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US 8,411,919 B2Granted
Fluid dynamics approach to image segmentation
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsAtilla Peter Kiraly, Leo Grady, Christopher V. Alvino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for segmenting image data within a data processing system includes acquiring an image. One or more seed points are established within the image. An advection vector field is computed based on image influences and user input. A dye concentration is determined at each of a plurality of portions of the image that results from a diffusion of dye within the computed advection field. The image is segmented into one or more regions based on the determined dye concentration for the corresponding dye.
Claims19
A method for segmenting image data within a data processing system, comprising:
- acquiring static image of a physical structure;
- establishing one or more seed points within the image;
- modeling the physical structure of the static image as a fluid model;
- calculating a flow field for the fluid model by using image features of the physical structure of the image as influences of flow within the fluid model;
- using the established one or more seed points as sources and sinks of at least one diffusive dye that diffuses and advects through the calculated flow field;
- determining a dye concentration at each of a plurality of portions of the fluid model that results from the diffusion and advection of the dye within the calculated flow field;
- and
- segmenting the physical structure of the image into one or more regions based on the determined dye concentration for the corresponding dye within the fluid model,
- wherein segmenting the physical structure of the image based on the dye concentrations within the fluid model includes:
- examining the fluid model as a set of pixels/voxels;
- determining the concentration for each dye at each pixel/voxel;
- segmenting the fluid model into continuous regions of pixels/voxels in accordance with a dominant concentration of a particular dye;
- and
- carrying over the segmentation of the fluid model back into the physical structure of the image.
11 more elements
A method for segmenting image data within a data processing system, comprising:
- acquiring static image of a physical structure;
- establishing one or more seed points within the image;
- modeling the physical structure of the static image as a fluid model;
- calculating a flow field for the fluid model by using image features of the physical structure of the image as influences of flow within the fluid model;
- using the established one or more seed points as sources and sinks of at least one diffusive dye that diffuses and advects through the calculated flow field;
- determining a dye concentration at each of a plurality of portions of the fluid model that results from the diffusion and advection of the dye within the calculated flow field;
- segmenting the physical structure of the image into one or more regions based on the determined dye concentration for the corresponding dye within the fluid model,
- the method additionally comprising establishing one or more advection jets within the fluid model and factoring in the effects of the established one or more advection jets in calculating the flow field for the fluid model,
- wherein the flow field is calculated using Navier-Stokes equations adapted to scale diffusion and advection based on image features, viscosity and diffusion rates,
- wherein the adapted Navier-Stokes equations take the following form:
- ∂
- u
- ∂
- t
- =
- -
- ⅇ
- ^
-
- (
- -
- m
- v
-
-
- 1
-
- (
- (
- u
- ·
- ∇
- )
-
- I
- )
- 2
- )
-
- (
- u
- ·
- ∇
- )
-
- u
- +
- v
-
- ∇
- ·
- [
- ∇
- u
- ·
- diag
-
- (
- ⅇ
- ^
-
- (
- -
- m
- v
-
-
- 2
-
- (
- ∇
- I
- ·
- ∇
- I
- )
- )
- )
- ]
- +
- f
-
-
- ∂
- ρ
- ∂
- t
- =
- -
- ⅇ
- ^
-
- (
- -
- m
- d
-
-
- 1
-
- (
- (
- u
- ·
- ∇
- )
-
- I
- )
- 2
- )
-
- (
- u
- ·
- ∇
- )
-
- ρ
- +
- k
-
- ∇
- ·
- [
- ∇
- ρ
- ·
- ⅇ
- ^
-
- (
- -
- m
- d
-
-
- 2
-
- (
- ∇
- I
- ·
- ∇
- I
- )
- )
- )
- ]
- +
- S
- wherein I represents the image, the vector u represents the flow field, ρ is a dye distribution through a region, v controls the viscosity of the fluid, k is the diffusion rate of the dye, the vector f represents external forces influencing the flow, the vector s represents external influences to the dye, the terms mv1 and md1 control the influence of the image on advection of the fluid and dye, and the terms mv2 and md2 control the viscosity and diffusion of the vector field and the diffusion of the dye.
149 more elements
A method for segmenting image data within a data processing system, comprising:
- acquiring static image of a physical structure;
- modeling the physical structure of the static image as a fluid model;
- calculating a flow field for the fluid model by using image features of the physical structure of the image;
- modeling a diffusive dye that diffuses and advects through the calculated flow field;
- segmenting the physical structure of the image into one or more regions based on a determined dye concentration for the diffusive dye within the fluid model,
- wherein segmenting the physical structure of the image within the fluid model includes:
- examining the fluid model as a set of pixels/voxels;
- determining the concentration for the diffusive dye at each pixel/voxel;
- segmenting the fluid model into continuous regions of pixels/voxels in accordance with a concentration of the diffusive dye;
- and
- carrying over the segmentation of the fluid model back into the physical structure of the image.
8 more elements
A computer system comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a program storage device readable by the computer system, embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for segmenting image data within a data processing system, the method comprising:
- acquiring a static image of a physical structure;
- establishing one or more seed points within the image;
- modeling the physical structure of the image as a fluid model;
- computing an advection vector field within the fluid model based on image influences and user input within the image of the physical structure;
- determining a dye concentration at each of a plurality of portions of the fluid model that results from a diffusion and advection of dye within the computed advection field;
- and
- segmenting the physical structure of the image into one or more regions based on the determined dye concentration for the corresponding dye within the fluid model,
- wherein segmenting the physical structure of the image based on the dye concentrations within the fluid model includes:
- examining the fluid model as a set of pixels/voxels;
- determining the concentration for each dye at each pixel/voxel;
- segmenting the fluid model into continuous regions of pixels/voxels in accordance with a dominant concentration of a particular dye;
- and
- carrying over the segmentation of the fluid model back into the physical structure of the image.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.