Configuration and operation method of cloud server systems to reduce the provision time of pathology whole slide image data

Abstract

One embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a cloud server system for providing pathology WSI (Whole Slide Image) data and a method of operating the same. The server includes a memory for storing at least one instruction and at least one processor for executing at least one instruction stored in the memory. The at least one processor stores a plurality of original data converted into a plurality of first conversion data having a predetermined first format in object storage, obtains a data request signal requesting at least one of the plurality of first conversion data, reads at least one of the plurality of first conversion data stored in object storage into a network attached storage (NAS) coupled with the server based on the obtained data request signal, and can provide at least one of the first conversion data read into the network attached storage to a client.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a server, and more specifically, to the configuration of a cloud server system and a method of operation thereof for reducing the provision time of pathology WSI (Whole Slide Image) data. Background Technology

[0002] Human tissue is used to perform the final diagnosis of diseases or pathological research.

[0003] Recently, with the advancement of technology, human tissues prepared on glass slides for microscopic observation are scanned using digital scanners to acquire digitized pathological data known as Whole Slide Images. This allows for improved convenience in the final diagnosis of diseases or pathological research. Furthermore, technologies for storing and sharing digitized pathological data through online platforms are also advancing.

[0004] However, digitized pathology data has a large volume, requiring significant storage space to store it, and there were problems such as long loading times and wide network bandwidth required to provide data stored on the server to clients. Prior art literature

[0005] T. Baptista, R. Jesus, L.B. Silva and C. Costa, "Scalable Digital Pathology Platform Over Standard Cloud Native Technologies," 2022 IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC), Rhodes, Greece, 2022, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109 / ISCC55528.2022.9912933.R. Jesus, Y. Gupta, LB Silva and C. Costa, "Vendor Neutral Cloud Platform for 4D Digital Pathology," 2022 IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC), Rhodes, Greece, 2022, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109 / ISCC55528.2022.9912895.Registration No. 10-2479750 (Date of publication: November 04, 2021) The problem to be solved

[0006] Pathology WSI data can be generated in various formats depending on the technology used to acquire it; however, for the convenience of the client, this data can be converted into a standardized format. Additionally, converting to a standardized format reduces the file size of the pathology WSI data, allowing it to be stored in a cloud system.

[0007] In addition, when providing pathology WSI data stored in a cloud system upon a client's request, the requested pathology WSI data can be read from network-linked storage and then provided to the client to reduce latency.

[0008] In addition, pathology WSI data stored in the cloud system can be converted into a format such as JPEG with a small capacity and provided to the client, and when a signal requesting additional information from the client is obtained, the pathology WSI data stored in the cloud system can be provided to the client.

[0009] The problems that this disclosure aims to solve are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned problems will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0010] According to the present disclosure for achieving the aforementioned technical objectives, a cloud server providing pathology WSI data may be provided. The server may include a memory for storing at least one instruction. The server may include at least one processor for executing at least one instruction stored in the memory. At least one processor may store a plurality of original data converted into a plurality of first conversion data having a predetermined first format in object storage. At least one processor may acquire a data request signal requesting at least one of the first conversion data among the plurality of first conversion data. Based on the acquired data request signal, at least one processor may read at least one of the first conversion data among the plurality of first conversion data stored in object storage into a Network Attached Storage (NAS) coupled with the server. At least one processor may provide at least one of the first conversion data read into the Network Attached Storage to a client.

[0011] Additionally, according to the present disclosure, a method of operation for a cloud server providing pathology WSI data may be disclosed. The method of operation of the server may include the step of storing a plurality of original data converted into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format in object storage. The method of operation of the server may include the step of obtaining a data request signal requesting at least one of the first converted data among the plurality of first converted data. Based on the obtained data request signal, the method of operation of the server may include the step of reading at least one of the first converted data among the plurality of first converted data stored in object storage into a network attached storage (NAS) coupled with the server. The method of operation of the server may include the step of providing at least one of the first converted data read into the network attached storage to a client.

[0012] In addition, a computer-readable recording medium for recording a computer program for executing a method for implementing the present disclosure may be further provided. Effects of the invention

[0013] According to the aforementioned means for solving the problem of the present disclosure, a cloud server providing pathology WSI data can improve client convenience by converting pathology WSI data of various formats into pathology WSI data in a unified format, for example, TIFF (Tag Image File Format) format.

[0014] In addition, converting to pathology WSI data in a standardized format reduces the volume of the pathology data, thereby allowing for a smaller amount of storage space in the cloud system required to store the pathology WSI data.

[0015] In addition, when providing pathology WSI data stored in a cloud system upon a client's request, the requested pathology WSI data can be read from object storage to network attached storage (NAS) and then provided to the client to reduce latency.

[0016] In addition, pathology WSI data stored in the cloud system can be converted into a small-capacity format such as JPEG and provided to the client, and if a signal requesting additional information from the client is obtained, the pathology WSI data stored in the cloud system can be provided to the client to reduce the client's waiting time.

