Patent ID: 6556720
Filing Date: 2003-04-29
Classification: G01R,G06T

Abstract:
A method for enhancing and correcting a digital image made up of a pixel array, the method comprising the steps of:a) acquiring pixel data which defines a digital image of internal features of a physical subject; b) identifying structural regions within the digital image defined by the pixel data, resulting in a structure mask showing the structural regions and non-structural regions; c) enhancement filtering the digital image using the structure mask, resulting in a first filtered image; and d) correcting for intensity non-uniformities in the first filtered image, resulting in an enhanced, corrected digital image, the correcting step including d1) reading in image data representing the first filtered image; d2) determining a first threshold value, T; d3) reducing the pixel array using a shrink parameter, S, resulting in a second array; d4) changing values of pixels of the second array based on comparison of the values with the first threshold value, resulting in a third array; d5) transforming and filtering the second array and the third array, resulting in a fourth array and a fifth array; d6) maximizing the fourth array and the fifth array by changing values of pixels of the fourth array and the fifth array, resulting in a sixth array and a seventh array; d7) determining a distortion function based on the sixth array and the seventh array; d8) computing a corrected function from the distortion function and the image data; and d9) rescaling the corrected function back to an original intensity range.