Thyroid measurement system and method for preparing for measurement

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thyroid measurement system, which comprises: an application device, an optical camera, a thyroid counter, a base, a camera driving device, a base driving device and a control unit; the control unit is configured to obtain current patient information, when it is determined that the patient is not undergoing the first thyroid measurement, compare the first thyroid fluorescence image with the current thyroid fluorescence image, generate a control signal according to the comparison result, and the base driving device controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, so as to adjust the positions of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to a second position, so that the current thyroid fluorescence image coincides with the first thyroid fluorescence image; and instruct to remove the lotion and control the camera driving device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter and control the thyroid counter to detect gamma rays. The present invention realizes the consistency of the measurement areas of the thyroid counter in two or more consecutive measurements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to thyroid measurement technology, and in particular to a thyroid measurement system and a measurement method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Existing thyroid counters include scintillation thyroid counters (abbreviated as thyroid counters). The detection process of the thyroid counter includes: 1) positioning and detection: The thyroid counter is usually placed on the patient's neck, close to the thyroid gland. The thyroid counter captures gamma rays released from radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland. 2) Signal processing: The thyroid counter converts the captured gamma rays into electrical signals. The counter system counts these signals and records the number of gamma rays detected within a certain period of time (referred to as the counting rate).

[0003] The counting rate represents the amount of radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid gland. By analyzing this data, a doctor can obtain the radioactive iodine uptake rate (RAIU) of the thyroid gland, thereby evaluating thyroid function. To more accurately judge thyroid function, doctors usually conduct multiple tests. By comparing the multiple RAIU results over a period of time, the dynamic changes of thyroid function can be better understood.

[0004] During the actual measurement process, since the thyroid counter is a relatively large physical entity and the time interval between two measurements is relatively long, the position of the thyroid counter relative to the patient has a deviation each time, so problems are likely to occur when the measurement results are used for reference. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present application provides a thyroid measurement system, which includes:

[0006] A smearing device, an optical camera, a thyroid counter, a base, a camera driving device, a base driving device, and a control unit; the control unit is respectively communicatively connected to the optical camera, the thyroid counter, the camera driving device, and the base driving device;

[0007] The smearing device is used to smear a radiation-sensitive fluorescent emulsion on the patient's neck;

[0008] The camera driving device is used to drive the optical camera;

[0009] The optical camera can move between an initial position and a final position under the drive of the camera driving device. When the optical camera is in the initial position, it is located at the center of the front end of the thyroid counter and is coaxial with the thyroid counter. It is used to take a thyroid fluorescence image after the patient smears the radiation-sensitive material and send it to the control unit, and then move to the final position by the camera driving device after the shooting is completed. The final position is located at the edge of the thyroid counter;

[0010] The thyroid counter is used to detect gamma rays and is located on the base;

[0011] The base is connected to a base driving device; the base driving device can drive the base to move and rotate in all directions, so as to change the positions of the thyroid counter on the base and the optical camera on the thyroid counter;

[0012] The control unit is configured to obtain current patient information. When it is determined that the patient is not undergoing a first thyroid measurement, obtain the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and retrieve the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient, compare the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image, generate a control signal according to the comparison result, and send the control signal to the base driving device. The base driving device controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, so as to adjust the positions of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to a second position, so that the thyroid fluorescence image captured by the optical camera at the second position coincides with the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient; and instruct to remove the emulsion and control the camera driving device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter, and control the thyroid counter to detect gamma rays after the emulsion is removed and the optical camera is moved to the edge of the thyroid counter.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to obtain current patient information. When it is determined that the patient is undergoing a first thyroid measurement, obtain the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and save it as the first thyroid fluorescence image associated with the patient, and instruct to remove the emulsion and control the camera driving device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter, and control the thyroid counter to detect gamma rays after the emulsion is removed and the optical camera is moved to the edge of the thyroid counter.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the optical camera is further configured to capture a natural image of the patient's neck before applying the radiation-sensitive material to the patient during each measurement and send it to the control unit.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the base driving device includes a first track, a second track, a third track, and a first driving device, a second driving device, and a third driving device respectively located on the first track, the second track, and the third track. The base is located on the first track and can slide and rotate along the first track under the drive of the first driving device; the first track is located on the second track and perpendicularly intersects the second track, and the first track can slide along the second track under the drive of the second driving device; one end of the second track is fixed to a third track, and the third track is perpendicular to the first track and the second track, and the second track can move along the third track under the drive of the third driving device; the first driving device, the second driving device, and the third driving device respectively include motors and transmission mechanisms located on the first track, the second track, and the third track.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, comparing the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image and generating a control signal according to the comparison result includes:

