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US6754374B1
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Method and apparatus for processing images with regions representing target objects
Assignee: Medtronic Navigation Inc
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Filing: 1999-12-16
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Granted: 2004-06-22
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Expires: 2019-12-16
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus and method for processing images with regions representing target objects involves registering a first and a second image, where the second image contains a target object. The method comprises the steps of identifying a region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object, transforming the second image to reduce the size of the region containing the target object, and registering the first image and the second image. Another embodiment comprises the steps of identifying a region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing a target object. After identifying this region, the first and second images are registered using a first transform component that filters one or more data elements in the second image that are contained in the identified region, and a second transform component that includes one or more data elements in the second image that are contained in the identified region.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael I. Miller
- 👤 Ulf Grenander
- 👤 Sarang C. Joshi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 22:05
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T7/00; G06T7/0002; G06T7/0012; G06T7/10; G06T7/11; G06T7/187; G06T7/30; G06T7/32; G06V; G06V10/00; G06V10/20; G06V10/24; G06V10/70; G06V10/74; G06V10/75; G06V10/754; G06T2207/00; G06T2207/10; G06T2207/10072; G06T2207/10088; G06T2207/20; G06T2207/20112; G06T2207/20156; G06T2207/30; G06T2207/30004; G06T2207/30016; G06T2207/30096
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 49
Claim 1
Independent Claim
147 words
A method for identifying a target object in an image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
147 words
A method for identifying a target object in an image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of defining a target model further comprises the substep of: defining a texture target model and/or intensity target model.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of defining a background model further comprises the substep of: defining a texture background model and/or intensity background model.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
71 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of growing the seed region further comprises the substep of: maximizing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while minimizing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of growing the seed region further comprises the substep of: growing the seed region elastically.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
191 words
A method for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a target object not contained in the first image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; growing the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model; transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and registering the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
191 words
A method for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a target object not contained in the first image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; growing the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model; transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and registering the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the step of transforming produces a transformed second image that excludes image data elements representing the target object.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
141 words
A method for identifying a tumor in an image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
141 words
A method for identifying a tumor in an image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
185 words
A method for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a tumor not contained in the first image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; growing the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model; transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and registering the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
185 words
A method for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a tumor not contained in the first image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; growing the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model; transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and registering the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 9 wherein the step of transforming produces a transformed second image that excludes image data elements representing the tumor.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
130 words
A method for generating a radiation treatment plan using a first image and a second image, said second image containing a target object not contained in the first image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region in said second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements representing the target object contained in said seed region while reducing the number of the image data elements representing structure other than the target object contained in said seed region; transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region containing the target object; and registering the first image and the transformed second image to produce a composite image for radiation treatment.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
130 words
A method for generating a radiation treatment plan using a first image and a second image, said second image containing a target object not contained in the first image, comprising the steps of: identifying a seed region in said second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements representing the target object contained in said seed region while reducing the number of the image data elements representing structure other than the target object contained in said seed region; transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region containing the target object; and registering the first image and the transformed second image to produce a composite image for radiation treatment.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 11 wherein the step of transforming produces a transformed second image that excludes image data elements representing the target object.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
146 words
An apparatus for identifying a tumor in an image comprising: means for identifying a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; means for defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and means for growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
146 words
An apparatus for identifying a tumor in an image comprising: means for identifying a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; means for defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and means for growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
194 words
An apparatus for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a tumor not contained in the first image, comprising: means for identifying seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; means for defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the second image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for growing in the second image the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model; means for transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and means for registering the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
194 words
An apparatus for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a tumor not contained in the first image, comprising: means for identifying seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; means for defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the second image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for growing in the second image the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model; means for transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and means for registering the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the means for transforming produces a transformed second image that excludes image data elements representing the tumor.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
135 words
An apparatus for generating a radiation treatment plan using a first image and a second image, said second image containing a target object not contained in the first image, comprising: means for identifying a seed region in said second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; means for growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object; means for transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region containing the target object; and means for registering the first image and the transformed second image to produce a composite image for radiation treatment.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
135 words
An apparatus for generating a radiation treatment plan using a first image and a second image, said second image containing a target object not contained in the first image, comprising: means for identifying a seed region in said second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; means for growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object; means for transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region containing the target object; and means for registering the first image and the transformed second image to produce a composite image for radiation treatment.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
172 words
An article of manufacture for identifying a tumor in an image comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; a module configured to cause the computer to define a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to define a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
172 words
An article of manufacture for identifying a tumor in an image comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; a module configured to cause the computer to define a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to define a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
