Medical image displaying device, image obtaining and displaying device, method for displaying image in displaying device, and program for selecting display format

• US 7,162,068 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2003
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Akagi, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lay; Michelle K.
• Application Number:
  US10/341,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20030142119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 345/788, 345/765, 345/619, 382/131, 382/132, 715/517
• US Class Current: 382/132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4216 using storage phosphor screens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4283 characterised by a detector unit being housed in a cassette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4494 Means for identifying the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/469 for selecting a region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/50 specially adapted for specific body parts; specially adapted for specific clinical applications
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/501 for diagnosis of the head, e.g. neuroimaging or craniography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A medical image displaying device for displaying a plurality of image data obtained by photographing a patient, includes: a plurality of display formats for designating at least one selected between each display size of the plurality of image data and each display position of the plurality of image data.

Claims

1. A medical image displaying device for displaying a plurality of images of a patient, said medical image displaying device comprising:

a plurality of selectable display formats for displaying each of the plurality of images in a predetermined display size and at a predetermined display position on a screen;

wherein one of the plurality of display formats is automatically selected in accordance with a number of the images to be obtained and in accordance with a region to be photographed of the patient corresponding to the images to be obtained, and

the plurality of imaqes are displayed on the screen in accordance with the selected displayed format.

2. The medical image displaying device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of display formats comprises a screen changing section for instructing the device to change one display format to another display format on the screen.

3. The medical image displaying device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of display formats comprise:

a first display format in which one image is displayed in a first size and at least one other image is displayed in a second size which is smaller than the first size; and

a second display format in which the plurality of images are displayed in a same size.

4. The medical image displaying device according to claim 3, wherein a first obtained image is displayed in the first size and a second obtained image is displayed in the second size, and when the second obtained image is selected, the selected second obtained image is displayed in the first size.

5. The medical image displaying device according to claim 3, wherein a first obtained image and a second obtained image are displayed in the second size;

and

wherein when one of the first obtained image and the second obtained image is selected, the selected one of the first obtained image and the second obtained image is displayed in the first size.

6. The medical image displaying device according to claim 3, wherein the second display format comprises at least one parallel display format for displaying in parallel an even number of images selected from the plurality of images.

7. The medical image displaying device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one parallel display format comprises:

a first parallel display format for displaying in parallel two images selected from the plurality of images;

a second parallel display format for displaying in parallel four images selected from the plurality of images; and

a third parallel display format for displaying in parallel eight images selected from the plurality of images.

8. The medical image displaying device according to claim 6, wherein in the at least one parallel display format, images other than the selected even number of images are displayed by changing at least one of the predetermined image display size and the predetermined image display position on the screen.

9. The medical image displaying device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of display formats comprise a display format in which the plurality of images are displayed in a same size.

10. An image obtaining and displaying device comprising:

a reading unit for reading a plurality of image data of a patient from a diagnostic image conversion medium for storing diagnostic images; and

a display unit for displaying a plurality of images corresponding to the plurality of image data, said display unit comprising;

a storing section for storing a plurality of selectable display formats for displaying each of the plurality of images in a predetermined display size and at a predetermined display position on a screen;

a selecting section for automatically selecting one of the display formats in accordance with a number of the images to be obtained and in accordance with a region to be photographed of the patient corresponding to the images to be obtained; and

a display section for displaying the images on a display screen in accordance with the selected display format.

11. The image obtaining and displaying device according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of display formats comprises a screen changing section for instructing the device to change one display format to another display format on the screen.

12. The image obtaining and displaying device according to claim 10, wherein history information is stored in the storing section, and the history information correlates at least one of the display formats with at least one of:

the reading unit, the display unit, a type of the diagnostic image conversion medium, a type of a cassette, a date and time of imaging, an operator, and supplementary information of a schedule for the imaging; and

wherein the selecting section comprises a corresponding display format selecting section for selecting a display format which corresponds to the history information.

13. The image obtaining and display device according to claim 10, wherein setting information is previously registered in the storing section, and the setting information correlates at least one of the display formats with at least one of:

the reading unit, the display unit, a type of the diagnostic image conversion medium, a type of a cassette, a date and time of imaging, an operator, and supplementary information of a schedule for the imaging; and

wherein the selecting section comprises a corresponding display format selecting section for selecting a display format which corresponds to the setting information.

14. The image obtaining and display device according to claim 12, wherein the supplementary information comprises at least one of a name of a doctor, and a department.

