CT (Computed Tomography) data transmission system and method and medical imaging equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a CT data transmission system and method and medical imaging equipment, and relates to the technical field of medical instruments. The CT data transmission system comprises a data acquisition unit, a first cache unit and a second cache unit, and the data acquisition unit is connected with the first cache unit through a first transmission link and connected with the second cache unit through a second transmission link, at least one unit attribute feature between the first cache unit and the second cache unit is different. Therefore, through different first cache units and second cache units, key data can be transmitted preferentially in a targeted manner, the problem of scanning interruption caused by data transmission bottleneck is reduced, and the continuous scanning efficiency of the CT system is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments described in this specification relate to the field of medical device technology, specifically to a CT data transmission system, method, and medical imaging equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Computed tomography (CT) systems are important medical diagnostic tools. Their core workflow involves acquiring projection data via detectors and transmitting the projection data to an image reconstruction unit for image reconstruction. With advancements in CT technology, CT systems have made significant progress in spatial resolution and spectral imaging capabilities. The amount of data generated in a single scan or view has increased exponentially. The data transmission rate of CT detectors may far exceed the capacity of the data transmission channels in the CT system, posing a significant data challenge to these channels.

[0003] In related technologies, higher bandwidth transmission channels or optimized slip ring designs are typically used to match the real-time data transmission of the detector, or compression or parallel processing is employed to reduce data transmission pressure. However, while these technologies can alleviate some of the pressure through high-bandwidth channels, slip ring optimization, data compression, and parallel computing, data quality and efficiency are mutually exclusive, and the bandwidth cost is high, still facing the problem of decreased scanning efficiency due to data transmission bottlenecks.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a CT data transmission system that can intelligently manage the transmission of massive amounts of CT data under the limitation of hardware transmission bandwidth, improve the real-time transmission of key data, and thus improve the overall scanning efficiency of the CT system. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, various embodiments of this specification aim to provide a CT data transmission method, apparatus, medical imaging equipment, and storage medium to improve the scanning efficiency of a CT system under the limitation of hardware transmission bandwidth.

[0006] This specification provides a CT data transmission system, including a data acquisition unit, a first buffer unit, and a second buffer unit. The data acquisition unit is connected to the first buffer unit via a first transmission link and to the second buffer unit via a second transmission link. The first buffer unit and the second buffer unit have at least one different unit attribute feature.

[0007] In some embodiments, the data acquisition unit includes a data receiving node for connecting to the detector module, a first node for connecting to the first transmission link, a second node for connecting to the second transmission link, and a data output node for connecting to the data transmission channel. The data acquisition unit also integrates multiple data paths, each of which connects two of the data receiving node, the first node, the second node, and the data output node. The multiple data paths are configured to selectively transmit the raw data received by the data receiving node to the first buffer unit and / or the second buffer unit, and transmit it out through the data transmission channel.

[0008] In some implementations, the plurality of data paths include a first data path connecting the data receiving node and the first node, a second data path connecting the first node and the data output node, a fifth data path connecting the second node and the data output node, and at least one of the following data paths: a fourth data path connecting the first node and the second node, and a third data path connecting the data receiving node and the second node.

[0009] In some implementations, the different unit attribute features between the first cache unit and the second cache unit include at least one of the following: inherent attributes of the cache unit, deployment method, connection method, transmission medium, and data transmission bandwidth; wherein, the inherent attributes of the cache unit are used to describe the data transmission speed, capacity, latency, lifespan, and / or data volatility of the corresponding cache unit; the deployment method is used to describe whether the corresponding cache unit is internally deployed or externally deployed; the connection method is used to describe whether the corresponding cache unit is wired or wirelessly connected; and the transmission medium can describe whether the corresponding cache unit is transmitted via optical fiber or twisted-pair network port.

[0010] In some implementations, the data transmission speed of the first cache unit is greater than that of the second cache unit; and / or, the first cache unit is a high-bandwidth cache unit and the second cache unit is a high-memory cache unit; and / or, the first cache unit is built into the data acquisition unit and the second cache unit is externally deployed in the data acquisition unit; and / or, the first cache unit is wired to the data acquisition unit and the second cache unit is wirelessly connected to the data acquisition unit; and / or, the first cache unit and the data acquisition unit are transmitted via optical fiber and the second cache unit and the data acquisition unit are transmitted via twisted-pair Ethernet port.

[0011] In some implementations, the first cache unit is a volatile storage unit, and the second cache unit is a non-volatile storage unit.

[0012] In some implementations, the CT data transmission system is adapted to a photon counting detector module.

[0013] This specification provides a CT data transmission method applied to a data acquisition unit in a CT data transmission system. The method includes: acquiring raw data collected by a detector module; distributing the raw data to a first buffer unit and a second buffer unit based on system constraint information; wherein the first buffer unit includes at least first data, which is determined based on the system constraint information and is used for priority transmission to meet real-time or critical diagnostic needs; at least one unit attribute characteristic is different between the first buffer unit and the second buffer unit; and transmitting the first data through a data transmission channel.

[0014] In some implementations, distributing raw data to a first cache unit and a second cache unit based on system constraint information includes: distributing the raw data to the first cache unit; determining at least the first data from the raw data based on the system constraint information; and if a second data is also determined from the raw data based on the system constraint information, distributing the second data to the second cache unit; wherein the second data is the raw data, or data in the raw data other than the first data.

