Display Control Device

Abstract

To improve convenience of a user.SOLUTION: A display control device includes an acquisition section and a display control section. The acquisition section acquires a statistical value of an imaging time of each one of a plurality of MRI imaging protocols. The display control section allows a display section to control an object having a width determined based on the statistical value for each MRI imaging protocol.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings relate to a display control device. [Background technology]

[0002] In MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), multiple imaging units called protocols are combined to perform the imaging. Therefore, by displaying the imaging progress of each protocol as an object corresponding to each protocol on a timeline, it becomes easier to manage the progress of the examination.

[0003] However, as the number of protocols increases, there are cases where it becomes impossible to display objects related to all protocols on the screen due to limitations on the screen width. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5686836 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] One of the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings is to improve user convenience. However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings are not limited to the above problem. Problems corresponding to the effects of each configuration shown in the embodiments described below can also be positioned as other problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A display control device according to an embodiment includes an acquisition unit and a display control unit. The acquisition unit acquires statistical values ​​of imaging times for a plurality of MRI imaging protocols. The display control unit controls a display unit to display an object having a width determined based on the statistical values ​​for each of the MRI imaging protocols. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus including a display control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing performed by the display control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing performed by the display control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing performed by the display control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing performed by the display control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of processing performed by the display control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing performed by the display control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing performed by the display control device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, a display control device according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus 100 including a display control device 130 according to a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus 100 includes a static magnetic field magnet 101, a static magnetic field power supply (not shown), a gradient magnetic field coil 103, a gradient magnetic field power supply 104, a bed 105, a bed control circuit 106, a transmission coil 107, a transmission circuit 108, a reception coil 109, a reception circuit 110, a sequence control circuit 120 (sequence control unit), and a display control device 130 (also referred to as an "image processing device"). Note that the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus 100 does not include a subject P (e.g., a human body). The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example. For example, the respective units in the sequence control circuit 120 and the display control device 130 may be configured as integrated or separated as appropriate.

[0009] The static magnetic field magnet 101 is a magnet formed in a hollow, approximately cylindrical shape, and generates a static magnetic field in the internal space. The static magnetic field magnet 101 is, for example, a superconducting magnet. As another example, the static magnetic field magnet 101 may be a permanent magnet.

[0010] The gradient magnetic field coil 103 is a hollow, approximately cylindrical coil and is disposed inside the static magnetic field magnet 101. The gradient magnetic field coil 103 is formed by combining three coils corresponding to the mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes, and these three coils are individually supplied with current from a gradient magnetic field power supply 104 to generate gradient magnetic fields whose magnetic field strengths change along the X, Y, and Z axes. The gradient magnetic fields of the X, Y, and Z axes generated by the gradient magnetic field coil 103 are, for example, a slicing gradient magnetic field Gs, a phase encoding gradient magnetic field Ge, and a readout gradient magnetic field Gr. The gradient magnetic field power supply 104 supplies current to the gradient magnetic field coil 103.

[0011] The bed 105 includes a top plate 105a on which the subject P is placed, and under the control of a bed control circuit 106, the top plate 105a is inserted into the cavity (imaging port) of the gradient magnetic field coil 103 with the subject P placed thereon. The bed 105 is usually installed so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the central axis of the static magnetic field magnet 101. Under the control of the display control device 130, the bed control circuit 106 drives the bed 105 to move the top plate 105a in the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction.

[0012] The transmitting coil 107 is disposed inside the gradient magnetic field coil 103, and generates a high-frequency magnetic field upon receiving RF pulses from a transmitting circuit 108. The transmitting circuit 108 supplies the transmitting coil 107 with RF pulses corresponding to a Larmor frequency determined by the type of atom of interest and the magnetic field strength.

[0013] The receiving coil 109 is disposed inside the gradient magnetic field coil 103, and receives magnetic resonance signals (hereinafter referred to as "MR signals" as necessary) emitted from the subject P due to the influence of the high frequency magnetic field. Upon receiving the magnetic resonance signals, the receiving coil 109 outputs the received magnetic resonance signals to the receiving circuit 110.

[0014] The above-described transmitting coil 107 and receiving coil 109 are merely examples. They may be configured by combining one or more of a coil having only a transmitting function, a coil having only a receiving function, or a coil having a transmitting and receiving function.

