Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Donald B. Paschburg
  • Patent number: 8170304
    Abstract: Methods and systems for modeling cerebral aneurysm and their incoming and outgoing vessels from 3D image data are disclosed. Aneurysms and vessels are segmented from their background using a graph-cuts method. Begin and end of vessels are determined. Construction of a centerline of the incoming and outgoing vessels using a measure of vesselness in calculating a minimum cost path in a graph with nodes being representation of pixels is also disclosed. Vessel surface models are constructed from sub-voxel cross-sectional segmentation. The interpolation of vessels inside an aneurysm based on smooth continuity is disclosed. Selection of endo-vascular stents based on interpolation results is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Huseyin Tek, Mehmet Akif Gulsun
  • Patent number: 8150543
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method includes providing a first controller; providing a second controller; using the second controller to control a plurality of valves to provide a sequence of air jets that propel a weft thread across at least a portion of a weft insertion region of an air jet loom; and using the first controller to control at least one aspect of the air jet loom not controlled by the second controller. In some embodiments, a method for a controller in an air jet loom includes (a) defining a reference loom configuration; (b) determining a characterization of the reference loom configuration; (c) determining a modified loom configuration by at least one change to the reference loom configuration; (d) determining a characterization of the modified loom configuration; and (e) revising the reference loom configuration if the characterization of the modified loom configuration satisfies a criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: John Wingate Jameson, Sarah Elizabeth Peach
  • Patent number: 8149893
    Abstract: A method and system, the method including determining a frequency quality measurement value for each of a plurality of frequencies a network coordinator can use in a frequency hopping sequence for communicating with a client, classifying each of the plurality of communication frequencies into one of a plurality of different categories based on a relative ranking of the determined frequency quality measurement value of each of the plurality of frequencies, generating, by the network coordinator, a frequency hopping sequence to be used for communication between the network coordinator and the client, the generated hopping sequence including only select frequencies from the plurality of frequencies in a predetermined number of future time slots that minimize a probability of a predetermined number of consecutive frequency hop failures in the predetermined number of future time slots, and notifying the client of the generated frequency hopping sequence to be used for communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hoi-Sheung Wilson So, Raghuveer Chereddy, Raymond Rui-Feng Liao
  • Patent number: 8125955
    Abstract: A data communication system includes an access point and a plurality of stations each for exchanging wireless data communication messages with the access point. At least some of the messages are in a format that includes at least one message header and a plurality of data units. Each of the data units includes a respective data unit header and a respective data frame. Each data unit header identifies a respective one of the stations as a recipient to receive the respective data frame of the data unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Raymond Liao, Raghuveer Chereddy, Joerg Mueller, Stefan Keller, Kai Benjamins, Christoph Weiler
  • Patent number: 8126279
    Abstract: A method for compressing 2D images includes determining a depth map for each of a plurality of sequential 2D images of a 3D volumetric image, determining coordinate transformations the 2D images based on the depth maps and a geometric relationship between the 3D volumetric image and each of the 2D image, performing a lifting-based view compensated wavelet transform on the 2D images using the coordinate transformations to generate a plurality of wavelet coefficients and compressing the wavelet coefficients and depth maps to generate a compressed representation of the 2D images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignees: The University of Arizona, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Michael W. Marcellin, Ali Bilgin, Hariharan G. Lalgudi, Mariappan S. Nadar
  • Patent number: 8126239
    Abstract: A fluoroscopy image is registered with data representing a volume, identifying a catheter position relative to a volume represented by preoperative volume data. The catheter position relative to a patient volume represented by data acquired without scanning the catheter is displayed. For example, a 2D fluoroscopy image is registered with respect to coordinates of a 3D preoperative CT or MRI volume by registering the fluoroscopy image and the preoperative volume to 3D ultrasound coordinates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Yiyong Sun, Rui Liao, Chenyang Xu, Frank Sauer
  • Patent number: 8125480
    Abstract: A GPU accelerated volume rendering method from flat textures (also known as texture atlas) is disclosed. The method is not restricted to a specific rendering technique. The method is fast as it requires no reordering or copying passes. An image processing system is also provided. Addressing of two dimensional flat textures is accomplished based on the viewing direction. A first addressing scheme is used for the x direction, a second addressing scheme is used for the y direction and a third addressing scheme is used for the z direction, where x, y, and z refer to the axes of Cartesian coordinate system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Schiwietz, Shmuel Aharon
  • Patent number: 8126273
    Abstract: A method for reconstructing three-dimensional, plural views of images from two dimensional image data. The method includes: obtaining two-dimensional, stereo digital data from images of an object; processing the digital data to generate an initial three-dimensional candidate of the object, such process using projective geometric constraints imposed on edge points of the object; refining the initial candidate comprising examining spatial coherency of neighboring edge points along a surface of the candidate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Corporation
    Inventors: Gang Li, Yakup Genc
  • Patent number: 8121379
    Abstract: A method of aligning image having the steps of obtaining a first image, the first image having a corresponding first data set, obtaining a second image, the second having a corresponding second data set; learning a joint intensity distribution from a pair of prealigned images, and aligning the first image and the second image by computing Earth Mover's Distance between their observed joint intensity distribution and the learned joint intensity distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Christophe Chefd'hotel, Guillaume Bousquet
  • Patent number: 8098911
