Picture archiving and communication system employing improved data compression

• US 6,633,674 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1999
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Barnes, Robert D., Gemperline, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Timothy M.
• Application Number:
  US09/448,950
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/130-132, 382/232-233, 382/239, 382/243-251, 382/253, 375/240.02, 375/240.08, 375/240.1, 348/397, 348/404.1, 341/51, 341/65, 341/67, 341/106
• US Class Current: 382/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4084 in the transform domain, e.g. fast Fourier transform [FFT] domain scaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/10 using adaptive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/103 Selection of coding mode or of prediction mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/105 Selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g. adaptive choice of position and number of pixels used for prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/127 Prioritisation of hardware or computational resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/13 Adaptive entropy coding, e.g. adaptive variable length coding [AVLC] or context adaptive binary arithmetic coding [CABAC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/136 Incoming video signal characteristics or properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/14 Coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation H04N19/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/156 Availability of hardware or computational resources, e.g. encoding based on power-saving criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/184 the unit being bits, e.g. of the compressed video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/593 involving spatial prediction techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/63 using sub-band based transform, e.g. wavelets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 : by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 : Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 : Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 : for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10

Abstract

A picture archiving and communication system includes an image data compression station which received image, data files and compresses the image data. The compression is performed via one or more optimal compression algorithms for subregions of the image data. Hybrid compressed data files are created including a descriptive header and the optimally compressed image data. Code identifying the selected algorithms is inserted into the hybrid files. A server receives and stores the hybrid files, and access the files upon demand for client stations, wherein the hybrid compressed files are decompressed for viewing of the encoded images. Rapid data exchange within the system are facilitated by the use of compressed data and by the availability of descriptive data from the header portions of the files.

Claims

1. A picture archiving and communication system comprising:

an input device configured to receive uncompressed medical image data files including a descriptive header and image data, and to convert each of the uncompressed

image data files to a hybrid compressed data file including uncompressed descriptive header data, compression header, and compressed image data;

a data file server coupled to the input device for storing the hybrid compressed image data files;

a client system coupled to the server, the client system being configured to receive the hybrid compressed data files and to uncompress the image data for output; and

a database accessible by the file server for referencing the hybrid compressed data files.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device is configured to include in the hybrid compressed data files code indicative of a compression algorithm employed in compressing the image data.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a compression library coupled to the input device for storing at least one compression algorithm for compression of the image data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the compression library is accessible by the client system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the compressed image data of the hybrid compressed image data files are compressed via a lossless compression algorithm.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the lossless compression algorithm includes compressing image subregions based upon relative entropy of image data for the subregions.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server stores compressed image data in accordance with a plurality of different compression algorithms.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of different compression algorithms includes a lossless algorithm and a lossy algorithm.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data archive coupled to the server for storing the hybrid compressed data files.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device is configured to generate hybrid compressed data files including a plurality of uncompressed descriptive header data sections and a corresponding plurality of compressed image data sections.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the database includes HIS or RIS database information.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the database includes data descriptive of a procedure performed for creation of image data or of an anatomical feature viewable in a reconstructed image based upon the image data.

13. A picture archiving and communication system comprising:

a compression system configured to execute a programmed routine to convert uncompressed image data files including a descriptive header and image data to create a hybrid compressed data file from each of the uncompressed image data files including uncompressed descriptive header data, compression header, and compressed image data;

a data file server system coupled to the compression system for storing the hybrid compressed image data files;

a client system coupled to the server, the client system being configured to receive the hybrid compressed data files and to uncompress the image data for output.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the compression system is configured to receive the uncompressed image data files from a plurality of different imaging modality systems.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the image data compression routine includes an algorithm for compressing image data subregions based upon relative data entropy of the subregions.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein each subregion is compressed via reference to one of a plurality of compression code tables.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the descriptive header data includes DICOM compliant data.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising a compression library for storing a plurality of image compression routines.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the compression system is configured to include in the hybrid compressed data files code indicative of a compression algorithm employed in the routine for compressing the image data.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the server stores compressed image data in accordance with a plurality of different compression algorithms.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of different compression algorithms includes a lossless algorithm and a lossy algorithm.

22. The system of claim 13, further comprising a data archive coupled to the server for storing the hybrid compressed data files.

23. A system for managing image data, the system comprising:

compression means for compressing uncompressed image data files to create a hybrid compressed image data files from each of the image data files, each hybrid compressed image data file including a descriptive header portion, a compression header portion, and a compressed image data portion;

server means coupled to the compression means for receiving, storing and accessing the hybrid compressed image data files; and

decompression means for decompressing the hybrid compressed image data files for reconstruction of a user viewable image based upon uncompressed image data.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the compression means divides at least a portion of the image data files into subregions and optimally compresses the image data files by subregion.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the compression means compressed the image data file based at least partially upon descriptive data within the descriptive header portion.

26. The system of claim 23, further comprising library means coupled to the compression means, the library means storing at least one compression routine executed by the compression means.

27. The system of claim 23, further comprising image data acquisition means coupled to the compression means, the image data acquisition means generating the image data files and transmitting the image data files to the compression means.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the server means accesses hybrid compressed image data files based at least partially on data encoded within the header portion of each file.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the client means includes a plurality of viewing stations coupled to the server means for decompressing the hybrid compressed image data files and displaying reconstructed images based thereon.

30. The system of claim 23, further comprising data archive means for storing the hybrid compressed image data files for access by the server means.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the server means is configured to store and access compressed image data files created via a plurality of different data compression algorithms.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein at least one of the data compression algorithms is a lossless compression algorithm.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the compression means is configured to compress image data files via the plurality of different data compression algorithms and to insert code into the hybrid compressed image data files identifying at least one data compression algorithm used to create the hybrid image data compression files.

34. A system managing image data, the system comprising:

a memory device configured to store hybrid compressed image files, each hybrid compressed image file including a descriptive portion, compression header portion, and a compressed data portion, at least one of the descriptive portion, compression header portion, or the compressed data portion including compression code identifying a compression routine used to create the compressed data portion and wherein the compression header portion of the hybrid compressed data files includes identification of a plurality of algorithms used to create the compressed data portion;

a file server coupled to the memory device for accessing the hybrid compressed data files upon demand;

a decompression circuit for decompressing the hybrid compressed data files in accordance with the compression code; and

a library for storing compression routines identifiable by the compression code and accessible by the decompression circuit for decompression of the hybrid compressed data files, wherein the library stores the plurality of algorithms for use by the decompression circuit.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the compression code referenced by the decompression circuit is at least partially located in a descriptive header for the compressed data portion.

36. The system of claim 34, further comprising a database including descriptive data for the hybrid compressed data files, and wherein compression and decompression of the compressed data portion is at least partially based upon descriptive data from the database.

37. A picture archiving and communication system comprising:

a file server for storing hybrid compressed image data files, each data file including an uncompressed descriptive header, an uncompressed compression header, and compressed image data;

a library configured to store compression and decompression algorithms used to compress and decompress the compressed image data of the hybrid compressed image data files; and

a decompression client coupled to the file server for accessing the hybrid compressed image data files and decompressing the files upon demand, and to access algorithms from the library for decompression of the files in accordance with identifying code contained in the files, wherein the identifying code is at least partially interspersed in the compressed image data.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the identifying code is at least partially located in the header of the files.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the identifying code includes identification of a software version for the algorithm.

40. The system of claim 37, further comprising a database for storing descriptive data referencing the files, and wherein decompression by the decompression client is at least partially based upon descriptive data from the database.