Lighting Control for Occlusion-based Volume Illumination of Medical Data
AssigneeSiemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
InventorMervin Mencias Smith-Casem
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Occlusion-based lighting control is provided in volume rendering of medical data. In addition to altering the brightness of a sample based on the degree of occlusion, the opacity for the sample is also or alternatively altered. For direct volume rendering, the depth of samples along a given ray contributing to the rendered pixel may be limited due to saturation. By varying the opacity, the depth at which samples contribute may be increased for less occluded samples.
Claims20
A method for lighting control in occlusion-based volume illumination of medical data, the method comprising:
- acquiring ultrasound data representing a volume of a patient;
- determining a degree of light occlusion for each of a plurality of locations represented by the ultrasound data;
- setting a color of the ultrasound data for each of the locations as a function of the respective degree of light occlusion;
- setting an opacity of the ultrasound data for each of the locations as a function of the respective degree of light occlusion;
- and
- rendering an image of the volume with the ultrasound data, the rendering being as a function of the color and the opacity.
A system for lighting control in occlusion-based volume illumination of medical data, the system comprising:
- a transducer;
- an ultrasound imaging system configured to scan an internal volume of a patient with the transducer;
- a processor configured to apply a volume illumination model that characterizes a degree to which light is occluded at a position in the internal volume, and to adjust an opacity for a sample of ultrasound data representing the position, the adjustment of the opacity being a function of the degree to which the light is occluded;
- and
- a display operable to generate an image of a three-dimensional rendering, the image being a function of the opacity adjusted as the function of the degree to which the light is occluded.
In a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for lighting control in occlusion-based volume illumination of medical data, the storage medium comprising instructions for:
- varying opacities for different locations based on respective amounts of occlusion for the different locations, the varying corresponding to relatively less opacity for relatively lower of the amounts of occlusion and relatively greater opacity for relatively higher of the amounts of occlusion;
- and
- rendering an image as a function of the opacities as varied based on the amounts of occlusion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.