Adaptive selection of image streaming mode

• US 20070237402A1
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Dekel, Shai, Sherman, Alexander, Zaharia, Roni
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/232
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2166 for mass storage, e.g. in document filing systems information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33307 prior to start of transmission, input or output of the picture signal only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33353 according to the available bandwidth used for a single communication, e.g. the number of ISDN channels used
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0079 Medical imaging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33357 Compression mode

Abstract

A Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) transmits medical image information from a server to a viewing workstation. The mode of transmission that the system uses depends on a performance metric of the network. If the network is fast and stable, the entire DICOM image file is transmitted. If the network is not fast and stable, one of several other modes is used to transmit the image information.

Claims

1. An imaging system, comprising:

a server providing medical image information;

a network adapted to transmit the medical image information from the server; and

a viewing workstation operatively coupled with the network, the viewing station adapted to request transmission of the image information from the server in one of a plurality of modes responsive to transmission characteristics of the network.

2. An imaging system as in claim 1, wherein the viewing workstation includes a bandwidth measurement subsystem to determine bandwidth of the network.

3. An imaging system as in claim 1, wherein the server includes a bandwidth measurement subsystem to determine bandwidth of the network.

4. An imaging system as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of modes includes transmission of original image files, transmission of losslessly compressed image file data, transmission of region of interest pixel data, transmission of wavelet lossless compression image file data, and transmission. of region of interest wavelet lossless compression data.

5. An imaging system as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of modes includes transmission of a lossy compressed version of image data in response to the server having pre-existing access to the lossy compressed version.

6. An imaging system as in claim 1, wherein the viewing workstation is configured to request transmission in said one of the plurality of modes responsive to performance characteristics of the viewing workstation relative to characteristics of the medical image information.

7. A method of transmitting medical image information from a server to a viewing workstation via a network, comprising:

determining a performance metric;

selecting a transmission mode responsive to the results of said determining; and

transmitting the image information in the selected transmission mode.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the performance metric is bandwidth of the network.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein the performance metric is stability of the network.

10. A method as in claim 7, wherein selecting includes comparing the performance metric to a plurality of threshold values.

11. A method as in claim 7, wherein selecting is responsive to performance characteristics of the viewing workstation.

12. A method as in claim 7, wherein the selected transmission mode is transmission of original image files.

13. A method as in claim 7, wherein the selected transmission mode is transmission of losslessly compressed image file data.

14. A method as in claim 7, wherein the selected transmission mode is transmission of region of interest pixel data.

15. A method as in claim 7, wherein the selected transmission mode is transmission of wavelet lossless compression image data.

16. A method as in claim 7, wherein the selected transmission mode is transmission of region of interest wavelet lossless compression image data.

17. A method as in claim 7, wherein the selected transmission mode is transmission of lossy compression image data.

18. A method as in claim 7, wherein the selected transmission mode is transmission of compressed region of interest image data.