Radiography imaging system

Abstract

To solve a problem in which, when a portion to be subjected to radiography imaging is different from a target portion, notification of a message that "Imaging of a portion different from the imaging target portion is being attempted" needs to be made to an operator of a radiography imaging system, but the operator may feel the notification annoying if the notification is made without exception.SOLUTION: A radiography imaging system includes: an estimation unit that estimates portion information of a subject and side property information including one of left, right, both, and unpaired related to the portion, from an optical image; an acquisition unit that acquires portion information and side property information of an imaging protocol; a matching determination unit that determines matching of the pieces of portion information and side property information acquired by the estimation unit and the acquisition unit; and a notification control unit that outputs a determination result to notification means. The notification control unit determines whether to output a mismatch determination result to the notification means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to software for controlling radiation imaging, or a radiation imaging system and a radiation imaging method for capturing and displaying a radiation image. [Background technology]

[0002] Radiation imaging devices using flat panel detectors (FPDs) made of semiconductor materials are widely used as imaging devices for use in medical image diagnosis and non-destructive testing using radiation. In medical image diagnosis, such radiation imaging devices are used as digital imaging devices for taking still images such as general radiography and for taking moving images such as fluoroscopy.

[0003] Before imaging, radiation imaging devices often determine information such as which part to image and whether to image the right side of the part. This is called protocol setting. Protocol settings include part information and laterality information. Part information is, for example, the hand, foot, or chest. Laterality information is called Laterality in English and includes four pieces of information: left, right, both left and right, and no laterality information. The initial letters of these are Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired, respectively, and are often abbreviated as L, R, B, and U.

[0004] An operator of the radiation imaging apparatus performs radiation imaging by positioning the patient so that predetermined site information and laterality information of the imaging target can be acquired.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a device that uses optical images to reduce mistakes in radiography at the wrong site. The optical images are used to determine the site of the subject, and if it is different from the site to be radiographed, a message is displayed to the operator of the radiography device saying "You are about to radiograph a site different from the site to be radiographed," thereby reducing mistakes in radiography at the wrong site. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-199163 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the technique described in Prior Art Document 1 leaves room for improvement in terms of the notification method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a radiation imaging control device, comprising: a first acquisition unit that acquires an optical image relating to a subject; an estimation unit that estimates part information of the subject from the optical image and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part; A second acquisition unit that acquires part information of the imaging protocol related to the subject and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part; a consistency determination unit that determines consistency between the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or between the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit; a notification control unit that outputs a determination result by the consistency determination unit to a notification means; The notification control unit determines whether or not to output the inconsistency determination result by the consistency determination unit to the notification means. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, when the target part to be radiographed is different from the part to be radiographed, instead of always conveying a message to the operator of the radiographic imaging device stating "You are about to image a part other than the part to be radiographed," the notification is not given depending on the situation. This makes the operator of the medical radiographic imaging device less bothered by the notification, and improves work efficiency compared to the conventional method. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a radiation imaging system. [Diagram 2] 11 is a flowchart showing an optical image analysis process. [Diagram 3] 13 is a table showing an example of a case in which the information held by the protocol and the information estimated by the inference processing unit are different, but the "difference" is not notified. [Figure 4] Flow diagram showing how the notification determination unit determines "not to notify" [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example after radiation imaging. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display before radiography. [Figure 7] An example of case 3 in Figure 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. EXAMPLES

[0012] The configuration and operation of a radiation imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a radiation imaging system 1 according to the first embodiment. The radiation imaging system 1 includes at least a control device 100 and a radiation detection device 130. In Fig. 1, the system also includes a radiation generation device 120, an optical imaging device 140, a display device 150 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a display unit 150 or a notification means), and an operation unit 160. Each of these will be described in order below. The control device 100 controls radiation imaging using the radiation detection device 130 and the radiation generation device 120.

