A medical apparatus includes a registration tool, which includes a position sensor, A position-tracking system is configured to acquire position coordinates of the sensor in a first frame of reference defined by the position-tracking system. A processing unit is configured to receive 3D image data with respect to the body of the patient in a second frame of reference, to generate a 2D image of the surface of the patient based on the 3D image data, to render the 2D image to a display screen, and to superimpose onto the 2D image icons indicating locations of respective landmarks. The processing unit receives the position coordinates acquired by the position-tracking system while the registration tool contacts the locations on the patient corresponding to the icons on the display, and registers the first and second frames of reference by comparing the position coordinates to the three-dimensional image data.

A medical apparatus includes a registration tool, which includes a position sensor, A position-tracking system is configured to acquire position coordinates of the sensor in a first frame of reference defined by the position-tracking system. A processing unit is configured to receive 3D image data with respect to the body of the patient in a second frame of reference, to generate a 2D image of the surface of the patient based on the 3D image data, to render the 2D image to a display screen, and to superimpose onto the 2D image icons indicating locations of respective landmarks. The processing unit receives the position coordinates acquired by the position-tracking system while the registration tool contacts the locations on the patient corresponding to the icons on the display, and registers the first and second frames of reference by comparing the position coordinates to the three-dimensional image data.

A method is provided to ensure continuity of features through spatially partitioned maps. Methods may include: identifying a map element extending from a first map tile to a second map tile; determining a first set of continuous features of the map element in the first map tile; determining a second set of continuous features of the map element in the second map tile; identifying a first set of locations in a plane separating the first map tile from the second map tile where the first set of continuous features intersect the plane; identifying a second set of locations where the second set of continuous features intersect the plane; correlating the first set of continuous features with the second set of continuous features; blending the first and second set of continuous features; and updating map data including the first map tile and the second map tile with a blended map element.

A method is provided to ensure continuity of features through spatially partitioned maps. Methods may include: identifying a map element extending from a first map tile to a second map tile; determining a first set of continuous features of the map element in the first map tile; determining a second set of continuous features of the map element in the second map tile; identifying a first set of locations in a plane separating the first map tile from the second map tile where the first set of continuous features intersect the plane; identifying a second set of locations where the second set of continuous features intersect the plane; correlating the first set of continuous features with the second set of continuous features; blending the first and second set of continuous features; and updating map data including the first map tile and the second map tile with a blended map element.

The present invention provides a method for quantitatively identifying the defects of large-size composite material based on infrared image sequence, firstly obtaining the overlap area of an infrared splicing image, and dividing the infrared splicing image into three parts according to overlap area: overlap area, reference image area and registration image area, then extracting the defect areas from the infrared splicing image to obtain P defect areas, then obtaining the conversion coordinates of pixels of defect areas according to the three parts of the infrared splicing image, and further obtaining the transient thermal response curves of centroid coordinate and edge point coordinates, finding out the thermal diffusion points from the edge points of defect areas according to a created weight sequence and dynamic distance threshold ε.sub.ttr×d.sub.p_max, finally, based on the thermal diffusion points, the accurate identification of quantitative size of defects are completed.

Video sources and inertial sensors are attached to a weapon and to goggles. A computer receives video images from the weapon- and goggles-mounted sources and inertial data from the sensors. The computer calculates a location for an image from the weapon-mounted source within an image from the goggles-mounted source using the inertial sensor data. The sensor-based location is checked (and possibly adjusted) based on a comparison of the images. A database contains information about real-world objects in a field of view of the goggles-mounted source, and is used to generate icons or other graphics concerning such objects.

Video sources and inertial sensors are attached to a weapon and to goggles. A computer receives video images from the weapon- and goggles-mounted sources and inertial data from the sensors. The computer calculates a location for an image from the weapon-mounted source within an image from the goggles-mounted source using the inertial sensor data. The sensor-based location is checked (and possibly adjusted) based on a comparison of the images. A database contains information about real-world objects in a field of view of the goggles-mounted source, and is used to generate icons or other graphics concerning such objects.

A medical apparatus includes a registration tool, which includes a position sensor, A position-tracking system is configured to acquire position coordinates of the sensor in a first frame of reference defined by the position-tracking system. A processing unit is configured to receive 3D image data with respect to the body of the patient in a second frame of reference, to generate a 2D image of the surface of the patient based on the 3D image data, to render the 2D image to a display screen, and to superimpose onto the 2D image icons indicating locations of respective landmarks. The processing unit receives the position coordinates acquired by the position-tracking system while the registration tool contacts the locations on the patient corresponding to the icons on the display, and registers the first and second frames of reference by comparing the position coordinates to the three-dimensional image data.

A medical apparatus includes a registration tool, which includes a position sensor, A position-tracking system is configured to acquire position coordinates of the sensor in a first frame of reference defined by the position-tracking system. A processing unit is configured to receive 3D image data with respect to the body of the patient in a second frame of reference, to generate a 2D image of the surface of the patient based on the 3D image data, to render the 2D image to a display screen, and to superimpose onto the 2D image icons indicating locations of respective landmarks. The processing unit receives the position coordinates acquired by the position-tracking system while the registration tool contacts the locations on the patient corresponding to the icons on the display, and registers the first and second frames of reference by comparing the position coordinates to the three-dimensional image data.

A method includes emitting an ultrasound beam, having a predefined field of view (FOV), from an array of ultrasound transducers in a catheter in an organ of a patient. Echo signals are received in the array, in response to the ultrasound beam. A position of a target object is estimated within the FOV. When the estimated position of the target object violates a centering condition, the FOV of the ultrasound beam is automatically modified to re-meet the centering condition.