[0015] In some implementations, distributing the original data to the first cache unit and the second cache unit based on system constraint information includes: determining at least the first data from the original data based on the system constraint conditions, and distributing the first data to the first cache unit; if a second data is also determined from the original data based on the system constraint information, distributing the second data to the second cache unit; wherein the second data is the original data, or data in the original data other than the first data.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further includes: dividing the first data in the first cache unit into a first part and a second part, and using the first part as new first data; distributing the second part to the second cache unit, and using the second part together with the second data as new second data.

[0017] In some implementations, the system constraint information is used for data matching, and the system constraint information includes at least one of the following: the system scanning requirements of the CT system, the data transmission speed of the data transmission channel, the data transmission speed of the first buffer unit, and its effective capacity.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method further includes: transmitting the second data through the data transmission channel when a set second data transmission condition is met; wherein the second data transmission condition includes: being in an idle period or having no first data transmission task period.

[0019] In some implementations, the amount of the first data is less than or equal to the amount of data transmitted through the data transmission channel; wherein, the amount of the first data is the product of the number of energy boxes of the first data, the data sampling rate of the first data, the number of pixels scanned in the X direction, the number of pixels scanned in the Z direction, and the number of binary bits required for each pixel; wherein, the amount of data transmitted through the data transmission channel is the product of the data transmission speed of the data transmission channel and the scanning duration corresponding to the original data.

[0020] In some implementations, the system scanning requirements in the system constraint information include energy box-related information; the raw data includes multiple energy box data according to the energy box dimension; determining at least a first data from the raw data based on the system constraint information includes: taking at least a portion of the energy box data from the multiple energy box data as the first data according to the energy box-related information.

[0021] In some implementations, the system scanning requirements in the system constraint information include energy box related information; the raw data includes multiple energy box data according to the energy box dimension; determining at least the first data from the raw data based on the system constraint information includes: selecting at least a portion of the energy boxes from the multiple energy box data according to the energy box related information, and using the difference data between the at least a portion of the energy boxes as the first data.

[0022] In some implementations, the system scanning requirements in the system constraint information include the scanning field of view of the CT system; determining at least the first data from the original data based on the system constraint information includes: selecting data corresponding to the key area field of view in the scanning field of view as the first data for the original data.

[0023] In some implementations, the system constraint information includes prior processing requirements, wherein the prior processing requirements are used to instruct prior processing of at least a portion of the original data before image reconstruction is performed based on the original data; determining at least a first data from the original data based on the system constraint information includes: using indicator type data as the first data; wherein the indicator type data is obtained by prior processing at least a portion of the original data according to the prior processing requirements.

[0024] This specification provides a medical imaging device, which includes the CT data transmission system described in any of the above embodiments.

[0025] In some embodiments, the medical imaging device further includes a detector module connected to the CT data transmission system, the CT data transmission system being used to receive raw data acquired by the detector module and execute the CT data transmission method provided in the embodiments of this specification.

[0026] In several embodiments provided in this specification, the CT data transmission system includes a data acquisition unit, a first buffer unit, and a second buffer unit. The data acquisition unit is connected to the first buffer unit via a first transmission link and to the second buffer unit via a second transmission link. The first buffer unit and the second buffer unit have at least one different unit attribute characteristic. By configuring at least one dual buffer unit with different unit attribute characteristics, critical data can be prioritized for transmission, reducing scan interruptions caused by large data volume transmission bottlenecks and improving the continuous scanning efficiency of the CT system. Furthermore, by combining different buffer units, the hardware transmission capacity can be optimized while ensuring the real-time performance of critical data and the overall data integrity of the CT system. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of a data acquisition unit provided in the embodiments of this specification; Figure 1b This is another schematic diagram of the data acquisition unit provided in the embodiments of this specification; Figure 1c This is yet another schematic diagram of the data acquisition unit provided in the embodiments of this specification; Figure 1d This is another schematic diagram of the data acquisition unit provided in the embodiments of this specification; Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the CT data transmission method provided in the embodiments of this specification; Figure 3a EID pixel plan view of the EID detector module provided for the embodiments of this specification; Figure 3b PCD pixel plan view of the PCD detector module provided for the embodiments of this specification; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the medical imaging equipment provided for the embodiments of this specification. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions described in this specification, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this specification, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this specification, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0029] With the development of CT technology, photo-counting CT (PCCT) has shown significant advantages in many medical fields due to its high-resolution pixels and multi-energy imaging capabilities. However, high-resolution pixels also mean a high pixel density and a large number of pixels. From a data perspective, the multi-energy imaging characteristic of PCCT can be represented by the fact that one pixel can generate multiple energy bins in a single scan, resulting in multiple photon counts. Compared to traditional CT energy-integrating detectors (EID), photo-counting detectors (PCD) require a significantly larger amount of data to process.

[0030] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a CT data transmission method that can intelligently manage massive amounts of CT data for rapid caching and transmission under the limitation of hardware transmission bandwidth, improve the real-time transmission of key data, and not affect the overall scanning efficiency of the CT system. In this way, the scanning efficiency of the CT scanning system can be indirectly improved.

[0031] This specification provides a CT data transmission system. The CT system may include a CT data transmission system and a computer system communicatively connected thereto. The CT system can be used to acquire CT data. The computer system may be equipped with an image reconstruction unit, which can perform image reconstruction based on the CT data.

[0032] In this embodiment, the CT system can refer to a CT scanner. A CT system may include multiple components such as a scanning bed, scanning gantry, X-ray tube, multiple detector modules, data acquisition unit, multiple buffer units, and data transmission channels. The CT data transmission system includes, but is not limited to, the data acquisition unit, multiple buffer units, and data transmission channels.

[0033] The scanning bed, also known as the examination bed, primarily supports the patient. Its raising, lowering, and advancing / lowering position allows for precise positioning of the patient during scanning. The X-ray tube, also called the X-ray tube, is mounted on the rotating part of the scanning gantry and generates X-rays.

