Patent US4885688A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4885688A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Minimization of directed points generated in three-dimensional dividing cubes method
Assignee: General Electric Co
•
Filing: 1987-11-25
•
Granted: 1989-12-05
•
Expires: 2007-11-25
Abstract
Abstract A system for displaying three-dimensional surface structures according to computer graphics methods extracts a surface definition from a tomographic array of data using interpolation of the data for smooth, high resolution images. Interpolation can be performed to a degree where artifact-free images are produced for all viewing orientations. Data-processing capacity and time requirements can be reduced with less interpolation while image quality is maintained for all viewing orientations by inspecting the viewing orientation and appropriately scaling the image.
Inventors
- 👤 Carl R. Crawford
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 21:51
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T17/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
143 words
Graphical display apparatus comprising: data means for providing data representing a plurality of cross-sectional slices of an object; surface generator means coupled to said data means for receiving said slice data, for generating subcubes having dimensions proportioned to corresponding slice data by means of interpolation factors respectively corresponding to the dimensions, and for extracting a surface definition from said slice data as a plurality of directed points; calculating means coupled to said surface generator means for calculating the 3-D pixel size of an object to be displayed and for calculating said interpolation factors, wherein said interpolation factors are used to generate subcube faces corresponding to a respective multiplier of said 3-D pixel size, said multiplier being in the range of about 1/√2 and higher; and display processing means coupled to said surface generator means for rendering a 3-D image from said directed points.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
143 words
Graphical display apparatus comprising: data means for providing data representing a plurality of cross-sectional slices of an object; surface generator means coupled to said data means for receiving said slice data, for generating subcubes having dimensions proportioned to corresponding slice data by means of interpolation factors respectively corresponding to the dimensions, and for extracting a surface definition from said slice data as a plurality of directed points; calculating means coupled to said surface generator means for calculating the 3-D pixel size of an object to be displayed and for calculating said interpolation factors, wherein said interpolation factors are used to generate subcube faces corresponding to a respective multiplier of said 3-D pixel size, said multiplier being in the range of about 1/√2 and higher; and display processing means coupled to said surface generator means for rendering a 3-D image from said directed points.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said calculating means includes boundary input means for specifying the boundaries of an area of interest in separate cross-sectional slices.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said multiple is greater than 1/√2, and wherein said display processing means comprises: scaling means receiving a scaling command, a rotation command, said subcube size, and said 3-D pixel size for generating a scaling factor to eliminate artifacts in said 3-D image resulting from insufficient interpolation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said display processing means further comprises magnification means coupled to said scaling means for magnifying the rendered 3-D image according to the inverse of said scaling factor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said multiplier is substantially equal to one.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for generating a three-dimensional image of an object from a plurality of slices of tomographic data, said method comprising the steps of: defining boundaries of said object within said data; matching said boundaries to a predetermined pixel array to define a 3-D pixel size; interpolating said data according to interpolation factors that give subdivided data spacings which are related to said 3-D pixel size by a multiplier in the range of about 1/√2 and higher; and extracting a surface definition of said object from said interpolated data.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for generating a three-dimensional image of an object from a plurality of slices of tomographic data, said method comprising the steps of: defining boundaries of said object within said data; matching said boundaries to a predetermined pixel array to define a 3-D pixel size; interpolating said data according to interpolation factors that give subdivided data spacings which are related to said 3-D pixel size by a multiplier in the range of about 1/√2 and higher; and extracting a surface definition of said object from said interpolated data.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of: defining a viewing perspective for said 3-D image; scaling said surface definition by a reduction factor determined according to said viewing perspective and said subdivided data spacings; and rendering said scaled surface definition into a rasterized image.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of: magnifying said rasterized image by the inverse of said reduction factor; and displaying said magnified image on a display monitor.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 7 wherein said multiplier is substantially equal to one and wherein said reduction factor is in the range of about 1/√2 to about 1.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
71 words
The method of claim 7 wherein said reduction factor is determined by a method comprising the steps of: defining lattice vectors within tomographic data planes of said slices; transforming said lattice vectors according to said viewing perspective; calculating a scale factor corresponding to each of said data planes from said transformed lattice vectors; and finding the minimum of said scale factors, said reduction factor being proportional to said minimum scale factor.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-12-04 | 1993-06-05 | 1993-12-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-12-04 | 1997-06-05 | 1997-12-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-12-04 | 2001-06-05 | 2001-12-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |