Method for automatically segmenting a target bone from a digital image
AssigneeCompuMed, Inc.
InventorsBrent J. Liu, Hyeonjoon Shim, David Edelstein, Eric Duff, Xiaoli Bi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automatic segmentation module with an open architecture that automatically generates a contour of a target bone based on a digital image. In one embodiment, the digital image can include an extremity, such as a hand with three digits and a calibration wedge. The automatic segmentation module receives the digital image as an input, and automatically segments the target bone by utilizing an object-oriented approach. This approach extracts intermediate target objects and uses these intermediate target objects to refine or limit the search space in order to extract the final target object.
Claims19
A method for automatically determining the contour of a target bone in a digital image of a body extremity comprising:
- a) receiving a digital image of a body extremity that has at least one digit;
- wherein each digit has at least two bones;
- b) determining a right bone edge that includes a right edge of the target bone and at least a portion of an edge of another bone in the same digit;
- c) determining a left bone edge that includes a left edge of the target bone and at least a portion of an edge of another bone in the same digit;
- d) determining a top joint edge point pair that includes a right top joint edge point disposed on the right bone edge and a left top joint edge point disposed on the left bone edge;
- e) determining a bottom joint edge point pair that includes a right bottom joint edge point disposed on the right bone edge and a left bottom joint edge point disposed on the left bone edge;
- and
- f) using the top joint edge point pair and the bottom joint edge point pair to determine the contour of the target bone.
A method for automatically determining the contour of a target bone in a digital image of a body extremity comprising:
- a) receiving a digital image of a body extremity that has at least one digit;
- wherein each digit has at least two bones;
- b) determining a right bone edge that includes a right edge of the target bone and at least a portion of an edge of another bone in the same digit;
- c) determining a left bone edge that includes a left edge of the target bone and at least a portion of an edge of another bone in the same digit;
- d) employing shape analysis to determine a top joint edge point pair that includes a right top joint edge point disposed on the right bone edge and a left top joint edge point disposed on the left bone edge;
- e) employing shape analysis to determine a bottom joint edge point pair that includes a right bottom joint edge point disposed on the right bone edge and a left bottom joint edge point disposed on the left bone edge;
- and
- f) using the top joint edge point pair and the bottom joint edge point pair to determine the contour of the target bone.
An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for automatically determining the contours of a target bone in a digital image of a body extremity, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture including:
- a) computer readable program code for causing a computer to receive a digital image of a body extremity that has at least one digit;
- wherein each digit has at least two bones;
- b) computer readable program code for causing a computer to determine a right bone edge that includes a right edge of the target bone and at least a portion of an edge of another bone in the same digit;
- c) computer readable program code for causing a computer to determine a left bone edge that includes a left edge of the target bone and at least a portion of an edge of another bone in the same digit;
- d) computer readable program code for causing a computer to determine a top joint edge point pair that includes a right top joint edge point disposed on the right bone edge and a left top joint edge point disposed on the left bone edge;
- e) computer readable program code for causing a computer to determine a bottom joint edge point pair that includes a right bottom joint edge point disposed on the right bone edge and a left bottom joint edge point disposed on the left bone edge;
- and
- f) computer readable program code for causing a computer to use the top joint edge point pair and the bottom joint edge point pair to determine the contour of the target bone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.