WO1992010800A1 - Appareil de traitement de donnees numeriques - Google Patents

Appareil de traitement de donnees numeriques Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1992010800A1
WO1992010800A1 PCT/US1991/009050 US9109050W WO9210800A1 WO 1992010800 A1 WO1992010800 A1 WO 1992010800A1 US 9109050 W US9109050 W US 9109050W WO 9210800 A1 WO9210800 A1 WO 9210800A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
memory
look
digital
bit
data words
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1991/009050
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English (en)
Inventor
Edward Paul Lawler
Jason Parrish Fox
Original Assignee
Eastman Kodak Company
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Eastman Kodak Company filed Critical Eastman Kodak Company
Publication of WO1992010800A1 publication Critical patent/WO1992010800A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G5/00—Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators
    • G09G5/02—Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators characterised by the way in which colour is displayed
    • G09G5/06—Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators characterised by the way in which colour is displayed using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/02—Digital function generators
    • G06F1/03—Digital function generators working, at least partly, by table look-up

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to apparatus for processing digital data. More particularly, the present invention relates to digital data processing apparatus including digital memory which is configurable to process a single digital word or two or more digital words simultaneously.
  • the latter patent discloses a technique for developing a set of calibration data which can be stored in a look-up table to effect a match between an image displayed on a video monitor and a hard copy reproduction of that image on film.
  • the output pixel digital value from the look-up table may include more bits than the input pixel digital value.
  • Modern medical diagnostic imaging includes the production of images, which are digitized, by various well-known imaging modalities such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) , nuclear medicine, computed tomography (CT) , digital subtraction angiography (DSA) , and digital radiography. Such digital images are displayed on a video monitor.
  • the technique of window processing was developed to improve the diagnosis of a region of interest in a diagnostic image. Because the tonal range of a region of interest may be small compared to the tonal range of the entire digital image, insufficient contrast in the region of interest may inhibit proper diagnosis.
  • the "window width” is the range of code values in the input digital image which is displayed over the full tonal range of the output display device.
  • the “window level” defines the location of the window within the tonal range of the entire digital image.
  • the window level may equal the minimum or center value of the window.
  • a digital image from a medical diagnostic imaging modality is processed for window width and level by means of a window width/level look ⁇ up table.
  • Patents disclosing the use of window width/level processing in digital imaging devices include: U.S. Patent 4,755,954, issued July 5, 1988, inventor Z. Netter; U.S. Patent 4,688,175, issued August 18, 1987, inventors M. Kaneko et al.; U.S.
  • curve shape, window width and window level image processing have been combined into a single look-up table. This is illustrated in Fig. 3.
  • a digital image signal from an image source 4 (such as a medical diagnostic imaging modality) is supplied to window width/level and curve shape look-up table (LUT) 6.
  • the output from LUT 6 is stored in buffer image memory 8.
  • the digital image from image source 4 may comprise an 8-bit digital signal while the output of LUT 6 is a 12-bit digital signal.
  • a greater number of bits needs to be stored in memory, resulting in an increase in the size of the buffer image memory, and consequently, in an increase in the manufacturing cost.
  • combining the curve shape and window level image processing into a single look-up table is disadvantageous when several images are printed on a single page of film.
  • the apparatus includes digital memory which is configurable to process a single digital data word of from 1 to n bits or to simultaneously process two or more digital data words, where the sum of their bit lengths is equal to or less than n bits.
  • digital memory which is configurable to process a single digital data word of from 1 to n bits or to simultaneously process two or more digital data words, where the sum of their bit lengths is equal to or less than n bits.
  • a single look-up table is stored in the digital memory.
  • two look-up tables are combined and stored in memory such that each value of one look-up table is permutated with each value of the other look-up table.
  • digital images produced by medical diagnostic imaging equipment are processed before being sent to a laser printer.
  • the digital image processing apparatus includes digital memory which is configurable to process a single digital pixel of 1 to n bits or to simultaneously process two or more digital pixels,, where the sum of the pixel bit lengths are equal to or less than n.
  • a single look-up table is stored in digital memory.
  • two combined look-up tables are stored in memory, such that each value of one look-up table is permutated with each value of the other look-up table.
  • two processing memories are provided which can simultaneously process two pixels of 1 to 16 bits each or at least four pixels of, for example, 8 bits each.
  • digital image processing apparatus in which one or more bits may be added to a digital image to overlay an image with text or graphics.
  • Processing digital memory of the apparatus is loaded with a look-up table which can generate different overlay tonal values for digital image pixels of different density, e.g. white overlay for dark image regions and black overlay for light image regions.
  • FIG. 1 is a graph showing curve shape image processing of a digital image
  • FIG. 2 is a graph showing window width/level image processing of a digital image
  • FIG. 3 is a block schematic diagram of a known image processing apparatus
  • FIG. 4 is a block schematic diagram of an image processing apparatus including an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIGS. 6A and 6B, 7A and 7B, 8A and 8B, 9A and 9B are diagrammatic showings useful in illustrating the digital data processing apparatus of the present invention.