[0034] For example, a CT system may include a first cache unit and a second cache unit for caching CT data. Different priorities of CT data are cached based on their quantity or degree of priority. The following description uses the first cache unit and the second cache unit as examples.

[0035] Please see Figure 1a , Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of a data acquisition unit provided in an embodiment of this specification. The CT data transmission system includes a data acquisition unit 110, a first buffer unit 130, and a second buffer unit 140. The data acquisition unit 110 is connected to multiple detector modules 120, the first buffer unit 130, the second buffer unit 140, and a data transmission channel 150. The detector module 110, also called a CT detector, converts the X-ray signal passing through the patient into an electrical signal, which is then processed to form raw data, i.e., the raw scan data of the CT scan. The data transmission channel 150 may refer to a slip ring, which provides a transmission path for the electrical energy and signals of the rotating and stationary parts of the CT gantry, and transmits the raw data acquired from the data acquisition unit 110 or the detector module 120 to the image reconstruction unit of the computer system for image reconstruction. Exemplarily, the data acquisition unit may be implemented using a CPU, FPGA, and / or ASIC combined with peripheral storage devices or buffer units.

[0036] In this embodiment, during the CT scan phase, the X-ray tube and detector module move in a circular motion around the subject, while the scanning bed moves in one direction, such as from the head towards the chest, to complete the scan of different parts of the subject. Exemplarily, in a Cartesian coordinate system or an XYZ coordinate system, the channel direction of the detector module is the X-axis, the row direction of the detector module is the Z-axis, and the X, Y, and Z axes are perpendicular to each other. The X-ray tube and detector module move in a circular motion along the XY plane, while the scanning bed moves along the Z-axis.

[0037] In this embodiment, the CT scanner acquires the raw data of the patient's CT scan by laying out X-rays. Laying out X-rays refers to the process by which the X-ray tube emits X-rays that pass through the patient's scanning area to reach detector module 1, ..., detector module N. During the CT scanning stage, the CT scanner will lay out X-rays multiple times, that is, generate raw data corresponding to multiple views.

[0038] In this embodiment, the data acquisition unit 110 can be connected to an external computer system through the data transmission channel 150, or in other words, the data acquisition unit 110 can be connected to an external image reconstruction unit deployed on the computer system through the data transmission channel 150.

[0039] For example, the detector module can be an EID detector module, a PCD detector module, or any other type of detector module.

[0040] In this embodiment, the data acquisition unit 110 can acquire raw data from multiple detector modules 1, ..., N. The raw data can refer to the raw data acquired by the detector modules or the raw data after data processing, including noise reduction. As an example, the data acquisition unit 110 can store the acquired raw data in a first buffer unit 130 and then send it to the image reconstruction unit via the data transmission channel 150 based on the first buffer unit 130. As another example, the data acquisition unit 110 can store the acquired raw data in a first buffer unit 130 and a second buffer unit 140, and then send it to the image reconstruction unit via the data transmission channel 150 based on the first buffer unit 130 and the second buffer unit 140.

[0041] In this embodiment, at least one unit attribute feature is different between the first cache unit 130 and the second cache unit 140.

[0042] For example, the different unit attribute characteristics between the first cache unit 130 and the second cache unit 140 may include at least one of the following: inherent attributes of the cache unit, deployment method, connection method, transmission medium, and data transmission bandwidth. That is, the different unit attribute characteristics between the first cache unit and the second cache unit may refer to: different inherent attributes of the cache units, and / or different deployment methods on the data acquisition unit, and / or different connection methods with the data acquisition unit, and / or different transmission media with the data acquisition unit.

[0043] The inherent attributes of the cache unit describe its data transmission speed, capacity, latency, lifespan, and / or data volatility. The deployment method describes whether the cache unit is built-in or external to the data acquisition unit. The connection method describes whether the cache unit and data acquisition unit are connected via wired or wireless means. The transmission medium describes whether the transmission between the cache unit and data acquisition unit is via fiber optic cable or twisted-pair Ethernet.

[0044] As an example, the data transfer speed of the first cache unit 130 is greater than that of the second cache unit 140.

[0045] As an example, the first cache unit 130 can be a high-bandwidth cache unit, and the second cache unit 140 can be a high-capacity or high-memory cache unit.

[0046] As an example, the first cache unit 130 can be built into the data acquisition unit 110, and the second cache unit 140 can be deployed externally to the data acquisition unit 110.

[0047] As an example, the first buffer unit 130 and the data acquisition unit 110 may be connected by a wire, and the second buffer unit 140 and the data acquisition unit 110 may be connected by a wireless connection.

[0048] As an example, the first buffer unit 130 and the data acquisition unit 110 can be connected via optical fiber, while the second buffer unit 140 and the data acquisition unit 110 can be connected via twisted-pair network port.

[0049] For example, at least one unit attribute feature can affect the difference between the data transmission speed of the first cache unit 130 and the data transmission speed of the second cache unit 140. That is, because there is at least one different feature between the first cache unit 130 and the second cache unit 140, there is a difference in the data transmission speed of the first cache unit 130 and the second cache unit 140. The data transmission speed of the first cache unit 130 or the second cache unit 140 can refer to the read / write speed of the cache unit itself plus the data transmission speed between the cache unit and the data acquisition unit 110, or it can refer to the read / write speed of the cache unit itself plus the data transmission speed between the cache unit and the data transmission channel 150 via the data acquisition unit 110.