    Abstract: A method and system for registering a first image of, for example, a liver and a second image of the liver being contrast-enhanced comprises: deriving a statistical similarity measure between images; deriving a smooth divergence-free vector field derived from a gradient of the statistical similarity measure; and integrating the vector field for providing a fluid-based algorithm including a volume-preserving constraint for a transformation for registering the images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Christophe Chefd'hotel, Kinda Anna Saddi
  • Patent number: 8094909
    Abstract: Apparatus for remotely controlling parameters of an image scanning apparatus includes a software interface for translating commands from an external application for providing scanner control commands to a scanner control machine for control of the parameters; and the software interface includes syntax software for translating the commands from the external application into a given syntax for providing the scanner control commands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Corinna Maier, Klaus J. Kirchberg, Peter Speier, Christine H. Lorenz
  • Patent number: 8073220
    Abstract: Methods and systems dedicated to automatic object segmentation from image data are provided. In a first step a fuzzy seed set is generated that is learned from training data. The fuzzy seed set is registered to image data containing an object that needs to be segmented from a background. In a second step a random walker segmentation is applied to the image data by using the fuzzy seed set as an automatic seeding for segmentation. Liver segmentation, lung segmentation and kidney segmentation examples are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ali Khamene, Leo Grady, Eike Rietzel, Thomas Boettger
  • Patent number: 8064674
    Abstract: Dixon methods in magnetic resonance imaging generate MRI images that may contain at least two tissue components such as fat and water. Dixon methods generate images containing both tissue components and predominantly one tissue component. A first segmentation of a first tissue component is generated in a T1 weighted image. The segmentation is correlated with at least a first and a second Dixon image. The image with the highest correlation is assigned the first tissue component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Matthias Fenchel, Christophe Chefd'hotel
  • Patent number: 8064673
    Abstract: Progress monitoring of lesions is done automatically by segmentation and registration of lesions in multi-phase medical images. A parametric level-set framework includes a model optimization for any number of lesions. The user specifies lesions in a baseline volume by clicking inside of them. The apparatus segments the lesions automatically in the baseline and follow-up volumes. The segmentation optimization compensates for lesion motion between baseline and follow-up volumes. 2D and 3D medical patient data can be processed by the methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Klaus J. Kirchberg, Christoph Guetter
  • Patent number: 8055037
    Abstract: Methods and systems for reconstruction of an image from parallel Magnetic Resonance Image (pMRI) data are disclosed. A reconstructed pMRI image may suffer from noise and aliasing. A method for reducing aliasing by applying a bounded error function is disclosed. A method for reducing noise in a reconstruction by applying an error term is also disclosed. Error terms are included in an expression that can be solved as a minimization problem. Creating a solution in an iterative way is also disclosed. Examples of specific solutions are provided. A system applying the methods is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ali Kemal Sinop, Leo Grady
  • Patent number: 8023734
    Abstract: A general purpose method to segment any kind of lesions in 3D images is provided. Based on a click or a stroke inside the lesion from the user, a distribution of intensity level properties is learned. The random walker segmentation method combines multiple 2D segmentation results to produce the final 3D segmentation of the lesion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Marie-Pierre Jolly, Leo Grady
  • Patent number: 8007437
    Abstract: A method of performing 4-dimensional virtual endoscopy includes acquiring a sequence of cardiac images of a patient's heart from an imaging device; acquiring an electrocardiographic signal exhibiting cardiac cycles of the heart; and utilizing the electrocardiographic signal to gate the images for deriving respective 3-dimensional views in succession at corresponding cardiac cycles, from respective cardiac images at a selected phase point common to each of the corresponding cardiac cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Herve Jun Alfred Lombaert, Frank Sauer, Yiyong Sun, Chenyang Xu
  • Patent number: 8009911
    Abstract: Methods for segmentation of an object from a background in an image are disclosed. Segmentation is achieved by an adapted Random Walker segmentation method using directed edges in a graph. The segmentation applies the minimization of an approximation of an energy function. A minimizer of the approximated energy function can be found by using iterative steps. Weights are assigned to an edge between two nodes. The weights are dependent on the direction of an edge. A system for segmentation of an object from a background is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Dheeraj Singaraju, Leo Grady
  • Patent number: 8004539
    Abstract: Systems, methods and computer program code for improved graphical parameter definition may comprise, (i) receiving, by a graphical editing tool, a command associated with a graphical editing operation directed to performing a transformation to a graphical object, wherein the transformation is associated with changing a value of a first parameter of the graphical object, (ii) displaying, by the graphical editing tool, a transformation object associated with the transformation, wherein the transformation object comprises a second parameter comprising a value associated with the transformation, and wherein the value of the first parameter of the graphical object is related to the value of the second parameter, (iii) receiving, by the graphical editing tool, an indication associated with defining the transformation object as a new parameter of the graphical object, and (iv) defining, by the graphical editing tool, the transformation object as the new parameter of the graphical object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Richard McDaniel, Daniel Benson
  • Patent number: 7995809
    Abstract: By testing for nodule segmentation errors based on the scan data, juxtapleural cases are identified. Once identified, the scan data or subsequent estimation may be altered to account for adjacent rib, tissue, vessel or other structure effecting segmentation. One alteration is to shape a filter as a function of the scan data. For example, an originally estimated ellipsoid for the nodule segmentation defines the filter. The filter is used to identify the undesired information, and masking removes the undesired information for subsequent estimation of the nodule segmentation. Another possible alteration biases the subsequent estimation away from the incorrect information, such as the rib, tissue or vessel information influencing the original estimation. For example, a negative prior or probability is assigned to data corresponding to the originally estimated segmentation for the subsequent estimation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazunori Okada, Visvanathan Ramesh, Arun Krishnan, Maneesh K. Singh, Umut Akdemir