[0015] The receiving circuit 110 detects magnetic resonance signals output from the receiving coil 109 and generates magnetic resonance data based on the detected magnetic resonance signals. Specifically, the receiving circuit 110 generates magnetic resonance data by digitally converting the magnetic resonance signals output from the receiving coil 109. The receiving circuit 110 also transmits the generated magnetic resonance data to the sequence control circuit 120. The receiving circuit 110 may be provided on the gantry side that includes the static magnetic field magnet 101, the gradient magnetic field coil 103, etc. Furthermore, some of the functions of the receiving circuit 110, for example, digital conversion of magnetic resonance signals, may be provided in the receiving coil 109.

[0016] The sequence control circuit 120 drives the gradient magnetic field power supply 104, the transmission circuitry 108, and the reception circuitry 110 based on sequence information transmitted from the display control device 130, thereby imaging the subject P. Here, the sequence information is information that defines a procedure for performing imaging. The sequence information defines the strength of the current that the gradient magnetic field power supply 104 supplies to the gradient magnetic field coil 103 and the timing of supplying the current, the strength of the RF pulse that the transmission circuitry 108 supplies to the transmission coil 107 and the timing of applying the RF pulse, and the timing of detecting a magnetic resonance signal by the reception circuitry 110. For example, the sequence control circuit 120 is an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). Details of the pulse sequence executed by the sequence control circuit 120 will be described later.

[0017] Furthermore, when the sequence control circuit 120 receives magnetic resonance data from the receiving circuit 110 as a result of driving the gradient magnetic field power supply 104, the transmitting circuit 108, and the receiving circuit 110 to image the subject P, the sequence control circuit 120 transfers the received magnetic resonance data to the display control device 130.

[0018] The display control device 130 performs overall control of the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus 100, generates images, etc. The display control device 130 includes a memory 132, an input device 134, a display 135, and a processing circuit 150. The processing circuit 150 includes an acquisition function 150a, a display control function 150b, a reception function 150c, a control function 150d, and a generation function 150e.

[0019] In the first embodiment, the processing functions performed by the acquisition function 150a, display control function 150b, reception function 150c, control function 150d, and generation function 150e are stored in memory 132 in the form of computer-executable programs. The processing circuit 150 is a processor that reads and executes programs from memory 132 to realize the functions corresponding to each program. In other words, the processing circuit 150 in a state in which each program has been read has each function shown in the processing circuit 150 in FIG. 1. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates the processing functions performed by the acquisition function 150a, display control function 150b, reception function 150c, control function 150d, and generation function 150e being realized by a single processing circuit 150. However, the processing circuit 150 may be configured by combining multiple independent processors, and each processor may execute a program to realize the function. In other words, each of the above functions may be configured as a program, and a single processing circuit 150 may execute each program. As another example, a specific function may be implemented in a dedicated, independent program execution circuit. 1, the acquisition function 150a, the display control function 150b, the reception function 150c, the control function 150d, and the generation function 150e are examples of an acquisition unit, a display control unit, a reception unit, a control unit, and a generation unit, respectively. Also, the sequence control circuit 120 is an example of a sequence control unit.

[0020] The term "processor" used in the above description refers to circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (e.g., a Simple Programmable Logic Device (SPLD), a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)). The processor realizes its functions by reading and executing programs stored in memory 132.

[0021] Furthermore, instead of storing the program in the memory 132, the program may be directly embedded in the processor circuitry. In this case, the processor performs its functions by reading and executing the program embedded in the circuitry. The bed control circuitry 106, the transmission circuitry 108, the reception circuitry 110, etc. are also similarly configured using electronic circuits such as the processor.

[0022] The processing circuit 150 acquires various pieces of information through the memory 132 or the input device 134 using the acquisition function 150a. The processing circuit 150 displays predetermined information on the display 135 as a display unit using the display control function 150b. The processing circuit 150 accepts input from the user using the acceptance function 150c. Details of the processing of the acquisition function 150a, display control function 150b, and acceptance function 150c will be described later.

[0023] The processing circuitry 150 transmits sequence information to the sequence control circuitry 120 using the control function 150d, and receives magnetic resonance data from the sequence control circuitry 120. Furthermore, upon receiving the magnetic resonance data, the processing circuitry 150 having the control function 150d stores the received magnetic resonance data in the memory 132.

[0024] The magnetic resonance data stored in the memory 132 is arranged in k-space by the control function 150d, so that the memory 132 stores the k-space data.

