Imaging system, method for controlling imaging system, and program

Abstract

To solve the problem that it is difficult to sufficiently suppress the power of a device.SOLUTION: The imaging system of the present invention is a system including: a device capable of acquiring information on a target; and a terminal device connected to the device. The terminal device includes: means for accepting an operation to switch between displaying and hiding of information regarding the target; and means for transmitting a signal to the device when the operation is accepted. The device includes means for controlling communication with an access point when the signal is received.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging system, a control method for an imaging system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In hospitals, imaging devices are sometimes used to photograph the affected areas of patients. When taking photographs in examination rooms or radiography rooms, doctors and other medical professionals typically display the patient's medical record on an electronic medical record terminal and confirm the patient's name, disease name, and the location of the affected area before taking the photographs.

[0003] As a technique for associating captured images with patients, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic medical record terminal connected to an image generation device that generates medical images. This electronic medical record terminal displays electronic medical record information for a patient specified by a user. When an import instruction means provided on the screen receives an instruction to import a medical image, it receives the medical image from the image generation device and records it in association with the displayed patient. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-11986 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When an imaging device is used by connecting to an in-hospital network wirelessly via Wi-Fi or the like as in Patent Document 1, the imaging device generally operates to reduce battery power consumption by putting the communication unit into a sleep state when no communication is taking place. However, since conventional imaging devices periodically wake up in response to beacons transmitted from a wireless access point (AP) even while in sleep mode, conventional imaging devices have not been able to reduce the power consumption of the communication unit beyond a certain level.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to reduce the amount of power consumption of a communication unit of an imaging device in an imaging system that captures images used for diagnosing patients or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the imaging system of the present invention is a system consisting of a device capable of acquiring information about a target and a terminal device connected to the device, wherein the terminal device has a means for accepting an operation to switch between displaying and hiding information about the target and a means for transmitting a signal to the device when the operation is accepted, and the device has a means for controlling communication with an access point when the signal is received. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, in an imaging system that captures images used for diagnosing a patient, etc., it is possible to reduce the amount of power consumption of a communication unit of an imaging device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an imaging system according to a first embodiment, and a block diagram of an imaging device and an electronic medical record server. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a communication method between a wireless AP and a device defined by Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11). [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating a communication system for an imaging device, an electronic medical record server, and a wireless AP of the imaging system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the operations of the imaging device and the electronic medical record server of the imaging system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a table used by the electronic medical record server to manage which electronic medical record terminal device a user of an imaging device has logged in to in the imaging system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6]10 is a flowchart showing the operations of the imaging device and electronic medical record server of the imaging system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a table used by the electronic medical record server to manage long sleep periods of the imaging devices in the imaging system according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the overall configuration of an imaging system including an imaging device 101, an electronic medical record server 121, an electronic medical record terminal device 141, and other components, as well as a block diagram of the imaging device 101 and the electronic medical record server 121. In the imaging system described here, a user, such as a doctor, displays a patient's electronic medical record (hereinafter referred to as the medical record) on the electronic medical record terminal device 141, confirms the patient's name and past medical records, and then uses the imaging device 101 to capture an image of the patient's affected area. The image of the affected area captured by the imaging device 101 is recorded via a network 161 in a hospital system such as the electronic medical record server 121 or a medical image management system (not shown). While FIG. 1 illustrates one imaging device and one electronic medical record terminal device, multiple imaging devices may be present. While an embodiment using a digital camera as the imaging device is described here, other imaging devices, such as a dermoscope, endoscope, portable X-ray, portable ultrasound, fundus camera, and portable image forming device, may also be used.

[0012] In Fig. 1, reference numeral 102 denotes an imaging unit of an imaging device 101 that is composed of a lens, an imaging element, etc. Reference numeral 103 denotes a CPU that controls the operation of the imaging device 101. Reference numeral 104 denotes a ROM in which a control program for the imaging device 101 is recorded. Reference numeral 105 denotes a RAM in which the CPU 103, etc. temporarily record data.

[0013] Reference numeral 106 denotes a display unit provided on the rear surface of the imaging device 101. Reference numeral 107 denotes an image processing unit that converts an image signal acquired by the imaging unit 102 into image data such as JPEG. Reference numeral 108 denotes a file generation unit that generates a file that stores the image data generated by the image processing unit 107. Reference numeral 109 denotes an input unit that includes a shutter button, a dial, buttons, a touch panel, and the like. The touch panel of the input unit 109 is configured on the display area of ​​the display unit 106. Reference numeral 110 denotes a media drive into which a portable recording medium such as an SD card is inserted.

[0014] Reference numeral 111 denotes a communication unit used by the imaging device 101 when communicating with the outside. The imaging device 101 connects to a network 161 via a wireless AP 181 by wireless means such as Wi-Fi, and communicates with an electronic medical record server 121 and the like. When photographing a patient, the imaging device 101 obtains patient information such as the patient's identification information and name from the electronic medical record server 121 and associates this with the photographed image, or transmits the photographed image to the electronic medical record server 121. The wireless AP 181 is installed in an examination room, a hospital room, an imaging room, or the like.

