IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR IMAGE PROCESSING

• US 20080008368A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ziosoft, Inc. (NantWorks, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ziosoft, Inc. (NantWorks, LLC)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Kazuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,869,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/08 Volume rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/008 Cut plane or projection plane definition

Abstract

An intestine is cut by a cross section of a spherical surface or a combination of a plane and a spherical surface, and voxel values on the cross section are projected onto a projection plane in parallel, whereby a cross-sectional image of the intestine is created. Unlike a CPR image, the image of the spherical portion is projected without being extended. If the radius of the spherical surface is increased, the depth toward a screen can be seen and thus perspective of the inside of the observation object can be understood. On the other hand, if the radius of the spherical surface is lessened, the cut surface of the observation object is displayed as flat MPR and can be observed without distortion. Therefore, the radius of the spherical surface is set appropriately in conjunction with the thickness of the observation object, whereby a precise diagnosis can be conducted.

Claims

1. An image processing method for visualizing volume data, the image processing comprising:

determining respective coordinates for forming a cross section by using respective positions on a reference plane and respective distances from the reference plane;

determining respective values in the volume data at the respective coordinates; and

rendering an image by using the determined values.

2. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image is rendered by using only the values included in a partial region of the volume data.

3. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distances are changed by modifying a single parameter.

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

modifying the parameter with GUI (Graphical User Interface).

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

generating animation image by modifying the parameter.

6. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the coordinates are positioned on a spherical surface.

7. The image processing method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

modifying a radius of the spherical surface.

8. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reference plane is rotatable.

9. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image is rendered by using peripheral values of the coordinates in addition to the determined values.

10. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volume data is volume data of a tubular tissue, and

the image processing method further comprising:

determining an orthogonal cross section of the tubular tissue with GUI (Graphical User Interface); and

rendering each voxel on the orthogonal cross section.

11. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volume data is volume data of a tubular tissue,

and the image processing method further comprising:

determining a center path of the tubular tissue with GUI (Graphical User Interface).

12. A computer readable medium having a program including instructions for permitting a computer to perform image processing for visualizing volume data, the instructions comprising:

determining respective coordinates for forming a cross section by using respective positions on a reference plane and respective distances from the reference plane;

determining respective values in the volume data at the respective coordinates; and

rendering an image by using the determined values.