[0017] The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description below. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining the conversion of original data into data of different formats according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of converting original data into first converted data having a first format according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating data provided through a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating that second conversion data is provided through a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an operation to request additional first conversion data corresponding to second conversion data provided through a server, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating that first conversion data is provided through a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating reading data stored in object storage according to one embodiment of the present disclosure into network combined storage. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an operation of annotating WSI pathology data through first conversion data and second conversion data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0019] Throughout this disclosure, the same reference numerals denote the same components. This disclosure does not describe all elements of the embodiments, and general content in the art to which this disclosure pertains or content that overlaps between embodiments is omitted. The terms 'part, module, component, block' as used in the specification may be implemented in software or hardware, and depending on the embodiments, a plurality of 'parts, modules, components, blocks' may be implemented as a single component, or a single 'part, module, component, block' may include a plurality of components.

[0020] Furthermore, when it is stated that a part "includes" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0021] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish one component from another, and the components are not limited by the aforementioned terms.

[0022] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless there is an obvious exception in the context.

[0023] In each step, identification codes are used for convenience of explanation and do not describe the order of the steps; the steps may be performed differently from the specified order unless a specific order is clearly indicated in the context.

[0024] The operating principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 illustrates a server (100) that provides pathology WSI (Whole Slide Image) data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server (100) may include a memory (110), at least one processor (120), and a communication interface unit (130). Since the components illustrated in FIG. 1 are not essential for implementing the server (100) according to the present disclosure, the server (100) described herein may have more or fewer components than those listed above. The memory (110), at least one processor (120), and the communication interface unit (130) may each be electrically and / or physically connected to each other.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory (110) may store data supporting various functions of the server (100) and a program for the operation of at least one processor (120), and may store input / output data (e.g., images, still images, video, etc.), and may store a plurality of application programs (or applications) running on the device, at least one data for the operation of the device, and at least one instruction. At least some of these application programs may be downloaded from an external server via wireless communication.

[0028] The memory (110) may include at least one type of storage medium among flash memory type, hard disk type, SSD type (Solid State Disk type), SSD type (Silicon Disk Drive type), multimedia card micro type, card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory, etc.), RAM (random access memory; RAM), SRAM (static random access memory), ROM (read-only memory; ROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), magnetic memory, magnetic disk, and optical disk. Additionally, the memory may be a database that is separated from the server (100) but connected via wired or wireless connection.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) may be a general-purpose processor such as a CPU, AP, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc., or a graphics-dedicated processor such as a GPU, VPU (Vision Processing Unit). At least one processor (120) may control a server (100) that provides pathology WSI data according to instructions stored in memory.

[0030] In one embodiment, at least one processor (120) can control the overall operations of the server (100). In one embodiment, at least one processor (120) can control the operation of the server (100) by executing at least one instruction stored in memory (110).

[0031] In one embodiment, the communication interface unit (130) can perform data communication between the server (100) and an external server or other electronic devices in the vicinity.

[0032] The communication interface unit (130) may include one or more components that enable communication with an external server or other electronic devices in the vicinity, for example, at least one of a wireless communication module, a short-range communication module, and a location information module.

[0033] In addition to Wi-Fi modules and WiBro (Wireless broadband) modules, the wireless communication module may include wireless communication modules that support various wireless communication methods such as GSM (global System for Mobile Communication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, 5G, and 6G.

[0034] The wireless communication module may include a wireless communication interface comprising an antenna and a transmitter that transmit a data signal. Additionally, the wireless communication module may further include a data signal conversion module that modulates a digital control signal output from at least one processor (120) through the wireless communication interface into an analog wireless signal under the control of at least one processor (120).

[0035] The wireless communication module may include a wireless communication interface comprising an antenna and a receiver for receiving data signals. Additionally, the wireless communication module may further include a data signal conversion module for demodulating an analog wireless signal received through the wireless communication interface into a digital control signal.

[0036] The short-range communication module is for short-range communication and can support short-range communication by using at least one of the following technologies: Bluetooth (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, and Wireless Universal Serial Bus (Wireless Universal Serial Bus).

[0037] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server (100) may include a cloud server-based platform that provides pathology WSI data in response to a client's request. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the client may connect to the server (100), provide a data request signal to the server (100), and receive and use data corresponding to the data request signal from the server (100).

[0038] In one embodiment, a client may access a cloud-based platform that provides pathology WSI data provided by a server (100) and use the platform. In one embodiment, the client may be a web-based site, an application, or an application installed on an electronic device such as a mobile phone by downloading an installation program. However, the electronic device is not limited thereto and may include a desktop PC, a laptop PC, etc. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the client may be a user who uses the platform provided by the server (100).

[0039] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, pathology WSI data may be digital image data obtained by scanning a human tissue glass slide. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, pathology WSI data may be obtained by scanning pathology data in various ways, and may be obtained as digital data having various formats depending on the method of scanning the pathology data. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, pathology WSI data having various formats will be referred to as original data.

