Patents by Inventor Gundolf Kiefer
Gundolf Kiefer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 8363066Abstract: A method allowing display of time-varying merged high resolution and low resolution image data with a smooth frame rate. In one embodiment the high resolution data is structural image data and the low resolution image data is functional image data. The functional image data is gathered (20) into groups and each group is rendered and merged (24) together. The merged images produced are then stored (28) in a First In First Out (FIFO) buffer for display. While the merged images are displayed the next set of functional image data is merged and rendered and supplied to the FIFO buffer, allowing a smooth frame rate to be achieved. A computer program and a medical imaging apparatus using the method are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2006Date of Patent: January 29, 2013Inventors: Martin Weibrecht, Olivier Ecabert, Juergen Weese, Gundolf Kiefer
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Patent number: 8040352Abstract: Sampling frequency of a ray casting for generating a projection image is varied in dependence of information derived from a 3D volume data during rendering. Furthermore, an interpolation is performed for skipped pixels for which no ray casting was performed in the projection image, based on this information.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2004Date of Patent: October 18, 2011Assignee: Konninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.Inventors: Marc Busch, Gundolf Kiefer, Jürgen Weese
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Patent number: 7889900Abstract: A method, computer program and device for creating a viewing protocol for medical images is described. At least a first site of interest is identified in a medical imaging data set captured from the patient. Patient record data or computer assisted detection information can be used to identify the site of interest, which may be a potential lesion. A viewing protocol for displaying medical images to a user is planned. The viewing protocol includes a viewing path along which an image of the site of interest will be displayed. The viewing protocol also includes a trigger associated with the site of interest. When the trigger event is encountered the dynamic mode of image display is reconfigured to dynamically highlight the site of interest. The viewing protocol can then be used to control the display of images so as to provide, for example, a virtual endoscope.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2006Date of Patent: February 15, 2011Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Juergen Weese, Eric Thelen, Gundolf Kiefer, Helko Lehmann, Ali Majidi, Jochen Peters
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Publication number: 20100293505Abstract: The invention relates to a system (100) for obtaining information relating to segmented volumetric medical image data, the system comprising: a display unit (110) for displaying a view of the segmented volumetric medical image data on a display; an indication unit (115) for indicating a location on the displayed view; a trigger unit (120) for triggering an event; an identification unit (125) for identifying a segmented anatomical structure comprised in the segmented volumetric medical image data based on the indicated location on the displayed view in response to the triggered event; and an execution unit (130) for executing an action associated with the identified segmented anatomical structure, thereby obtaining information relating to the segmented volumetric medical image data.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2007Publication date: November 18, 2010Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V.Inventors: Gundolf Kiefer, Helko Lehmann, Dieter Geller, Hauke Schramm, Jochen Peters, Olivier Ecabert, Juergen Weese
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Patent number: 7817829Abstract: Medical imaging modalities generate increasingly more and very large three-dimensional data sets. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional data set of an object of interest is interactively visualized with a varying sampling rate in an image. Advantageously, a focus area may be moved by a user interactively during rendering, wherein the sampling rate of a particular part of the image is defined by its relative position to the focus area. Advantageously, this may allow for an improvement of an overall rendering performance.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2005Date of Patent: October 19, 2010Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Gundolf Kiefer, Helko Lehmann, Jurgen Weese, Marc Busch
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Patent number: 7742631Abstract: High frequency signals cannot be reconstructed properly from sampled data if the sampling frequency lies below the Nyquist rate. The invention addresses this problem by choosing few additional sample points along a trajectory intersecting the region comprising the high frequency signals, such as an edge. Intermediate rendering data is used to determine the additional sample points. Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 4 adaptively chosen sample points per pixel may provide a visual quality comparable to 16 times super-sampling, but at a much lower computational cost.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2005Date of Patent: June 22, 2010Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Jurgen Weese, Marc Busch, Gundolf Kiefer, Helko Lehmann
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Patent number: 7742639Abstract: In real-time three-dimensional imaging the choice of the visualization method and orientation is crucial for intervention success. The key question is what to ignore and what to show in real-time applications, where user control is not appropriate. An intervention (caused by a user) to an object of interest is visualized without the requirement of an interactive input by the user. Parameters for a visualization procedure are automatically chosen during data acquisition which may allow for an efficient tracking of the actual orientation and relative position of the structure with respect to the object of interest.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2005Date of Patent: June 22, 2010Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Kai Eck, Alexandra Groth, Gundolf Kiefer, Helko Lehmann, Jorg Bredno, Jurgen Weese
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Publication number: 20100135543Abstract: A method, computer program and device for creating a viewing protocol for medical images is described. At least a first site of interest is identified in a medical imaging data set captured from the patient. Patient record data or computer assisted detection information can be used to identify the site of interest, which may be a potential lesion. A viewing protocol for displaying medical images to a user is planned. The viewing protocol includes a viewing path along which an image of the site of interest will be displayed. The viewing protocol also includes a trigger associated with the site of interest. When the trigger event is encountered the dynamic mode of image display is reconfigured to dynamically highlight the site of interest. The viewing protocol can then be used to control the display of images so as to provide, for example, a virtual endoscope.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2006Publication date: June 3, 2010Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS, N.V.Inventors: Juergen Weese, Eric Thelen, Gundolf Kiefer, Helko Lehmann, Ali Majidi, Jochen Peters
