JP5487063B2 - Medical image communication processing system and medical image communication processing system server - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a medical image communication processing system and a server of the medical image communication processing system.

  In recent years, miniaturization of ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses has progressed. In particular, a small and lightweight mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (HCU: Hand-Carried Ultrasound) such as a notebook personal computer is becoming widespread. By utilizing the high mobility of such a mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it may be used for diagnosis by moving it to various places. In that case, not only the medical image stored in the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus but also the medical image of the image server may be used.

  As a specific example, a doctor brings a mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus into an examination room, remotely connects to a multi-modality server (an image server that stores image data files obtained by a plurality of image diagnostic apparatuses), and necessary medical images. Receive. Then, the doctor makes a diagnosis while displaying the received image on the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Alternatively, in the operating room, there is a case where a medical image stored in the multi-modality server is received and displayed on the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and an operation plan is made while referring to this.

  As described above, for example, a thin client system is used as a medical image communication processing system that provides image data of a medical image from a server to a mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The thin client system is a communication system in which a client terminal used by a user performs a minimum necessary process and most processes are concentrated on the server side (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-77413 A

  In the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, there is an apparatus that does not include a keyboard or a mouse as an input device in order to realize downsizing of the apparatus and ease of operation. In this case, a touch panel (touch command screen) is employed instead of the keyboard and mouse, and all inputs are realized by touch operations on the screen. However, in such a mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it may be difficult to see a diagnostic image displayed on the monitor due to contamination of the monitor such as a fingerprint by a touch operation.

  Therefore, an embodiment of the present invention aims to provide a technique for preventing a display image from becoming difficult to see due to dirt caused by touch input to a monitor of a client terminal in a medical image communication processing system.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, a medical image communication processing system includes a server in which image data of medical images is stored, and a communication mode in which a medical image is displayed based on server-side software on a monitor capable of touch input. And a client terminal capable of switching a terminal-specific mode for performing display independent of the server on the monitor. In this configuration, the client terminal receives terminal information transmission unit that transmits image display area information on the monitor to the server, and screen information that defines display contents in the communication mode from the server and communicates based on the screen information. A reception information display unit that performs display in the mode on a monitor. In this configuration, the server generates screen information by generating the screen information by determining the arrangement of the display elements related to the touch input operation to the monitor and the arrangement of the display area of the medical image according to the image display area information. And a screen information transmission unit that transmits the screen information generated by the screen information generation unit to the client terminal.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the server of the medical image communication processing system is independent of the communication mode in which a medical image is displayed based on server-side software on a monitor capable of touch input, and the server-side software. This is a server of the medical image communication processing system in which the client terminal has a terminal-specific mode in which the display is performed on the monitor. In this configuration, the server of the medical image communication processing system includes an acquisition unit, a screen information generation unit, and a screen information transmission unit. The acquisition unit acquires image display area information on the monitor from the client terminal. The screen information generation unit determines the arrangement of the display elements related to the touch input operation to the monitor and the arrangement of the display area of the medical image according to the image display area information, so that the display on the monitor of the client terminal in the communication mode Generate screen information that defines the content. The screen information transmission unit transmits the screen information generated by the screen information generation unit to the client terminal.

The schematic diagram which shows one example of a conventional screen structure according to the software installed in the touchscreen type mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The schematic diagram which shows one prior art example of a screen structure of the touch-panel type mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus at the time of starting the software of a thin client system. The schematic diagram which shows how the screen of a touch-panel type mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is dirty when touch input is performed during use in the thin client mode and then displayed in the terminal specific mode. The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the thin client system of this embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows an example of the screen structure of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in terminal specific mode. The schematic diagram which shows an example which comprised the screen structure in consideration of the image display area in the terminal intrinsic | native mode of a mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in thin client mode. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen configuration when a dialog is displayed on the thin client mode screen of FIG. 6. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen configuration in which an element for input operation is arranged outside an image display area in a terminal specific mode of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in the thin client mode. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a screen configuration when a dialog is displayed on the thin client mode screen of FIG. 8. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of the operation of the thin client system according to the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of the operation of the thin client system according to the embodiment.

(Cause analysis of conventional issues)
Hereinafter, prior to the embodiment of the present invention, the cause analysis of the conventional problem performed by the present inventor will be described.