[0017] Extracting key points from the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image; finding the correspondence between the images by matching feature point pairs; estimating the transformation matrix of translation and rotation using the least squares method or the RANSAC algorithm; generating a corresponding control signal based on the transformation matrix.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present invention, at the initial moment of comparison, the key points are selected as the central positions of the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image to ensure the existence of such key points in both, and gradually the key points are selected as from the image edges to make the field of view and the center of the field of view consistent when the optical camera measures twice before and after.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to analyze the correlation between the first thyroid fluorescence image and the first gamma ray detection result to obtain a first correlation coefficient, and analyze the correlation between the current thyroid fluorescence image and the gamma ray detection result at the current second position to obtain a second correlation coefficient, compare the first correlation coefficient and the second correlation coefficient, and if the difference between the two exceeds a threshold, issue a warning indicating that there may be various light interferences and radiation interferences in the environment.

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to analyze the correlation between the first natural image of the patient's neck and the natural image of the patient's neck at the current second position to determine the change in the neck shape, and based on the change in the neck shape and the difference between the first gamma ray detection result and the gamma ray detection result at the current second position, indicate whether there is an abnormality.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the coating device is also communicatively connected to the control unit and includes an automatic spraying component, which can be moved to the center of the front end of the thyroid counter under the control of the control unit, and can spray a thyroid image corresponding to the first thyroid fluorescence image on the patient's neck with visible paint according to the control of the control unit.

[0022] This application also provides a measurement preparation method for the thyroid system, and the method includes the following steps:

[0023] S1. The patient takes a predetermined dose of radioactive iodine;

[0024] S2. Apply a radiation-sensitive fluorescent emulsion on the patient's neck;

[0025] S3. Take a thyroid fluorescence image through the optical camera at the center of the front end of the thyroid counter and send it to the control unit;

[0026] S4. The control unit obtains the current patient information. When it is determined that the patient is undergoing the first thyroid measurement, the control unit obtains the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and saves it in association with the patient; when it is determined that the patient is not undergoing the first thyroid measurement, the control unit obtains the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and retrieves the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient, compares the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image, generates a control signal according to the comparison result, and sends the control signal to the base driving device. The base driving device controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, so as to adjust the positions of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to the second position, so that the thyroid fluorescence image captured by the optical camera at the second position coincides with the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient;

[0027] S5. The control unit instructs to remove the emulsion and controls the camera driving device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter.

[0028] When the thyroid disease deteriorates, the neck will swell, making it impossible to align the thyroid counters in the front and back only by the naked eye. The present invention makes it possible to ensure to the greatest extent that the thyroid counters in the front and back are aligned at the same position, especially aligned with the thyroid, and as much as possible excludes the influence of other factors outside the thyroid (such as neck swelling) on the placement of the measuring device, improving the accuracy and referenceability of multiple measurements before and after. In addition, the present invention also enables the mutual reference of gamma-ray detection results and fluorescence image data to exclude accidental interference in the environment and improve the measurement accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The accompanying drawings here are incorporated into the specification and form a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments consistent with the present invention and, together with the specification, are used to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a thyroid measurement system according to some embodiments of the present invention, in which an optical camera is front-loaded on a thyroid counter;

[0031] Figure 2 A thyroid measurement system is shown according to some embodiments of the present invention, in which the optical camera moves from the front end to the edge of the thyroid counter;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the coincidence calibration of a first thyroid fluorescence image and a second thyroid fluorescence image captured by an optical camera in a thyroid measurement system according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 A flowchart showing a measurement preparation method for the thyroid system is shown;

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic structural block diagram of a thyroid measurement device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0035] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a thyroid measurement device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Detailed Embodiments

[0036] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application may be combined and referenced with each other. Additionally, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0037] It should be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific example embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" as used herein may also include the plural forms. For any component, data, or structure mentioned in the embodiments of this application, without clear definition or contrary indication in the context, it can generally be understood as one or more. "Plural" may refer to two or more. The terms "comprising", "including", "containing", and "having" are inclusive and thus specify the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or their combinations.

