Virtual Endoscope Image Generation with Distance-Based Opacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtual endoscopic image generation techniques struggle to effectively display anatomical structures based on their distance from the viewpoint, leading to poor visibility and difficulty in understanding the positional relationship between the endoscope and structures of interest during endoscopic surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A virtual endoscopic image generation device and method that adjusts opacity and color templates based on the distance between the viewpoint and structures, ensuring appropriate visibility by changing opacity to 0 when excessively far or close, and to 1 when at an optimal observation distance, using threshold values to define these changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a color template is applied to change the color of virtual endoscopic image depending on distance, then the visibility of structures at different distances is improved, but the manner of showing structures becomes poor in variation and difficult to see
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different display attributes (opacity, color) to different structures based on their specific distance from the viewpoint. Instead of uniformly treating all structures, it selectively adjusts properties for each structure according to its spatial relationship with the endoscope, thereby improving visibility while maintaining appropriate visual differentiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes display parameters (opacity and color) based on the distance parameter. By adjusting these visual parameters according to distance thresholds, the system enhances the visibility of anatomical structures at different depths without requiring complex additional processing.
2Loss of information
If opacity is applied to all structures to display semi-transparent images, then structures behind other structures become visible, but it becomes difficult to see the structure of interest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies opacity selectively based on the distance of each structure from the viewpoint. Structures at optimal observation distances maintain higher opacity for clear visibility, while structures at other distances use semi-transparent rendering. This localized application ensures that the structure of interest remains prominently visible while still allowing visibility of underlying structures when appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying semi-transparent rendering to all structures uniformly, the patent applies it partially only to structures that are not at optimal observation distances. This partial application prevents the structure of interest from becoming difficult to see while still revealing hidden structures where appropriate.
3Area of stationary object
If the same viewpoint and observation direction are used for virtual and real endoscopic images, then the virtual image compensates for narrow field of view, but the positional relationship between endoscope and part of interest becomes difficult to understand
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color changes based on distance to provide visual cues about the positional relationship between the endoscope and anatomical structures. By coloring structures according to their distance from the viewpoint, the system conveys spatial information that helps surgeons understand the relative positions without requiring different viewpoints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes display parameters (color and opacity) based on distance parameters to encode spatial relationships. This allows the virtual endoscopic image to maintain the same viewpoint as the real image for field of view compensation, while simultaneously providing additional spatial information through distance-based visual encoding.
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem to be solved] To allow appropriately making a structure visible depending on a distance between a view point position of a virtual endoscope and the structure. [Solution] A structure extracting unit (24) extracts a structure from a three-dimensional medical image (M), and a view point determining unit (26) determines a view point position and a direction of line of sight of a virtual endoscopic image. An image generating unit (27) calculates a distance betwen a view point position (PI) and the extracted structure, determines a display attribute of the extracted structure based on the distance and a plurality of different display attributes that correspond to different distances from the view point position and are defined for each of the structures, and generates, from the three-dimensional medical image M, a virtual endoscopic image (G1) containing the structure having the determined display attribute. A display control unit (28) displays the thus generated virtual endoscopic image (GO) on a WS display (10).