Finding blob-like structures using diverging gradient field response
AssigneeSiemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
InventorsGerardo Hermosillo Valadez, Senthil Periaswamy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for determining a blob-like structure in a target image includes receiving an input target image is received, determining a mean curvature of the input target image, smoothing the mean curvature is smoothed using a scale that determines a size of the blobs to be found, finding a blob-like structure in the input target image as a portion of the input target image where a smoothed curvature is higher than a threshold value, and outputting a result including an indication of the blob-like structure.
Claims13
A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying instructions executable by a processor to perform a method for identifying a blob-like structure in a target image, the method comprising:
- receiving an input target image;
- determining a mean curvature of the input target image;
- smoothing the mean curvature using a scale that determines a size of blob-like structures to be found;
- finding a blob-like structure in the input target image as a portion of the input target image where a smoothed curvature is higher than a threshold value wherein finding a blob-like structure comprises computing a diverging gradient field response, wherein the diverging gradient field response is a scale-space of curvature of the input target image, wherein the scale-space of curvature is determined as
- dgfr
- σ
- =
- div
- (
- ∇
- →
-
- f
-
- ∇
- →
-
- f
-
- )
- *
- g
- σ
- where f is a scalar,
- -
- div
- (
- ∇
- →
-
- f
-
- ∇
- →
-
- f
-
- )
- is the mean curvature, and
- gσ is a Gaussian;
- and
- outputting a result including an indication of the blob-like structure.
A system for identifying a blob-like structure in a target image comprising:
- a memory device storing an input target image and a plurality of instructions embodying a computer aided blob-like structure detection system;
- and
- a processor for receiving the input target image and executing the plurality of instructions to perform a method comprising:
- determining a mean curvature of the input target image;
- smoothing the mean curvature using a scale that determines a size of the blob-like structures to be found;
- finding a blob-like structure in the input target image as a portion of the input target image where a smoothed curvature is higher than a threshold value, wherein finding a blob-like structure comprises computing a diverging gradient field response, wherein the diverging gradient field response is a scale-space of curvature of the input target image, wherein the scale-space of curvature is determined as
- dgfr
- σ
- =
- div
- (
- ∇
- →
-
- f
-
- ∇
- →
-
- f
-
- )
- *
- g
- σ
- where f is a scalar,
- -
- div
- (
- ∇
- →
-
- f
-
- ∇
- →
-
- f
-
- )
- is the mean curvature, and
- gσis a Gaussian;
- and
- outputting a result including an indication of the blob-like structure.
A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying instructions executable by a processor to perform a method for identifying a blob-like structure in a target image, the method comprising:
- receiving the target image as input;
- determining a diverging gradient field response function, wherein the diverging gradient field response includes a vector correlation of the field and a normalized gradient field of the target image wherein determining the diverging gradient field response function includes determining diverging gradient field components as separable Gaussian filters;
- and
- identifying a blob-like structure in the target image according to the vector correlation and a threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.