METHOD FOR POINT-OF-INTEREST ATTRACTION IN DIGITAL IMAGES

• US 20070116357A1
• Filed: 11/21/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AGFA Healthcare NV (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert N.V.
• Inventors: DEWAELE, Piet
• Application Number:
  US11/562,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20070116357A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/173
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1075 for measuring dimensions by non-invasive methods, e.g. for determining thickness of tissue layer A61B8/0858 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10081 Computed x-ray tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20164 Salient point detection; Corner detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30008 Bone
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/155 involving morphological operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/25 Determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI]

Abstract

A method for point-of-interest attraction towards an object pixel in a digital image by first performing object segmentation resulting in a contour-based or a region-based representation of object pixels and background pixels of the image. Secondly a vector distance transform image is computed comprising a vector displacement of each background pixel towards the nearest of said object pixels and the nearest object pixel for a given background pixel is determined by adding the vector displacement to said background pixel. Finally the point-of-interest is attracted towards the determined nearest object pixel.

Claims

1. A method for point-of-interest attraction towards an object pixel in a digital image, comprising the steps of

performing object segmentation resulting in a contour-based or a region-based representation of object pixels and background pixels of said image,

computing a vector distance transform image comprising a vector displacement of each background pixel towards the nearest of said object pixels,

determining the nearest object pixel for a given background pixel by adding the vector displacement to said background pixel,

attracting said point-of-interest towards the determined nearest object pixel.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said point-of-interest is displayed.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said vector displacements are pre-calculated and stored.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein (a) class label(s) of objects are pre-defined and stored.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein said class label(s) is(are) taken into account when determining said nearest object pixel.

7. A computer readable carrier medium comprising computer executable program code adapted to carry out the steps of claim 1.

6. A user interface suitable for point-of-interest attraction in a displayed digital image comprising

means for indicating and displaying a first pixel position q,

means for tele-porting said pixel position from the indicated first pixel position q towards a second pixel position at the nearest object pixel position p by adding the vector displacement v retrieved from a vector distance transform image at position q

means for displaying the tele-ported position.