Abstract: A corresponding point candidate determiner (108) determines whether plural correlation peaks appear, based on a correlation value calculated by a corresponding point determiner (107). In the case where the corresponding point candidate determiner (108) determines that plural correlation peaks appear, the corresponding point determiner (107) calculates a ratio between the correlation values as represented by the correlation peaks, determines one or more corresponding points, based on the calculated ratio, and notifies the determination result to an initial position setter (106). In the case where the corresponding point determiner (107) searches plural corresponding points, the initial position setter (106) sets an initial search position with respect to each of the corresponding points in a reference image of a layer immediately higher than a target layer.

Abstract: To quantify the aggregation ability of various types of blood cells respectively within a short period of time. An apparatus for achieving the above-described object, which includes: a TV camera for taking an image of blood flow; an image processing section for identifying the types of blood cells contained in a blood cell retention part, in which blood cells are retained, from a blood flow image taken by the TV camera; and an aggregation ability calculation device for calculating at least one of the area, cell count and position of blood cells of each type as the aggregation ability of blood.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide the technology capable of appropriately balancing the preciseness of contour extraction and calculation cost. In order to achieve this object, an energy function setting section sets an energy function that is expressed by a weighted linear sum of a plurality of kinds of energy terms defined correspondingly to a state of an active curve and is formulated so as to have a smaller value as approaching a shape of the contour to be extracted, and an iterative computation processing section minimizes the energy function by an iterative computation. An end instruction section sets an auxiliary function formulated so as to monotonously increase in accordance with the number of iteration times of iterative computation and sets a judging function expressed by a linear sum of the auxiliary function and the energy function.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide the technology capable of appropriately balancing the preciseness of contour extraction and calculation cost. In order to achieve this object, an energy function setting section sets an energy function that is expressed by a weighted linear sum of a plurality of kinds of energy terms defined correspondingly to a state of an active curve and is formulated so as to have a smaller value as approaching a shape of the contour to be extracted, and an iterative computation processing section minimizes the energy function by an iterative computation. An end instruction section sets an auxiliary function formulated so as to monotonously increase in accordance with the number of iteration times of iterative computation and sets a judging function expressed by a linear sum of the auxiliary function and the energy function.

Abstract: A region extraction system includes a temporary region extractor for temporarily extracting a to-be-extracted region from measured data with a region growing technique, an initial position determiner for determining an initial position of a standard model for the to-be-extracted region using the to-be-extracted region temporarily extracted, and a to-be-extracted region extractor for extracting the to-be-extracted region from the measured data with a model fitting technique using the standard model.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technique capable of objectively discriminating the constituent of a subject also in an image in which density difference is not easily discriminated on a gray image obtained by image capturing for medical use using X-rays. An image capturing system for medical use includes: a detecting unit for detecting an X-ray dose by absorbing X-rays passed through a subject in image capturing for medical use and outputting absorbed X-ray dose information; an obtaining unit for obtaining image information of the subject from the absorbed X-ray dose information; an image processing unit for calculating average detection energy in each first predetermined region in the image information; and an output unit for outputting the average detection energy.

Abstract: To quantify the aggregation ability of various types of blood cells respectively within a short period of time. An apparatus for achieving the above-described object, which includes: a TV camera for taking an image of blood flow; an image processing section for identifying the types of blood cells contained in a blood cell retention part, in which blood cells are retained, from a blood flow image taken by the TV camera; and an aggregation ability calculation device for calculating at least one of the area, cell count and position of blood cells of each type as the aggregation ability of blood.

Abstract: A three-dimensional measurement system comprises: a three-dimensional measuring device for obtaining measurement data related to the three-dimensional shape of a target object for measurement; a specification part for specifying a primitive of the target object based on annotation information contained in CAD data; and a controller for controlling the three-dimensional measuring device based on the primitive specified by the specification part.

Abstract: Deformability of blood cells is quantified in a short time. A blood fluidity measurement apparatus is provided with a TV camera which photographs a stream of blood in either two areas of the internal area, entrance area, and exit area of a gate, an image processing part which calculates the velocity of the blood cells contained in the blood from the image taken by the TV camera, and a deformability calculation means which calculates the deformability of the blood cells a blood fluidity from the velocity.

Abstract: The present invention provides a modeling technique with improved modeling accuracy. A modeling system obtains a plurality of pieces of measurement data by measuring an object a plurality of times, and obtains a standard model as a standard three-dimensional model of the object. The modeling system deforms the standard model so as to optimize a predetermined evaluation function including an evaluation element on the plurality of pieces of measurement data, thereby generating a three-dimensional model of the object.

