CT Reconstruction

Historically, industrial inspection has been a planar 2D modality, where depth was either interpolated by the user or not available. The ASTME and NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) Society of America has recognized the need for more detailed analysis techniques and modalities, specifically a true 3D representation of structure and geometry. X-ray inspection has become the de-facto standard for high-resolution industrial inspection techniques. However, in its present form, the images acquired are only 2D. With the advent of Computed Tomography (CT), 3D images/volumes can be produced that reveal the depth value required for a full 3D analysis. In additional to the high spatial resolution, true isotropic voxels can be obtained. This permits quantitative analysis such as micro crack assessment, void, porosity quantification and weld/solder separation, which has been increasingly important in the electronic inspection of high-density BGA chips.

Medical CT Reconstruction:

However, as with medical CT, the amount of acquired data becomes massive and the need for a fast and efficient methodology to reconstruct the volume is required. Typical scans produce 1000 points of 4096 x 4096 planar projections. At TeraRecon, we draw upon the strength of our XTrillion processors and integrated Cone Beam Reconstruction (CBR) server to address these needs. Specialized filters for material separation and pre-post processing are all offered in TeraRecon's product lines. A complete imaging pipeline from data acquisition (Custom OEM), image reconstruction (Cone Beam Reconstruction Server) and visualization workstation (VolumePro™) can be provided.

TeraRecon's CBR 2000 Server is a revolutionary leap for next generation 3D CT systems. The CBR-2000 Server provides OEMs the capability to extend current 2D X-ray systems into full 3D systems for: C-Arm based systems Radiation Therapy Planning Systems for oncology 2D CT scanners. In multi-slice CT, each detector row is a single slice and the reconstruction algorithm used is FBP (filtered back-projection) using FAN beam geometry. Depending on the number of detector rows, several CT slices are acquired per scan.

Helical/Spiral CT moves the patient through the scanner to produce more slices than rows as the x-ray source and detectors rotate around the patient to acquire projections. However, because each row is not completely covered in one revolution, re-formatting and interpolation are required to fill in the missing areas. Cone Beam Reconstruction (CBR) is the next extension to multi-row CT using cone beam reconstruction algorithms. Stacked rows are treated as a rectangular area detector. True cone beam reconstruction requires area detectors. With cone beam reconstruction, hundreds of isotropic CT slices per scan are reconstructed. TeraRecon's CBR technology provides high scanning throughput and true isotropic volume reconstruction.

A 256³ volume can be reconstructed in 25 seconds, and a 512³ volume can be reconstructed in 3 minutes. Large volumes (up to 512² x 1024) can be quickly reconstructed by concurrent processing for incoming projections. The CBR-2000 Server easily and cost effectively integrates into OEM's area detector based CT systems. TeraRecon's newest version of its proprietary XTrillion HISC processor enables the CBR-2000 Server to reconstruct slices from incoming projections at these incredibly fast speeds.

Key Features:

• Feldkamp cone beam reconstruction algorithm
• Reconstructs 256³, 512³, and 512² x 1024 volumes
• 16-bit data format
• Input projections up to 1024 x 1024
• Full or sub volume reconstructionS
• Scanner Independent - loadable configuration files
• Projection pre-processing and calibration features
• Communication with CBR-2000 Server via Ethernet
• User communication interface with sample GUI application
• Available in 2 or 4 MPB-8 PCI board configuration

Ultrasound Reconstruction:

TeraRecon offers ultrasound OEMs NRE-based engineering and design services to provide extremely fast, ultrasound back-end reconstruction subsystems based on parallel implementations of our proprietary XTrillion processors. We provide important feature capabilities like real time Color Doppler Imaging and real-time 3D-volume visualization. Based on fast XTrillion and VolumePro® processing, optimized software, and high-speed communication channels, TeraRecon eliminates many of the existing PC bandwidth latency issues associated with the movement of data via the PCI bus. TeraRecon's reconstruction subsystem along with its proprietary XTrillion processor and real time volume rendering VolumePro® processor, has enough processing power to add the real-time 3D/4D functions, which contribute to improved diagnostics. As the ultrasound transducer performance improves data acquisition, it is possible to view 3D images in real-time, which is referred to as 4D viewing.