  • FIGS 10A and 10B are block diagrams useful in describing the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 5. DESCRTPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
  • FIG. 4 there is shown laser printer apparatus incorporating an embodiment of the present invention.
  • the present invention will be described below with respect to a laser printer used in medical diagnostic imaging applications, it will be understood that the image processing techniques of the present invention are applicable to other digital image processing applications. More generally, the present invention is applicable to digital data processing other than digital image processing.
  • the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 includes a laser printer 10 for producing a film hard copy of a digital image from medical diagnostic image sources 12 and 14.
  • Image sources 12 and 14 may comprise well known medical diagnostic imaging modalities using ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine, computed tomography, digital subtraction angiography, digital radiography, or the like.
  • a first circuit board 20 includes input processing memory 22 and image memory 24.
  • a second circuit board 26 includes output processing memory 28 and image size processing circuit 30.
  • Memory 22 is software configurable to store either window width/level look-up tables or combined window width/level and curve shape look-up tables. In the former case, this allows processing of up to four 8-bit pixels in parallel, or in the latter case up to two 16-bit pixels in parallel.
  • FIG. 2 graphically illustrates a window width/level transfer function.
  • An input pixel has a total tonal range of 0 to n-bits. However, the region of interest of the input pixel is contained in a narrow tonal range called the window of width w.
  • the window level L is the minimum value of the window.
  • the tonal range of the region of interest (window) is expanded to the complete tonal range of the display device by the window width/level LUT stored in processing memory 22.
  • the output pixel will have a tonal range of 0 to n-bits. For example, if both the input and the output pixel has an 8-bit length, the pixel can have a code value (CV) of 0 to 255. Since the window width is a range of values less than 0 to 255, say 80, the LUT stored in memory 22 expands the 80 code value range to the full tonal range value of 0 to 255 cv.
  • the window width/level processed image is stored in buffer image memory 24.
  • the window width/level processed image stored in memory 24 is transmitted over VSB bus 32 to output processing memory which stores an output curve LUT 28. Due to the non ⁇ linear shape of the display curve (see FIG. 1) , the curve shape LUT transforms an 8-bit pixel received from memory 24 to a 12-bit curve shape processed pixel.
  • Image size circuit 30 processes the curve shape processed image according to enlargement or reduction algorithms to fit the image to the space allocated to it on the hard copy print produced by laser printer 10.
  • Master control 34 includes a microprocessor and other control circuitry to control the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 4.
  • input processing memory 22 is configurable to handle digital images of different pixel bit lengths. Because different medical diagnostic imaging modalities produce images which are digitized to 8-bit or 12-bit pixel lengths, it is desirable that a laser printer 10 be capable of printing both 8-bit and 12-bit images (and images of any other bit length, as well) . It is also desirable that the image processing circuitry be capable of achieving higher performance and higher image transfer rates when images having pixels of smaller bit length are to be printed.
  • circuit 40 includes image memory 42 and processing memories 44 and 46.
  • Circuit 40 receives digital data from VME bus 48 and sends digital data to VSB bus 50.
  • memories 44 and 46 each have 2 n memory locations and are capable of processing digital data words of n bits
  • n is 16 so that each of memories 44 and 46 has 2 16 or 65,536 memory locations and is capable of processing digital data words of up to 16 bits long.
  • the look-up tables to be stored in memory 44 and 46 have a size which is dependent on the number of bits in the digital data word to be processed. For example, an 8-bit word requires a table of 2 8 entries or 256 entries to process the data.
  • each processing memory 44 or 46 is capable of storing a look-up table which will process any pixel size from 1 to 16 bits. To handle the largest pixel size or 16-bit pixel, each memory 44, 46 will hold up to 65,536 table entries. However, pixels of smaller bit length may also be processed in the same memory. Moreover, multiple pixels may be processed simultaneously if the su of the bits of each pixel is 16 bits or less.
  • each processing memory 44 or 46 can process two 8-bit pixels simultaneously.
  • processing memory is configured to process single pixels of from 1 to 16 bits or to simultaneously process two or more pixels which have bit lengths the sum of which is equal to or is less than 16 bits.
  • the memory circuitry need not be modified, but only requires that the processing memory be loaded with an appropriate look-up table generated for the particular application (as will be described in more detail later) .
  • an additional feature is to allow the user to overlay the digital image with text or graphics to point out regions of interest.
  • the overlay pixels usually are of a predefined density, for example, white or black, so the image would be intact except for white text pixels substituted for the original image pixels in the area determined by the user.
  • the overlay data is sent with the image pixel as a parallel 1-bit image. For example, an 8-bit image pixel with a 1-bit overlay image pixel would be passed to the printer as 9 bits in parallel. Similarly, a 12- bit image pixel with a 1-bit overlay image pixel would be passed as 13 bits in parallel.
  • the processing memory stores a look-up table which merges the image pixel and the parallel overlay pixel. Thus, when the pixel and overlay are input in parallel to the processing memory, the output of the memory is the processed image pixels or overlay pixels as determined by the state of the overlay bit.
