Patent · US Active

Apparatus and method for generating an attenuation correction map

US9324167B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
4References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 22, 2012
Grant dateApr 26, 2016
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 29, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T2207/30061
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for generating an attenuation correction map. An image providing unit (5, 6) provides an image of an object comprising different element classes and a segmentation unit (11) applies a segmentation to the image for generating a segmented image comprising image regions corresponding to the element classes. The segmentation is based on at least one of a watershed segmentation and a body contour segmentation based on a contiguous skin and fat layers in the image. A feature determination unit (12) determines features of at least one of a) the image regions and b) boundaries between the image regions depending on image values of the image and an assigning unit (13) assigns attenuation values to the image regions based on the determined features for generating the attenuation correction map. The performed image processing steps can allow for producing a high quality attenuation correction map, even if the initial image does not comprise image values related to the attenuation of radiation like a CT image.

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