Patient position determination device for medical imaging system

Abstract

A patient position determination apparatus for a medical imaging system (200) is provided. The patient position determination apparatus comprises: an adjustable mount for an image capture device (110); at least one actuator configured to move the adjustable mount; and a controller configured to: position an intersection point at which an imaging beam (108) of the medical imaging system intersects a surface in a region to be imaged based on configuration data relating to settings of the medical imaging system, and control the at least one actuator to move the adjustable mount, to position a field of view of the image capture device relative to the point of intersection (112). In this manner, the apparatus enables appropriate synchronization between a localization image captured by an image capture device and a medical image captured by a medical imaging system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a patient location determination device for a medical imaging system, a medical imaging system including the patient location determination device, and a method for determining the patient location during medical imaging using the device. Background Technology

[0002] In some medical imaging systems, 3D cameras are mounted inside or near the collimator of the X-ray tube to obtain patient position information, thereby supporting the localization or detection of patient movement or breathing. Nevertheless, there are still opportunities to provide radiologists with improved information about patient position, resulting in better patient localization and consequently reducing workflow disruptions. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the invention, a patient position determination device for a medical imaging system is provided. The patient position determination device includes: an adjustable mount for an image capture device; at least one actuator configured to move the adjustable mount; and a controller configured to: locate an intersection point between an imaging beam of the medical imaging system and a surface in a region to be imaged, based on configuration data relating to the medical imaging system setup, and control the at least one actuator to move the adjustable mount to position the field of view of the image capture device relative to the intersection point.

[0004] In this way, the device enables proper synchronization between positioning images captured by the image capture device and medical images captured by the medical imaging system. Specifically, by improving the centrality of positioning images at multiple source-to-image distances, it provides radiologists with improved information about the patient's location, thereby streamlining the workflow.

[0005] The controller is also configured to control the at least one actuator to move the adjustable mount such that the field of view satisfies a predetermined relationship with the intersection point. In an example, the predetermined relationship is satisfied when the center of the field of view coincides with the intersection point (e.g., they appear in the same location within a predetermined tolerance, such as a user-related tolerance set according to the preferences of a particular or typical user). For example, the intersection point might correspond to the center of the X-ray image to be acquired, the center of the detector of the medical imaging system, the center of the collimation region, or the center of the object to be examined (e.g., an anatomical structure). In an example, the intersection point is the point where the imaging beam intersects with the source-facing surface of the medical imaging system detector, and the controller is configured to locate the intersection point based on configuration data including one or more of the following: i) the position of the focal spot of the medical imaging system; ii) the direction of the imaging beam; iii) the position of the center of the detector of the medical imaging system. In another example, the intersection point is the point where the imaging beam intersects with the object to be examined, and the controller is configured to also locate the intersection point based on configuration data including depth information acquired by the image capture device (e.g., a 3D camera).

[0006] Configuration data related to the imaging setup may be known in advance or obtainable using sensor devices. Configuration data describing the fixed geometric parameters of the medical imaging system may be known in advance. Configuration data describing the variable geometric parameters of the medical imaging system may be obtained via sensors (e.g., linear position sensors and angle sensors). Configuration data describing depth information may be acquired via an image capture device (e.g., a 3D camera). Using this information, the controller is configured to determine the direction of the central beam, the position of the focal spot, and the position of the detector center. Based on the position of the image capture device center relative to the focal spot position, the controller is configured to calculate at least one tilt angle, and based on the tilt angle, the controller controls the at least one actuator to move the adjustable mount.

[0007] In one example, the at least one actuator is configured to tilt the adjustable mount about a single axis. In another example, the at least one actuator is configured to tilt the adjustable mount about multiple axes, such as two vertical axes. In other examples, the at least one actuator may also be configured to achieve linear translation of the adjustable mount.

[0008] It should be understood that the patient location determination device can be manufactured and sold as including an image capture device, or the image capture device can be provided as an aftermarket product to be installed in the patient location determination device. The image capture device may include sensors configured to acquire 3D data of the object to be examined, such as depth information of intersections where the object is present. In this example, the image capture device includes a 3D camera. Regardless, the image capture device can be configured to obtain patient location information to support patient localization or detection of patient movement or respiration. For this purpose, for example, the patient location determination device can be installed in or near the collimator of an X-ray tube.

[0009] According to a second aspect, a medical imaging system is provided, the medical imaging system including the patient position determination device according to the first aspect. An X-ray device or X-ray tube, or a collimator therefor, is also provided, including the patient position determination device according to the first aspect.