  • processing memory 44 or 46 can be loaded with a look-up table which generates a white overlay in dark areas of the image and a black overlay in the light areas of the image. Since a VME bus is capable of transmitting 32 parallel bits of information, two independent processing memories 44 and 46 simultaneously process two 16-bit digital pixels or digital data words. According to the invention, appropriate look-up tables are loaded into memories 44 and 46 respectively at input terminals 44a and 46a after the look-up tables have been stored in memories 44 and 46. Digital data words to be processed are presented at address terminals 44b and 46b of memories 44 and 46 and the processed data word (processed pixel) is output from memories 44 and 46 at output terminals 44c and 46c, then to be stored in image memory 42.
  • FIGS. 10A and 10B there is illustrated the operation of memories 44 and 46 for two different image applications.
  • a single digital data word or digital pixel of from 1 to n bits length is processed by the processing memory.
  • a single look-up table is stored in memory 44 (46) .
  • the data is input from the VME bus at terminal 44b and the processed data is output at terminal 44c.
  • two digital data words (digital pixels) of from 1 to k bits and from 1 to m bits respectively, are processed simultaneously by processing memory 44.
  • the sum of k + m must be equal to or less than n, the maximum bit length which can be processed by memory 44.
  • the digital data words are combined in a single data word and the look ⁇ up tables for each data word are combined into a single look-up table in which each table value of one look-up table is permutated with each other table value of the other look-up table.
  • FIGS. 6A-9B Various applications of the combined look-up table technique of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6A-9B.
  • the application illustrates the processing of two digital data words of two bits each where the data words are processed separately.
  • Two memories capable of storing a look-up table having 2 2 locations are required.
  • memories 54 and 56 are loaded with separate look-up tables and have four memory locations.
  • Each 2-bit input data word may have one value of four possible values.
  • both tables 54 and 56 have memory locations corresponding to each value of the input digital data word value.
  • a 2-bit input word may have values of 00, 01, 10, or 11.
  • a 2-bit processed digital data word is stored (as represented by elements 1, 2, 3, and 4 corresponding to the four look-up table entries stored in memory 54).
  • Elements 1, 2, 3, and 4 may be any 2- bit digital value which need not correspond to the input data value and which may or may not be the same in different memory locations.
  • memory 56 stores a 2-bit look-up table having four entries, i.e., elements 1', 2' , 3' , and 4' .
  • the look-up tables stored in separate memories 54 and 56 are combined into a single look-up table wherein the table entries in one table are permutated with the table entries in the other table and the input and output data words are combined into a single data word.
  • processing memory 58 is loaded with a combined look-up table having 2 or 16 table entries. As illustrated, each of the elements 1, 2, 3, and 4 of one look-up table are permutated with elements 1', 2', 3', and 4' of the other look-up table.
  • the 4-bit input to memory 58 produces an output including elements 3 and 3' (a 4-bit output data word combining two 2-bit processed data words) .
  • the bit lengths of simultaneously processed digital data words need not be equal.
  • a 1- bit data word digital pixel
  • a 3-bit data word would require a look-up table having eight entries (as shown loaded in memory 62) .
  • the 1-bit and 3-bit data words are simultaneously processed as a 4-bit digital data word in memory 58 by means of a combined look-up table having 16 data entries.
  • bit 3 of the 4-bit word is assigned to the first 1-bit data word and bits 2, 1 and 0 of the 4- bit word are assigned to the 3-bit data word.
  • the look-up table of the 1-bit data word and the look-up table of the 3-bit data word are combined by per utating the table entries of one look-up table with the table entries of the other look-up table.
  • element 1 of the 1-bit look-up table is permutated with elements 1 « , 2', 3', 4', 5', 6', 7', and 8' of the other look-up table.
  • element 2 of the 1-bit look-up table is permutated with each of elements 1' to 8' of the 3-bit look-up table.
  • bit length of the input data word (pixel) and the processed data word (pixel) are equal.
  • bit lengths of input and output words need not be equal.
  • FIGS. 8A and 8B there is illustrated an application where the bit lengths of input pixels are different from the bit lengths of output pixels.
  • two pixels are processed by different look-up memories 64 and 66.
  • Memory 64 is loaded with a look-up table which processes a 3-bit input word into a 1-bit processed word.
  • the look-up table stored in memory 64 has eight table entries since the input data word may take any one of eight different values.
  • the elements (processed pixels) located at the eight memory locations are only 1-bit in length.
  • memory 66 is configured to process a 1-bit input digital data word into a 3-bit digital data word.
  • a two-entry look-up table is stored in memory 66 and elements 1' and 2', are each 3-bits in length.
  • memory 58 is loaded with a combined look-up table having 16 entries wherein each of the eight values of the first look-up table are permutated with the two values of the second look-up table.
  • FIG. 8A if the 3-bit digital data word 100 is input into memory 64, element 2, which can be any one bit value data word, is output from memory 64.
  • element 2 which can be any one bit value data word
  • the 1-bit digital data word input to memory 66 has a value of 1, than a 3-bit word element 2' will be output from memory 66.
  • the 4-bit data word input to memory 58 (corresponding to the two words in the example above) , 1001 would produce a 4-bit output word having 1-bit element 2 and 3-bits element 2' .
  • FIGS. 9A and 9B two 8-bit pixels are processed in separate memories 68 and 70 in FIG. 9A, but are processed simultaneously in 16-bit memory 44 (46) shown in FIG. 9B.
  • Memory 44 (46) is loaded with a combined 16-bit look-up table in which each of the 256 entries of the first look-up table are permutated with each of the 256 entries of the second look-up table.
  • the invention has industrial application in medical imaging, such as the production by a laser printer of x-ray film images from images produced by a medical diagnostic image modality (CT, MR, US, PET) .
  • CT medical diagnostic image modality
  • MR medical diagnostic image modality
  • US PET
  • the invention is broadly applicable to the printing of a hard copy from a digital image displayable on a video monitor.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Image Processing (AREA)

