Image capturing apparatus, control method, and storage medium

Abstract

To acquire and display an image of an affected part photographed in the past from the outside even when the image is not present in an imaging apparatus.SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to capture an image of an affected part, a communication unit configured to communicate with an external system, and a notification unit configured to notify, when medical information is acquired from the external system, whether there is a related image that is an image of the affected part associated with the medical information and has been captured in the past.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control technique for capturing images in a medical setting. [Background technology]

[0002] In medical settings, images of a patient's affected area (affected area images) are managed in association with medical information (photographer information, patient information, etc.). Images of the affected area associated with medical information are used for monitoring the progress of treatment by comparing them with images of the affected area of ​​the same patient. In this case, if the composition or brightness of the affected area images being compared differs, it becomes difficult to compare the images, so it is desirable to take images with the same composition and brightness as previous images of the affected area.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that, upon receiving an instruction to start imaging a predetermined region, an auxiliary image showing the screen position when the predetermined region was previously imaged is superimposed on the image to be captured. In Patent Document 1, if the imaging device does not have an auxiliary image, a schematic image held by the imaging device is displayed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-165922 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 1, if the imaging device does not have an auxiliary image, a schematic image is displayed, so it is possible to check the composition, but it is not possible to check the brightness. Also, in Patent Document 1, the imaging device needs to hold a schematic image of the imaging region.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to realize a technology that enables previously captured images of an affected area to be acquired externally and displayed even when the image capturing device does not have such images. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the imaging device of the present invention has an imaging means for capturing an image of the affected area, a communication means for communicating with an external system, and a notification means for notifying, when medical information is acquired from the external system, whether or not there is an image of the affected area associated with the medical information that has been taken in the past. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, even if an image of an affected area previously captured is not stored in the imaging device, it can be acquired from an external device and displayed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control process executed by the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing details of a medical information setting process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 5A to 5C are diagrams showing examples of screens displayed in the control process of the embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a photographing process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a captured image transmission process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a playback process according to the present 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] In this embodiment, the imaging device of the present invention is applied to a digital camera, and the imaging device is connected to a network system (external system) within a hospital, and a control process is described for when medical professionals such as doctors and nurses use the digital camera to photograph the affected area of ​​a patient and make a diagnosis.

[0012] In this embodiment, even if the imaging device does not have images of the affected area or the like (hereinafter referred to as affected area images) previously captured, the images of the affected area previously captured are obtained from an external system and displayed on the imaging device, so that the composition, brightness, etc. can be checked by referring to the images of the affected area previously captured before capturing the images of the affected area during medical treatment.

[0013] The imaging device of this embodiment is not limited to a digital camera, but may also be a portable communication terminal or information processing terminal such as a smartphone or tablet computer that has a camera function and a communication function.

[0014] <System configuration> First, the system configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0015] In the system of this embodiment, one or more image capture devices 100 are communicably connected to an external system 110 via a network 120 .

[0016] The network 120 is a wireless communication network such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or a mobile line, or a wired communication network such as a USB. The imaging device 100 captures an image of an affected area of ​​a patient and generates image data.

[0017] The external system 110 is an in-hospital system including one or more department systems, and in this embodiment, includes five department systems. The in-hospital system 110 can be accessed by medical professionals via the network 120 as needed. The in-hospital system 110 stores medical information. The medical information includes information on the department, patient, photographer, medical treatment content (affected area), medical history, etc., and information on images of the affected area associated with the medical information. The data transmitted by the imaging device 100 to the in-hospital system 110 includes image data such as barcodes and two-dimensional barcodes required to refer to the medical information managed by the in-hospital system 110, images of the affected area, medical information associated with the images of the affected area, etc.

[0018] <Device configuration> Next, the configuration and functions of the imaging device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0019] The imaging device 100 includes a control unit 201, a volatile memory 202, a non-volatile memory 203, an image processing unit 204, a display unit 205, an operation unit 206, a recording medium I / F 207, a communication I / F 209, and a camera unit 210, which are connected to each other via an internal bus 220 so that data can be sent and received between them.

[0020] The volatile memory 202 is, for example, a RAM, and is used as a work area for expanding constants and variables for the operation of the control unit 201, programs read from the nonvolatile memory 203, etc. The volatile memory 202 is also used as a buffer memory for temporarily storing image data captured by the camera unit 210, and as a memory for displaying images on the display unit 205.

[0021] The nonvolatile memory 203 is, for example, a flash memory, and stores constants, programs, etc. for the operation of the control unit 201. The program here refers to a program for executing control processing, which will be described later in this embodiment.

