Empirical cupping correction for CT scanners with primary modulation

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention introduces an improved method for correcting artifacts in computed tomography (CT) and other imaging modalities. The core idea is an empirical correction algorithm that uses a polynomial function, whose parameters are determined from calibration scans, to correct for image distortions (such as cupping or ring artifacts) caused by spatially and/or temporally varying properties of the imaging system, including changes in the detected x-ray spectrum. The method is flexible, easy to calibrate (requiring only simple phantom scans), and can handle various sources of image error without detailed prior knowledge of system behavior.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Correction of CT images in medical diagnostics to remove beam hardening and ring artifacts.
• Preprocessing of CT data in industrial non-destructive testing to improve image quality.
• Retrospective artifact correction in existing CT datasets with variable system properties.
• Integration into new or existing CT scanner systems for automatic artifact correction.
• Application in other imaging modalities (e.g., digital radiography) that suffer from varying spectral effects or spatial inhomogeneities.
• Research environments for developing next-generation image reconstruction techniques with improved artifact handling.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Nearly eliminates common image artifacts (cupping, ring effects) even when system properties vary.
• Easy calibration using a simple scan of a homogeneous phantom, saving time and resources.
• No need for detailed prior knowledge of the spectral properties or exact causes of artifacts.
• Significantly reduces manual post-processing and image correction needs for operators.
• Applicable to a wide range of CT scanner types and imaging modalities, increasing its utility.
• Enhances diagnostic value and reliability of CT images by improving artifact-free quantitative accuracy.
• Reduces need for scanner-specific or pixel-specific correction functions, simplifying implementations.

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Patent Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for artifact correction in image acquisition, e.g. in CT imaging or in another imaging modality, said image acquisition using an image acquisition apparatus, said method using a polynomial precorrection-function, the polynomial coefficients of which being determined using a linear combination of reconstructed images. In order to provide an effective and easy to incorporate method that compensates for acquisition apparatus dependent changes of the detected spectrum, it is suggested that said precorrection-function is parameterized by one or more error variation functions M that can be spatially and/or temporally dependent.