INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM CAUSING COMPUTER TO EXECUTE INFORMATION PROCESSING

• US 20120253171A1
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Ryo, Endo, Takaaki, Satoh, Kiyohide
• Granted Patent: US 10,657,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10081 Computed x-ray tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10088 Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10132 Ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30008 Bone
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of positions, in a three-dimensional image of a subject, obtained based on a sternum of the subject, a second acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of positions, in the subject, obtained based on the sternum of the subject, and a calculation unit configured to calculate a correspondence relationship in position between the subject and the three-dimensional image based on the plurality of positions acquired by the first acquisition unit and the plurality of positions acquired by the second acquisition unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a first acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of positions, in a three-dimensional image of a subject, obtained based on a sternum of the subject;

a second acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of positions, in the subject, obtained based on the sternum of the subject; and

a calculation unit configured to calculate a correspondence relationship in position between the subject and the three-dimensional image based on the plurality of positions acquired by the first acquisition unit and the plurality of positions acquired by the second acquisition unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second acquisition unit is configured to acquire the plurality of positions, in the subject, obtained based on the sternum of the subject, based on a body surface position of the subject measured by a position and orientation measuring apparatus.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second acquisition unit is configured to acquire the plurality of positions, in the subject, obtained based on the sternum of the subject, based on a position where an imaging surface of an ultrasonic probe whose position and orientation measured by the position and orientation measuring apparatus contacts the subject.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image generation unit configured to generate, based on the calculated correspondence relationship, a tomographic image that corresponds to an ultrasonic image acquired based on a signal acquired when an imaging surface of an ultrasonic probe contacts the subject, from the 3-dimensional image.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a display control unit configured to cause a display unit to display the acquired ultrasonic image and the generated tomographic image.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first acquisition unit is configured to acquire at least a position, in the three-dimensional image of the subject, obtained based on the sternum at a base of the second ribs of the subject,

wherein the second acquisition unit is configured to acquire at least a position, in the subject, obtained based on the sternum at the base of the second ribs of the subject, and

wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate a correspondence relationship between the subject and the three-dimensional image such that the position, in the three-dimensional image of the subject, obtained based on the sternum at the base of the second ribs, acquired by the first acquisition unit, matches the position, in the subject, obtained based on the base of the second ribs, acquired by the second acquisition unit.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first acquisition unit is configured to further acquire at least a position, in the three-dimensional image of the subject, obtained based on a lower sternum end of the subject,

wherein the second acquisition unit is configured to further acquire at least a position, in the subject, obtained based on the lower sternum end of the subject, and

wherein the calculation unit is configured to further calculate a correspondence relationship between the subject and the three-dimensional image such that a direction defined by the position, in the three-dimensional image, obtained based on the base of the second ribs and the position, in the three-dimensional image, obtained based on the lower sternum end in the three-dimensional image matches a direction defined by the position, in the subject, obtained based on the base of the second ribs and the position, in the subject, obtained based on the lower sternum end of the subject.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first acquisition unit is configured to further acquire a plurality of positions, in a three-dimensional magnetic resonance image of the subject, obtained based on ribs of the subject,

wherein the second acquisition unit is configured to further acquire a plurality of positions, in the subject, obtained based on the ribs of the subject, and

wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate the correspondence relationship in position between the subject and the three-dimensional image by calculating a correspondence relationship between the plurality of positions obtained based on the sternum and ribs acquired by the first acquisition unit and the plurality of positions obtained based on the sternum and ribs acquired by the second acquisition unit.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate a correspondence relationship in the position of the sternum between the subject and the three-dimensional image, based on a correspondence relationship between the positions obtained based on the sternum acquired by the first acquisition unit and the second acquisition unit, and to calculate a correspondence relationship in a direction of rotation with the sternum as an axis between the subject and the three-dimensional image, based on a correspondence relationship between the positions obtained based on the ribs acquired by the first acquisition unit and the second acquisition unit.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second acquisition unit is configured to acquire at least a plurality of positions obtained based on a right rib of the subject and a plurality of positions based on a left rib of the subject,

wherein the information processing apparatus further comprises:

a determination unit configured to determine whether at least a pair of one of the positions acquired based on the right rib and one of the acquired positions obtained based on the left rib is symmetrical with respect to the acquired position obtained based on the sternum; and

an output unit configured to output a warning if the determination unit determines that the pair is not symmetrical.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether the second acquisition unit has acquired the plurality of positions obtained based on the sternum, a plurality of positions obtained based on a left rib of the subject, and a plurality of positions obtained based on a right rib of the subject; and

an output unit configured to output a warning if the determination unit determines that the second acquisition unit has not acquired the positions.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second acquisition unit is configured to acquire a plurality of positions, in a body surface of the subject, near the sternum of the subject.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first acquisition unit is configured to acquire a plurality of positions of the sternum in the three-dimensional image of the subject,

wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate a position of the sternum of the subject based on the acquired positions in the body surface of the subject and the three-dimensional image of the subject, and

wherein the calculation unit is configured to further calculate the correspondence relationship in position between the subject and the three-dimensional image based on the calculated position of the sternum of the subject and the position of the sternum acquired by the first acquisition unit.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third acquisition unit configured to acquire one of a magnetic resonance image, a computed tomography image, and a positron-emission tomography image of the subject, as the three-dimensional image of the subject.

15. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a first acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of positions on a sternum of a subject in a first coordinate system;

a second acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of positions on the sternum of the subject in a second coordinate system; and

a calculation unit configured to calculate a relative relationship between the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system based on the positions in the coordinate system and the second coordinate system.

16. An imaging system comprising:

an ultrasonic probe configured to acquire a signal from a position of a subject by contacting the position of the subject;

an imaging unit configured to acquire an ultrasonic image based on the signal acquired by the ultrasonic probe;

a first acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of positions, in a three-dimensional image of the subject, obtained based on a sternum of the subject;

a second acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of positions, in the subject, obtained based on the sternum of the subject, based on the position where the ultrasonic probe contacts the subject;

a calculation unit configured to calculate a correspondence relationship in position between the subject and the three-dimensional image based on the plurality of positions acquired by the first acquisition unit and the plurality of positions acquired by the second acquisition unit; and

an image generation unit configured to generate a tomographic image corresponding to the generated ultrasonic image from the three-dimensional image based on the calculated correspondence relationship.

17. An information processing method comprising:

acquiring a plurality of positions, in a three-dimensional image of a subject, obtained based on a sternum of the subject;

acquiring a plurality of positions, in the subject, obtained based on the sternum of the subject; and

calculating a correspondence relationship in position between the subject and the three-dimensional image based on the acquired positions in the three-dimensional image and the acquired positions in the subject.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute:

a first acquisition process of acquiring a plurality of positions, in a three-dimensional image of a subject, obtained based on a sternum of the subject;

a second acquisition process of acquiring a plurality of positions, in the subject, obtained based on the sternum of the subject; and

a calculation process of calculating a correspondence relationship in position between the subject and the three-dimensional image based on the plurality of positions acquired by the first acquisition process and the plurality of positions acquired by the second acquisition process.