[0014] The radiation detection device 130 detects radiation that is irradiated from the radiation generation device 120 and passes through a subject (not shown), and outputs image data corresponding to the radiation. The image data can also be called a medical image or a radiological image. Specifically, the radiation detection device 130 detects the radiation that has passed through the subject as an electric charge corresponding to the amount of transmitted radiation. For example, the radiation detection device 130 uses a direct conversion sensor that directly converts radiation, such as a-Se, into an electric charge, or an indirect sensor that uses a scintillator, such as CsI, that converts radiation into visible light, and a photoelectric conversion element, such as a-Si. Furthermore, the radiation detection device 130 generates image data by A / D converting the detected electric charge, and outputs the image data to the control device 100.

[0015] The control device 100 is connected to the radiation detection device 130, for example, via a wired or wireless network or a dedicated line. The radiation detection device 130 captures radiation generated by the radiation generation device 120 and outputs image data to the control device 100. The control device 100 has an application function that operates on a computer. That is, the control device 100 has one or more processors and memories, and the processors execute programs stored in the memory to realize each of the functional units described below. However, some or all of the functional units may be realized by dedicated hardware.

[0016] The control device 100 controls the timing at which the radiation generating device 120 generates radiation and the radiation imaging conditions based on the examination information received by the operation unit 160. In this way, the control device 100 is a control device that controls radiation imaging, and controls the operation of the radiation detection device 130 and the operation of the radiation generating device 120. Therefore, hereinafter, the control device 100 may be referred to as a radiation imaging control device. The radiation image acquisition unit 101 controls the timing at which the radiation detection device 130 captures and outputs image data, and receives the generated image data. The image processing unit 102 performs image processing on the received image data, and the image display control unit 104 displays the processed image on the display unit 150, which is a notification means. A graphical user interface is provided using the display unit 150, and instructions from the operator are received by the operation unit 160. Examination information is selected based on the received input, and the examination information management unit 107 manages the information.

[0017] The control device 100 controls the conditions, timing, frame rate, etc., for the optical photographing device 140 to acquire an optical image. The optical image acquiring unit 103 functions as a first acquiring unit and acquires an optical image from the optical photographing device 140. The image display control unit 104 adds information to be displayed other than the optical image, and controls the contents to be displayed using the display unit 150, which is a notification means. Therefore, the image display control unit 104 functions as a notification control unit (display control unit). The optical image analysis unit 105 uses the optical image acquired from the optical image acquiring unit 103 and the examination information acquired from the examination information management unit 107 as necessary to analyze the position of the human body part of the subject in the optical image, and the part and posture of the subject. Also, if necessary, it determines whether the contents match the settings of the examination information. The examination information management unit 107 may acquire photographing protocol information from an external device such as a management server in the hospital, and in this sense, the examination information management unit 107 functions as an acquiring unit (second acquiring unit). The examination information has one or more protocols. This protocol has part information and laterality information of the subject to be photographed. Body part information is, for example, the hands, feet, and chest. Laterality information is called Laterality in English and consists of four pieces of information: left, right, both left and right, and no laterality information. These are often abbreviated to L, R, B, and U, taking the initials of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired, respectively.

[0018] The optical image analysis unit 105 uses an inference processing unit 106 that uses machine learning or the like for the judgment. The inference processing unit 106 infers at least site information and laterality information from information of the subject included in the optical image. Thus, the inference processing unit 106 functions as an estimation unit. The image storage unit 108 stores the images acquired by the radiation image acquisition unit 101 and the optical image acquisition unit 103.

[0019] The operation unit 160 is realized, for example, by displaying a plurality of pieces of examination information acquired on the display unit 150 in a list format, and setting the selected examination information as the examination target in response to a user's operation input of selecting one piece of examination information from the list. The user may directly input examination information from the operation unit 160. After selecting an examination, the operation unit 160 also accepts an input for selecting the imaging content to be the imaging target. The operation unit 160 also enables a user to specify whether or not to notify the display unit of a consistency determination result between the part information and laterality information of the subject included in the optical image estimated by the inference processing unit and the part information and laterality information of the imaging protocol acquired by the examination information management unit. In other words, the user can specify whether or not to notify the consistency determination result on the display unit 150, which is a notification means. Thus, the operation unit 160 functions as an output setting unit for the consistency determination result together with the image display control unit 104. This will be described in detail later.

