Beam hardening correction for scanning dark field and phase contrast imaging

1. An image signal processing system for processing data, comprising:

a scanning radiography imager configured to provide the data, wherein the imager includes an x-ray source for emitting radiation, a detector for detecting the radiation, and an interferometer arranged at least partly between the x-ray source and the detector;

an input port for receiving data as intensity values that correspond to one and a same geometrical ray, the intensity values being acquired using different detector pixels of the detector in a scan operation by the imager of an object or using a respective single detector pixel while at least a part of the interferometer is moved past said single detector pixel in the scan operation;

a beam hardening processing component configured to apply, for a given image pixel position as per said geometrical ray, a beam hardening processing operation with respect to said intensity values, thereby obtaining at least one interferometric reference parameter including at least one of a reference intensity and a reference visibility for said image pixel position;

a reconstructor configured to reconstruct from said intensity values and said at least one interferometric reference parameters at least one of a phase signal and a dark-field signal; and

an output port for outputting at least one of said phase signal and said dark-field signal.

2. The image signal processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the beam hardening processing operation includes computing, for said intensity values, said at least one interferometric reference parameter as a function of an indicator parameter that relates to a mean attenuation experienced by the radiation along said geometrical ray or to a property of the object to be imaged.

3. The image signal processing system according to claim 2 , wherein the indicator parameter comprises an estimate of a mean attenuation previously reconstructed from the received intensity values or a surrogate for said mean attenuation.

4. The image signal processing system according to claim 1 , wherein a functional relationship between the indicator parameter and the at least one interferometric parameter is different for different ones of the detector pixels or the respective single detector pixels.

5. The image signal processing system according to claim 4 , wherein the respective functional relationships are encoded as one or more look-up tables compiled from calibration data or as one or more functional expressions.

6. The image signal processing system according to claim 5 , wherein the calibration data is derived from calibration detector readings acquired by the imager in a blank scan and at least one phantom scan for a given thickness of a phantom body or a plurality of phantom scans for a variable thickness of the phantom body.

7. The image signal processing system according to claim 6 , wherein the phantom body has an adjustable thickness to achieve the variable thickness.

8. The image signal processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one reference interferometric parameter includes at least one of a visibility and an input intensity, per detector pixel or for said respective single detector pixel.

9. A method for processing data supplied by a scanning radiography imager having an x-ray source for emitting radiation, a detector for detecting the radiation, and an interferometer arranged at least partly between said x-ray source and said detector, the method comprising:

receiving data as intensity values that correspond to one and a same geometrical ray, the intensity values being acquired using different detector pixels of the detector in a scan operation by the imager of an object or using a respective; single detector pixel while at least a part of the interferometer is moved past said single detector pixel in the scan operation;

applying, for a given image pixel position as per said geometrical ray, a beam hardening processing operation with respect to said intensity values, thereby obtaining at least one interferometric reference parameter including at least one of a reference intensity and a reference visibility for said image pixel position;

reconstructing from said intensity values and said at least one interferometric reference parameter at least one of a phase signal and a dark-field signal; and

outputting at least one of said phase signal and said dark-field signal.

10. A method of producing calibration data for beam hardening effect processing in scanning phase contrast or dark-field imaging, comprising:

acquiring calibration detector readings in a blank scan and at least one phantom scan for a given thickness of a phantom body or a plurality of phantom scans for a variable thickness of the phantom body using a detector or an x-ray source of a scanning radiography imager;

reconstructing, per detector pixel and per thickness of the phantom body or blank scan, interferometric reference parameters from the calibration detector readings; and

reconstructing, per image pixel and per the given thickness or the blank scan, a respective indicator parameter indicative of different mean attenuation levels as per the variable thickness of the phantom body or the blank scan.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising storing the interferometric reference parameters in association with respective ones of the indicator parameters according to the given thickness of the phantom body or the blank scan.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having one or more executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for processing data supplied by a scanning radiography imager having an x-ray source for emitting radiation, a detector for detecting radiation, and an interferometer arranged at least partly between the x-ray source and the detector, the method comprising:

receiving data as intensity values that correspond to one and a same geometrical ray, the intensity values being acquired using different detector pixels of the detector in a scan operation by the imager of an object or using a respective single detector pixel while at least a part of the interferometer is moved past the single detector pixel in the scan operation;

applying, for a given image pixel position as per the geometrical ray, a beam hardening processing operation with respect to the intensity values, thereby obtaining at least one interferometric reference parameter including at least one of a reference intensity and a reference visibility for the image pixel position;

reconstructing from the intensity values and the at least one interferometric reference parameter at least one of a phase signal and a dark-field signal; and

outputting at least one of the phase signal and the dark-field signal.