[0015] The electronic medical record server 121 is an in-hospital PC (personal computer), an in-hospital server device, a cloud server, etc. The electronic medical record server 121 manages and stores patient information (patient ID, name, medical department, age, sex, medical history, past medical records, etc.) and doctor information (doctor ID, name, affiliation information such as medical department, etc.).

[0016] The CPU 122 constituting the electronic medical record server 121 controls the entire electronic medical record server 121. The ROM 123 stores basic programs executable by the CPU 122. The RAM 124 functions as a work area when the CPU 122 executes various processes. The display unit 125 is a display device that displays various information under the control of the CPU 122. The input unit 126 is a pointing device, keyboard, etc., and accepts operations from users such as doctors and system administrators. The communication unit 127 is an interface that connects to the network 161 and transmits and receives various data such as image files and control data. The storage 128 is a solid-state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD), and stores various programs and data obtained from the communication unit 127. The CPU 122 uses the RAM 124 as work memory in accordance with the programs stored in the ROM 123 and storage 128 to realize the processing of the flowcharts described below.

[0017] The electronic medical record terminal device 141 is a PC (personal computer) or the like in a hospital that has the function of displaying and inputting electronic medical records. The electronic medical record terminal device 141 accepts operations by a doctor to log in to the electronic medical record terminal device 141 or to log out, and notifies the electronic medical record server 121 via the network 161. Furthermore, when the electronic medical record terminal device 141 accepts an operation by a user to open a patient's medical record, it queries the electronic medical record server 121 for information about the patient. Then, in response to the doctor's operation, it displays the acquired patient information in an electronic medical record arranged in a predetermined format on the display screen. It then accepts input of patient information such as medical treatment information from the user. Furthermore, the electronic medical record terminal device 141 accepts an operation by the doctor to close the patient's medical record, and transmits the patient information entered by the doctor to the electronic medical record server 121 and stores it.

[0018] The blocks that make up the electronic medical record terminal device 141 are the same as the blocks that make up the electronic medical record server 121, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0019] In the above description, an example has been described in which the imaging device 101, electronic medical record management server 131, and electronic medical record terminal device 141 are configured as independent devices. However, this is not limited to this. For example, multiple devices may be configured in the same housing, such as the electronic medical record management server 131 and the electronic medical record terminal device 141 being configured in the same housing.

[0020] Figure 2(a) is a diagram explaining the communication method between a wireless AP and a device specified in Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE802.11ac). 201 is a wireless AP, and 202 is a device such as a smartphone or an imaging device. When not communicating data via Wi-Fi, the device 202 puts its communication unit into a sleep state as shown in 203, thereby reducing the power consumption of the communication unit. However, the device 202 wakes up its communication unit every beacon 204 transmitted by the wireless AP 201 at regular intervals, and receives any communication packets transmitted to the device 202 by other devices. Beacons 204 are generally transmitted every 102.4 milliseconds. Therefore, in this communication method, the communication unit of the device 202 needs to wake up every beacon transmission interval, which makes it difficult to sufficiently reduce the power consumption of the communication unit.

[0021] To solve this problem, a new feature called TWT (Target Wake Time) has been added to Wi-Fi HaLow (IEEE802.11ah) and Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE802.11ax) for IoT devices. Figure 2(b) illustrates the communication method between a wireless AP and a device that supports TWT. The device 202 performs TWT adjustment with the wireless AP at 205 to extend the sleep period of its communication unit. The device 202 then puts its communication unit into a long sleep state as shown at 206. During the long sleep period, the wireless AP 201 transmits beacons 204 at regular intervals, but the communication unit of the device 202 does not wake up. After the long sleep period adjusted at 205 has elapsed, the communication unit of the device 202 wakes up as shown at 207. Furthermore, if another device sends a communication packet to the device 202 during the long sleep period, the wireless AP 201 buffers the packet. When the communication unit of the device 202 wakes up, the wireless AP 201 transmits the buffered packets to the device 202. This method allows the device 202 to sleep for any length of time depending on its characteristics. In particular, IoT devices may sleep for several hours or even several days. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the power consumption of the communication unit of the device 202.

[0022] Figure 3 is a diagram showing how the imaging device 101 shown in Figure 1 communicates with the wireless AP 181 and electronic medical record server 121. The imaging device 101 and wireless AP 181 support the TWT described above. Figure 3(a) shows communication immediately after the imaging device 101 is turned on. When the imaging device 101 starts up, it connects to the wireless AP 181 at 301. Next, the imaging device 101 communicates with the electronic medical record server 121 at 302 to obtain information on whether the electronic medical record terminal device 141 has the patient's medical record open.