  1, 2, and 3 are schematic diagrams illustrating a conventional example of a screen configuration of a touch-sensitive mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as a client terminal of a thin client system.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a screen configuration when thin client system software is not used (hereinafter referred to as a terminal-specific mode). That is, the terminal specific mode is a mode in which screen display is performed according to the operating system and software installed in the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In this case, the image display area 4a and the operation button display area 6a are determined on the monitor 2 according to the specific software installed in the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and the screen display is performed. In the example of FIG. 1, the image display area 4a is arranged approximately on the upper right side of the image (corresponding to the inside of the thick-line square frame in the figure), and the operation button display area 6a is arranged outside the image display area 4a. .

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional example of the screen configuration when the thin client system software is activated in the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a thin client mode). In this case, communication is performed between the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and the server, and the image display area 4b and the operation button display area 6b are determined on the monitor 2 of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the software of the thin client system. The screen is displayed. In this example, the image display area 4b is arranged near the upper left side of the image (corresponding to the inside of the bold square frame in the figure), and the operation button display area 6b is arranged outside the image display area 4b.

  In the screen configuration of FIG. 2, dirt such as fingerprints can be attached to the portion of the monitor 2 by touch input to the operation buttons on the right side of the screen (corresponding to the hand marks 10 on the right side in the figure). However, since the operation button display area 6b on the right side of the screen in the thin client mode becomes the image display area 4a in the terminal specific mode, the portion of the image display area 4a on the monitor 2 becomes dirty (see FIG. 3 described later). ).

  That is, the screen configuration unique to the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus does not match the screen configuration based on the software of the conventional thin client system activated from the server side. Due to the difference between the two image display areas 4a and 4b and the difference between the operation button display areas 6a and 6b, a touch input may be made to the image display area 4a in the terminal specific mode during use in the thin client mode.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the conventional thin client mode, the display area of the operation dialog 14 is arranged without considering the image display area 4a in the terminal specific mode. For this reason, even with touch input to the operation dialog 14 in the thin client mode, dirt can be attached to the image display area 4a in the terminal specific mode.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the screen is smeared when the touch input is performed during use in the conventional thin client mode and then the mode is switched to the terminal specific mode. The five fingerprint stains 16 in FIG. 3 are at the same positions as the five marks 10 in FIG. In this way, when touch input is made to the image display area 4a in the terminal specific mode during use in the thin client mode, when the terminal is returned to the terminal specific mode, dirt 16 such as a fingerprint adheres to the image display area 4a. This makes it difficult to see the displayed image.

  The inventor who has focused on the above points appropriately changes the screen configuration displayed on the client terminal on the server side according to the input device connection status and screen display area information of the client terminal, and relates to touch input to the monitor. A configuration has been devised in which elements are arranged outside the image display area unique to the client terminal. As a result, it is possible to prevent the display image from becoming difficult to see due to dirt caused by touch input to the monitor of the client terminal.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention based on the above-mentioned point of focus will be described based on the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Configuration of this embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the thin client system 30 of the present embodiment. The thin client system 30 includes a mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 as a client terminal and a server 60. In addition, since it becomes complicated in FIG. 4, only one mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 is shown. However, in practice, for example, a plurality of mobile ultrasound diagnostic apparatuses and other modalities may be connected to the server 60 as client terminals in the thin client system 30.

  The thin client system here means that most of the processing at the client terminal used by the user is controlled on the server side, and most processing is concentrated on the server side by allowing the client terminal to perform the minimum necessary processing. Communication system. The server of the thin client system here refers to a server that stores image data such as medical images provided to the client terminal and performs at least image processing. That is, the server retrieves image data corresponding to the reference request from the client terminal, performs image processing such as image cropping, brightness adjustment, rotation, and gradation adjustment as necessary, and then transmits the image data to the client terminal. To provide.

  In the present embodiment, the thin client system 30 will be described as an example of a medical image communication processing system. However, the technical idea of the present embodiment described below can be applied to an image communication processing system other than the thin client system. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the mobile ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 40 includes a CPU (Central Processor Unit) 41, a system bus 42, a remote connection unit 43, an operation reception unit 44, a display control unit 45, a monitor 46, A storage unit 47 and an ultrasonic diagnostic mechanism 48.