[0050] For another example, the first cache unit can be a high-speed, volatile storage unit. The second cache unit can be a high-capacity or high-memory non-volatile storage unit. The first cache unit is suitable for temporarily storing data being processed, maintaining data by continuously refreshing the first cache unit, with short latency and a long lifespan. The second cache unit is suitable for long-term data storage, with a storage speed that can be slower than the first cache unit, but data is still retained after power failure, and the storage density per unit area of ​​the second cache unit can be higher than that of the first cache unit. In this way, by configuring the first and second cache units for the data acquisition unit of the CT system, not only can the scanning efficiency of the CT system be improved, but the integrity of large-capacity data can also be guaranteed.

[0051] In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 1b , Figure 1bThis is another schematic diagram of the data acquisition unit provided in the embodiments of this specification. The CT data transmission system includes a data acquisition unit 110, a first buffer unit 130, and a second buffer unit 140. The data acquisition unit 110 is connected to the first buffer unit 130 via a bidirectional first transmission link 131, and the data acquisition unit 110 is connected to the second buffer unit via a bidirectional second transmission link 141. It can be understood that the first transmission link 131 can be a unit attribute feature of the first buffer unit 130, and the second transmission link 141 can be a unit attribute feature of the second buffer unit 140. For example, the connection methods of the first transmission link 131 and the second transmission link 141 are different, or the transmission media are different. For example, the first transmission link 131 can be a wired transmission link, and the second transmission link 141 can be a wireless transmission link. The first transmission link 131 can be fiber optic transmission, and the second transmission link 141 can be twisted-pair network port transmission.

[0052] In some implementations, please refer to [the relevant documentation]. Figure 1b as well as Figure 1c , 1d , Figure 1c This is yet another schematic diagram of the data acquisition unit provided in the embodiments of this specification. Figure 1d This is another schematic diagram of the data acquisition unit provided in the embodiments of this specification. The data acquisition unit 110 includes a data receiving node for connecting to the detector module 120, a first node for connecting to the first transmission link 131, a second node for connecting to the second transmission link 141, and a data output node for connecting to the data transmission channel 150. The data acquisition unit 110 also integrates multiple data paths, each data path connecting two of the data receiving node, the first node, the second node, and the data output node. These multiple data paths are configured to selectively transmit the raw data received by the data receiving node to the first buffer unit 130 and the second buffer unit 140, and then transmit it out through the data transmission channel 150.

[0053] In some implementations, the multiple data paths integrated by the data acquisition unit 110 may include a first data path 1 connecting the data receiving node and the first node, a second data path 2 connecting the first node and the data output node, a fifth data path 5 connecting the second node and the data output node; and at least one of the following data paths: The fourth data path 4 connects the first node and the second node, and the fifth data path 5 connects the data receiving node and the second node.

[0054] In other words, the multiple data paths integrated by the data acquisition unit 110 may include: such as Figure 1b The first data path 1, the second data path 2, the fourth data path 4, and the fifth data path 5 are shown; or as shown in the diagram. Figure 1c The first data path 1, the second data path 2, the third data path 3, and the fifth data path 5 are shown; or as... Figure 1d The diagram shows the first data path 1, the second data path 2, the third data path 3, the fourth data path 4, and the fifth data path 5. Different integration methods can achieve different CT data transmission methods.

[0055] This specification provides a CT data transmission method. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a CT data transmission method provided in this specification. This embodiment provides the method operation steps shown in the flowchart, but based on conventional or non-inventive methods, more or fewer operation steps may be included. The order of steps listed in the embodiment is merely one possible execution order among many, and does not represent the only possible execution order. In actual system or server products, the method can be executed sequentially or in parallel (e.g., in a parallel processor or multi-threaded processing environment). This CT data transmission method can be applied to the data acquisition unit of a CT data transmission system, specifically as follows... Figure 2 As shown, the CT data transmission method may include the following steps.

[0056] Step S210: Obtain the raw data collected by the detector module.

[0057] In some cases, as detector modules such as EID or PCD detectors become smaller and smaller, the number of energy boxes increases, and the CT system's CT data acquisition speed and sampling rate increase, the transmission of raw data through the data transmission channel shown in Figure 1 may be limited by hardware transmission conditions, affecting CT scan efficiency. For example, if data transmission is incomplete or the buffer capacity is full, the next CT scan cannot proceed until the buffer required for subsequent scans is cleared, thus impacting scanning efficiency.

[0058] For example, for the EID detector module, please refer to Figure 3a , Figure 3a The EID pixel planar diagram of the EID detector module provided in this embodiment is assumed to be 15cm*100cm in size, with a pixel size of 1mm*1mm. Ignoring the gaps between pixels, the number of pixels is 150*1000=150,000. Each pixel requires 16 bits of binary data, resulting in 2.4Mbit of data for one view. It should be noted that the pixels in the EID pixel planar diagram are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the actual number.

[0059] For the PCD detector module, please refer to Figure 3b , Figure 3b The PCD pixel planar diagram of the PCD detector module provided in this embodiment has dimensions of 15cm * 100cm and a pixel size of 0.5mm * 0.5mm. Ignoring the gaps between pixels, the number of pixels is 300 * 2000 = 600,000. Each pixel requires 16 bits of binary data, and each pixel generates 4 photon counts for the energy bins. Therefore, the data volume corresponding to one View is 38.4 Mbit. It should be noted that the pixels in the PCD pixel planar diagram are for illustration only and do not represent the actual number. Thus, compared to the EID detector module, the PCD detector module generates 16 times the data volume of the EID detector module to produce the same View.

