Patents by Inventor Chiho Makifuchi

Chiho Makifuchi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11221303
    Abstract: A radiation capturing system includes the following. A radiation source, a plurality of gratings, and a radiation detector, are provided aligned in a radiation irradiating axis direction. A Talbot interferometer or a Talbot-Lau interferometer captures a moire fringe image for generating a reconstructed image. A low visibility capturing unit performs capturing of the moire fringe image with visibility of a moire fringe reduced more than in capturing of the moire fringe image for generating the reconstructed image. A generating unit generates an absorptive image based on the moire fringe image captured by the low visibility capturing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Chiho Makifuchi
  • Patent number: 10140697
    Abstract: A radiation imaging system includes a radiation imaging device, a reconstruction unit and a detection unit. The reconstruction unit generates at least two of a differential phase image, an absorption image and a small-angle scattering image based on periodic pattern images of a subject obtained by the imaging device. The detection unit performs regression analysis on at least two images of (a) the differential phase image, a differential absorption image of the absorption image and a differential small-angle scattering image of the small-angle scattering image or (b) a phase image of the differential phase image, the absorption image and the small-angle scattering image; calculates a value of an indicator indicating a relationship between the at least two images; and detects image quality deterioration due to change in relative position of the imaging device and the subject based on the value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Chiho Makifuchi
  • Publication number: 20180144456
    Abstract: A radiation imaging system includes a radiation imaging device, a reconstruction unit and a detection unit. The reconstruction unit generates at least two of a differential phase image, an absorption image and a small-angle scattering image based on periodic pattern images of a subject obtained by the imaging device. The detection unit performs regression analysis on at least two images of (a) the differential phase image, a differential absorption image of the absorption image and a differential small-angle scattering image of the small-angle scattering image or (b) a phase image of the differential phase image, the absorption image and the small-angle scattering image; calculates a value of an indicator indicating a relationship between the at least two images; and detects image quality deterioration due to change in relative position of the imaging device and the subject based on the value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventor: Chiho MAKIFUCHI
  • Patent number: 9870610
    Abstract: A radiation imaging system includes a radiation imaging device, a reconstruction unit and a detection unit. The reconstruction unit generates at least two of a differential phase image, an absorption image and a small-angle scattering image based on periodic pattern images of a subject obtained by the imaging device. The detection unit performs regression analysis on at least two images of (a) the differential phase image, a differential absorption image of the absorption image and a differential small-angle scattering image of the small-angle scattering image or (b) a phase image of the differential phase image, the absorption image and the small-angle scattering image; calculates a value of an indicator indicating a relationship between the at least two images; and detects image quality deterioration due to change in relative position of the imaging device and the subject based on the value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Chiho Makifuchi
  • Publication number: 20170284948
    Abstract: A radiation capturing system includes the following. A radiation source, a plurality of gratings, and a radiation detector, are provided aligned in a radiation irradiating axis direction. A Talbot interferometer or a Talbot-Lau interferometer captures a moire fringe image for generating a reconstructed image. A low visibility capturing unit performs capturing of the moire fringe image with visibility of a moire fringe reduced more than in capturing of the moire fringe image for generating the reconstructed image. A generating unit generates an absorptive image based on the moire fringe image captured by the low visibility capturing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventor: Chiho MAKIFUCHI
  • Patent number: 9672949
    Abstract: The X-ray imaging system of this invention includes: a detecting member which detects a salt and pepper noise region in the reconstructed image based on at least one characteristic value of the moire stripe image not including the object and/or the moire stripe image including the object; a masked-image generating member which generates a masked image for identifying the detected salt and pepper noise region; and an image processing member which masks or trims at least one of the reconstructed image and the moire stripe images with the generated masked image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Chiho Makifuchi
  • Publication number: 20160379353
    Abstract: A radiation imaging system includes a radiation imaging device, a reconstruction unit and a detection unit. The reconstruction unit generates at least two of a differential phase image, an absorption image and a small-angle scattering image based on periodic pattern images of a subject obtained by the imaging device. The detection unit performs regression analysis on at least two images of (a) the differential phase image, a differential absorption image of the absorption image and a differential small-angle scattering image of the small-angle scattering image or (b) a phase image of the differential phase image, the absorption image and the small-angle scattering image; calculates a value of an indicator indicating a relationship between the at least two images; and detects image quality deterioration due to change in relative position of the imaging device and the subject based on the value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventor: Chiho MAKIFUCHI
  • Patent number: 9510799