[0023] In a hospital that has multiple electronic medical record terminal devices and imaging devices, the electronic medical record server 121 must identify which electronic medical record terminal device a user using the imaging device 101 is logged in to. For this purpose, the electronic medical record server 121 records table 501 shown in FIG. 5 in RAM 124 or storage 128, and uses this table to manage which imaging device a user logged in to each electronic medical record terminal device is using. Table 501 may be statically constructed by an SIer that builds the system or a system administrator within the hospital entering information into the electronic medical record server 121. Alternatively, table 501 may be dynamically managed by a user logging in to the electronic medical record terminal device 141 and then entering information identifying the imaging device they are using into the electronic medical record terminal device 141.

[0024] If the electronic medical record server 121 determines in 302 that the user using the imaging device 101 does not have the patient's medical record open on the electronic medical record terminal device 141 to which the user is logged in, it is considered that this user will not be photographing the patient with the imaging device 101 right now. Therefore, in 303, the imaging device 101 performs adjustment with the wireless AP 181 via TWT and sets the sleep time of the communication unit 111 to a long time. After this, the communication unit 111 sleeps for a long time as shown in 304, thereby making it possible to reduce the power consumption of the communication unit 111 during periods when the patient is not being photographed.

[0025] When a user opens a patient's medical record on the electronic medical record terminal device 141 to examine the patient, the electronic medical record terminal device 141 queries the electronic medical record server 121 for information about the patient, as described above. At this time, the electronic medical record server 121 transmits a first signal 311 indicating that the patient's medical record has been opened to the imaging device 101. In a hospital with multiple imaging devices, the electronic medical record server 121 may refer to the table in FIG. 5 to identify the imaging device that will transmit the first signal 311. Upon receiving the first signal 311, the wireless AP 181 buffers this signal as described above. Then, immediately after the timing 312 when the communication unit 111 of the imaging device 101 wakes up after transmitting the first signal 311, the wireless AP 181 transmits the buffered first signal to the imaging device 101, as shown at 313.

[0026] When the image capturing device 101 receives the first signal 313, it performs adjustment with the wireless AP 181 by TWT as shown in 314, and sets the sleep time of the communication unit 111 to a short time.

[0027] After this, as shown in 315, the communication unit 111 goes into a short sleep state during periods when no data communication is being performed, waking up when it receives a beacon 204. Therefore, when the electronic medical record server 121 transmits patient information to the imaging device 101 prior to imaging the affected area, or when it transmits a request to transfer the imaged affected area information to the electronic medical record server 121, the imaging device 101 can respond without delay.

[0028] 3, the imaging device 101 wakes up from sleep every time a beacon is received, but it may sleep for any period shorter than the long sleep 304. For example, the long sleep 304 may wake up every four beacons as shown in FIG. 3, and the short sleep 315 may wake up every two beacons. This can further reduce the power consumption of the communication unit 111.

[0029] Here, extending the period of long sleep 304 of the communication unit 111 can reduce the amount of power consumed by the communication unit 111 during sleep. However, if the period of long sleep 304 is too long, the maximum time required from when the patient's medical record is displayed on the electronic medical record terminal device 141 until a signal 313 notifying this is transmitted to the imaging device 101 at 313 and the imaging device 101 becomes capable of communication increases. Until the imaging device 101 becomes capable of communication, the imaging device 101 cannot obtain patient information from the electronic medical record server 121 or transmit images to the electronic medical record server 121, which impairs usability. Therefore, it is desirable that the period of long sleep be between several seconds and several tens of seconds.

[0030] It should be noted that the user may turn on the power of the imaging device 101 after displaying the patient's medical record on the electronic medical record terminal device 141. In this case, the imaging device 101 does not perform adjustment by the TWT of 303. Therefore, when the electronic medical record server 121 transmits patient information to the imaging device 101 prior to imaging the affected area, or when it transmits a request to transfer the imaged affected area information to the electronic medical record server 121, the imaging device 101 can respond without delay.

[0031] Furthermore, before the imaging device 101 receives the first signal 313 and returns from long sleep, the user may pick up the imaging device 101 to capture a patient's image or operate the input unit 109 of the imaging device. In this case, the imaging device 101 may perform adjustment 314 with the wireless AP 181 via TWT without waiting to receive the first signal 313, and set the sleep time of the communication unit 111 to a short time. This allows the imaging device 101 to immediately return from long sleep and become communicable even when the user attempts to capture a picture earlier than the long sleep period, thereby enabling capture without impairing usability. Note that the imaging device 101 can detect that the user has picked up the imaging device 101 by using an acceleration sensor (not shown) for detecting camera shake installed inside the imaging device 101. Furthermore, if the patient's chart is not opened and the imaging device 101 does not receive the first signal 313 after a predetermined time has elapsed, the imaging device 101 may again transition to long sleep. This allows the image capture device 101 to return to long-term sleep mode after a predetermined time even if the user moves the image capture device 101 without intending to capture a photo or accidentally touches the input unit 109.