[0020] The subject is a patient, and the user is an operator of the radiography system.

[0021] Next, the optical image analysis process according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0022] In step S201, the test information management unit 107 allows the user to select one of the acquired test information via the operation unit 160, and sets it as the test target. This process is realized, for example, by displaying the acquired test information in a list format, and setting the selected test information as the test target in response to a user's operation input to select one test information from the list. Note that the test information may be directly input by the user via the operation unit 160.

[0023] In step S202, the control device 100 starts the examination by transmitting a signal to the radiation detection device 130 to transition to a preparation state according to the set examination information. In response to this signal, for example, the radiation detection device 130 controls a bias power supply by a main control circuit to apply a bias voltage to the two-dimensional imaging element. Thereafter, in order to read out dark current signals accumulated in the pixels, initialization is performed to read out image signals from the pixel array by a drive circuit. After the initialization is completed, the radiation detection device 130 transmits status information indicating that the radiation detection device 130 is ready to obtain a radiographic image to the control device 100. In addition, the control device 100 (examination information management unit 107) sets operating parameters (such as tube voltage) of the radiation generation device 120 based on the examination information selected in step S201. When the control device 100 is notified by the status information from the radiation detection device 120 that imaging preparation is complete, it notifies the radiation generation device 120 of permission to emit radiation.

[0024] In step S203, the optical image acquisition unit 103 acquires an optical image captured by the optical photographing device 140.

[0025] In step S204, the optical image analysis unit 105 analyzes the optical image using the optical image acquired by the optical image acquisition unit 103 and the inspection information acquired by the inspection information management unit 107. The optical image may be analyzed by, for example, inference processing using machine learning by the inference processing unit 106. All images acquired by the optical image acquisition unit 103 may be used as images to be input to the optical image analysis unit 105, or images to be used may be thinned out according to the analysis content and input to the optical image analysis unit 105.

[0026] In step S205, the image display control unit 104 controls the display contents using the optical image acquired by the optical image acquisition unit 103 and the analysis results of the optical image analysis unit 105, and displays them on the display unit 150. In the image display control unit 104, the display of the optical image and the analysis results is optional, and may be controlled according to the settings of the control device 100 and the settings of the examination information management unit 107. For example, when no optical image analysis is performed, only the optical image may be displayed on the display unit 150. Also, for example, only the analysis results may be displayed on the display unit 150.

[0027] Next, the image display control unit 104 will be described in detail. The image display control unit 104 has a notification determination unit that compares the part information and laterality information held by the protocol with the part information and laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit 106 to determine the consistency between the two, and determines whether to output the determination result to the display unit 150 for display. In other words, the image display control unit 104 has a function as a consistency determination unit that determines the consistency between the two pieces of information, and a function as a notification control unit that outputs the consistency determination result to the display unit 150, which is a notification means. The notification determination unit of the image display control unit 104 determines whether to output (notify) at least the inconsistency determination result to the display unit 150, with respect to whether to output the consistency determination result to the display unit 150. If it is determined that the result should be notified (output), the following content is displayed on the display unit 150 as the determination result of the consistency determination. (a) When the part information and laterality information in the protocol differ from the part information and laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit 106, a message stating "You are attempting to photograph a part other than the part to be photographed" is displayed. (b) When the body part information and laterality information in the protocol are the same as the body part information and laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit 106, a message stating "The body part to be imaged is correct" is displayed.

[0028] The above (a) is a message when the result of the consistency judgment is inconsistency and it is determined that the inconsistency judgment result is to be output (notified) to the display unit 150, which is the notification means. Also, (b) is a message when the result of the consistency judgment is consistency and the consistency judgment result is to be output (notified) to the display unit 150, which is the notification means.

[0029] The messages (a) and (b) above are not limited to text information, and may be notified using symbols, voice, or the like.

[0030] On the other hand, a case where it is determined that the inconsistency determination result is not to be output (notified) to the display unit 150, which is a notification means, will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a table illustrating a case, which is a feature of this embodiment, where the part information and laterality information held by the protocol are different (there is an inconsistency) from the part information and laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit 106, but the fact that they are "different" is not notified.

