Patents Assigned to Agfa HealthCare, N.V.
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Patent number: 10310778Abstract: A system and method for printing medical images is provided. The system includes a client device and a server in data communication with the client device. The client device includes a communication subsystem for receiving medical images from the server; a user interface device for displaying the medical images in an Internet browser and receiving a request to print at least one selected medical image; and a processor coupled to a memory for storing a plurality of instructions. The processor can be configured for generating a base model that includes at least one page required to print the at least one selected medical image, generating a printable model by, for each of the at least one selected medical image, rendering that selected image to an image element of a page of the base model; and transferring the printable model to a model printable by the Internet browser.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2016Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: AGFA HEALTHCARE N.V.Inventors: Giovan Giuseppe Boccanfuso, Robert A. Lowe
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Publication number: 20160377740Abstract: An apparatus for reading out x-ray information stored in a storage phosphor plate includes an input device having a slot through which a cassette is inserted into the input device, the cassette configured to accommodate a storage phosphor plate, therein, and a read-out device that irradiates the storage phosphor plate with stimulation light and detecting emission light stimulated by the phosphor plate. The input device receives cassettes having different cassette widths, and the input device includes one or more first elements that align and/or fix the cassettes having different cassette widths in the input device, and/or one or more second elements that close the slot of the input device in order to prevent ambient light from passing through the slot when cassettes having different cassette widths are inserted into the input device.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 2014Publication date: December 29, 2016Applicant: AGFA HEALTHCARE N.V.Inventor: Heribert HAMMER
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Patent number: 8928890Abstract: The invention relates to a system for optical coherence tomography having an interferometer (20) which has a beam splitter (24), a reflector (25), an illumination arm (21), a specimen arm (22) and a reference arm (23). In order to increase the compactness of the system with at the same time a high image quality a specimen objective is provided in the specimen arm (22) of the interferometer (20) by means of which light is focussed into a focus lying in or on the specimen (1). Moreover, in the reference arm (23) of the interferometer (20) a reference objective is provided by means of which light is focussed onto the reflector (25). The optical properties of the specimen objective differ from the optical properties of the reference objective.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2008Date of Patent: January 6, 2015Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Rainer Nebosis, Rainer Scheunemann, Edgar-Gerald Kopp
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Patent number: 8913813Abstract: Method and system for determining the spatial response signature of a x-ray detector comprising a photostimulable phosphor by generating a flat field image of the detector, generating a low-pass filtered version of the flat field image and background demodulating the flat field image by pixel-wise dividing it by means of corresponding pixel values in the low-pass filtered version.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2013Date of Patent: December 16, 2014Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Marc Cresens, Herman Van Goubergen
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Patent number: 8487958Abstract: At least one of two enhancement methods for changing contrast and/or density are applied to an image. According to a first enhancement method the window width/level settings of the image are modified and according to a second enhancement method density and contrast of the image are modified by modifying a multi-scale representation of the image whereby modification is derived from at least two gradient functions determined at different scales, a gradient function at a specific scale specifying the dependency of contrast amplification at said scale as a function of density. The amount of modification obtained by applying either of said first and second enhancement methods is determined by the amount of movement of at least one indicium.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2009Date of Patent: July 16, 2013Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Tom Bertens, Pieter Vuylsteke
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Patent number: 8339610Abstract: The invention relates to a system and to a corresponding method for optical coherence tomography having a light source (15) for producing light (14), a first interferometer (10), a second interferometer (20) and an optical fiber (17) by means of which light emitted by the first interferometer (10) is conveyed to the second interferometer (20). For simpler and more efficient injection of the light emitted by the first interferometer (10) into the optical fiber (17) provision is made such that light is injected into the first interferometer (10) which has a first number of transversal modes, and the optical fiber (17) has at least one multi-mode fiber into which the light passing out of the first interferometer (10) is injected such that in the optical fiber (17) a second number of transversal modes is stimulated which is conveyed to the second interferometer (20), the second number of transversal modes being substantially greater than the first number of transversal modes.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2008Date of Patent: December 25, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Rainer Nebosis, Rainer Scheunemann, Edgar-Gerald Kopp