[0040] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the data stored in the server (100) may be a plurality of first converted data that have been converted to have a predetermined first format of pathology WSI. The data stored in the server (100) may be a plurality of original data that have been converted into a plurality of first converted data that have a predetermined first format. In this case, the capacity of the converted plurality of first converted data may be smaller than the capacity of the plurality of original data. Hereinafter, the first format and the plurality of first converted data will be described in FIG. 4. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it will be described that a plurality of first converted data are stored in the object storage (200).

[0041] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server (100) may store a plurality of acquired first transformation data in object storage (200). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, object storage (200) may refer to storage capable of storing data in object units and managing data using key-value metadata. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, object storage (200) may be storage provided by a cloud system.

[0042] At this time, the plurality of first converted data provided to the server (100) may be provided to the server (100) after the plurality of original data has been converted by an external electronic device or an external server. The server (100) may not store the plurality of original data. The server (100) may obtain the plurality of original data converted into the plurality of first converted data from an external server or an external electronic device through the communication interface unit (130). The plurality of original data may be provided to the server (100) through the communication interface unit (130) after being converted into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format by an external server or an external electronic device.

[0043] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the server (100) may acquire a plurality of original data. The plurality of original data acquired by the server (100) may be converted into a plurality of first converted data, and the converted plurality of first converted data may be stored in object storage (200).

[0044] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server (100) may obtain a data request signal from a client requesting at least one of a plurality of first conversion data. Based on the obtained data request signal, the server (100) may provide at least one of the plurality of first conversion data to the client.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server (100) can read at least one first conversion data corresponding to a data request signal obtained among a plurality of first conversion data into a network attached storage (NAS, 300). The server (100) can provide at least one first conversion data read into the network attached storage (300) to a client.

[0046] When providing at least one first transformation data stored in the object storage (200) to a client, the client must download the requested at least one first transformation data from the object storage (200) through the server (100). At this time, if the capacity of the pathology WSI data to be provided is large, the waiting time for the server (100) to provide the at least one first transformation data requested by the client may be long. In one embodiment, the pathology WSI data may have a capacity between tens of megabytes and tens of gigabytes per image.

[0047] At this time, when at least one first transformation data to be provided is read into the network combined storage (300) and then provided to the client, the network combined storage (300) is combined with the server (100), so the transmission speed is faster than that of the object storage (200), and thus the server (100) can provide at least one first transformation data requested to the client in a streaming manner. Accordingly, the client can receive at least one first transformation data requested with a short waiting time. At this time, the server (100) can read at least one first transformation data requested from the object storage (200) into the network combined storage (300), and then read it from the network combined storage (300) into memory (110). The server (100) can provide at least one first transformation data stored in memory (110) to the client in a streaming manner. At this time, memory (110) may include cache memory.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server (100) can convert a plurality of first conversion data stored in an object storage (200) into a plurality of second conversion data having a predetermined second format. At this time, the server (100) can store the converted plurality of second conversion data in the object storage (200). At this time, the capacity of the converted plurality of second conversion data may be smaller than the capacity of the plurality of first conversion data. Hereinafter, the second format and the plurality of second conversion data will be described later in FIG. 4. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of first conversion data and a plurality of second conversion data may be stored in the object storage (200).

[0049] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server (100) may provide to a client at least one second converted data corresponding to at least one first converted data included in the data request signal among a plurality of second converted data, based on a data request signal obtained from a client. At this time, since the capacity of at least one second converted data is smaller than the capacity of at least one first converted data, the server (100) may provide at least one second converted data from an object storage (200) to the client. Since the capacity of at least one second converted data is small, the client may receive at least one second converted data with a short waiting time.

[0050] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server (100) may obtain an additional request signal requesting additional information regarding at least one second converted data provided to the client. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the additional request signal may be a signal requesting at least one first converted data corresponding to at least one second converted data provided to the client. The quality of at least one first converted data may be higher than the quality of at least one second converted data.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server (100) may read at least one first transformation data stored in the object storage (200) into the network combined storage (300) based on an acquired additional request signal. The server (100) may provide the at least one first transformation data read into the network combined storage (300) to a client.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] Referring to FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 2, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of a server (100) may include a step (S100) of acquiring a plurality of original data.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the step (S100) of acquiring a plurality of original data, at least one processor (120) can acquire a plurality of original data.

[0055] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of a server (100) may include a step (S105) of converting a plurality of acquired original data into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format. In the step (S105) of converting a plurality of original data into a plurality of first converted data having a first format, at least one processor (120) may convert the acquired plurality of original data into a plurality of first converted data having a first format.

[0056] Hereinafter, the step (S105) of converting a plurality of original data into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format will be described later in FIG. 3.

[0057] FIG. 2 illustrates a step of acquiring a plurality of original data (S100) and a step of converting the plurality of original data into a plurality of first converted data having a first format (S105) separately, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The operation of acquiring a plurality of original data and the operation of converting the plurality of original data into a plurality of first converted data may be performed in a single step.

[0058] Additionally, the operation method of the server (100) may include the step of acquiring a plurality of original data converted into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format. In this case, at least one processor (120) may acquire a plurality of original data converted into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format.

