Image processing method and computer readable medium

• US 20060262969A1
• Filed: 02/22/2006
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ziosoft, Inc. (NantWorks, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ziosoft, Inc. (NantWorks, LLC)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Kazuhiko
• Application Number:
  US11/368,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20060262969A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/08 Volume rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/26 Segmentation of patterns in the image field; Cutting or merging of image elements to establish the pattern region, e.g. clustering-based techniques; Detection of occlusion
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/03 Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images

Abstract

When conducting a medical diagnosis using image display and histogram display, an image processing method and a computer readable medium for image processing are provided which enable an appropriate histogram to be displayed in response to the intention of the user. When there is a histogram 1 corresponding to a voxel group 2 in image data 3, and when the voxel group 2 is changed to a voxel group 4, a histogram 5 corresponding to the voxel group 4 changes. Thus, the calculation objects of the histograms 1 and 5 are limited to the volume data (voxel groups 2 and 4) projected onto set three-dimensional regions and dynamic processing is performed, so that as the setting of the voxel group is changed, the histogram is also changed in real time.

Claims

1. An image processing method based on volume rendering, said image processing method comprising:

generating a two-dimensional image by the volume rendering using first volume data;

setting a two-dimensional area in the two-dimensional image;

determining a first voxel group which is included in said first volume data, said first group corresponding to the two-dimensional area being set; and

generating a first histogram of the first voxel group to be dynamically changed by the two-dimensional area being set.

3. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first three-dimensional region represented by the first volume data, said first three-dimensional region corresponding to the two-dimensional area being set;

determining a second voxel group which is included in second volume data, said second voxel group corresponding to the first three-dimensional region; and

generating a second histogram of the second voxel group to be dynamically changed by the two-dimensional area being set.

4. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first voxel group is further included in a three-dimensional mask region.

5. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first histogram is generated by multiplying a weight factor corresponding to opacity of each voxel in the first voxel group.

6. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said first histograms are generated based on a plurality of the first voxel groups respectively.

7. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volume rendering is performed based on a parallel projection.

8. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volume rendering is performed based on a perspective projection.

9. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volume rendering is performed based on a cylindrical projection.

2. An image processing method based on volume rendering, said image processing method comprising:

generating a two-dimensional image by the volume rendering using first volume data;

setting a two-dimensional area in the two-dimensional image;

determining a first three-dimensional region represented by the first volume data, said first three-dimensional region corresponding to the two-dimensional area being set;

determining a voxel group which is included in second volume data, said voxel group corresponding to the first three-dimensional region; and

generating a histogram of the voxel group to be dynamically changed by the two-dimensional area being set.

10. The image processing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said voxel group is further included in a three-dimensional mask region.

11. The image processing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the histogram is generated by multiplying a weight factor corresponding to opacity of each voxel in the voxel group.

12. The image processing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein a plurality of said histograms are generated based on a plurality of the voxel groups respectively.

13. The image processing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the volume rendering is performed based on a parallel projection.

14. The image processing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the volume rendering is performed based on a perspective projection.

15. The image processing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the volume rendering is performed based on a cylindrical projection.

16. A computer readable medium having a program including instructions for permitting a computer to perform image processing based on volume rendering, said instructions comprising:

generating a two-dimensional image by the volume rendering using volume data;

setting a two-dimensional area in the two-dimensional image;

determining a voxel group which is included in the volume data, said voxel group corresponding to the two-dimensional area being set; and

generating a histogram of the voxel group to be dynamically changed by the two-dimensional area being set.