[0038] In addition, the term "and / or" in this application is merely a relational term describing the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this application generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0039] Before using the thyroid measurement system of this application, the patient needs to take a predetermined dose of radioactive iodine (such as I-131 or I-123) according to the doctor's advice. The dose of radioactive iodine can be adjusted according to the patient's weight, age, and thyroid function status. After taking the radioactive iodine, the patient waits for a period of time to ensure that the radioactive iodine is fully absorbed by the thyroid.

[0040] The thyroid measurement system for multiple measurements of this application (as Figure 1 shown) includes: a coating device, an optical camera 500, a connector 400, a thyroid counter 200, a base 100, a camera driving device 300, a base driving device, and a control unit.

[0041] The coating device (not shown) is used to coat a radiation-sensitive fluorescent emulsion on the patient's neck. The radiation-sensitive fluorescent emulsion can respond to gamma rays and emit fluorescence. Since gamma rays are released at the thyroid position, the emulsion at the thyroid position absorbs gamma rays and produces a fluorescence phenomenon.

[0042] The emulsion can include a fluorescent scintillator material. These materials can absorb the energy of gamma rays and convert it into visible light to produce fluorescence. Common scintillator materials include sodium iodide (NaI) doped with thallium, zinc oxide (ZnO), etc. Such materials can be mixed into the emulsion, and when the emulsion encounters the gamma rays released by radioactive iodine, it will emit fluorescence. In addition, some fluorescent molecules (such as organic dyes) or nanomaterials (such as quantum dots) are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. These materials can also be mixed into the emulsion, coated on the skin surface, and emit light by absorbing gamma rays or beta rays.

[0043] The optical camera can move between an initial position and a final position under the drive of the camera driving device. The optical camera is located at the center of the front end of the thyroid counter and is coaxial with the thyroid counter at the initial position ( Figure 1 ). It is used to capture a thyroid fluorescence image after the patient coats the radiation-sensitive material and send it to the control unit, and is moved to the final position by the camera driving device 300 after the shooting is completed. The final position is located at the edge of the thyroid counter, as Figure 2 shown.

[0044] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the optical camera can further be used to capture a natural image of the patient's neck before applying the radiation-sensitive material to the patient during each measurement and send it to the control unit.

[0045] As Figure 1 shown, the optical camera is located at the center of the front end of the thyroid counter. Therefore, the center of the field of view of the optical camera is basically consistent with the detection center of the thyroid counter. Thus, by adjusting the center of the field of view of the optical camera, the position of the detection center of the thyroid counter can be controlled.

[0046] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the system further includes a connecting member 400, as Figure 1 and 2 shown, the optical camera is connected to the edge of the front end of the thyroid counter through the connecting member 400. After the shooting is completed, the optical camera will be driven by the camera driving device to rotate to the edge, so as to avoid any occlusion.

[0047] The thyroid counter is located on a base, and the base is connected to a base driving device. The base driving device can drive the base to move and rotate in all directions, so that the position of the base changes, and further the position of the thyroid counter on the base changes, and thus the position of the optical camera fixed to the thyroid counter also changes.

[0048] According to some embodiments of the present invention, as Figure 1 and 2 shown, the base driving device includes a first track (where the Y axis is located), a second track (where the X axis is located), a third track (where the Z axis is located), and first driving devices (not shown), second driving devices (not shown), and third driving devices (not shown) respectively located on the first track, the second track, and the third track. The base is located on the first track, and the base can slide and rotate along the first track under the drive of the first driving device; the first track is located on the second track and is perpendicular to and intersects the second track, and the first track can slide along the second track under the drive of the second driving device; one end of the second track is fixed to a third track, and the third track is perpendicular to the first track and the second track, and the second track can move along the third track under the drive of the third driving device; the first driving device, the second driving device, and the third driving device respectively include motors and transmission mechanisms located on the first track, the second track, and the third track. Since it is well known to implement directional drive control by motors and transmission mechanisms, for the sake of simplicity, it will not be described in detail here, and for the sake of highlighting the theme, it has also been omitted in the figure.