233 words
An article of manufacture for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a tumor not contained in the first image, comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; a module configured to cause the computer to define a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to define a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the second image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model; a module configured to cause the computer to transform the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and a module configured to cause the computer to register the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
233 words
An article of manufacture for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a tumor not contained in the first image, comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the tumor; a module configured to cause the computer to define a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the tumor, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to define a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the second image other than the tumor, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the tumor as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the tumor as a function of the background model; a module configured to cause the computer to transform the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and a module configured to cause the computer to register the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
34 words
The article of manufacture of claim 18 wherein the module configured to cause the computer to transform produces a transformed second image, wherein the transformed second image excludes image data elements representing the tumor.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
161 words
An article of manufacture for generating a radiation treatment plan using a first image and a second image, said second image containing a target object not contained in the first image, comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region in said second image containing one or more image data elements representing a target object; a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object; a module configured to cause the computer to transform the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region containing the target object; and a module configured to cause the computer to register the first image and the transformed second image to produce a composite image for radiation treatment.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
161 words
An article of manufacture for generating a radiation treatment plan using a first image and a second image, said second image containing a target object not contained in the first image, comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region in said second image containing one or more image data elements representing a target object; a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object; a module configured to cause the computer to transform the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region containing the target object; and a module configured to cause the computer to register the first image and the transformed second image to produce a composite image for radiation treatment.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
152 words
An apparatus for identifying a target object in an image comprising: means for identifying a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; means for defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and means for growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
152 words
An apparatus for identifying a target object in an image comprising: means for identifying a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; means for defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and means for growing the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the means for defining a target model further comprises: means for defining a texture target model and/or intensity target model.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the means for defining a background model further comprises: means for defining a texture background model and/or intensity background model.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
70 words
The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the means for growing the seed region further comprises: means for maximizing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while minimizing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the means for growing the seed region further comprises: means for growing the seed region elastically.
Claim 38
Independent Claim
202 words
An apparatus for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a target object not contained in the first image, comprising: means for identifying a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; means for defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the second image other than the target object, wherein the background subset define defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for growing the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model; means for transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and means for registering the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 39
Independent Claim
202 words
An apparatus for registering a first and a second image, wherein the second image contains a target object not contained in the first image, comprising: means for identifying a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; means for defining a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for defining a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the second image other than the target object, wherein the background subset define defines a distribution of gray scale values; means for growing the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model; means for transforming the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and means for registering the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus method of claim 26 wherein the means for transforming produces a transformed second image that excludes image data elements representing the target object.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
178 words
An article of manufacture for identifying a target object in an image comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; a module configured to cause the computer to define a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to define a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
178 words
An article of manufacture for identifying a target object in an image comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; a module configured to cause the computer to define a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to define a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; and a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
40 words
The article of manufacture of claim 28 , wherein the module configured to cause the computer to define a target model further comprises: a module configured to cause the computer to define a texture target model and/or intensity target model.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
40 words
The article of manufacture of claim 28 , wherein the module configured to cause the computer to define a background model further comprises: a module configured to cause the computer to define a texture background model and/or intensity background model.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
82 words
The article of manufacture of claim 28 , wherein module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region further comprises: a module configured to cause the computer to maximize the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while minimizing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
36 words
The article of manufacture of claim 28 , wherein the module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region further comprises: a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region elastically.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
241 words
An article of manufacture for registering a first and a transformed second image, wherein the transformed second image contains a target object not contained in the first image, comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; a module configured to cause the computer to define a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to define a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the second image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model; a module configured to cause the computer to transform the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and a module configured to cause the computer to register the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
241 words
An article of manufacture for registering a first and a transformed second image, wherein the transformed second image contains a target object not contained in the first image, comprising: a module configured to cause a computer to identify a seed region in the second image containing one or more image data elements representing the target object; a module configured to cause the computer to define a target model of a target subset of image data elements representing the target object, wherein the target subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to define a background model of a background subset of image data elements representing structure in the second image other than the target object, wherein the background subset defines a distribution of gray scale values; a module configured to cause the computer to grow the seed region in the second image by increasing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing the target object as a function of the target model while reducing the number of the image data elements contained in the seed region representing structure other than the target object as a function of the background model; a module configured to cause the computer to transform the second image to reduce the size of the grown seed region; and a module configured to cause the computer to register the first image and the transformed second image.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
31 words
The article of manufacture of claim 33 wherein the module configured to cause the computer to transform produces a transformed second image which excludes image data elements representing the target object.
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