JP2000029971A - Image transfer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently transfer data in an image transfer system for transferring medical image data between terminals and an image server by a DICOM specification communication system. SOLUTION: Relay servers P1 and P2 are provided among terminals T1-Tn and an archiver 1 and a data base 2. When a request for the transfer of medical image data is inputted to the terminal T1, and transmitted to the relay server P1, the relay server P1 transmits the request for the transfer of required medical image data to the archiver 1 in response to the request from the terminal T1. The archiver 1 transfers the required medical image data to the relay server P1. The relay server P1 stores the medical image data in a cache C1, and transfers the medical image data to the terminal T1. Thus, the terminal T1 can display the desired medical image data on a CRT for executing diagnosis.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image transfer system, and more particularly to an image transfer system for transferring medical image data based on a communication system of the DICOM standard.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of medical imaging, for example, a CT image of Company A and an MRI image of Company B are stored in an image server of Company C, and are stored on a CRT using a workstation of Company D connected to a network. Medical image data between a plurality of devices, such as performing a diagnosis, sending a radiation image of Company E to a workstation at Hospital F, displaying the diagnosis result on a CRT device of Company G, and outputting the film using a printer of Company H There is a request to transfer the data and use it for diagnosis. However, since the standards for handling medical image data are different in each company, in order to transfer the medical image data between the devices of each company, it is necessary to convert the medical image data to correspond to each device,
Diagnosis could not be performed efficiently.

[0003] For this reason, in recent years, the DICOM standard (Digital) has been used as a standard for transferring medical image data.
Imaging and Communication in Medicine) is being used. Since the DICOM standard supports the TCP / IP protocol, which is the current Internet communication standard, by using such a DICOM standard, devices manufactured by different manufacturers can be interconnected via a network. In this way, patient information can be exchanged and medical image data can be transferred. This eliminates problems with conventional film-based diagnostics (eg, lack of storage space, lost film, slow delivery, etc.). It is hoped that it will be possible to overcome this and obtain the added value of new medical imaging.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration of an image transfer system for transferring medical image data based on the DICOM standard. The image transfer system shown in FIG. 3 includes an image server storing a plurality of medical images and a plurality of terminals connected to the image server via a network. Then, a request for obtaining desired medical image data is sent from each terminal to the image server, and the image server transfers the desired medical image data to the terminal in response to the request. Conversely, it is also possible to send the medical image data created in the terminal to the image server and store the medical image data there.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, the DIC
In communication between a terminal and an image server based on the OM standard, a terminal can request only one image server to transfer desired medical image data. If the terminal does not exist on the image server that sent the request, the terminal needs to send the same request to another image server again after receiving the information from the image server, so the transfer of medical image data is very efficient Was bad. Further, even when the desired medical image data is present in the image server, the transfer speed of the medical image data is reduced if a plurality of terminals access the image server at the same time. is there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image transfer system capable of efficiently transferring medical image data.

[0007]

A first image transfer system according to the present invention comprises at least one image server for storing medical image data, transferring the medical image data from the image server, and / or the image server. At least one terminal for instructing transfer of medical image data to the image server, and a DICO between the image server and the terminal.
An image transfer system for transferring the medical image data based on an M-standard communication method, wherein a desired image server is accessed between the terminal and the image server based on the instruction from the terminal. And a relay server for transferring the medical image data.

[0008] In the present invention, "medical image data"
Contains not only image data but also patient diagnostic information.

In the first image transfer system according to the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of the relay servers are provided.

It is preferable that the relay server be provided with a cache for storing the medical image data.

A second image transfer system according to the present invention comprises:
At least one image server that stores medical image data, and at least one terminal that instructs transfer of the medical image data from the image server and / or transfer of medical image data to the image server; An image transfer system for transferring the medical image data based on the communication system of the DICOM standard between a server and the terminal, wherein, between the terminal and the image server, prior to the instruction from the terminal. A relay server having a cache for receiving the transfer of the medical image data and storing the medical image data is provided.