[0049] The control unit is configured to obtain the current patient information. When it is determined that the patient is not having a first thyroid measurement, the control unit obtains the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and retrieves the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient, compares the first thyroid fluorescence image with the current thyroid fluorescence image, generates a control signal based on the comparison result, and sends the control signal to the base driving device. The base driving device controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, so as to adjust the positions of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to a second position, so that the thyroid fluorescence image captured by the optical camera at the second position coincides with the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient, and instructs to remove the emulsion and controls the camera driving device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter. After the emulsion is removed and the optical camera is moved to the edge of the thyroid counter, it controls the thyroid counter to detect gamma rays and instructs to remove the emulsion, and controls the thyroid counter to detect gamma rays after the emulsion is removed.

[0050] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the comparing the first thyroid fluorescence image with the current thyroid fluorescence image and generating a control signal based on the comparison result may include: extracting key points from the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image; finding the corresponding relationship between the images by matching feature point pairs; estimating the transformation matrix of movement and rotation using the least squares method or the RANSAC algorithm; generating a corresponding control signal based on the transformation matrix. By making the fluorescence images of the two measurements coincide, it can be ensured that the measurement areas of the two cameras are the same, and the centers of the fields of view of the two cameras coincide, so as to ensure that the centers of the thyroid counters also coincide during the two measurements.

[0051] As Figure 3 shown, where circle A is the first captured thyroid fluorescence image and circle B is the later captured thyroid fluorescence image again. By comparing the two thyroid fluorescence images, it can be found that circle B needs to be moved towards C to achieve the coincidence of the two images. Correspondingly, it is necessary to move the thyroid counter together with the camera thereon in the direction of C by controlling the base of the thyroid counter. According to some embodiments of the present invention, considering that when thyroid diseases deteriorate, neck swelling will occur, the present invention proposes to further use the center point (M in the figure) on the thyroid as a reference point to assist in judging the coincidence situation, and in the case where the center points coincide, the situation where the coincidence rate is greater than or equal to a certain threshold is regarded as the coincidence of the two images. Therefore, the coincidence in the present invention includes many such relatively coincident situations.

[0052] Since the present invention aims to ensure that the camera fields of view and the centers of the fields of view are the same in two consecutive measurements, therefore, according to some embodiments of the present invention, at the initial moment of comparison, the key point is selected from the center position of the image to ensure that this key point exists in both images, and gradually the key point is selected from the edge of the image, so as to maximize the assurance that the fields of view and the centers of the fields of view are the same when the optical camera makes two consecutive measurements, and thus also ensure that the centers of the fields of view are the same when the corresponding thyroid counter makes two consecutive measurements.

[0053] The control unit is located inside the thyroid counter. The control unit is configured to analyze the correlation between the first thyroid fluorescence image and the first gamma-ray detection result to obtain a first correlation coefficient, and analyze the correlation between the current thyroid fluorescence image and the gamma-ray detection result at the current second position to obtain a second correlation coefficient, compare the first correlation coefficient and the second correlation coefficient, and if the difference between the two exceeds a threshold, issue a warning indicating that there may be various light interferences and radiation interferences in the environment.

[0054] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is further configured to analyze the correlation between the first natural image of the patient's neck and the natural image of the patient's neck at the current second position to determine the change in the shape of the neck, and based on the change in the shape of the neck, the difference between the first gamma-ray detection result and the gamma-ray detection result at the current second position, to indicate whether there is an abnormality. Since thyroid problems are usually accompanied by neck swelling, therefore, by photographing and comparing the degree of change in the shape of the neck, a more definite indication can be given.

[0055] The control unit can also be configured to obtain the current patient information. When it is determined that the patient is undergoing the first thyroid measurement, obtain the thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and save it in association with the patient, and instruct to remove the lotion and control the camera driving device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter, and after the lotion is removed and the optical camera is moved to the edge of the thyroid counter, control the thyroid counter to detect gamma rays. For example, the control unit can give instructions by voice, and obtain the message that the lotion has been removed and the optical camera has been moved to the edge by voice.

[0056] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the aforementioned smearing device is also communicatively connected to a control unit and includes an automatic spraying component that can be moved to the center of the front end of the thyroid counter under the control of the control unit, and can spray a thyroid image corresponding to the first thyroid fluorescence image on the patient's neck with visible paint according to the control of the control unit. In this way, it is convenient for doctors to roughly adjust the alignment relationship between the thyroid counter and the patient visibly to the naked eye. The automatic spraying component can be moved to the center of the front end of the thyroid counter and moved from it to the edge in a manner similar to an optical camera. For example, it can also be connected to the edge of the front end of the thyroid counter through a connecting member 400.

