阅读说明：本技术 成像设备及成像方法 (Image forming apparatus and image forming method ) 是由 朱磊 蔡云岩 于 2018-07-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请公开了成像设备和成像方法。该成像设备包括：第一图像获取装置,配置以获取对象的第一部分的表面图像；第二图像获取装置,配置以获取对象的第二部分的透视图像,第二部分不同于第一部分；以及计算装置,配置以对第一部分的表面图像和第二部分的透视图像进行处理以形成对象的目标图像,其中,目标图像能够显示第一部分和第二部分。(The imaging apparatus includes an th image obtaining device configured to obtain a surface image of a th part of an object, a second image obtaining device configured to obtain a perspective image of a second part of the object, the second part being different from the th part, and a computing device configured to process the surface image of the th part and the perspective image of the second part to form a target image of the object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th part and the second part.)

An image forming apparatus of , comprising:

an image acquiring device configured to acquire a surface image of th part of the object;

a second image acquisition device configured to acquire a perspective image of a second portion of the object, the second portion being different from the th portion, and

a computing device configured to process the surface image of the th portion and the perspective image of the second portion to form a target image of an object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th portion and the second portion.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the th image capturing device includes:

a camera;

a drive mechanism configured to drive the camera to move to photograph the th part at a plurality of positions, and

a builder configured to build an image taken by the camera to obtain a 3D surface image of the th part.

3. The imaging device of claim 2, wherein the camera comprises at least of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, a near infrared camera, and a millimeter wave camera.

4. The imaging device of claim 2, wherein the drive mechanism includes a rotation mechanism configured to enable rotation of the camera about the object.

5. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second image acquisition device comprises at least of an ultrasound imager, a magnetic resonance imager, an emitter layer imager, a CT machine, and an X-ray machine.

6. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to register the surface image of the th portion and the perspective image of the second portion.

7, a method of imaging comprising:

acquiring a surface image of a th part of the object by an th image acquisition device;

acquiring a perspective image of a second part of the object by a second image acquisition means, the second part being different from the th part, and

processing, by a computing device, the surface image of the th section and the perspective image of the second section to form a target image of an object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th section and the second section.

8. The imaging method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the th image acquisition device includes:

a camera;

a drive mechanism configured to drive the camera to move to photograph the th part at a plurality of positions, and

a builder configured to build an image taken by the camera to obtain a 3D surface image of the th part.

9. The imaging method of claim 8, wherein the cameras include at least of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, a near infrared camera, and a millimeter wave camera.

10. The imaging method of claim 8, wherein the drive mechanism includes a rotation mechanism configured to enable rotation of the camera about the object.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of imaging.

Background

Imaging techniques, including, for example, X-ray imaging, CT (Computed Tomography), etc., have since been used in a wide variety of fields, particularly in medical examinations, in some applications, a user may need to perform X-ray imaging, CT imaging, etc. only on a portion of an entire subject.

Disclosure of Invention

In response to at least of the above technical problems, the present application provides an image forming apparatus and an image forming method.

The present application relates to the following items.

An image forming apparatus of , comprising:

an image acquiring device configured to acquire a surface image of th part of the object;

a second image acquisition device configured to acquire a perspective image of a second portion of the object, the second portion being different from the th portion, and

a computing device configured to process the surface image of the th portion and the perspective image of the second portion to form a target image of an object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th portion and the second portion.

2. The imaging apparatus according to item 1, wherein the th image capturing device includes:

a camera;

a drive mechanism configured to drive the camera to move to photograph the th part at a plurality of positions, and

a builder configured to build an image taken by the camera to obtain a 3D surface image of the th part.

3. The imaging device of item 2, wherein the cameras comprise at least of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, a near infrared camera, and a millimeter wave camera.

4. The imaging device of claim 2, wherein the drive mechanism includes a rotation mechanism configured to enable rotation of the camera about the object.

5. The imaging apparatus of item 1, wherein the second image acquisition device comprises at least of an ultrasound imager, a magnetic resonance imager, an emitter layer imager, a CT machine, and an X-ray machine.

