An FPGA-based Real-Time Volume Rendering System

描述(由申请人提供)： 这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目涉及到基于现场可编程门阵列的实时体绘制系统的研究和开发。在许多科学、工程和医学诊断成像应用中，需要生成来自3D对象的大量数据。作为必要或为了更好地了解数据，这些数据集必须可视化。然而，数据集的规模正以令人难以置信的速度增长，以至于目前的可视化解决方案被证明是不够的。例如，市场上没有解决方案可以应对多层CT扫描仪和3D超声设备每秒产生的多个数据量。此外，市场上唯一的硬件解决方案的高昂费用限制了这一使能技术的可用性。因此，重要的数据经常被忽视，从而产生不准确的医疗诊断。本项目开发的体绘制系统将缓解这一数据过载问题，产生更有效的医学成像程序。 本研究的目标是开发一种基于现场可编程门阵列的低成本体绘制，能够实时绘制大数据集的3D和4D。由于基于现场可编程门阵列，体积渲染器将是低成本的，使更广泛的客户可以使用体积渲染。此外，该渲染器将通过使用高阶渐变来支持非常高质量的渲染。体积渲染器将吸引许多市场的用户，包括：医疗诊断成像、石油勘探、安全检查和工程模拟。体积渲染器的4D功能的一个非常令人兴奋的应用将是多层CT心脏成像，使非侵入性程序能够取代目前的有创性程序。体积渲染器可能会使医学成像更加准确和有用，加快药物和自然资源的发现，并允许快速查看大规模工程和科学应用产生的结果。因此，国家将从生产率的提高和受到谴责的医疗保健中受益。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project involves the research and development of a real-time FPGA-based volume rendering system. In many scientific, engineering and medical diagnostic imaging applications, large amounts of data from 3D dimensional objects are generated. As a necessity or to gain better insight into the data, these data sets must be visualized. However, data set sizes are growing at such an incredible rate that current visualization solutions are proving inadequate. For example, there is no solution on the market that can cope with the multiple volumes produced per second by multi-slice CT scanners and 3D ultrasound devices. In addition, the high expense of the only hardware solution on the market has limited the availability of this enabling technology. As a result, important data is often overlooked producing inaccurate medial diagnoses. The volume rendering system developed in this project will alleviate this data overload problem, producing more effective medical imaging procedures. The goal of this research is to develop a low-cost FPGA-based volume render that is capable of 3D and 4D rendering of large data sets in real-time. By being based on FPGAs, the volume renderer will be low cost, making volume rendering available to a wider range of customers. Additionally, the renderer will support very high quality renderings through the use of higher-order gradients. The volume renderer will appeal to users in many markets, including: medical diagnostic imaging, oil exploration, security inspection and engineering simulations. One very exciting application of the 4D capabilities of the volume renderer will be in multi-slice CT cardiac imaging, enabling non-invasive procedures to be performed in place of current invasive procedures. The volume renderer will potentially make medical imaging more accurate and useful, speed up the discover of drugs and natural resources and permit fast viewing of the results produced from large scale engineering and scientific applications. As a consequence, the nation stands to benefit from productivity increases and reproved health care.