Patent ID: 6766044
Filing Date: 2004-07-20
Classification: G01N,G06T

Abstract:
An image processing apparatus for encoding an X-ray image, comprising:an input unit configured to input the X-ray image; a region of interest designation unit configured to detect a through region in an X-ray irradiation field of the X-ray image input by said input unit, and to designate a region of interest in the X-ray irradiation field; a transformation unit configured to transform the X-ray image using a discrete wavelength transformation to obtain coefficient values of the X-ray image; an encoding unit configured to shift up bits representing coefficient values corresponding to the region of interest relative to bits representing coefficient values corresponding to a region of non-interest, among the coefficient values obtained by said transformation unit, and to encode the region of interest and the region of non-interest, wherein said encoding unit more preferentially encodes upper bits than lower bits in a predetermined unit area of the X-ray image and the shift up is performed in order to more preferentially encode the region of interest than the region of non-interest without substantially changing the content of the region of interest.