6. The imaging apparatus of item 1, wherein the computing device is configured to register the surface image of the th portion and the fluoroscopic image of the second portion.

7, a method of imaging comprising:

acquiring a surface image of a th part of the object by an th image acquisition device;

acquiring a perspective image of a second part of the object by a second image acquisition means, the second part being different from the th part, and

processing, by a computing device, the surface image of the th section and the perspective image of the second section to form a target image of an object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th section and the second section.

8. The imaging method according to item 7, wherein the th image capturing apparatus includes:

a camera;

a drive mechanism configured to drive the camera to move to photograph the th part at a plurality of positions, and

a builder configured to build an image taken by the camera to obtain a 3D surface image of the th part.

9. The imaging method of item 8, wherein the cameras comprise at least of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, a near infrared camera, and a millimeter wave camera.

10. The imaging method of claim 8, wherein the drive mechanism includes a rotation mechanism configured to enable rotation of the camera about the object.

11. The imaging method according to claim 7, wherein the second image acquisition device comprises at least of an ultrasound imager, a magnetic resonance imager, an emitter layer imager, a CT machine, and an X-ray machine.

12. The imaging method of clause 7, wherein the computing device is configured to register the surface image of the th portion and the perspective image of the second portion.

An image forming apparatus of the kind of 13, , comprising:

a camera configured to capture a 2D surface image of an th portion of the object;

an X-ray source configured to emit X-rays to irradiate a second portion of the object;

a detector configured to detect X-rays passing through the second portion of the object to generate X-ray data;

a rotation mechanism configured to enable rotation of the camera, the X-ray source, and the detector about an object;

a computing device configured to generate a 3D surface image from the 2D surface image of the th part captured by the camera and a 3D tomographic image of the second part from data detected by the detector, and configured to process the 3D surface image of the th part and the 3D tomographic image of the second part to form a target image of an object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th part and the second part.

14. The imaging device of item 13, wherein the camera comprises at least of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, a near infrared camera, and a millimeter wave camera.

15. The imaging apparatus of item 13, wherein the X-ray source comprises an th ray source and a second ray source, the th ray source and the second ray source emitting th X-rays and second X-rays, respectively, to impinge on the second portion of the subject,

wherein the detector is configured to detect the th X-ray and the second X-ray passing through the object to generate data of the th X-ray and the second X-ray.

16. The imaging apparatus of item 15, wherein the th radiation source and the second radiation source alternately emit th X-rays and second X-rays.

17. The X-ray imaging apparatus of claim 15 wherein the th and second radiation sources are arranged such that the th and second light scan the same portion on the projection volume in scans, the th and second radiation sources being loaded with different tube voltages.

18. The imaging apparatus of item 13, wherein,

the th part comprising at least parts of the head and the second part comprising teeth, and

the target image can show a 3D surface image of the head and a 3D tomographic image of the teeth.

19. The imaging apparatus of clause 13, wherein the computing device is configured to register the th portion 3D surface image and the second portion 3D tomographic image according to an image registration algorithm.

20, a method of imaging, comprising:

capturing a 2D surface image of an th part of the object by a camera;

emitting X-rays by the X-ray source to irradiate a second portion of the object;

detecting, by a detector, X-rays passing through the second portion of the object to generate X-ray data;

rotating the camera, the X-ray source, and the detector about an object by a rotation mechanism;

generating, by a computing device, a 3D surface image from the th part 2D surface image taken by the camera and a 3D tomographic image of the second part from data detected by the detector, and processing, by the computing device, the 3D surface image of the th part and the 3D tomographic image of the second part to form a target image of an object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th part and the second part.

21. The imaging method of item 20, wherein the cameras comprise at least of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, a near infrared camera, and a millimeter wave camera.

22. The imaging method of item 20, wherein the X-ray source comprises an th ray source and a second ray source, the th ray source and the second ray source emitting th X-rays and second X-rays, respectively, to impinge on the second portion of the object,

wherein the detector is configured to detect the th X-ray and the second X-ray passing through the object to generate data of the th X-ray and the second X-ray.

