Image processing system, apparatus, and method and medical image diagnosis apparatus

• US 9,336,751 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsukagoshi, Shinsuke, Hara, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Sing-Wai
• Application Number:
  US13/553,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20130181979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/275 from 3D object models, e.g. computer-generated stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/351 for displaying simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/354 for displaying sequentially

Abstract

In an image processing system according to an embodiment, a display unit simultaneously displays a predetermined number of parallax images. A parallax image generation control unit performs control such that a group of parallax images of point-of-view positions which are larger in number than the predetermined number is generated. A display control unit classifies the group of the parallax images into a first parallax image sub group including a set of parallax images whose point-of-view positions are discontinuous to each other and a second parallax image sub group including parallax images whose point-of-view positions are between the set of the parallax images, and performs control such that the display unit displays the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group while switching the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group at a predetermined switching speed.

Claims

1. An image processing system, comprising:

a display configured to display a stereoscopic image by arranging parallax images generated by performing a volume rendering process on volume data while sequentially changing a point-of-view position by a predetermined parallactic angle with a same number of pixels as a number of point-of-view positions, and outputting the arranged parallax images; and

a processing circuit configured to

generate different parallax images which are an integer multiple of the number of pixels by performing the volume rendering process on the volume data at point-of-view positions which are the integer multiple of the number of pixels when receiving an operation to change to a predetermined mode,

classify the generated different parallax images that are the integer multiple of the number of pixels into a first parallax image sub group to be a set of parallax images whose point-of-view positions are discontinuous to each other and a same in number as the number of pixels and a second parallax image sub group including a set of parallax images whose point-of-view positions are between the point-of-view positions of the first parallax image sub group and a same in number as the number of pixels, and

perform control such that the display continuously displays the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group while alternately switching the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group at a predetermined switching speed while in the predetermined mode.

2. The image processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the processing circuit performs control such that the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group are switched and displayed such that each of the parallax images included in the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group is displayed an arbitrary number of times for one second.

3. The image processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the processing circuit classifies a plurality of parallax image sub groups obtained by classifying parallax images whose point-of-view positions are between the point-of-view positions of the first parallax image sub group into different parallax image sub groups as the second parallax image sub group, and performs control such that the first parallax image sub group and the parallax image sub groups included in the second parallax image sub group are sequentially switched and displayed.

4. The image processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the processing circuit generates an interim image obtained by averaging pixel values of a plurality of parallax images included in either of the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group from the plurality of parallax images on a portion in which the point-of-view positions of a plurality of parallax images included in the first parallax image sub group and the point-of-view positions of a plurality of parallax images included in the second parallax image sub group are alternately continuous between the parallax image sub groups, and performs control such that the display displays the generated interim image instead of the plurality of parallax images while switching the interim image at a predetermined switching speed.

5. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a display configured to display a stereoscopic image by arranging parallax images generated by performing a volume rendering process on volume data while sequentially changing a point-of-view position by a predetermined parallactic angle with a same number of pixels as a number of point-of-view positions, and outputting the arranged parallax images; and

a processing circuit configured to

generate different parallax images which are an integer multiple of the number of pixels by performing the volume rendering process on the volume data at point-of-view positions which are the integer multiple of the number of pixels when receiving an operation to change to a predetermined mode,

classify the generated different parallax images that are the integer multiple of the number of pixels into a first parallax image sub group to be a set of parallax images whose point-of-view positions are discontinuous to each other and a same in number as the number of pixels and a second parallax image sub group including a set of parallax images whose point-of-view positions are between the point-of-view positions of the first parallax image sub group and a same in number as the number of pixels, and

perform control such that the display continuously displays the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group while alternately switching the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group at a predetermined switching speed while in the predetermined mode.

6. An image processing method, comprising:

generating, by a processing circuit, different parallax images which are an integer multiple of the number of pixels by performing the volume rendering process on the volume data at point-of-view positions which are the integer multiple of the number of pixels when receiving an operation to change to a predetermined mode; and

classifying, by a processing circuit, the generated different parallax images which are the integer multiple of the number of pixels into a first parallax image sub group to be a set of parallax images whose point-of-view positions are discontinuous to each other and a same in number as the number of pixels and a second parallax image sub group including a set of parallax images whose point-of-view positions are between the point-of-view positions of the first parallax image sub group and a same in number as the number of pixels, and

performing control, by the processing circuit, such that a display that displays a stereoscopic image by arranging parallax images generated by performing the volume rendering process on the volume data while sequentially changing a point-of-view position by a predetermined parallactic angle with a same number of pixels as a number of point-of-view positions, and outputting the arranged parallax images, continuously displays the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group while alternately switching the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group at a predetermined switching speed while in the predetermined mode.

7. A medical image diagnosis apparatus, comprising:

a display configured to display a stereoscopic image by arranging parallax images generated by performing a volume rendering process on volume data while sequentially changing a point-of-view position by a predetermined parallactic angle with a same number of pixels as a number of point-of-view positions, and outputting the arranged parallax images; and

a processing circuit configured to

generate different parallax images which are an integer multiple of the number of pixels by performing the volume rendering process on the volume data at point-of-view positions which are the integer multiple of the number of pixels when receiving an operation to change to a predetermined mode,

classify the generated different parallax images that are the integer multiple of the number of pixels into a first parallax image sub group to be a set of parallax images whose point-of-view positions are discontinuous to each other and a same in number as the number of pixels and a second parallax image sub group including a set of parallax images whose point-of-view positions are between the point-of-view positions of the first parallax image sub group and a same in number as the number of pixels, and

perform control such that the display continuously displays the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group while alternately switching the first parallax image sub group and the second parallax image sub group at a predetermined switching speed while in the predetermined mode.