[0031] In case 1 of FIG. 3, the information held by the protocol is body part information=hand, and laterality information=Unpaired. When the body part information is a body part that has right and left, such as the hand or foot, laterality information=Unpaired is an impossible case, and the body part to be photographed is unknown. The inference processing unit estimates body part information=hand, and laterality information=right, and therefore determines that the right hand is shown in the optical image. The laterality information of the protocol and the laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit are different, but since the body part to be photographed is unknown, this embodiment does not notify (does not output to the notification means 150) a message to the effect that "You are about to photograph a body part different from the body part to be photographed."

[0032] In case 2 of FIG. 3, the information held by the protocol is part information=chest and laterality information=Unpaired. Since there is no concept of right or left for the chest, abdomen, or waist, the information that part information=chest and laterality information=Unpaired is correct. The inference processing unit estimates part information=abdomen and laterality information=Unpaired, and therefore determines that the abdomen is captured in the optical image. Since the respective part information is chest and abdomen, which do not match, it seems better to notify a message to the effect that "You are about to capture a part different from the part to be captured," but this embodiment does not notify (does not output to the notification means 150). This is because, for the chest, abdomen, and waist, there are few cases in which only the chest or only the abdomen is captured in the optical image, and usually the chest and abdomen, or the abdomen and waist, are captured in the optical image at the same time, so even if the information held by the protocol is part information=chest, the inference processing unit may estimate part information=abdomen.

[0033] It can be seen that the cases of no notification, Case 1 and Case 2 in FIG. 3, can be operated according to the rule that "if the protocol side information is Unpaired, no notification is made (no output to the notification means 150)."

[0034] The case of no notification in Case 1 of FIG. 3 may operate according to the rule that "if the part information of the protocol is a part having laterality and in this case the laterality information of the protocol is Unpaired, then no notification is made."

[0035] Regarding the above-mentioned cases where no notification is given, there are two possible operation methods: 1. When the lateral information of the protocol is Unpaired, the inference processing unit is not operated and no notification is given (no output to the notification means 150). 2. When the protocol lateral information is Unpaired, the inference processor is operated but no notification is made.

[0036] The above 1 has the advantage of saving power because the inference processing unit is not operated. This can be achieved by controlling the optical image analysis unit 105, which controls the operation of the inference processing unit 106, to stop the operation of the inference processing unit 106. For this reason, the optical image analysis unit 105 functions as an operation control unit. Similarly, since there is no need to determine the consistency between the inference result and the contents of the protocol, the operation of the image display control unit 104 may be stopped. This allows further power saving. In this case, the image display control unit 104 only needs to control the stopping of its own operation, and in that sense, it can be said that the image display control unit 104 also functions as an operation control unit.

[0037] The above 2 has the advantage that the system configuration and control are simplified because there is no need to switch the inference processing unit on or off.

[0038] The operation method of this embodiment is 1 above.

[0039] In case 3 of FIG. 3, the information held by the protocol is part information=hand and laterality information=left, that is, the left hand. The inference processing unit judges that the right hand and the left hand are captured in the optical image. Since the laterality information of the protocol and the laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit do not match, it seems better to notify a message to the effect that "You are about to photograph a part different from the part to be photographed", but this embodiment does not notify (does not output to the notification means 150). This is to take into consideration a case in which the left hand is supported by the right hand to photograph the left hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 7. In such a case, it may be operated according to the rule that "if the laterality information held by the protocol and the laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit do not match completely but partially, it is not notified (does not output to the notification means 150)". Alternatively, it may be operated according to the rule that "even if the laterality information held by the protocol is included in the laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit and the laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit includes information other than the laterality information held by the protocol, it is not notified (does not output to the notification means 150)".