23. The imaging method of claim 22, wherein the th radiation source and the second radiation source alternately emit th X-rays and second X-rays.

24. The X-ray imaging apparatus of claim 22 wherein the th and second sources are arranged such that the th and second light scan the same portion of the projection volume in scans, the th and second sources being loaded with different tube voltages.

25. The imaging apparatus of item 20, wherein,

the th part comprising at least parts of the head and the second part comprising teeth, and

the target image can show a 3D surface image of the head and a 3D tomographic image of the teeth.

26. The imaging apparatus of item 20, wherein the computing device is configured to register the th portion 3D surface image and the second portion 3D tomographic image according to an image registration algorithm.

According to the imaging apparatus and the imaging method as described above, only some portions of the subject can be fluoroscopic-imaged, so that the radiation dose can be reduced.

Drawings

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an imaging device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an imaging method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an imaging apparatus according to another example embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of a source and detector arrangement and optical paths between the source and detector in an imaging device according to exemplary embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an arrangement of a source and a detector and an optical path between the source and the detector in an imaging device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present application, an

Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration of an imaging method according to another example embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The present application will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments are shown. This application may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the application to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification and throughout the drawings.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween.

It will be understood that, although the terms "," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms.

As used herein, the singular forms "", "", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms, including "at least ", unless the content clearly dictates otherwise, the word "and/or" includes any and all combinations of or more of the associated listed items as used herein, it will also be understood that the word "including" when used in this specification indicates the presence of the stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Moreover, spatially relative terms such as "under … …" or "on … …" and "above … …" may be used herein to describe the relationship of elements to another element as shown in the figures.

As used herein, "about" or "approximately" includes the stated value as well as the average value over an acceptable range of deviation for the specified value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art taking into account the ongoing measurement and the error associated with the measurement of the specified quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system).

As used herein, the term "surface image" is intended to mean an image of the external surface of an object, which may be a 2D or 3D image.

As used herein, the term "CT image" is intended to mean a 3D tomographic image obtained by scanning an object by a CT apparatus or the like.

It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure , and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an imaging apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging apparatus may include an th image capturing device 10, a second image capturing device 20, and a computing device 30. the th image capturing device 10 may be configured to capture a surface image of a th portion of the subject, the second image capturing device 20 may be configured to capture a perspective image of a second portion of the subject, the second portion being different from the th portion, the computing device 30 may be configured to process the surface image of the th portion and the perspective image of the second portion to form a target image of the subject, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th portion and the second portion (e.g., based on the structure of the subject).

For illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the example is merely exemplary and that the present application is not limited thereto, in orthodontic applications, a practitioner may need to utilize a perspective image (e.g., an X-ray image) of a subject's problem teeth, and at the same time need to incorporate a surface image of the relevant site, such as some site (e.g., the face or portion thereof) in the vicinity of the problem teeth, for example, to make an orthodontic plan, etc. in this example, a th portion of the subject may be at least portions of the face in the vicinity of the subject's problem teeth, and a second portion may be the subject's problem teeth, as described above, the application is not limited thereto.

For example, in some embodiments, the image capture device 10 may include a camera that may be used to obtain a picture of the face of the patient near the problematic teeth.

The second image acquisition device 20 may be configured to acquire a perspective image of the problematic tooth of the patient. For example, in some embodiments, the second image acquisition device 20 may include an X-ray machine that may be used to obtain X-ray images of the problematic tooth.

The computing device 30 may then process the surface image of the face near the problem tooth acquired by the image acquisition device 10 and the perspective image of the problem tooth acquired by the second image acquisition device 20 to generate a target image of the patient that may be used by the doctor, for example, in an exemplary embodiment according to the present application, the computing device 30 may register the surface image of the face near the problem tooth and the perspective image of the problem tooth to generate a target image that is capable of displaying the surface image of the face and the perspective image of the problem tooth in terms of the actual positional relationship, structure of the problem tooth and the nearby face for use by the doctor.