[0060] Please continue reading. Figure 1a , 1b Assuming the data transmission channel is a 40 Gbit / s slip ring (e.g., 1c or 1d), or for example, an 8-bit / 10-bit encoded slip ring with an effective bandwidth of 32 Gbit / s, the CT gantry or scanning gantry rotates at 0.3 s / revolution, and the data sampling rate per revolution (View) is 2500. The CT data transmission rate of the EID detector module is 2.4 Mbit * 2500 / 0.3 = 20 Gbit / s. The CT data transmission rate of the PCD detector module is 38.4 Mbit * 2500 / 0.3 = 320 Gbit / s. For the EID detector module, the data transmission speed of the data transmission channel in the data acquisition unit is greater than the CT data transmission rate of the EID detector module. Real-time transmission can usually be achieved using a simultaneous acquisition and transmission method, and the CT scanning efficiency is less affected by the data transmission speed of the transmission channel. However, for PCD detector modules, the data transmission speed of the data transmission channel in the data acquisition unit is often lower than the CT data transmission rate of the PCD detector module. Therefore, it is necessary to configure one or more buffer units or buffers on the data acquisition unit to buffer CT data and transmit data during idle periods or when there is redundancy in the transmission bandwidth of the data transmission channel.

[0061] In some cases, the number of scans in a single scan may be large, and the amount of acquired CT data, or raw data, may fill the buffer capacity. In such situations, the CT data must be transmitted first, causing the scanning section of the CT system to remain idle until the storage space or buffer capacity required for the next scan becomes available, thus impacting the efficiency of the CT scan. Therefore, after acquiring the raw data from the detector module, it is advisable to process or extract critical, high-priority, and real-time-critical data for priority transmission, reducing the buffer capacity occupied by the data acquisition unit.

[0062] Step S220: Based on system constraint information, distribute the raw data to the first cache unit and the second cache unit; wherein, the first cache unit includes at least the first data, which is determined from the raw data based on the system constraint information and is used for priority transmission to meet real-time or critical diagnostic requirements, and there is at least one different unit attribute feature between the first cache unit and the second cache unit.

[0063] For example, system constraint information is used for data matching, and the system constraint information includes at least one of the following: the system scanning requirements of the set CT system, the data transmission speed of the data transmission channel, the data transmission speed of the first buffer unit and its effective capacity.

[0064] Specifically, based on system constraint information, data matching or selection can be performed on the raw data to obtain at least the first data that needs to be transmitted first. System constraint information can influence data selection decisions, enabling optimized calculations for data matching, thereby intelligently filtering out the most critical data subset and optimizing the allocation efficiency of limited transmission resources. For example, in an emergency trauma scanning scenario, the first data could be the data required for low-dose preview images to quickly reconstruct key anatomical structures; in an energy spectrum imaging scenario, the first data could be the photon count values ​​of a specific energy box or energy range used to achieve the separation of specific substances.

[0065] System scanning requirements can refer to CT system scanning parameters set by operators or upper control systems, such as scanning field of view, gantry rotation speed, projection sampling rate, or energy spectrum imaging mode.

[0066] The data transmission speed of a data transmission channel, also known as the data transmission rate or transmission bandwidth, refers to the maximum amount of data that the data transmission channel can transmit per unit of time, usually measured in Gbit / s.

[0067] The first cache unit can refer to a cache unit or cache used to cache the first data. The data transfer speed and effective capacity of the first cache unit refer to the data read / write bandwidth and the currently available storage space size of the first cache unit, respectively.

[0068] Step S230: Transmit the first data through the data transmission channel.

[0069] For example, since at least one unit attribute characteristic differs between the first cache unit and the second cache unit, the first cache unit is more suitable for temporarily storing data being processed or data with high real-time requirements. For instance, the data transmission speed of the first cache unit is greater than that of the second cache unit, or the first cache unit is a cache unit with higher bandwidth than the second cache unit. Therefore, the first data can be cached through the first cache unit and transmitted to the image reconstruction unit through the data transmission channel based on the first cache unit for image reconstruction. In this way, the high-speed caching characteristics of the first cache unit can be used to temporarily store priority data, ensuring fast access to the first data and achieving low-latency transmission of critical data. This can effectively avoid system blockage caused by waiting for non-critical data, thereby improving the overall scanning efficiency of the CT system.

[0070] In some implementations, step S220, which distributes the raw data to the first cache unit and the second cache unit based on system constraint information, may include the following steps S310-S330.

[0071] Step S310: Distribute the raw data to the first cache unit.

[0072] Step S320: Based on system constraint information, determine at least the first data from the original data.

[0073] Step S330: If second data is determined from the original data based on system constraint information, the second data is distributed to the second cache unit.

[0074] The second data is either the original data or the original data excluding the first data.

[0075] In some implementations, step S220, which distributes the raw data to the first cache unit and the second cache unit based on system constraint information, may include the following steps S410-S430.

[0076] Step S410: Based on system constraints, determine at least the first data from the original data and distribute the first data to the first cache unit.

[0077] Step S420: If second data is determined from the original data based on system constraint information, the second data is distributed to the second cache unit.

[0078] In some implementations, step S220, which distributes the raw data to the first cache unit and the second cache unit based on system constraint information, may also include the following steps S510-S540.

[0079] Step S510: Based on system constraints, determine at least the first data from the original data and distribute the first data to the first cache unit.

[0080] Step S520: If second data is determined from the original data based on system constraint information, the second data is distributed to the second cache unit.

[0081] Step S530: Divide the first data in the first cache unit into a first part and a second part, and use the first part as the new first data.

[0082] Step S540: Distribute the second part to the second cache unit, and use the second part together with the second data as the new second data.

