Digital data processing and storage system especially for a tomodensitometer, and a tomodensitometer equipped with said system

Claim 2

A digital data processing and storage system, for use in processing data for producing tomodensitometric images on an imaging device, comprising: a central processing unit (8); an input/output device (7) connected to said central processing unit (8) for transmitting input data thereto; an arithmetic/logic unit (1) within said central processing unit (8) for receiving said data and having means for performing first arithmetic functions thereon to form, in a first step, intermediate periodic results in accordance with said data; a first microprogram sequencer (15,150) within said central processing unit (8), connected to said arithmetic/logic unit (1) for controlling said functions; an intelligent memory (100) connected with said central processing unit (8) for receiving therefrom said periodic results, and a control device (9) connected between said central processing unit (8) and said intelligent memory (100) for controlling and initializing said memory (100); said intelligent memory (100) comprising a conventional storage memory (10), at least one auxiliary processing unit (101) connected with said central processing unit (8) to receive said intermediate periodic results therefrom and for performing, in a second step, arithmetic/logic functions with said periodic results so as to produce image reconstruction signals, whereby said central processing unit (8) is relieved of some of said functions, and a second microprogram sequencer (115,1150) connected to said auxiliary processing unit (101) to control the operations thereof; whereby said auxiliary processing unit (101) operates on said periodic results and the contents of said memory (10); and means for initializing said second microprogram sequencer (115,1150) and thereafter operating at a rate determined by the input to said intelligent memory (100) of said periodic results.

Claim 3

The system according to claim 1 wherein said auxiliary processing unit is an adder for carrying out an accumulation of said periodic results.

Claim 4

The system according to claim 1, wherein said intelligent memory (100, 1000) comprises a plurality of pages (110, 120, 130, 140, . . . ), and a plurality of auxiliary processing units (111, 112, 113, 114, . . . ), each of them being respectively connected to one of said pages, for carrying out an interlace image reconstruction calculation.

Claim 5

The system according to claim 2, wherein said intelligent memory (100, 1000) comprises a plurality of pages (110, 120, 130, 140, . . . ), and a plurality of auxiliary processing units (111, 112, 113, 114, . . . ), each of them being respectively connected to one of said pages, for carrying out an interlace image reconstruction calculation.

Claim 6

A digital data processing and storage system, for use in expediting processing of data for producing images in a computerized tomographic scanner, comprising: a central processing unit (CPU) (8); an input/output device (7) connected to said CPU (8) for transmitting input data thereto; an arithmetic/logic unit (1) within said CPU (8) for receiving said data and having means for performing first arithmetic functions thereon to form, in a first step, intermediate periodic results in accordance with said data; a first microprogram sequencer (15,150) within said central processing unit (8), connected to said arithmetic/logic unit (1) for controlling said functions; an intelligent memory (100) connected with said central processing unit (8) for receiving therefrom said periodic results, and a control device (9) connected between said central processing unit (8) and said intelligent memory (100) for controlling and initializing said memory (100); said intelligent memory (100) comprising a multi-page storage memory (10), a plurality of auxiliary processing units (110, 120, 130, 140, . . . ), each connected to a page (111, 112, 113, 114, . . . ) of said memory (10) and connected with said central processing unit (8) to receive said intermediate periodic results therefrom and for performing, in a second step, arithmetic/logic functions with said periodic results so as to accumulate data values in said memory representative of luminosity of pixels of a tomographic image of a section through a human body, whereby said central processing unit (8) is relieved of said functions; and a second microprogram sequencer (115,1150) connected to said auxiliary processing units to control the operation thereof; whereby said auxiliary processing units operate on said periodic results and iteratively on the contents of said memory (10); and means (9, 14) for initializing said memory (10) and said second microprogram sequencer (115,1150) and thereafter operating at a rate determined by the input to said intelligent memory (100) of said periodic results.

Claim 7

A digital data processing and storage system, for use in expediting processing of data for producing images in a computerized tomographic scanner, comprising: a central processing unit (CPU) (8); an input/output device (7) connected to said CPU (8) for transmitting input data thereto; an arithmetic/logic unit (1) within said CPU (8) for receiving said data and having means for performing first arithmetic functions thereon to form, in a first step, intermediate periodic results in accordance with said data; a first microprogram sequencer (15,150) within said central processing unit (8), connected to said arithmetic/logic unit (1) for controlling said functions; an intelligent memory (100) connected with said central processing unit (8) for receiving therefrom said periodic results, and a control device (9) connected between said central processing unit (8) and said intelligent memory (100) for controlling and initializing said memory (100); said intelligent memory (100) comprising a multi-page storage memory (10), a plurality of auxiliary processing units (110, 120, 130, 140, . . . ), each connected to a page (111, 112, 113, 114, . . . ) of said memory (10) and connected with said central processing unit (8) to receive said intermediate periodic results therefrom and for performing, in a second step, arithmetic/logic functions with said periodic results so as to accumulate data values in said memory representative of luminosity of pixels of a tomographic image of a section through a human body, whereby said central processing unit (8) is relieved of said functions; and a second microprogram sequencer (115,1150) connected to said auxiliary processing units to control the operation thereof; whereby said auxiliary processing units operate on said periodic results and iteratively on the contents of said memory (10); and means (9, 14) for initializing said memory (10) and said second microprogram sequencer (115,1150) and thereafter operating at a rate determined by the input to said intelligent memory (100) of said periodic results.