Similar image search system

• US 20040003001A1
• Filed: 04/02/2003
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimura, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,374,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30061 Lung
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

A similar image search system includes an image database which stores a number of pieces of image data representing a number of images. Search image data representing the whole and/or a part of an image an image similar to which in feature is to be searched for is input and the image database is searched for similitude image data. A search report representing result of search is output.

Claims

1. A similar image search system comprising

an image database which stores a number of pieces of image data representing a number of images,

an image input means for inputting search image data representing the whole and/or a part of an image an image similar to which in feature is to be searched for,

a searching means which searches the database for similitude image data representing an image which is similar to an image represented by the input search image data in feature, and

a search report output means which outputs a search report representing result of search by the searching means.

2. A similar image search system as defined in claim 1 in which the searching means judges whether a piece of image data is a similitude image data on the basis of one or more judgmental item.

3. A similar image search system as defined in claim 2 further comprising a selection means for selecting one or more judgmental items, wherein the searching means judges whether a piece of image data is a similitude image data on the basis of the one or more judgmental items selected by the selection means.

4. A similar image search system as defined in claim 1 in which the image input means is arranged to be able to receive input from a plurality of client terminals connected to the image input means by way of a network, and the search report output means is arranged to be able to output the search report to a plurality of client terminals by way of a network.

5. A similar image search system as defined in claim 1 in which the image database stores a number of pieces of image data together with related information given thereto and

the image input means inputs an object image data together with related information while the searching means is arranged to search for a piece or a plurality of pieces of similitude image data given related information equivalent to that of the object image data.

6. A similar image search system as defined in claim 5 in which the related information is at least one of object part information, modality information, personal information, and disease information.

7. A similar image search system as defined in claim 1 in which the image database stores a number of pieces of image data together with position information representing the position of the object of the image represented by the image data, and

the image input means inputs an object image data together with position information representing a part on the basis of which similitude image data is to be searched for, and

the searching means is arranged to search for a piece or a plurality of pieces of similitude image data taking into account the correspondence of position information.

8. A similar image search system as defined in claim 1 further comprising a diagnostic database which stores pieces of diagnostic data related to the pieces of image data stored in the image database so that the searching means searches the diagnostic database for diagnostic data related to the extracted similitude image data and the search report output means outputs the extracted image data together with the diagnostic data related to the extracted similitude image data.

9. A similar image search system as defined in claim 1 further comprising an addition storage means which adds the object image data input through the image input means to the image data stored in the image database.