Inter-active viewing system for generating virtual endoscopy studies of medical diagnostic data with a continuous sequence of spherical panoramic views and viewing the studies over networks

• US 6,369,812 B1
• Filed: 11/26/1997
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Picker International, Inc. (Marconi Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Philips Medical Systems (Cleveland) Incorporated (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Iyriboz, Tunc A., Carroll, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevenson, Philip H.
• Application Number:
  US08/980,169
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 364/413.22, 364/413.24, 364/413.19, 364/413.13, 345/419, 345/427, 382/128
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

An interactive virtual endoscopy system 10 includes a CT scanner 12 or other non-invasive examination apparatus which examines an interior region of a subject 14 in an examination region 16 and generates data indicative thereof. The data is stored in a volume image data memory 20. Using a sequence generating computer 22, a human operator 24 generates a sequence of sphere-mappable panoramic views of selected portions of the CT data along a viewpath in the patient 14. The sequence generating computer includes a view renderer 182 for rendering a plurality of views which in total cover the entire visual space about a viewpoint on the viewpath within the subject. A view compositer 240 combines the plurality of views into a full image covering the entire visual space about the viewpoint. The sequence is transferred to a server 26 which processes the data and makes it available for remote access. Over a local area network (LAN) 30, the data is selectively transferred, based on the commands of a remote human viewer 32, to a remote viewing computer 34. The data in decompressed and mapped into a spherical image for display on a remote display screen 36.

Viewers of the sequence of spherical images have the liberty to turn at will and view in any direction from a particular viewpoint instead of being constrained to a look-forward path. In this way, viewers retain the sense of order and space which a look-forward series provides but with the added capability to investigate completely a space from any given viewpoint.

Claims

1. A method of generating a three dimensional image presentation using a computer comprising:

a) storing image data indicative of a three dimensional array of pixels;

b) selecting a viewpoint within the three-dimensional array;

c) generating six two-dimensional arrays which in total cover the entire spherical space about the viewpoint;

d) dividing at least one of the plurality of two-dimensional arrays into a plurality of first polygon arrays, the first polygon arrays being triangular arrays;

e) scaling the plurality of first polygon arrays into a Plurality of second polygon arrays, the second polygon arrays being rectangular arrays;

f) combining the plurality of second polygon arrays and a portion of the plurality of two-dimensional arrays to form a full two-dimensional array covering the entire spherical space about the viewpoint;

g) mapping the full two-dimensional array into a spherical view; and

,

h) displaying at least a portion of the mapped, full, two-dimensional array as image pixels in a human-readable display.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including determining an angle of a surface corresponding to each image pixel value of at least one of the two-dimensional arrays and altering the brightness of each pixel in accordance with the surface angle.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of generating a plurality of two-dimensional arrays which in total cover the entire spherical space about the viewpoint includes:

comparing each pixel value of at least one of the two-dimensional arrays with a threshold criteria;

in response to a pixel value failing to meet the threshold criteria, projecting deeper into the image data until a pixel value that meets the threshold criteria is identified; and

,

inserting the pixel value that meets the threshold criteria into the two-dimensional array.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including the steps of:

generating a separate two-dimensional array from the three dimensional array of image data, the separate two-dimensional array intersecting the spherical view;

displaying the separate two-dimensional array on the human-readable display.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 further including the step of:

indicating the location of the viewpoint on the separate two-dimensional array of an area around the full, two-dimensional array.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of displaying includes selectively displaying only a portion of the full two-dimensional array.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including storing the full two-dimensional array on a server to provide remote access over a network and remote display on the human-readable display.

8. A method of generating a three dimensional image presentation using a computer comprising:

a) storing image data indicative of a three dimensional array of pixels;

b) selecting a viewpoint within the three-dimensional array;

c) generating a plurality of two-dimensional arrays which in total cover the entire spherical space about the viewpoint;

d) dividing at least one of the plurality of two-dimensional arrays into a plurality of first polygon arrays;

e) scaling the plurality of first polygon arrays into a plurality of second polygon arrays;

f) cropping at least one of the plurality of the two-dimensional arrays into a third polygon array;

g) scaling the third polygon array into a fourth polygon array;

h) combining the plurality of second polygon arrays, a portion of the plurality of two-dimensional arrays and the fourth polygon array to form a full two-dimensional array covering the entire spherical space about the viewpoint;

i) mapping the full two-dimensional array into a spherical view; and

,

j) displaying at least a portion of the mapped, full, two-dimensional array as image pixels in a human-readable display.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 further including generating the three dimensional array of pixels through a medical diagnostic exam of a patient.

10. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the third polygon array is a trapezoidal array.

11. The method as set forth in claim 8 further including selectively increasing and decreasing the value of a portion of the two-dimensional arrays to create the appearance of shading.