Patent Document ID: 9235932
Application ID: 13552880
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of generating a 3D (three-dimensional) volume-panorama image, the method comprising: receiving pieces of image data of first and second 3D volume images, the pieces representing an observation area of an inner portion of a target in a 3D manner; extracting a first partial region comprising one or more voxels from the first 3D volume image; extracting a second partial region comprising one or more voxels from the second 3D volume image; determining a global conversion function representing a relationship of a conversion between the second 3D volume image and the first 3D volume image, the determined global conversion function being based on a partial region conversion function representing a relationship of a conversion between the second partial region and the first partial region, and the partial region conversion function being based on a conversion of the second partial region and the first partial region into respective spherical regions; generating image data of a converted 3D volume image to be combined with the first 3D volume image from image data of the second 3D volume image based on the determined global conversion function, comparing the first partial region with the second partial region based on a morphological characteristic of the first partial region and a morphological characteristic of the second partial region, and wherein the conversion of the first partial region and the second partial region into the respective spherical regions comprises converting the first partial region and the second partial region into respective ellipsoidal regions and converting the respective ellipsoidal regions into the respective spherical regions.