Compared with the need of enlarging the X-ray imaging range of the current dental X-ray machine, the imaging device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application only performs the required perspective imaging on the problem tooth of the patient, and performs the surface imaging on the face near the tooth for reference, for example, thereby reducing the radiation dose received by the patient.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the th image capture device 10 may include a camera, a drive mechanism, and a builder.

It should be noted that these examples are merely illustrative, and the present application is not limited thereto, and devices that may be used to obtain an image of a surface of an object are within the scope of the present application.

It should be noted that these examples are merely illustrative and the present application is not limited thereto.

For example, in some embodiments, the builder may convert the 2D surface image captured by the camera to a 3D surface image via a photoscan or the like.

Computing device 30 may then process the 3D surface image of section and the perspective image of the second section to form a target image of the object so that the formed target image can display the 3D surface image of section and the perspective image of the second section for use by a physician in certain applications.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the second image acquisition device 20 includes at least of an ultrasound imager, a magnetic resonance imager, an emitter layer imager, a CT machine, and an X-ray machine.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of an imaging method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 2, an imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application may include the steps of:

s1 obtaining a surface image of th part of the object by th image obtaining device;

s2 obtaining a perspective image of a second part of the object by a second image obtaining means, the second part being different from the th part, and

s3 processing, by the computing device, the surface image of the th portion and the perspective image of the second portion to form a target image of the object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th portion and the second portion.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the th image capture device may include a camera, a drive mechanism configured to drive the camera to move to capture a th part at a plurality of positions, and a builder configured to build an image captured by the camera to capture a 3D surface image of the th part.

According to certain example embodiments of the present application, the cameras may include at least of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, a near infrared camera, and a millimeter wave camera.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the drive mechanism may include a rotation mechanism configured to enable rotation of the camera about the object.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the second image acquisition device includes at least of an ultrasound imager, a magnetic resonance imager, an emitter layer imager, a CT machine, and an X-ray machine.

Generally, an imaging method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application corresponds generally to an imaging apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, and therefore, for brevity, no further description thereof is provided herein, and for related matters, reference may be made to the above description of the imaging apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an imaging device according to another example embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 3, the imaging apparatus may include a camera 100, an X-ray source 200, a detector 300, a rotation mechanism 400, and a computing device 500.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the camera 100 may be configured to capture 2D surface images of th portions of an object according to exemplary embodiments of the present application, the camera 100 may include at least of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, a near infrared camera, and a millimeter wave camera.

The X-ray source 200 may be configured to emit X-rays to impinge a second portion of the object. The X-ray source 200 may be an X-ray generator, and the emitted X-rays may be cone beam X-rays, fan beam X-rays, etc., but the present application is not limited thereto. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the X-ray source 200 may comprise, for example, an X-ray source used in a conventional dental CT apparatus. It should be noted that the positional relationship of the camera 100 and the X-ray source 200 in fig. 3 is merely exemplary, and they can also be arranged in any other suitable manner. For example, the camera 100 and the X-ray source 200 may be arranged in a longitudinal arrangement.

The detector 300 may be configured to detect X-rays passing through a second portion of the object to generate X-ray data. In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 3, the X-ray source 200 and the detector 300 may be located on both sides of the object, respectively. According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the detector 300 may be a two-dimensional planar detector. For example, the detector 300 may be a flat panel detector. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the detector 300 may comprise, for example, a detector used in a conventional CT dental apparatus.

The rotation mechanism 400 may be configured to enable the camera 100, the X-ray source 200, and the detector 300 to rotate about the object, hi embodiments of the present application, for example, a motor may be provided in the rotation mechanism 400, and the rotation mechanism 400 may be driven by the motor to rotate or otherwise move, which is merely exemplary, the motor may also be provided in other suitable locations, hi the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 3, the camera 100, the X-ray source 200, and the detector 300 may share the same rotation mechanism , it should be noted that this example is merely exemplary, and the present application is not limited thereto, for example, in some embodiments, the camera 100, the X-ray source 200, and the detector 300 may each use a respective rotation mechanism, hi yet, for example, in some embodiments, the camera 100, the X-ray source 200, and the detector 300 may be fixed, while the rotation mechanism 400 may be configured to enable the patient to rotate so that the camera 100 and the X-ray source 200 may be able to achieve the same effect of rotating the camera 100 and the X-ray source 200.