  The CPU 41 performs system control of the entire mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 via the system bus 42. The ultrasonic diagnostic mechanism 48 includes a probe that generates ultrasonic waves and receives reflected ultrasonic waves, and a reception data processing unit (not shown). The ultrasonic diagnostic mechanism 48 generates an ultrasonic wave by applying the probe to an object to be inspected, measures the reflected sound wave with the probe, and images the internal state based on the time until the reflected sound returns. .

  The operation reception unit 44 receives a remote connection instruction through a user operation on a user interface (not shown) such as a connection type input device. The remote connection here is a process for connecting to the server 60 to acquire image data stored in the server 60 and displaying it as an image. The remote connection may be, for example, a remote connection of radio communication using radio waves, or a wired connection form via a network cable.

  The remote connection unit 43 transmits a connection request to the server 60. At that time, terminal information unique to the mobile ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 40, that is, information on the client terminal is also transmitted. Details of the client terminal information will be described in step S1 of FIG. Further, the remote connection unit 43 acquires screen information, image data, and the like based on the software of the thin client system 30 transmitted from the server 60, and stores this in the storage unit 47.

  In the thin client mode, the display control unit 45 performs screen display on the monitor 46 based on the screen information transmitted from the server 60 under the control of the CPU 41. In the terminal specific mode, the display control unit 45 performs screen display specific to the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 on the monitor 46 under the control of the CPU 41.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the server 60 includes a CPU 61, a system bus 62, a display unit 63, an image data storage unit 64, an image search reading unit 65, a screen information generation unit 66, and an information transmission unit 67. The remote connection accepting unit 68 and the input device 69 are provided.

  The CPU 61 performs system control of the entire server 60 and the thin client system 30 via the system bus 62.

  The image data storage unit 64 stores searchable image data files of medical images captured and generated with a number of modalities. These storage files can be rewritten such as addition, deletion, and overwriting via the input device 69. At this time, the display unit 63 displays the input content.

  The remote connection accepting unit 68 receives a connection request from the client terminal (the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 in the example of FIG. 4) and accepts the connection. At this time, the remote connection accepting unit 68 acquires and holds information on the client terminal transmitted from the remote connection unit 43 of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40.

  The image search / reading unit 65 searches the image data storage unit 64 for image data corresponding to the transmission request from the client terminal, reads it, and holds it.

  The screen information generation unit 66 acquires information on the client side from the remote connection reception unit 68 and determines the screen configuration based on this information. Specifically, when the input device of the client terminal is “touch panel”, the screen information generation unit 66 determines the screen configuration of the recombination display mode, and otherwise determines the screen configuration of the normal display mode. .

  In the recombination display mode, the screen information generation unit 66 is arranged so that display elements related to input operations such as operation buttons are arranged outside the image display area on the monitor 46 in the terminal specific mode of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40. Determine the screen configuration. The method for determining the screen configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIG. On the other hand, in the normal display mode, the screen information generation unit 66 determines the screen configuration according to the software of the thin client system 30 regardless of the image display area on the monitor 46 in the terminal specific mode of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40. That is, the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 has a terminal-specific mode and a thin client mode from the viewpoint of the screen display control system, and the thin client mode includes a normal display mode, a recombination display mode, and a display mode. Divided into

  The information transmission unit 67 transmits information on the screen configuration determined by the screen information generation unit 66 to the client terminal (mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40).

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a screen configuration of the mobile ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 40 in the terminal specific mode. In this case, the screen display is performed on the monitor 46 according to the unique software installed in the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40. As shown in FIG. 5, an image display area 98 and operation button groups 99 and 100 are displayed on the monitor 46. Here, as an example, the display screen of the monitor 46 has 800 pixels in the X-axis direction that is the horizontal direction (the direction of the character strings of the operation buttons 101 to 114 in FIG. 5), and is in the vertical direction orthogonal thereto. It is assumed that the rectangle has 600 pixels in a certain Y-axis direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper left corner of the rectangular screen is the origin of the X and Y coordinate systems, the X axis positive direction is on the right side in the horizontal direction, and the Y axis positive direction is on the lower side in the vertical direction. Expressed in two-dimensional coordinates.

  Here, as an example, the image display area 98 is a rectangular portion having four points of coordinates (200, 30), (800, 30), (800, 450), and (200, 450) as vertices. Operation button groups 99 and 100 are arranged outside the image display area 98. That is, the display area of the operation button groups 99 and 100 and the image display area 98 are divided into screens so that no touch operation to the image display area 98 occurs (also in FIGS. 6 to 9 described later). The same).

