Medical image capturing system, server apparatus and method of controlling medical image capturing system

• US 20040022349A1
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hagiwara, Akira
• Application Number:
  US10/627,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20040022349A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

For the purpose of simplifying software management, an operation console reads projection data at Step S401, generates transmitted data at Step S402, and transmits the data to a server at Step S403. The server receives the transmitted data at Step S451, and executes error correction processing on raw data at step S452. Next, at Step S453, image reconstruction processing is executed based on the raw data corrected at Step S452 to produce an X-ray tomographic image. At Step S454, the data of the X-ray tomographic data is transmitted to the operation console. The operation console then receives the data of the X-ray tomographic image at Step S404, and saves the received data of the X-ray tomographic image or displays it as an image at Step S405.

Claims

1. A medical image capturing system comprising:

a gantry apparatus for collecting imaging data of a subject;

an operation console for sending an operation command to said gantry apparatus; and

at least one server apparatus communicably connected to said operation console via a network;

wherein

said operation console comprises;

a receiving device for receiving the collected imaging data from said gantry apparatus; and

a transmitting device for transmitting said received imaging data to said server apparatus; and

said server apparatus comprises;

an image producing device for producing a medical image based on said imaging data transmitted from said operation console; and

a transmitting device for transmitting said produced medical image to said operation console.

2. The medical image capturing system of claim 1, wherein

each said server apparatus comprises a separate image producing device for producing a medical image by a different algorithm based on said imaging data transferred from said operation console, and

said operation console further comprises a selecting device for selecting a server apparatus to which said imaging data received by said receiving device is to be transferred.

3. The medical image capturing system of claim 1, wherein said server apparatus further comprises a conveying device for conveying billing information concerning use of said image producing device to said operation console.

4. The medical image capturing system of claim 1, wherein said server apparatus further comprises a conveying device for conveying a medical image attached with an image representing the billing information concerning use of said image producing device to said operation console.

5. The medical image capturing system of claim 3, wherein said billing information relates to a billing charge corresponding to the amount of data processed by said image producing device.

6. The medical image capturing system of claim 3, wherein said billing information relates to a billing charge corresponding to the time required for the processing for producing said medical image by said image producing device.

7. A server apparatus communicably connected via a network to an operation console for sending an operation command to a gantry apparatus for collecting imaging data of a subject, said server apparatus comprising:

an image producing device for producing a medical image based on said imaging data transmitted from said operation console; and

a transmitting device for transmitting said produced medical image to said operation console.

8. The server apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a conveying device for conveying billing information concerning use of said image producing device to said operation console.

9. A method of controlling a medical image capturing system comprising a gantry apparatus for collecting imaging data of a subject, an operation console for sending an operation command to said gantry apparatus, and at least one server apparatus communicably connected to said operation console via a network, said method comprising:

a method of controlling said operation console comprising;

a receiving step of receiving the collected imaging data from said gantry apparatus; and

a transmitting step of transmitting said received imaging data to said server apparatus; and

a method of controlling said server apparatus comprising;

an image producing step of producing a medical image based on said imaging data transmitted from said operation console; and

a transmitting step of transmitting said produced medical image to said operation console.

10. The method of controlling a medical image capturing system of claim 9, wherein

said method of controlling each said server apparatus comprises a separate image producing step of producing a medical image by a different algorithm based on said imaging data transferred from said operation console, and

said method of controlling said operation console further comprises a selecting step of selecting a server apparatus to which said imaging data received at said receiving step is to be transferred.

11. The method of controlling a medical image capturing system of claim 9, wherein said method of controlling said server apparatus further comprises a conveying step of conveying billing information concerning use of said image producing step to said operation console.

12. The method of controlling a medical image capturing system of claim 9, wherein said method of controlling said server apparatus further comprises a conveying step of conveying a medical image attached with an image representing the billing information concerning use of said image producing step to said operation console.

13. The method of controlling a medical image capturing system of claim 11, wherein said billing information relates to a billing charge corresponding to the amount of data processed by said image producing device.

14. The method of controlling a medical image capturing system of claim 11, wherein said billing information relates to a billing charge corresponding to the time required for the processing for producing said medical image at said image producing step.