Computer-aided determination of window and level settings for filmless radiology
US6127669A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 29, 1998 |
| Grant date | Oct 3, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 29, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2207/10081
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A window and level control tool that operates in real time and can quickly determine initial values for window and level settings such that a displayed image is always presented in a readable format is disclosed. The invention transforms input image data into an image histogram. This histogram is then segmented into a small number of parts corresponding to structures of interest. Segmentation of the histogram is done by a novel Viterbi optimal runlength-constrained approximation nonlinear filter. Window and level settings are calculated to correspond to this optimal segmentation. A readable image of one of the structures of interest is then displayed. In another embodiment, the tool provides a menu of optimal window and level settings corresponding to the different types of information a radiologist may be interested in.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.