  The operation button group 99 includes operation buttons 101 to 114. The operation button 101 is for adjusting the focal position. The operation button 102 is for adjusting the transmission frequency. The operation button 103 is for gain adjustment. The operation button 104 is for displaying the next image, and the operation button 105 is for displaying the previous image. The operation button 106 displays another operation button (not shown) instead of the operation buttons 101 to 114. That is, the operation button 106 in FIG. 5 is in a display state of “1/7” as an example. This is because the operation button 106 is currently the first menu in the operation button group 99 having seven menus. 101 to 114 are displayed.

  The operation button 107 is used to superimpose and display on the corner area of the image display area 98 where the imaging region of the diagnostic image being displayed is. The operation button 108 is for inputting characters into the ultrasonic diagnostic image. The operation button 109 is for measuring a distance between two points, the operation button 110 is for measuring a curvilinear distance between two points, and the operation button 111 is for measuring a linear distance between the two points. The operation button 112 is used to erase the display of the diagnostic image and display the maintenance service screen over the entire screen. The operation button 113 is a dialog display of an input software keyboard. The operation button 114 commands the start of ultrasonic diagnosis by the ultrasonic diagnostic mechanism 48 (see FIG. 4).

  The operation button group 100 includes operation buttons 115 to 122. The operation button 115 displays the M mode and the B mode in correlation. The operation button 116 is used to switch to the M mode display. The operation button 117 is for switching to display in the pulse Doppler mode. The operation button 118 is used to switch the display to the power Doppler mode. The operation button 119 is used to switch to the color Doppler mode display. The operation button 120 is used to display two images in parallel for comparison. The operation button 121 is used to switch to the B mode display. The operation button 122 is for saving a moving image.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a screen configuration in the thin client mode without considering the image display area 98 in the terminal specific mode of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40. That is, FIG. 6 corresponds to the normal display mode in the thin client mode. In this case, screen display is performed according to the software of the thin client system 30 provided from the server 60. As shown in FIG. 6, an image display area 148 a, an operation button group 150, and a display window 170 are displayed on the monitor 46. Here, as an example, the image display area 148a is a rectangular portion having four points of coordinates (0, 50), (600, 50), (600, 470), and (0, 470) as vertices. That is, the image display area 148a shown in FIG. 6 is shifted to the left side of the screen, unlike the image display area 98 moved to the right side of the screen shown in FIG. The operation button group 150 is arranged outside the image display area 148a.

  The operation button group 150 includes operation buttons 151 to 164. The operation button 151 is for adjusting the synchronization rate. The operation button 152 is for setting the number of hues. The operation button 153 enlarges the size of a graph in the image display area 148a (a line graph arranged on the left side of the image display area 148a in the example of FIG. 6). The operation button 154 is used to reduce the size of the graph in the image display area 148a.

  The operation button 155 is for adjusting the reproduction speed of the diagnostic image displayed as a moving image in the image display area 148a. The operation button 156 is for starting the moving image reproduction of the diagnostic image. The operation button 157 is for stopping the reproduction of the diagnostic image moving image. The operation button 158 is used to fast-forward a diagnostic image displayed as a moving image. The operation button 159 is used to quickly return the diagnostic image displayed as a moving image.

  The operation button 160 is for displaying the previous diagnostic image in order, and the operation button 161 is for displaying the next diagnostic image in order. The display window 170 between these operation buttons 160 and 161 indicates how many diagnostic images are in total and what number among them is displayed in the image display area 148a (in this example, out of 10). First).

  The operation button 162 is used to display an input software keyboard as a dialog. The operation button 163 displays a print dialog. The operation button 164 is one of the features of this embodiment, and switches the screen display to the rearrangement display mode or the normal display mode.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen configuration when a dialog is displayed on the screen of the normal display mode in the thin client mode of FIG. Here, as an example, a case where the operation button 164 in FIG. 6 is pressed and a dialog 180 for printing is displayed is shown.

