Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for detecting sheet objects in computed tomography data

US6026143A · kind A · utility

83Cited by
34References
37Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 11, 1998
Grant dateFeb 15, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 11, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S378/901
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Sheet-shaped objects can be detected by analyzing voxels surrounding a test voxel. If the density different from the mean density then the test voxel is associated with a sheet object. Sheet objects can also be detected by eroding the CT data. Remaining objects are then subtracted from the original data removing with surface voxels, being removed. A connectivity process combines voxels into objects after sheets are detected A dilation function replaces surface voxels removed by erosion. A corrected mass can be compared to mass thresholds to classify the object. Multiple mass thresholds can be used, each of which is associated with a particular density range based on the density of an expected threat object. Bulk objects can be detected by a modified morphological connected components labeling (CCL) approach. A merging process can be used to reconnect related items, The system can also identify objects that contain liquids. The overall system performance, including overall object detection rate and false alarm rate, can be adjusted by adjusting individual object detection rates and/or false alarm rates.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.