Here, "receiving medical image data prior to an instruction from the terminal" means that the relay server accesses the image server by itself and receives the medical image data transfer, as well as the image server or the image server. This also includes the case where a device that generates medical image data accesses the relay server and transfers the medical image data to the relay server. Specifically, the relay server accesses the image server periodically, sends a transfer request for the medical image data newly stored in the image server, receives the transfer of the medical image data, and an apparatus for generating the medical image data. When transferring the newly generated medical image data to the image server, the transfer of the newly generated medical image data is performed by performing the transfer via the relay server.

In the second image transfer system according to the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of the relay servers are provided.

[0014]

According to the first image transfer system of the present invention, a desired image server is accessed between a terminal and an image server based on an instruction from the terminal, and a medical image is transmitted based on a DICOM standard communication system. A relay server for transferring image data is provided. This relay server sends a request to transfer the desired medical image data to the image server in response to the request from the terminal, and if the desired medical image data does not exist in the image server that sent the request, another relay server sends the request. A similar request is sent to the image server to cause the medical image data to be transferred to the relay server, and the medical image data is further transferred to the requesting terminal. For this reason, the terminal does not need to send a request again to another image server by designating only the relay server and sending the request without designating the image server, thereby efficiently transferring medical image data. Can be.

Further, by providing a plurality of relay servers, even if a request is sent from a plurality of terminals at the same time, the relay server can distribute the request to other relay servers and perform processing. Image data can be efficiently transferred. Further, even if one relay server fails, the processing can be performed on behalf of another relay server.

Further, by providing a cache for storing medical image data in the relay server, the medical image data once transferred to the terminal can be stored in the cache. When there is a data transfer request, the medical image data can be transferred from the cache to the terminal immediately, so that the medical image data can be transferred at high speed.

According to the second image transfer system of the present invention, the medical image data is transferred between the terminal and the image server based on the DICOM standard communication system prior to the instruction from the terminal. Since the relay server having the cache for storing the image data is provided, the medical image data can be immediately transferred from the cache to the terminal when the terminal requests the transfer of the medical image data. Can be transferred at high speed.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image transfer system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an image transfer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes an archiver 1 which is an image server storing a plurality of medical image data, and a database storing a plurality of medical image data. 2 and n terminals T1 to Tn
(Hereinafter, may be represented by the terminal T1), and two relay servers P1 and P are connected between the terminals T1 to Tn and the archiver 1 and the database 2.
2 are connected. Then, these terminals T1 to Tn, relay servers P1 and P2, and archiver 1
The medical image data is transferred between the database 2 and the database 2 based on the communication system of the DICOM standard.

The relay servers P1 and P2 send a request to transfer medical image data to the archiver 1 or the database 2 in response to a request from the terminal T1 to Tn, and transfer the medical image data transferred from the archiver 1 or the database 2 The data is transferred to the terminals T1 to Tn that have made the request.
The relay servers P1 and P2 have caches C1 and C2, respectively.
Is provided, and medical image data to be transferred to the terminals T1 to Tn can be stored in the caches C1 and C2.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. When a desired medical image data transfer request is input to the terminal T1, the request is first transmitted to the relay servers P1 and P1.
2 Here, if the relay server that sends the request in the terminal T1 is set in advance as the relay server P1, the request is sent to the set relay server P1. The relay server P1 sends a desired medical image data transfer request to the archiver 1 in response to a request from the terminal T1. Here, if the desired medical image data exists in the archiver 1, the archiver 1 transfers the desired medical image data to the relay server P1. Relay server P
In step 1, the medical image data is stored in the cache C1, and the medical image data is transferred to the terminal T1. This allows the terminal T1 to make a diagnosis by displaying desired medical image data on the CRT or the like.

On the other hand, if the desired medical image data does not exist in the archiver 1, the fact is transferred from the archiver 1 to the relay server P1. Upon receiving the notification, the relay server P1 sends a request for transferring desired medical image data to the database 2. Then, if the desired medical image data exists in the database 2, the database 2 transfers the medical image data to the relay server P1, and the relay server P1 transfers the medical image data to the terminal T1. If the desired medical image data does not exist in the database 2, the relay server P1 sends a message to that effect to the terminal T1. Thus, the terminal T1 can recognize that the desired medical image data does not exist in the network to which the terminal T1 belongs.