  The operation button 181 is for designating the size of the film for printing. The operation button 182 is used to specify a print medium. The operation button 183 is for designating the number of copies to be printed. The operation button 184 is used to erase the dialog 180 from the screen and cancel printing. The operation button 185 is used to instruct the confirmation of printing conditions and the start of printing. The operation button 186 displays another dialog for determining details of the printing conditions. The operation button 187 is used to set the printing condition to an initial value.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, as an example, the dialog 180 is displayed in the corner area of the screen without being reduced, avoiding the image display area 148a as much as possible. This is to prevent the characters in the dialog 180 from becoming difficult to read due to the reduction. In this case, however, as shown in FIG. 7, a part of the dialog 180 may slightly overlap a part of the image display area 148a. Therefore, by reducing the dialog 180, the width of the area (margin area) excluding the screen display area 148 from the screen matches the width of the dialog 180 so that the dialog 180 does not overlap the image display area 148a. It may be.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen configuration in which an element related to an input operation is arranged outside the image display area 98 in the terminal specific mode of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 in the thin client mode. . That is, FIG. 8 corresponds to the recombination display mode in the thin client mode. In the example of FIG. 8, the size and coordinate position of the image display area 148b matches the image display area 98 in the terminal specific mode shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the screen is configured by dividing the image display area 148b and the display area of the operation button group 150 so that the touch operation on the image display area 148b does not occur as much as possible. In this example, since the image display area 148 b is arranged close to the right side of the screen of the monitor 46, the operation button group 150 is arranged close to the left side of the screen of the monitor 46.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen configuration when a dialog is displayed on the screen of the recombination display mode in the thin client mode of FIG. Here, as an example, a case where the operation button 164 in FIG. 8 is pressed and a dialog 180 for printing is displayed is shown. In the case of FIG. 9, the dialog 180 is displayed without being reduced in the corner area of the screen avoiding the image display area 148b. In this example, the dialog 180 does not overlap the image display area 148b without reducing the dialog 180. However, when the dialog overlaps with the image display area 148b because the dialog has a large width, the dialog 180 may be reduced as described above so that they do not overlap.

(Description of operation of this embodiment)
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a first example of the operation of the thin client system 30 of the present embodiment. In the following, the operation of the thin client system 30 will be described according to the step numbers shown in FIG. 10 with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9 as appropriate.

  [Step S1] The mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 (see FIG. 4) is set to the terminal specific mode before the remote connection, and the display control unit 45 displays the screen specific to the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 according to the control of the CPU 41. Is performed on the monitor 46.

  Thereafter, when there is a request for remote connection via an operation on a user interface (not shown) of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40, the operation reception unit 44 receives an instruction for remote connection. The remote connection unit 43 transmits a connection request to the remote connection reception unit 68 of the server 60. At that time, the remote connection unit 43 also transmits information unique to the mobile ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 40, that is, information on the client terminal.

  The “client terminal information” here includes at least information on an input device connected to the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 and position information regarding an image display area on the monitor 46 of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40. Examples of the input device include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and a foot switch. The positional information related to the image display area includes, for example, information on the total number of pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions of the monitor 46, and the image display area in the terminal specific mode when all the pixels on the monitor 46 are represented by two-dimensional coordinates. It is the coordinate information of each vertex of 98 (see FIG. 5). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S2.

  [Step S2] The remote connection accepting unit 68 of the server 60 receives the connection request from the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 and accepts the connection. Specifically, the remote connection accepting unit 68 holds the client terminal information transmitted from the remote connection unit 43 and transmits the information to the CPU 61 and the screen information generation unit 66. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S3.

  [Step S3] The operation reception unit 44 of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 transmits a corresponding medical image transmission request to the remote connection reception unit 68 of the server 60 based on an operation on the user interface. The remote connection accepting unit 68 transmits the content of the transmission request to the image search / reading unit 65. The image retrieval / reading unit 65 retrieves and reads image data corresponding to the transmission request from the image data storage unit 64 and holds it. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S4.

  [Step S4] The CPU 61 of the server 60 determines whether or not the client terminal is of a touch panel type based on the information of the input device included in the information of the client terminal. When the client terminal is a touch panel type, the CPU 61 proceeds to step S8, and otherwise, the CPU 61 proceeds to step S5.

  In the example of FIG. 4, since the client terminal is only the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40, the process proceeds to step S <b> 8, but a client terminal (not shown) that is not a touch panel type is remotely connected to the server 60 of the thin client system 30. If so, the process proceeds to step S5.