The computing device 500 may be configured to generate 3D surface images from th part 2D surface images captured by the camera 100 and to generate second part 3D tomographic images from data detected by the detector 300. the computing device 500 may be configured to process th part 3D surface images and second part 3D tomographic images to form a target image of an object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying th part and second part (e.g., based on structure of the object). in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the camera 100 and detector 300 share the same computing device . it should be noted that this example is merely exemplary and the application is not limited thereto. for example, according to certain exemplary embodiments of the application, the camera 100 and detector 300 may each use a respective computing device. and, in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the computing device 500 is shown in wired connection (indicated by dashed lines) with the camera 100 and detector 300, although the application is not limited thereto, the computing device 500 may also be connected in other suitable ways, such as would be understood by a person of skill in the art that the computing device 500 may be merely an exemplary computing device.

For illustrative purposes, an orthodontic application is also described below, in which a physician may need to make, for example, an orthodontic plan using a CT image of a patient's problem tooth along with a 3D surface image of the relevant site (e.g., the head or portion thereof) as a reference.

In this example, the camera 100 (e.g., a visible light camera) may be rotated by the rotation mechanism 400 and may take multiple 2D surface images of the patient's head at multiple locations. The computing device 500 may then generate a 3D surface image from the plurality of 2D surface images of the patient's head taken by the camera 100. For example, in some embodiments, computing device 500 may convert the 2D surface image to a 3D surface image via a photoscan or the like.

Also, the X-ray source 200 can be rotated by the rotating mechanism 400 and can emit X-rays at a plurality of positions to irradiate only the problematic tooth of the patient. In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 3, the detector 300 may be rotated synchronously by the rotation mechanism 400 and may detect X-rays passing through a problem tooth of a patient to generate X-ray data. Thereafter, the computing arrangement 500 may generate a 3D tomographic image of the problematic tooth of the patient from the data detected by the detector 300.

Thereafter, the computing device 500 may process the 3D surface image of the patient's head and the 3D tomographic image of the problem tooth so that a target image of the patient may be generated for use by the doctor. For example, in some embodiments, the computing device 500 may register the 3D surface image of the patient's head and the 3D tomographic image of the problem tooth according to an image registration algorithm to generate a target image that can display the 3D surface image of the head and the 3D tomographic image of the problem tooth in terms of the actual positional relationship, structure, and the like of the problem tooth and the head for use by the doctor. For example, in some embodiments, the computing device 500 may register the 3D surface image of the patient's head and the 3D tomographic image of the problem tooth by a feature point matching method. It should be noted that these examples are merely illustrative, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, in some embodiments, the computing device 500 may not only register the 3D surface image of the patient's head and the 3D tomographic image of the problem tooth, but may also perform other operations such as translation, rotation, and the like.

Compared with the current way of CT imaging the whole head by the dental CT equipment, the imaging equipment according to the exemplary embodiment of the application can only perform the required CT imaging on the problem teeth of the patient, and perform surface imaging on the head for reference, thereby reducing the radiation dose received by the patient.