[0059] FIG. 2 includes a step (S100) of acquiring a plurality of original data and a step (S105) of converting the plurality of original data into a plurality of first converted data in a method of operation of a server (100), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It goes without saying that the operation of acquiring a plurality of original data and converting the acquired plurality of original data into a plurality of first converted data can be performed on an external server or an external electronic device, rather than on the server (100) of the present disclosure. It goes without saying that the operation of the server (100) can be performed starting from the step (S110) of acquiring a plurality of first converted data converted from an external server or an external electronic device and storing the acquired plurality of first converted data in an object storage (200).

[0060] At this time, the predetermined first format may be a format having the TIFF (Tag Image File Format) extension. The capacity of the plurality of first converted data may be smaller than the capacity of the plurality of original data. The quality of the plurality of first converted data may be lower than the quality of the plurality of original data.

[0061] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step (S110) of storing a plurality of converted first conversion data in an object storage (200). At least one processor (120) may store a plurality of converted first conversion data in an object storage (200).

[0062] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step (S200) of obtaining a data request signal requesting at least one of a plurality of first conversion data. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the step (S200) of obtaining the data request signal, at least one processor (120) may obtain a data request signal requesting at least one of a plurality of first conversion data. At least one processor (120) may obtain a data request signal from a client through a communication interface unit (130).

[0063] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of a server (100) may include a step (S300) of reading at least one first transformation data among a plurality of first transformation data stored in an object storage (200) into a network combined storage (300) coupled with the server, based on an acquired data request signal. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the step (S300) of reading at least one first transformation data into a network combined storage (300) coupled with the server, at least one processor (120) may read at least one first transformation data requested by a client from the object storage (200) and store it in the network combined storage (300), based on an acquired data request signal.

[0064] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step (S400) of providing at least one first conversion data read from the network-linked storage (300) to a client. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) may provide at least one first conversion data read from the network-linked storage (300) to a client.

[0065] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step of storing at least one first conversion data read from the network combined storage (300) in memory (110), and then providing the at least one first conversion data stored in memory (110) to a client in a streaming manner.

[0066] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, steps identical to those described in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0067] Referring to FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 3, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation method of a server (100) may include a step (S105) of converting a plurality of acquired original data into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) may convert a plurality of acquired original data into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format. Hereinafter, the operation of converting a plurality of original data into a plurality of first converted data will be described later in FIG. 4.

[0068] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step (S110) of storing a plurality of converted first conversion data in an object storage (200). At least one processor (120) may store a plurality of converted first conversion data in an object storage (200).

[0069] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation method of the server (100) may include a step (S150) of converting a plurality of first converted data into a plurality of second converted data having a predetermined second format. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) may convert a plurality of first converted data into a plurality of second converted data having a predetermined second format. At this time, the predetermined second format may be a format having a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) extension. The capacity of the plurality of second converted data may be smaller than the capacity of the plurality of first converted data. The quality of the plurality of second converted data may be lower than the quality of the plurality of first converted data. Hereinafter, the operation of converting a plurality of first converted data into a plurality of second converted data will be described later in FIG. 4.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step (S200) of obtaining a data request signal requesting at least one of a plurality of first conversion data.

[0071] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step (S250) of providing at least one second converted data corresponding to at least one first converted data among a plurality of second converted data based on an acquired data request signal. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) may provide at least one second converted data corresponding to at least one first converted data included in the acquired data request signal among a plurality of second converted data to the client.

[0072] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, since at least one second converted data requested by the client has been converted to a smaller size, the server (100) may provide the data to the client without performing an operation to read the data into the network combined storage (300). The client may also receive at least one second converted data through an operation to download from the object storage (200).

[0073] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step (S260) of obtaining an additional request signal requesting additional information regarding at least one second converted data provided to the client. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) may obtain an additional request signal requesting additional information regarding at least one second converted data provided to the client. At this time, the additional information may be data of a higher quality than the at least one second converted data provided, for example, at least one first converted data corresponding to at least one second converted data.

[0074] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step (S310) of reading at least one first conversion data corresponding to at least one second conversion data among a plurality of first conversion data stored in the object storage (200) into the network combined storage (300) based on an acquired additional request signal. At least one processor (120) may read at least one first conversion data corresponding to at least one second conversion data among a plurality of first conversion data stored in the object storage (200) into the network combined storage (300) based on an acquired additional request signal.

[0075] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step (S410) of providing at least one first conversion data read from the network-linked storage (300) to a client. At least one processor (120) may provide at least one first conversion data read from the network-linked storage (300) to a client.

[0076] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of operation of the server (100) may include the step of storing at least one first conversion data read from the network combined storage (300) in the memory (110), and then providing the at least one first conversion data stored in the memory (110) to a client in a streaming manner.

[0077] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the conversion of original data into data of different formats according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of converting original data into first converted data having a first format according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0078] Hereinafter, the operation of converting a plurality of original data (400) into a plurality of first converted data (420) in a server (100) is described, but this is merely one embodiment and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The operation of converting a plurality of original data shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 into a plurality of first converted data having a first format can be performed in an external electronic device or an external server. It is understood that the server (100) can obtain data converted into a plurality of first converted data from an external electronic device or an external server.

