Apparatus and method for generating image representations of a body utilizing an ultrasonic imaging subsystem and a three-dimensional digitizer subsystem
First Claim
1. Apparatus for producing a three-dimensional image representation of a body, comprising:
- an ultrasonic imaging subsystem for producing signals representative of two-dimensional images of sections of the body, said subsystem including a scanning transducer that is moveable in three dimensions, without constraint of position or orientation within a three-dimensional space, to select the section of the body to be imaged;
means for storing said image representative signals as arrays of digital pixel values, said digital pixel values representing one of a multiplicity of gray scale values;
means, including a three-dimensional digitizer subsystem, for deriving information representative of the three-dimensional position and orientation of the transducer during the scanning of an associated section of the body;
means for storing said information;
means for projecting the arrays of digital pixel values into a three dimensional voxel space, the voxel locations which correspond to projected pixel locations of a given pixel array being determined as a function of the stored position and orientation information associated with the section of the body from which the given pixel array was obtained, said projection means including means for determining if an existing non-zero gray scale value is already present at a given voxel location to which a current pixel value is projected and, if so, for averaging said current pixel value with said existing voxel value and storing the resulting average value as a new voxel value at said given voxel location; and
voxel space storage means for storing the voxel values projected into the voxel space.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method for producing a three-dimensional image representation of a body. The body can be animate or inanimate; i.e. the invention can be used to obtain 3D image representations of for example, parts of the human body or any object that one wishes to view or measure. The 3D image representations can be used to produce 2D displays of sections, contours, etc., or displays having 3D perspective, such as wire-frame type illustrations. This facilitates automatic computation of areas or volumes. In a disclosed embodiment, an ultrasonic imaging subsystem is provided for producing signals representative of two-dimensional images of sections of the body, the subsystem including a scanning transducer that is moveable to determine the section of the body to be imaged. The image representative signals are stored as arrays of digital pixel values. A three-dimensional acoustic digitizer subsystem is provided for deriving and storing information representative of the position and orientation of the transducer during the scanning of an associated section of the body. A voxel space storage is provided for storing a three-dimensional array of voxel values. The arrays of digital pixel values are projected into the voxel space storage, the voxel locations which correspond to projected pixel locations of a given pixel array being determined as a function of the stored position and orientation information associated with the section of the body from which the given pixel array was obtained.
139 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for producing a three-dimensional image representation of a body, comprising:
-
an ultrasonic imaging subsystem for producing signals representative of two-dimensional images of sections of the body, said subsystem including a scanning transducer that is moveable in three dimensions, without constraint of position or orientation within a three-dimensional space, to select the section of the body to be imaged; means for storing said image representative signals as arrays of digital pixel values, said digital pixel values representing one of a multiplicity of gray scale values; means, including a three-dimensional digitizer subsystem, for deriving information representative of the three-dimensional position and orientation of the transducer during the scanning of an associated section of the body; means for storing said information; means for projecting the arrays of digital pixel values into a three dimensional voxel space, the voxel locations which correspond to projected pixel locations of a given pixel array being determined as a function of the stored position and orientation information associated with the section of the body from which the given pixel array was obtained, said projection means including means for determining if an existing non-zero gray scale value is already present at a given voxel location to which a current pixel value is projected and, if so, for averaging said current pixel value with said existing voxel value and storing the resulting average value as a new voxel value at said given voxel location; and voxel space storage means for storing the voxel values projected into the voxel space. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A method for producing a three-dimensional image representation of a body, comprising the steps of:
-
producing signals representative of two-dimensional images of sections of the body with an ultrasonic imaging subsystem which includes a scanning transducer that is moveable in three dimensions, without constraint of position or orientation within a three-dimensional space, to select the section of the body to be imaged; storing said image representative signals as arrays of digital pixel values, said digital pixel values representing one of a multiplicity of gray scale values; deriving, with a three-dimensional digitizer subsystem, information representative of the three dimensional position and orientation of the transducer during the scanning of an associated section of the body; storing said information; projecting the arrays of digital pixel values into a three-dimensional voxel space, the voxel locations which correspond to projected pixel locations of a given pixel array being determined as a function of the stored position and orientation information associated with the section of the body from which the given pixel array was obtained, determining if an existing non-zero gray scale value is already present at a given voxel location to which a current pixel value is projected and, if so, averaging said current pixel value with said existing voxel value and storing the resulting average value as a new voxel value at said given voxel location; and storing the voxel values projected into the voxel space. - View Dependent Claims (16)
-
Specification