[0025] The memory 132 stores magnetic resonance data received by the processing circuitry 150 having the acquisition function 150a, k-space data arranged in k-space by the processing circuitry 150 having the control function 150d, image data generated by the processing circuitry 150 having the generation function 150e, etc. For example, the memory 132 is a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, a hard disk, an optical disk, etc.

[0026] The input device 134 accepts various instructions and information input from an operator. The input device 134 is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball, a selection device such as a mode switch, or an input device such as a keyboard. The display 135 displays, under the control of the processing circuit 150 having the control function 150d, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for accepting input of imaging conditions, an image generated by the processing circuit 150 having the generation function 150e, and the like. The display 135 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display.

[0027] The processing circuitry 150 performs overall control of the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus 100 using the control function 150d, and controls imaging, image generation, image display, etc. For example, the processing circuitry 150 having the control function 150d accepts input of imaging conditions (imaging parameters, etc.) on a GUI and generates sequence information according to the accepted imaging conditions. In addition, the processing circuitry 150 having the control function 150d transmits the generated sequence information to the sequence control circuit 120. The processing circuitry 150 uses a generation function 150e to read out the k-space data from the memory 132 and perform reconstruction processing such as Fourier transform on the read out k-space data to generate an image.

[0028] The display control device 130 may be, for example, a tablet terminal. In this case, a touch panel in the tablet terminal may function as the input device 134 and the display 135.

[0029] Next, the processing performed by the display control device 130 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0030] 2 shows an example of objects that the processing circuitry 150 of the display control device 130 according to the embodiment causes the display control function 150b to display on the display 135. As an example, the processing circuitry 150 causes the display control function 150b to display objects 1 to 5 for each protocol on the display 135. For example, the processing circuitry 150 causes the display control function 150b to display on the display 135 an object 1 relating to a protocol for capturing a locator image, an object 2 relating to a protocol for performing imaging using a DWI (Diffusion-weighted Imaging) method, an object 3 relating to a protocol for performing 3D MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography), an object 4 relating to a protocol for performing T2 imaging on an axial plane, and an object 5 relating to a protocol for performing FLAIR (Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery) imaging on an axial plane, while displaying them on the display 135 in a timeline, arranged from left to right in the order in which imaging is performed, for example.

[0031] Furthermore, the processing circuit 150 controls the display 135 to display, within each object, the imaging time required to execute the protocol associated with that object together with the imaging time required to execute the protocol associated with that object, using the display control function 150b. Furthermore, the processing circuit 150 controls the display 135 to display each object while changing the display width of each object according to the imaging time required to execute the protocol associated with that object, using the display control function 150b. As an example, the processing circuit 150 controls the display 135 to display an object associated with a protocol having a long imaging time, by increasing the display width of the object associated with a protocol having a short imaging time. As an example, the processing circuit 150 controls the display 135 to display an object 3, by increasing the display width of the object 3 compared to the display width of object 1, using the display control function 150b.

[0032] 3, the processing circuit 150 uses the display control function 150b to display each object in a timeline on the display 135. Specifically, the processing circuit 150 uses the display control function 150b to display objects 1, 2, and 3 on the display screen 10 of the display 135, while displaying them in a timeline, arranged from left to right in the order in which they are imaged.

[0033] It should be noted that the display positions of objects 4 and 5 are outside the display screen 10 of the display 135, and so they are not currently displayed on the display 135.

[0034] As the imaging progresses, the processing circuit 150 deletes the already imaged objects from the display screen 10, and then, using the display control function 150b, displays on the display 135 only the objects related to the protocols that have not yet been imaged, arranged from left to right in the order in which the imaging is performed, as a timeline.

[0035] In this way, by displaying the progress of the examination on a timeline, it becomes easier to manage the progress of the examination.

[0036] The protocol refers to a data processing unit that compiles multiple series of imaging data, which are multiple pieces of imaging data related to each other. That is, the protocol is a data processing unit that compiles multiple series of imaging data as a group. For example, a group of imaging data of multiple slices imaged under the same imaging conditions but at different slice positions constitutes imaging data related to one protocol.

[0037] In addition, in the embodiment, when a user selects an object, the processing circuitry 150 may receive a process related to the object through the reception function 150c. That is, these objects may be buttons. As an example, when a user selects an object, the processing circuitry 150 receives a change in the imaging conditions related to the object through the reception function 150c.