On the other hand, when a similar request for medical image data transfer is sent from another terminal (provisionally T2) to the relay server P1, the relay server P1 sends a request for medical image data transfer to the archiver 1 or the database 2. Without sending, the medical image data is transferred from the cache C1 to the terminal T2. Therefore, the terminal T2 can quickly obtain desired medical image data. Also, when transferring the medical image data from the terminals T1 to Tn to the archiver 1 and the database 2, the medical image data is temporarily stored in the caches C1 and C2, so that the terminals T1 to Tn are temporarily stored.
n, the medical image data is temporarily stored in the caches C1 and C2 of the relay servers P1 and P2 even when there is a request to transfer the medical image data to the archiver 1 and the database 2 at the same time. By sequentially transferring the medical image data to the archiver 1 or the database 2, data traffic between the relay servers P 1 and P 2 and the archiver 1 or the database 2 can be reduced, whereby the medical image data from the terminals T 1 to Tn can be reduced. Transmission can be performed apparently at high speed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the medical image data is accessed between the terminals T1 to Tn and the archiver 1 or the database 2 by accessing the archiver 1 or the database 2 based on the instructions from the terminals T1 to Tn. Are provided, the terminals T1 to Tn need only send a request for medical image data transfer to the relay servers P1 and P2, whereby the desired medical image data can be transmitted to one image server. In the case where the terminal does not exist, there is no need to send another request from the terminals T1 to Tn to another image server, and medical image data can be transferred efficiently.

Further, by providing a plurality of relay servers P1 and P2, even when a request is sent from a plurality of terminals T1 to Tn simultaneously, the relay server P1 distributes the request to another relay server P2 and processes the request. Therefore, medical image data can be efficiently transferred. Further, even if one relay server P1 breaks down, the processing can be performed on behalf of another relay server P2.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image transfer system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the relay servers P1 and P2 store caches C1 and C2.
Is different from the first embodiment. As described above, if the caches C1 and C2 are not provided, it is necessary to transfer the medical image data again from the archiver 1 or the database 2 when another terminal requests to transfer the same medical image data. However, by providing a plurality of relay servers P1 and P2, a plurality of terminals T1
Even when requests are sent simultaneously from .about.Tn, the request can be distributed to another relay server P2 in the relay server P1 for processing, so that medical image data can be efficiently transferred. Further, even if one relay server P1 breaks down, the processing can be performed on behalf of another relay server P2.

In the first embodiment, when there is a request for transfer of medical image data at the terminals T1 to Tn, the relay servers P1 and P2 request the transfer of medical image data to the archiver 1 or the database 2. However, prior to the transfer request from the terminals T1 to Tn,
The relay servers P1 and P2 may send a transfer request for medical image data to the archiver 1 or the database 2. In this case, the medical image data transferred to the relay servers P1 and P2 is stored in the caches C1 and C2. Specifically, the relay servers P1 and P2 periodically send a new medical image data transfer request to the archiver 1 and the database 2, and the archiver 1 and the database 2 newly add a new request as compared with the previous request. The stored medical image data is transferred to the relay servers P1 and P2.
Then, the relay servers P1 and P2 store the transferred medical image data in the caches C1 and C2. Note that such a transfer request of medical image data is transmitted to the relay servers P1 and P1.
2, the archiver 1 or the database 2 transfers information indicating that new medical image data has been accumulated to the relay servers P1 and P2, and the relay servers P1 and P2 transfer the information to the relay servers P1 and P2. It may be performed after receiving.

As described above, the medical image data is transferred by accessing the archiver 1 or the database 2 prior to the request from the terminals T1 to Tn, and the transferred medical image data is stored in the caches C1 and C2. , Even if a request for transfer of medical image data is sent from the terminals T1 to Tn to the relay servers P1 and P2,
Reference numeral 2 denotes a cache C1 or C2 without sending a request for medical image data transfer to the archiver 1 or the database 2.
Can transfer the medical image data to the terminals T1 to Tn that have made the request, whereby the terminals T1 to Tn can quickly obtain the desired medical image data.