[0079] Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 4 illustrates an operation of converting a plurality of acquired original data into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format and an operation of converting a plurality of first converted data into a plurality of second converted data having a predetermined second format.

[0080] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of original data (400) may be pathology WSI data having various formats. Depending on the method of generating pathology WSI data by scanning a human tissue glass slide, the plurality of original data (400) generated may be generated in various formats having different extensions.

[0081] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of original data (400) may include NDPI (NanoZoomer Digital Pathology Image), SVS (ScanScope Virtual Slide), etc. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a plurality of original data (400) may be generated in a format having various extensions.

[0082] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) can convert a plurality of original data (400) into a plurality of first converted data (420) having a predetermined first format. In this case, the predetermined first format may be a format having a TIFF (Tag Image File Format) extension. As a plurality of original data (400) of various formats are converted into a plurality of first converted data (420) having a predetermined first format, the convenience of the client in using the provided WIS pathology data can be improved.

[0083] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) can convert a plurality of original data (400) into a plurality of first converted data (420) through an operation (410) of converting a plurality of original data (400). At this time, the conversion program used in the conversion processing operation (410) may include an open source library such as OpenSlide. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a plurality of original data (400) may be converted into a plurality of first converted data (420) using various open source libraries capable of converting into a plurality of first converted data (420).

[0084] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of first converted data (420) may be converted to have a capacity smaller than that of a plurality of original data (400). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server (100) may convert a plurality of original data (400) into a plurality of first converted data (420) by lowering the quality of the plurality of original data (400). Instead of lowering the quality of the plurality of original data (400), the server (100) may also lower the capacity of the plurality of original data (400) to generate a plurality of first converted data (420).

[0085] In one embodiment, the pathology WSI data may have a capacity between tens of megabytes and tens of gigabytes per image. Accordingly, the capacity of the pathology WSI data can be reduced by converting a plurality of original data (400) into a plurality of first converted data (420), storing it using object storage (200) and network combined storage (300), and providing it to a client.

[0086] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the quality of a plurality of first converted data (420) may be converted to 70% or 50% of the quality of a plurality of original data (400). The capacity of the plurality of first converted data (420) may be lower when the quality of the plurality of first converted data (420) is 50% than when it is 70% of the quality of the plurality of original data (400). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the capacity and quality of the plurality of first converted data (420) may be appropriately selected so that a client can perform pathological research or diagnose a disease even when provided with the plurality of first converted data (420).

[0087] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 5 illustrates one original data (500) among a plurality of original data and one first converted data (510) corresponding to one original data (500) among a plurality of first converted data. The quality of the one first converted data (510) may be lower than the quality of the one original data (500). The capacity of the one first converted data (510) may be smaller than the capacity of the one original data (500).

[0088] Referring again to FIG. 4, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) may convert a plurality of first converted data (420) into a plurality of second converted data (440) having a predetermined second format. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of first converted data (420) having a TIFF extension may be converted into a plurality of second converted data (440). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it is understood that a plurality of original data having an NDPI or SVS extension may also be converted into a plurality of second converted data (420). Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it will be described that at least one processor (120) converts a plurality of first converted data (420) into a plurality of second converted data (440).

[0089] At this time, the predetermined second format may be a format having the extension JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or JPG (Joint Photographic Group). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of second conversion data (440) may be converted to reduce the capacity of a plurality of first conversion data (420). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of second conversion data (440) may be images having a resolution of 4K. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and each of the plurality of second conversion data (440) may be an image having various resolutions. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the quality and resolution of the plurality of first conversion data (420) may be higher than the quality and resolution of the plurality of second conversion data (440).

[0090] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the capacity of the plurality of second converted data (440) may be several megabytes to tens of megabytes. The converted plurality of second converted data (440) has a smaller capacity compared to the plurality of first converted data (420), so that when provided to a client, they can be provided to the client in a downloadable manner without the need for a process of reading into network combined storage (300).

[0091] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) can convert a plurality of first conversion data (420) into a plurality of second conversion data (440) using a first batch program (430). At this time, the first batch program (430) may include an open source library such as OpenSlide. Through the first batch program (430), the first format of the plurality of first conversion data (420) can be converted to a second format. The first batch program (430) can reduce the resolution of the plurality of first conversion data (420) and lower the image quality.

[0092] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first batch program (430) may include various open source libraries capable of converting a plurality of first conversion data (420) into a plurality of second conversion data (440).

[0093] Additionally, at least one processor (120) may convert a plurality of second converted data (440) into thumbnail type data (460). In this case, the thumbnail data (460) may be in a format having the extension JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or JPG (Joint Photographic Group). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) may convert a plurality of second converted data (440) into a plurality of thumbnail data (460) using a second batch program (450).