Also, the imaging apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application may employ a smaller detector, thereby reducing costs, compared to the manner in which current dental CT apparatuses need to employ a large field-of-view detector.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an arrangement of and optical path between a source and a detector in an imaging device according to exemplary embodiments of the present application FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an arrangement of and optical path between a source and a detector in an imaging device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that, in order to more clearly show the arrangement of the radiation source and the detector and the optical path between the radiation source and the detector, only the X-ray source, the object and the detector are shown in fig. 4 and 5, and other components such as the camera 100 are not shown.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the X-ray source 200 may include th ray source 210 and a second ray source 220, the th ray source 210 and the second ray source 220 may be X-ray generators, the th ray source 210 may emit th X-ray X1, the second ray source 220 may emit second X-ray X2, the th X-ray X1, and the second X-ray X2 to irradiate a second portion of the subject, the detector 300 may be configured to detect th X-ray X1 and the second X-ray X2 passing through the subject to generate th X-ray X1 and second X-ray X2 data.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, when the th radiation source 210 and the second radiation source 220 are spaced apart from each other in the Z-axis direction, the scanning range of the th X-ray X1 and the second X-ray X2 over the object A can be expanded in the longitudinal direction (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the plane B defined by the X-axis and the Y-axis, i.e., the Z-axis direction). also, by providing two radiation sources (i.e., the th radiation source 210 and the second radiation source 220) and only detectors, cost savings are achieved.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, when the th and second radiation sources 210, 220 are arranged side-by-side on a plane B formed by, for example, the X-axis and the Y-axis (i.e., on a plane B perpendicular to the Z-axis), they may be arranged such that the th and second X-ray X1, 2 scan the same portion of the object in scans, wherein scans may refer to the action of the X-ray scanning apparatus according to the present application completing a scan of an area to be imaged on the object the X-ray X1 and second X-ray X2 scan the same portion of the object may mean that the th and second X-ray X1, 2 scan in scans completely or partially coincide with respect to the portion of the object scanned (i.e., the portion where a volume scan is achieved).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the third ray source 210 and the second ray source 220 may be loaded with different tube voltages, for example, the third ray source 210 may be loaded with a high tube voltage, the second ray source 220 may be loaded with a low tube voltage, then the data corresponding to the ray source 210 detected by the detector 200 may be a high-energy signal, and the data corresponding to the second ray source 220 detected by the detector 200 may be a low-energy signal, and an energy spectrum CT image of the irradiated portion of the subject may be derived through an image reconstruction algorithm based on the resulting high-energy signal and low-energy signal.

For example, according to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the th and second radiation sources 210, 220 may be rotated about a connecting bar between the two shown in the figures, e.g., may be rotated counter-clockwise from the longitudinal arrangement shown in FIG. 4 to the transverse arrangement shown in FIG. 4.

In embodiments of the present application, st X-ray X1 and second X-ray X are alternately irradiated to an object A. the detector 200 detects that th X-ray X1 and second X-ray X cause interference due to scattering when th X-ray X1 and second X-ray X irradiate the object A simultaneously, which may cause reduction in imaging accuracy. th X-ray X1 and second X-ray X are alternately irradiated to the object in the imaging apparatus according to the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration of an imaging method according to another example embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 6, an imaging method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present application may include the steps of:

s10 photographing a 2D surface image of a th part of the object by the camera;

s20 emitting X-rays by the X-ray source to irradiate a second portion of the object;

s30 detecting, by the detector, X-rays passing through the second portion of the object to generate data of the X-rays;

s40, rotating the camera, the X-ray source and the detector around the object through a rotating mechanism;

s50 generating, by the computing device, a 3D surface image from the 2D surface image of the th part photographed by the camera and a 3D tomographic image of the second part from the data detected by the detector, and processing, by the computing device, the 3D surface image of the th part and the 3D tomographic image of the second part to form a target image of the object, wherein the target image is capable of displaying the th part and the second part.

According to certain example embodiments of the present application, the cameras may include at least of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, a near infrared camera, and a millimeter wave camera.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the X-ray source may include th and second ray sources, the th and second ray sources emitting th and second X-rays, respectively, to illuminate the second portion of the object, wherein the detector is configured to detect the th and second X-rays that pass through the object to generate th and second X-ray data.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the th radiation source and the second radiation source alternately emit th X-rays and second X-rays.

According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present application, the computing device is configured to register the th portion 3D surface image and the second portion 3D tomographic image according to an image registration algorithm.

While certain exemplary embodiments and examples have been described herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparent from the above description. Various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the teachings of the present application. The inventive concept is therefore not limited to the embodiments but is to be defined by the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.