Virtual Bronchoscopy Camera View Smoothing for Airway Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pathway planning visualization techniques in medical imaging, particularly during virtual bronchoscopy, face challenges in accurately navigating and retracing steps within lung airways, especially when moving backward, leading to potential misalignment and navigation outside the airways.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for dynamically displaying virtual bronchoscopy views by determining the direction of movement and using smoothing vectors to maintain a consistent camera view, ensuring smooth navigation and preventing the camera from leaving the airway during backward motion, by storing and interpolating location and direction data and applying algorithms like splines for optimal viewing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a virtual camera view is navigated backward through an airway, then the clinician can retrace previously taken steps, but the view may become misaligned and the camera may navigate outside the airway
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the camera position and airway boundary relationship, using feedback from the airway centerline calculation to automatically adjust the camera view direction when backward navigation occurs, ensuring the camera remains aligned with the airway path
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-calculates and stores the airway centerline and direction information before navigation begins, allowing the camera to automatically reference this pre-computed path data during backward navigation to maintain proper alignment without real-time complex calculations
2Productivity
If the virtual camera view is navigated through airways using traditional visualization techniques, then navigation can be performed, but the clinician may find it difficult to retrace steps and return to previous locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual copy of the airway path as a centerline representation that can be traversed in both directions, allowing the camera to follow the same pre-defined path geometry whether moving forward or backward, ensuring consistent and reliable navigation
3Reliability
If smoothing vectors are applied during backward movement, then the camera view remains smooth and aligned, but additional computational processing is required
Solution Approach 1:
The smoothing vectors and airway centerline data are pre-calculated and stored before navigation begins, reducing real-time computational requirements during actual camera movement while maintaining smooth and reliable camera alignment
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the representation parameters by using pre-computed centerline geometry and direction vectors, transforming the complex real-time alignment problem into a simpler parameter interpolation task that requires less computational power during navigation
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for displaying virtual bronchoscopy views while navigating through an airway of a virtual bronchoscopy are disclosed. The method comprises determining a first location and a first direction at the first location, storing the first location and the first direction in memory, displaying a first virtual camera view corresponding to the first location, determining a second location corresponding to movement through the airway of the virtual bronchoscopy, storing the second location in the memory, displaying a second virtual camera view corresponding to the second location, determining a second direction based on the first location and the second location, storing the second direction in the memory, determining a third location corresponding to further movement through the virtual bronchoscopy, and determining whether the further movement is in a forward direction or a backward direction.