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Patent number: 8330962Abstract: The invention relates to a system and to a corresponding method for optical coherence tomography having an interferometer (10) and a detector system (30, 31) which comprises a detector (30) for collecting the light reflected by a specimen (1) to be examined and has a sensitivity to the light reflected by the specimen (1). In order to reduce the times required for the most reliable possible recording of interference signals provision is made such that the sensitivity of the detector system (30, 31) to the light reflected by the specimen (1) and impinging on the detector (30) is modulated with a modulation frequency.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2008Date of Patent: December 11, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Rainer Nebosis, Rainer Scheunemann
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Patent number: 8321474Abstract: The invention relates to a system for generating evaluation data with a data base for storing original data, a memory for storing an evaluation program for the evaluation of original data stored in the data base and a control. In order to achieve rapid and reliable provision of evaluation data, an evaluation order for evaluating original data is generated upon the occurrence of a pre-specified event. It is checked by the control whether an evaluation order has been generated. In the event of an evaluation order being present, the evaluation program stored in the memory is started dependently upon the evaluation order, the evaluation program accessing original data stored in the data base dependently upon the evaluation order and the evaluation data being generated from this.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2008Date of Patent: November 27, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventor: Joerg Schilken
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Patent number: 8290292Abstract: At least one approximation image is created of the image at one or multiple scales. Translation difference images are created by pixel-wise subtracting the values of an approximation image at scale s and the values of a translated version of the approximation image. A non-linear modification is applied to the values of the translation difference image (s) and at least one enhanced center difference image at a specific scale is computed by combining the modified translation difference images at that scale or a smaller scale with weights wi,,j. An enhanced image is computed by applying a reconstruction algorithm to the enhanced center difference images. The non-linear modification of the values of the translation difference images is steered by (a) characteristic (s) computed out of the approximation image (s) at least one scale.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2008Date of Patent: October 16, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Tom Bertens, Pieter Vuylsteke
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Patent number: 8290223Abstract: A Markov Random Field (MRF)-based technique is described for performing clustering of images characterized by poor or limited data. The proposed method is a statistical classification model that labels the image pixels based on the description of their statistical and contextual information. Apart from evaluating the pixel statistics that originate from the definition of the K-means clustering scheme, the model expands the analysis by the description of the spatial dependence between pixels and their labels (context), hence leading to the reduction of the inhomogeneity of the segmentation output with respect to the result of pure K-means clustering.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2007Date of Patent: October 16, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Marek Suliga, Piet Dewaele, Rudi Deklerck, Edgard Nyssen, Gert Behiels
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Patent number: 8278637Abstract: A process, and to a corresponding apparatus for reading out and erasing X-ray information stored in storage phosphor layers, comprising the following: irradiating the storage phosphor layer (1) with stimulation light (3) by means of which the storage phosphor layer (1) is stimulated to emit emission light, collecting the emission light emitted at different locations (x, y) of the storage phosphor layer (1) with a detector (7), detector signal values (D(x, y)) being obtained for different locations (x, y) of the storage phosphor layer (1), and irradiating the storage phosphor layer (1) with erasing light (21), the quantity of erasing light (21) being determined by means of the detector signal values (D(x, y)).Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2010Date of Patent: October 2, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Stephan Mair, Thomas Hartmann, Bernd Gerstlauer
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Patent number: 8229190Abstract: A workflow method for temporal nodule review by registering a reference image R with a floating image F, convolving the reference image R and the floating image with the same window function Hw to generate Rw and Fw, generating a subtraction image by performing subtraction Rw?Fw (g(r)) wherein r represents a voxel (x, y, z) in reference image R, applying a pattern detector to said subtraction image to detect corresponding nodules in reference image R and floating image F and displaying corresponding nodules.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2008Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Dieter Seghers, Piet Dewaele, Paul Suetens