15. The image obtaining and display device according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of display formats comprise:

a first display format in which one image is displayed in a first size and at least one other image is displayed in a second size which is smaller than the first size; and

a second display format in which the plurality of images are displayed in a same size.

16. The image obtaining and display device according to claim 15, wherein a first obtained image is displayed in the first size and a second obtained image is displayed in the second size, and when the second obtained image is selected, the selected second obtained image is displayed in the first size.

17. The image obtaining and display device according to claim 15, wherein a first obtained image and a second obtained image are displayed in the second size;

and

wherein when one of the first obtained image and the second obtained image is selected, the selected one of the first obtained image and the second obtained image is displayed in the first size.

18. The image obtaining and display device according to claim 15, wherein the second display format comprises at least one parallel display format for displaying in parallel an even number of images selected from the plurality of images.

19. The image obtaining and display device according to claim 18, wherein the at least one parallel display format comprises:

a first parallel display format for displaying in parallel two images selected from the plurality of images;

a second parallel display format for displaying in parallel four images selected from the plurality of images; and

a third parallel display format for displaying in parallel eight images selected from the plurality of images.

20. The image obtaining and display device according to claim 18, wherein in the at least one parallel display format, images other than the selected even number of images are displayed by changing at least one of the predetermined image display size and the predetermined image display position on the screen.

21. The image obtaining and display device according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of display formats comprise a display format in which the plurality of images are displayed in a same size.

22. A method for displaying a plurality of images of a patient with a medical image displaying device, said method comprising:

providing a plurality of selectable display formats for displaying each of the plurality of images in a predetermined display size and at a predetermined display position on a screen;

automatically selecting one of the plurality of display formats in accordance with a number of the images to be obtained and in accordance with a region to be photographed of the patient corresponding to the images to be obtained; and

displaying the plurality of images on the screen in accordance with the selected display format.

23. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of display formats comprises a screen changing section for instructing the device to change one display format to another display format on the screen.

24. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 22, wherein the plurality of display formats comprise:

a first display format in which one image is displayed in a first size and at least one other image is displayed in a second size which is smaller than the first size; and

a second display format in which the plurality of images are displayed in a same size.

25. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 24, wherein a first obtained image is displayed in the first size and a second obtained image is displayed in the second size, and when the second obtained image is selected, the selected second obtained image is displayed in the first size.

26. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 24, wherein a first obtained image and a second obtained image are displayed in the second size;

and

wherein when one of the first obtained image and the second obtained image is selected, the selected one of the first obtained image and the second obtained image is displayed in the first size.

27. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 24, wherein the second display format comprises at least one parallel display format for displaying in parallel an even number of images selected from the plurality of images.

28. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 27, wherein the at least one parallel display format comprises:

a first parallel display format for displaying in parallel two images selected from the plurality of images;

a second parallel display format for displaying in parallel four images selected from the plurality of images; and

a third parallel display format for displaying in parallel eight images selected from the plurality of images.

29. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 27, wherein in the at least one parallel display format, images other than the selected even number of images are displayed by changing at least one of the predetermined image display size and the predetermined image display position on the screen.

30. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 22, wherein the plurality of display formats comprise a display format in which the plurality of images are displayed in a same size.

31. A method for displaying a plurality of images of a patient corresponding to image data read by an image data reading device from a diagnostic image conversion medium for storing the plurality of images, said method comprising:

storing a plurality of selectable display formats for displaying each of the plurality of images in a predetermined display size and at a predetermined display position on a screen;

selecting one of the plurality of display formats; and

displaying the images on a display screen in accordance with the selected display format;

wherein the one of the plurality of display formats is automatically selected in accordance with a number of the images to be obtained and in accordance with a region to be photographed of the patient corresponding to the images to be obtained.

32. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 31, wherein the one of the display formats is selected based on history information which correlates at least one of the plurality of display formats with at least one of:

the image reading device, an image display terminal, a type of the diagnostic image conversion medium, a type of a cassette, a date and time of imaging, an operator, and supplementary information of a schedule for the imaging.

33. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 31, wherein the one of the display formats is selected based on previously registered setting information which correlates at least one of the plurality of display formats with at least one of:

the image reading device, an image display terminal, a type of the diagnostic image conversion medium, a type of a cassette, a date and time of imaging, an operator, and supplementary information of a schedule for the imaging.

34. The method for displaying the plurality of images according to claim 32, wherein the supplementary information comprises at least one of a name of a doctor, and a department.