Voice actuated volume image controller and display controller

• US 5,303,148 A
• Filed: 10/30/1990
• Issued: 04/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Picker International, Inc. (Marconi Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Picker International, Inc. (Marconi Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Mattson, Rodney A., Tuy, Heang K., Krochta, Todd J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weinhardt, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bodenoorf, A.
• Application Number:
  US07/605,372
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 381/41, 381/42, 381/43, 381/110, 381/49, 395/2, 395/11, 364/419, 364/413.01, 364/413.02
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/006 Inverse problem, transformation from projection-space into object-space, e.g. transform methods, back-projection, algebraic methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

During surgery, a physician speaks commands that are received by a microphone (10). A speech processor (12) converts audio signals from the microphone into word signals. A command interpreter (14) compares each word signal with a list of previously authorized command words. When the word signal corresponds to one of the preselected command words, a corresponding command signal is generated and sent to a volume imager (18), a video recorder (20), a hard copy, printer (28), or other system component. The volume imager generates an image representation signal indicative of a portion of image data stored therein which is displayed on a video monitor (B) or recorded on the video recorder.

Claims

1. An operating room hands free medical diagnostic image display and recording system comprising:

a receiving means for receiving acoustic voice sounds spoken by a surgeon during an operating room procedure and converting the acoustic voice sounds into electrical audio signals;

a speech processor means for converting the electrical audio signals into electrical word signals indicative of words;

a command interpreter means for converting selected ones of the electrical word signals which correspond to preselected command words into corresponding command signals;

a volume imager which stores image data corresponding to a preselected three dimensional volumetric region of a subject and for withdrawing a selected fraction of the stored image data corresponding to one of an orthogonal slice through the volumetric region, an oblique slice in the volumetric region, and a projection of at least a portion of the volumetric region in response to the command signals from the command interpreter means and generating corresponding image representation signals indicative of a selected slice or projection;

a display means for converting the image representation signals from the volume imager means into a man-readable image display depicting a portion of the volumetric area of the patient such that the surgeon verbally calls up and controls the display of images to assist in the operating room procedure in progress;

a recording means for recording at least one of;

(i) the electrical audio signals from the receiving means, (ii) the word signals from the speech processor means, and (iii) the image representation signals from the volume imager means.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the recording means includes a video recorder means for making a video recording from the image representation signals and an audio sound track recording from the electrical audio signals.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 further including a printer means for making a paper text and image copy from the word signals from the speech processor means and the image representation signals from the volume imager means.

4. A hands free medical diagnostic image display system comprising:

a means for receiving acoustic voice sounds and converting the acoustic voice sounds into electrical acoustic wave patterns;

a speech processor means for converting the electrical acoustic waveforms into electrical word signals indicative of words;

a command interpreter means for comparing the word signals from the speech processor with a list of valid command words including command words indicative of a request to display selected slices and projection, the command interpreter generating a corresponding command signal in response to each received word signal that matches one of the valid command words, in response to a command word indicative of the request to display one of a selected slice and a selected projection, the command interpreter generates a corresponding slice or projection command signal;

a volume imager means which stores image data corresponding to a preselected volumetric region of a subject and for generating image representation signals from a selected portion of the image data;

a system manager means which receives the command signals, in response to receiving the corresponding slice or projection command signal from the command interpreter means, the system manager controls the volume imager to generate image representation signals from the image data corresponding to the selected slice or projection;

a recording means operatively connected with the speech processor means and the command interpreter, the recording means responding to a corresponding command signal to record the electrical word signal from the speech processor means;

a display means for providing a human-readable display of the selected slice or projection from the image representation signals.

5. A hands free medical image display system comprising:

a means for receiving acoustic voice sounds and converting the acoustic voice sounds into electrical acoustic wave patterns;

a speech processor means for determining words which corresponds to each electrical acoustic wave patterns and generating electrical word signals indicative thereof;

a command interpreter means for converting selected ones of the electrical word signals into corresponding command signals, the command interpreter means including;

an input means for receiving the word signals from the speech processor;

a comparing means for comparing each received word signal with a list of valid command words in a valid command memory means, the list of valid command words including a command word for indicating display of a selected slice;

a command signal forming means for forming a command signal which corresponds to each received word signal which matches one of the valid command words;

a volume imager means which stores image data corresponding to a preselected volumetric region of a subject and for withdrawing selectable portions of the image data from a selected subregion of the volumetric region and generating image representation signals therefrom;

a system manager means which receives the command signals from the command interpreter means, in response to a command signal which corresponds to the command word indicating the selected slice, the system manager means controls the volume imager means to generate image representation signals depicting the selected slice;

a display means for converting the image representation signals from the volume imager means into a human-readable display.

