Anatomical Structure View Preference Auto-Generation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Medical professionals face a tedious process when trying to optimize the viewing settings for anatomical structures in medical images, as they need to manually adjust settings for each image, which is time-consuming and inefficient, especially when similar settings are required for different images.

Innovation Solution

An image viewing apparatus that stores and retrieves preferred view settings based on the anatomical feature of interest, using a usage logger to update and learn user preferences, allowing for automatic regeneration of preferred views by associating view settings with specific features rather than images, and enabling quick selection through a pointer tool or keyboard input.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual adjustment of viewing settings is performed for each image, then precise control over image display is achieved, but time consumption and operational burden increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of viewing settings adjustmentVSAvoidtime for manual adjustments
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically generating and storing optimal viewing settings for anatomical structures in advance. When a user views an image containing a particular anatomical structure, the system has already prepared the appropriate viewing parameters (zoom level, orientation, contrast) based on the structure's characteristics, eliminating the need for manual adjustment during actual viewing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system serves itself by automatically analyzing images to identify anatomical structures and generating appropriate viewing settings without human intervention. The usage logger automatically tracks which settings are most frequently used for each structure type, and the system self-updates its database of optimal viewing parameters based on accumulated usage data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Adaptability or versatility

If viewing settings are stored per image, then image-specific preferences are preserved, but the system cannot generalize settings across similar anatomical structures in different images

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability of viewing settingsVSAvoidloss of usage frequency information
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the viewing settings database into two distinct levels: image-specific settings that preserve unique characteristics of individual images, and structure-type settings that generalize optimal viewing parameters across all images containing the same anatomical structure. This segmentation allows the system to apply learned patterns from multiple images while maintaining the ability to handle image-specific variations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The usage logger provides continuous feedback by tracking which viewing settings are most frequently applied to each anatomical structure type. This feedback loop allows the system to learn from actual usage patterns and automatically update its database of optimal settings, improving its adaptability over time while preserving the information about which settings work best for each structure type.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple viewing settings are provided for each anatomical structure, then user choice and customization are enhanced, but the complexity of selecting the appropriate setting increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevariety of viewing optionsVSAvoidcomplexity of settings selection
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary ranking of multiple viewing settings based on their usage frequency and effectiveness for each anatomical structure type. When presenting options to the user, the settings are pre-organized in order of preference, with the most frequently used and most effective settings appearing first. This preliminary organization eliminates the need for users to evaluate multiple unsorted options and quickly guides them to the best setting.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2979161B1Preferred view generation on structure level based on user preferences
Publication Date: 2019.08.07 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS NV
  • EP2979161B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2979161B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2979161B1 patent drawing

AI summary

An apparatus and related method for image viewing. The apparatus (V) allows to store, learn and remember preferred user views α1-M for each anatomical structure F1-FN of interest. In any new image, the apparatus(V) affords automatically generating the preferred by the user for one or more of the structures (F1-FN) by a simple user input operation such asclicking with a mouse (PT) on any position within the displayed structure of interest (F1-FN).