Patent ID: 11972857
Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 14:
15. A method of operating a medical instrument, wherein the medical instrument comprises a medical imaging system for acquiring medical imaging data from a subject within an imaging zone, wherein the medical instrument further includes a subject support with a support surface, wherein the support surface is configured to receive the subject, wherein the subject support is configured to support the subject in an initial position, wherein in the initial position the subject is outside of the imaging zone, wherein the medical instrument further comprises a camera system configured to image the support surface when the subject support is in the initial position,
wherein the method comprises:
placing the subject support in the initial position;
controlling the camera system to repeatably acquire successive images;
detecting the placement of one or more background objects that at least partially obscure the support surface using the successive images;
detecting one or more foreground objects that obscure at least a portion of the one or more background objects in the successive images;
constructing a background object surface image at least partially by stitching together the successive images to replace image regions containing background objects obscured by the one or more foreground objects;
determining a three-dimensional object surface using the background object surface image;
detecting the subject from the one or more foreground objects in one of the successive images;
calculating a subject segmentation of the subject in the one of the successive images;
determining a visible subject surface using the subject segmentation and the one of the successive images; and
calculating a three-dimensional subject model by estimating a volume defined by the three-dimensional object surface and the visible subject surface.