Display parameter-dependent pre-transmission processing of image data

• US 20030086595A1
• Filed: 11/07/2001
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: H Innovation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: H Innovation Incorporated
• Inventors: Hu, Hui, You, Jiangsheng
• Application Number:
  US10/008,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20030086595A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/00 Image coding bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33307 prior to start of transmission, input or output of the picture signal only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3873 defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33314 of reading or reproducing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33378 Type or format of data, e.g. colour or B/W, halftone or binary, computer image file or facsimile data

Abstract

Greater efficiencies in the transmission of teleradiological image data can be achieved by pre-processing the image data on the server side so that unnecessarily large data packages are avoided. Such reduction in the size of data packages may be achieved by pre-converting the image data from a 16-bit format to an 8-bit format on the server side and by cropping the image data according to field of view settings before transmitting it. Combining these techniques with progressive refinement image processing greatly reduced the response time between requesting and image and having an image displayed to the user. Additional techniques for managing the transmission of image data include prioritizing image data requests and dynamically requesting additional image data as a user scans across an image.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting image data comprising the steps of:

sending at least one client request for image data from a receiving station to an imaging server, the receiving station including a display device, said request including a transmission of state parameters representing one or more display device settings and one or more transmission settings;

generating the requested image data at the imaging server according to the display device settings; and

transmitting the generated image data from the imaging server to the receiving station based on the transmission settings.

2. The method of claim 1:

wherein one of the display device setting parameters includes a dynamic range of the display device; and

wherein the step of generating the requested image data further includes the step of converting the requested image data from a first format to a new format determined by the dynamic range of the display device.

3. The method of claim 1:

wherein one of the display device setting parameters includes a field of view; and

wherein the step of generating the requested image data further includes the steps of determining a cropped image area in accordance with the field of view and generating image data relating only to the determined cropped image area.

4. The method of claim 1:

wherein ones of the display device setting parameters includes a dynamic range of the display device and a field of view; and

wherein the step of generating the requested image data further includes the steps of

converting the requested image data from a first format to a new format determined by the dynamic range of the display device;

generating a cropped image area in accordance with the field of view; and

transmitting only the image data resulting from the steps of converting the requested image data and generating a cropped image area.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of generating at least two related client requests in response to a single user request.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of generating at least two client requests is controlled by a communication system manager.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein one of the display device setting parameters includes a dynamic range of the display device.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the display device setting parameters for a first one of the two or more related client requests include a dynamic range of the display device, the method further including the steps of:

converting the image data requested by the first client request from a first format to a new format determined by the dynamic range of the display device if the dynamic range is incompatible with the first format;

transmitting the converted image data from the imaging server to the receiving station based on the transmission settings;

for each of the other of the two or more related client requests besides the first, processing the requested image data in its first format to form one or more sub-packages of image data; and

transmitting each of the image data sub-packages from the imaging server to the receiving station.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the display device setting parameters includes a study mode of the receiving station, the study mode being selected from the group comprising an interactive mode and a diagnostic mode.

10. The method of claim 9 further including the steps of:

determining whether the study mode is designated as interactive or diagnostic; and

if study mode is designated as interactive

(i) converting the requested image data from a first format to a new format determined by the dynamic range of the display device if the dynamic range is incompatible with the first format, and

(ii) transmitting the requested image data in its converted format from the imaging server to the receiving station; and

if study mode is designated as diagnostic, transmitting the image data in its first format from the imaging server to the receiving station.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of using the input from a computer input device to toggle the setting of the study mode between interactive and diagnostic.

15. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the image data relating only to the determined cropped image area from the imaging server to the receiving station;

defining a region of known data according to the initial set of parameters designating the field of view;

determining a region of interest based on subsequent changes to the current region of known data;

sending a request for new image data outside the region of known data and inside the region of interest;

upon receiving the new image data, redefining the region of interest as a new region of known data.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of redefining includes the step of expanding the dimensions of the region of interest lengthwise and widthwise such that the region of interest maintains a rectangular shape.

17. The method of claim 5 wherein one of the display device setting parameters includes a field of view, the method further comprising the steps of:

for at least one of the client requests, defining a region of known data according to the initial set of parameters designating the field of view;

determining a region of interest based on subsequent changes to the current region of known data;

sending a request for new image data outside the region of known data and inside the region of interest;

upon receiving the new image data, redefining the region of interest as a new region of known data.

12. A method for controlling requests for image data comprising the steps of:

generating a set of one or more related client requests for image data for each user request for an image slice in a three-dimensional data set to be displayed at a receiving station;

assigning request priorities to each set of one or more related client requests for each user request;

sending the client requests from a receiving station to an imaging server according to the request priorities assigned to each set of one or more related client requests.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of assigning request priorities to each set of one or more related client requests further comprises the steps of:

assigning primary priority each set of the one or more related client requests that are related to user requests for an image slice which is being requests for current viewing at the receiving station;

assigning secondary priority to each set of the one or more related client requests that are related to user requests for image slices adjacent to the primary priority slice;

assigning tertiary priority to each set of the one or more related client requests that are related to user requests for all other image slices in the three-dimensional data set besides those with primary or secondary priority; and

placing pending client requests in a request queue in accordance with their was signed priority.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein each client request within each set of one or more related client requests is a request for one progressions of a multiple-progression transmission of image data, the method further including the steps of:

assigning a progression order level to each client request within the same priority class; and

sending the client requests within the same priority class from a receiving station to an imaging server according the progression order level.

18. A method for controlling the transmission of image data including the steps of:

monitoring the speed of the network connection of a receiving station;

altering the transmission settings of the receiving station in response to changes in the speed of the network connections; and

sending a client request for image data from a receiving station to an imaging server, said request including a transmission of state parameters including transmission settings.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the transmission settings include a designation of the number of progressions which will be used to transmit an image.