  [Step S5] The CPU 61 instructs the screen information generation unit 66 to configure the screen according to the software of the thin client system 30 stored in the server 60 as the normal display mode. The screen information generation unit 66 acquires image data corresponding to the transmission request from the image search reading unit 65. The screen information generation unit 66 determines the screen configuration of the normal display mode based on the image data and the software of the thin client system 30, and generates the screen configuration data (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  Further, the screen information generation unit 66 arranges the operation button 162 for starting the software keyboard in the operation button group 150 when the input device information in the “client terminal information” acquired in step S2 does not include a keyboard. To do. This supports key input by the user (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S6.

  [Step S6] The screen information generation unit 66 transmits the image data corresponding to the transmission request, the screen configuration data in the normal display mode generated in step S5, and the like to the information transmission unit 67. The information transmission unit 67 The transmitted information is transmitted to the remote connection unit 43 of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S7.

  [Step S <b> 7] The remote connection unit 43 acquires image data, screen configuration data, and the like transmitted from the information transmission unit 67 of the server 60 and stores them in the storage unit 47. The display control unit 45 acquires image data, screen configuration data, and the like stored in the storage unit 47 under the control of the CPU 41, and performs screen display in the normal display mode in the thin client mode on the monitor 46. The screen display examples in this case are as described with reference to FIGS.

  [Step S8] The CPU 61 of the server 60 instructs the screen information generation unit 66 to set the screen configuration as the recombination display mode. The screen information generation unit 66 acquires image data corresponding to the transmission request from the image search reading unit 65. The screen information generation unit 66 determines the screen configuration of the recombination display mode based on this image data and the position information of the image display area 98 in the terminal specific mode of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 acquired in step S2. The screen configuration data is generated.

  Specifically, elements related to the input operation (for example, the operation button group 150) are arranged outside the terminal specific mode image display area 98 (see FIG. 5) on the monitor 46 (see FIG. 8). Specifically, for example, if the image display area 98 is on the right side of the screen, the operation button group 150 is disposed on the left side of the screen, for example. If the image display area 98 is on the upper side of the screen, the operation button group 150 is What is necessary is just to arrange | position to the screen lower side. As described above, the display position of the dialog 180 is also set to a corner area of the screen, for example, avoiding the image display area 148b (see FIG. 9).

  In the present embodiment, as an example, the image display area 148b in the recombination display mode has the same size and coordinate position as the image display area 98 in the terminal specific mode, for example. Note that the image display area 148 b in the recombination display mode may be reduced or enlarged with respect to the image display area 98 by making the center position substantially coincide with the image display area 98 in the terminal specific mode.

  Further, the screen information generation unit 66 supports key input by the user when the keyboard is not included in the input device information in the client terminal information acquired in step S2. Specifically, the screen information generation unit 66 arranges an operation button 162 for starting the software keyboard in the operation button group 150 as in the examples of FIGS. In this case, the screen information generating unit 66 also sets the display position of the dialog (not shown) of the software keyboard outside the terminal specific mode image display area 98 (for example, the same area as the dialog 180 in FIG. 9). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S9.

  [Step S9] The screen information generation unit 66 transmits the image data corresponding to the transmission request, the screen configuration data in the recombination display mode generated in step S7, and the like to the information transmission unit 67. The information transmission unit 67 The transmitted information is transmitted to the remote connection unit 43 of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S10.

  [Step S <b> 10] The remote connection unit 43 acquires image data, screen configuration data, and the like transmitted from the information transmission unit 67 of the server 60 and stores them in the storage unit 47. The display control unit 45 acquires image data, screen configuration data, and the like stored in the storage unit 47 under the control of the CPU 41, and performs screen display in the recombination display mode in the thin client mode on the monitor 46.

  The above is the description of the first example of the operation of the thin client system 30. The server 60 may automatically select the normal display mode or the recombination display mode after receiving the remote connection as in the first example, but as in the second example, Switching may be made based on a user switching operation.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a second example of the operation of the thin client system 30 of the present embodiment. The difference from the first example is that the display is initially performed in the normal display mode after the remote connection, but is switched to the normal display mode or the recombination display mode every time the user switches the screen display. In the following, the operation of the thin client system 30 will be described according to the step numbers shown in FIG. 11 with reference to FIGS.

  [Steps S21 to S27] Since the steps S1 to S7 in FIG. 10 are the same as those in FIG. In other words, if the touch panel type is not used in the determination in step S24, the normal display mode is set here as an example because there is no contamination due to the input operation to the monitor 46 and there is no need to set the recombination display mode. However, even if it is not a touch panel type in the determination in step S24, the recombination display mode may be set in steps S25 to S27.