[0022] The volatile memory 202 is, for example, a RAM. The control unit 201 controls each unit of the imaging device 100 according to a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 203, for example, using the volatile memory 202 as a work memory.

[0023] The image processing unit 204 is controlled by the control unit 201 and performs various types of image processing on image data stored in the nonvolatile memory 203 or the recording medium 208, image data acquired via the communication interface 209, captured image data, etc. The image processing performed by the image processing unit 204 includes A / D conversion processing, D / A conversion processing, image data encoding processing, compression processing, decoding processing, enlargement / reduction processing (resizing), noise reduction processing, color conversion processing, etc. The image processing unit 204 may be configured with a circuit block dedicated to performing specific image processing. Furthermore, depending on the type of image processing, the control unit 201 may perform image processing according to a program without using the image processing unit 204.

[0024] The display unit 205 is controlled by the control unit 201 and displays images, GUI (Graphical User Interface) screens, etc. The control unit 201 generates a display control signal according to a program, and controls each unit of the imaging device 100 to generate a video signal to be displayed on the display unit 205 and output it to the display unit 205. The display unit 205 displays an image based on the video signal. Note that the display unit 205 may be an external device connectable to the imaging device 100.

[0025] The operation unit 206 is an operation member such as a switch, button, or touch panel that accepts various operations from the user and notifies the control unit 201. The operation unit 206 includes at least a still image capture button, a video capture button, a mode dial, a playback button, and a power switch. The still image capture button is an operation member for instructing the control unit 201 to perform still image capture processing. The video capture button is an operation member for instructing the control unit 201 to perform video capture processing. The mode dial is an operation member for switching the operation mode of the imaging device 100. The mode dial can switch the operation mode of the imaging device 100 between still image capture mode, video capture mode, and playback mode. The playback button is an operation member for switching between imaging mode and playback mode. Pressing the playback button during imaging mode switches to playback mode, and the most recent image recorded on the recording medium 208 can be displayed on the display unit 205. The power switch is an operation member for switching the power of the imaging device 100 on and off.

[0026] A recording medium 208 such as a memory card, a hard disk (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD) can be attached to a recording medium interface (I / F) 207. The recording medium I / F 207 is controlled by the control unit 201, and reads data from the attached recording medium 208 and writes data to the recording medium 208.

[0027] The communication interface (I / F) 209 is communicably connected to the in-hospital system 110 via the network 120, and transmits and receives various data such as medical information and images of affected areas. The communication interface I / F 209 may be communicably connected to an external device via the Internet or a mobile communication line.

[0028] The camera unit 210 includes an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS that converts an optical image into an electrical signal. The camera unit 210 includes a group of lenses (photographing lenses) including a zoom lens and a focus lens, a shutter with an aperture function, an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS that converts the optical image into an electrical signal, an A / D converter that converts an analog signal output from the image sensor into a digital signal, and a barrier that covers the optical system to prevent it from getting dirty or damaged.

[0029] The image processing unit 204 performs predetermined pixel interpolation, resizing such as reduction, and color conversion processing on the data captured by the camera unit 210. The control unit 201 performs exposure control, distance measurement control, and AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the calculation results of the captured data in the image processing unit 204. The data captured by the camera unit 210 is processed by the image processing unit 204 and displayed as a live view image on the display unit 205. The live view image can be displayed while still images and videos are being photographed and while videos are being recorded, and displays the captured subject image in almost real time.

[0030] When the control unit 201 receives a shooting preparation instruction given by the user via the operation unit 206, it controls the camera unit 210 and the image processing unit 204 to start AF processing, AE processing, AWB processing, etc. The shooting preparation instruction is, for example, a half-press operation of a shutter switch included in the operation unit 206. When the control unit 201 receives a shooting instruction given by the user via the operation unit 206, it starts a series of shooting processes, including reading a signal from the image sensor, performing image processing in the image processing unit 204 to generate an image file, and recording it on the recording medium 208. The shooting instruction is, for example, a full-press operation of a shutter switch included in the operation unit 206. The camera unit 210 is capable of capturing still images and videos.

[0031] <Control processing> Next, the control process of the image capturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0032] The processing in FIG. 3 is realized by the control unit 201 loading a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 203 into the volatile memory 202, executing it, and controlling each component of the imaging device 100.

