179 results about "View plane" patented technology

A prosthesis for a heart valve (e.g., the mitral valve) is generally C-shaped in plan view. Points at the top and bottom of the C lie in a plan view plane. The back of the C rises above the plan view plane between the top and bottom points. Free end portions of the C may also rise above the plan view plane. The prosthesis is accordingly saddle-shaped. The back of the C may have an indentation that extends toward the open side of the C. In use as a mitral valve prosthesis the top and bottom of the C are respectively adjacent the commissures of the valve, and the back of the C is adjacent the posterior section of the valve. The prosthesis may be rigid or semi-rigid.

An imaging element is disposed on a front surface of a retroreflective sheeting to form an image-displaying sheeting. The imaging element includes a light-transmitting prismatic sheeting that has a surface provided with a plurality of parallel prisms. The imaging element also includes an adhesive layer that adheres the prismatic sheeting to the front surface of the retroreflective sheeting. At least a portion of the imaging element is shaped in the form of indicia. In some cases the prismatic sheeting itself is shaped in the form of indicia. In other cases the imaging element includes a light-transmitting colored layer disposed on the front surface of the retroreflective sheeting and shaped in the form of indicia. In the latter case, the prismatic sheeting can be shaped as before to match the indicia-shaped colored layer, or it can extend continuously across the entire retroreflective sheeting. A stationary light source can be added and suitably positioned to enhance visibility of the image in a viewing plane.

A computer system that provides stereoscopic images is described. During operation, the computer system generates the stereoscopic images at a location corresponding to a viewing plane based on data having a discrete spatial resolution, where the stereoscopic images include image parallax. Then, the computer system scales objects depicted in the stereoscopic images so that depth acuity associated with the image parallax is increased, where the scaling is based on the spatial resolution and a viewing geometry associated with a display. For example, the viewing geometry may include a distance from an individual that views the stereoscopic images on the display and the display. Alternatively, the viewing geometry may include a focal point of the individual. Next, the computer system provides the resulting stereoscopic images to the display. In this way, the computer system may optimize the depth acuity for data having discrete sampling.

In one embodiment, an ultrasound system is provided that includes a probe having a 2D array of transducers for acquiring ultrasound information along a plurality of scan lines through an object in real time. The scan lines are arranged to define volumetric data corresponding to a volume of interest (VOI) in a subject or patient. One such VOI may include the human heart or some portion of the human heart. The system includes a beamformer configured with scan parameter values that define the scan lines. An image buffer stores multiple data volumes acquired over time that are successively retrieved and processed by a display processor. The display processor accesses the data volumes stored in the image buffer successively to control generation of at least one of 2D and 3D renderings based on display parameters, wherein the display processor obtains from the image buffer a first data volume defined based on first scan parameter values, while the probe acquires ultrasound information for a second data volume that is entered into the image buffer. The second data volume is defined based on second scan parameter values. A navigation view presents in real time the renderings generated by the display processor with their corresponding 3D orientation. A navigator is provided that controls the display of the navigation view in real time such that, as the user adjusts a display parameter value to change a view plane, images presented in the navigation view are updated to reflect the view plane. A user interface is provided for adjusting the scan and display parameter values.

Certain embodiments provide a photo-realistic rendering apparatus and method. An illumination model is used that includes placing a synthetic or virtual light source adjacent a region of tissue of interest in order to visualize the thickness of the tissue by modeling how light from the virtual light source interacts with the tissue of interest, through effects including absorption and scattering, as light emitted from the light source travels through the tissue of interest to a view point of view plane. It is simulated how some light is absorbed making tissue regions that are thicker darker (since more of the light is absorbed and the intensity reduces) and more red (since tissue tends to absorb blue and green wavelengths more strongly than red wavelengths and this chromatic effect is incorporated in the illumination model). A 2D image can thus be provided in which the color and intensity of light propagating through the tissue provides visual feedback on the tissue thickness.