[0094] At this time, the second batch program (450) may use various open source libraries capable of converting a plurality of second converted data (440) into a plurality of thumbnail data (460). The second batch program (450) may reduce the resolution of the plurality of second converted data (440) and lower the image quality. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the image quality of the plurality of thumbnail data (460) may be lower than the image quality of the plurality of second converted data (440). The capacity of the plurality of thumbnail data (460) may be smaller than the capacity of the plurality of second converted data (440).

[0095] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the server (100) may set different permissions for accessing the server (100) and using data depending on the type of client. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, if a client connected to the server (100) is an authenticated client, for example, a member of a hospital or a specific organization, the client may have a permission set to connect to the server (100) and receive a plurality of first transformed data (420) and a plurality of second transformed data (440). In this case, the server (100) may provide at least one second transformed data among the plurality of second transformed data (440) based on the client's data request signal, and provide at least one first transformed data among the plurality of first transformed data (420) based on the client's additional request signal.

[0096] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, if a client connected to the server (100) is a general user or a member who is not affiliated with a specific organization, the client may have a set authority to connect to the server (100) and receive a plurality of second transformation data (440) and a plurality of thumbnail data (460). In this case, the server (100) may provide at least one thumbnail data among the plurality of thumbnail data (460) based on the client's data request signal, and provide at least one second transformation data among the plurality of second transformation data (440) based on the client's additional request signal. At this time, the plurality of thumbnail data (460) are stored in object storage (200), and the server (100) may provide at least one thumbnail data stored in object storage (200) for the client to download.

[0097] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating data provided through a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating second converted data being provided through a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 6 illustrates a screen of a cloud server-based platform that provides pathology WSI data provided by a server (100). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a client can search for pathology WSI data through a search interface (600) for searching for pathology WSI data to be requested from the platform. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the search interface (600) may include at least one of a name of a disease, a hospital name, or a sample number of pathology WSI data for searching for pathology WSI data. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the search interface (600) may further include other search functions to provide a pathology WSI data search function. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the search interface (600) may be executed by clicking the “Data Linkage” menu.

[0099] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the platform provided by the server (100) may include a result interface (610) based on search results. A client can check the search results for pathology WSI data searched in the search interface (600) through the result interface (610). The result interface (610) may include, but is not limited to, the sample number of the searched pathology WSI data, the number of pathology WSI data included in the sample number, whether medical information is present, and recent activity records.

[0100] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the platform provided by the server (100) may include a screen interface (620) that displays pathology WSI data selected by a client at a result interface (610). At this time, as the client selects the pathology WSI data, the server (100) may respond to a data request signal.

[0101] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pathology WSI data displayed on the screen interface (620) may be a second converted data corresponding to a data request signal requested by a client among a plurality of second converted data (440, see FIG. 4). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second converted data displayed on the screen interface (620) may be a JPEG or JPG image with 4K resolution.

[0102] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the platform provided by the server (100) may include an information interface (630) that displays medical information regarding pathology WSI data selected by a client. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the information interface (630) may include at least one of the following information: the patient's age, gender, whether a specific surgery was performed, the details of the surgery, laterality, diagnosis, or tumor size, but is not limited thereto.

[0103] Referring to FIGS. 6 and FIGS. 7, FIGS. 7 illustrates a second converted data (700) displayed on a screen interface (620) in an enlarged state. The platform provided by the server (100) can provide functions to enlarge, reduce, rotate, etc., the second converted data (700) displayed on the screen interface (620), thereby increasing the convenience of the client.

[0104] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an operation to request additional first conversion data corresponding to second conversion data provided through a server, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0105] Referring to FIGS. 1, 6 and 8, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 8 shows a request icon (800) used when requesting a change from second converted data to first converted data having high resolution and quality, which is displayed on a screen interface (620). Through the request icon (800), the client may request the server (100) to provide first converted data having high quality and high resolution, which corresponds to the second converted data displayed on the screen interface (620).

[0106] When a client wants to request WSI pathology data with high quality and high resolution to obtain accurate pathology information, it can provide an additional request signal to the server (100) using a request icon (800).

[0107] At this time, the position and shape of the request icon (800) shown in FIG. 7 are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0108] Additionally, FIG. 8 shows a notification message (810) that is displayed when a client requests additional first conversion data through a request icon (800). In one embodiment of the present invention, when providing the client with first conversion data that is larger in size than second conversion data, a notification message (810) may be provided to the client as a slight loading time occurs.

[0109] At this time, the notification message (810) may display various messages such as “There may be some loading time, do you really want to request it?”, “Do you really want to request the first conversion data?”, “Would you like to view a high-resolution image?”, “Would you like to see a high-resolution image?”, “Would you like to view the original image?”, and is not limited to any one of them.

[0110] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, if a client selects "Yes," "YES," etc., indicating agreement to the notification message (810), the server (100) may provide first conversion data to the client. If a client selects "No," "NO," etc., indicating disagreement to the notification message (810), the server (100) may retain second conversion data that is displayed.

[0111] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating that first conversion data is provided through a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0112] Referring to FIGS. 1, 6, 8 and 9, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server (100) can read at least one first converted data (900) read from a network combined storage (300) into a memory (110) and then provide it to a client in real time via streaming.

