JP6937818B2 - Radiation imaging system, information processing equipment and information processing method, computer program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is radiographic system, information processing apparatus and information processing method, a computer program, in particular, to a radiation imaging apparatus for capturing a medical radiographic image.

In recent years, an X-ray imaging system using an X-ray sensor such as a flat panel detector that converts an X-ray signal into a digital image and outputs it has become widespread. In a general X-ray imaging system, prior to imaging, the imaging protocol is manually registered (manually) for inspection, or the imaging protocol is developed based on the imaging order notified by RIS (Radiological Information System) for inspection. To register with. RIS is an abbreviation for Radiology Information System. When the examination is started, the technician confirms the patient's positioning, X-ray generation conditions, etc. based on the registered radiography protocol, and then performs X-ray radiography (see Patent Document 1). The imaging protocol is information that defines radiography, including parameters indicating imaging conditions and the content of image processing applied to the captured image.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-308631

The shooting protocol developed by the shooting order may be replaced with another shooting protocol at the discretion of the engineer when actually shooting. For example, when the patient is in a wheelchair, it is not possible to take a picture in a standing position, so a sitting position taking protocol is used instead. The replacement of the shooting protocol may be performed not only when you want to change the part intentionally, but also when the shooting order itself is wrong or when the shooting protocol added on the spot is wrong. .. In such an imaging protocol, there are several replacement patterns, such as a pattern in which the left and right sides are exchanged at the same site and a pattern in which the irradiation directions are exchanged.

Conventionally, in order to make it easy to replace a shooting protocol, a list of shooting protocols that are replacement candidates registered in advance for a certain shooting protocol is displayed, and an operator (user) displays the displayed replacement candidate protocol. I was trying to make a choice. However, if all replacement candidates are registered assuming all errors in the imaging protocol, not only the number of replacement candidates becomes enormous and registration is troublesome, but also the choices are excessively increased, which is desired from the replacement candidates. It takes a lot of time to find and select the shooting protocol of. Even if the replacement candidate protocol is limited to a typical one, even if the shooting protocol is replaced in order to correct a mistake on the left or right, an operation of searching from all registered protocols is required, and operability is required. Was not good.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of easily changing an imaging protocol in a radiography imaging system.

In order to achieve the above object, the radiography system according to the present invention has the following configurations. That is,
A sensor unit that detects radiation that has been applied to a subject from a radiation generator controlled according to a radiography protocol that includes one or more parameters related to radiography and has passed through the subject, and acquires a radiographic image corresponding to the radiation. When,
A radiographic imaging system including an information processing device that performs processing related to radiological imaging for performing image processing of a radiographic image acquired by the sensor unit according to the imaging protocol.
The information processing device
A storage means for storing multiple imaging protocols,
The first imaging protocol is applied to a second imaging protocol different from the first imaging protocol acquired as the imaging protocol among the plurality of imaging protocols stored in the storage means in response to an instruction from the operator. a user interface for executing processing for replacing a control means for displaying on the protocol display area indicating the first imaging protocol that appears surrounded by a frame on the display means,
A replacement means for replacing the first imaging protocol with the second imaging protocol according to an operator's instruction to the user interface.
It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that enables the radiography system to easily change the radiography protocol.

Hardware configuration diagram of the radiography system. Functional configuration diagram of the radiography system. A flowchart showing the procedure of processing performed by the radiography system. The figure which shows an example of GUI of a radiography system. The figure which shows an example of GUI for switching a parameter of a shooting protocol. The figure which shows an example of the setting information. The figure which shows an example of the setting information. The figure which shows an example of GUI of a radiography system.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the present embodiments are essential for the means for solving the invention. ..

<< Embodiment 1 >>
(Radiation imaging system)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration diagram of a radiography system according to an embodiment of the present invention (Embodiment 1). In FIG. 1, the control unit 101 includes a RAM 1010, a ROM 1011 and a LAN / IF 1012, a DISK / IF 1013, a CPU 1014, and a non-volatile storage device 1015, which are connected to each other by a system bus 1016.