Abstract: The present invention proposes a technique capable of accurately grasping position and angle of a radiation generator at the time of image capturing. At the time of obtaining a plurality of transmission images by detecting radiation emitted from a emitting generator and passing through a specimen via a predetermined member (for example, a diaphragm) by a detector for a plurality of times while changing a relative position relation and a relative angle relation of the emitting generator to the detector, an outer-edge shape of a radiation area irradiated with the radiation on a detection surface of the detector from the emitting generator is recognized. On the basis of the outer-edge shape of the radiation area and an inner-edge shape of a predetermined member, the relative position relation and the relative angle relation of the emitting generator to the detector are obtained.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technique capable of objectively discriminating the constituent of a subject also in an image in which density difference is not easily discriminated on a gray image obtained by image capturing for medical use using X-rays. An image capturing system for medical use includes: a detecting unit for detecting an X-ray dose by absorbing X-rays passed through a subject in image capturing for medical use and outputting absorbed X-ray dose information; an obtaining unit for obtaining image information of the subject from the absorbed X-ray dose information; an image processing unit for calculating average detection energy in each first predetermined region in the image information; and an output unit for outputting the average detection energy.

Abstract: A virtual plane of projection on which a virtual three-dimensional object constructed by a set of specific structures oriented in predetermined directions is projected is set. First, while generating a basic image by projecting one specific structure oriented in a predetermined direction onto the virtual plane of projection, a reference image position corresponding to a reference position of the one specific structure in the basic image is recognized. At the time of projecting a virtual three-dimensional object onto the virtual plane of projection, each of reference projection positions in which the reference positions of specific structures constructing the virtual three-dimensional object are projected is detected. Further, by combining adjusted basic images generated by adjusting the positions of the basic images relative to the virtual plane of projection in accordance with the reference projection positions, a display image is generated.

Abstract: The present invention proposes a technique capable of accurately grasping position and angle of a radiation generator at the time of image capturing. At the time of obtaining a plurality of transmission images by detecting radiation emitted from a emitting generator and passing through a specimen via a predetermined member (for example, a diaphragm) by a detector for a plurality of times while changing a relative position relation and a relative angle relation of the emitting generator to the detector, an outer-edge shape of a radiation area irradiated with the radiation on a detection surface of the detector from the emitting generator is recognized. On the basis of the outer-edge shape of the radiation area and an inner-edge shape of a predetermined member, the relative position relation and the relative angle relation of the emitting generator to the detector are obtained.

Abstract: When volume data of a three-dimensional object to be processed is read and stored into a predetermined storage, first, a plurality of reference planes are set and a plurality of reference distance maps each indicative of distribution of distances between the three-dimensional object and each of the reference planes are generated. Next, when an actual projection plane onto which the three-dimensional object is projected in the volume rendering is set, two or more distance maps out of the plurality of reference distance maps are converted into two or more converted distance maps in accordance with a positional relation between two or more reference planes corresponding to the two or more distance maps and the actual projection plane, and integrating the resultants, thereby generating a distance map for visualization indicative of distribution of distances between the three-dimensional object and the actual projection plane.

Abstract: An electronic catalogue system which, for easy sensory recognition of the size of a commercial product which is displayed in an electronic catalogue, displays on one screen the image of the commercial product together with the image of an article for comparison which is for comparing and notifying the size comprises: a communication control part which reads three-dimensional data DTA regarding the commercial product and three-dimensional data DTB regarding the article for comparison; an observation image generating part which generates the image of the commercial product and the image of the article for comparison based on thus read three-dimensional data DTA regarding the commercial product and three-dimensional data DTB regarding the article for comparison; and a displaying part which displays the generated images.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to automatically determine the orientation of a newly generated surface, etc. when performing such processing as filling a dropout portion of three dimensional shape data, and to generate more natural three dimensional shape data. The present invention provides a method for generating a grid-patterned surface in three dimensional shape data, and comprises a first step (#11) for detecting the orientation of a polygon in the three dimensional shape data that is located at a periphery of a surface to be fitted, a second step (#12) for determining the orientation of the surface so that a grid orientation of the surface matches the orientation of the detected polygon, and a third step (#13) for fitting the surface onto the three dimensional shape data while maintaining the thus determined orientation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a modeling technique with improved modeling accuracy. A modeling system obtains a plurality of pieces of measurement data by measuring an object a plurality of times, and obtains a standard model as a standard three-dimensional model of the object. The modeling system deforms the standard model so as to optimize a predetermined evaluation function including an evaluation element on the plurality of pieces of measurement data, thereby generating a three-dimensional model of the object.

Abstract: A region extraction system includes a temporary region extractor for temporarily extracting a to-be-extracted region from measured data with a region growing technique, an initial position determiner for determining an initial position of a standard model for the to-be-extracted region using the to-be-extracted region temporarily extracted, and a to-be-extracted region extractor for extracting the to-be-extracted region from the measured data with a model fitting technique using the standard model.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for merging two meshes whose density differs from each other so as to avoid unnatural appearance. A first mesh and a second mesh that differ from each other in density are merged by the following procedure. Edge length of a portion that becomes a boundary between the first and second meshes is determined, size of a first group of polygons including the edge of the portion is determined based on the determined length and size of a second group of polygons is adjusted so that an adjustment ratio is smaller as a distance between a position of each of the second group of polygons and the portion is greater, the first and second group of polygons being part of polygons structuring the first and second meshes, and the first and second meshes in each of which the polygons are adjusted are merged.