[0010] According to a third aspect, a computer-implemented method is provided for determining the position of a patient during medical imaging using the apparatus according to the first aspect. The method includes: locating an intersection point between an imaging beam of a medical imaging system and a surface of a region to be imaged, based on configuration data associated with the medical imaging system setup; controlling at least one actuator to move the adjustable mount to position the field of view of the image capture device relative to the intersection point; and controlling the image capture device thus positioned to acquire an image of the patient to be examined for use in patient positioning.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect, a computing system is provided, the computing system being configured to perform the method according to a third aspect.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect, a computer program (product) including instructions is provided, which, when run by a computing system, enable or cause the computing system to perform the method according to a third aspect.

[0013] According to a sixth aspect, a computer-readable (storage) medium is provided that includes instructions, which, when executed by a computing system, enable or cause the computing system to perform the method described in the third aspect. The computer-readable medium may be transient or non-transient, volatile or non-volatile.

[0014] "Patient localization" refers to the act of placing a patient in a specific position or posture, while "patient localization" refers to the act of determining the position or posture of a patient or at least a part of the patient (e.g., a specific anatomical structure to be examined), for example, for the purpose of patient localization.

[0015] Accordingly, the term “object to be examined” as used in this article refers to a patient or a part of a patient.

[0016] "Imaging beam" can include any X-ray beam capable of generating X-ray images, but in one example, it includes a central beam emitted from an X-ray tube.

[0017] The “medical imaging system” described herein can be a radiographic imaging system, such as a (digital) X-ray system (e.g., DXR), a (digital) fluorescence imaging system, or any other X-ray system, that provides sufficient information about its geometric parameters to enable control of the adjustable mount described herein. In other examples, the medical imaging system may utilize multiple imaging modalities.

[0018] As used herein, the term “acquire” can include, for example, receiving from another system, device, or process; receiving via interaction with a user; loading or retrieving from a storage device or memory; or measuring or capturing using a sensor or other data acquisition device.

[0019] The term "determine" as used in this document encompasses a variety of actions and may include, for example, calculation, operation, processing, derivation, investigation, searching (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), confirmation, and so on. Furthermore, "determine" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), etc. Additionally, "determine" may include parsing, selecting, choosing, building, etc.

[0020] The words “one” or “a” do not exclude multiple. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified or the context clearly indicates the singular form, the words “one” or “a” as used herein should generally be interpreted as “one or more”.

[0021] Unless otherwise specified or the context clearly indicates otherwise, the phrases “one or more of A, B, and C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, and / or C” as used herein are intended to represent all possible permutations and combinations of one or more of the listed items. That is, “A and / or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B), while “A, B, and / or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0022] The word “including” does not exclude other elements or steps. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are used interchangeably in this document.

[0023] This invention may include one or more aspects, examples, or features, whether they are disclosed individually or in combination. Any optional feature or sub-aspect of any of the foregoing aspects may be suitably applied to any other aspect.

[0024] The above aspects will become apparent and clarified with reference to the detailed description provided below. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The following will be given in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, only as examples, where:

[0026] Figure 1A -C illustrates the use of a fixed camera in a medical imaging system for patient positioning;

[0027] Figure 2A -C illustrates the use of a tiltable camera for patient positioning in a medical imaging system;

[0028] Figure 3A -C illustrates the use of a tiltable camera when the object to be inspected is present;

[0029] Figure 4 The patient location determination device is shown in the diagram.

[0030] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the calculation of the tilt angle for a tiltable camera; and

[0031] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a computing system that can be used based on the systems and methods disclosed herein. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Figure 1A Figure -C illustrates a medical imaging system 100, which includes an X-ray tube 102 having a collimator positioned towards a detector 104. The tube 102 has an X-ray region (ROX) 106, which includes a central imaging beam or center 108. A fixed camera 110, mounted within the collimator, is positioned to view the detector 104, thereby providing an image for use in patient positioning. The fixed camera 110 has a field of view (FOV) 112, with the center of both the field of view 112 and the resulting image indicated at 114. Due to the offset between the focal spot of the X-ray tube 102 and the lens of the fixed camera 110, the FOV center 114 coincides with the ROX center 108 only for one source-to-image distance (SID), as... Figure 1A The situation is illustrated in the diagram. For example... Figure 1B and 1CThe illustrations show that for smaller or larger SIDs, the FOV center 114 may deviate from the ROX center 108, which could mislead radiologists who expect the FOV center 114 to be located at or near the ROX center 108 during visual quality checks. For smaller SIDs, it is also possible that the anatomical structure to be imaged may not be entirely within the FOV 112 of camera 110.

