Patent · US Expired

Arbitrary viewpoint three-dimensional imaging method using compressed voxel data constructed by a directed search of voxel data representing an image of an object and an arbitrary viewpoint

US5644689A · kind A · utility

45Cited by
24References
1Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 6, 1993
Grant dateJul 1, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 6, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T15/10
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Original image coordinate data representing boundary positions of an object detected through the search of the object along predetermined multiple directions is produced in advance. A range image seen from a display plane is produced through the affine transformation process for the detected boundary positions and comparison and substitution processes for distances by means of a Z-buffer. A shading process is performed based on the range image, and the resulting object image is displayed on a CRT screen or the like. This method enables the transformation of voxel-wise original image data into original image coordinate data merely through the sequential access to the original image data, eliminating the need of intricate image processes such as tracking on the object surface, and is capable of displaying a three-dimensional image of the object quickly and also enhancing the picture quality of the displayed image.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.