[0033] In step S301, the control unit 201 determines whether the operation mode of the imaging device 100 is a medical mode. The imaging device 100 can switch between a medical mode and a normal mode as its operation mode, and a user (e.g., a photographer) can select the operation mode in advance on a setting screen displayed on the display unit 205. If the operation mode is the medical mode, the process proceeds to step S302. If the operation mode is the normal mode, the process of step S302 is not executed and the process proceeds to step S303. If the operation mode is the normal mode, instead of proceeding to step S303, a process completely different from the process of FIG. 3 may be performed. For example, in the process of FIG. 3, even in the normal mode, the medical information setting process (FIG. 4) is possible, and medical information is associated with and recorded in a captured image of an affected area (FIG. 6), and a captured image transmission process (FIG. 7) is possible, in which the captured image of the affected area is transmitted to the in-hospital system 110. On the other hand, in the normal mode, the medical information setting process of FIG. 4 and the captured image transmission process of FIG. 7 may not be executed. Also, instead of the captured image transmission process of FIG. 7, the captured image may be transmitted to an external device other than the in-hospital system 110 when the image is captured or played back, according to user settings.

[0034] In step S302, the control unit 201 controls the communication I / F 209 to perform processing to connect the imaging device 100 to the in-hospital system 110. In the example of FIG. 2, the in-hospital system 110 includes five department systems, and the imaging device 100 is connected to one of the five department systems included in the in-hospital system 110. The department system to connect to may be selected, for example, by the user operating the operation unit 206. Furthermore, the department system to which the imaging device 100 was previously connected may be automatically selected from the second and subsequent connections.

[0035] In step S303, the control unit 201 displays on the display unit 205 a shooting standby screen (live view screen) including a live view image.

[0036] 5(a) illustrates an example of a shooting standby screen 500A displayed on the display unit 205 in step S303. When the operation mode of the imaging device 100 is the medical mode, the shooting standby screen 500A includes a photographer area 501, a patient area 502, and an affected area area 503 as areas for displaying medical information (medical information areas) that are set in step S305, which will be described later. When the operation mode of the imaging device 100 is not the medical mode, the shooting standby screen does not include the medical information area, and therefore, medical information is not acquired or set, and the set medical information is not associated with the captured image.

[0037] The photographer area 501 is an area for displaying information about the photographer from among the medical information (e.g., the photographer's name, photographer ID, and the photographer's department, etc.). The patient area 502 is an area for displaying information about the patient from among the medical information (e.g., the patient's name, patient ID, date of birth, and gender, etc.). The affected area area 503 is an area for displaying affected area information about the part to be photographed from among the medical information (e.g., the affected area name). Each of the medical information areas 501 to 503 may display at least one item included in the medical information. In this embodiment, the photographer area 501 displays the photographer's name, the patient area 502 displays the patient's name, and the affected area area 503 displays the affected area name. Therefore, on the shooting standby screen 500A shown in FIG. 5(a), the photographer's name, the patient's name, and the affected area name are displayed superimposed on the live view image. However, at the time of step S303, the medical information has not been set, and therefore the medical information is not displayed in each of the medical information areas 501 to 503 on the imaging standby screen 500A shown in FIG. 5(a).

[0038] The imaging standby screen 500A also includes a send button 504 and an end button 505. When the end button 505 is operated, the control unit 201 ends this process for the current medical department. When the send button 504 is operated, the captured image to be transmitted is transmitted to the in-hospital system 110 in step S307, which will be described later. The send button 504 may be hidden if the affected area image has not yet been captured.

[0039] In step S304, the control unit 201 determines whether or not a medical information setting instruction has been issued by the user. If a medical information setting instruction has been issued, the process proceeds to step S305. If a medical information setting instruction has not been issued, the process proceeds to step S306. A medical information setting instruction is issued by the user by operating the operation unit 206 (for example, by touching the touch panel) to select the photographer area 501, the patient area 502, or the affected area 503.

[0040] In step S305, the control unit 201 performs a medical information setting process for the medical information areas 501 to 503 selected in step S304. The medical information setting process will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

[0041] In step S306, the control unit 201 determines whether or not a transmission instruction has been issued by the user. If a transmission instruction has been issued, the process proceeds to step S307; if a transmission instruction has not been issued, the process proceeds to step S308. Fig. 5(b) illustrates an example of a screen 500B for transmitting captured images to the in-hospital system 110. The transmission instruction issued by the user is, for example, a touch operation on the send button 504 in Fig. 5(b).

[0042] In step S307, the control unit 201 controls the communication I / F 209 to perform a captured image transmission process for transmitting the captured image generated by the imaging process in step S309, which will be described later, to the in-hospital system 110. The captured image transmission process will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

[0043] In step S308, the control unit 201 determines whether or not a shooting instruction has been issued by the user. If a shooting instruction has been issued, the process proceeds to step S309. If a shooting instruction has not been issued, the process returns to step S304. A shooting instruction issued by the user may be, for example, a half-press and then a full-press of the shutter button included in the operation unit 206, or a touch panel operation.