The invention relates to a user interface (300) for measuring an object viewed in an image computed from image data, the user interface comprising an image unit (310) for visualizing the image data in the image, a deployment unit (320) for deploying a caliper (21) in an image data space, a scaling unit (330) for scaling the caliper (21) by a scaling factor in a direction in the image data space, a translation unit (340) for translating the caliper (21) in the image data space, and a caliper unit (350) for visualizing the caliper (21) in the image, wherein the caliper (21) comprises a knot for measuring the object, and wherein the object is measured based on the scaling factor. The caliper (21) comprising the knot, which determines the shape of the caliper (21), is a simple reference object of known geometry and size. Looking at the image data and the caliper (21) visualized in the image, the user may easily place the caliper (21) in the image data space and adjust its size to match the size of the measured object. Unlike the prior art methods, which are based on selecting two points and measuring the distance between them, there is no need to change the view of the image data in order to place and / or adjust the size of the caliper (21). Therefore, the caliper (21) of the invention typically reduces the amount of manual interactions needed to measure the object. Advantageously, the caliper (21) of the invention also enhances the visual experience of the user. The size of the caliper (21) may be isotropically or anisotropically adjusted, i.e. in one or more directions, by rotating a mouse wheel, while the mouse translations may determine the location of the caliper (21) in the viewing plane.

Processing techniques of volumetric anatomic and vector field data from volumetric phase-contrast MRI on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system are provided to evaluate the physiology of the heart and vessels. This method includes the steps of: (1) correcting for phase-error in the source data, (2) visualizing the vector field superimposed on the anatomic data, (3) using this visualization to select and view planes in the volume, and (4) using these planes to delineate the boundaries of the heart and vessels so that measurements of the heart and vessels can be accurately obtained.

The invention relates to a calibrating method of a hybrid vision system. The calibrating method comprises the steps of: firstly respectively calibrating a monocular camera and a panoramic camera, obtaining intrinsic parameters of the monocular camera and the panoramic camera, arranging a chessboard diagram-based calibration plate, creating a chessboard coordinate system, then calculating a transformation matrix from a monocular camera coordinate system to the chessboard coordinate system, constructing a virtual view plane before a panoramic camera coordinate system, calculating a transformation matrix from the virtual view plane to the chessboard coordinate system, accordingly calculating a transformation matrix from the panoramic camera coordinate system to the chessboard coordinate system, and finally obtaining a transformation matrix from the monocular camera coordinate system to the panoramic camera coordinate system to obtain an external parameter of the hybrid vision system. The calibrating method is low in requirement of space arrangement relation of the calibrating condition and the hybrid vision system, flexible in use, and high in calibrating accuracy.

A method and system include displaying a volume-rendered image and displaying a 3D cursor in the volume-rendered image. The method and system include controlling a depth of the 3D cursor with respect to a view plane with a user interface and automatically adjusting a color of the 3D cursor based on the depth of the 3D cursor with respect to the view plane.

A slice plane, oriented parallel to a viewing plane, is passed through a cuboidal dataset at regular intervals. The intersection of the slice plane with the cuboidal volume dataset results in primitives (quads, triangles, etc. depending on the angle and position of the intersection) whose vertices have position coordinates (xu, yu, zu) and 3D-texture coordinates (r, s, t). The resulting primitives are rasterized using, for example, a traditional 3D graphics pipeline wherein the 3D-texture coordinates are interpolated across the scanlines producing 3D-texture coordinates for each fragment. The resulting 3D-texture coordinates for each fragment are stored in a 2D-texture storage area. These 2D-textures are called density-textures. By preprocessing the cuboidal dataset, the rendering process becomes a compositing process. A rendering process is comprised of looking-up, for each densel in the texture, the corresponding color and opacity values in the current lookup-table. A user-specified compositing function is used to blend the values with those in the framebuffer to arrive at the final result. The final result, i.e. the values in the framebuffer, is displayed.

