Abstract: A tomographic image generation method includes acquiring a first tomographic image (T1) including microstructure information (M) and a first ripple artifact (R1), acquiring a second tomographic image (T2) including a second ripple artifact (R2), and acquiring a subtraction tomographic image (T3) by subtracting the second tomographic image from the first tomographic image.

Abstract: An image processing element 9 of the present invention includes a weighting factor setting element 9a that sets up a weighting factors wnn, wbi of the weight addition combing a nearest neighbor interpolation and a bilinear interpolation based on an absolute value |Ibi?Inn| of the difference between the pixel value Inn acquired by the nearest neighbor interpolation and the pixel value Ibi acquired by the bilinear interpolation; and a weight addition element 9b that implement a weighting addition based on the set-up weighting factors wnn, wbi. A reconstructed image can be acquired by arranging the backprojection pixel value Inew every pixel following the weighting.

Abstract: A tomographic image generation method includes acquiring a first tomographic image (T1) including microstructure information (M) and a first ripple artifact (R1), acquiring a second tomographic image (T2) including a second ripple artifact (R2), and acquiring a subtraction tomographic image (T3) by subtracting the second tomographic image from the first tomographic image.

Abstract: According to the image processing device of the present invention, the binarization image having increasing assuredness can be generated by extracting the metal piece from the original image with the graph cut processing. The image processing device of the present invention is the system that executes an image trimming from near the center of the intermediate region after the metal piece is divided relative to the image of the roughly extracted binarization image near the center of the intermediate region in that it is difficult to decide whether it belongs to the metal piece or not. Following such steps, the intermediate region can be assuredly trimmed while executing the image trimming in the region as small as possible.

Abstract: The image processing device generates an operation image by adding or subtracting an original image and a standard deviation image which maps the standard deviation for the pixels configuring the original image. In this operation image, images of the structures seen in parts in the original image other than metal pieces are erased. Consequently, structures that are not metal pieces appearing in the original image in a whitish color, for example, do not appear in the operation image. If such an operation image is subjected to binarization processing in which the metal pieces appearing in a whitish color, for example, are extracted, since accurate graph cut processing is then possible, images originating from structures that are not metal pieces do not appear in the resulting image.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and a radiation tomography apparatus capable of acquiring a tomographic image of high visibility are provided. The image processing apparatus initially generates a map m showing an extending direction of a linear structural object seen in an original image P0. Then, the apparatus generates an extrapolated image P1 by adding the area positioned at the side section of the original image P0 to the side section so as to extend the linear structural object seen in the side section by referring to the map m. By adding the side section to the original image P0 while shifting the pattern of the side section so as to extend the linear structural object seen in the side section of the image, the subject image can be naturally compensated. After this operation, by generating the tomographic image D, a tomographic image D having improved visibility can be generated.

Abstract: This invention identifies a metal area of actual measurement projection data from the actual measurement projection data and an actual measurement reconstruction image obtained by image reconstruction of the actual measurement projection data, to acquire metal area identification data. In the actual measurement projection data, a resulting image has pixel values in the metal area such as of wire or screws, for example, not so different from pixel values of other areas, which makes it difficult to identify the metal area accurately. However, the metal area can be identified with increased accuracy. Based on the metal area identification data, data replacement of the metal area of the actual measurement projection data p1 is carried out with data obtained from pixels adjacent the metal area, thereby to acquire replacement projection data, which is put to image reconstruction to generate a replacement reconstruction image without the metal area.

Abstract: According to the image processing device of the present invention, the binarization image having increasing assuredness can be generated by extracting the metal piece from the original image with the graph cut processing. The image processing device of the present invention is the system that executes an image trimming from near the center of the intermediate region after the metal piece is divided relative to the image of the roughly extracted binarization image near the center of the intermediate region in that it is difficult to decide whether it belongs to the metal piece or not. Following such steps, the intermediate region can be assuredly trimmed while executing the image trimming in the region as small as possible.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and a radiation tomography apparatus capable of acquiring a tomographic image of high visibility are provided. The image processing apparatus initially generates a map m showing an extending direction of a linear structural object seen in an original image P0. Then, the apparatus generates an extrapolated image P1 by adding the area positioned at the side section of the original image P0 to the side section so as to extend the linear structural object seen in the side section by referring to the map m. By adding the side section to the original image P0 while shifting the pattern of the side section so as to extend the linear structural object seen in the side section of the image, the subject image can be naturally compensated. After this operation, by generating the tomographic image D, a tomographic image D having improved visibility can be generated.

Abstract: This invention identifies a metal area of actual measurement projection data from the actual measurement projection data and an actual measurement reconstruction image obtained by image reconstruction of the actual measurement projection data, to acquire metal area identification data. In the actual measurement projection data, a resulting image has pixel values in the metal area such as of wire or screws, for example, not so different from pixel values of other areas, which makes it difficult to identify the metal area accurately. However, the metal area can be identified with increased accuracy. Based on the metal area identification data, data replacement of the metal area of the actual measurement projection data p1 is carried out with data obtained from pixels adjacent the metal area, thereby to acquire replacement projection data, which is put to image reconstruction to generate a replacement reconstruction image without the metal area.

Abstract: An area of an extraneous substance (e.g. area of metal or the like) in images (pre-interpolation projection data in the embodiment) of the extraneous substance (e.g. high-density substance such as metal) extracted and separated by extraction separation in step S1 is interpolated by area interpolation in step S2. Therefore, artifacts can be reduced, while maintaining high spatial resolution, if tomographic images (first tomographic images in the embodiment) are generated by first tomographic image generation in step S3 from the interpolation images interpolated and generated (post-interpolating projection data in the embodiment).

Abstract: An area of an extraneous substance (e.g. area of metal or the like) in images (pre-interpolation projection data in the embodiment) of the extraneous substance (e.g. high-density substance such as metal) extracted and separated by extraction separation in step S1 is interpolated by area interpolation in step S2. Therefore, artifacts can be reduced, while maintaining high spatial resolution, if tomographic images (first tomographic images in the embodiment) are generated by first tomographic image generation in step S3 from the interpolation images interpolated and generated (post-interpolating projection data in the embodiment).