[0057] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the automatic spraying component can also be used to select and spray a radiation-sensitive fluorescent emulsion, thereby avoiding the aforementioned manual smearing. This can be achieved, for example, by setting the spray pipe to include both a visible paint spray pipe and a radiation-sensitive fluorescent emulsion spray pipe at the same time.

[0058] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is also configured to control each component communicatively connected to it through wired or wireless signals.

[0059] When thyroid diseases deteriorate, the neck will swell, making it impossible to align the thyroid counter at the same position both before and after by the naked eye alone. The present invention enables the thyroid counter to be aligned at the same position both before and after to the greatest extent, especially aligned with the thyroid, and as much as possible excludes the influence of other factors outside the thyroid (such as neck swelling) on the placement of the measuring device, improving the accuracy and referenceability of multiple measurements before and after. In addition, the present invention also enables the mutual reference of gamma-ray detection results and fluorescence image data to exclude accidental interference in the environment and improve the measurement accuracy.

[0060] The second aspect of this application also proposes a measurement preparation method for the thyroid system, and the method includes the following steps:

[0061] S1. The patient takes a predetermined dose of radioactive iodine.

[0062] The patient takes a predetermined dose of radioactive iodine (such as I-131 or I-123) according to the doctor's advice. The dose of radioactive iodine can be adjusted according to the patient's weight, age, and thyroid function status. After taking the radioactive iodine, the patient waits for a period of time to ensure that the radioactive iodine is fully absorbed by the thyroid.

[0063] S2. Smear a radiation-sensitive fluorescent emulsion on the patient's neck.

[0064] The emulsion can absorb gamma rays at the thyroid position and generate a fluorescence signal. Since gamma rays are emitted from the thyroid position, the emulsion at the thyroid position absorbs the gamma rays and generates a fluorescence signal.

[0065] S3. Take a thyroid fluorescence image through the optical camera at the front center of the thyroid counter and send it to the control unit.

[0066] S4. The control unit obtains the current patient information. When it is determined that the patient is undergoing the first thyroid measurement, it obtains the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and saves it in association with the patient; when it is determined that the patient is not undergoing the first thyroid measurement, it obtains the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and retrieves the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient, compares the first thyroid fluorescence image with the current thyroid fluorescence image, generates a control signal according to the comparison result, and sends the control signal to the base drive device. The base drive device controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, so as to adjust the positions of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to the second position, so that the thyroid fluorescence image captured by the optical camera at the second position coincides with the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient.

[0067] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the comparing the first thyroid fluorescence image with the current thyroid fluorescence image, generating a control signal according to the comparison result, and sending the control signal to the base drive device, and the base drive device controlling the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal may include: extracting key points from the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image; finding the corresponding relationship between the images by matching feature point pairs; estimating the transformation matrix of movement and rotation using the least squares method or the RANSAC algorithm; generating a corresponding control signal based on the transformation matrix to control the movement and rotation of the base drive device. By making the fluorescence images of the two measurements coincide, it can be ensured that the measurement areas of the two cameras are the same, and the centers of the fields of view of the two cameras coincide, so as to ensure that the centers of the thyroid counters also coincide during the two measurements.

[0068] Since the present invention aims to ensure that the fields of view and the centers of the fields of view of the cameras are the same before and after, according to some embodiments of the present invention, at the initial stage of comparison, the key points are selected from the central positions of the images to ensure that both images have these key points, and gradually the key points are selected from the edges of the images, so as to maximize the consistency of the front and rear fields of view and the centers of the fields of view, and thus also ensure the consistency of the centers of the fields of view of the corresponding thyroid counters.

[0069] The image coincidence here includes making the contour edges of two images coincide, so that the camera fields of view and the centers of the fields of view in the front and back are consistent, thereby also ensuring that the centers of the fields of view of the corresponding thyroid counters are consistent.

[0070] S5. The control unit instructs to remove the emulsion and controls the camera driving device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter.

[0071] The thyroid counter is placed in front of the patient's neck. After moving the optical camera from the center position at the front end of the thyroid counter to the edge of the front end of the thyroid counter, the thyroid counter can detect the gamma ray signal released by radioactive iodine. Since the optical camera is at the edge of the front end of the thyroid counter, it will not affect the field of view of the thyroid counter.