The RAM 1010 is a writable memory and is used as a work area for processing operations. The ROM 1011 is a read-only memory and stores basic programs, basic data, and the like. The LAN / IF1012 is a communication interface for the control unit 101 to communicate with an external device. In the present embodiment, the case of communicating by LAN (Local Area Network) will be described, but communication may be performed by other communication methods such as wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark). The DISK / IF1013 is an interface for accessing a recording medium for recording data, computer programs, and the like. In the present embodiment, the case where a flexible disk (FD) is used as the recording medium will be described, but other recording media such as a CD, DVD, BD, USB memory, and flash memory may be used. The CPU 1014 is a central arithmetic unit, and controls the operation of each component connected to the system bus 1016 based on a computer program such as an operating system (OS). The non-volatile storage device 1015 is a large-capacity storage device, and stores various data related to the OS, application programs, shooting, and the like. In the present embodiment, the non-volatile storage device 1015 is realized by a hard disk, but any storage device capable of storing data such as SSD (Solid State Drive) and magnetic tape can be used. As described above, the control unit 101 has a general computer configuration.

The control unit 101 drives the sensor unit (sensor unit 102) and controls the X-ray generation unit 103 based on the input from the operator via the operation unit 105. It also manages various data such as shooting protocol data and image data. The control unit 101 can be realized by an information processing device such as a PC (personal computer) or a tablet terminal.

The operation unit 105 is composed of input devices such as a pointing device, a keyboard, and an irradiation switch, and is used by an operator to input various commands and data to the control unit 101. The display unit 104 is composed of a general monitor such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display, and displays image data, a GUI (graphical user interface), and the like on the screen. Further, a monitor having an input function of the operation unit 105 such as a touch panel can also be configured as a display unit.

The X-ray generator 103 is an X-ray generator (radiation generator). The X-ray generator 103 emits X-rays from the X-ray tube (not shown) toward the sensor 102 via the subject in response to an operation such as pressing an exposure button (not shown) included in the X-ray generator. Irradiate. In this embodiment, the case where X-rays are used as typical radiation used for photographing will be described, but radiation of other wavelengths may be used.

The sensor unit 102 is a sensor unit that detects an X-ray signal transmitted through a subject and forms and acquires a radiation image, and the acquired image is transferred to the control unit 101. The external device 106 is a system for collecting and managing captured images, and shows all external systems capable of DICOM communication. Typical examples of such an external device 106 include RIS, which is a acquisition destination of a shooting order, and PACS (picture archiving and communication system) for storing and displaying a shot image. PACS is an abbreviation for Picture Archiving and Communication System.

Next, the functional configuration of the radiography system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the radiography system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Each functional element shown in FIG. 2 is realized by the control unit 101 calculating based on a computer program, but some or all the functional elements may be realized by dedicated hardware.

The protocol registration unit 201 is a functional block for inputting and registering parameters associated with the photographing protocol together with the photographing protocol name. The protocol registration unit 201 registers and acquires an imaging protocol including one or more parameters related to radiography by an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard of the operation unit 105. The attributes of the parameters related to the shooting protocol include, for example, at least one of the shooting direction, the part of the subject, the laterality, the subject size, the posture of the subject, the cutout size, the irradiation condition of radiation (X-rays, etc.), and the image processing condition. However, it is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, the case where the photographing protocol is registered and acquired by the input of the operator will be described, but it may be read from a storage device such as a recording medium or acquired by communication from an external device via LAN / IF1012. ..

The protocol holding unit 202 has a function of persistently holding and storing the protocol information input by the protocol registration unit 201 by a database or the like built in the non-volatile storage device 1015. The protocol search unit 203 is a functional block that searches for a photographing protocol stored in the protocol holding unit 202 based on a predetermined condition. More specifically, a shooting protocol in which some parameters of the shooting protocol registered / acquired in the protocol registration unit 201 are replaced with different parameters is searched from a plurality of shooting protocols held in the protocol holding unit 202. The protocol search unit 203 is executed by a computer program expanded on a memory (RAM 1010 or the like) in the control unit 101.

The protocol changeability display unit 204 is a functional block that is displayed as a GUI on the display unit 104 based on the search result of the protocol search unit 203. That is, when a shooting protocol in which some parameters are replaced is searched, a GUI for replacing some parameters of the shooting protocol acquired by the protocol registration unit 201 with different parameters for each attribute is displayed. Controls the display on.

The protocol replacement unit 205 is a part that plays a role of replacing the photographing protocol based on the instruction input by the user. That is, the protocol replacement unit 205 replaces the photographing protocol acquired by the protocol registration unit 201 with a photographing protocol in which some parameters are replaced with different parameters according to the instruction of the operator for the GUI.

