Patents by Inventor Zhujiang Cao

Zhujiang Cao 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).

  • Patent number: 7590272
    Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for efficiently calculating a registration of multiple characteristic paths of a virtual three-dimensional object. Each path of discrete points is transformed into a piecewise linear parameterization as a function of path length. The paths are smoothed and normalized. The shorter path is partitioned into a number of discrete subintervals. The subintervals are mapped to the longer path using a minimization function that minimizes a cost function resulting in a locally optimal registration. The shorter path is incrementally positioned along the longer path and the minimization is attempted at each position. When the shorter path cannot be shifted any farther, the globally optimal registration is returned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Vital Images, Inc.
    Inventors: Marek Brejl, Samuel W. Peterson, Zhujiang Cao
  • Patent number: 7519209
    Abstract: A method for segmentation of an organ of a living subject with a variable shape and boundary and surrounded by structures and tissues in connection with an image containing the organ. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of initializing a contour inside the organ in the image, introducing a speed function that is capable of accumulating spatial and temporal information of a propagating front of the contour, and evolving the contour toward the boundary of the organ using the introduced speed function so as to segment the organ.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Vanderbilt University
    Inventors: Benoit M. Dawant, Zhujiang Cao
  • Publication number: 20070165917
    Abstract: A system including a memory to store image data corresponding to a three dimensional (3D) reconstructed image, and a processor that includes an automatic vessel tree extraction module. The automatic vessel tree extraction module includes a load data module to access the stored image data, a component identification module to identify those components of the image data deemed likely to belong to a vessel, a characteristic path computation module to compute one or more characteristic paths for an identified component having a volume greater than a specified threshold volume value and discard an identified component having a volume less than the specified threshold volume value, and a connection module to connect the computed one or more characteristic paths of the identified component to a characteristic path of another identified component or to a common vessel source until the identified components are connected or discarded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Zhujiang Cao, Marek Brejl
  • Publication number: 20070122016
    Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for efficiently calculating a registration of multiple characteristic paths of a virtual three-dimensional object. Each path of discrete points is transformed into a piecewise linear parameterization as a function of path length. The paths are smoothed and normalized. The shorter path is partitioned into a number of discrete subintervals. The subintervals are mapped to the longer path using a minimization function that minimizes a cost function resulting in a locally optimal registration. The shorter path is incrementally positioned along the longer path and the minimization is attempted at each position. When the shorter path cannot be shifted any farther, the globally optimal registration is returned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Publication date: May 31, 2007
    Inventors: Marek Brejl, Samuel Peterson, Zhujiang Cao
  • Publication number: 20060013482
    Abstract: A method for segmentation of an organ of a living subject with a variable shape and boundary and surrounded by structures and tissues in connection with an image containing the organ. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of initializing a contour inside the organ in the image, introducing a speed function that is capable of accumulating spatial and temporal information of a propagating front of the contour, and evolving the contour toward the boundary of the organ using the introduced speed function so as to segment the organ.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2005
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Applicant: Vanderbilt University
    Inventors: Benoit Dawant, Zhujiang Cao