[0032] FIG. 3(b) shows communication after the user closes the patient's medical record on the electronic medical record terminal device 141 after the communication in FIG. 3(a) has ended. When the user closes the patient's medical record at 351, the electronic medical record terminal device 141 transmits the patient information entered by the doctor to the electronic medical record server 121 as described above. The electronic medical record server 121 transmits a second signal 352 indicating that the patient's medical record has been closed to the imaging device 101. When the wireless AP 181 receives the second signal 352, it transmits a second signal 354 to the imaging device 101 immediately after the communication unit 111 of the imaging device 101 wakes up at 353. When the imaging device 101 receives the second signal 354, it performs TWT adjustment with the wireless AP 181 as shown at 355, and sets the sleep time of the communication unit 111 to a long time. This adjustment is actually the same as the adjustment at 303. After this, the communication unit 111 sleeps for a long time as indicated by 356, so that the amount of power consumed by the communication unit 111 during the period when the patient is not being imaged can be reduced.

[0033] Incidentally, when capturing images of a patient in a relatively large space, such as a rehabilitation facility in a hospital, it is conceivable that the user will move around the space with the imaging device 101. In this case, the wireless AP 181 to which the imaging device 101 was connected before entering long-term sleep mode may be different from the wireless AP 181 that is closest and has the strongest radio wave strength when the imaging device 101 wakes up from long-term sleep mode. In such a case, the imaging device 101 may disconnect from the former wireless AP 181 and reconnect to the latter wireless AP 181. In this case, the imaging device 101 detects that the former wireless AP 181 has been disconnected from the imaging device 101, and the latter wireless AP 181 takes over the packets that were buffered during the imaging device 101's long-term sleep mode, allowing the imaging device 101 to continue processing. This allows the imaging device 101 to connect to the wireless AP 181 with the strongest radio wave strength and maintain good communication conditions. However, in order for the imaging device 101 to search for the wireless AP 181 with the strongest radio wave strength, it must first disconnect from the previous wireless AP 181, which may take some time to recover. Therefore, whether to reconnect to another wireless AP 181 at wake-up may be determined based on the wireless AP 181 to which the imaging device 101 was connected, the electronic medical record terminal device 141 with which it communicates, and information about the user who uses the imaging device 101. This enables control such that, for example, when the imaging device 101 is connected to a wireless AP in an examination room, it does not search for other wireless APs at wake-up, but when it is connected to a wireless AP in a rehabilitation facility, it searches for other wireless APs at wake-up.

[0034] Figure 4(a) is a flowchart showing the processing of the aforementioned electronic medical record server 121. If there are multiple electronic medical record terminal devices in the hospital, the CPU 122 executes the processing of Figure 4(a) in a different thread for each electronic medical record terminal device. In S401, the CPU 122 receives a notification from the electronic medical record terminal device 141 that a user has logged in.

[0035] In S402, the CPU 122 determines whether the user has opened the patient's chart on the electronic medical chart terminal device 141. Specifically, if there is an inquiry about patient information from the electronic medical chart terminal device 141, it determines that the patient's chart has been opened. If it is determined that the patient's chart has been opened, the process proceeds to S405. If it is not determined that the patient's chart has been opened, the process proceeds to S403.

[0036] In S403, the CPU 122 determines whether an inquiry about the status of the electronic medical record terminal device has been made by the imaging device 101. If it is determined that an inquiry has been made, the process proceeds to S404. If it is not determined that an inquiry has been made, the process proceeds to S402.

[0037] In S404, the CPU 122 identifies the electronic medical record terminal device to which the user of the imaging device 101 is logged in. If there are multiple electronic medical record terminal devices in the hospital, the CPU 122 receives information that can identify the imaging device from the imaging device 101 and identifies the imaging device by referring to table 501. Information that can identify the imaging device is, for example, the name of the imaging device, the IP address of the imaging device, the MAC address of the imaging device, etc. On the other hand, if there is only one electronic medical record terminal device in the hospital, it is clear which electronic medical record terminal device the user is logged in to.

[0038] In S405, the CPU 122 transmits to the image capturing apparatus 101, as shown by 302, a message indicating that the medical record is not open on the electronic medical record terminal.

[0039] In S406, the CPU 122 identifies the imaging device used by the user who logged in to the electronic medical record terminal device 141. If there are multiple imaging devices in the hospital, the CPU 122 receives information that can identify the terminal device from the electronic medical record terminal device 141 and identifies the imaging device by referring to the table 501. Information that can identify the terminal device is, for example, the terminal name, the IP address of the terminal, the MAC address of the terminal, etc. On the other hand, if there is only one imaging device in the hospital, the imaging device that the user will use is clear.

[0040] In S407, the CPU 122 transmits a first signal 311 indicating that the patient's chart has been opened to the imaging device 101 identified in S403.

[0041] In S408, the CPU 122 determines whether the user has closed the patient's chart on the electronic medical chart terminal device 141. Specifically, if patient information is transmitted from the electronic medical chart terminal device 141, it determines that the patient's chart has been closed. If it determines that the patient's chart has been closed, the process proceeds to S412. If it does not determine that the patient's chart has been opened, the process proceeds to S409.

[0042] In S409, the CPU 122 determines whether an inquiry about the status of the electronic medical record terminal device has been made by the imaging device 101. If it is determined that an inquiry has been made, the process proceeds to S410. If it is not determined that an inquiry has been made, the process proceeds to S408.

