Process for the digitization and display of thermographic records

US4445516A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Carl Zeiss Stiftung · DE

Inventors

• Hermann Wollnik · Santa Fe, US
• Rudiger Haas · Altenkirchen, DE
• Folkert Kassen · Biebertal, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 18, 1981
• Grant date: May 1, 1984
• Expiry date: Dec 18, 2001

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G16H40/63
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for digitizing and displaying thermographic records of biological or technical structures which makes it possible to recognize abnormal temperature distributions even if they are very small or the corresponding regions differ only very slightly in their temperature value from the adjacent temperature values. In this method, the temperature values at each image point of a thermogram are digitized and the slope of the local change in temperature, i.e. the temperature gradient, is calculated for each image point on basis of its temperature and the measured temperature values of its neighboring points. For a selected image region the local distribution of the temperature gradients is displayed. Abnormal temperature distributions can be recognized from this display at places where large temperature gradients are present. The method is particularly advantageous for use in the field of medicine and serves there for the detection of carcinomas and particularly breast cancer.