In the present embodiment, when a shooting protocol is specified, a GUI for searching for a shooting protocol in which some parameters of the shooting protocol are replaced with other parameters and replacing some parameters according to the search result is searched. Is generated and displayed in a selectable manner. Therefore, the operator can easily replace with a desired shooting protocol without selecting from a list of all replaceable shooting protocols or registering replacement candidates in advance.

(Processing procedure)
Next, the flow of processing according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of processing executed by the radiography system according to the present embodiment. This flow shows a typical processing procedure until a protocol change button is displayed for a certain shooting protocol and the shooting protocol is replaced by pressing the button. As a premise of this flow, the photographing protocol is registered in the protocol holding unit in advance. Each of the following steps is executed under the control of the CPU 1014.

In step S301, the name of the photographing protocol to be determined whether or not to display the changeability button is acquired. In general, all imaging protocols registered for the examination can be covered. Alternatively, it may be the imaging protocol selected for future imaging. In this way, the target photographing protocol may be specified by any method. In this step, after the target shooting protocol is specified, the protocol name of the shooting protocol is acquired.

In step S302, a search condition for searching for a shooting protocol in which some attribute parameters are different is generated from the shooting protocol name acquired in step S301. For example, when the shooting protocol "right hand front" is specified in step S301, the parameter "right" is replaced with "left" and the character string "left hand front" is replaced in order to search for shooting protocols having different left and right attributes. Generate. In step S303, a search is executed for the protocol holding unit 202 based on the search character string generated in step S302.

In step S304, the processing content is controlled to branch based on the result of the protocol search step S303. If a photographing protocol that matches the search condition of step S302 exists (YES in S304), the process proceeds to step S305, and if it does not exist (NO in S304), the process ends.

In step S305, a process of displaying the protocol change button as a GUI is performed. In step S306, it is determined whether or not the button displayed in step S305 has been pressed, and control is performed to branch the processing content. When the button is pressed (YES in S304), the process proceeds to step S307, and if it is not pressed (NO in S304), the flow ends without performing any processing.

In step S307, the current imaging protocol is replaced with the imaging protocol found in step S303. In the case of the previous example, it is changed from "right hand front" to "left hand front". Then, the process ends.

(GUI example)
Next, a GUI example of the radiography system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows an example of the GUI immediately after the start of the inspection of the radiography system. FIG. 4A shows an example of GUI before pressing the protocol change button, and FIG. 4B shows an example of GUI after pressing the protocol change button.

401 indicates the entire operation screen, and 402 is an image display area. 4 (A) and 4 (B) show that the image is not displayed in the image display area 402 because the image is not yet taken. Reference numeral 403 is an area for displaying information on the patient who is the subject of this examination. In the examples of FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B), the case where the patient ID is "222222", the patient name is "Canon Jiro", and the date of birth of the patient is February 3, 2000 is shown. ..

Reference numeral 404 is an inspection information display unit, which is an area for displaying an Accession number (denoted as “ACC #” in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B)) for identifying the inspection. In the examples of FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B), an example in which the Accession number is “12345” is shown. Reference numeral 405 is a protocol display unit, and in the example of FIG. 4 (A), it can be seen that this shooting is an inspection scheduled to be taken “in front of the right hand”.

Reference numeral 406 is a protocol change button, and in this example, an example of the button displayed in step S305 when the “left-hand front” shooting protocol is found in step S304 is shown. Reference numeral 407 is a protocol display unit after the protocol change button 406 is pressed, and shows how the shooting protocol is switched from the “right-hand front” to the “left-hand front”. Reference numeral 408 is a protocol change button for the left-hand front protocol. By pressing this button, the "left-hand front" can be switched to the "right-hand front", and the state of FIG. 4 (A) is restored again.

