Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T15/00—3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
  • G06T15/50—Lighting effects
  • G06T15/503—Blending, e.g. for anti-aliasing
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T15/00—3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering

Definitions

• This invention relates generally to displaying image information and more particularly, to overlaying graphical objects on medical image object.
• shapes or data
• the shapes define certain areas of interest, such as regions of interest, volumes of interest, shapes used to measure a distance, tick marks, and grids.
• the simultaneous displaying of the medical image and the shapes cause difficulty for an operator of the imaging system attempting to utilize the displayed image and shapes.
• the solid lines of the shape hides, or covers, a portion of the anatomy displayed in the medical image. This hiding of the anatomy causes significant errors in small measurements and detracts from the quality of the diagnosis.
• the solid borders of these shapes may also lead to diagnostic errors when determining statistics.
• a medical imaging system generates medical image objects. Graphical objects are then generated, based upon an input from a operator or user, and displayed with the image objects. The graphical objects may be used to measure a distance or select a portion of the medical image.
• each graphical object has an opacity value less than the image objects so that when the graphical objects are combined with the image objects, the graphical objects do not obscure any information contained in the image object. More specifically, after sorting the objects in a back to front procedure, a destination value, C d , for each component is determined in accordance with:
• Cd-1 is a previous destination value of a single component of the image object
• Cs is a source value of a single component of the graphical object
• Cs and C d _ are from the same component as C d .
• a final image is generated, or rendered, utilizing a destination value for each component of each pixel of the combined objects. More specifically, for each pixel of the final image, a destination value is determined for a plurality of components. Particularly, the final image is generated from a red component, a green component, a blue component and an alpha component of each object.
• the final image is then rendered, or displayed, on a display for use by the physician or operator.
• the operator In use, the operator generates a graphical object to define a portion of the image object, for example, a region of interest.
• the system then combines the objects. As a result of the manner in which the objects are combined, the graphical image does not obscure the image object information.
• the system alters the display characteristics of the graphical objects , by outlining or filling the graphical objects, so that the area covered by the graphical area is easily detected by the operator.
• the above described overlay algorithm allows a physician or operator to select and display a defined graphical object, along with an image object generated by the imaging system, without the graphical object blocking or obscuring the object image. More specifically, each graphical object and image object are simultaneously displayed so that each object is fully visible. In addition, the described system defines the area covered by the graphical images by filling or outlining the graphical objects.
• Figure 1 is a block diagram of an imaging system.
• an imaging system 10 is shown as including a source 14 that emits energy, for example x-rays 16, toward a detector 18.
• a source 14 that emits energy, for example x-rays 16, toward a detector 18.
• data collected by detector 18 is utilized to generate a reconstructed image (not shown).
• the reconstructed image is applied as an input to a computer 36 which stores the image in a mass storage device 38.
• imaging system 10 generates medical images or medical image objects.
• Computer 36 also receives commands and scanning parameters from an operator via console 40 that has at least one input device (not shown), for example, a keyboard or a mouse .
• An associated cathode ray tube display 42 allows the operator to observe the reconstructed medical image and other data from computer 36.
• the operator supplied commands and parameters are used by computer 36 to provide control signals and information to source 14 and detector 18.
• an overlay algorithm generates at least one graphical object (not shown) for display on image objects (not shown) generated by imaging system 10.
• the present overlay algorithm generates one, two, or three dimensional graphical objects which are displayed in combination with the image objects.
• the overlay algorithm is implemented in computer 36 and processes, for example, data stored in mass storage device 38.
• imaging system 10 generates at least one medical images, or medical image object, as known in the art. For example, in at least one known x-ray system , x-rays 16 are emitted from source 14 through a patient 22 toward detector 18. Utilizing data collected from detector 18, computer 36 reconstructs an image object of at least a portion of patient 22. After generating each image object, each image object is displayed, for example on display 42.
• a physician or technician to further examine, or identify, a specific area of the image object, a physician or technician generates at least one graphical object to visually overlay onto the image object.
• the graphical object may be utilized to highlight an object of interest and a volume of interest.
