Patent ID: 8379794

Claim:
A method for estimation of retrospective and real-time 3D target position by a single imager comprising: a. using a single imager to image a 2D plane of a target, wherein a 2D planar image of said target is used to resolve 2D target position components of said target; and b. using a probability density function (PDF) estimated by maximum likelihood estimate (MLE), or using a population based PDF for estimating 3D target position; wherein using said PDF estimated by MLE comprises: i. using an assumed 3D PDF for a 3D position of said target to determine a probability P(u, v, α) for said target to be projected into a point (u, v) on said imager positioned at angle α; ii. using a probability P(u, v, α) of said 2D target position components in said MLE to estimate said PDF as a PDF that best fits said 2D components, wherein said PDF comprises at least one of a left-right mean position(μ LR ), a cranio-caudal mean position(μ CC ), an anterior-posterior mean position (μ AP ), a left-right standard deviation (σ LR ), a cranio-caudal standard deviation (σ CC ) an anterior-posterior standard deviation (σ AP ), a left-right —cranio-caudal correlation coefficient of motion (ρ LR-CC ), a left-right —anterior-posterior correlation coefficient of motion (ρ LR-AP ), or a cranio-caudal —anterior-posterior correlation coefficient of motion (ρ CC-AP ); and iii. using said PDF estimated by said MLE to estimate one said target position component disposed along an imager axis of said target, wherein an estimate of said 3D target position is made from said 2D target position components in said 2D planar image; wherein using said population based PDF comprises: i. using a population of 3D target position observations of a population of other targets to determine a 3D population-based PDF for said 3D position of said target; and ii. using said 3D population-based PDF to estimate one said target position component disposed along an imager axis of said target, wherein an estimate of said 3D target position is made from said 2D target position components in said 2D planar image.