Method of constructing three-dimensional image according to central ...

United States Patent m

Goto

[54] METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING THREEDIMENSIONAL IMAGE ACCORDING TO CENTRAL PROJECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SAME

[75] Inventor: Yoshibiro Goto, Tokyo, Japan

[73] Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation. Tokyo, Japan

[21] Appl. No.: 374,088

[22] Filed: Jan. 18,1995

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data

Jan. 18, 1994 [JP] Japan 6-003492

Apr. 27, 1994 [JP] Japan 6-089770

Jun. 24, 1994 [JP] Japan 6-143496

[51] Int CI.6 G06T 17/00

[52] U.S. CI. 395/119; 395/121

[58] Field of Search 395/119, 120,

395/122, 124, 125, 126, 127

[56] References Cited

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

4,947,347 8/1990 Sato 395/119

5,293,467 3/1994 Buchneretal 395/119 X

5,325,472 6/1994 Horiuchi et al 395/119 X

5,412,764 5/1995 Tanaka 395/119 X

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US005694530A [ii] Patent Number: 5,694,530 [45] Date of Patent: Dec. 2, 1997

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

IEEE Computer Graphics & Applications, May 1988, pp. 29-37.

Primary Examiner—Joseph H. Feild
Assistant Examiner—Cliff N. Vo

Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Antonelli, Terry, Stout & Kraus,
LLP

[57] ABSTRACT

A method of constructing a three-dimensional image according to a central projection method, in which after a view point, tomographic images and a projection plane are set so that the tomographic images are put between the view point and the projection plane, a projection image is obtained by a central projection method, so that the pixel value of a projection point is determined in accordance with the distance between the view point and each of the tomographic images. Further, the view point is moved in combination with the projection plane successively in the direction of the depth of the tomographic images, so that a threedimensional image is constructed and displayed whenever the position of the view point is changed. Further, after a tomographic image is projected onto a curved surface which touches the projection plane at the center of the projection plane at which a perpendicular drawn from the view point to the projection plane intersects the projection plane, the image projected onto the curved surface is re-projected onto the projection plane with a length along the curved surface to obtain a projection image.

63 Claims, 28 Drawing Sheets