[0044] In step S309, the control unit 201 performs a photographing process by controlling the camera unit 210. The photographing process will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

[0045] In step S310, the control unit 201 determines whether or not a playback instruction has been issued by the user. If a playback instruction has been issued, the process proceeds to step S311. If a playback instruction has not been issued, the process returns to step S304. The playback instruction issued by the user is, for example, pressing a playback button included in the operation unit 206 or operating a touch panel.

[0046] In step S311, the control unit 201 performs processing to play back the captured image by controlling the image processing unit 204, the display unit 205, and the recording medium I / F 207. Details of the playback processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0047] In step S312, the control unit 201 determines whether or not an end instruction has been given by the user. If an end instruction has been given, this process ends, and if an end instruction has not been given, the process returns to step S304. The end instruction given by the user is, for example, turning off the power button included in the operation unit 206 or operating the end button 505.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the medical information setting process in step S305 of FIG.

[0049] In step S401, the control unit 201 controls the communication I / F 209 to perform processing to acquire medical information corresponding to the medical information area selected in step S304 from the in-hospital system 110. For example, when the photographer area 501 is selected, the control unit 201 performs processing to acquire photographer information as medical information.

[0050] There are various possible methods for acquiring medical information.

[0051] As a first method for acquiring medical information, the control unit 201 transmits an acquisition request to the in-hospital system 110. In response to the acquisition request, the in-hospital system 110 transmits a list (medical information list) including one or more candidates of medical information to the imaging device 100. In this case, the in-hospital system 110 stores in advance medical information lists (e.g., a photographer information list, a patient information list, and an affected area information list) for each medical department. For example, when the photographer area 501 is selected in step S304, the control unit 201 transmits a photographer information acquisition request to the medical department system connected in step S302, thereby acquiring the photographer information list from the medical department system.

[0052] A second method for acquiring medical information uses a barcode or two-dimensional barcode (hereinafter, referred to as a barcode, etc.). In this case, a barcode, etc. is assigned to each photographer and patient for managing their unique information. The assigned barcode, etc. is printed, for example, on the photographer's ID card or the patient's medical card. The control unit 201 transmits image data obtained by capturing an image of the photographer's or patient's barcode, etc., using the camera unit 210 to the in-hospital system 110. The in-hospital system 110 transmits medical information identified by the barcode, etc., in the image data to the imaging device 100. For example, when the photographer area 501 is selected in step S304, the user places the photographer's barcode, etc., within the capturing range of the camera unit 210 and issues a capture instruction by operating the operation unit 206. In response to the capture instruction, the control unit 201 controls the camera unit 210 to capture an image of the barcode, etc., and transmits the obtained image data to the in-hospital system 110. This allows the control unit 201 to acquire, from the in-hospital system 110, photographer information identified by the photographer's barcode or the like.

[0053] A third method for acquiring medical information is to use a photographer ID or patient ID entered by a user. The user inputs the photographer ID or patient ID by operating the operation unit 206. The control unit 201 transmits the input photographer ID or patient ID to the in-hospital system 110. The in-hospital system 110 transmits to the imaging device 100 photographer information or patient information identified by the photographer ID or patient ID received from the imaging device 100. If the user inputs only a portion of the photographer ID or patient ID, the in-hospital system 110 may transmit a medical information list (photographer information list or patient list) corresponding to multiple photographers or multiple patients that match the portion of the input photographer ID or patient ID. For example, if the photographer area 501 is selected in step S304, the user inputs the photographer ID (or a portion thereof) by operating the operation unit 206. The control unit 201 transmits the input photographer ID (or a portion thereof) to the in-hospital system 110. This allows the control unit 201 to acquire, from the in-hospital system 110, photographer information (or a photographer information list) identified by the input photographer ID (or a part thereof).

[0054] The source of the medical information in step S401 is not limited to an external device such as the in-hospital system 110. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the medical information list is stored in advance in the recording medium 208, and the control unit 201 acquires the medical information list from the recording medium 208 in step S401.

[0055] In step S402, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the medical information has been successfully acquired. If the medical information has been successfully acquired, the process proceeds to step S403, and if the medical information has not been successfully acquired, the process proceeds to step S408. If the medical information has not been successfully acquired, for example, there is a case where connection to the in-hospital system 110 has failed due to a communication error in step S302, or a case where a barcode or the like is not included in the captured image in step S401, etc.

