Patent Document ID: 20150287243
Application ID: 14747027
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A virtual endoscopic image display apparatus comprising: a virtual endoscopic image generation unit that generates, based on a three-dimensional image of a subject to be examined, a virtual endoscopic image by a virtual endoscope, simulating imaging performed by an endoscope inserted into the subject to be examined; a display control unit that displays the virtual endoscopic image; a path setting unit that sets a path of the virtual endoscope in the three-dimensional image of the subject to be examined; a point-of-interest specification receiving unit that receives specification of a point of interest in the virtual endoscopic image; an operation amount obtainment unit that obtains an operation amount received at an operation unit after specification of the point of interest has been received; a movement distance obtainment unit that obtains, based on the operation amount obtained by the operation amount obtainment unit, a distance of movement of the virtual endoscope on the path from an initial viewpoint; and a view line vector setting unit that sets, based on the distance of movement obtained by the movement distance obtainment unit, view line vectors by sequentially changing the view line vectors from an initial view line vector with its start point located at the initial viewpoint to a shortest view line vector, which connects a viewpoint on the path at a shortest distance from the point of interest and the point of interest to each other, by moving, along the path, a viewpoint of the virtual endoscope on the path from the initial viewpoint closer to the point of interest and also by changing the direction of a view line of the virtual endoscope closer to a direction toward the point of interest, wherein the virtual endoscopic image generation unit sequentially generates the virtual endoscopic image based on the view line vector set by the view line vector setting unit, and wherein the display control unit sequentially displays the virtual endoscopic image based on change of the view line vectors.