As described above, the radiography system according to the present embodiment acquires a radiography protocol (first radiography protocol) including one or more parameters related to radiography. Then, a shooting protocol (second shooting protocol) in which some parameters of the acquired shooting protocol are different is searched from a plurality of shooting protocols stored in the storage device. When the second shooting protocol is specified by the search, a user interface for selecting a shooting protocol to be replaced with the first shooting protocol from the specified second shooting protocol is displayed on the display unit. .. According to the operator's instructions for the user interface, the first imaging protocol is replaced with the selected second imaging protocol. Therefore, the operator can easily replace the first imaging protocol with a desired imaging protocol.
Further, the radiological imaging system according to the present embodiment generates a search condition based on the protocol name when the protocol name of the imaging protocol is acquired, and replaces some parameters of the imaging protocol with other parameters. Search for. Then, according to the search result, a protocol change button for replacing some parameters is generated and displayed so that the operator can select it. Therefore, the operator can easily switch to another shooting protocol having different parameters related to some attributes of the shooting protocol without performing troublesome work such as searching for the desired one from the list of all replaceable shooting protocols. It is possible. Therefore, it is expected that the operability for the replacement process of the photographing protocol will be improved, and that it is not necessary to register the replacement candidates in advance, so that the system installation work is also expected to be shortened.

Further, in the present embodiment, a search condition is automatically generated based on the protocol name, and a shooting protocol in which some parameters are replaced with different parameters according to the search condition is searched. Therefore, since the imaging protocol as a replacement candidate can be presented without requiring the operation of the operator, it is possible to improve the operability without requiring the troublesome operation of the operator or the system administrator.

Further, in the present embodiment, a pattern (protocol change button) for replacing the parameter of the first photographing protocol with another parameter is displayed on the protocol display unit 405 of the display unit 104 for each attribute so as to be selectable. Then, depending on the pattern selected by the operator, the first shooting protocol is replaced with a second shooting protocol in which the parameters related to the attributes of the picture are replaced with other parameters. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the operator can easily replace the parameters included in the photographing protocol.
If, as a result of searching for a shooting protocol in which some parameters of the first shooting protocol are different, a shooting protocol in which some parameters are different is not specified, the shooting protocol may not be replaced in the user interface. For example, the protocol change button may not be displayed in the photographing protocol area 405, or even if the protocol change button is displayed, the replacement may not be executed by the operation input. As a result, the possibility of erroneous operation can be reduced.

<< Embodiment 2 >>
In the first embodiment, an example of searching for another shooting protocol having different parameters of "sideality" meaning left and right among the attributes associated with the shooting protocol is shown, but the attribute to be replaced is "sideality". Not limited. Similar processing can be performed for arbitrary attributes such as X-ray imaging conditions, image processing conditions, parts, and imaging directions. Here, as an example, an example in which parameters are replaced with respect to the shooting direction, such as changing the “front of the left hand” to the “side of the left hand”, will be described.

FIG. 5 shows a display example of a button when switching to a shooting protocol in which the shooting direction is different. FIG. 5 (A) shows the state of the display area of the photographing protocol before switching, and FIG. 5 (B) shows the state of the display area after switching. Reference numeral 501 denotes a protocol display area, which indicates that the shooting protocol is for shooting the "front of the right hand". Reference numeral 502 is a protocol change button, which indicates that the shooting protocol can be switched to a shooting protocol having a different shooting direction. Reference numeral 503 indicates the state of the shooting protocol after the protocol button 502 is pressed, and the shooting protocol is switched from the “right hand front” to the “right hand side”. Reference numeral 504 is a button for switching to a shooting protocol having a different shooting direction with respect to the “right hand side surface” protocol, and when pressed, the state returns to the state shown in FIG. 5 (A).

In this way, with respect to the parameters of attributes other than "sideality", as in the first embodiment, the parameters that are replacement candidates are automatically searched, and the GUI for parameter replacement is generated and displayed. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the selection of the imaging protocol of the replacement destination and improve the operability without requiring preparations such as registering the replacement candidates in advance.