[0038] As an example, when a user selects an object, the processing circuit 150 uses the reception function 150c to receive a change in the imaging time for the protocol corresponding to the selected object. For example, when a user clicks on object 3, the processing circuit 150 uses the reception function 150c to receive a change in the imaging time for 3D MRA imaging. The processing circuit 150 also uses the display control function 150b to change the display width of the object for which the change in imaging time has been received. As an example, the processing circuit 150 uses the display control function 150b to display object 3 on the display 135 with a display width corresponding to the changed imaging time.

[0039] If the display width of displayed objects changes frequently as the imaging conditions are edited, the positions of these objects will change frequently, which will interfere with operations such as editing the imaging conditions by clicking on the objects. Therefore, the processing circuit 150 may use the display control function 150b to limit the types of width values ​​that can be used as the display width of an object to N types (N is a predetermined natural number) so as to prevent the width of the object from changing frequently. In other words, the processing circuit 150 may use the display control function 150b to determine the width of the object to be displayed on the display 135 by selecting from among predetermined types of width candidates.

[0040] FIG. 4 shows an example of display widths when N=3. The processing circuit 150, using the display control function 150b, causes the display 135 to display objects of a protocol whose imaging time is shorter than a first threshold value at a first width, which is the shortest width. As an example, the first threshold value is 1:00, and the processing circuit 150, using the display control function 150b, causes the display 135 to display object 1 at the first width, which is the shortest width. Furthermore, the processing circuit 150, using the display control function 150b, causes the display 135 to display objects 2, 4, and 5, which are objects of a protocol whose imaging time is longer than the first threshold value but shorter than a second threshold value, at a second width, which is longer than the first width. As an example, the second threshold value is 4:00. The processing circuit 150, using the display control function 150b, causes the display 135 to display object 3, which is an object of a protocol whose imaging time is longer than the second threshold value, at a third width, which is longer than the second width. In this way, by limiting the types of width values ​​that can be taken as the display width of an object, it is possible to prevent the position of the object from changing frequently, improving user convenience.

[0041] However, as shown in the case of Fig. 3, if the number of protocols to be displayed on the display 135 increases, the processing circuit 150 will be unable to display all of the protocols on the screen. For example, in Fig. 3, the protocols related to objects 4 and 5, which exceed the width of the display screen 10, will be unable to be displayed on the display 135 as they are. Therefore, in order to display these protocols, processing such as screen scrolling will be required. In this way, if there are many protocols that are not displayed on the screen, it may be difficult to understand the entire examination.

[0042] Therefore, in the display control device 130 according to the embodiment, the processing circuitry 150 acquires statistical values ​​of imaging times for a plurality of MRI imaging protocols using the acquisition function 150a, and controls the display 135 as a display unit to display an object having a width determined based on the statistical values ​​for each MRI imaging protocol using the display control function 150b. This allows a display suitable for the user to be applied in imaging including a plurality of protocols.

[0043] In the first embodiment, the processing circuitry 150 acquires, using the acquisition function 150a, a statistical value determined based on the distribution of imaging times as the statistical value of imaging times for a plurality of MRI imaging protocols. Then, using the display control function 150b, the processing circuitry 150 determines the width of an object using a threshold based on the statistical value. Specifically, the processing circuitry 150 determines the width based on the statistical value by selecting from among predetermined types of width candidates using the acquisition function 150a.

[0044] A first example of a statistic may be a method using the n-th quantile. Specifically, the processing circuit 150 acquires the n-th quantile as a statistic using the acquisition function 150a, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, and determines the display width of an object using a threshold based on the n-th quantile, which is the statistic, using the display control function 150b. As an example, assuming that there are N width candidates and N=3, there are two thresholds: a first threshold that determines whether the display width of the object is the shortest first width or the second shortest second width, and a second threshold that determines whether the display width of the object is the second shortest second width or the longest third width. In the case where n=4, the processing circuit 150 acquires, for example, the second quartile of the protocol imaging time using the acquisition function 150a as the first threshold that determines whether the display width of the object is the first width or the second width, and acquires the third quartile of the protocol imaging time as the second threshold that determines whether the display width of the object is the second width or the third width.

[0045] That is, the processing circuit 150 uses the acquisition function 150a to acquire imaging time data for each imaging protocol from the memory 132, and calculates and acquires the n-th quantile, which is a statistical quantity, based on the acquired imaging time data. In FIG. 5, the processing circuit 150 uses the acquisition function 150a to acquire the imaging time for the protocol of each object from the memory 132. For example, the imaging time for the protocol of object 1 is 00:18, the imaging time for the protocol of object 2 is 1:32, the imaging time for the protocol of object 3 is 06:28, the imaging time for the protocol of object 4 is 2:56, and the imaging time for the protocol of object 5 is 3:00. The processing circuit 150 uses the acquisition function 150a to calculate the second quartile as the first threshold and the third quartile as the second threshold based on the imaging time data for these five protocols. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the second quartile, which is the first threshold, is 2:56, and the third quartile, which is the second threshold, is 4:44.

