Radiographic apparatus, radiographic method, program, computer-readable storage medium, radiographic system, image diagnosis aiding method, and image diagnosis aiding system

• US 20030190010A1
• Filed: 11/08/2002
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsujii, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/23
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4429 related to the mounting of source units and detector units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5217 extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A radiographic apparatus or system for imaging a dynamic state or process of an object such as a human body includes an indication unit for performing dynamic state guiding indication using a perceivable pattern corresponding to a dynamic state or motion to be engaged in by the patient, and an image acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of radiographs of the human body. The resulting radiographs can be reviewed for diagnosis, and can be stored, either locally or at a remote location.

Claims

1. A radiographic apparatus for imaging a dynamic state of a human body, comprising:

an indication unit adapted to provide dynamic state guiding indication using a perceivable pattern corresponding to a motion constituting at least part of the state to be taken by the human body; and

an image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a plurality of radiographs of the human body.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic state is a motion to be taken by a partial region of the human body.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit adapted to synchronize acquisition of a radiograph by said image acquisition unit with the dynamic state guiding indication by said indication unit.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a radiation exposure instruction input unit for inputting a radiation exposure instruction by an operator, wherein said control unit controls radiation exposure in accordance with the radiation exposure instruction by said radiation exposure instruction input unit and the dynamic state guiding indication by said indication unit.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said indication unit provides at least one of audio indication and visual indication as the dynamic state guiding indication.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said indication unit provides the dynamic state guiding indication corresponding to a process in the dynamic state.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said indication unit provides the dynamic state guiding indication corresponding to a plurality of iterations of the motion.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of time of the dynamic state guiding indication, number of iterations of the dynamic state guiding indication, and manner of a process in the dynamic state guiding indication by said indication unit can be changed.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an imaging request information input unit adapted to input imaging request information; and

a setting unit adapted to set a manner of the dynamic state guiding indication provided by said indication unit based on the imaging request information input by said imaging request information input unit.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the imaging request information includes at least one of information regarding the particular human body to be observed, information regarding a body part to be imaged, and information regarding a diagnostic purpose.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the manner of the dynamic state guiding indication includes at least one of time of the dynamic state guiding indication, number of iterations of the dynamic state guiding indication, and manner of process in the dynamic state guiding indication.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit adapted to store, as image information, data of the radiographs acquired by said image acquisition unit and information regarding phase of dynamic state corresponding to the dynamic state guiding indication provided by said indication unit, in association with each other.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said storage unit stores the dynamic state phase information as header information in a predetermined image data format.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

a phase recognition unit adapted to recognize information regarding dynamic state phase in the dynamic state of the human body for each of at least part of the radiograph data of the plurality of radiographs by analyzing the at least part of the radiograph data;

a determination unit adapted to determine matching between the dynamic state phase information recognized by said phase recognition unit and the dynamic state phase information stored by said storage unit; and

a modification unit adapted to modify the image information stored by said storage unit based on the dynamic state phase information recognized by said phase recognition unit in accordance with a result of determination by said determination unit.

15. A radiographic method of imaging dynamic state of a human body by a radiographic apparatus, including an image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a radiograph, said radiographic method comprising:

an indication step, of providing a dynamic state guiding indication using a perceivable pattern corresponding to a motion constituting at least part of the dynamic state to be taken by the human body; and

an image acquisition step, of acquiring a plurality of radiographs of the human body using the image acquisition unit in parallel with the dynamic state guiding indication provided in the indication step.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the dynamic state is a motion to be taken by a partial region of the human body.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the acquisition of radiographs in said image acquisition step is executed in synchronization with the dynamic state guiding indication in said indication step.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising:

a radiation exposure instruction input step, of an operator inputting a radiation exposure instruction; and

a radiation exposure control step, of controlling radiation exposure in accordance with the radiation exposure instruction input in said radiation exposure instruction input step and the dynamic state guiding indication indicated in said indication step.

19. A method according to claim 15, wherein the dynamic state guiding indication in said indication step is at least one of audio indication and visual indication.