A method, system, and apparatus of determining optimal viewing planes for cardiac image acquisition, wherein the method includes acquiring a set of sagittal, axial, and coronal images of a heart, where the axial and coronal images intersect with the sagittal image orthogonally, and where the heart has a natural axis and a left ventricle (“LV”) with a bloodpool, a bloodpool border, and an apex. The method also includes making a map of the bloodpool border, and using the map to create a full coordinate frame oriented along the natural axis.

Volume rendering of images of four dimensional (4D) heart image data, in particular cardiac CT data by slab multiplanar reformatting (MPR), is improved by providing an automated method and apparatus for determining and locking onto anatomically relevant viewing parameters. In particular the view plane, view axis and view orientation are changed from frame to frame in the movie so they remain fixed to an anatomical feature of interest, thereby providing a stable movie of the heart feature of interest. Provision of a dynamic view plane compensates not only for translational motion of the heart feature of interest, but also for its tilting and twisting. Tilting effects are highly significant when viewing heart valves, since the valve plane exhibits varying angles of tilt through the heart phases as a result of the generally tubular arteries and veins exhibiting a bending motion.

A method and apparatus is disclosed for identifying a position of an object in free space using a video image wherein the object is comprised of at least three equidistantly spaced, co-linear beads. The video image is captured on a view plane of a video camera system and represented on a frame memory thereof. Relative positions of the beads on the frame memory are determined and corresponding coordinate positions of the beads in the free space are calculated based upon the determined relative spacings and known camera system geometries. The object may also include an alignment indicator so that the pointing direction of the object can be determined.

A method to define a curved slab region of interest that includes vessels while maximally excluding surrounding soft tissue and bone is provided. The thickness of the curved slab is automatically adapted to the thickness of the vessel and follows the tortuous vessel(s) so that an increase in tortuousity does not result in a disproportionate increase in the region of interest required to enclose the vessel. A plurality of boundary pairs is determined in the view plane to define a vessel. Vessel-intensities are determined for each one of the boundary pairs. The boundary pairs with associated intensities define the view of the vessel in the projection plane. Context-intensity could be defined in the area surrounding the boundary pairs in the projection and / or transverse plane. The method also includes several steps that will result in a better boundary outline and view of the vessel.

A method in a computer system for generating a presentation of a region-of-interest in an original image for display on a display screen, the original image being a collection of polygons having polygons defined by three or more shared edges joined at vertex points, the method comprising: establishing a lens for the region-of-interest, the lens having a magnified focal region for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region across which the magnification decreases, the focal and shoulder regions having respective perimeters; subdividing polygons in the collection of polygons proximate to at least one of the perimeters, as projected with the polygons onto a base plane, by inserting one or more additional vertex points and additional edges into the polygons to be subdivided; and, applying the lens to the original image to produce the presentation by displacing the vertex points onto the lens and perspectively projecting the displacing onto a view plane in a direction aligned with a viewpoint for the region-of-interest.

A method for displaying a segmented two-dimensional (2D) image includes obtaining a three-dimensional (3D) volume dataset corresponding to an imaged volume along a viewing plane, segmenting an object of interest within 3D volume to generate a plurality of segmented two-dimensional (2D) images along the viewing plane, selecting a reference image for viewing from the plurality of segmented 2D images, and displaying the reference image, the reference image having a first segmentation boundary drawn around the object of interest and a second segmentation boundary drawn around the object of interest, the first segmentation boundary being derived from the segmentation performed on the reference image and the second segmentation boundary being derived from the segmentation performed on at least one non-reference image of the plurality of segmented 2D images.

Using a pair of cameras, the coordinates of a target on a plane to which a user is pointing may be obtained without three-dimensional modeling and using only data derived from the respective images and no three-dimensional scene data. Each camera views at least four registration points on the plane and an indicator of a direction along which the target lies. A linear transform of a first image maps the planar projection of the direction indication into the second image. The coordinates, in the second image, of the target are determined from the intersection of the projection of the direction in the second image and the transformed projection from the first image. In another embodiment, the directions are mapped to a third reference frame or image by respective linear transforms. An application of the system would allow a user to indicate a location on a projection or television screen using a static pointing gesture. No information about the locations of the cameras is required, so the system can be set up quickly.

