Patent ID: 7747058

Claim:
An image processing method for determination and setting of an optimized windowing of images of a medical diagnostic device based on x-ray radiation, wherein a digitized image comprises a number of picture elements of a picture data matrix B originally created by an x-ray detector, the method comprising: composing the picture data matrix B to include at least an object area, at least a diaphragm area, and at least a direct irradiation area, wherein each of said respective areas has a different response to x-ray radiation passing through the respective areas, wherein respective picture data elements corresponding to said at least object area, said at least diaphragm area, and said at least direct irradiation area generate respective signals having different characteristics based on the different responses of the respective areas to the passing x-ray radiation, wherein the picture data matrix B is processed to identify among the respective areas said at least object area using the following steps: forming an input picture data matrix B 1 starting from the original picture data matrix B; combining a number of pixels of the input picture data matrix B 1 into Regions Of Interest (ROI); creating an ROI picture data matrix B 2 comprising ROI picture data elements, wherein each pixel of the input picture data matrix B 1 is only involved once in the formation of an ROI picture data element; analyzing the individual ROI picture data elements of the ROI picture data matrix B 2 to assign ROI picture data elements likely to correspond to one of said at least object area, said at least diaphragm area, and said at least direct irradiation area, wherein the analyzing of the individual ROI picture data elements of the ROI picture data matrix B 2 comprises evaluating respective signals generated by the ROI picture data elements of the ROI picture data matrix B 2 , the evaluating based on the different responses of the respective areas to the passing x-ray radiation; and based on results from the evaluating of the respective signals generated by the ROI picture data elements of the ROI picture data matrix B 2 , selecting the ROI picture data elements of said at least object area, and discarding ROI picture data elements of said at least diaphragm area and said at least direct irradiation area wherein analyzing the individual ROI picture data elements further comprises: a frequency spectrum analysis that compares the frequency components of said individual ROI picture data elements to predefined threshold values; a histogram distribution analysis that determines a histogram range for each of said respective areas; and a signal width analysis that analyzes the signal widths of said individual ROI picture data elements.