20. A method according to claim 15, wherein dynamic state guiding indication corresponding to a process in the dynamic state is provided in said indication step.

21. A method according to claim 15, wherein dynamic state guiding indication corresponding to a plurality of iterations of the series of dynamic state is provided in said indication step.

22. A method according to claim 15, wherein at least one of time of the dynamic state guiding indication, number of iterations of the dynamic state guiding indication, and manner of process in the dynamic state guiding indication in said indication step can be changed.

23. A method according to claim 15, further comprising:

an imaging request information input step, of inputting imaging request information; and

a setting step, of setting a manner of the dynamic state guiding indication in said indication step based on the imaging request information input in said imaging request information input step.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the imaging request information includes at least one of information regarding the particular human body to be observed, information regarding a body part to be imaged, and information regarding a diagnostic purpose.

25. A method according to claim 23, wherein the manner of the dynamic state guiding indication includes at least one of time of the dynamic state guiding indication, number of iterations of the dynamic state guiding indication, and manner of process in the dynamic state guiding indication.

26. A method according to claim 15, further comprising a storing step, of storing, as image information, data of the radiographs acquired in said image acquisition step and information regarding phase of dynamic state corresponding to the dynamic state guiding indication indicated in said indication step, in association with each other.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the dynamic state phase information is stored as header information in a predetermined image data format in said storing step.

28. A method according to claim 26, further comprising:

a phase recognition step, of recognizing information regarding dynamic state phase in the dynamic state of the human body for each of at least part of the radiograph data of the plurality of radiographs by analyzing the at least part of the radiograph data;

a determination step, of determining matching between the dynamic state phase information recognized in said phase recognition step and the dynamic state phase information stored in said storing step; and

a modification step, of modifying the image information stored in said storing step based on the dynamic state phase information recognized in said phase recognition step in accordance with a result of determination in said determination step.

29. A program for having a computer execute a method of imaging a dynamic state of a human body by a radiographic apparatus including an image acquisition unit for acquiring a radiograph, said method comprising:

an indication step, of providing dynamic state guiding indication using a perceivable pattern corresponding to a motion constituting at least part of the dynamic state to be taken by the human body; and

an image acquisition step, of acquiring a plurality of radiographs of the human body using the image acquisition unit in parallel with the dynamic state guiding indication provided in the indication step.

30. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for having a computer execute a method of imaging a dynamic state of a human body by a radiographic apparatus including an image acquisition unit for acquiring a radiograph, said method comprising:

an indication step, of providing dynamic state guiding indication using a perceivable pattern corresponding to a motion constituting at least part of the dynamic state to be taken by the human body; and

an image acquisition step, of acquiring a plurality of radiographs of the human body using the image acquisition unit in parallel with the dynamic state guiding indication provided in the indication step.

31. A radiographic system for imaging a dynamic state of a human body, including a plurality of apparatuses, said system comprising:

an indication unit adapted to provide dynamic state guiding indication using a perceivable pattern corresponding to a motion constituting at least part of the dynamic state to be taken by the human body; and

an image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a plurality of radiographs of the human body.

32. An image diagnosis aiding method for aiding image diagnosis of a human body, comprising:

an indication step, of providing dynamic state guiding indication using a perceivable pattern corresponding to a motion constituting at least part of a dynamic state to be taken by the human body;

an image acquisition step, of acquiring a plurality of radiographs of the human body using a radiographic apparatus for imaging dynamic state of the human body, including an image acquisition unit for acquiring a radiograph, in parallel with the dynamic state guiding indication provided in the indication step; and

a transmission step, of transmitting the plurality of radiographs acquired in the image acquisition step to a remote computer via a local area network and/or a wide area network.

33. An image diagnosis aiding system for aiding image diagnosis of a human body, comprising:

an indication unit adapted to provide dynamic state guiding indication using a perceivable pattern corresponding to a motion constituting at least part of a dynamic state to be taken by the human body;

an image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a plurality of radiographs of the human body; and

a transmission unit adapted to transmit the plurality of radiographs acquired by the image acquisition unit to a remote computer via a local area network and/or a wide area network.