• the physician selects a specific area, for example, by defining a shape, e.g., a polygon, to identify a region of interest in the object image. For example, the physician may select the specific area utilizing the mouse.
• System 10, specifically computer 36 then generates a one, two or three dimensional graphical object defining the selected area. More specifically, system 10 places the graphical object over an object of interest in the image object.
• system 10 positions the graphical image relative to the object image so that the area selected by the physician is defined, or identified, by the graphical object.
• the graphical object may also be utilized to measure, or determine, a distance, add tick marks or gridlines to the object image.
• each object image and each graphical object are then combined and displayed on display 42.
• the objects are sorted in a front to back manner. More specifically, each object image is defined as a destination and each graphical object is defined as a source. The objects are then sorted so that each object image, or destination, is moved to a back position and each graphical object is moved to a front position.
• an opacity value is determined for each graphical object.
• each graphical object has an opacity value within a range from zero, where the graphical object completely transparent, to one, where the graphical object is completely obscures, or blocks the image object.
• a graphical object has an opacity value approximately equal to 0.25 so that each object image and each graphical object is fully visible.
• a composite image is generated.
• the composite image is generated by blending each image object and each graphical object. More specifically, the blending of each image object and each graphical object includes determining a source scale factor and determining a destination scale factor.
• the source scale factor, S c is determined in accordance with:
• a destination value is determined for a component. Specifically and in one embodiment, a destination value for each component, C d , is determined in accordance with:
• Cd mm(kc, Cs* Sc + Cd - ⁇ . ⁇ ) , (3) where: Cd-1 is a previous destination value of a single component of the image object;
• Cs is a source value of a single component of the graphical object;
• a s equals an alpha value for a source;
• k A 2 , where M c equals a number of bitplanes in an alpha component; and the determined C d is for the same component as C s and C d ., .
• a destination value, C d is determined in accordance with:
• Cd-1 is a previous destination value of a single component of the image object
• Cs is a source value of a single component of the graphical object
• Cs and C d ., are from the same component as C d .
• a final image is generated, or rendered, utilizing a destination value for each component of each pixel of the combined objects. More specifically, for each pixel of the final image, a destination value is determined for a plurality of components. More particularly and in one embodiment, the final image is generated from a red component, a green component, a blue component and an alpha component of each object. The final image is then rendered, or displayed, on display 42 for use by the physician or operator of system 10. In one embodiment, where each image object has an opacity value of one and each graphical object has an opacity value of less than one, the overlapping graphical objects do not block the anatomy of the image object. As a result, the operator is able to easily view the anatomy information.
• each graphical object may be slightly altered to identify the area identified by the graphical object. More specifically and in one embodiment, each image object is displayed in a first color and each graphical object is displayed in a different, or second color. In other embodiments, each object may be displayed using a different color or by using the same color to display all of the objects.
• At least one graphical image is filled. More specifically, the filling of each graphical shape allows the operator or physician to easily determine what portion of the image object that is being referred to by the shape, or graphical object.
• only an outline, or border of the geographical shape is filled with a selected color. As a result, the only visible part of the shape is the semi-transparent border using the selected color.
• the entire geographical shape for example a polygon, is filled with a selected semi-transparent color.
• the above described overlay algorithm allows a physician or operator to select and display a defined graphical image along with an image object generated by the imaging system, without the graphical object blocking or obscuring the object image. More specifically, each graphical object and image object are simultaneously displayed so that each object is fully visible.
• the overlay algorithm may be used many different types or modalities of imaging systems, e.g., MR, CT, x-ray, and mammography.

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• 1999
  • 1999-05-10 US US09/307,875 patent/US6747665B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2000
  • 2000-05-08 JP JP2000616594A patent/JP2002544604A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-05-08 EP EP00930476A patent/EP1097433A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-05-08 IL IL14063600A patent/IL140636A0/xx active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-05-08 WO PCT/US2000/012548 patent/WO2000068889A1/en active Application Filing

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