[0113] The quality and resolution of at least one first converted data (900) shown in FIG. 9 may be greater than the quality and resolution of at least one second converted data (440) provided to the client through the screen interface (620) shown in FIG. 6.

[0114] The server (100) can provide the client with at least one second converted data (420) after the client receives it through the screen interface (620), by obtaining an additional request signal requesting additional information, and reading at least one first converted data (900) of high quality into the network combined storage (300) and memory (110).

[0115] Through this, high-quality first converted data (900) can be provided to the client, and large-capacity first converted data (900) can be provided to the client without a long waiting time.

[0116] At least one first transformation data (900) illustrated in FIG. 9 may be high-definition, high-resolution WSI pathology data provided to the client when the client selects the request icon (800) in FIG. 8 and makes a selection indicating consent.

[0117] Through this, the server (100) can provide a cloud server-based platform for reducing the time required to provide pathology WSI data to the client.

[0118] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating reading data stored in object storage according to one embodiment of the present disclosure into network combined storage.

[0119] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 10, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 10 shows a screen for selecting at least one first conversion data to be read into a network combined storage (300) among a plurality of first conversion data stored in an object storage (200) among platform screens provided by a server (100).

[0120] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the platform provided by the server (100) may include an additional search interface (1000) through which a client may request additional information. The client may receive at least one of a disease name, a hospital name, or a sample number of pathology WSI data for searching pathology WSI data to receive additional information from the additional search interface (1000). The additional search interface (1000) may be executed by clicking a menu of “NAS Cache”.

[0121] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, after viewing the second conversion data displayed on the screen interface (620) shown in FIG. 6, the client may use the screen of FIG. 10 to request additional information.

[0122] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a client may use an additional search interface (1000) to read some of the first transformation data among a plurality of first transformation data stored in the object storage (200) into the network combined storage (300), regardless of whether the client requests additional information regarding the second transformation data. Some of the first transformation data read from the object storage (200) to the network combined storage (300) by the client using the additional search interface (1000) may be stored in a cache memory.

[0123] If the first transformation data is already cached in the cache memory, when the cached first transformation data is to be provided to the client later, the process of reading from the object storage (200) to the network combined storage (300) can be omitted, and the first transformation data cached in the cache memory can be provided.

[0124] In this case, when a client views pathology WSI data using the second conversion data displayed on the screen interface (620) as in FIG. 6 and wishes to view the first conversion data with high resolution and quality, if the first conversion data is stored in the cache memory, the server (100) can provide the first conversion data to the client after a short loading time.

[0125] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an additional result interface (1010) based on additional search results may be illustrated on the platform provided by the server (100). The additional result interface (1010) may include, but is not limited to, a sample number of the searched pathology WSI data, the number of pathology WSI data included in the sample number, the size of the volume of the pathology WSI data, the presence or absence of annotations, and the presence or absence of existence within the network-linked storage (300).

[0126] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the platform provided by the server (100) may include an additional information interface (1020) that displays information about additionally selected pathology WSI data by a client. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the additional information interface (1020) may include information such as the sample number of the pathology WSI data to be read into the network combined storage (300) corresponding to the selected pathology WSI data as the client selects specific pathology WSI data from the additional result interface (1010), at least one pathology WSI data included in the sample number, the capacity of each pathology WSI data, whether it exists within the network combined storage (300), and the available space in the network combined storage (300) for each affiliated institution of the pathology WSI data.

[0127] At this time, the presence or absence within the network combined storage (300) may mean whether the corresponding first conversion data is cached in the cache memory.

[0128] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the network coupled storage (300) is a physical storage, and the space available for reading and storing pathology WSI data may be limited. Accordingly, at least one processor (120) can delete at least one first transformation data read into the network coupled storage (300) in a First In First Out (FIFO) manner. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (120) can delete at least one first transformation data read into the network coupled storage (300) in a First In First Out (FIFO) manner. Accordingly, at least one processor (120) can delete from the network coupled storage (300) the data with the longest elapsed time since being read into the network coupled storage (300) at the request of a client, and read the first transformation data of the pathology WSI data newly requested by the client into the network coupled storage (300).

[0129] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an operation of performing annotation processing on WSI pathology data through first conversion data and second conversion data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0130] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 11, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 11 illustrates a screen provided by a platform that provides pathology WSI data provided by a server (100). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a client can view the pathology WSI data through the platform via an annotation processing interface (1100) and perform annotation processing on the pathology WSI data.

[0131] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, annotation processing on pathology WSI data may include the location of tissue, whether it is abnormal tissue, the size of tissue, the presence or absence of disease, etc., but is not limited to any one. A client may use an annotation processing interface (1100) to leave desired content as an annotation (1120) on the pathology WSI data.

[0132] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the annotation processing interface (1100) may include various interfaces such as drawing, coloring, adding shapes, cropping, erasing, marking areas, and text boxes, and is not limited to any one of them.