Abstract

Appareil de traitement de données numériques tel qu'une image numérique obtenue à l'aide d'un dispositif d'imagerie de diagnostic médical. L'appareil comprend une mémoire numérique (40) dotée de 2n adresses de mémoire et dotée d'une entrée ainsi que d'une sortie. La mémoire (40) est sélectivement configurable soit pour traiter un mot de données individuel d'une longueur binaire comprise entre 1 et n bits soit pour traiter simultanément au moins deux mots de données d'une longueur binaire de k et m bits, respectivement, de sorte que k + m « n. Lorsqu'un mot de données individuel est traité, une seule table de consultation est stockée dans la mémoire. Lorsque les premier et second mots de données sont traités simultanément, des première et seconde tables de consultation combinées sont stockées dans la mémoire, de sorte que chaque valeur de la première table de consultation est permutée avec chaque valeur de la seconde table de consultation. De préférence deux mémoires de traitement numérique identiques (44, 46) traitent simultanément soit deux mots de données numériques de longueurs comprises entre 1 et n bits soit au moins quatre mots de données numériques de longueurs binaires inférieures. De plus, la mémoire numérique (40) peut combiner deux valeurs passées simultanément dans l'entrée, et elle peut générer une ou plusieurs valeurs simultanées à la sortie. Par exemple, l'effet d'un bit de recouvrement passé avec une valeur de pixels peut être réalisé de cette manière.
PCT/US1991/009050 1990-12-11 1991-12-06 Appareil de traitement de donnees numeriques WO1992010800A1 (fr)

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US62534890A 1990-12-11 1990-12-11
US625,348 1990-12-11

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0899716A3 (fr) * 1997-09-01 1999-12-15 GE Yokogawa Medical Systems Ltd. Méthode de conversion de la valeur des éléments d'images pour un appareil diagnostique basé sur des images

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0313789A1 (fr) * 1987-10-26 1989-05-03 Tektronix, Inc. Procédé et appareil pour l'affichage de données des couleurs à trois dimensions dans un système de référence à une dimension

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0313789A1 (fr) * 1987-10-26 1989-05-03 Tektronix, Inc. Procédé et appareil pour l'affichage de données des couleurs à trois dimensions dans un système de référence à une dimension

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0899716A3 (fr) * 1997-09-01 1999-12-15 GE Yokogawa Medical Systems Ltd. Méthode de conversion de la valeur des éléments d'images pour un appareil diagnostique basé sur des images
US6268870B1 (en) 1997-09-01 2001-07-31 Ge Yokogawa Medical Systems, Limited Image display method, image display apparatus and imaged-based diagnostic apparatus

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EP0514537A1 (fr) 1992-11-25
JPH05505086A (ja) 1993-07-29

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