<< Embodiment 3 >>
Pre-set the search character string generation rules when implementing processing such as exchanging the character strings that mean left and right to generate the character strings of the search conditions, and exchanging the character strings that mean the shooting direction. Therefore, more flexible operation becomes possible. For example, the character string that means left and right is "left / right" in Japanese, but it is "Left / Right" in English, so it is difficult to support various operations with fixed character string replacement processing. be. Therefore, by setting the rules for generating the search character string in advance, more flexible search character string generation becomes possible.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the setting value used when generating the search character string. Attribute category, search string, and replacement string are defined in the settings. The attribute category means the category of the attribute to be replaced among the parameters associated with the shooting protocol. The search character string as the setting information is not a search character string for the protocol holding unit 202, but a character string for specifying the search target of the shooting protocol name of the replacement source. In the case of FIG. 6, three categories are defined: laterality, shooting direction, and shooting posture. When "front" and "side" are defined as the imaging directions shown in FIG. 6, and "front of the chest" is acquired as the protocol name, the protocol name generated as a search condition for replacement candidates is It becomes the "side of the chest". On the contrary, for the "side of the chest", the "front of the chest" is the search character string target. The meaning of defining an attribute category is that it does not generate a search string across multiple attributes. For example, if a search character string is generated based on the setting value shown in FIG. 6 for a shooting protocol called "left hand front", there will be three variations of "left hand side", "right hand front", and "right hand side". .. Therefore, by generating a search character string individually for each attribute category, it is possible to uniquely determine "right-hand front" for laterality and "left-hand side" for shooting direction. In FIG. 6, PA is an abbreviation for "Posterior-Anterior view" and LAT is an abbreviation for "Lateral".

As described above, in the present embodiment, information indicating the relationship between the parameter to be replaced and the parameter after replacement is retained as search condition generation rule information for each parameter attribute. Then, based on this generation rule information, a shooting protocol in which some parameters of the shooting protocol acquired by the protocol registration unit 201 are replaced with different parameters is searched as a search target. Therefore, it is possible to comprehensively and appropriately search for the imaging protocol of the replacement candidate.

Further, when a plurality of candidates are conceivable, a protocol change button is displayed for each attribute, and by pressing a button of the corresponding attribute, it is possible to replace the protocol with a desired shooting protocol. That is, among the parameters constituting the imaging protocol registered in the protocol registration unit 201, the imaging protocol in which a plurality of parameters are replaced may be the search target. In this case, the protocol changeability display unit 204 can change the parameters for each attribute by displaying the protocol change buttons for the number of parameters that can be replaced as GUI.

Further, depending on the configuration of the radiography system, it may not be possible to take a specific combination of parameters. Therefore, the protocol changeability display unit 204 controls the protocol change button so that it cannot be appropriately selected based on the search result of the protocol search unit 203 so that the operator cannot select a combination of parameters that cannot be taken on the system. You may. For example, it is assumed that the protocol registration unit 201 has registered a photographing protocol including the parameters of (a1, b1) for two attributes A (possible parameters are a1 and a2) and B (possible parameters are b1 and b2). .. Then, it is assumed that the protocol search unit 203 searches for a shooting protocol including (a1, b2) and a shooting protocol including (a2, b1) for this shooting protocol (that is, shooting including (a2, b2)). The protocol cannot be taken on the system.) In this case, the protocol changeability display unit 204 displays two protocol change buttons for replacing the parameters of attribute A and attribute B, respectively, according to the search result for the shooting protocol including the parameter (a1, b1). do. Here, when the replacement of the parameter of the attribute A is instructed, the imaging protocol of the replacement destination includes (a2, b1), and since the combination of (a2, b2) cannot be taken, the attribute B is further increased. Parameters cannot be replaced. Therefore, when the replacement of the parameter of the attribute A is instructed, the protocol change button for the attribute B is hidden, or the attribute B is displayed indicating that it cannot be selected. By controlling the display of the protocol change button according to the search result in this way, the operator can easily select the replacement destination shooting protocol within the range of the replacement candidate shooting protocol searched by the protocol search unit 203. can do.

In addition, the generation of the search character string is not limited to the replacement of a part of the character string of the protocol name, and it is also possible to set a rule for searching that a specific character string is added by using a regular expression or the like. .. Any setting method can be used as long as a rule for generating a search character string based on the shooting protocol name can be defined.

<< Embodiment 4 >>
Depending on the facility, there are cases where a code operation is performed in which the meaning of the shooting information is assigned to each digit of the code value (CodeValue) for specifying the shooting protocol. For example, the code known as JJ1017 is defined by a numerical value that specifies a procedure, a part, a posture, a shooting direction, and the like in each digit of the code value. In such an operation, it is possible to perform a more detailed and accurate search by generating a code value as a search condition instead of generating a search condition by the protocol name. For example, the code value of JJ1017 indicates the shooting direction by the upper 13 to 14 bytes, and if the code of that part is 02, it is "front (A → P)", and if it is 03, it is "front (P → A)". Is defined as. By using the definition, it is possible to search for a shooting protocol by generating a code value search code value.