[0056] In step S403, the control unit 201 sets the medical information acquired in step S401 as medical information to be associated with the captured image, and stores the medical information in the volatile memory 202. The control unit 201 also updates the medical information areas 501 to 503 on the shooting standby screen 500A shown in FIG. 5(a) so that the set medical information is displayed in step S407 or S409, which will be described later. For example, when the photographer area 501 is selected in step S304, the photographer information acquired from the in-hospital system 110 is set as the photographer information to be associated with the captured image. The photographer name included in the set photographer information is displayed in the photographer area 501. FIGS. 5(c) to 5(e) show examples of screens on which the medical information set in step S403 is displayed. In the example of FIG. 5(c), the photographer name is displayed in the photographer area 501 as the medical information acquired from the in-hospital system 110. In the examples of Figures 5(d) and 5(e), the photographer name, patient name, and affected area name are displayed in the photographer area 501, patient area 502, and affected area area 503, respectively, as medical information obtained from the hospital system 110.

[0057] Prior to setting the medical information, the control unit 201 may display a screen on the display unit 205 for the user to confirm whether the acquired medical information is correct. If a user operation indicating that the medical information is correct is performed, the control unit 201 sets the medical information. If a user operation indicating that the medical information is incorrect is performed, the control unit 201 discards the acquired medical information without setting the medical information.

[0058] In step S404, the control unit 201 determines whether or not there is an image (hereinafter referred to as a related image) associated with the medical information acquired from the in-hospital system 110. If there is a related image, the process proceeds to step S405, and if there is no related image, the process proceeds to step S409.

[0059] In step S404, it may be confirmed whether related images exist in the in-hospital system 110, or it may be determined whether related images are acquired simultaneously with acquiring medical information in step S401. The related images may be the image data itself or a list of thumbnails of the original images. The number of related images is not limited, and may be some or all of them.

[0060] The related images are, for example, images of the patient's affected area taken in the past by the same medical department. Furthermore, the medical information associated with the related images may be only patient information, or may include patient information, photographer information, and affected area information. Related images of the same patient may be acquired using the patient information, and related images of the same medical department may be acquired using the photographer information, and related images of the same affected area may be acquired using the affected area information.

[0061] In step S405, the control unit 201 notifies the user that there are images related to the medical information acquired in step S401. For example, the control unit 201 displays a notification on the display unit 205 that there are images related to the medical information. FIG. 5(f) illustrates a screen 500F displayed in step S405 to notify the user that there are images related to the medical information acquired from the in-hospital system 110. In the example of FIG. 5(f), there are images related to the medical information in the center of the screen, and a dialog 506 is displayed prompting the user to select whether or not to display the images related to the medical information. Note that, in a state where the medical information set in step S403 is displayed in the photographer area 501, the patient area 502, and the affected area area 503, a notification that there are images related to the medical information may be superimposed or the screen may be switched to notify the user. Alternatively, a list of images related to the medical information may be displayed on the display unit 205. In this case, a screen may be displayed on the display unit 205 that allows the user to select which of the images related to the medical information to display.

[0062] In step S406, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the user has issued an instruction to display images related to the medical information. If an instruction to display has been issued, the process proceeds to step S407; if an instruction to display has not been issued, the process proceeds to step S409. The user can issue an instruction to display by operating the operation unit 206 and selecting "Yes" to display related images in the dialog 506 on the screen of FIG. 5(f). Alternatively, the user may issue an instruction to display by operating the operation unit 206 and selecting an image to be displayed from a list of related images.

[0063] In step S407, the control unit 201 displays the related image. If the control unit 201 acquires the related image at the same time as acquiring the medical information in step S401, the control unit 201 processes the related image by the image processing unit 204 into a format that can be displayed on the display unit 205, and then displays the related image on the display unit 205. Furthermore, if the control unit 201 acquires the related image separately from acquiring the medical information in step S401, the control unit 201 temporarily stores the related image acquired from the in-hospital system 110 in the volatile memory 202, processes the related image by the image processing unit 204 into a format that can be displayed on the display unit 205, and then displays the related image on the display unit 205.

[0064] FIG. 5(g) illustrates a screen 500G that displays an image related to medical information acquired from the in-hospital system 110. The screen 500G in FIG. 5(g) is displayed in response to the user selecting "Yes" in the dialog 506 on the screen 500F in FIG. 5(f). The related image may be displayed with the medical information set in step S403 displayed in the photographer area 501, patient area 502, and affected area area 503. Alternatively, the related image may be displayed alone on the display unit 205, or may be superimposed on the live view image displayed on the shooting standby screen 500A in FIG. 5(a). This allows the user to check the composition and brightness by referring to the related image before the shooting process in step S309 in FIG. 3.