[0083] In some implementations, the CT data transmission method may further include: transmitting second data to an external image reconstruction unit via a data transmission channel when a set second data transmission condition is met. The second data transmission condition includes: being in an idle period, having no first data transmission task period, or having redundant transmission bandwidth in the data transmission channel.

[0084] In some cases, the raw data obtained from the detector module may all satisfy the system constraint information, or in other words, the entire raw data may be used as the first data based on the system constraint information. In this case, it is unnecessary to determine the second data for transmission; that is, based on the system constraint information, there is no need to determine the second data from the raw data. This reduces the number of read and write operations on the second cache unit. Since the second cache unit uses non-volatile flash memory, the number of read and write operations has a significant impact on its lifespan. Reducing the number of read and write operations helps to improve the lifespan of the second cache unit.

[0085] In some cases, if only a portion of the raw data obtained from the detector module matches the system constraint information, or if the first data is a part extracted from the raw data, then the entire raw data can be used as the second data, or the data in the raw data other than the first data can be used as the second data, depending on the actual situation or scenario.

[0086] If, in addition to determining the first data from the original data based on system constraint information, a second data point is also determined from the original data, then the inherent advantages of the second cache unit compared to the first cache unit can be utilized for caching and transmission. For example, the second cache unit can be a cache with high capacity and non-volatile characteristics, enabling the secure and reliable long-term storage of the often larger volume of second data. Thus, by avoiding caching and transmission of non-urgent, non-critical, and large-volume second data in the first cache unit, the resources of the first cache unit can be ensured to continuously and efficiently serve the real-time transmission needs of the first data. Simultaneously, the advantages of the second cache unit can be leveraged to achieve low-cost, high-reliability storage and transmission of massive amounts of second data.

[0087] For example, to effectively transmit the second data asynchronously, second data transmission conditions can be configured or set to determine the appropriate time to transmit the second data. For instance, the second data transmission conditions may include one or more of the following: the CT system is in a scanning idle period, the current utilization rate of the data transmission channel shown in Figure 1 is below a set utilization threshold, or no first data is being transmitted in the data transmission channel. This allows for optimized scheduling of hardware transmission resources in the time dimension, preventing the transmission of the second data from competing with the high-priority transmission of the first data for valuable data transmission channel bandwidth resources. Thus, the complete transmission of all acquired raw data can be completed without affecting the continuous scanning efficiency and real-time diagnosis of the CT system, ensuring the integrity of the raw data.

[0088] In some implementations, the amount of data in the first data is less than or equal to the amount of data transmitted through the data transmission channel.

[0089] For example, the size of the first data can be the product of the number of energy boxes in the first data, the data sampling rate of the first data, the number of pixels scanned in the X direction, the number of pixels scanned in the Z direction, and the number of binary bits required for each pixel. Here, the data sampling rate of the first data can refer to the sampling rate of the data extracted from the original data.

[0090] For example, the data transmission volume of the data transmission channel can be the product of the data transmission speed of the data transmission channel and the scanning duration corresponding to the original data. Here, the data transmission speed of the data transmission channel is also known as the transmission rate of the data transmission channel.

[0091] In some implementations, the system scan requirements in the system constraint information may include energy box-related information. For example, energy box-related information may be used to describe specific information about the energy boxes to be extracted, such as the number, size, and distribution of the energy boxes.

[0092] In some cases, the raw data can include data from multiple energy boxes according to the energy box dimension.

[0093] In this embodiment, determining at least the first data from the original data based on system constraint information may include: using at least a portion of the energy box data from multiple energy box data sets as the first data set based on energy box related information.

[0094] In some scenarios, such as those utilizing the K-layer electron transition characteristics of substances during X-ray absorption, the K-edge of elements like iodine and gadolinium can be used for high-contrast imaging, often employed in angiography or tumor visualization. In these cases, parameters such as Ktrans and kep can be calculated using the K-edge characteristics to assess tissue perfusion and capillary permeability.

[0095] For example, taking the PCD detector module of a photon-counting CT scanner as an example, it separates photon count values ​​at different energy levels using multiple energy cells. As an example, 30keV and 35keV energy cells can be placed on both sides of the iodine K-edge (iodine 33.2keV), and the difference in attenuation is used to distinguish substances. Assuming that six energy cells, including those at 30-33.2keV and 33.2-35keV, can be acquired in a single scan, then the two energy cells at 30-33.2keV and 33.2-35keV can be selected as the first data to be transmitted. The second data can be all the data from the remaining energy cells.

[0096] In some implementations, determining at least the first data from the raw data based on system constraint information may include: selecting at least a portion of the energy boxes from a plurality of energy box data based on energy box related information, and using the difference data between the at least a portion of the energy boxes as the first data.

[0097] For example, continuing with the illustration of setting up 30keV and 35keV energy boxes on both sides of the iodine K-edge (iodine 33.2keV) to distinguish substances by comparing attenuation differences, assuming that a single scan can acquire six energy boxes including those ranging from 30-33.2keV to 33.2-35keV, then the difference data between the two energy boxes ranging from 30-33.2keV to 33.2-35keV can be selected as the first data to be transmitted first. The second data can be all the data from the remaining energy boxes, or it can be the data from all the energy boxes.

[0098] In some implementations, the system scanning requirements in the system constraint information include the scanning field of view of the CT system.

[0099] In this embodiment, determining at least the first data from the original data based on system constraint information may include: selecting data corresponding to the key area field of view in the scanned field of view as the first data.

[0100] For example, the second data may be the data corresponding to the fields of view in the scanned field of view, excluding the key area fields of view, from the original data. Alternatively, the second data may be all the original data.