[0043] In S410, the CPU 122 identifies the electronic medical record terminal device to which the user who uses the image capturing device 101 has logged in. This process is the same as S404, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0044] In S411, the CPU 122 transmits to the image capturing apparatus 101, as shown by 302, a message that the medical record is being opened on the electronic medical record terminal device.

[0045] In S412, the CPU 122 transmits a second signal 352 indicating that the patient's chart has been closed to the imaging device 101 identified in S403.

[0046] In S413, the CPU 122 determines whether a notification that the user has logged out has been received from the electronic medical record terminal device 141. If it is determined that the notification has been received, the process proceeds to S401. If it is not determined that the notification has been received, the process proceeds to S402.

[0047] Note that even if the CPU 122 determines in S408 that the user has closed the patient's chart, if it determines that the user has opened the next patient's chart within a predetermined time, the CPU 122 may not transmit the second signal 352 to the imaging device 101 in S412. This prevents the imaging device from going into sleep mode for a long time, which would impair usability, even if the user closes the chart of one patient and then immediately opens the chart of the next patient and starts examining that patient.

[0048] 4B is a flowchart showing the processing of the above-mentioned image capture device 101. In S451, the CPU 103 performs startup processing when the user operates the power switch.

[0049] In S452 , the CPU 103 controls the communication unit 111 to connect to the wireless AP 181 .

[0050] In S453, the CPU 103 obtains from the electronic medical record server 121, as shown in 302, whether the patient's medical record is open in the electronic medical record terminal device 141 to which the user using the imaging device 101 is logged in.

[0051] In S454, the CPU 103 determines whether the patient's medical record is open in the electronic medical record terminal device 141. If it is determined that the patient's medical record is open, the process proceeds to S458. If it is not determined that the patient's medical record is open, the process proceeds to S455.

[0052] In S455, the CPU 103 performs adjustment with the wireless AP 181 by TWT as shown in 303, and sets the sleep time of the communication unit 111 to a long time.

[0053] In S456, the CPU 103 controls the communication unit 111 to enter a long sleep period indicated by 304 or 356.

[0054] In S457, the CPU 103 determines whether the patient's medical record has been opened in the electronic medical record terminal device 141. Specifically, if the communication unit 111 receives the first signal 313, it determines that the patient's medical record has been opened. If it determines that the patient's medical record has been opened, the process proceeds to S458. If it does not determine that the patient's medical record has been opened, the process proceeds to S456.

[0055] In S458, the CPU 103 performs adjustment with the wireless AP 181 by TWT as shown in 314, and sets the sleep time of the communication unit 111 to a short time.

[0056] In S459, the CPU 103 controls the communication unit 111 to enter a short sleep state as indicated by 315.

[0057] In S460, the CPU 103 determines whether the patient's medical record has been closed in the electronic medical record terminal device 141. Specifically, if the communication unit 111 receives the second signal 352, it determines that the patient's medical record has been opened. If it determines that the patient's medical record has been closed, the process proceeds to S455. If it does not determine that the patient's medical record has been closed, the process proceeds to S459.

[0058] The time required from when a patient's medical record is displayed on the electronic medical record terminal device 141 to when the patient is actually photographed varies depending on various conditions. For example, in a case where a doctor invites a patient into an examination room, interviews the patient, and then performs an examination before photographing the patient, the longer the interview and examination take, the longer the time required to photograph the patient. Therefore, when setting the sleep period of the communication unit 111 to a long period in S455, the CPU 103 may acquire information about the patient from the electronic medical record server 121 or other hospital systems and determine the long sleep period accordingly. This prevents the imaging device 101 from waking up from long sleep before the time to photograph the patient, thereby wasting power on the communication unit 111. For example, if the patient is being examined for the first time, the long sleep period may be longer. This further reduces the power consumption of the communication unit 111 during examinations of new patients, which require a long interview period.

[0059] Alternatively, the time required for the medical interview may be estimated based on information such as the department the patient will be examined at, the name of the disease, and whether the disease is in the acute, chronic, or recovery stage, and the long sleep period may be determined accordingly. This makes it possible to further reduce the power consumption of the communication unit 111 when examining a patient whose medical interview requires a long time.

[0060] Alternatively, the time required for the examination may be estimated based on information such as the department the patient will be examined at, the name of the disease, and whether the patient has previously been examined, and the long sleep period may be determined accordingly. This makes it possible to further reduce the power consumption of the communication unit 111 when examining a patient whose examination requires a long time.

[0061] Alternatively, the doctor may refer to the history of the time required from opening to closing the patient's medical record, calculate the average time required for the patient's past examinations, estimate the time required for the interview and examination in this examination, and determine the long sleep period accordingly. Alternatively, the doctor may refer to the history of the time required from opening the patient's medical record to starting imaging, calculate the average, estimate the time required until imaging in this examination, and extend the long sleep period accordingly. This makes it possible to further reduce the power consumption of the communication unit 111 when examining patients who usually require a long time for interviews and examinations.