[0033] Figure 2A -C illustrates a medical imaging system 200 according to this disclosure. Using a tiltable mount for camera 110, camera 110 is tilted such that the FOV center 114 coincides with the ROX center 108 at each of a plurality of SIDs. Specifically, Figure 2B and 2C It shows how to tilt to the right for a smaller SID and to the left for a larger SID, and how to ensure that the ROX center 108 (i.e. the point where the central X-ray beam 108 intersects the source-facing surface of the detector 104) is displayed at the FOV center 114.

[0034] Figure 3A -C illustrates the case where object 300 to be inspected exists. Figure 2A -C Medical imaging system 200. As shown, a tilting camera 110 with a motorized tiltable mount is used such that at each of the multiple SIDs, the FOV center 114 coincides with the ROX center 108 (i.e., the point where the central X-ray beam 108 intersects the source-facing surface of the object 300 to be examined).

[0035] Figure 4A non-limiting example of a patient positioning device 400 is illustrated. The patient positioning device 400 includes an adjustable (tiltable) mount 402 for mounting a camera 110 and an actuator 404 configured to move the adjustable mount 402. The actuator 404 includes a rotary servo motor 406 coupled to the tiltable mount 402 via a crank mechanism 408. A controller 410 is provided to control the actuator 404 such that the camera 110 is tilted in a manner described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Specifically, the controller 410 is configured to acquire configuration data relating to the setup of the medical imaging system 200 and, based thereon, locate the point where the central imaging beam 108 intersects with the detector 104 or the source-facing surface of the object 300 to be examined. The controller 410 then controls the actuator 404 to move the tiltable mount 402 to position the field of view 112 of the camera 110 relative to the located intersection point. In a non-limiting example, controller 410 obtains configuration data from medical imaging system 200, from which the focal spot position of X-ray tube 102, the direction of central X-ray beam 108, and the position of detector 104 can be derived. Controller 410 also knows the position of the camera sensor center relative to the focal spot position of X-ray tube 102. Using this data, controller 410 calculates the tilt angle of tiltable mount 402, which places the intersection point at FOV center 114. If an object 300 to be inspected is present (which is the case in most cases), controller 410 uses depth information obtained from camera 110 to calculate the intersection point where central X-ray beam 108 hits object 300. In this case, controller 410 calculates the tilt angle that places this intersection point at FOV center 114.

[0036] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the process by which controller 410 calculates the tilt angle of tiltable camera 110. In a non-limiting example of geometric configuration, the origin of the Cartesian coordinate system is located at the center of X-ray detector 104. Detector 104 lies in the yz plane of the coordinate system. The focal spot 116 of X-ray tube 102 is located at coordinates (SID, 0, 0), and the central beam 108 of tube 102 is directed from the focal spot 116 toward the center of detector 104. The center of sensor 118 has a fixed offset (-dx, dy, dz) relative to focal spot 116. This means that the center of camera sensor 118 is located at position (SID-dx, dy, dz). Converted to spherical coordinates, the position of the camera sensor center is as follows:

[0037] To compensate for the two angles and When looking from focal spot 116 towards detector 104, camera 110 tilts downwards. And tilted to the left In this case, the center of detector 104 is mapped to the center of camera sensor 118. It should be understood that this non-limiting example of tilt angle calculation can be extended to cover more complex cases where tube 102 is tilted and / or the central beam 108 does not hit the center of detector 104.

[0038] It should be understood that various variations of the arrangement described herein are conceivable. In the examples, the servo motor described herein can be replaced or supplemented with a device that uses piezoelectric elements or piezoelectric stacks as active components.

[0039] Figure 6 An exemplary computing system 800 is illustrated, which can be used to implement the controller 410 described herein. The computing system 800 can be part of, or include, any desktop, laptop, server, or cloud-based computing system. The computing system 800 includes at least one processor 802 that executes instructions stored in memory 804. These instructions may be, for example, instructions for implementing functions performed by the controller 410, or instructions for implementing one or more methods described herein. The processor 802 can access memory 804 via system bus 806. In addition to storing executable instructions, memory 804 may also store dialogue input, scores assigned to the dialogue input, etc.

[0040] The computing system 800 additionally includes a data storage 808, which the processor 802 can access via a system bus 806. The data storage 808 may include executable instructions, log data, etc. The computing system 800 also includes an input interface 810, which allows external devices to communicate with the computing system 800. For example, the input interface 810 can be used to receive instructions from external computer devices, users, etc. The computing system 800 also includes an output interface 812, which is used to connect the computing system 800 to one or more external devices. For example, the computing system 800 can display text, images, etc., through the output interface 812.

