Visualizing a 3D volume dataset of an image at any position or orientation from within or outside
First Claim
1. An article comprising a tangible, non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores a program, the program being executable by a machine having a hardware component, comprising:
- program code to receive a volume dataset defining a volume;
program code to ray trace the volume dataset using a plurality of rays, each ray, as it traverses the volume dataset, samples the volume dataset along a set of sampling points whose locations along the ray are determined as the ray is cast, wherein, for each pair of sampling points, a location of at least a next sample point along the ray is determined by a value of a voxel at a current sample point, together with a focus value, such that a distance between two sample locations varies dynamically; and
program code to use data generated by one or more ray traces to render the volume dataset as a 3D image.
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Abstract
A machine-implemented display method that, with respect to a volume dataset being rendered, enables a user to navigate to any position in space and look in any direction. Preferably, the volume dataset is derived from a computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. With the described approach, the user can see details within the dataset that are not available using conventional visualization approaches. The freedom-of-motion capability allows the user to go to places (positions) within the volume rendering that are not otherwise possible using conventional “orbit” and “zoom” display techniques. Thus, for example, using the described approach, the display image enables a user to travel inside physical structures (e.g., a patient'"'"'s heart, brain, arteries, and the like).
45 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An article comprising a tangible, non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores a program, the program being executable by a machine having a hardware component, comprising:
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program code to receive a volume dataset defining a volume; program code to ray trace the volume dataset using a plurality of rays, each ray, as it traverses the volume dataset, samples the volume dataset along a set of sampling points whose locations along the ray are determined as the ray is cast, wherein, for each pair of sampling points, a location of at least a next sample point along the ray is determined by a value of a voxel at a current sample point, together with a focus value, such that a distance between two sample locations varies dynamically; and program code to use data generated by one or more ray traces to render the volume dataset as a 3D image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. Apparatus, comprising:
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a display; a processor; program code executed by the processor to ray trace the volume dataset using a plurality of rays, each ray, as it traverses the volume dataset, samples the volume dataset along a set of sampling points whose locations along the ray are determined as the ray is cast, wherein, for each pair of sampling points, a location of at least a next sample point along the ray is determined by a value of a voxel at a current sample point, together with a focus value, such that a distance between two sample locations varies dynamically; and program code executed by the processor to use data generated by one or more ray traces to render on the display the volume dataset as a 3D image. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17)
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11. A display method, comprising:
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receiving a volume dataset; and ray tracing, using a hardware processor, the volume dataset using a plurality of rays, each ray, as it traverses the volume dataset, samples the volume dataset along a set of sampling points whose locations along the ray are determined as the ray is cast, wherein, for each pair of sampling points, a location of at least a next sample point along the ray is determined by a value of a voxel at a current sample point, together with a focus value, such that a distance between two sample locations varies dynamically; and using data generated by one or more ray traces to render the volume dataset as a 3D image. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 18)
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Specification