[0040] In case 4 of FIG. 3, the information held by the protocol is body part information=foot and laterality information=right, that is, the right foot. The inference processing unit judges that the right foot and the left hand are in the optical image. This corresponds to, for example, a case where the right foot is supported by the left hand in order to photograph the right foot. This is also a case where it is better not to notify (not to output to the notification means 150) the message "You are about to photograph a body part different from the body part to be photographed." It is possible to realize not to notify by operating under almost the same rule as case 3 of FIG. 3. In other words, it is sufficient to operate under the rule that "if the body part information and laterality information held by the protocol and the body part information and laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit do not completely match but partially match, no notification is made." Alternatively, it is sufficient to set the rule that "if the body part information and laterality information held by the protocol are included in the body part information and laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit, and the body part information and laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit includes other body part information and laterality information than the body part information and laterality information held by the protocol, no notification is made." More precisely, it is sufficient to set "when the part information possessed by the protocol is included in the part information estimated by the estimation unit, and the part information estimated by the estimation unit includes a part other than the part information possessed by the protocol, no notification is made (no output is made to the notification means 150)." Similarly, it is sufficient to set "when the laterality information possessed by the protocol is included in the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit, and the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit includes laterality information other than the laterality information possessed by the protocol, no notification is made (no output is made to the notification means 150)."

[0041] Incidentally, instead of notifying the above cases 3 and 4 (not outputting to the notification means 150), it is also possible to notify that "measurement is not possible" (outputting to the notification means 150 that measurement is not possible).

[0042] Next, a flow in which the notification determination unit in this embodiment determines "not to notify" is shown. This is as shown in Fig. 4. First, in step S401, the notification determination unit determines whether the laterality information of the protocol is Unpaired. If the result is No, the process proceeds to step S403. If the result is Yes, the notification determination unit determines "not to notify" (step S406). In parallel with this determination, the optical image analysis unit 106 of the control device 100 performs a process to stop the inference processing unit 106 from operating (step S402).

[0043] In step S403, the control device 100 operates the inference processing unit. Next, the process proceeds to step S404, where the inference processing unit estimates the body part information and the laterality information. Next, the process proceeds to step S405.

[0044] In step S405, the notification determination unit determines whether the part information and laterality information of the protocol do not completely match the part information and laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit, but whether they partially match. If the result is Yes, the notification determination unit determines to "notify" (step S406). If the result is No, the process proceeds to step S407.

[0045] In step S407, the notification determination unit judges whether the part information and laterality information of the protocol differ from the part information and laterality information estimated by the inference processing unit. If the answer is No, the notification determination unit judges to "notify" (step S406). If the answer is Yes, the notification determination unit judges to "notify" (step S408). In other words, if there is a complete mismatch between the information held by the protocol and the information estimated by the estimation unit (inference processing unit), it judges to "notify (output to notification means 150)."

[0046] In this embodiment, it is preferable that the protocol is the DX protocol of the DICOM standard, that is, a protocol in which one of the laterality information L, R, B, or U must be set. This is because laterality information is always present in the protocol. Protocols in which the laterality information is not required to exist will have a mixture of laterality information that exists and does not exist. If the laterality information does not exist in the protocol, the case in FIG. 3 will detect a mismatch in the part information and notify that it is different. In case 1, there is a match, so there is no notification that it is different. In case 2, there is no match, but the part information does not have a laterality, so there is no notification that it is different. In case 3, there is a match, so there is no notification that it is different. In case 4, there is a partial match, so there is no notification that it is different.

[0047] The above is just an example, and the present invention is not limited to the case shown in FIG.

[0048] 5 is an example of the display unit 150 serving as a notification means, and shows a display after radiography. There is an area 501 for displaying a radiographic image, and an area 502 for editing protocol attributes. The radiographic image is displayed in the area 501, and there is an input means functioning as a laterality information setting unit for changing the laterality information L, R, B, and U in the area 502, and there is a notification setting input means for controlling whether or not to display the consistency determination result on the display unit 150.

[0049] 6 is also an example of the display unit 150, showing the display before radiography. There is an area 601 for displaying a radiographic image, and an area 602 for editing protocol attributes. No radiographic image is displayed in area 601, and area 602 has an input means that functions as a laterality information setting unit for changing the laterality information L, R, B, and U, and a notification setting input means for controlling whether or not to display the consistency determination result on the display unit 150.