[0072] The above process prepares for the subsequent work of the thyroid counter, so that the subsequent measurements can ensure to the greatest extent that the thyroid counters in the front and back are aligned with the same position, especially aligned with the thyroid, and as much as possible excludes the influence of other factors outside the thyroid (such as neck swelling) on the placement of the measuring device, improving the accuracy and referenceability of multiple measurements before and after. In addition, the present invention also enables the mutual reference of gamma ray detection results and fluorescence image data to exclude accidental interference in the environment and improve the measurement accuracy.

[0073] In addition, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the method may further include analyzing the correlation between the first thyroid fluorescence image and the first gamma ray detection result to obtain a first correlation coefficient, and analyzing the correlation between the current thyroid fluorescence image and the current gamma ray detection result to obtain a second correlation coefficient, comparing the first correlation coefficient and the second correlation coefficient, and if the difference between the two exceeds a threshold, issuing a warning indicating that there may be various light interferences and radiation interferences in the environment. In the above way, various measurement errors or serious errors introduced by accidental interference in the two measurements before and after can be excluded, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the measurement.

[0074] Figure 5 A schematic structural block diagram of a thyroid measurement device 5000 according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. As Figure 5 shown, the thyroid measurement device 5000 may include: a patient information acquisition unit 5001, a judgment and image acquisition unit 5002, and a control instruction output unit 5003.

[0075] The patient information acquisition unit 5001 is used to acquire current patient information.

[0076] The judgment and image acquisition unit 5002 is configured to, when determining that the patient is undergoing the first thyroid measurement, acquire the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and save it in association with the patient; when determining that the patient is not undergoing the first thyroid measurement, acquire the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and retrieve the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient, compare the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image, and generate a control signal according to the comparison result;

[0077] The control instruction output unit 5003 is configured to send the control signal to the base driving device, and the base driving device controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, so as to adjust the positions of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to the second position, so that the thyroid fluorescence image captured by the optical camera at the second position coincides with the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient.

[0078] The control instruction output unit is further configured to instruct to remove the emulsion and control the camera driving device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter.

[0079] The corresponding detailed descriptions made with reference to the respective figures above are incorporated herein by reference. More corresponding detailed functions can be implemented by adding corresponding functional units or modules, or by further limiting the above units. Details are not described herein again.

[0080] Figure 6 Fig. shows a schematic structural diagram of a thyroid measurement device 6000 according to some embodiments of the present invention. As Figure 6 shown, the device includes a processor 6051, a memory 6052, and a bus 6053.

[0081] In some instances, the device may further include an input device 6001, an input port 6002, an output port 6003, and an output device 6004. Among them, the input port 6002, the processor 6051, the memory 6052, and the output port 6003 are connected through the bus 6053, and the input device 6001 and the output device 6004 are respectively connected to the bus 6053 through the input port 6002 and the output port 6003, and then connected to other components of the device. It should be noted that the output interface and the input interface here can also be represented by the I / O interface. Specifically, the input device 6001 receives input information from the outside and transmits the input information to the processor 6051 through the input port 6002; the processor 6051 processes the input information based on the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 6052 to generate output information, stores the output information temporarily or permanently in the memory 6052, and then transmits the output information to the output device 6004 through the output port 6003.

[0082] The aforementioned memory 6052 includes a mass storage for data or instructions. By way of example and not limitation, the memory 6052 may include an HDD, a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, or a universal serial bus (USB) drive or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, the memory 6052 may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media. Where appropriate, the memory 6052 may be internal or external to the device. In a particular embodiment, the memory 6052 is a non-volatile solid-state memory. In a particular embodiment, the memory 6052 includes a read-only memory (ROM). Where appropriate, the ROM may be a mask-programmed ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), an electrically rewritable ROM (EAROM), or a flash memory or a combination of two or more of these.

[0083] The bus 6053 includes hardware, software, or both, and couples the various components together. By way of example and not limitation, the bus 6053 may include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, an Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a Front Side Bus (FSB), a HyperTransport (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an InfiniBand interconnect, a Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a MicroChannel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI-Express (PCI-X) bus, a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association Local (VLB) bus, or other suitable bus or a combination of two or more of these. Although embodiments of the present invention describe and illustrate a particular bus, the present invention contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect.