The medical image data generated by the image reading device (not shown) is stored in the archiver 1 or the database 2 via the network. At this time, the archiver 1 or the database 2 is temporarily connected via the relay servers P1 and P2. By transferring the medical image data to the database 2, new medical image data may be stored in the caches C1 and C2 of the relay servers P1 and P2 prior to the transfer request from the terminals T1 to Tn.

On the other hand, when generating medical image data on a network in a hospital, first, in response to a request from a doctor, a medical system in the hospital sends order information such as a patient name and a radiographed site via the network. Transfer to the department
In the radiology department, a patient is imaged based on this order information, and medical image data is generated by an image reading device. The generated medical image data is transmitted from the image reading device to an archiver 1 or a database 2 via a network.
In this case, the medical affairs system may transfer the order information to the relay servers P1 and P2. When medical image data is generated in the radiology department, information such as a patient name and an imaging part is attached to the medical image data.
1, P2. In this case, the relay servers P1 and P2 receive the order information or the accompanying information and, prior to the transfer request from the terminals T1 to Tn, obtain medical image data representing a related image such as a past image of a patient (hereinafter referred to as related medical image data). Is transmitted to the archiver 1 or the database 2 to transfer the data. Archiver 1
Alternatively, the database 2 transfers the related medical image data to the relay servers P1 and P2 in response to the request, and the relay servers P1 and P2 store the transferred related medical image data in the caches C1 and C2. Here, when a doctor makes a diagnosis, not only the ordered medical image but also a related medical image such as a past image of the patient is often required, but the related medical image data from the terminals T1 to Tn is often used. Prior to the transfer request, the terminal T1 to Tn by receiving the order information or the accompanying information and storing the related medical image data in the caches C1 and C2 of the relay servers P1 and P2 in advance.
Request for transfer of related medical image data from the relay server P1,
Even if sent to P2, the relay servers P1 and P2 do not send the request for transfer of the related medical image data to the archiver 1 or the database 2 and send the related medical image data from the caches C1 and C2 to the terminals T1 to Tn that have requested the related medical image data. Thus, the terminals T1 to Tn can quickly obtain the desired related medical image data.

In the first and second embodiments, two relay servers P1 and P2 are provided.
The present invention is not limited to this, and three or more relay servers may be provided, or only one relay server may be provided. When a plurality of relay servers are provided, a cache may be provided for all of them, or a server provided with a cache and a server not provided may be mixed.

In the first and second embodiments, the line between the terminals T1 to Tn and the relay servers P1 and P2 is made thick (that is, a large amount of information can be transmitted). The traffic between the terminal and the relay server can be reduced, and the medical image data can be transferred at a higher speed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image transfer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image transfer system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional image transfer system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Archiver 2 Database T1 to Tn Terminal P1, P2 Relay server C2, C2 Cache

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. At least one device for storing medical image data
One image server, transferring the medical image data from the image server, and / or
An image transfer system including at least one terminal for instructing transfer of medical image data to the image server, wherein the transfer of the medical image data is performed between the image server and the terminal based on a communication system of DICOM standard Wherein a relay server is provided between the terminal and the image server for accessing the desired image server based on the instruction from the terminal and transferring the medical image data. Image transfer system. 2. The image transfer system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said relay servers are provided. 3. The image transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the relay server is provided with a cache for storing the medical image data. 4. At least one for storing medical image data
One image server, transferring the medical image data from the image server, and / or
An image transfer system including at least one terminal for instructing transfer of medical image data to the image server, wherein the transfer of the medical image data is performed between the image server and the terminal based on a communication system of DICOM standard And wherein between the terminal and the image server, a relay server having a cache for receiving the transfer of the medical image data prior to the instruction from the terminal and storing the medical image data is provided. An image transfer system characterized in that: 5. The image transfer system according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of said relay servers are provided.