Medical image display apparatus

• US 20050259116A1
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Araoka, Junichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,397,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/028 Multiple view windows (top-side-front-sagittal-orthogonal)
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A medical image display apparatus includes a storage unit, a display unit, and an input unit. The storage unit is configured to store examination information of a plurality of examinations and image data resulting from the plurality of examinations. The display unit is configured to display a plurality of selectable icons corresponding to the plurality of examinations along one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in a screen. The display unit is also configured to display one or more selectable thumbnail images along the other one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The display unit is still further configured to display an original image based on the image data. Each of the one or more selectable thumbnail images is displayed in a smaller size than the original image. The input unit is configured to select a first of the plurality of selectable icons and a first of the one or more selectable thumbnail images. The one or more selectable thumbnail images belong to a first of the plurality of examinations which corresponds to the first selectable icon. The original image corresponds to the first selectable thumbnail image.

Claims

1. A medical image display apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit configured to store examination information of a plurality of examinations and image data resulting from the plurality of examinations;

a display unit configured to display a plurality of selectable icons corresponding to the plurality of examinations along one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in a screen, one or more selectable thumbnail images along the other one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and an original image based on the image data, each of the one or more selectable thumbnail images being displayed in a smaller size than the original image; and

an input unit configured to select a first of the plurality of selectable icons and a first of the one or more selectable thumbnail images,

wherein the one or more selectable thumbnail images belong to a first of the plurality of examinations which corresponds to the first selectable icon, and the original image corresponds to the first selectable thumbnail image.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selectable icon shows one of images based on the image data resulting from the first examination.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selectable icon shows a picture of a patient imaged for the image data.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selectable icon shows an imaged part of a patient in the first examination.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selectable icon shows a type of an imaging apparatus generated the image data in the first examination.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selectable icon includes a date of the first examination.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selectable icon is displayed in a larger size than the first selectable thumbnail image.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable icons are scrolled and displayed when all the plurality of selectable icons are not displayed in parallel in the display unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable icons are displayed in an order based on a predetermined priority condition.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable icons are displayed in an order as they were in a last use of the apparatus.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selectable icon is selected through a touch panel included in the input unit.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selectable thumbnail image is selected through a touch panel included in the input unit.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more selectable thumbnail images are scrolled and displayed when all the one or more selectable thumbnail images are not displayed in parallel in the display unit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more selectable thumbnail images are displayed in an order based on a predetermined priority condition.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more selectable thumbnail images are displayed in an order as they were in a last use of the apparatus.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit is further configured to select second and third of the one or more selectable thumbnail images, and the display unit is further configured to display second and third original images in parallel corresponding to the second and third selectable thumbnail images when the second and third selectable thumbnail images are selected by the input unit.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit is further configured to select a second of the plurality of selectable icons corresponding to a second of the plurality of examinations and a second of the one or more selectable thumbnail images belonging to the second examination, the display unit is further configured to switch to display the one or more selectable thumbnail images belonging to the second examination from the one or more selectable thumbnail images belonging to the first examination when the second selectable icon is selected by the input unit, and the display unit is still further configured to display the original image and a second original image in parallel which corresponds to the second selectable thumbnail image when the first and second selectable thumbnail images are selected by the input unit.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selectable thumbnail image represents a plurality of images including the original image.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the display unit is further configured to display the plurality of images when the first selectable thumbnail image is selected by the input unit.

20. A medical image display apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit configured to store examination information of a plurality of examinations and image data resulting from the plurality of examinations;

a display unit configured to display a plurality of icons corresponding to the plurality of examinations along one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in a screen, one or more selectable thumbnail images for each of the plurality of icons along the other one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and at least one original image based on the image data, each of the one or more selectable thumbnail images being displayed in a smaller size than each of the at least one original image; and

an input unit configured to select at least one of the one or more selectable thumbnail images,

wherein the at least one original image corresponds to the selected at least one of the one or more selectable thumbnail images.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein, when the display unit includes a first display screen and a second display screen, the plurality of icons and the one or more selectable thumbnail images are displayed in the first display screen and the at least one original image is displayed in the second display screen.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein, when a first of the one or more selectable thumbnail images with respect to a first of the plurality of icons and a second of the one or more selectable thumbnail images with respect to a second of the plurality of icons are selected by the input unit, the one or more selectable thumbnail images with respect to the first icon and the one or more selectable thumbnail images with respect to the second icon are displayed in a manner that the first selectable thumbnail image is aligned with the second selectable thumbnail image.

23. A medical image display apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit configured to store imaging information of a plurality of imaging operations and a plurality of image data sets resulting from the plurality of imaging operations, respectively, each of the image data sets including a series of images;

a display unit configured to display a plurality of selectable icons corresponding to the plurality of imaging operations along one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in a screen, one or more selectable thumbnail images along the other one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and at least one of the series of images based on the image data set, each of the one or more selectable thumbnail images being displayed in a smaller size than each of the at least one of the series of images; and

an input unit configured to select one of the plurality of selectable icons and one of the one or more selectable thumbnail images,

wherein the one or more selectable thumbnail images belong to a first of the plurality of imaging operations which corresponds to the selected one selectable icon, and the at least one of the series of images corresponds to the selected one selectable thumbnail image.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the selected one selectable icon shows a three dimensional image based on the image data set resulting from the first imaging operation when the image data set results from an X-ray computed tomography apparatus.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the selected one selectable icon shows a cross-sectional image obtained from a three dimensional image based on the image data set resulting from the first imaging operation when the image data set results from an X-ray computed tomography apparatus.

26. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the selected one selectable icon shows one of the series of images based on the image data set resulting from the first imaging operation.

27. A method of displaying a medical image, comprising:

storing examination information of a plurality of examinations and image data resulting from the plurality of examinations;

displaying a plurality of selectable icons corresponding to the plurality of examinations along one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in a screen;

selecting a first of the plurality of selectable icons;

displaying the one or more selectable thumbnail images along the other one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, the one or more selectable thumbnail images belonging to a first of the plurality of examinations which corresponds to the first selectable icon;

selecting a first of the one or more selectable thumbnail images; and

displaying an original image based on the image data, the original image being displayed in a larger size than the first selectable thumbnail image, the original image corresponding to the first selectable thumbnail image.

28. A method of displaying a medical image, comprising:

storing examination information of a plurality of examinations and image data resulting from the plurality of examinations;

displaying a plurality of icons corresponding to the plurality of examinations along one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in a screen;

displaying one or more selectable thumbnail images for each of the plurality of icons along the other one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction;

selecting at least one of the one or more selectable thumbnail images; and

displaying at least one original image based on the image data, the at least one original image being displayed in a larger size than each of the one or more selectable thumbnail images, the at least one original image corresponding to the selected at least one of the one or more selectable thumbnail images.

29. A method of displaying a medical image, comprising:

storing examination information of a plurality of examinations and image data resulting from the plurality of examinations;

displaying a plurality of selectable icons corresponding to the plurality of examinations along one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in a screen;

selecting a first of the plurality of selectable icons;

displaying a first set of one or more selectable thumbnail images along the other one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, the first set belonging to a first of the plurality of examinations which corresponds to the first selectable icon;

selecting a second of the plurality of selectable icons;

switching to display the first set to a second set of one or more selectable thumbnail images, the second set belonging to a second of the plurality of examinations which corresponds to the second selectable icon;

selecting a first selectable thumbnail image from the second set; and

displaying an original image corresponding to the first selectable thumbnail image based on the image data, the original image being displayed in a larger size than the first selectable thumbnail image.