FIG. 7 is a setting table for generating a search character string in the present embodiment. In addition to the setting indicating the target location of the code value, the setting table is provided with a search code value and a replacement code value for exchanging the code values with each other. Moreover, since it is difficult to understand the meaning of each numerical value, the code meaning is described in each code value. As an operation example when using this setting table, for example, it is assumed that the code value "11111111111110211" is assigned to the imaging protocol "Chest front AP". At this time, "02" in the 13th to 14th bytes becomes the search target character string, and "11111111111110311" in which the character string is replaced with "03" becomes the code value meaning "chest front PA". Therefore, the database is searched based on the code value.

Also in this embodiment, the processing flow is the same as that shown in FIG. 3, and if the acquisition of the protocol name in step S301 is read as the acquisition of the code value, the same flow can be processed as it is.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the imaging protocol is acquired as an identification code, and the identification code in which a part of the code value of this identification code is replaced with another code value is replaced with a parameter in which some parameters are different. Search as a shooting protocol. Therefore, the existing identification code value can be used to appropriately search for a shooting protocol as a replacement candidate.

<< Embodiment 5 >>
In the configuration of the first embodiment, the protocol change button is superimposed and displayed on the shooting protocol display area, and it is possible to switch any shooting protocol. However, since it is easy to switch, the risk of accidentally switching protocols also increases. Therefore, it is also possible to provide a separate screen for displaying the protocol replacement candidate, and simultaneously present the replacement candidate protocol registered in advance and the shooting protocol dynamically searched for each attribute category.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen for displaying such protocol replacement candidates. FIG. 8 shows an example in which replacement candidates of the “right-hand front” imaging protocol are displayed as search targets.

Reference numeral 801 is a protocol replacement candidate display window. Reference numeral 802 is an area for displaying replacement candidates preset for the target photographing protocol. Reference numeral 803 is an area for displaying the photographing protocol searched by the flow of FIG. 3 for the target photographing protocol. That is, the area 803 is a dynamic search protocol display area, and if the shooting protocol is not found as a result of the search, nothing is displayed.

Reference numeral 804 is an area for displaying the category of the attribute, which is displayed together with the searched shooting protocol of 805. In FIG. 8, “left-hand front” is presented as an imaging protocol with different laterality, indicating that it is in the selected state. In addition, "right hand side surface" is displayed as a candidate as a shooting protocol having a different shooting direction. Furthermore, the cutout size is displayed as an attribute category, and shooting protocol buttons with different cutout sizes are also displayed as candidates.

By adopting such a display form, it is possible to show the candidate shooting protocol in an easy-to-understand manner even when a plurality of candidates are found by the search. 806 is a button for confirming the setting, and 807 is a button for canceling the setting and closing the screen.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the imaging protocol as a replacement candidate is registered in advance for each imaging protocol, and the imaging protocol as a replacement candidate registered for the imaging protocol acquired by the protocol registration unit 201 is further searched. .. Then, the searched shooting protocol as the replacement candidate is further selectably displayed on the display unit 104, and when the shooting protocol as the replacement candidate is selected by the operator, the acquired shooting protocol is set to the selected shooting protocol. Replace. Therefore, the imaging protocol can be selected from the replacement candidates registered in advance, and the operator can easily select the imaging protocol of the replacement candidate from more options.

In each of the above embodiments, a replacement candidate is searched according to the identification of the shooting protocol, and a protocol change button (picture) for replacing the parameter is displayed to easily select and replace the desired shooting protocol. The configuration to be used was explained. Further, an operation mode in which the shooting protocol can be easily selected in this way and an operation mode in which the shooting protocols held in the protocol holding unit 202 are displayed in a selectable list on the display unit 104 and replaced with the selected shooting protocol are provided. It may be possible to select. That is, when the second shooting protocol is specified by the search, the first user interface for selecting the shooting protocol to be replaced with the first shooting protocol from the specified second shooting protocol is used. Display on the display (simple selection mode). Further, in response to an instruction from the operator, a second user interface for selecting a shooting protocol to be replaced from a list of a plurality of shooting protocols stored in the storage device is displayed on the display unit (list selection mode). ). Then, the first imaging protocol may be replaced with an imaging protocol selected based on at least one of the first and second user interfaces. As a result, the operator can switch between a simple selection of the replacement protocol and a comprehensive selection from the list display according to the application and purpose, and the operability can be further improved. The operation mode can be switched, for example, by displaying the switching button on the display unit 104 so as to be selectable, and performing the switching according to an instruction from the operator via the selection of the button. Further, the target to be displayed in the list may be not all the photographing protocols held in the protocol holding unit 202 but the photographing protocols searched by the protocol search unit 203. As a result, the number of shooting protocol candidates that can be selected is narrowed down, so that the operator can easily select the shooting protocol. Further, the first user interface that allows the imaging protocol to be easily selected by the pattern is displayed on the protocol display unit 405, and the second user interface that can be selected from the list of imaging protocols is displayed in the image display area 402 of the radiographic image. You may. As a result, the operator can appropriately use these two user interfaces.

