Image display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9519990-B2
Application number	US-201214125167-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2012
Priority date	Jun 21, 2011
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to an image display apparatus for displaying an image like a three-dimensional medical image of an object. A template providing unit ( 3 ) provides a template defining display parameters for displaying the image based on anatomical features of the object, and an anatomical feature detecting unit ( 4 ) detects an anatomical feature in the image. A display parameter determining unit ( 5 ) determines a display parameter defining, for example, a desired view, based on the detected anatomical feature and the template, and a display unit ( 8 ) displays the image by displaying, for example, the desired view, in accordance with the determined display parameter. This allows the image display apparatus to show the image on the display in a desired usual way as defined by the template, even if in the originally provided image the object is shown in an unusual way.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image display apparatus for displaying an image of an object, the image display apparatus comprising:
an image providing unit for providing an image of the object,
a template providing unit for providing a template defining display parameters for displaying an image based on anatomical features of the object and further based on significance values assigned to the anatomical features, the significance values defining a degree of consideration of the respective anatomical feature while determining the display parameters, the significance values being calculated based on a variation between a current position of the anatomical features of the object in the image and a defined position of the anatomical features of the object in the template,
an anatomical feature detecting unit for detecting several anatomical features in the image,
a display parameter determining unit for determining a display parameter based on the detected anatomical features, the template and the significance values assigned to the anatomical features to minimize a term between deviations corresponding to a view between the current position of the anatomical features of the object in the image and a defined position of the anatomical features of the object in the template, and
a display unit for updating and displaying the updated image view in accordance with the determined display parameter.

2. The image display apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the template providing unit is adapted to provide a template defining at least one of the following display parameters: at least one view to be displayed; level; window; contrast; the location of an anatomical structure with respect to the displayed image; the orientation of an anatomical structure with respect to the displayed image.

3. The image display apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the template providing unit is adapted to provide a template defining display parameters for displaying the image based on anatomical features and further based on a task related to the displaying of the image, wherein the image display apparatus further comprises a task providing unit for providing a task and wherein the display parameter determining unit is adapted to determine a display parameter based on the template, the detected anatomical feature and the provided task.

4. The image display apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the image is provided as an image file containing header information, wherein the template providing unit is adapted to provide a template defining display parameters for displaying the image based on anatomical features and further based on the header information, and wherein the display parameter determining unit is adapted to determine a display parameter based on the template, the detected anatomical feature and the header information.

5. The image display apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein
the image providing unit is adapted to provide a three-dimensional image data set as the image of the object,
the template providing unit is adapted to provide a template, which defines display parameters, which define a view of the three-dimensional image data set and positions of anatomical features within the defined view, based on the anatomical features of the object and based on the significance values assigned to the anatomical features,
the anatomical feature detecting unit is adapted to detect the anatomical features in the three-dimensional image data set,
the display parameter determining unit is adapted to determine display parameters, which define a view of the three-dimensional image data set and positions of the detected anatomical features within the view, based on the detected anatomical features, the significance values assigned to the detected anatomical features and the template, wherein the display parameter determining unit is adapted to consider the detected anatomical features in accordance with the respective assigned significance value defining the respective degree of consideration.

6. The image display apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the anatomical feature detecting unit is adapted to apply a segmentation procedure to the image for detecting an anatomical feature in the image.

7. The image display apparatus as defined in claim 6 , wherein the anatomical feature detecting unit is adapted to register an anatomical atlas with the image for segmenting the image.

8. The image display apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the anatomical feature detecting unit is adapted to detect anatomical features in several images, wherein the image display apparatus further comprises:
an input unit for allowing a user to input desired display parameters defining the displaying of the images,
a desired display parameters storing unit for storing the desired display parameters for the several images such that for several images corresponding several display parameters can be provided, and
wherein the template providing unit is adapted to generate a template depending on the several stored desired display parameters and the anatomical features detected in the corresponding several images.

9. A template generation apparatus for generating a template defining display parameters for displaying an image, the template generation apparatus comprising:
one or more processors programmed to:
receive several images of the object,
detect anatomical features in the received images,
receive desired display parameters for displaying each of the received images,
a memory configured to store the desired display parameters and the detected anatomical features for the several received images,
wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
generate a template, which defines display parameters for displaying the image based on the anatomical features and significance values assigned to each anatomical features based on the several stored desired display parameters and the anatomical features detected in the corresponding several images, the significance values defining a degree of a weight accorded each of the respective anatomical feature for determining the display parameters using the generated template,
determine the significance values based on variations among positions of each anatomical feature over the several images,
minimize deviations between current positions of the anatomical features and defined positions, as defined by the template, and
control a display device to update a displayed image based on the determined display parameter.

10. The template generation apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are further programed to:
receive a current image;
detect several anatomical features in the received image;
determine display parameters based on the detected anatomical features, the template, and the significance values assigned to the detected anatomical features; and
update the template using the current image;
wherein the template generation apparatus further includes a display apparatus configured to display the received image using the determined display parameter.

11. The template generation apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are further programed to:
receive a three-dimensional image data set as the image of the object;
detect the anatomical features in the three-dimensional image data set
determine display parameters based on the detected anatomical features, the significance values assigned to the detected anatomical features, and the template, the detected anatomical features being determined based on the respective assigned significance value defining the respective degree of consideration.

Assignees

• Bystrov Daniel
• Vic Torbjoern
• Schulz Heinrich
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Bystrov Daniel
• Vic Torbjoern
• Schulz Heinrich

Classifications

• G06F19/3406

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T7/0012

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title

• G06T7/0079

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T15/00 Primary

  Three-dimensional [3D] image rendering · CPC title

• G06F19/321

  Physics · mapped topic