[0062] Alternatively, if the patient is a returning patient and the patient has not been imaged in the past, it may be assumed that the possibility of imaging during this examination is low, and the long-term sleep period may be extended. This makes it possible to further reduce power consumption by the communication unit 111 when examining a patient who is unlikely to be imaged. Furthermore, if the patient is a returning patient and the patient has not been imaged in the past, it may be assumed that the patient will not be imaged during this examination. In this case, even if the CPU 103 determines in S454 that the patient's medical record is open, it does not transition to S458 but transitions to S455. Furthermore, even if the CPU 103 determines in S457 that the patient's medical record has been opened, it does not transition to S458 but transitions to S456. This allows the communication unit 111 to remain in sleep mode for a long time when examining a patient who is unlikely to be imaged, thereby further reducing power consumption.

[0063] Alternatively, information such as the medical department to which the user belongs and the user's years of experience as a doctor may be acquired. Based on this information, the time required before imaging can be estimated for the current consultation by referring to the trends in interview time and examination time in the medical department to which the user belongs, or the trends in interview time and examination time in relation to the user's years of experience, and the long sleep period can be extended accordingly. This makes it possible to further reduce the power consumption of the communication unit 111 when examining patients whose interviews and examinations are likely to be prolonged, taking into account the user's medical department and years of experience.

[0064] The CPU 103 may also refer to the remaining charge of the battery (not shown) of the imaging device 101 and extend the long sleep period if the remaining charge becomes low. This may further reduce power consumption of the communication unit 111 when the remaining charge of the battery becomes low, although usability may be somewhat sacrificed. Note that whether or not to perform this processing may be determined based on information about the wireless AP 181 to which the imaging device 101 is connected, the electronic medical record terminal device 141 with which it communicates, and the user who uses the imaging device 101. This makes it possible to control the long sleep period by prioritizing the remaining battery charge, for example, in the case of a medical department that does not have an adequate supply of alternative imaging devices or batteries.

[0065] Furthermore, even if the CPU 103 determines in S460 that the patient's medical record has been closed, it may not transition to S455 until the user explicitly instructs that imaging has ended using the input unit 109. This prevents the imaging device 101 from going into sleep mode for a long period of time, which would impair usability, if the user continues imaging after closing the electronic medical record for some reason.

[0066] By controlling the communication unit 111 of the imaging device 101 as described above, it is possible to reduce the amount of power consumed by the communication unit 111 while the user is not displaying the patient's medical record on the electronic medical record terminal 141. Note that while the user is not displaying the patient's medical record on the electronic medical record terminal 141, the operation of the communication unit 111 may be completely stopped for a certain period of time without performing TWT coordination 303 with the wireless AP 181, as an alternative to the long sleep mode described above. This method makes it possible to reduce the amount of power consumed by the imaging device 101 even in hospitals that use wireless APs that do not support Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi Halow.

[0067] On the other hand, by having the communication unit 111 perform control based on the wireless AP 181 and TWT, the communication unit 111 can shorten the time it takes to return from long-term sleep. Furthermore, because the wireless AP 181 buffers the first signal 311 transmitted from the electronic medical record server 121 while the communication unit 111 is in long-term sleep, the processing of the electronic medical record server 121 can be simplified. If TWT is not used, even if the electronic medical record server 121 transmits the first signal 311 while the communication unit 111 is in long-term sleep, an error will be returned from the wireless AP 181 to the electronic medical record server 121. In this case, it becomes necessary to determine by another means whether the imaging device 101 is simply in a long-term sleep state or is truly unusable due to a dead battery or the like, which makes the processing more complicated.

[0068] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the electronic medical record terminal device 141 includes a control for accepting an operation for switching between displaying and hiding information about a subject, and a control for transmitting a signal to the device when the operation is accepted. The image capture device 101 includes a control for controlling communication with the access point when the signal is received.

[0069] In this manner, in this embodiment, in an imaging system that captures images used for diagnosing a patient, it is determined that the patient will not be photographed while the patient's medical record is open, and the sleep period of the communication unit of the imaging device is set to a long time, thereby making it possible to reduce the power consumption of the communication unit of the imaging device.

[0070] [Second embodiment] In the first embodiment, an imaging system was described in which the sleep period of the communication unit of the imaging device is set to a long period while the patient's medical record is not opened, thereby reducing the power consumption of the communication unit of the imaging device. In this embodiment, an imaging system will be described in which the sleep period of the communication unit of the imaging device is changed while the patient's medical record is not opened, depending on the imaging case of the imaging device 101 in the hospital, thereby further reducing the power consumption of the communication unit of the imaging device.

[0071] The following are some examples of patient photography in hospitals: In the first case, the attending physician opens the patient's medical record on the electronic medical record terminal in the examination room, checks the details of the previous examination, and then invites the patient into the examination room. After the patient is interviewed and examined, the attending physician takes the photographs.

