Abstract: A method and apparatus for motion correction of image information collected by a cardiology inspection system. The cardiology inspection system collects image information from an exercising patient. The system corrects for the patient motion to provide dynamic time segmented images of radioactive dye flow through the patient's cardiac system, removing anomalous displacements from the images and allowing unambiguous evaluation of heart functionality while under physical stress.

Abstract: A processor for use in CAT X-ray systems and NMR systems performs floating point arithmetic operations in parallel to shorten processing time. A single program memory and program sequencing unit operates a set of floating point arithmetic units to carry out parallel operations on data set storeed in respective data memories. An integer processor unit executes logical operations and a shared data memory stores constants and other data which is required by the integer processor unit and which is common to the operations performed by all of the floating point arithmetic units.

Abstract: Improved data converter circuitry for a CT data acquisition system is disclosed which makes use of a programmable gain amplifier whose gain is set according to the magnitude of a detector input signal by selecting one of several resistor voltage-divider paths at the input of a fixed gain amplifier. An auto-zero loop uses an intergrating op-amp to provide periodic correction to offset voltage of the fixed gain amplifier. In a modified embodiment, an auto-zero loop is provided for correction of both the fixed gain amplifier and a serially-connected A/D converter.

Abstract: Image reconstruction time in a CT scanner is enhanced by using a pipeline structure and interpolation techniques to identify each detector for use in back projection of radiation aborption measurements through each pixel in each view of the scanner. In a preferred embodiment, detectors are identified by calculation for a pixel in every third view with detectors for intermediate views obtained by interpolation of the calculated detectors. Similarly, detectors are identified for every other pixel in a view with the detector for the intermediate pixel identified by interpolation.

Abstract: Apparatus for reduction of filtration truncation errors caused by convolving a plurality of input signals, such as line-integral projection data obtained in a computerized tomography (CT) scan of an object, with a common kernel function in a finite precision machine using Fourier transform techniques. The resulting convolved output signals contain correlated noise which, in the case of reconstructed CT images, manifests itself as structured noise in the form of rings and center spots in the image. The correlated noise can be reduced by randomly shifting the data prior to convolving it. The random shift can be achieved by a rotational permutation scheme. Another scheme for shifting the data is to prepend or append zeros to the data by using a random number generator or a deterministic function.

Abstract: A procedure for use with a data acquisition system and an array processor for real time processing of the acquired data. Rather than utilize the array processor in its normal mode to process one array before moving on to the next, processing of subportions of a given array is interleaved with inputting of acquired data sets for the next array. The size of the subgroup, the number of data sets in the array, the number of channels to be processed, the nature of the process to be performed and the speed at which it can be performed are balanced in such a way that (a) processing of a subgroup is completed at about the time the next set is ready for input, and (b) at the completion of processing of the last subgroup within a given array, the last set of the next array is ready for input, so that processing of the next array commences immediately.