[0101] In some implementations, system constraint information may include prior processing requirements, which instruct the data acquisition unit in the CT system to perform prior processing on at least a portion of the raw data before image reconstruction is performed based on the raw data. This allows doctors or diagnostic personnel to receive the desired results immediately.

[0102] In this embodiment, determining at least the first data from the original data based on system constraint information may include: using indicator type data as the first data; wherein the indicator type data is obtained by selecting at least a portion of the data from the original data for prior processing according to prior processing requirements.

[0103] For example, the first data can be frequency domain index data obtained by prior processing of the entire original data based on prior processing requirements, and the second data can be the entire original data.

[0104] In some implementations, please refer to [the relevant documentation]. Figure 1b The raw data can be stored in the first buffer unit 130 sequentially through the first data path 1 and the first transmission link 131. After determining the first data and the second data from the raw data, the first data is distributed to the data transmission channel 150 sequentially through the first transmission link 131 and the second data path 2. The second data can be distributed to the second buffer unit 140 for storage sequentially through the first transmission link 131, the fourth data path 4, and the second transmission link 141. Then, under the condition that the second data transmission condition is met, the second data is transmitted to the data transmission channel 150 sequentially through the second transmission link 141 and the fifth data path 5. Since the second buffer unit is a high-capacity, high-memory buffer unit, it can continuously store data after multiple scans. Therefore, it can wait until the second data transmission condition is met, such as when the CT system is in a scanning idle period, the current utilization rate of the data transmission channel 150 is lower than the set utilization rate threshold, and / or there is no first data being transmitted in the data transmission channel 150, before transmitting to the data transmission channel 150.

[0105] In some implementations, please refer to [the relevant documentation]. Figure 1cAfter determining the first and second data from the original data, the first data is sequentially stored in the first cache unit 130 via the first data path 1 and the first transmission link 131, and then distributed to the data transmission channel 150 via the first transmission link 131 and the second data path 2 based on the first cache unit 130. The second data can be sequentially distributed to the second cache unit 140 for storage via the third data path 3 and the second transmission link 141. Under the condition that the second data transmission condition is met, the second data is sequentially transmitted to the data transmission channel 150 via the second transmission link 141 and the fifth data path 5 based on the second cache unit 140.

[0106] In some implementations, if the amount of raw data obtained from the detector module is large but the bandwidth required for its transmission is small, please refer to [further details needed]. Figure 1d After determining the first and second data from the original data, the first data is sequentially stored in the first cache unit 130 via the first data path 1 and the first transmission link 131. The second data is then sequentially distributed to the second cache unit 140 for storage via the third data path 3 and the second transmission link 141. To accommodate data transmission of the first and second data across multiple dimensions, the first data in the first cache unit can be divided into a first part and a second part. The first part is used as the new first data, and the second part is sequentially distributed to the second cache unit 140 via the first transmission link 131, the fourth data path 4, and the second transmission link 141. The second part and the second data together constitute the new second data. Next, the new first data is sequentially distributed to the data transmission channel 150 via the first transmission link 131 and the second data path 2. Furthermore, if the second data transmission conditions are met, the new second data in the second cache unit 140 can be sequentially transmitted to the data transmission channel 150 via the second transmission link 141 and the fifth data path 5.

[0107] This specification also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to implement the CT data transmission method in any of the above embodiments.

[0108] This specification also provides a medical imaging device, including a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, implements the CT data transmission method in any of the above embodiments.

[0109] In some implementations, please refer to Figure 4 The medical imaging device can be a terminal, and its internal structure diagram can be as follows: Figure 4As shown, the medical imaging device includes a processor, memory, and communication interface connected via a system bus. The processor provides computational and control capabilities. The memory includes a non-volatile storage medium and internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores the operating system and computer programs. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and computer programs stored in the non-volatile storage medium. The communication interface is used for wired or wireless communication with external terminals; wireless communication can be achieved through Wi-Fi, carrier networks, NFC (Near Field Communication), or other technologies. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements a CT data transmission method.

[0110] This specification also provides a medical imaging device, which includes the CT data transmission system provided in the embodiments of this specification.

[0111] In some embodiments, the medical imaging device further includes a detector module connected to a CT data transmission system, which receives raw data acquired by the detector module and executes the CT data transmission method provided in the embodiments of this specification.

[0112] It is understood that the specific examples in this document are only intended to help those skilled in the art better understand the embodiments described herein, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0113] It is understood that in the various embodiments described in this specification, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments described in this specification.

[0114] It is understood that the various implementation methods described in this specification can be implemented individually or in combination, and the implementation methods in this specification are not limited in this respect.

[0115] Unless otherwise stated, all technical and scientific terms used in the embodiments of this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this specification. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The singular forms "a," "the," and "the" as used in the embodiments of this specification and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0116] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this specification can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this specification. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this specification can be directly implemented by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0117] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this specification may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM). It should be noted that the memory in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this specification.

[0119] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method implementations, and will not be repeated here.

[0120] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this specification, but the scope of protection of this invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this specification should be included within the scope of protection of this specification. Therefore, the scope of protection of this invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A CT data transmission system, characterized by, The CT data transmission system comprises a data acquisition unit, a first cache unit and a second cache unit. The data acquisition unit is connected with the first cache unit through a first transmission link and connected with the second cache unit through a second transmission link. At least one attribute feature of the first cache unit and the second cache unit is different.

2. The CT data transmission system of claim 1, wherein, The data acquisition unit comprises a data receiving node for connecting a detector module, a first node for connecting the first transmission link, a second node for connecting the second transmission link, and a data output node for connecting a data transmission channel. The data acquisition unit is also integrated with a plurality of data paths. Each data path is connected with two of the data receiving node, the first node, the second node and the data output node. The plurality of data paths are configured to selectively transmit raw data received by the data receiving node to the first cache unit and / or the second cache unit and output the data through the data transmission channel.

