Methods, systems, and computer programs for segmenting a tooth's pulp region from an image
US11416999B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 28, 2019 |
| Grant date | Aug 16, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 4, 2039 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06V2201/03
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Methods, systems, and computer programs are disclosed for segmenting, from an image, a tooth's pulp region comprising a pulp chamber and root canals. Curvature-based shape recognition is performed at different spatial scales using smoothed versions of the image. An indication of a point or region is received, located in the pulp chamber and referred to as “seed”. The seed is used as initial segmentation mask. An update procedure, iteratively carried out, comprises: (i) determining candidate image elements for updating the segmentation mask, comprising: (i−1) in the first n iteration(s), a grayscale thresholding taking as reference the current segmentation mask; and, (i−2) in at least one iteration, taking the curvature-based shape recognition into account; (ii) retaining, among the candidate image elements, a region of connected candidate image elements that comprises the seed; and (iii) using the retained region to update the segmentation mask.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.