[0041] It is conceivable that external devices communicating with the computing system 800 via input interface 810 and output interface 812 can be contained within an environment that provides virtually any type of user interface with which the user can interact. Examples of user interface types include graphical user interfaces, natural user interfaces, and so on. For example, a graphical user interface can accept input from a user using one or more input devices (such as a keyboard, mouse, remote control, etc.) and provide output on an output device (such as a display). Furthermore, a natural user interface allows a user to interact with the computing system 800 in a manner unrestricted by input devices such as keyboards, mice, and remote controls. Instead, a natural user interface can rely on speech recognition, touch and stylus recognition, on-screen and near-screen gesture recognition, air gestures, head and eye tracking, voice and language, vision, touch, gestures, machine intelligence, and so on.

[0042] Furthermore, although the diagram illustrates a single system, it is important to understand that the computing system 800 can be a distributed system. Therefore, for example, multiple devices can communicate via a network connection and collaboratively perform tasks executed by the computing system 800.

[0043] The various functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination of both. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer-readable storage media. A computer-readable storage medium can be any storage medium accessible to a computer. By way of example, and without limitation, such computer-readable storage media can include FLASH storage media, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage devices, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of being used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible to a computer. Disks and optical discs, as used herein, include compact optical discs (CDs), laser optical discs, optical discs, digital versatile optical discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs (BDs), wherein disks typically magnetically reproduce data, while optical discs optically reproduce data with lasers. Furthermore, the propagation of signals may be included within the scope of computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media also include communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. For example, a connection can be a communication medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of communication media. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0044] Furthermore, or, the functions described herein may be performed at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. Examples of hardware logic components that may be used include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-a-chip (SoCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc.

[0045] The applicant hereby individually discloses each individual feature described herein, as well as any combination of two or more features, to the extent that such features or combinations can be implemented based on this specification as a whole and according to common knowledge of those skilled in the art, regardless of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problem disclosed herein, and without limiting the scope of the claims. The applicant notes that various aspects of the invention can be constituted by any such individual features or combinations of features.

[0046] It must be noted that embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to different categories. Specifically, some examples are described with reference to methods, while others are described with reference to apparatus. However, those skilled in the art will recognize from the specification that, unless otherwise stated, any combination of features related to different subjects is considered to be disclosed in this application, except for any combination of features belonging to one category. However, all features can be combined to provide a synergistic effect beyond the simple sum of the features.

[0047] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the accompanying drawings and the foregoing description, such illustrations and descriptions should be considered exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by studying the drawings, the disclosure, and the claims.

[0048] Although specific measures are described in different dependent claims, this does not imply that combinations of these measures cannot be used advantageously.

[0049] Any reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A patient location determination device (400) for a medical imaging system (200), the patient location determination device comprising: Adjustable mounting bracket (402) for image capture device (110); At least one actuator (404) is configured to move the adjustable mount; as well as The controller (410) is configured to: locate the intersection point of the imaging beam (108) of the medical imaging system with the surface of the region to be imaged, based on configuration data related to the settings of the medical imaging system, and control the at least one actuator to move the adjustable mount to position the field of view (112) of the image capture device relative to the intersection point.

2. The patient location determination device according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is also configured to control the at least one actuator to move the adjustable mount such that the field of view satisfies a predetermined relationship with the intersection point.

3. The patient location determination device according to claim 2, wherein, The predetermined relationship is satisfied when the center (114) of the field of view coincides with the intersection point.

4. The patient location determination device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, The intersection point is the point where the imaging beam intersects with the source-facing surface of the detector (104) of the medical imaging system, and wherein the controller is configured to locate the intersection point based on configuration data, the configuration data including one or more of the following: i) the position of the focal spot of the medical imaging system; ii) the direction of the imaging beam; iii) the position of the center of the detector of the medical imaging system.

5. The patient location determination device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, The intersection point is the point where the imaging beam intersects with the object (300) to be inspected, and wherein the controller is configured to locate the intersection point based on configuration data including depth information acquired by the image capture device.

6. The patient location determination device according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the image capture device.

7. The patient location determination device according to claim 6, wherein, The image capture device includes a 3D camera.

8. A medical imaging system (200) comprising a patient location determination device (400) according to any of the preceding claims.

9. A computer-implemented method for determining patient location during medical imaging using the apparatus (400) according to any one of claims 1-7, the method comprising: Based on the configuration data related to the settings of the medical imaging system (200), the intersection point where the imaging beam (108) of the medical imaging system intersects with the surface in the region to be imaged is located; Control the at least one actuator (404) to move the adjustable mount (402) to position the field of view (112) of the image capture device (110) relative to the intersection. The image capture device is controlled to acquire images of the object to be examined for use in patient positioning.

10. A computer-readable medium (804, 808) including instructions that, when executed by a computing system (800), cause the computing system to perform the method according to claim 9.

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