Differentiable Clip Plane Rendering for Hidden Medical Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical imaging software requires manual and time-consuming estimation of clip plane positions and orientations, preventing real-time applications like surgical guidance and diagnosis due to the introduction of discontinuities by clip planes, which make the rendering process non-differentiable.
Innovation Solution
A method using a differentiable rendering algorithm with a smooth approximation to a Dirac delta distribution for clip planes, allowing automatic optimization of clip plane parameters to maintain continuous rendering and visibility of hidden structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If manual estimation of clip plane parameters is used, then the rendering process remains simple, but the time consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines optimal clip plane parameters by having the rendering algorithm self-optimize through gradient-based optimization, eliminating the need for manual user adjustment and significantly reducing time consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical adjustment process with an automated computational optimization system that uses differentiable rendering and gradient descent to automatically find optimal clip plane parameters
2Loss of information
If clip planes are introduced to reveal hidden structures, then visibility of internal structures is improved, but the rendering process becomes non-differentiable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter representation of clip planes from discrete binary inclusion to continuous differentiable parameters, allowing the rendering process to remain differentiable while still achieving the desired clipping effect through smooth approximation functions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a smooth approximation function as an intermediary between the discrete clip plane concept and the continuous differentiable rendering process, allowing gradients to flow through the clipping operation
3Productivity
If automated optimization of clip plane parameters is implemented, then real-time rendering is enabled, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains continuous differentiability throughout the rendering pipeline, allowing gradient-based optimization to efficiently converge to optimal solutions without the computational burden of discrete optimization methods
Data Source
AI summary
A hidden structure of a volumetric data set is rendered in a medical image based on a volumetric data set received from a medical scanner. Reference information indicative of a parameter for a clip plane is received for rendering the hidden structure within the medical image. A differentiable rendering, DR, algorithm is applied on the received volumetric data set, which comprises determining a light accumulation along a viewing ray. The clip plane is approximated by including a smooth approximation to a Dirac delta distribution, which depends on the parameter comprised in the received reference information, in the determining of the light accumulation along the viewing ray. The parameter for the clip plane is optimized by optimizing an objective function. The medical image with the hidden structure visible is output for final rendering, and/or for display.