[0072] In the second case, after the patient is examined by the attending physician in the examination room, the patient is taken to the radiography room, where another physician opens the patient's medical record on an electronic medical record terminal and checks the patient's name, age, gender, etc. to confirm that the patient is the correct person before taking the radiograph.

[0073] In the third case, a doctor other than the patient's primary physician first opens the patient's medical record on the electronic medical record terminal in the examination room, and after confirming that the patient is the correct person, as mentioned above, invites the patient into the examination room and takes photographs.The patient's primary physician then enters the examination room and begins the examination.

[0074] Some hospitals have a mix of multiple cases. For example, in hospitals where both the first and second cases are used, the first and second cases may be used depending on the department the patient visits, the name of the patient's illness, the location of the affected area, etc.

[0075] In the first case, the time between when the doctor opens the patient's medical record and when he or she takes an image of the patient involves confirming the details of the previous examination, interviewing the patient, and conducting an examination. Therefore, the time required from when the doctor opens the patient's medical record to when he or she takes an image of the patient is thought to be relatively long, for example, several minutes to several tens of minutes. On the other hand, in the second and third cases, the doctor opens the patient's medical record and confirms that the patient is the correct person before taking an image. Therefore, the time required from when the doctor opens the patient's medical record to when he or she takes an image of the patient is thought to be relatively short, for example, several tens of seconds to several minutes.

[0076] As already explained, the longer the period of long sleep 304 of the communication unit 111, the more power consumption during sleep of the communication unit 111 can be reduced. Therefore, in consideration of the fact that the time required from when a doctor opens a patient's chart to when he or she takes an image of the patient differs depending on the case, it is effective to appropriately determine the period of long sleep 304 depending on the case. This makes it possible to further reduce the power consumption during sleep of the communication unit 111 compared to the first embodiment, without impairing usability.

[0077] The configuration of the imaging system and the block diagram of the imaging device 101 and electronic medical record server 121 in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, so their explanation will be omitted. Figure 6(a) is a flowchart showing the processing of the electronic medical record server 121 in the second embodiment. Explanation will be omitted for blocks that perform the same processing as the electronic medical record server 121 in the first embodiment.

[0078] In S601, the CPU 122 determines whether an inquiry about a long sleep period has been made from the imaging device 101. If it is determined that an inquiry has been made, the process proceeds to S602. If it is not determined that an inquiry has been made, the process proceeds to S403.

[0079] In S602, the CPU 122 identifies the electronic medical record terminal device to which the user who uses the image capturing device 101 has logged in. This process is the same as S404, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0080] In S603, the CPU 122 transmits to the imaging device 101 a long sleep period that corresponds to the electronic medical record terminal device identified in S602. Three use cases for capturing images of patients in hospital examination rooms and radiography rooms have been described above, but if a hospital uses only one of these cases, the CPU 122 transmits a long sleep period that is appropriate for that case. If a hospital uses multiple cases, the electronic medical record server 121 records table 701 shown in FIG. 7(a) in RAM 124 or storage 128. Table 701 is statically constructed by the SIer that constructs the system or the system administrator within the hospital entering information into the electronic medical record server 121.

[0081] For example, suppose this imaging system is used in a hospital that uses both the first and second cases described above. If the electronic medical record terminal 141 to which the user of the imaging device 101 is logged in is the "terminal in examination room 1" or the "terminal in examination room 2," it can be assumed that the imaging device 101 will be used in the first case. On the other hand, if the electronic medical record terminal 141 to which the user of the imaging device 101 is logged in is the "terminal in the radiography room," it can be assumed that the imaging device 101 will be used in the second case. In either case, the CPU 122 transmits a long sleep period appropriate for that case.

[0082] The processing in S604 to S606 is the same as the processing in S601 to S603.

[0083] 6B is a flowchart showing the processing of the image capture device 101 in the second embodiment. Description of blocks that perform the same processing as the image capture device 101 in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0084] In S651, the CPU 103 acquires the long sleep period from the electronic medical record server 121. The acquired long sleep period is used in the processes of S455 and S456.

[0085] The method by which the image capture device 101 determines its own long sleep period is not limited to the above-described method. For example, an SIer that builds the system or a system administrator in a hospital may set the long sleep period in the ROM 104 according to the purpose of use of each image capture device 101.

[0086] Alternatively, the electronic medical record server 121 may manage the long sleep period according to the purpose of use of each image capture device 101 as shown in table 702 in Fig. 7(b). In this case, each image capture device 101 inquires about its own long sleep period from the electronic medical record server 121 when it is started up.

[0087] Alternatively, the long-term sleep period according to the imaging case may be recorded on each recording medium, such as an "SD card used in the examination room" or an "SD card used in the imaging room." In this case, the imaging device 101 reads the long-term sleep period from the recording medium attached to the media drive 110 and determines its own long-term sleep period.

[0088] Alternatively, the electronic medical record server 121 may manage the long sleep period of the imaging device 101 used in accordance with the installation location of each wireless AP 181, as shown in table 703 in Fig. 7(c). In this case, the imaging device 101 identifies the connected wireless AP 181, queries the electronic medical record server 121, and determines its own long sleep period.