[0050] The user can change the laterality information by using an input means for changing the laterality information displayed in area 502 and area 602. In this embodiment, when the laterality information of the protocol is U, the operation is such that no notification is made, as in case 1 and case 2 in Fig. 3. However, when the user changes the laterality information of the protocol from U to L, R, or B, the inference processing unit operates, and the notification determination unit, which determines whether or not to display the consistency determination result on the display unit 150, may switch to an operation of determining whether or not to notify.

[0051] Furthermore, the notification setting input means displayed in the area 502 and the area 602 may be available to the user, and the user may select whether to display or not display. In other words, it may be possible to accept a designation from the user as to whether to notify (output) the consistency determination result. The presence of this notification setting input means has the following advantages. In other words, when the user is aware of the performance of the inference processing unit and is in a situation where the inference processing unit is likely to make an error, by selecting "not display", the user does not have to see the notification message with the incorrect content, reducing the inconvenience and allowing the user to concentrate on the work. Note that FIG. 5 shows the state after the start of the examination and after radiation imaging, and FIG. 6 shows the state after the start of the examination and before radiation imaging. However, the selection instruction of the notification from the user is not limited to these timings, and may be given after the protocol is acquired and before radiation imaging is started, or even before the optical image is acquired. Furthermore, there may be an input means (not shown) for selecting "not notify" before the start of the examination.

[0052] (Effects of the First Embodiment) As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide an apparatus that does not always notify the message "You are about to image a part different from the part to be imaged" when the part is different from the part to be imaged, but does not notify depending on the situation. This makes it less annoying for the user of the radiation imaging apparatus to be notified, and improves work efficiency compared to conventional methods. EXAMPLES

[0053] In the second embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment will be explained.

[0054] In the second embodiment, case 3 and case 4 in FIG. 3 operate differently from the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the operation is not to notify a message to the effect that "You are about to photograph a part different from the part to be photographed." This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that it does not notify a message to the effect that "they are different," but it notifies the effect that "it is impossible to determine." This is because the output of the inference processing unit does not determine whether the right hand or the left hand is the main hand, and therefore there are cases in which the user will be inconvenienced if no notification is given as in the first embodiment.

[0055] For example, in all three of the following cases, the inference processing unit determines that a right hand and a left hand are captured in the optical image. (a) As shown in Figure 7, the left hand is the main character and is supported by the right hand. (b) The right hand is the main character, and the left hand supports it. (c) The left and right hands are the main focus. Both hands are open wide with their fingers outstretched.

[0056] In case 3 of FIG. 3, the information held by the protocol is body part information=hand and laterality information=left, i.e., the left hand. In this case, if the case is (a), the shooting composition is as intended by the user, but if the case is (b), the shooting composition is not intended by the user. If no notification is given as in the first embodiment, in the case of (b), the user will start shooting radiation without realizing it. To prevent this, in the second embodiment, the device notifies the user of a message to the effect that "determination is impossible" (output to the notification means 150) in order to warn the user.

[0057] In this way, when a photographing composition in which a part different from the information in the protocol supports the part in the information in the protocol is assumed, as in (a) or (b), Example 2 is preferable. When this is not assumed, Example 1 is sufficient. Alternatively, Example 2 may also be used.

[0058] Therefore, it is preferable to provide an instruction means by which the user can instruct the device to select either the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

[0059] (Effects of the second embodiment) As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to provide an apparatus that does not always notify the message "You are about to image a part different from the part to be imaged" when the part is different from the part to be imaged, but does not notify depending on the situation. This makes it less annoying for the user of the radiation imaging apparatus to be notified, and improves work efficiency compared to conventional methods.

[0060] In addition, when a shooting composition is anticipated in which a part different from the information contained in the protocol supports the part of the information contained in the protocol, it becomes possible for the device to provide a function to warn the user that "determination is impossible."

[0061] As a result, when a user of a radiation imaging device receives a warning that "determination is impossible," the user can recognize that "although we are not attempting to image a part of the body different from the part being imaged, this serves as an opportunity to check that the image composition is as intended. It would be better to check the subject's positioning before taking radiation images," thereby improving work efficiency compared to conventional methods.