    Abstract: A medical imaging system creates three kinds of reconstructed images of a diagnosis target site in a subject through X-ray imaging of the diagnosis target site with a Talbot or Talbot-Lau imaging apparatus, the three kinds of reconstructed images being an absorption image, a differential phase image, and a small-angle scattering image. The medical imaging system includes: an input unit to receive an input of diagnosis target information for specifying the diagnosis target site, or the diagnosis target site and a disease to be diagnosed in the diagnosis target site; and a control unit to create a combined image of two kinds of reconstructed images among the three kinds of reconstructed images on the basis of the diagnosis target information input through the input unit, and to control a displaying unit to display the combined image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Chiho Makifuchi, Kazuhiro Kido, Junko Kiyohara
  • Publication number: 20150235725
    Abstract: The X-ray imaging system of this invention includes: a detecting member which detects a salt and pepper noise region in the reconstructed image based on at least one characteristic value of the moire stripe image not including the object and/or the moire stripe image including the object; a masked-image generating member which generates a masked image for identifying the detected salt and pepper noise region; and an image processing member which masks or trims at least one of the reconstructed image and the moire stripe images with the generated masked image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2015
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Inventor: Chiho MAKIFUCHI
  • Publication number: 20150131777
    Abstract: A medical imaging system creates three kinds of reconstructed images of a diagnosis target site in a subject through X-ray imaging of the diagnosis target site with a Talbot or Talbot-Lau imaging apparatus, the three kinds of reconstructed images being an absorption image, a differential phase image, and a small-angle scattering image. The medical imaging system includes: an input unit to receive an input of diagnosis target information for specifying the diagnosis target site, or the diagnosis target site and a disease to be diagnosed in the diagnosis target site; and a control unit to create a combined image of two kinds of reconstructed images among the three kinds of reconstructed images on the basis of the diagnosis target information input through the input unit, and to control a displaying unit to display the combined image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: Chiho Makifuchi, Kazuhiro Kido, Junko Kiyohara
  • Patent number: 9025725
    Abstract: The apparatus includes: an X-ray source a multi slits element a first grating; a second grating; a driving section; a subject placing plate: and an X-ray detector, in which conversion elements to convert intensities of X-rays received thereby to electric signals, are arranged in a two-dimensional pattern so as to read the electric signals as image signals. The driving section moves the multi slits element relative to both the first grating and the second grating in a first direction orthogonal to a second direction of irradiating the X-rays, so that the X-ray detector repeats a processing for reading the electric signals converted from the intensities of X-rays received thereby, every time when the multi slits element moves at predetermined intervals so as to acquire the image signals representing Moire images captured at the predetermined intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventors: Junko Kiyohara, Kazuhiro Kido, Chiho Makifuchi
  • Patent number: 8989474
    Abstract: Disclosed in an x-ray imaging device, which uses a Talbot-Lau interferometer, eliminates the effects on image quality of a reconstructed image that arises in such cases as when the direction of a multi-slit or each lattice slit is altered and imaging is performed, and provides reconstructed images favorable for diagnosis. When a plurality of moire images imaged with an imaging subject loaded onto a imaging subject stand (13) and a plurality of moire images imaged without the imaging subject are input, a control unit (51) of a controller (5) corrects signal value differences arising from variations in x-ray strength during imaging respectively between the plurality of moire images with the imaging subject and between the plurality of moire images without the imaging subject, and respectively creates a reconstructed image with the imaging subject and a reconstructed image without the imaging subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kido, Chiho Makifuchi, Junko Kiyohara
  • Publication number: 20130011040
    Abstract: Disclosed in an x-ray imaging device, which uses a Talbot-Lau interferometer, eliminates the effects on image quality of a reconstructed image that arises in such cases as when the direction of a multi-slit or each lattice slit is altered and imaging is performed, and provides reconstructed images favorable for diagnosis. When a plurality of moire images imaged with an imaging subject loaded onto a imaging subject stand (13) and a plurality of moire images imaged without the imaging subject are input, a control unit (51) of a controller (5) corrects signal value differences arising from variations in x-ray strength during imaging respectively between the plurality of moire images with the imaging subject and between the plurality of moire images without the imaging subject, and respectively creates a reconstructed image with the imaging subject and a reconstructed image without the imaging subject.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kido, Chiho Makifuchi, Junko Kiyohara
  • Publication number: 20120224670
    Abstract: Disclosed is a novel X-ray image capturing apparatus to which the Talbot-Lau interferometer is applied. The apparatus includes: an X-ray source a multi slits element a first grating; a second grating; a driving section; a subject placing plate: and an X-ray detector, in which conversion elements to convert intensities of X-rays received thereby to electric signals, are arranged in a two-dimensional pattern so as to read the electric signals as image signals. The driving section moves the multi slits element relative to both the first grating and the second grating in a first direction orthogonal to a second direction of irradiating the X-rays, so that the X-ray detector repeats a processing for reading the electric signals converted from the intensities of X-rays received thereby, every time when the multi slits element moves at predetermined intervals so as to acquire the image signals representing Moire images captured at the predetermined intervals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventors: Junko Kiyohara, Kazuhiro Kido, Chiho Makifuchi