In the list selection mode, it is common to redo the image processing according to the image processing parameters associated with the replacement destination shooting protocol by replacing the shooting protocol. Therefore, in the list selection mode, it often takes about several seconds from selecting the imaging protocol of the replacement destination to displaying a new radiographic image according to the imaging protocol after replacement. On the other hand, in the simple selection mode, if the part does not change due to the replacement of the photographing protocol, it is not necessary to modify the image processing, so that the image can be displayed quickly after the replacement. Even in the simple selection mode, if the part or direction changes due to replacement and the image processing parameters change, the image processing needs to be redone, so it takes a few seconds before the properly processed image is displayed. It will take time.

Further, the user interface that allows the replacement destination shooting protocol to be easily selected by the protocol change button may be turned ON / OFF by setting. That is, when the operator sets ON, the shooting protocol is searched and the user interface is displayed according to the flowchart of FIG. 3, but when it is OFF, the search is executed, the user interface is displayed, and the like. You may not do it. This makes it possible to select various shooting protocols according to the application and purpose.

Further, in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the protocol change button is displayed when the replacement destination shooting protocol is found by the protocol search of S303 (YES in S304, S305), but the protocol change button is pressed regardless of the search result. It may be displayed. In this case, the displayed protocol change button can accept the operation input only when the function is set to ON or the shooting protocol of the replacement destination is specified by the search.

<< Other Embodiments >>
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is supplied to the system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads the program. This is the process to be executed.

201: Protocol registration unit, 202: Protocol holding unit, 203: Protocol search unit, 204: Protocol changeability display unit, 205: Protocol replacement unit

Claims (13)