[0062] The disclosure of this specification includes the following radiation imaging control device and radiation imaging system.

[0063] (Item 1) A first acquisition unit that acquires an optical image relating to a subject; an estimation unit that estimates part information of the subject from the optical image and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part; A second acquisition unit that acquires part information of the imaging protocol related to the subject and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part; a consistency determination unit that determines consistency between the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or between the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit; a notification control unit that outputs a determination result by the consistency determination unit to a notification means; The radiation imaging control device, wherein the notification control unit determines whether or not to output a result of the inconsistency determination made by the consistency determination unit to the notification means.

[0064] (Item 2) A first acquisition unit that acquires an optical image relating to a subject; an estimation unit that estimates part information of the subject from the optical image and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part; A second acquisition unit that acquires part information of the imaging protocol related to the subject and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part; a consistency determination unit that determines consistency between the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or between the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit; an operation control unit that controls operations of the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit; having The radiation imaging control device, wherein the operation control unit stops operations of the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit when the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit is Unpaired.

[0065] (Item 3) 3. The radiation imaging control device according to item 1 or 2, wherein the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit is a hand or a foot.

[0066] (Item 4) The radiation imaging control device described in any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that when the lateral information acquired by the second acquisition unit is Unpaired and the judgment by the consistency judgment unit is an inconsistency judgment result, the notification control unit does not output the inconsistency judgment result to the notification means.

[0067] (Item 5) A radiation imaging control device described in any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that when the inconsistency determination result by the consistency determination unit is that the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit, do not completely match but partially match, the notification control unit does not output the determination result of the consistency determination unit to the notification means.

[0068] (Item 6) 4. The radiation imaging control device according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that when the inconsistency determination result by the consistency determination unit is such that the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit is included in the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information estimated by the estimation unit includes a part other than the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or when the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit is included in the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit includes laterality information other than the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit, the notification control unit does not output the determination result of the consistency determination unit to the notification means.

[0069] (Item 7) The radiation imaging control device described in any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that when the inconsistency determination result by the consistency determination unit is such that the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit is included in the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information estimated by the estimation unit includes a part other than the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or when the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit is included in the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit includes laterality information other than the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit, the notification control unit outputs a determination result of the consistency determination unit that measurement is impossible to the notification means.

[0070] (Item 8) A radiation imaging control device described in any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that when the inconsistency determination result by the consistency determination unit is a complete inconsistency between the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information acquired by the second acquisition means, or when the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit are a complete inconsistency, the notification control unit outputs the determination result of the consistency determination unit to the notification means.

[0071] (Item 9) The radiation imaging control device described in any one of items 1 to 8, characterized in that the notification control unit has an output setting unit that specifies whether or not to output the judgment result by the consistency judgment unit to the notification means, and the output setting unit is capable of accepting specifications from a user.

[0072] (Item 10) 10. The radiation imaging control device according to item 9, characterized in that the output setting unit is capable of accepting specifications from the user after the second acquisition unit has acquired the part information or the laterality information and before starting radiation imaging.

[0073] (Item 11) 11. The radiation imaging control device according to item 10, wherein the period before the radiation imaging starts is the period before the first acquisition unit acquires the optical image.

[0074] (Item 12) 11. The radiography control device according to item 10, wherein the period before the start of radiography is before an examination is started.

[0075] (Item 13) 13. The radiation imaging control device according to any one of items 9 to 12, further comprising an operation control unit that controls the operation of the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit, and when a user specifies that no output is to be given to the output setting unit, the operation control unit controls the operation of the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit to stop.

[0076] (Item 14) 14. The radiography control device according to any one of items 1 to 13, wherein the protocol acquired by the second acquisition unit is a DX protocol of the DICOM standard.

[0077] (Item 15) The radiation imaging control device described in item 2 is characterized in that it further comprises a laterality information setting unit capable of changing the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit, and when the laterality information setting unit changes the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit to any of Left, Right, or Both, the operation control unit operates the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit.