[0065] In step S408, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the user has issued an instruction to reacquire medical information. The control unit 201 displays a screen on the display unit 205 that prompts the user to select whether or not to reacquire medical information. The user can issue an instruction to reacquire medical information by operating the operation unit 206 and selecting to reacquire medical information. If an instruction to reacquire medical information has been issued, the process returns to step S401; if an instruction to reacquire medical information has not been issued, the process ends and proceeds to step S306 in FIG. 3.

[0066] In step S409, the control unit 201 notifies the user that there is no image related to the medical information acquired in step S401 by, for example, displaying only the medical information acquired from the in-hospital system 110 on the display unit 205. FIGS. 5(c) to 5(e) show examples of screens 500C to 500E on which only the medical information set in step S403 is displayed. On the screen 500C in FIG. 5(c), the photographer's name is displayed in the photographer area 501 as the medical information acquired from the in-hospital system 110. On the screen 500D in FIG. 5(d) and the screen 500E in FIG. 5(e), the photographer's name, patient's name, and affected area name are displayed in the photographer area 501, patient area 502, and affected area area 503, respectively, as the medical information acquired from the in-hospital system 110. When the process ends, the process proceeds to step S306 in FIG. 3.

[0067] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the photographing process in step S309 of FIG.

[0068] In step S601, the control unit 201 controls the camera unit 210 to photograph the affected area of ​​the patient and acquire an image of the affected area (photographed image).

[0069] In step S602, the control unit 201 determines whether or not there is an image related to the medical information in the medical information setting process in step S305 of Fig. 3. If there is an image related to the medical information, for example, because it is temporarily stored in the volatile memory 202, the process proceeds to step S603, and if there is no image related to the medical information, the process proceeds to step S604.

[0070] In step S603, the control unit 201 performs a process of deleting the related image from the volatile memory 202 or the like.

[0071] In step S604, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the medical information set in step S305 of Fig. 3 exists. If at least one of the photographer information, patient information, and affected area information has been set in step S405 of Fig. 4 and stored in the volatile memory 202, it is determined that the set medical information exists, and the process proceeds to step S605. If the set medical information does not exist, this process ends, and the process proceeds to step S310 of Fig. 3.

[0072] In step S605, the control unit 201 associates the set medical information with the photographed image. For example, the association method may be a method of storing the medical information in a header area of ​​an image file including the photographed image. The control unit 201 temporarily stores the photographed image with the associated medical information in the volatile memory 202, or records it on the recording medium 208 via the recording medium I / F 207. The control unit 201 may also manage the photographed image with the associated medical information as a transmission target, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 8.

[0073] In the above-described shooting process, related images are deleted in response to a shooting instruction from the user (full press of the shutter button), but related images may also be deleted in response to a shooting preparation instruction from the user (reverse press of the shutter button).

[0074] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the captured image transmission process in step S307 of FIG.

[0075] In step S701, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the imaging device 100 is connected to the in-hospital system 110. If the imaging device 100 is connected to the in-hospital system 110, the process proceeds to step S702, and if the imaging device 100 is not connected to the in-hospital system 110, the process proceeds to step S705.

[0076] In step S702, the control unit 201 selects captured images to be transmitted to the in-hospital system 110. The method of selecting the captured images may be, for example, that the control unit 201 automatically selects all captured images stored in the volatile memory 202 or the recording medium 208. As another selection method, the control unit 201 may allow the user to select the captured images. In this case, for example, the control unit 201 displays a list of thumbnails of the captured images stored in the volatile memory 202 or the recording medium 208 on the display unit 205. The control unit 201 selects at least one captured image selected by the user in the thumbnail list as the captured image to be transmitted to the in-hospital system 110. Furthermore, when captured images associated with medical information are managed as images to be transmitted in step S605 of FIG. 6, the captured images associated with the medical information may be selected.

[0077] In step S703, the control unit 201 transmits the photographed images to be transmitted selected in step S702 to the in-hospital system 110. In this case, the control unit 201 may delete the transmitted photographed images from the volatile memory 202 or the recording medium 208, or may leave them stored. Furthermore, when the control unit 201 selects photographed images to be transmitted, the control unit 201 may delete the transmitted photographed images from the list of images to be transmitted.

[0078] In step S704, the control unit 201 displays a message indicating that transmission of the captured image has been completed on the display unit 205. When the process ends, the process proceeds to step S308 in FIG.

[0079] In step S705, the control unit 201 displays an error message indicating that transmission of the captured image has failed on the display unit 205. When the process ends, the process proceeds to step S308 in FIG.

[0080] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the playback process in step S311 of FIG.

