Image processing system for volume rendering

• US 20060012822A1
• Filed: 03/01/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ziosoft, Inc. (NantWorks, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ziosoft, Inc. (NantWorks, LLC)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Kazuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,616,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/08 Volume rendering

Abstract

In an image processing system for generating an image of a three dimensional structure using a volume data, having a plurality of nodes coupled via a network, said one of plurality of nodes is constituted in combination with a control portion comprising at least a processor, a memory, and a communication control portion, said control portion is operative to segment each of a plurality of image processing requests into a plurality of jobs in an image processing operation that use the volume data, monitor a calculation resource amount for each of said plurality of nodes on the job accepting side to obtain a calculation resource information, said calculation resource information being calculated from at least any one of a current load factor, a performance record in the past, a node status specification, and a distance to the node on the network, select at least one node on the job accepting side based on said calculation resource information, and transmit one of said segmented jobs to said selected node.

Claims

1. An image processing system for generating an image of a three dimensional structure using a volume data, said image processing system having a plurality of nodes coupled via a network, each of which belonging to at least any one of a job requesting side and a job accepting side, where at least one of said plurality of nodes is on the job requesting side, said one of plurality of nodes on the job requesting side is constituted in combination with a control portion comprising at least a processor, a memory, and a communication control portion, said control portion being operative to:

segment each of a plurality of image processing requests into a plurality of jobs in an image processing operation that use the volume data;

monitor a calculation resource amount for each of said plurality of nodes on the job accepting side to obtain a calculation resource information, said calculation resource information being calculated from at least any one of a current load factor, a performance record in the past, a node status specification, and a distance to the node on the network;

select at least one node on the job accepting side based on said calculation resource information; and

transmit one of said segmented jobs to said selected node.

2. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 1, wherein said control portion further is operative to

prioritize each of said segmented jobs to obtain a job priority, and

rank the current operation capabilities of said plurality of nodes on the job accepting side based on said calculation resource information individually obtained by monitoring said calculation resource amount so as to determine a current operation ranking,

wherein said at least one node on the job accepting side is selected based on the current operation ranking, and each of said segmented jobs is transmitted to said selected node according to said job priority.

3. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 2, wherein each of said segmented jobs is transmitted when a client selects data and initiates processing.

4. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 2, wherein each of said segmented jobs is transmitted when a client commands.

5. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 3, wherein said segmented jobs are queued in said selected node.

6. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said selected node is capable of processing said transmitted segmented jobs automatically according to said job priority.

7. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said selected node is capable of changing the priority of said transmitted segmented jobs.

8. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said selected node is capable of processing said transmitted segmented jobs in parallel.

9. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 1, wherein said selected node notifies said at least one of the plurality of nodes on the job requesting side of the progress and the completion of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs.

10. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 2, wherein said selected node which has received said transmitted one of the segmented jobs is capable of transmitting said transmitted one of the segmented jobs to at least any one of the plurality of nodes on the job accepting side.

11. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 1, wherein an operating state of said plurality of nodes on the job accepting side is displayed on a display screen of a client.

12. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 2, wherein said control portion further being operative to

transmit a change command, a pause command and a halt command of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs to said selected node.

13. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 1, wherein said selected node is capable of transmitting a completion information of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs to notify the completion of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs, said control portion further being operative to

receive said completion information of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs, and

transmit a halt command of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs to said selected node.

14. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 1, wherein said selected node is capable of transmitting a progress information of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs to notify the progress of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs, said control portion further being operative to

receive said progress information of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs, and

transmit a halt command of said transmitted one of the segmented jobs to said selected node based on said progress information.

15. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 1, wherein the image processing using said volume data includes at least any one of processing among a volume rendering processing, a region segmentation processing, a filtering processing, a noise removal processing, an image synthesis processing, a perfusion computation processing, a back projection processing, a projection processing and a geometry transformation processing.

16. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of nodes includes at least any one of a computer, a supercomputer containing a plurality of CPUs, and a server.

19. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 2, wherein the image processing using said volume data includes at least any one of processing among a volume rendering processing, a region segmentation processing, a filtering processing, a noise removal processing, an image synthesis processing, a perfusion computation processing, a back projection processing, a projection processing and a geometry transformation processing.

20. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 4, wherein said segmented jobs are queued in said selected node.

21. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 20, wherein at least one of said selected node is capable of processing said transmitted segmented jobs automatically according to said job priority.

22. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 20, wherein at least one of said selected node is capable of changing the priority of said transmitted segmented jobs.

23. The image processing system using said volume data according to claim 20, wherein at least one of said selected node is capable of processing said transmitted segmented jobs in parallel.

17. A method of image processing for generating an image of a three dimensional structure using a volume data of an object, where a plurality of nodes are provided coupled via a network, said method comprising:

segmenting each of a plurality of image processing requests into a plurality of jobs in an image processing operation that use the volume data;

monitoring a calculation resource amount for each of said plurality of nodes to obtain a calculation resource information, said calculation resource information being calculated from at least any one of a current load factor, a performance record in the past, a node status specification, and a distance to the node on the network;

selecting at least one node based on said calculation resource information; and

transmitting one of said segmented jobs to said selected node.

18. The method of image processing according to claim 17, wherein said plurality of nodes includes at least any one of a computer, a supercomputer containing a plurality of CPUs, and a server.