[0078] (Item 16) 16. A radiography system comprising: a radiation detection device that receives radiation and generates a radiographic image; and a radiography control device according to any one of items 1 to 15. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 100 Control device 103 Optical image acquisition unit 104 Optical image display control unit 105 Optical image analysis department 106 Inference processing unit 107 Test Information Management Department 130 Radiation detection equipment 140 Optical photographing device 150 Display section 160 Operation section 501 Radiation image display area 502 Protocol Attributes Editing Area 601 Radiation image display area 602 Protocol Attributes Editing Area

Claims

1. A first acquisition unit that acquires an optical image relating to a subject; an estimation unit that estimates part information of the subject and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part from the optical image; a second acquisition unit that acquires part information of an imaging protocol related to the subject and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part; a consistency determination unit that determines consistency between the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or between the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit; a notification control unit that outputs a determination result by the consistency determination unit to a notification means; The radiation imaging control device, wherein the notification control unit determines whether or not to output a result of the inconsistency determination made by the consistency determination unit to the notification means.

2. A first acquisition unit that acquires an optical image relating to a subject; an estimation unit that estimates part information of the subject and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part from the optical image; a second acquisition unit that acquires part information of an imaging protocol related to the subject and side information including at least one of Left, Right, Both, and Unpaired related to the part; a consistency determination unit that determines consistency between the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or between the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit; an operation control unit that controls operations of the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit; having The radiation imaging control device according to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit stops operations of the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit when the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit is "Unpaired."

3. 3 . The radiation imaging control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit is a hand or a foot.

4. 2. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 1, wherein when the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit is Unpaired and the judgment by the consistency judgment unit is an inconsistency judgment result, the notification control unit does not output the inconsistency judgment result to the notification means.

5. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the inconsistency determination result by the consistency determination unit indicates that the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit, do not completely match but partially match, the notification control unit does not output the determination result of the consistency determination unit to the notification means.

6. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the inconsistency determination result by the consistency determination unit is such that the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit is included in the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information estimated by the estimation unit includes a part other than the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or when the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit is included in the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit includes laterality information other than the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit, the notification control unit does not output the determination result of the consistency determination unit to the notification means.

7. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 1, wherein when the inconsistency determination result by the consistency determination unit is such that the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit is included in the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information estimated by the estimation unit includes a part other than the part information acquired by the second acquisition unit, or when the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit is included in the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit includes laterality information other than the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit, the notification control unit outputs a measurement impossibility as the determination result of the consistency determination unit to the notification means.

8. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the inconsistency determination result by the consistency determination unit indicates a complete inconsistency between the part information estimated by the estimation unit and the part information acquired by the second acquisition means, or when the laterality information estimated by the estimation unit and the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit indicate a complete inconsistency, the notification control unit outputs the determination result of the consistency determination unit to the notification means.

9. 2. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit includes an output setting unit that specifies whether or not to output the determination result by the consistency determination unit to the notification means, and the output setting unit is capable of accepting a specification from a user.

10. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 9 , wherein the output setting unit is capable of accepting a designation from the user after the second acquisition unit has acquired the part information or the laterality information and before radiation imaging is started.

11. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 10 , wherein the period before the radiation imaging is started is a period before the first acquisition unit acquires the optical image.

12. 11. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 10, wherein the period before the radiation imaging is started is before an examination is started.

13. 13. The radiation imaging control apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an operation control unit that controls operations of the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit, and when a user designates no output to the output setting unit, the operation control unit controls the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit to stop their operations.

14. 3. The radiation imaging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protocol acquired by the second acquisition unit is a DX protocol of the DICOM standard.

15. 3. The radiation imaging control device according to claim 2, further comprising a laterality information setting unit capable of changing the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit, wherein when the laterality information setting unit changes the laterality information acquired by the second acquisition unit to any of Left, Right, or Both, the operation control unit operates the estimation unit and the consistency determination unit.

16. A radiation imaging system comprising: a radiation detection device that receives radiation and generates a radiation image; and the radiation imaging control device according to claim 1.

Images