[0089] Alternatively, the electronic medical record server 121 may acquire, from the electronic medical record terminal device 141, account information used by the user of the imaging device 101 when logging in, and determine the long sleep period of the imaging device 101. This allows an appropriate long sleep period to be set in a hospital that uses multiple of the aforementioned cases. For example, in a hospital that uses both the first and third cases, if the logged-in user is the patient's doctor, the electronic medical record server 121 determines that the case is the first case and lengthens the long sleep period of the imaging device 101. If the logged-in user is not the patient's doctor, the electronic medical record server 121 determines that the case is the third case and shortens the long sleep period of the imaging device 101.

[0090] Alternatively, the electronic medical record server 121 may determine the long sleep period according to the department to which the user using the imaging device 101 belongs. This allows an appropriate long sleep period to be set in a hospital where different departments use different cases.

[0091] As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the imaging device 101 receives a signal notifying that information is to be displayed, it communicates with the access point to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit to a first period. Then, when the imaging device 101 receives a signal notifying that information is not to be displayed, it communicates with the access point to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit to a second period that is longer than the first period.

[0092] In this way, in this embodiment, by changing the sleep period of the communication unit while the patient's medical record is not opened depending on the imaging case of the imaging device 101 in the hospital, it is possible to further reduce the power consumption of the communication unit of the imaging device.

[0093] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the above embodiments are merely illustrative of specific examples of how the present invention can be implemented, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

[0094] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims

1. A system comprising a device capable of acquiring target information and a terminal device connected thereto, The terminal device A means for accepting an operation to switch between displaying and hiding information about the target; means for transmitting a signal to the device when the operation is accepted; The device comprises: an imaging system having means for controlling communication with an access point when said signal is received;

2. 2. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the device is any one of a digital camera, a dermoscope, an endoscope, a portable X-ray, a portable ultrasound, a fundus camera, and a portable image forming device.

3. 3. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the subject is a patient, and the terminal device is an electronic medical record terminal device.

4. The system further comprises a server device; The server manages the combination of the terminal used by the user and the device used by the user, the terminal device transmits the signal to the server when receiving an operation to switch between displaying and hiding information about the target; 4. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the server transmits the signal to a device used by a user of the terminal device based on the combination.

5. The imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when the device receives the signal, it controls communication with the access point to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit, and when not communicating, it puts the communication unit to sleep for the sleep period.

6. When the device receives the signal notifying the display of the information, the device controls communication with the access point to adjust a sleep period of a communication unit to a first period; The imaging system according to claim 5, characterized in that, when the signal notifying the non-display of the information is received, the imaging system controls communication with the access point so as to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit to a second period longer than the first period.

7. The imaging system of claim 6, characterized in that if the device receives the signal notifying the non-display of the information but does not receive the signal notifying the display of the information within a predetermined time, the device controls communication to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit to the second period.

8. The imaging system according to claim 6, characterized in that after receiving the signal notifying the non-display of the information, the device controls communication so as to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit to the second period after accepting an instruction from the user to end shooting.

9. 7. The imaging system according to claim 6, wherein the device dynamically changes the second period when controlling communication with the access point so as to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit to the second period.

10. 10. The imaging system according to claim 9, wherein the device dynamically changes the second period depending on the terminal device used by a user of the device.

11. The imaging system according to claim 9 , wherein the device dynamically changes the second period depending on an access point to which the device is connected.

12. 10. The imaging system according to claim 9, wherein the device dynamically changes the second period depending on a recording medium.

13. The imaging system according to claim 9 , wherein the device dynamically changes the second period in accordance with information of a user who uses the terminal device or information of the object displayed by the terminal device.

14. The imaging system according to claim 13, wherein the subject is a patient, and the information about the subject is at least one of the patient's medical department, disease name, disease stage, medical examination history, examination history, and imaging history.

15. 14. The imaging system according to claim 13, wherein the user information is at least one of the doctor's medical department, experience, medical examination history, and examination history.

16. The imaging system described in any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that when the device detects that the user has moved or operated the device during the second sleep period, it controls communication with the access point to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit to the first period.

17. The imaging system of claim 16, wherein the device controls communication with the access point to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit to the first period, and then, if the first signal is not received after a predetermined time has elapsed, controls communication with the access point to adjust the sleep period of the communication unit to the second period.

18. The imaging system according to claim 6 , wherein the device dynamically changes the second period depending on a remaining battery charge.

19. the device connects to a first access point and sleeps for the second period, then searches for and connects to a second access point with stronger signal strength; 7. The imaging system according to claim 6, wherein the second access point acquires information from the first access point and communicates with the device.

20. A control method for an imaging system including a device capable of acquiring target information and a terminal device connected to the device, comprising: receiving an operation by the terminal device to switch between displaying and hiding information about the target; a step of transmitting a signal to the device when the terminal device accepts the operation; A control method for an imaging system, comprising the step of controlling communication with an access point when the device receives the signal.

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