System and method for volume visualization in ultra-wideband radar

• US 8,089,396 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Camero-Tech, Ltd. (SK Group)
• Original Assignee: Camero-Tech, Ltd. (SK Group)
• Inventors: Beeri, Amir, Boxman, Benjamin, Doron, Erez, Gazelle, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/295,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20090243916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,738 Days
• Field of Search: 342/179, 345/419, 345/424, 345/428
• US Class Current: 342/179
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/284 using coded pulses
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/0254 Active array antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/062 in which different colours are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/20 Stereoscopic displays; Three-dimensional displays; Pseudo-three-dimensional displays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/08 Volume rendering

Abstract

Herewith disclosed a method for volume visualization in ultra-wideband radar and a system thereof. The method comprises perceiving processing provided in order to facilitate a meaningful representation and/or an instant understanding of the image to be displayed, said perceiving processing resulted in generating one or more perceiving image ingredients. The perceiving image ingredient may be, for example, a shadow added to the reconstructed image, a position-dependent color scheme applied to the reconstructed image, a color scheme adapted to external lighting conditions and applied to the reconstructed image, a Halo artificially added to the reconstructed image, a distinctive color scheme applied to time-invariant and time-variant elements of the reconstructed image, etc.

Claims

1. A volume visualization system comprising a display operatively coupled to an image-reconstructing module configured to process 3D data acquired by ultra-wideband radar and to generate a 2D reconstructed image,

wherein the image reconstruction module is further configured to provide separate volume rendering of time-invariant and time-variant 3D data sets acquired by said ultra-wideband radar thereby extracting time-invariant and time-variant elements of the reconstructed image;

and to generate one or more perceiving image ingredients to be distinctively applied to said extracted time-invariant and/or time-variant elements of the reconstructed image; and

wherein the display is configured to simultaneously present the time-invariant and time-variant elements of the reconstructed image together with applied perceiving image ingredients.

2. The volume visualization system of claim 1 wherein the perceiving image ingredient is a shadow added merely to time-invariant elements of the reconstructed image.

3. The volume visualization system of claim 1 wherein the perceiving image ingredients are a first position-dependent color scheme applied to the time-invariant elements and a second position-dependent color scheme applied to time-variant elements of the reconstructed image.

4. The volume visualization system of claim 1 wherein the perceiving image ingredient is a virtual object artificially added merely to time-invariant elements of the reconstructed image.

5. The volume visualization system of claim 1 wherein the perceiving image ingredient is a Halo artificially added merely to time-variant elements of the reconstructed image.

6. The volume visualization system of claim 1 wherein the perceiving image ingredient is a distinctive color scheme applied to time-invariant and time-variant elements of the reconstructed image.

7. A method of operating a volume visualization system associated with an ultra-wideband radar, the method comprising;

image-reconstructing processing comprising separate volume rendering of time-invariant and time-variant 3D data sets acquired by said ultra-wideband radar thereby extracting time-invariant and time-variant elements of a reconstructed image merely from data acquired by said ultra-wideband radar;

generating one or more perceiving image ingredients;

distinctively applying the generated one or more perceiving image ingredients respectively to time-invariant and/or time-variant elements of the reconstructed image; and

facilitating simultaneously displaying the time-invariant and time-variant elements of the reconstructed image together with applied perceiving image ingredients.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the generated perceiving image ingredients comprise a shadow added merely to the time-invariant elements.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the perceiving image ingredients comprise a first position-dependent color scheme applied to time-invariant elements and a second position-dependent color scheme applied to time-variant elements.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the generated perceiving image ingredients comprise a virtual object artificially added merely to time-invariant elements.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the generated perceiving image ingredients comprise a Halo added merely to time-variant elements.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the generated perceiving image ingredients comprise a distinctive color scheme for time-invariant and time-variant elements.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer readable program executable by a computer for causing the computer to perform a process of volume visualization, the process comprising:

(a) image-reconstructing processing comprising simultaneously extracting time-invariant and time-variant elements of a reconstructed image merely from data acquired by said ultra-wideband radar;

(b) generating one or more perceiving image ingredients;

(c) distinctively applying the generated one or more perceiving image ingredients respectively to time-invariant and/or time-variant elements of the reconstructed image; and

(d) facilitating displaying the reconstructed image with the applied perceiving image ingredients.

14. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable program code for a computer, the computer program product comprising:

(a) computer readable program code for causing the computer to provide image-reconstructing processing comprising simultaneously extracting time-invariant and time-variant elements of a reconstructed image merely from data acquired by said ultra-wideband radar;

(b) computer readable program code for causing the computer to generate one or more perceiving image ingredients;

(c) computer readable program code for causing the computer to distinctively apply the generated one or more perceiving image ingredients respectively to time-invariant and/or time-variant elements of the reconstructed image; and

(d) computer readable program code for causing the computer to facilitate displaying the reconstructed image with the applied perceiving image ingredients.