MEDICAL IMAGE DISPLAY SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20150091778A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• 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: DAY, Timothy, Ashmole, Dominic
• Granted Patent: US 10,169,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7425 Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image geometric transforms for image registration G06T3/14; enhancement using image fusion G06T5/50; algorithms for registration of images G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/08 Biomedical applications
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• 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 display system for displaying medical images across a plurality of separate display devices, the system comprising a layout unit for providing layout data concerning the display of medical images, an allocation unit for allocating a plurality of medical images amongst a plurality of separate display devices according to the layout data, wherein at least one of the plurality of display devices comprises a mobile display device.

Claims

1. A display system for displaying medical images across a plurality of separate display devices, the system comprising:

a layout unit for providing layout data concerning the display of medical images;

an allocation unit for allocating a plurality of medical images amongst a plurality of separate display devices according to the layout data,

wherein at least one of the plurality of display devices comprises a mobile display device.

2. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the layout data comprises a plurality of rules concerning at least one of allocation to a display device, image appearance, image orientation, image data selection, image rendering, image importance, image navigation.

3. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the layout data comprises a hanging protocol.

4. A display system according to claim 3, wherein the hanging protocol is a DICOM-compliant hanging protocol.

5. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of medical images comprise at least one of:

—

a plurality of views of the same anatomical region of a patient;

a plurality of views obtained using different imaging modalities;

a plurality of different views obtained by differently rendering the same volumetric image data.

6. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the display system comprises at least one position determination unit for providing the proximity or relative position of the plurality of display devices.

7. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the allocation unit is configured to allocate a plurality of medical images to the display devices according to the layout data and the relative position of the display devices.

8. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the allocation unit is configured to determine a plurality of the display devices that are separated by less than a threshold distance and to allocate a plurality of medical images to a plurality of the display devices that are separated by less than the threshold distance.

9. A display system according to claim 1, further comprising a user input device, wherein the allocation unit is configured to output a list of available display devices, to receive user input via the user input device selecting a plurality of the available display devices, and to allocate a plurality of medical images to the selected display devices according to the layout data.

10. A display system according to claim 9, wherein the list of available display devices is a list of further display devices that are within a threshold distance of a first display device.

11. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the allocation unit is configured to allocate the plurality of medical images amongst the plurality of display devices, subject to consent from each of the display devices.

12. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the allocation unit is configured to generate automatically a corresponding change in the medical image displayed on one of the display devices in response to a change in the medical image displayed on at least one other one of the display devices.

13. A display system according to claim 12, wherein the change in the medical image comprises at least one of a change in rendering, a change in position, orientation or co-ordinates, a change in view point, a change in position of a pointer, at least one of a pan, scale, position or scale adjustment.

14. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the allocation unit is configured to provide synchronised navigation of the medical images across the plurality of display devices.

15. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the layout data assign a relative importance to each of the plurality of medical images

16. A display system according to claim 15, wherein the allocation unit is configured to determine, for at least one of the views, in dependence on the relative importance of that view and the number of the display devices available, whether to display that view.

17. A display system according to claim 15, wherein the allocation unit is configured to determine in dependence on the relative importance of the views and in dependence at least one property of the display devices, at least one of the position, scale or resolution or display device assigned to each image.

18. A display system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the display devices comprises a device for determining orientation of the display device and to update an orientation of the medical image displayed on that display device automatically in response to a change in orientation of the display device.

19. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the allocation unit is configured to allocate the plurality of medical images amongst the plurality of display devices subject to the plurality of display devices subscribing to a collaboration, and the allocation unit is further configured to at least one of reassign the images or alter at least one display parameter in response to one of the plurality of display devices leaving the collaboration.

20. A display system according to claim 1, comprising a server that includes the layout unit and allocation unit, and that further includes a rendering unit for rendering the medical images and distributing the rendered medical images to at least some of the plurality of display devices.

21. A display system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the display devices comprises the layout unit and the allocation unit, and is configured to control the allocation of images to the other display devices.

22. A display system according to claim 1, comprising a device discovery unit configured to discover display devices in a vicinity of the display system.

23. A display system according to claim 22, wherein the device discovery unit is configured to discover display devices using at least one of GPS, near field or short range wireless communication apparatus, a Bluetooth, ZigBee or IR communication apparatus, a camera, and an accelerometer.

24. A system according to claim 1, wherein the layout unit is configured to dynamically modify or replace the layout of the medical images in response to at least one of changes in display devices available to the system and user input.

25. A system according to claim 1, wherein the allocation unit is configured to allocate at least one medical image to a display device having a location relative to the other display device that best matches the relative image position specified in the layout data for the allocated medical image.

26. A system according to claim 1, wherein the layout unit is configured to select the layout data according to at least one of a user'"'"'s expertise, a user'"'"'s job title, a user'"'"'s interest in a field, user preferences, a display resolution or other display property of at least one of the display devices, a display size of at least one of the display devices, whether a display device is a color or grayscale display device, whether a display device has an electronic ink display, a modality associated with the images, a procedure associated with the images and/or anatomy associated with the images.

27. A system according to claim 1, wherein the layout unit is configured to select or change the layout data based on usable system resources, such as at least one of CPU usage and memory usage.

30. A display device according to claim 28, wherein the display device is comprised in the display system of claim 1.

28. A mobile display device for displaying medical images in collaboration with at least one other display device, the mobile display device comprising:

a display;

a communication unit for communicating with the at least one other display device;

a layout unit for providing layout data concerning the display of medical images; and

an allocation unit for allocating a plurality of medical images to the display device and at least one other display device according to the layout data.

29. A display device according to claim 28, wherein the display device comprises at least one position determination unit for providing the relative position of the display device and at least one other display device, and the allocation unit is configured to allocate the plurality of medical images to the display device and the at least one other display device according to the layout instructions and the relative position of the display devices.

31. A server for processing medical images, the server comprising:

a layout unit for providing layout data concerning the display of medical images; and

an allocation unit for allocating a plurality of medical images amongst a plurality of separate display devices according to the layout data,

wherein at least one of the plurality of display devices comprises a mobile display device.

32. A server according to claim 31, wherein the server comprises at least one position determination unit for providing the relative position of a plurality of display devices;

and the allocation unit is configured to allocate the plurality of medical images amongst the plurality of display devices according to the layout protocol and the relative position of the display devices.

33. A method for displaying medical images across a plurality of separate display devices, the method comprising:

providing layout data concerning the display of medical images; and

allocating a plurality of medical images amongst a plurality of separate display devices according to the layout data,

wherein at least one of the plurality of display devices comprises a mobile display device.

34. A method according to claim 33, the method comprising obtaining the relative position of the plurality of display devices, wherein allocating the plurality of medical images comprises allocating the plurality of medical images amongst the display devices according to the layout protocol and the relative position of the display devices.