[0046] Next, the processing circuit 150 determines the width of the object based on the calculated threshold value using the display control function 150b. For example, the protocol imaging times of object 1, object 2, and object 4 are less than or equal to 2:56, which is the first threshold. Therefore, the processing circuit 150 determines the display width of these objects to be the shortest first width using the display control function 150b. Furthermore, the protocol imaging time of object 5 is longer than 2:56, which is the first threshold, but shorter than 4:44, which is the second threshold. Therefore, the processing circuit 150 determines the display width of object 5 to be the second width using the display control function 150b. Furthermore, the protocol imaging time of object 3 is shorter than 4:44, which is the third threshold. Therefore, the processing circuit 150 determines the display width of object 3 to be the longest third width using the display control function 150b.

[0047] As a second example of the statistical quantity, a method using the mean or standard deviation can be considered. Specifically, the processing circuit 150 acquires the mean and standard deviation of the imaging time of each protocol as statistical quantities using the acquisition function 150a, and determines the display width of the object using a threshold based on the statistical quantities including the mean and standard deviation using the display control function 150b. As an example, consider a case where there are N types of width candidates, where N=3. The processing circuit 150 acquires, using the acquisition function 150a, for example, the average value of the imaging time for each protocol as a first threshold for determining whether the display width of the object should be the first width or the second width, and acquires a value obtained by adding the standard deviation of the imaging time for each protocol to the average value of the imaging time for each protocol as a second threshold for determining whether the display width of the object should be the second width or the third width.

[0048] An example of such a case is shown in FIG. 6. The processing circuit 150 acquires imaging time data for each imaging protocol from the memory 132 using the acquisition function 150a, and calculates and acquires the average and standard deviation of the imaging time, which are statistics, based on the acquired imaging time data. In FIG. 5, the processing circuit 150 acquires imaging times for protocols of each object from the memory 132 using the acquisition function 150a. For example, the imaging time for the protocol of object 1 is 00:18, the imaging time for the protocol of object 2 is 1:32, the imaging time for the protocol of object 3 is 06:28, the imaging time for the protocol of object 4 is 2:56, and the imaging time for the protocol of object 5 is 3:00. Using the acquisition function 150a, the processing circuit 150 calculates the average imaging time as a first threshold value and the value obtained by adding the standard deviation of the imaging time to the average imaging time as a second threshold value based on the imaging time data for these five protocols. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the second quartile, which is the first threshold, is 2:51, and the third quartile, which is the second threshold, is 4:55.

[0049] Next, the processing circuit 150 determines the width of the object based on the calculated threshold value using the display control function 150b. For example, the protocol imaging time of object 1 and object 2 is less than or equal to 2:51, which is the first threshold. Therefore, the processing circuit 150 determines the display width of these objects to be the shortest first width using the display control function 150b. Furthermore, the protocol imaging time of object 2 and object 5 is longer than 2:51, which is the first threshold, but shorter than 4:55, which is the second threshold. Therefore, the processing circuit 150 determines the display width of object 2 and object 5 to be the second width using the display control function 150b. Furthermore, the protocol imaging time of object 3 is shorter than 4:55, which is the third threshold. Therefore, the processing circuit 150 determines the display width of object 3 to be the longest third width using the display control function 150b.

[0050] As described above, in the first embodiment, the processing circuit 150 uses the acquisition function 150a to acquire statistical quantities of imaging time, such as the n-th quantile, mean, standard deviation, etc., and uses the display control function 150b to display an object having a width determined using the statistical quantities on the display 135. This makes it possible to display the objects to be displayed without overflowing the screen, even if the number of protocols to be displayed increases, and to provide a display that is suitable for the user in an example of imaging including multiple protocols.

[0051] In the above-described embodiment, n-quantile, mean, standard deviation, etc. are given as examples of statistics used to determine the width of an object, but the embodiment is not limited to this, and for example, percentile, median, variance, etc. may be used as statistics to determine the width of an object. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which both the mean and standard deviation are used to determine the width of an object, but the width of an object may be determined using, for example, only one of the mean and standard deviation.

