Method and system for detecting small structures in images
US6738500B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 26, 2002 |
| Grant date | May 18, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 26, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06V2201/032
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention is a method and apparatus for automated detection of small structures in images. One specific use is to detect malignant microcalcification clusters in mammograms. A digitized and filtered mammogram image is stored in a computer. Seed pixels, which are pixels that are brighter than their immediate neighbors, are identified to indicate candidate structures and used to construct two regions. Various features are then measured using the two regions around each seed point. The features characterize each candidate structure and are input to a classifier, such as a neural network. The classifier then distinguishes between structures of interest and background. The structures detected by the classifier are then presented to a clustering algorithm. A detected structure that is less than a threshold distance away from the nearest structure and a cluster is included in that cluster. Finally, the results are displayed, either on a monitor or on hard copy, with a frame around the detected cluster.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.