A sensor unit that detects radiation that has been applied to a subject from a radiation generator controlled according to a radiography protocol that includes one or more parameters related to radiography and has passed through the subject, and acquires a radiographic image corresponding to the radiation. When,
A radiographic imaging system including an information processing device that performs processing related to radiological imaging for performing image processing of a radiographic image acquired by the sensor unit according to the imaging protocol.
The information processing device
A storage means for storing multiple imaging protocols,
The first imaging protocol is applied to a second imaging protocol different from the first imaging protocol acquired as the imaging protocol among the plurality of imaging protocols stored in the storage means in response to an instruction from the operator. a user interface for executing processing for replacing a control means for displaying on the protocol display area indicating the first imaging protocol that appears surrounded by a frame on the display means,
A replacement means for replacing the first imaging protocol with the second imaging protocol according to an operator's instruction to the user interface.
A radiography system characterized by being equipped with. The control means causes the display means to display the user interface as a first user interface.
The control means further receives a second user for selecting a candidate imaging protocol to replace the first imaging protocol from a list of the plurality of imaging protocols stored in the storage means in response to an instruction from the operator. The interface is displayed on the display means separately from the first user interface.
The radiography system according to claim 1, wherein the replacement means replaces the first imaging protocol with an imaging protocol selected based on at least one of the first and second user interfaces. .. As the first user interface, the control means selects a pattern for replacing the parameter of the first imaging protocol scheduled for radiography with another parameter as the display means for each attribute. Display as possible,
The replacement means replaces the first imaging protocol with a second imaging protocol in which some parameters related to the attributes of the symbol are replaced with other parameters, depending on the pattern being selected by the operator. The radiography system according to claim 2, wherein the radiography system is replaced. The control means is characterized in that, as the second user interface, a list of a plurality of imaging protocols stored in the storage means is selectively displayed on the display means instead of the display area of the radiographic image. The radiography system according to claim 2 or 3. The information processing device further includes a specific means for identifying the second imaging protocol from the plurality of imaging protocols stored in the storage means.
From the plurality of imaging protocols stored in the storage means, the specific means has attributes of parameters related to the first imaging protocol, such as imaging direction, subject portion, laterality, subject size, and subject orientation. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second imaging protocol is specified as an imaging protocol in which at least one of the cutout size, the irradiation condition of radiation, and the image processing condition and a part thereof are different. The radiography system described. The information processing apparatus further includes a holding means for holding information indicating the relationship between the parameter to be replaced and the parameter after replacement as search condition generation rule information for each attribute of the parameter.
The radiation according to claim 5, wherein the specific means identifies a second imaging protocol in which some parameters of the first imaging protocol are replaced with different parameters based on the generation rule information. Shooting system. The information processing apparatus further includes an acquisition means for acquiring the first imaging protocol as the imaging protocol.
The acquisition means acquires the protocol name of the first imaging protocol together with the first imaging protocol, and obtains the protocol name of the first imaging protocol.
The radiography system according to claim 6, wherein the specifying means generates a search condition based on the protocol name and specifies the second imaging protocol based on the search condition. The information processing apparatus further includes an acquisition means for acquiring the first imaging protocol as the imaging protocol.
The acquisition means acquires the first imaging protocol as an identification code and obtains the identification code.
The radiography system according to claim 6, wherein the identification means specifies an identification code in which a part of the identification code is replaced with another code value as the second imaging protocol. .. The information processing apparatus further includes a registration means for pre-registering a photographing protocol as a replacement candidate for each photographing protocol.
The identification means further identifies the imaging protocol as a replacement candidate registered for the first imaging protocol.
The control means causes the display means to further indicate the identified imaging protocol as the replacement candidate.
Any of claims 5 to 8, wherein the replacement means replaces the first imaging protocol with the instructed imaging protocol when the imaging protocol as the replacement candidate is instructed by the operator. The radiography system according to item 1. According to a radiography protocol that includes one or more parameters related to radiography, a radiation generator that irradiates the subject with radiation detects the radiation that has passed through the subject and acquires a radiation image corresponding to the radiation. An information processing device that performs processing related to radiography for performing image processing of a radiological image acquired by a sensor unit.
A storage means for storing multiple imaging protocols,
The first imaging protocol is applied to a second imaging protocol different from the first imaging protocol acquired as the imaging protocol among the plurality of imaging protocols stored in the storage means in response to an instruction from the operator. a user interface for executing processing for replacing a control means for displaying on the protocol display area indicating the first imaging protocol that appears surrounded by a frame on the display means,
An information processing device including a replacement means for replacing the first imaging protocol with the second imaging protocol in accordance with an operator's instruction to the user interface. A sensor unit that detects radiation that has been applied to a subject from a radiation generator controlled according to an imaging protocol that includes one or more parameters related to radiography and has passed through the subject, and acquires a radiation image corresponding to the radiation. In a radiography system including an information processing device that performs processing related to radiography for performing image processing of a radiological image acquired by the sensor unit according to the radiography protocol, the information processing device performs the radiography. It is an information processing method
The control means sets the first imaging protocol to a second imaging protocol different from the first imaging protocol acquired as the imaging protocol among the plurality of imaging protocols stored in the storage means, instructed by the operator. and a control step of the user interface to be displayed on the protocol display area indicating the first imaging protocol that appears surrounded by a frame on the display unit to execute a process of optionally substituted,
An information processing method comprising a replacement step of replacing the first imaging protocol with the second imaging protocol according to an operator's instruction to the user interface. A sensor unit that detects radiation that has been applied to a subject from a radiation generator controlled according to an imaging protocol that includes one or more parameters related to radiography and has passed through the subject, and acquires a radiation image corresponding to the radiation. This is an information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus that performs processing related to radiography for performing image processing of the radiological image acquired in.
Of the plurality of imaging protocols stored in the storage means, the first imaging protocol is replaced with a second imaging protocol different from the first imaging protocol acquired as the imaging protocol according to an instruction from the operator. A display step of displaying the user interface for executing the process in the protocol display area indicating the first photographing protocol displayed in a frame surrounded by the display means.
An information processing method comprising a replacement step of replacing the first imaging protocol with the second imaging protocol according to an operator's instruction to the user interface. A computer program for causing a computer to function as each means included in the radiography system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or the information processing apparatus according to claim 10.

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