[0084] Based on the computer program stored in the memory 6052, the processor 6051 performs the following actions:

[0085] Obtain the current patient information. When it is determined that the patient is having a first thyroid measurement, obtain the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and save it in association with the patient. When it is determined that the patient is not having a first thyroid measurement, obtain the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient, retrieve the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient, compare the first thyroid fluorescence image with the current thyroid fluorescence image, generate a control signal based on the comparison result, and send the control signal to the base drive device. The base drive device controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, so as to adjust the positions of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to the second position, so that the thyroid fluorescence image captured by the optical camera at the second position coincides with the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient. Instruct to remove the emulsion and control the camera drive device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter.

[0086] According to some further embodiments of the present invention, the computer program can be divided into one or more units in various ways and stored in the memory, and executed by the processor to complete the present invention. The one or more units can be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing specific functions, and these instruction segments are used to describe the execution process of the computer program in the device. The computer program can be divided into multiple units according to the functions of the respective units in the various embodiments described above with reference to Figure 5 or include the respective units in the various embodiments described above with reference to Figure 5 For the sake of simplicity, it will not be repeated here.

[0087] The so-called processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc. The processor is the control center of the device, and connects various parts of the entire device through various interfaces and lines. The device may be a computing device such as a desktop computer, a notebook, a palm computer, and a cloud server, or a part thereof. The device may include, but is not limited to, a processor and a memory. Those skilled in the art can understand that the schematic diagram is only an example of the device and does not constitute a limitation on the device.

[0088] The corresponding detailed descriptions made with reference to the respective figures above are incorporated herein by reference and will not be repeated here.

[0089] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are implemented:

[0090] Obtain the current patient information. When it is determined that the patient is undergoing a first thyroid measurement, obtain the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and save it in association with the patient; when it is determined that the patient is not undergoing a first thyroid measurement, obtain the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and retrieve the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient, and compare the first thyroid fluorescence image with the current thyroid fluorescence image, generate a control signal according to the comparison result, and send the control signal to the base driving device, and the base driving device controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, so as to adjust the positions of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to a second position, so that the thyroid fluorescence image captured by the optical camera at the second position coincides with the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient; instruct to remove the emulsion and control the camera driving device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter.

[0091] The corresponding detailed descriptions made with reference to the respective figures above are incorporated herein by reference and will not be repeated here.

[0092] The computer program includes computer program code, and the computer program code can be in the form of source code, object code, executable file or some intermediate form, etc. The computer-readable medium can include: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code, recording medium, USB flash drive, mobile hard disk, magnetic disk, optical disc, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), electrical carrier signal, telecommunication signal, and software distribution medium, etc.

[0093] It should be noted that although the structure of the device of the present invention and the method of its operation are described in a specific order in the drawings, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in that specific order, or that all the operations shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. On the contrary, the order of execution of the steps depicted in the flowchart can be changed. Additionally or alternatively, some steps can be omitted, multiple steps can be combined into one step for execution, and / or one step can be decomposed into multiple steps for execution.

[0094] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thyroid measurement system comprising: An applicator, an optical camera, a thyroid counter, a base, a camera drive, a base drive, and a control unit; The control unit is communicatively connected with the optical camera, the thyroid counter, the camera driving device, and the base driving device respectively; The application device is used to apply the radiation-sensitive fluorescent emulsion to the patient's neck; The camera driving device is used to drive the optical camera; The optical camera can be driven by the camera driving device to move between an initial position and a final position. In the initial position, the optical camera is located at the front center of the thyroid counter and is coaxial with the thyroid counter. The optical camera is used to take a thyroid fluorescence image after the patient applies a radiation-sensitive material and send it to the control unit. After taking the image, the optical camera is moved to the final position by the camera driving device, and the final position is located at the edge of the thyroid counter. The thyroid counter is used to detect gamma rays and is located on the base; The base is connected to a base driving device; the base driving device can drive the base to move and rotate in all directions, so that the positions of the thyroid counter on the base and the optical camera on the thyroid counter change; The control unit is configured to obtain current patient information, and when it is determined that this is not the first thyroid measurement for the patient, obtain the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and retrieve the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient, and compare the first thyroid fluorescence image with the current thyroid fluorescence image, generate a control signal according to the comparison result, and send the control signal to the base drive device, which controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, thereby adjusting the position of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to the second position, so that the thyroid fluorescence image taken by the optical camera at the second position coincides with the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient; and instructing to remove the emulsion and controlling the camera drive device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter, and controlling the thyroid counter to detect gamma rays after the emulsion is removed and the optical camera is moved to the edge of the thyroid counter.