[0052] (Second embodiment) In the first embodiment, a case has been described in which the processing circuitry 150 automatically determines the width of an object to be displayed by the display control function 150b based on statistics. In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which a user interface with a variable threshold is displayed together with a timeline. Specifically, the processing circuitry 150 receives input from a user by the reception function 150c. The processing circuitry 150 changes the threshold used to determine the width of an object by the display control function 150b based on the input received by the reception function 150c.

[0053] 7 and 8 show such examples. In FIGS. 7 and 8, bar 6 is a user interface that allows processing circuit 150 to accept, from the user, a change in the threshold value used to determine the width of an object. Processing circuit 150 accepts, from the user, a change in the threshold value used to determine the width of an object via bar 6, using reception function 150c. Specifically, processing circuit 150 accepts, from the user, a process of performing an operation to expand or contract bar 6 horizontally, thereby accepting, from the user, a change in the threshold value used to determine the width of an object.

[0054] Specifically, Figure 7 shows the state before the thresholds are changed, where the first threshold is 1:00 and the second threshold is 4:00. Therefore, the width of object 1, whose imaging time is shorter than the first threshold, is the first width, which is the shortest width. The widths of objects 2, 4, and 5, whose imaging time is longer than the first threshold but shorter than the second threshold, are the second width. Furthermore, the width of object 3, whose imaging time is longer than the second threshold, is the third width.

[0055] Here, suppose that the user extends the bar 6 by performing a drag-and-drop operation on the bar 6. As a result, the processing circuit 150 changes the threshold value using the display control function 150b. Specifically, the processing circuit 150 changes the threshold value using the display control function 150b according to the amount of operation performed by the user on the bar 6, for example, the length of the bar 6 extended by the user. For example, the processing circuit 150 changes the first threshold value after the change to 3:00 and the second threshold value after the change to 6:00 using the display control function 150b.

[0056] FIG. 8 shows the state after the thresholds have been changed, where the first threshold is 3:00 and the second threshold is 6:00. Therefore, the widths of objects 1, 2, and 4, whose imaging times are shorter than the first threshold, are the first width, which is the shortest width. The width of object 5, whose imaging time is not shorter than the first threshold but is shorter than the second threshold, is the second width. Furthermore, the width of object 3, whose imaging time is longer than the second threshold, is the third width.

[0057] 7 and 8, the display width of the entire object displayed on the display 135 is reduced as a result of the processing circuit 150 receiving the change in the threshold value via the bar 6 using the receiving function 150c.

[0058] In this way, in the second embodiment, the processing circuit 150 accepts a change in threshold value from the user using the reception function 150c, and the processing circuit 150 can reduce the display width of the entire object using the display control function 150b, thereby making it possible to fit all protocols within the screen width of the display screen 10.

[0059] In addition, in this case, by limiting the types of width values ​​that can be taken as the display width of the object, it is possible to prevent the position of the object from changing frequently, improving user convenience.

[0060] The user interface of the embodiment is not limited to the above example. In the embodiment, the case where both the first threshold and the second threshold are changed using one bar 6 as the user interface has been described, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, a first bar that accepts changes to the first threshold and a second bar that accepts changes to the second threshold may be used. Furthermore, an example of the user interface that accepts changes to the thresholds is not limited to a slide bar, and other user interfaces may be used.

[0061] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to improve user convenience.

[0062] Although several embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations of embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 130 Display control device 150 Processing Circuit 150a Acquisition Function 150b Display control function 150c Reception function 150d Control Functions 150e generation function

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires statistical values ​​of imaging times of multiple MRI imaging protocols; a display control unit that controls a display unit to display an object having a width determined by selecting from among predetermined types of width candidates based on the threshold value based on the statistical value, for each of the MRI imaging protocols; Equipped with the statistical value includes an n-quantile, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2; The display control device is configured to determine a width of the object by comparing the image capture time with a threshold based on the n-th quantile.

2. An acquisition unit that acquires statistical values ​​of imaging times of multiple MRI imaging protocols; a display control unit that controls a display unit to display an object having a width determined by selecting from among predetermined types of width candidates based on the threshold value based on the statistical value, for each of the MRI imaging protocols; Equipped with the statistics include a mean and a standard deviation; The display control device is configured to determine the width of the object by comparing the imaging time with a first threshold that is the average and a second threshold that is the average plus the standard deviation.

3. further comprising a reception unit for receiving an input from a user; The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit changes the threshold value based on an input received by the receiving unit.

Images