3. The CT data transmission system of claim 2, wherein, The plurality of data paths comprise a first data path connected with the data receiving node and the first node, a second data path connected with the first node and the data output node, a fifth data path connected with the second node and the data output node, and at least one of the following data paths: a third data path connected with the data receiving node and the second node, and a fourth data path connected with the first node and the second node.

4. The CT data transmission system of claim 1, wherein, The different attribute features of the first cache unit and the second cache unit include at least one of the following: cache unit inherent attribute, deployment method, connection method, transmission medium, data transmission bandwidth size. The cache unit inherent attribute is used to describe the data transmission speed, capacity, delay time, service life and / or data volatility of the corresponding cache unit. The deployment method is used to describe whether the corresponding cache unit is built-in or external. The connection method is used to describe whether the corresponding cache unit is wired or wireless. The transmission medium can describe whether the corresponding cache unit is optical fiber transmission or twisted pair network port transmission.

5. The CT data transmission system according to claim 4, wherein the data transmission speed of the first cache unit is greater than that of the second cache unit; and / or the first cache unit is a high-bandwidth cache unit, and the second cache unit is a high-memory cache unit; and / or the first cache unit is built-in in the data acquisition unit, and the second cache unit is external in the data acquisition unit; and / or the first cache unit is wired connected with the data acquisition unit, and the second cache unit is wirelessly connected with the data acquisition unit; and / or optical fiber transmission is adopted between the first cache unit and the data acquisition unit, and twisted pair network port transmission is adopted between the second cache unit and the data acquisition unit.

6. The CT data transmission system of claim 4, wherein, the first cache unit is a volatile storage unit, and the second cache unit is a non-volatile storage unit.

7. The CT data transmission system of claim 1, wherein, The CT data transmission system is applicable to a photon counting detector module.

8. A CT data transmission method, characterized by, The application discloses a data acquisition unit applied to a CT data transmission system; the method comprises the following steps: Obtaining original data collected by a detector module; Based on system constraint information, distributing the original data to a first cache unit and a second cache unit; wherein the first cache unit at least includes first data, the first data is determined based on the system constraint information, and is used for priority transmission to meet real-time or critical diagnosis requirements; there is at least one unit attribute feature between the first cache unit and the second cache unit is different; Transmitting the first data through a data transmission channel.

9. The CT data transmission method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: Distributing the original data to the first cache unit; Based on the system constraint information, at least determining the first data from the original data; If the second data is also determined from the original data based on the system constraint information, distributing the second data to the second cache unit; wherein the second data is the original data, or is data in the original data except the first data.

10. The CT data transmission method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: Based on the system constraint condition, at least determining the first data from the original data, and distributing the first data to the first cache unit; If the second data is also determined from the original data based on the system constraint information, distributing the second data to the second cache unit; wherein the second data is the original data, or is data in the original data except the first data.

11. The CT data transmission method of claim 10, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: Dividing the first data in the first cache unit into a first part and a second part, and taking the first part as new first data; Distributing the second part to the second cache unit, and taking the second part and the second data as new second data together.

12. The CT data transmission method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized by, The system constraint information is used for data matching, and the system constraint information comprises at least one of the following: a set system scanning requirement of the CT system, a data transmission speed of the data transmission channel, a data transmission speed of the first cache unit, and an effective capacity thereof.

13. The CT data transmission method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized by, The method further comprises the following steps: In the case that a set second data transmission condition is met, transmitting the second data through the data transmission channel; Wherein, the second data transmission condition comprises: an idle period, a period without the first data transmission task, or a transmission bandwidth redundancy of the data transmission channel.

14. The CT data transmission method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized by, The data amount of the first data is less than or equal to the data transmission amount of the data transmission channel; Wherein, the data amount of the first data is the product between the energy bin number of the first data, the data sampling rate of the first data, the scanning X-pixel number, the scanning Z-pixel number, and the number of binary bits required by each pixel; Wherein, the data transmission amount of the data transmission channel is the product between the data transmission speed of the data transmission channel and the scanning time corresponding to the original data.

15. The CT data transmission method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized by, The system scanning requirement in the system constraint information comprises energy bin related information; the raw data comprises a plurality of energy bin data according to energy bin dimension; The determining the first data from the raw data based on the system constraint information comprises: According to the energy bin related information, at least part of the energy bin data in the plurality of energy bin data is selected as the first data; or, According to the energy bin related information, at least part of the energy bin data in the plurality of energy bin data is selected as the first data.

16. The CT data transmission method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized by, The system scanning requirement in the system constraint information comprises a scanning field of view of a CT system; The determining the first data from the raw data based on the system constraint information comprises: For the raw data, data corresponding to a key region field of view in the scanning field of view is selected as the first data.

17. The CT data transmission method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein, The system constraint information comprises a prior processing requirement, wherein the prior processing requirement is used to instruct prior processing of at least part of the data in the raw data before image reconstruction based on the raw data; The determining the first data from the raw data based on the system constraint information comprises: Index type data is selected as the first data, wherein the index type data is obtained by prior processing of at least part of the data in the raw data according to the prior processing requirement.

18. A medical imaging apparatus, characterized by The medical imaging device comprises the CT data transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

19. The medical imaging device of claim 18, wherein, The medical imaging device further comprises a detector module connected to the CT data transmission system, wherein the CT data transmission system is configured to receive raw data collected by the detector module and perform the CT data transmission method according to claims 8 to 11.

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