Radiographic system, radiographic method and computer readable medium

1. A radiographic system which detects a radiation image transmitted through a subject with a radiation image detector and generates a phase contrast image of the subject, comprising:

a calculation section that calculates a distribution of refraction angles of radiation incident on the radiation image detector and generates the phase contrast image on the basis of the distribution of refraction angles; and

a storage section that stores a correction coefficient of each pixel for making sensitivities of pixels equal, the correction coefficient being calculated on the basis of a refraction angle of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector, which is calculated by the calculation section by imaging a phantom that gives a known refraction angle to radiation transmitted through the phantom, and a refraction angle given to radiation by the phantom,

wherein the calculation section performs sensitivity correction on a refraction angle of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector, which is calculated by imaging the subject, using the correction coefficient of the pixel stored in the storage section and generates the phase contrast image of the subject on the basis of the distribution of corrected refraction angles.

2. The radiographic system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the correction coefficient is a ratio of the refraction angle of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector, which is calculated by the calculation section by imaging the phantom, and the refraction angle given to radiation by the phantom.

3. The radiographic system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a first grating; and

a grid pattern which substantially matches a periodic pattern of a radiation image generated by radiation transmitted through the first grating,

wherein the radiation image detector detects the radiation image masked with the grid pattern, and

the calculation section calculates the distribution of refraction angles of radiation incident on the radiation image detector from the image acquired by the radiation image detector.

4. The radiographic system according to claim 3 ,

wherein the radiation image detector detects the radiation image masked with the grid pattern under a plurality of relative position relationships in which phases of the grid pattern and the radiation image are different, and

the refraction angle distribution is calculated by calculating the amount of phase shift of a signal of each pixel on the basis of a change in a signal value of each pixel in a plurality of images acquired by the radiation image detector.

5. The radiographic system according to claim 4 ,

wherein the grid pattern is a second grating, and

a scanning means for moving at least one of the first and second gratings to put the second grating in the plurality of relative position relationships is further provided.

6. The radiographic system according to claim 4 ,

wherein the radiation image detector has a conversion layer, which converts radiation into electric charges, and a charge collecting electrode, which collects electric charges converted in the conversion layer, for every pixel,

the charge collecting electrode includes a plurality of linear electrode groups with a pattern which substantially matches the periodic pattern of the radiation image, and

the plurality of linear electrode groups is arrayed to have different phases.

7. The radiographic system according to claim 3 ,

wherein the grid pattern is the second grating, and the radiation image masked with the second grating includes a moiré, and

the calculation section calculates the spatial frequency spectrum distribution by performing Fourier transform on the intensity distribution of the image, separates a spectrum corresponding to a basic frequency of the moiré from the calculated spatial frequency spectrum, and calculates the distribution of refraction angles by performing inverse Fourier transform on the separated spectrum.

8. A phantom used for sensitivity correction of the radiographic system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the phantom gives the same refraction angle to radiation transmitted through the phantom.

9. The phantom according to claim 8 ,

wherein the phantom has an incidence surface, which is an arc with a focal point of the radiation source as the center on a cross section along a pitch direction of the periodic pattern of the radiation image, and a thickness of the phantom changes linearly around the focal point.

10. The phantom according to claim 8 ,

wherein a thickness of the phantom changes linearly in a pitch direction of the periodic pattern of the radiation image.

11. A phantom used for sensitivity correction of the radiographic system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the phantom has an incidence surface, which is an arc with a focal point of the radiation source as the center on a cross section along a pitch direction of the periodic pattern of the radiation image, and a linear thickness change around the focal point is periodically repeated.

12. A phantom used for sensitivity correction of the radiographic system according to claim 1 ,

wherein a linear thickness change in a pitch direction of the periodic pattern of the radiation image is periodically repeated.

13. A radiographic method of detecting a radiation image transmitted through a subject with a radiation image detector and generating a phase contrast image of the subject, comprising:

calculating a correction coefficient of each pixel for making sensitivities of pixels equal on the basis of a refraction angle of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector, which is calculated by imaging a phantom that gives a known refraction angle to radiation transmitted through the phantom, and a refraction angle given to radiation by the phantom; and

performing sensitivity correction on a refraction angle of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector, which is calculated by imaging the subject, using the correction coefficient of the pixel and generating a phase contrast image of the subject on the basis of the distribution of corrected refraction angles.

14. The radiographic method according to claim 13 ,

wherein the correction coefficient is a ratio of the refraction angle of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector, which is calculated by imaging the phantom, and the refraction angle given to radiation by the phantom.

15. The radiographic method according to claim 13 , further comprising:

generating a striped radiation image by making radiation transmitted through a first grating;

masking the radiation image using a grid pattern which substantially matches a periodic pattern of the radiation image;

detecting the radiation image masked with the grid pattern using the radiation image detector; and

calculating the distribution of refraction angles of radiation incident on the radiation image detector on the basis of the image acquired by the radiation image detector.

16. The radiographic method according to claim 13 ,

wherein the phantom gives the same refraction angle to radiation transmitted through the phantom.

17. The radiographic method according to claim 13 ,

wherein the phantom has an incidence surface, which is an arc with a focal point of radiation as the center on a cross section along a pitch direction of a periodic pattern of the radiation image, and a linear thickness change around the focal point of radiation is periodically repeated, and

the phantom is imaged a plural number of times while rotating the phantom gradually by a predetermined angle around the focal point of radiation, and the correction coefficient of each pixel is calculated on the basis of a plurality of refraction angles of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector, which is calculated by each imaging, and a refraction angle given to radiation by the phantom.

18. The radiographic method according to claim 13 ,

wherein a linear thickness change in a pitch direction of a periodic pattern of the radiation image is periodically repeated in the phantom, and

the phantom is imaged a plural number of times while moving the phantom gradually by a predetermined distance in the pitch direction, and the correction coefficient of each pixel is calculated on the basis of a plurality of refraction angles of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector, which is calculated by each imaging, and a refraction angle given to radiation by the phantom.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for performing a radiographic method of detecting a radiation image transmitted through a subject with a radiation image detector and generating a phase contrast image of the subject, the radiographic method comprising:

if a phantom that gives a known refraction angle to radiation transmitted through the phantom is imaged, (i) calculating a refraction angle of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector and (ii) calculating a correction coefficient of each pixel for making sensitivities of pixels equal on the basis of the calculated refraction angle and a refraction angle given to radiation by the phantom; and

if a subject is imaged, (i) calculating a refraction angle of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector, (ii) performing sensitivity correction on the calculated refraction angle of radiation incident on each pixel of the radiation image detector using the correction coefficient of the pixel, and (iii) generating a phase contrast image of the subject on the basis of the distribution of corrected refraction angles.