Medical Image Retrieval System Network Utilization Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical image retrieval systems require high bandwidth for transmitting large volumes of data, leading to inefficient network utilization, as they transmit complete image data sequences, including unnecessary frames, which hampers real-time processing and access to specific image data.
Innovation Solution
A storage and access method that modifies the DICOM data stream to transmit only meta data and access keys, allowing clients to retrieve individual frames or pixels from a separate data archive, reducing the data volume transmitted and enabling optimized network utilization by using DICOM UIDs as links to bulk data stored externally.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If complete image data sequences are transmitted according to the DICOM standard, then all image frames are available for access, but network utilization increases and transmission time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image data transmission by separating metadata (transmitted via DICOM protocol) from bulk image data (stored externally). Only essential metadata and access keys are transmitted over the network, while the actual image frames are stored in external archives and accessed on-demand, thereby reducing network utilization while maintaining access capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the bulk image data from the standard DICOM transmission stream and stores it in external archives. Only the necessary metadata and access keys are retained in the transmitted data stream, allowing selective retrieval of specific frames without transmitting the entire image sequence, thus reducing network energy consumption.
2Ease of operation
If complete image data sequences are transmitted, then all frames are available locally, but transmission time is extended for large data volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-storing image frames in external archives with organized metadata and access keys. When a retrieval request occurs, only the necessary metadata and access keys need to be transmitted, and the actual frames can be quickly accessed from the pre-organized external storage, significantly reducing transmission time compared to transmitting complete image sequences.
3Loss of energy
If individual frames are accessed selectively, then network utilization is optimized, but the entire image must be transmitted according to current standards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces metadata and access keys as intermediary elements that enable selective access to individual frames. These intermediaries contain the necessary information to locate and retrieve specific frames from external archives without transmitting the entire image sequence, thus enabling adaptive selective access while optimizing network utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
An image retrieval system has a network server, at least one client terminal and a data archive of a multiuser file management system, spatially separated from server and client, of a file server. A reduced data stream is now transmitted between server and client and includes a header for transmitting address and meta information with an additional data field that includes an access key to the bulk data stored in the external data archive. This reduces the data volume to be transmitted during image retrieval, and thus reduces the network utilization in the transmission of the data stream occurring between server and client. As a result of this, the time period required to transfer the modified data stream between server and client terminal is correspondingly short.