An ultrasound medical imaging method includes: displaying an ultrasound image on a screen; determining a view plane, on which the displayed ultrasound image is captured, among view planes; and setting a region of interest corresponding to the determined view plane on the ultrasound image.

Methods and apparatus provide for a display device comprising a plurality of display panels arranged adjacent to one another along the respective peripheral edges thereof, and wherein respective first and second viewing planes form an obtuse angle T relative to each other. The display device further includes a cover sheet located in proximity to, and covering the first and second viewing planes, and includes a light compensation portion located proximate to the peripheral edges of the first and second flat panel displays, and has a curvature complementary to the obtuse angle between the respective first and second viewing planes. The light compensation portion bends light produced by respective peripheral areas of the first and second flat panel displays proximate to the respective peripheral edges thereof to reduce visual discontinuities introduced by the peripheral edges into an image displayed on the first and second flat panel displays.

The invention provides a reality enhancement method and a reality enhancement system. The method comprises: according to a shot image of a user in front of a projection screen, determining first coordinates of each point on the image of the user on the projection screen in a realistic coordinate space; converting the first coordinates into second coordinates in a view plane coordinate system where the user is disposed; converting the second coordinates into third coordinates in a projection coordinate system where the projection screen is disposed; and displaying a set image or video at a position corresponding to the third coordinates. In such a way, it is seen by audience that the user in front of the projection screen is superposed with a virtual image on the projection screen, and the reality enhancement effect is improved.

A ubiquitously mountable image display system includes a shape-reconfigurable display screen component to which is attached a plurality of circuit modules each having at least one light source. The shape-reconfigurable display screen component is formed of a material that accommodates flexing of the display screen component without creating a perceivable aberration in separation distance between two or more picture elements of an image that is rendered upon a viewing plane of the display screen component when light from the plurality of light sources is directed towards the viewing plane.

A holographic reconstruction of scenes includes a light modulator, an imaging system with at least two imaging means and an illumination device with sufficient coherent light for illumination of hologram coded in the light modulator. The at least two imaging means are arranged such that a first imaging means is provided for the magnified imaging of the light modulator on a second imaging means. The second imaging means is provided for imaging of a plane of a spatial frequency spectrum of the light modulator in a viewing plane at least one viewing window. The viewing window corresponds to a diffraction order of the spatial frequency spectrum.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for rendering volume data in an ultrasound diagnostic system. A method for rendering volume data including an object space and an empty space acquired from ultrasound data, comprises the following steps: a) casting a virtual ray from at least one pixel comprising a viewing plane into the volume data; b) sampling voxels of the volume data along the virtual ray in a first sampling interval; c) checking whether a currently sampled voxel corresponds to the object space or the empty space by using opacity based on a voxel value of a sampled voxel; d) at step c), if it is determined that the currently sampled voxel corresponds to the object space, then returning to the previously sampled voxel and sampling voxels in a second sampling interval shorter than the first sampling interval; e) checking whether accumulated opacity calculated based on the sampled voxels along the virtual ray is greater than a critical value; f) at step e), if it is determined that the accumulated opacity is greater than the critical value, then completing the sampling process for the current virtual ray and calculating a rendering value by using the voxel values and the opacity of the sampled voxels; and g) repeating the steps a) to f) until the sampling process for the pixels comprising the viewing plane is completed.

A computerized system and method for establishing a posture correction exercise program requires observing the patient relative to a predetermined framework. This is done to identify postural mal-alignments for the patient that can be respectively referenced to a predetermined view plane (frontal; sagittal; and transverse planes) and graded according to their severity. Additionally, the patient's weight bearing sensations are obtained for use with the mal-alignment data. This data is then input to a computer where each mal-alignment is matched with an exercise to create the corrective exercise program. The corrective exercise program can then be edited to customize the program for the patient.