Medical-image processing apparatus generating plural parallax images with different viewpoint positions based on adjusting parallactic angles

• US 10,110,874 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2015
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsukagoshi, Shinsuke, Tsutsumi, Takashi, Fujii, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdi, Amara
• Application Number:
  US14/953,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20160080719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/283 Intercom or optical viewing arrangements, structurally associated with NMR apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/003 Reconstruction from projections, e.g. tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/08 Volume rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• 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 13/395 with depth sampling, i.e. the volume being constructed from a stack or sequence of 2D image planes

Abstract

A medical-image processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a reconstructing circuitry and a display control circuitry. The reconstructing circuitry performs a volume rendering operation on volume data while moving the viewpoint position by a predetermined parallactic angle, and generates a parallax image group that includes a plurality of parallax images with different viewpoint positions. The display control circuitry causes a stereoscopic display monitor to display the parallax image group as a stereoscopic image. With regard to the volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of medical-image diagnostic apparatus, the reconstructing circuitry adjusts each parallactic angle during generation of the parallax image group and, in accordance with each of the adjusted parallactic angles, generates each parallax image group on the basis of the volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of medical-image diagnostic apparatus.

Claims

1. A medical-image processing apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry configured to

perform a volume rendering process on volume data while moving a viewpoint position by a predetermined parallactic angle, thereby generating a parallax image group that includes a plurality of parallax images with the different viewpoint positions, and

display the parallax image group as a stereoscopic image on a stereoscopic display monitor, wherein

with regard to volume data that is acquired by multiple types of medical-image diagnostic apparatus, the processing circuitry is configured to adjust each of the parallactic angles during generation of the parallax image group according to a difference of resolution among a plurality of volume data and, in accordance with each of the adjusted parallactic angles, generate each parallax image group based on volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus.

2. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, with regard to volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus, the processing circuitry is configured to adjust each of the parallactic angles during generation of the parallax image group such that a degree of protrusion during display on the stereoscopic display monitor is matched, and generate each parallax image group based on volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus in accordance with each of the adjusted parallactic angles.

3. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, with regard to volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus, the processing circuitry is configured to adjust each of the parallactic angles during generation of the parallax image group in accordance with a resolution performance in a direction that corresponds to a screen direction during display on the stereoscopic display monitor and generate each parallax image group based on volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus in accordance with each of the adjusted parallactic angles.

4. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the stereoscopic display monitor to display a fusion image that is a fusion of a plurality of parallax image groups that are generated.

5. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to

allocate volume data, acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus, in a first position and a second position of a virtual space, perform a volume rendering process in a state such that each positional information is retained, and generate a plurality of parallax image groups based on each volume data, and

cause the stereoscopic display monitor to display a plurality of parallax image groups that are generated, thereby displaying a stereoscopic image where fusion images are allocated in positions that correspond to the first position and the second position in a depth direction of the stereoscopic display monitor.

6. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to select specific volume data among volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus and individually set a parallactic angle that corresponds to the selected volume data.

7. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to adjust the parallactic angle in accordance with a maximum protrusion degree of the stereoscopic display monitor.

8. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

select specific volume data among volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus, and

change a protrusion position of the specific volume data.

9. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

adjust each of the parallactic angles during generation of the parallax image group in accordance with a highest resolution performance among each resolution performance of volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus, and generate each parallax image group based on volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus in accordance with each of the adjusted parallactic angle.

12. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the stereoscopic display monitor to display a model image that corresponds to the parallax image group on a front side or a back side of the parallax image group.

14. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the parallax image group in accordance with a resolution performance of each volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus and a screen resolution performance of the stereoscopic display monitor.

16. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the stereoscopic display monitor to display the stereoscopic image in an actual size.

10. A medical-image processing apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry configured to

perform a volume rendering operation on volume data while moving a viewpoint position by a predetermined parallactic angle, thereby generating a parallax image group that includes a plurality of parallax images with the different viewpoint positions,

set the parallactic angle based on resolution of the volume data, the resolution changing according to a type of medical-image diagnostic apparatus of the volume data, and

display the parallax image group as a stereoscopic image on a stereoscopic display monitor, wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to generate a parallax image group based on the volume data in accordance with the set parallactic angle.

11. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to set the parallactic angle based on the type of modality and a capturing site of the volume data.

13. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the stereoscopic display monitor to display a model image that corresponds to the parallax image group on a front side or a back side of the parallax image group.

15. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the parallax image group in accordance with a resolution performance of each volume data that is acquired by each of the multiple types of the medical-image diagnostic apparatus and a screen resolution performance of the stereoscopic display monitor.

17. The medical-image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the stereoscopic display monitor to display the stereoscopic image in an actual size.