  [Step S28] This step is reached when the CPU 61 (see FIG. 4) of the server 60 determines in step S24 that the client terminal is of the touch panel type. The CPU 61 instructs the screen information generation unit 66 to generate screen configuration data in the normal display mode and screen configuration data in the recombination display mode. This is because, by generating screen configuration data in both modes in advance, when a screen display switching command is issued in the thin client mode, the screen display is instantaneously switched.

  The screen information generation unit 66 acquires image data corresponding to the transmission request from the image search reading unit 65. The screen information generation unit 66 generates screen composition data for the recombination display mode in the same manner as in step S8 in FIG. 10, and also generates screen configuration data in the normal display mode in the same manner as in step S5 in FIG. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S29.

  [Step S29] The screen information generation unit 66 transmits the image data corresponding to the transmission request, the screen configuration data of the normal display mode and the recombination display mode generated in step S28, and the like to the information transmission unit 66. The information transmission unit 67 transmits these transmitted data to the remote connection unit 43 of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S30.

  [Step S <b> 30] The remote connection unit 43 acquires the image data transmitted from the information transmission unit 67, the screen configuration data in the normal display mode and the recombination display mode, and stores them in the storage unit 47. Then, the display control unit 45 performs screen display in the normal display mode in the same manner as Step S7 in FIG. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S31.

  [Step S31] If the display switching operation button 164 (see FIGS. 6 to 9) is pressed on the monitor 46, the CPU 41 of the mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 40 proceeds to step S32. When the operation button 164 is not pressed, the CPU 41 controls each unit to continue screen display in the normal display mode.

  [Step S32] The CPU 41 accepts that the operation button 164 is pressed from the monitor 46 via the display control unit 45. In synchronization with this, the CPU 41 instructs the display control unit 45 to display the screen in the recombination display mode. The display control unit 45 acquires the screen configuration data of the recombination display mode stored in the storage unit 47 in step S30, and performs the screen display of the recombination display mode on the monitor 46 in the same manner as in step S10 of FIG. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S33.

  [Step S33] When the operation button 164 is pressed on the monitor 46, the CPU 41 proceeds to step S34. When the operation button 164 is not pressed, the CPU 41 controls each unit to continue screen display in the recombination display mode.

  [Step S34] The display control unit 45 switches the screen display and displays the screen in the normal display mode in the same manner as described above. Thereafter, the process returns to step S31. That is, until the thin client mode is canceled, the display of the recombination display mode or the normal display mode can be switched by the loop of the above steps S31 to S34. The above is the description of the second example of the operation of the thin client system 30.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the client terminal is a touch panel type, elements related to the input operation such as the operation button group 150 and the dialog 180 are arranged outside the image display area 98 in the terminal specific mode on the monitor 46. This prevents the user from touching the input operation in the image display area 98 in the terminal-specific mode on the monitor 46. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the display image from becoming difficult to see due to dirt on the monitor 46 due to a touch operation on the monitor 46. As a result, it is possible to contribute to the efficiency of diagnosis.

(Supplementary items of this embodiment)
[1] Assuming that the terminal-specific mode image display area 98 is rectangular, the position information of the image display area is transmitted using the coordinates of the four vertices. The present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, when the image display area in the terminal specific mode is a polygon such as a hexagon, the position information of the image display area may be transmitted by the coordinates of all the vertices.

  [2] The example in which the image display area information is transmitted at the coordinate position has been described. The present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. A plurality of display patterns such as matching one vertex of the image display area with the upper right corner of the screen may be determined in advance, and which of these patterns is transmitted to the server.

[3] A correspondence relationship between the terms of the claims and the embodiments will be described. Note that the correspondence shown below is merely an interpretation shown for reference, and does not limit the present invention.
The thin client mode is an example of a communication mode described in claims.

  The function of the remote connection unit 43 that transmits client terminal information such as position information related to the image display area in the terminal-specific mode is an example of the terminal information transmission unit described in the claims.

  Each screen configuration data in the normal display mode and the recombination display mode generated by the screen information generation unit 66 is an example of screen information described in claims.