[0133] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, pathology WSI data (1110) to be annotated may be displayed on a platform provided by a server (100). At this time, the displayed pathology WSI data (1110) may be second transformed data. As the second transformed data is provided to a client through the platform, an image can be provided to the client without loading time.

[0134] Additionally, the server (100) may provide pathology WSI data (1110) that has already been annotated. The pre-annotated pathology WSI data (1110) may be provided to a client connected to the server (100). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, experts such as doctors may provide the pre-annotated pathology WSI data (1110) to a client connected to the server (100). In this case, as the client observes the pathology WSI data that has already been annotated by an expert, sufficient service may be provided even with second transformed data of relatively low resolution.

[0135] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the client may additionally request the server (100) to provide first conversion data corresponding to the displayed second conversion data. The client may additionally request the server (100) to provide first conversion data of high resolution and high quality by providing an additional request signal to the server (100). In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the client intends to directly view and annotate the pathology WSI data (1110), the client may request first conversion data of high resolution and high quality.

[0136] At this time, the first converted data may have already been read into the network combined storage (300) and cached in the cache memory, as it is anticipated in advance that the client will request first converted data with high resolution and high quality. In this case, the server (100) can provide the first converted data to the client after a short loading time.

[0137] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Even if the first transformation data requested by the client is not cached in the cache memory, the server (100) can read the requested first transformation data from the object storage (200) to the network combined storage (300) and provide it to the client.

Claims

Claim 1 In a server providing a cloud server-based platform for providing pathology WSI (Whole Slide Image) data, a memory for storing at least one instruction;and includes at least one processor that executes at least one instruction stored in the memory, wherein the at least one processor stores a plurality of original data converted into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format in object storage, converts the plurality of first converted data into a plurality of second converted data having a predetermined second format and stores them in the object storage, wherein if the client type is a first type, at least one second converted data among the plurality of second converted data is provided based on a client data request signal, and at least one first converted data corresponding to the provided at least one second converted data is provided based on a client additional request signal, provided through a Network Attached Storage (NAS) coupled with the server, wherein if the client type is a second type, at least one thumbnail data among a plurality of thumbnail data for the plurality of second converted data is provided based on a client data request signal, and at least one second converted data corresponding to the provided at least one thumbnail data is provided based on a client additional request signal, and the capacity of the plurality of second converted data is the plurality of first A server characterized by having a capacity smaller than that of the converted data, wherein the plurality of first converted data are converted to have a quality of 50% of the quality of the original data using the first format determined by the TIFF (Tag Image File Format) extension, and the plurality of second converted data are converted to have a resolution of 4K using the second format determined by the JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or JPG (Joint Photographic Group) extension. Claim 2 In claim 1, the at least one processor is a server in which the capacity of the plurality of first converted data is smaller than the capacity of the plurality of original data. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 delete Claim 7 delete Claim 8 In claim 1, the at least one processor reads the at least one first conversion data read from the network combined storage into the memory, and provides the at least one first conversion data read into the memory to the client in a streaming manner, a server. Claim 9 In claim 1, the at least one processor is a server that deletes the at least one first conversion data read from the network combined storage in a FIFO (First In First Out) manner. Claim 10 A method of operation of a server providing a cloud server-based platform for providing pathology WSI (Whole Slide Image) data, comprising: a step of storing a plurality of original data converted into a plurality of first converted data having a predetermined first format in an object storage; a step of converting the plurality of first converted data into a plurality of second converted data having a predetermined second format and storing them in the object storage; and, when the client type is a first type, providing at least one second converted data among the plurality of second converted data based on a client data request signal, and providing at least one first converted data corresponding to the provided at least one second converted data based on an additional request signal from the client, provided through a network attached storage (NAS) coupled with the server. A method of operation of a server, comprising the step of, when the type of the client is a second type, providing at least one thumbnail data among a plurality of thumbnail data for the plurality of second converted data based on a data request signal of the client, and providing at least one second converted data corresponding to the provided at least one thumbnail data based on an additional request signal of the client; wherein the capacity of the plurality of second converted data is smaller than the capacity of the plurality of first converted data, wherein the plurality of first converted data have a first format determined with a TIFF (Tag Image File Format) extension and are converted to have a quality of 50% of the quality of the original data, and the plurality of second converted data have a second format determined with a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or JPG (Joint Photographic Group) extension and are converted to have a resolution of 4K. Claim 11 A method of operation of a server according to claim 10, wherein the capacity of the plurality of first converted data is smaller than the capacity of the plurality of original data. Claim 12 delete Claim 13 delete Claim 14 delete Claim 15 delete Claim 16 In claim 10, the method of operation of the server further comprises the step of reading the at least one first conversion data read from the network combined storage into memory; and the step of providing the at least one first conversion data read into memory to the client in a streaming manner. Claim 17 In claim 10, the method of operation of the server further comprises the step of deleting at least one first converted data read into the network combined storage in a FIFO (First In First Out) manner. Claim 18 A computer-readable recording medium combined with a computer, storing a program for executing the method of any one of claims 10, 16 and 17.

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