EP0758118A2
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EP
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A volume rendering apparatus and method
Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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Filing: 1996-07-02
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-07-02
Abstract
Abstract Volume rendering apparatus including a voxel memory, a parameter provider, an address generator, a mapping unit, an image memory and a blender. The voxel memory stores original volume data. A parameter provider calculates a parameter of a volume plane which slices the volume object orthogonally to a direction of view, calculates a parameter of a three-dimensional mapping plane which slices the mapping object according to a point of view coordinate system and converts the three-dimensional mapping plane to a two-dimensional mapping plane. An address generator generates voxel memory addresses and image memory addresses and a mapping unit maps the volume plane on each of the mapping planes. An image memory stores mapping data and rendering data and a blender performs blending of data in the image memory and data on each of the mapping planes and writes the blended data back in the image memory.
Inventors
- 👤 Hiroyasu c/o Mitsubishi Denki K.K. Negishi
- 👤 Masatoshi C/O Mitsubishi Denki K.K. Kameyama
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 17:15
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T15/00; G06T15/04; G06T15/005; G06T15/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
170 words
A volume rendering apparatus comprising: a voxel memory (11) for storing three-dimensional volume data; a processor (10) for providing three-dimensional volume data representing an object to the voxel memory as a volume object, and for providing a point of view coordinate space, a direction of view, and a mapping object on which the volume object is to be mapped in the point of view coordinate space; a two-dimensional rendering unit (900), coupled to the processor (10), for generating at least one two-dimensional volume plane representing at least one slice of the volume object that is orthogonal to the direction of view, for generating at least one two-dimensional mapping plane representing at least one slice of the mapping object that is orthogonal to the direction of view, for mapping the three-dimensional volume data within the at least one two-dimensional volume plane on the at least one two-dimensional mapping plane, and for blending the mapped three-dimensional volume data to generate blended data; and an image memory (14) for storing the blended data.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
216 words
The volume rendering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional rendering unit (900) comprises: a parameter provider (12) for calculating plane equations of the at least one two-dimensional volume plane and the at least one tow-dimensional mapping plane; an address generator (13), coupled to the parameter provider (12), for obtaining a first parameter from the plane equation of the at least one two-dimensional volume plane, for generating a plurality of voxel memory addresses which correspond to a plurality of coordinate points on the at least one two-dimensional volume plane based on the first parameter, for obtaining a second parameter from the plane equation of the at least one two-dimensional mapping plane, and for generating a plurality of image memory addresses which correspond to a plurality of coordinate points on the at least one two-dimensional mapping plane based on the second parameter; a mapping unit (15b), coupled to the address generator (13), for obtaining the three-dimensional volume data based on the plurality of voxel memory addresses from the voxel memory and mapping the obtained three-dimensional volume data on the at least one two-dimensional mapping plane which is indicated by the plurality of image memory addresses; and a blender (15a), coupled to the mapping unit (15b), for blending the mapped three-dimensional volume data on the two-dimensional mapping plane.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
52 words
The volume rendering apparatus of claim 2, wherein the blender (15a) blends the mapped three-dimensional volume data and three-dimensional volume data which is indicated by the plurality of image memory addresses according to a predefined blending ratio, and stores the blended data on the two-dimensional mapping plane in the image memory (14).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The volume rendering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor (10) predefines an interval between slices of the volume object and between slices of the mapping object.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
The volume rendering apparatus of claim 2, wherein the address generator (13) includes an address generator used in a two-dimensional texture mapping apparatus and the mapping unit (15b) includes a mapping unit used in the two-dimensional texture mapping apparatus.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
93 words
The volume rendering apparatus of claim 2, wherein the parameter provider (12) divides the at least one two-dimensional volume plane into a plurality of triangles, and divides the at least one two-dimensional mapping plane into a corresponding plurality of triangles; and wherein the address generator (13) generates the plurality of voxel memory addresses for the plurality of triangles which constitute the at least one two-dimensional volume plane, and generates the plurality of image memory addresses in image memory for the corresponding plurality of triangles which constitute the at least one two-dimensional mapping plane.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
120 words
A volume rendering method comprising steps of: receiving a volume object for three-dimensional volume data and a mapping object corresponding to the volume object (steps 1 and 2); receiving a direction of view for the volume-object (step 3); generating a plurality of volume planes orthogonal to the direction of view (step 3) and a plurality of mapping planes corresponding to the volume object (step 4); performing two-dimensional texture mapping for each of the plurality of mapping planes by using each of the plurality of volume planes as a texture plane (steps 5 and 6); and blending three-dimensional volume data that is mapped on each of the plurality of mapping planes and storing blended data in an image memory (step 7).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
The volume rendering method of claim 7, wherein the step of generating the plurality of volume and mapping planes (steps 3 and 4) comprises a step of determining slices of the volume object and the mapping object according to a predefined sampling interval.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
64 words
The volume rendering method of claim 8, wherein the step of performing two-dimensional texture mapping (steps 5 and 6) comprises steps of: generating addresses on a first of the plurality of volume planes and on a first of the plurality of mapping planes (step 5); and performing mapping based on the addresses on the first volume plane and the first mapping plane (step 6).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
The volume rendering method of claim 7, wherein the step of blending (step 7) comprises a step of adding three-dimensional volume data and the three-dimensional volume data mapped on a first of the plurality of mapping planes according to a predefined blending ratio.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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