Tunc A Iyriboz

US Patent:

6369812, Apr 9, 2002

Filed:

Nov 26, 1997

Appl. No.:

08/980169

Inventors:

Tunc A. Iyriboz - Hershey PA
Timothy R. Carroll - Cleveland Heights OH

Assignee:

Philips Medical Systems, (Cleveland), Inc. - Highland Heights OH

International Classification:

G06T 1500

US Classification:

345419, 345427, 382128

Abstract:

An interactive virtual endoscopy system includes a CT scanner or other non-invasive examination apparatus which examines an interior region of a subject in an examination region 16 and generates data indicative thereof. The data is stored in a volume image data memory. Using a sequence generating computer , a human operator generates a sequence of sphere-mappable panoramic views of selected portions of the CT data along a viewpath in the patient. The sequence generating computer includes a view renderer for rendering a plurality of views which in total cover the entire visual space about a viewpoint on the viewpath within the subject. A view compositer combines the plurality of views into a full image covering the entire visual space about the viewpoint. The sequence is transferred to a server which processes the data and makes it available for remote access. Over a local area network (LAN) , the data is selectively transferred, based on the commands of a remote human viewer , to a remote viewing computer.