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Publication number: 20080316226Abstract: A method allowing display of time-varying merged high resolution and low resolution image data with a smooth frame rate. In one embodiment the high resolution data is structural image data and the low resolution image data is functional image data. The functional image data is gathered (20) into groups and each group is rendered and merged (24) together. The merged images produced are then stored (28) in a First In First Out (FIFO) buffer for display. While the merged images are displayed the next set of functional image data is merged and rendered and supplied to the FIFO buffer, allowing a smooth frame rate to be achieved. A computer program and a medical imaging apparatus using the method are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2006Publication date: December 25, 2008Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS, N.V.Inventors: Martin Weibrecht, Olivier Ecabert, Juergen Weese, Gundolf Kiefer
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Publication number: 20080246770Abstract: There is described a method for generating a 2-D image of a 3-D object represented by a volume data set comprising a multiplicity of data points each having an opacity value. A plurality of notional rays are cast through the 3-D object and for each ray, a ray path is divided into a plurality of base sampling intervals defined by data points on the path. If it is determined that a difference in opacity values across a base sampling interval can become greater than a pre-determined value, successively smaller sampling regions are generated within the base sampling interval until it is determined that a difference in opacity values across each generated smaller sampling interval in the base interval is less than the pre-determined threshold. Values indicative of an interaction between the ray and the 3-D object in the sampling intervals along the path are accumulated using a direct volume rendering procedure to determine a pixel value in the 2-D image.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2006Publication date: October 9, 2008Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS, N.V.Inventors: Gundolf Kiefer, Juergen Weese
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Publication number: 20080094406Abstract: The present invention relates to a way of storing 3D images. The 3D image is composed of a stack of two-dimensional video data subsets represented by arrays of pixel data. Each array of pixel data is partitioned into a plurality of overlapping and adjacent vertical stripes of pixel data having a width at most equal to a cacheline of the memory. The upper most left stripe is stored first and each stripe is stored after the left adjacent stripe. When storing each stripe having multiple rows of pixel data, the upper row is stored first and the first pixel data of each subsequent row of the stripe is stored in a memory location coming after a memory location where the last pixel data of the preceding row in the stripe is stored.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2005Publication date: April 24, 2008Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS, N.V.Inventors: Juergen Weese, Gundolf Kiefer, Marc Busch
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Publication number: 20070299639Abstract: The present invention relates to direct volume rendering based on a light model applied to a 3D array of information data samples. Gradients are first estimated for the individuals samples, and a simple shading is done on the samples with low gradient, i.e. homogenous areas.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2005Publication date: December 27, 2007Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V.Inventors: Juergen Weese, Gundolf Kiefer, Marc Busch, Helko Lehmann
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Publication number: 20070183649Abstract: Medical imaging modalities generate increasingly more and very large three-dimensional data sets. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional data set of an object of interest is interactively visualized with a varying sampling rate in an image. Advantageously, a focus area may be moved by a user interactively during rendering, wherein the sampling rate of a particular part of the image is defined by its relative position to the focus area. Advantageously, this may allow for an improvement of an overall rendering performance.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 7, 2005Publication date: August 9, 2007Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONIC, N.V.Inventors: Gundolf Kiefer, Helko Lehmann, Jurgen Weese, Marc Busch
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Publication number: 20070177005Abstract: High frequency signals cannot be reconstructed properly from sampled data if the sampling frequency lies below the Nyquist rate. The invention addresses this problem by choosing few additional sample points along a trajectory intersecting the region comprising the high frequency signals, such as an edge. Intermediate rendering data is used to determine the additional sample points. Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 4 adaptively chosen sample points per pixel may provide a visual quality comparable to 16 times super-sampling, but at a much lower computational cost.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2005Publication date: August 2, 2007Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONIC, N.V.Inventors: Jurgen Weese, Marc Busch, Gundolf Kiefer, Helko Lehmann
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Publication number: 20070161892Abstract: In real-time three-dimensional imaging the choice of the visualization method and orientation is crucial for intervention success. The key question is what to ignore and what to show in real-time applications, where user control is not appropriate. The invention addresses this problem by visualizing an intervention (caused by a user) to an object of interest without the requirement of an interactive input by the user. Advantageously, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, parameters for a visualization procedure are automatically chosen during data acquisition which may allow for an efficient tracking of the actual orientation and relative position of the structure with respect to the object of interest.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2005Publication date: July 12, 2007Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONIC, N.V.Inventors: Kai Eck, Alexandra Groth, Gundolf Kiefer, Helko Lehmann, Jorg Bredno, Jurgen Weese
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Publication number: 20060139361Abstract: Because of the increasing size of digital images available, an interactive rendering speed at a high display quality continues to be a challenging task. According to the present invention, a sampling frequency of a ray casting for generating the projection image is varied in dependence of information derived from the 3D volume data during rendering. Furthermore, an interpolation is performed for skipped pixels for which no ray casting was performed in the projection image, based on-this information. Advantageously, the present invention allows for an improved image quality, while reducing a computation time required to generate an output image.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2004Publication date: June 29, 2006Inventors: Marc Busch, Gundolf Kiefer, Jurgen Weese