[0081] In step S801, the control unit 201 determines whether or not there is an image related to the medical information in the medical information setting process in step S305 of Fig. 3. If there is an image related to the medical information, for example, because it is temporarily stored in the volatile memory 202, the process proceeds to step S802, and if there is no image related to the medical information, the process proceeds to step S803.

[0082] In step S802, the control unit 201 performs processing to delete the images related to the medical information from the volatile memory 202 or the like.

[0083] In step S803, the control unit 201 determines whether or not there is a captured image associated with medical information for the transmission target. If there is a captured image associated with medical information for the transmission target, the process proceeds to step S804, and if there is no captured image, the process proceeds to step S805. If there is a captured image associated with medical information for the transmission target, the display unit 205 may display that there is a captured image for the transmission target.

[0084] In step S804, the control unit 201 displays the captured image associated with the medical information to be transmitted. For example, the control unit 201 reads the captured image to be transmitted from the volatile memory 202 or the recording medium 208, processes the image by the image processing unit 204 into a format that can be displayed on the display unit 205, and then displays the image on the display unit 205. When the process ends, the process proceeds to step S304 in FIG. 3.

[0085] In step S805, the control unit 201 determines whether or not the transmitted captured image has been deleted from the volatile memory 202 or the recording medium 208. If the transmitted captured image has been deleted, the process proceeds to processing step S806; if the transmitted captured image has not been deleted, the process proceeds to step S807.

[0086] In step S806, the control unit 201 reads out and displays the captured images other than those to be transmitted that are stored in the volatile memory 202 or the recording medium 208. The captured images that were not transmitted in the captured image transmission process in step S307 are stored in the volatile memory 202 or the recording medium 208. The control unit 201 reads out the captured images other than those to be transmitted that are stored in the volatile memory 202 or the recording medium 208, processes them by the image processing unit 204 into a format that can be displayed on the display unit 205, and then displays them on the display unit 205. When the process is completed, the process proceeds to step S304 in FIG. 3.

[0087] In step S807, the control unit 201 reads out the images transmitted in the captured image transmission process in step S307 and the captured images not transmitted, which are stored in the volatile memory 202 or the recording medium 208, and processes them into a format that can be displayed on the display unit 205 by the image processing unit 204, and then displays them on the display unit 205. When the process ends, the process proceeds to step S304 in FIG.

[0088] As described above, according to this embodiment, even if the imaging device 100 does not have any images related to medical information, the images can be acquired from the in-hospital system 110 and displayed. This allows the user to check the composition and brightness by referring to images captured in the past before capturing an image. Furthermore, by deleting images related to medical information acquired from the in-hospital system 110 when transitioning to a capture process, playback process, or the like, it is possible to reduce the risk of personal information leaks due to related images remaining in the imaging device 100.

[0089] In this embodiment, the related images obtained from the in-hospital system 110 are deleted when transitioning to the photographing process, playback process, etc., but the related images obtained from the in-hospital system 110 may also be deleted when the user issues an end instruction (power off operation or end button operation) in step S312 of Figure 3.

[0090] [Other embodiments] 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. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0091] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention.

