Virtual colonoscopy navigation methods using a mobile device

• US 8,692,774 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Venon, Medhi
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/625,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/466 adapted to display 3D data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

Certain examples provide systems and methods for mobile virtual colonoscopy. Certain examples provide a mobile device configured to view clinical content. The mobile device includes a data storage to store data including images for a virtual colonoscopy; a user interface to display the images for user viewing and manipulation; and a motion detector to capture movement of the mobile device with respect to a reference plane and to provide movement data. The mobile device includes a processor to receive input via the user interface and provide content, including the images, to the user interface. The processor is to provide a virtual colonoscopy using the images to a user via the user interface. The processor receives the movement data from the motion detector and translates the movement data to navigation commands in the virtual colonoscopy to allow the user to conduct a virtual colonoscopy using the mobile device.

Claims

1. A mobile medical computing system, the system comprising:

a mobile device configured to view clinical content, the mobile device comprising;

a data storage to store data including images for a virtual colonoscopy;

a user interface to display the images for user viewing and manipulation;

a motion detector to capture movement of the mobile device with respect to a reference plane to provide movement data from the movement of the mobile device with respect to the reference plane;

a processor to receive input via the user interface and provide content, including the images, to the user interface, the processor to provide a virtual colonoscopy using the images to a user via the user interface, the processor to receive the movement data from the motion detector and translate the movement data to navigation commands in the virtual colonoscopy to allow the user to conduct a virtual colonoscopy using the mobile device, the processor to translate input received from the user interface into annotation of results of the virtual colonoscopy, the processor to facilitate generation of a report of the virtual colonoscopy procedure via the mobile device, the processor to provide a mobile review of the virtual colonoscopy by user edit, replay, and sharing of the virtual colonoscopy and identified findings via the user interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to include a default translation from the movement data to navigation commands.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the default translation is customizable by a user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a touch screen interface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the images can be manipulated, annotated, and measured via the user interface.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the user interface and the processor support multi-touch recognition, wherein, using at least one of multi-touch or keypad buttons, a user can draw shapes and annotate to generate measurements, highlight abnormal structure, and add textual comments to an image.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the motion detector comprises an accelerometer detecting motion of the device and allowing a user to navigate through the virtual colonoscopy images based on the detected movement data.

8. A method for mobile virtual colonoscopy using a movement of a mobile device, the method comprising:

loading images for a virtual colonoscopy at a mobile device;

displaying, via a user interface at the mobile device, the images for user viewing and manipulation in a virtual colonoscopy;

capturing, using a motion detector in the mobile device, movement of the mobile device with respect to a reference plane to provide movement data from the movement of the mobile device with respect to the reference plane;

conducting, using a processor, navigation of the virtual colonoscopy based on the movement data provided by the motion detector, the processor translating the movement data to navigation commands in the virtual colonoscopy to allow the user to conduct a virtual colonoscopy using the mobile device;

translating input received from the user interface into annotation of results of the virtual colonoscopy;

facilitating generation of a report of the virtual colonoscopy procedure via the mobile device; and

facilitating a mobile review of the virtual colonoscopy by user edit, replay, and sharing of the virtual colonoscopy and identified findings via the user interface.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the processor is to include a default translation from the movement data to navigation commands.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the default translation is customizable by a user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the user interface comprises a touch screen interface.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising manipulating, annotating, and measuring an image in the virtual colonoscopy via the user interface.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising accepting multi-touch user input to draw shapes and annotate to generate measurements, highlight abnormal structure, and add textual comments to an image in the virtual colonoscopy.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the motion detector comprises an accelerometer detecting motion of the device and allowing a user to navigate through the virtual colonoscopy images based on the detected movement data.

15. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having a set of instructions stored thereon which, when executed, instruct a processor to implement a method for mobile virtual colonoscopy using a movement of a mobile device, the method comprising:

loading images for a virtual colonoscopy at a mobile device;

displaying, via a user interface at the mobile device, the images for user viewing and manipulation in a virtual colonoscopy;

capturing, using a motion detector in the mobile device, movement of the mobile device with respect to a reference plane to provide movement data from the movement of the mobile device with respect to the reference plane;

conducting, using a processor, navigation of the virtual colonoscopy based on the movement data provided by the motion detector, the processor translating the movement data to navigation commands in the virtual colonoscopy to allow the user to conduct a virtual colonoscopy using the mobile device;

facilitating a mobile review of the virtual colonoscopy by user edit, replay, and sharing of the virtual colonoscopy and identified findings via the user interface; and

accepting multi-touch user input to draw shapes and annotate to generate measurements, highlight abnormal structure, and add textual comments to an image in the virtual colonoscopy.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising manipulating, annotating, and measuring an image in the virtual colonoscopy via the user interface, wherein the user interface is a touch screen user interface.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the motion detector comprises an accelerometer detecting motion of the device and allowing a user to navigate through the virtual colonoscopy images based on the detected movement data.