2. The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit is also configured to obtain current patient information, and when it is determined that the patient is having a first thyroid measurement, obtain the patient's current thyroid fluorescence image and save it as the patient's first thyroid fluorescence image to be associated with the patient, and instruct removal of emulsion and control the camera drive device to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter, and control the thyroid counter to detect gamma rays after the emulsion is removed and the optical camera is moved to the edge of the thyroid counter.

3. According to the measurement system of claim 2, the optical camera is also used to capture a natural image of the patient's neck before applying the radiation-sensitive material to the patient during each measurement, and send it to the control unit.

4. A measuring system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein: The base driving device comprises a first track, a second track, a third track, and a first driving device, a second driving device and a third driving device respectively located on the first track, the second track and the third track. The base is located on the first track, and the base can slide and rotate along the first track under the drive of the first driving device. The first track is located on the second track and intersects the second track vertically, and the first track can slide along the second track under the drive of the second driving device; One end of the second track is fixed on the third track, the third track is perpendicular to the first track and the second track, and the second track can move along the third track when driven by the third driving device; the first driving device, the second driving device and the third driving device respectively include motors and transmission mechanisms located on the first track, the second track and the third track.

5. The measurement system according to claim 2, wherein: The first thyroid fluorescence image is compared with the current thyroid fluorescence image, and the control signal generated according to the comparison result includes: Extract key points from the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image; find the correspondence between the images by matching feature point pairs; estimate the transformation matrix of movement and rotation using the least squares method or the RANSAC algorithm; and generate a corresponding control signal based on the transformation matrix.

6. The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein: At the initial moment of comparison, the key point is selected as the center position of the first thyroid fluorescence image and the current thyroid fluorescence image to ensure that the key point exists in both, and the key point is gradually selected from the edge of the image to make the field of view and the center of the field of view of the optical camera consistent during the two measurements.

7. The measurement system according to claim 4, wherein: The control unit is also configured to analyze the correlation between the first thyroid fluorescence image and the first gamma-ray detection result to obtain a first correlation coefficient, and to analyze the correlation between the current thyroid fluorescence image and the gamma-ray detection result at the current second position to obtain a second correlation coefficient, and to compare the first correlation coefficient with the second correlation coefficient. If the difference between the two exceeds a threshold, a warning is issued to indicate that various light interferences and radiation interferences may exist in the environment.

8. The measurement system according to claim 3, wherein: The control unit is also configured to perform a correlation analysis between the first natural image of the patient's neck and the natural image of the patient's neck in the current second position, determine the change in the neck shape, and indicate whether there is an abnormality based on the difference between the change in the neck shape, the first gamma ray detection result, and the gamma ray detection result in the current second position.

9. The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein: The coating device is also communicatively connected to the control unit and includes an automatic spraying component, which can be moved to the front center of the thyroid counter under the control of the control unit, and can spray visible paint on the patient's neck according to the control of the control unit to form a thyroid image corresponding to the first thyroid fluorescence image.

10. A measurement preparation method for the thyroid measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the method comprising the following steps: S1. The patient takes a predetermined dose of radioactive iodine; S2. Apply radiation-sensitive fluorescent lotion to the patient's neck; S3. Take a thyroid fluorescence image through the optical camera at the front center of the thyroid counter and send it to the control unit; S4. The control unit obtains the current patient information, and when it is determined that the patient is undergoing the first thyroid measurement, obtains the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient and saves it as associated with the patient; When it is determined that this is not the first thyroid measurement for the patient, the current thyroid fluorescence image of the patient is obtained and the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient is retrieved, and the first thyroid fluorescence image is compared with the current thyroid fluorescence image, a control signal is generated according to the comparison result, and the control signal is sent to the base driving device, and the base driving device controls the movement and rotation of the base according to the control signal, so as to adjust the position of the base and the corresponding thyroid counter and the position of the optical camera to the second position, so that the thyroid fluorescence image taken by the optical camera at the second position and the first thyroid fluorescence image corresponding to the patient overlap; S5. The control unit instructs the removal of the emulsion and controls the camera drive to move the optical camera to the edge of the thyroid counter.

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