[0092] The disclosure of this specification includes the following imaging device, control method, and program. [Configuration 1] an imaging means for capturing an image of the affected area; A communication means for communicating with an external system; and a notification means for, when medical information is acquired from the external system, notifying whether or not there is a related image taken in the past that is an image of the affected area associated with the medical information. [Item 2] a determination means for determining whether or not the related image of the medical information acquired from the external system exists; the notification means notifies the user that there is a related image related to the medical information acquired from the external system when the related image exists; 2. The imaging device according to item 1, wherein if the relevant image does not exist, only the medical information is notified. [Item 3] 3. The imaging device according to item 2, wherein the determining means determines whether or not the medical information and the related image have been acquired from the external system. [Item 4] an acquisition means for acquiring the medical information and the related images from the external system; a storage means for storing the related image acquired from the external system; 4. The imaging device according to item 3, further comprising a display unit that displays the related image acquired from the external system. [Item 5] The imaging device described in item 4, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the medical information and the related images by a method of requesting the medical information from the external system or a method of transmitting patient or photographer information to the external system. [Item 6] 6. The imaging device according to item 5, further comprising a control means for controlling the display means to display the related image in response to a user operation based on a notification that the related image exists. [Item 7] 7. The imaging device according to item 6, wherein the control means superimposes a notification that the related image exists on the medical information. [Item 8] 7. The imaging device according to item 6, wherein the control means displays a list of the related images and displays a related image selected by a user. [Item 9] 7. The imaging device according to item 6, wherein the control means displays the related image superimposed on a live view image captured by the imaging means. [Item 10] 10. The imaging device according to item 9, wherein the control means deletes the related image stored in the storage means in response to receiving a shooting preparation instruction or a shooting instruction. [Item 11] Item 11. The imaging device according to item 10, wherein the control means associates the image of the affected area captured in response to the imaging instruction with medical information acquired from the external system. [Item 12] The imaging device described in item 11, characterized in that the control means displays a list of images of the affected area photographed in accordance with the photographing instruction, and transmits the image of the affected area selected by the user to the external system. [Item 13] 7. The imaging device according to item 6, wherein the control means deletes the related image stored in the storage means when displaying the image of the affected area. [Item 14] Item 14. The imaging device according to item 13, wherein the control means displays an image of the affected area to be transmitted to the external system. [Item 15] Item 14. The imaging device according to item 13, wherein the control means displays an image of the affected area that is not to be transmitted to the external system if the image of the affected area to be transmitted to the external system has been deleted. [Item 16] The imaging device described in item 13, characterized in that if the image of the affected area to be transmitted to the external system is not deleted, the control means displays the image of the affected area that is not to be transmitted to the external system and the image of the affected area that has been transmitted to the external system. [Item 17] 7. The imaging device according to item 6, wherein the control means deletes the related images stored in the storage means when the power of the imaging device is turned off. [Item 18] 18. The imaging device according to any one of items 1 to 17, wherein the medical information includes at least one of information about the patient, information about the photographer, and information about the region to be imaged. [Item 19] A control method for an imaging device that captures an image of an affected area, comprising: communicating with an external system; a step of notifying, when medical information is acquired from the external system, whether or not there is a related image taken in the past that is an image of the affected area associated with the medical information. [Item 20] A program for causing a computer to function as the imaging device described in any one of items 1 to 18. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 100...imaging device, 110...in-hospital system, 120...in-hospital network, 201...control unit, 205...display unit, 206...operation unit, 209...communication I / F, 210...camera unit

Claims

1. an imaging means for capturing an image of the affected area; A communication means for communicating with an external system; and a notification means for, when medical information is acquired from the external system, notifying whether or not there is a related image taken in the past that is an image of the affected area associated with the medical information.

2. a determination means for determining whether or not the related image of the medical information acquired from the external system exists; the notification means notifies the user that there is a related image related to the medical information acquired from the external system when the related image exists; 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein if the related image does not exist, only the medical information is notified.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein the determining unit determines whether the medical information and the related image have been acquired from the external system.

4. an acquisition means for acquiring the medical information and the related images from the external system; a storage means for storing the related image acquired from the external system; 4. The imaging device according to claim 3, further comprising a display unit that displays the related image acquired from the external system.

5. The imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein the acquisition means acquires the medical information and the related images by a method of requesting the medical information from the external system or a method of transmitting patient or photographer information to the external system.

6. 6. The imaging device according to claim 5, further comprising a control unit that controls the display unit to display the related image in response to a user operation based on a notification that the related image exists.

7. The imaging device according to claim 6 , wherein the control means superimposes a notification that the related image exists on the medical information.

8. 7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control means displays a list of the related images and displays a related image selected by a user.

9. 7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control means displays the related image superimposed on a live view image captured by the imaging means.

10. 10. The imaging device according to claim 9, wherein the control means deletes the related image stored in the storage means in response to receiving a shooting preparation instruction or a shooting instruction.

11. 11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control means associates the image of the affected area captured in response to the imaging instruction with medical information acquired from the external system.

12. 12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control means displays a list of images of the affected area photographed in response to the imaging instruction, and transmits the image of the affected area selected by the user to the external system.

13. 7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said control means deletes the related image stored in said storage means when displaying the image of the affected area.

14. 14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the control means displays an image of the affected area to be transmitted to the external system.

15. 14. The imaging device according to claim 13, wherein the control means displays the image of the affected part that is not to be transmitted to the external system when the image of the affected part to be transmitted to the external system has been deleted.

16. The imaging device according to claim 13, characterized in that, if the image of the affected area to be transmitted to the external system is not deleted, the control means displays the image of the affected area that is not to be transmitted to the external system and the image of the affected area that has been transmitted to the external system.

17. 7. The imaging device according to claim 6, wherein the control means deletes the related image stored in the storage means when the power supply to the imaging device is turned off.

18. 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medical information includes at least one of information about a patient, information about a photographer, and information about a region to be imaged.

19. A control method for an imaging device that captures an image of an affected area, comprising: communicating with an external system; a step of notifying, when medical information is acquired from the external system, whether or not there is a related image taken in the past that is an image of the affected area associated with the medical information.

20. A program for causing a computer to function as the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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