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Patent number: 8229189Abstract: Method to bring out a temporal difference between corresponding structures in a reference image R and a floating image F by convolving the reference image R and the floating image F with a window function Hw to generate Rw and Fw, applying a non-rigid transformation resulting in a transformation field g(rR) mapping every location rR to a corresponding location rF in the floating image F and generating a subtraction image by performing subtraction Rw(r)?Fw(g(r)) wherein r represents a voxel (x, y, z) in reference image R.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2008Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Dieter Seghers, Piet Dewaele, Paul Suetens
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Patent number: 8224046Abstract: An image point in a displayed reference image R is selected and a non-rigid transformation resulting in a transformation field g(rR) mapping every location rR to a corresponding location rF in a floating image F is applied, next a rigid body transformation is applied to floating image F such that rF coincides with the selected image point and the transformed floating image is displayed.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2008Date of Patent: July 17, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Dieter Seghers, Piet Dewaele, Paul Suetens
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Patent number: 8194966Abstract: A method for neutralizing the non-noise correlated, multiplicative image-artifacts introduced by the X-ray exposure, the detector or the digitizer prior to the determination of the Signal-to-Noise Ratio or the (Normalized) Noise Power Spectrum in CR/DR radiography systems. This method uses statistical techniques and the photon-noise physical model to correct the raw, digital image-data obtained in the selected region of interest (roi) for evaluation during quality control (QC).Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2007Date of Patent: June 5, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventor: Marc Cresens
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Patent number: 8165359Abstract: A gray value model is generated encoding photometric knowledge at landmark positions. This step exploits intensity correlation in neighborhoods sampled around landmark positions. A geometric model is generated encoding geometric knowledge between landmarks. This step exploits spatial correlation between landmarks of segmented anatomic entities.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2006Date of Patent: April 24, 2012Assignees: Agfa HealthCare N.V., Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, K.U. Leuven R&DInventors: Piet Dewaele, Dirk Loeckx, Dieter Seghers
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Patent number: 8106373Abstract: An apparatus (10) for reading out X-ray information stored in storage phosphor plates with an input unit, (12) for inputting a plurality of cassettes (14, 28, 32) which can be stacked one behind the other in a direction of stacking (S) within the input unit (12), has an oblong accommodation well (30) for accommodating one of the cassettes (32), the accommodation well (30) being adjacent to the input unit (12), a moving device (50) for horizontally moving the cassette (32) accommodated by the accommodation well (30) along a path of movement, and a deflection element (64, 66) for deflecting a next cassette located within the input unit (12) which is adjacent to the cassette (32) accommodated by the accommodation well (30) and projects at least partially into the path of movement, the deflection element (64, 66) being positioned and designed such that with horizontal movement of the cassette (32) located within the accommodation well (30), due to contact between the cassette (32) located within the accommodationType: GrantFiled: July 11, 2008Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Johannes Hölzl, Günther Schindlbeck, Volkmar Voigtländer, Thomas Hartmann, Franz Auer, Rudolf Werkstetter
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Patent number: 8081832Abstract: A method of generating a multiscale contrast enhanced image is described wherein the shape of edge transitions is preserved. Detail images are subjected to a conversion, the conversion function of at least one scale being adjusted for each detail pixel value according to the ratio between the combination of the enhanced center differences and the combination of the unenhanced center differences.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2007Date of Patent: December 20, 2011Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Tom Bertens, Pieter Vuylsteke
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Patent number: 8049195Abstract: An apparatus (10) for reading out, in a time-saving and reliable way, X-ray information stored in storage phosphor plates with an input unit (12) in which a plurality of cassettes (14) in which a storage phosphor plate to be read out is respectively located, can be input.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2008Date of Patent: November 1, 2011Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Johannes Hölzl, Günther Schindlbeck, Volkmar Voigtländer, Thomas Hartmann, Franz Auer, Rudolf Werkstetter
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Patent number: 8050513Abstract: A method of generating a multiscale contrast enhanced image preserving the shape of the edge transitions is described. Enhanced detail pixel values are computed by combining enhanced center difference images at least one scale.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2007Date of Patent: November 1, 2011Assignee: Agfa HealthCare N.V.Inventors: Tom Bertens, Pieter Vuylsteke