Patent ID: 6317509
Filing Date: 2001-11-13
Classification: G01N,G01V,G06K

Abstract:
A method of detecting sheet objects represented in reconstructed computed tomography (CT) data for a region comprising:identifying a plurality of volume elements in the reconstructed CT data for the region, each volume element being associated with a density value;performing a sheet voxel identification process on the reconstructed CT data for the region to identify those volume elements associated with any sheet objects represented by the reconstructed CT data for the region and to discriminate those volume elements associated with any sheet objects from volume elements associated with other object shapes; andafter performing the sheet voxel identification process, connecting the volume elements identified by the sheet voxel identification process as associated with any sheet objects into sheet objects,wherein performing a sheet voxel identification detection process comprises:performing a predetermined number N of erosion steps during which volume elements are removed from the reconstructed CT image data for the region, said erosion steps producing eroded CT image data;identifying an eroded object in the eroded CT image data;removing the volume elements of the eroded object from the reconstructed CT image data; andlabeling an object in the reconstructed CT image data after removal of the eroded object as a sheet object.