  The function of the remote connection unit 43 that receives the screen configuration data and stores it in the storage unit 47, the function of the display control unit 45 that displays the screen on the monitor 46 in accordance with the screen configuration data, and the function of the CPU 41 that commands this screen display Is an example of a reception information display unit described in the claims.

  The function of the screen information generation unit 66 of the server 60 that generates the screen configuration data in the recombination display mode is an example of the screen information generation unit described in the claims.

  The function of the information transmission unit 67 of the server 60 that acquires the screen configuration data in the recombination display mode and transmits it to the client terminal is an example of the screen information transmission unit described in the claims.

  The function of the remote connection accepting unit 68 that obtains the information of the client terminal including the image display area information on the monitor in the terminal specific mode is an example of the obtaining unit described in the claims.

  [4] Although several embodiments of the present invention 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, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

2 Monitor 4a, 4b Image display area 6a, 6b Operation button display area 14 Operation dialog 30 Thin client system 40 Mobile ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 41 CPU
42 System Bus 43 Remote Connection Unit 44 Operation Accepting Unit 45 Display Control Unit 46 Monitor 47 Storage Unit 48 Ultrasonic Diagnostic Mechanism 60 Server 61 CPU
62 system bus 63 display unit 64 image data storage unit 65 image search reading unit 66 screen information generation unit 67 information transmission unit 68 remote connection reception unit 69 input device 98 image display area 99, 100 operation button group 101-122 operation button 148a, 148b Image display area 150 Operation button group 151-164 Operation button 170 Display window 180 Dialog 181-187 Operation button

Claims (8)

A server storing medical image data, a communication mode for displaying the medical image based on software on the server on a monitor capable of touch input, and a display independent of the server on the monitor A medical image communication processing system including a client terminal capable of switching a terminal-specific mode to be performed,
The client terminal is
A terminal information transmitter for transmitting image display area information on the monitor to the server;
A reception information display unit that receives from the server screen information that defines display contents in the communication mode and performs display in the communication mode on the monitor based on the screen information;
The server
A screen information generating unit that generates the screen information by determining the arrangement of display elements related to the touch input operation to the monitor and the arrangement of the display area of the medical image according to the image display area information;
A medical image communication processing system comprising: a screen information transmission unit configured to transmit the screen information generated by the screen information generation unit to the client terminal. The medical image communication processing system according to claim 1.
The medical image communication processing system, wherein the server generates the screen information so that a display element related to a touch input operation to the monitor does not overlap an image display area on the monitor in the terminal specific mode. The medical image communication processing system according to claim 2,
The terminal information transmission unit transmits information on an input method to the server,
The screen information generation unit determines whether the input method of the client terminal is a touch panel type based on information on the input method, and when determining that the input method is a touch panel type, the display element related to the touch input operation is the display element The medical image communication processing system, wherein the screen information is generated so as not to overlap an image display area on the monitor in a terminal specific mode. The medical image communication processing system according to claim 2,
The terminal information transmission unit includes coordinate information of an image display area on the monitor in the terminal specific mode in the image display area information. The medical image communication processing system according to claim 2,
The screen information generation unit is configured so that a display area of at least one of a dialog and a software keyboard displayed in response to an input operation on the client terminal does not overlap an image display area on the monitor in the terminal specific mode. A medical image communication processing system characterized by generating screen information. The client terminal has a communication mode for displaying a medical image based on server-side software on a monitor capable of touch input and a terminal-specific mode for performing display independent of the server-side software on the monitor A server for a medical image communication processing system,
An acquisition unit for acquiring image display area information on the monitor from the client terminal;
Display contents on the monitor of the client terminal in the communication mode by determining the arrangement of display elements related to the touch input operation to the monitor and the arrangement of the display area of the medical image according to the image display area information A screen information generation unit that generates screen information that defines
A server of a medical image communication processing system, comprising: a screen information transmission unit that transmits the screen information generated by the screen information generation unit to the client terminal. In the server of the medical image communication processing system according to claim 6,
The screen information generation unit generates the screen information so that a display element related to a touch input operation to the monitor does not overlap an image display area on the monitor in the terminal specific mode. Processing system server. The server of the medical image communication processing system according to claim 7,
The screen information generation unit is configured so that a display area of at least one of a dialog and a software keyboard displayed in response to an input operation on the client terminal does not overlap an image display area on the monitor in the terminal specific mode. A server of a medical image communication processing system, characterized by generating screen information.