6. The system as set forth in claim 5 further including an audio recording means operatively connected with the receiving means for recording the electrical wave patterns.

7. The system as set forth in claim 5 further including a video recorder means for recording the image representation signals.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein the video recording means is connected with the receiving means for concurrently recording at least portions of the electrical acoustic wave patterns with the image representation signal.

9. The system as set forth in claim 7 further including a hard copy printing means operatively connected with at least one of the volume imaging means and the video recorder means for selectively providing a print of a selected image representation.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 further including a text means operatively connected with the speech processor for converting electrical word signals into text that is printed by the hard copy means, whereby a textual description can be printed accompanying each printed image.

11. The system as set forth in claim 5 wherein the command interpreter means further includes:

a checking means for checking whether the volume imaging means is in an appropriate state to respond to each command signal received from the command signal forming means.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein the command interpreter further includes:

a validity checking means for checking validity of the word signals received from the speech processor.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein the command interpreter means further includes:

a feed back means for generating a feed back signal indicative of at least one of the validity of the received word signal and the state of the volume imager.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13 further including:

a voice synthesizer for converting the feed back signal into spoken words.

15. A hands free medical diagnostic image selection and display system comprising:

a means for receiving acoustic voice sounds and converting the acoustic voice sounds into electrical audio signals;

a means for digitizing the audio signals;

an audio signal comparing means for comparing each digitized audio signal received from the audio signal digitizing means with a list of authorized digitized audio signals in a library memory means, the library memory means storing a digital word signal in conjunction with each authorized digitized audio signal of the list, the audio signal comparing means outputting the digital word signals;

a digital word signal comparing means for comparing each received digital word signals with a list of valid command words in a valid command memory means, the list of command words including command words directing a display of selected slice and projection images;

a command signal means for forming a command signal in response to the digital comparing means matching one of the received digital word signals to one of the valid command words in the list, which formed command signal corresponds to the one of the valid command words that the received digital word signal matches;

a volume imager means which stores image data corresponding to a preselected volumetric region of a subject and for withdrawing selectable portions of the image data in response to the command signals received from the command signal means and generating corresponding image representation signals corresponding to portions of the image data indicated by the command signals from the command signal means;

a system manager means for controlling the volume imager means to generate image representation signals corresponding to the portions of the image data indicated by command signals received from the command signal means, in response to received command signals corresponding to command words directing the display of one of (1) a selected slice image and (2) a selected projection image, the system manager means controls the volume image means to generate image representation signals depicting the selected one of the selected slice and projection images;

a display means for converting the image representation signals from the volume imager means into a human readable display.

16. The system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the library memory means further stores a language code in conjunction with each of the authorized digitized audio signals such that the audio signal comparing means further outputs the corresponding language code, each language code designating one of a plurality of preselected languages.

17. The system as set forth in claim 16 further including:

a feed back means for providing a feed back information signal indicative of at least one of a status of the volume imager, a validity of the received digital word signal, and completeness of the command signal;

a voice synthesizer for converting the feed back information signal into a human understandable speech;

a speech synthesizer control means for controlling the speech synthesizer to speak in one of a plurality of preselected languages, the speech synthesizer control means being operatively connected with the library memory means such that the language code controls into which of the plurality of preselected languages the fed back information signal is converted.

18. A method of displaying medical diagnostic images, the method comprising:

converting spoken words into audio signals;

converting each of the audio signals into one of a plurality of word signals indicative of a corresponding word;

comparing each word signal with a library of preselected command words;

in response to matching the word signal with one of the preselected command words, generating a corresponding command;

controlling a volume imager in accordance with a command signal indicative of one of a selected planar slice through the volumetric image data and a selected projection of volumetric image data stored in the volume imager to retrieve a portion of the volumetric image data corresponding to the selected planar slice or projection, the volumetric data being indicative of an internal region of a patient;

converting the retrieved portion of the volumetric image data into a human readable display of the selected slice or projection of the internal patient region.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18 further including converting the image representation signal into a man-readable display.

20. The method as set forth in claim 18 further including:

recording spoken words;

playing back the recorded spoken words; and

wherein the step of converting spoken words into audio signals includes converting the played back spoken words into the audio signals.