising: 2. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit performs a process of storing the first and second images together with information about respective imaging directions. 3. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising imaging direction setting means for setting the positive and negative of the predetermined angle. 4. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the imaging direction setting means selects either positive or negative of the predetermined angle according to the information regarding the body position of the subject. 5. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second imaging unit includes an X-ray tube and a moving unit that moves the X-ray tube according to information about an imaging distance. apparatus. 6. A radiation imaging apparatus having a function of acquiring an image of a subject by radiation, the first imaging means for capturing the first image by imaging the subject substantially from the front direction, and the subject. A second image capturing unit that captures a second image by capturing an image from a first direction that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the front direction, and the subject with the first direction relative to the front direction. Third photographing means for photographing a third image by photographing from a symmetrical second direction, and predetermined two images of the first to third images can be used as left and right images for stereoscopic observation. A radiation imaging apparatus, comprising: 7. A radiation image display device corresponding to the radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the radiation image display device includes a stereo display means and a display switching means for switching between a general observation mode and a stereo observation mode. The display switching means causes the stereoscopic display means to display the first image in the general observation mode. 8. A radiation imaging method using an apparatus having a function of acquiring an image of a subject by radiation, the first imaging step of capturing an image of the subject substantially from a front direction and acquiring a first image. And a second photographing step of photographing the subject from a direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the front direction to obtain a second image, and left and right for stereoscopic observation of the first and second images. And a processing step of processing the image so that it can be used as an image. 9. A radiation imaging method using an apparatus having a function of acquiring an image of a subject by radiation, the first imaging capturing the first image by capturing the subject substantially from the front direction. A second image capturing step of capturing a second image by capturing an image of the subject from a first direction that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the front direction; A third image capturing step of capturing a third image by capturing from a second direction that is symmetrical with the first direction, and a predetermined two images of the first to third images for stereo observation. And a processing step of processing the images so that they can be used as left and right images. 10. A radiation image display method corresponding to the radiation imaging method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the radiation image display method displays a radiation image on a stereo display device, wherein a general observation mode and a stereo observation mode are provided. And a display switching step for switching, wherein the display switching step causes the stereoscopic display device to display the first image in the general observation mode.