JP2001070293A - Radio-diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio-diagnostic device capable of performing the various operation without moving a line of sight of an operator from a monitor screen. SOLUTION: This radio-diagnostic device is provided with a bed 8 to be loaded with a subject, an X-ray tube and an X-ray detecting unit 3 for picking up an image of the body to be examined with the X-ray, a monitor 6 for displaying the X-ray image data picked up by the X-ray image pickup unit, an image processing unit 5 for processing image of the X-ray image data, and an input unit 9 for inputting commands related with the operation of the bed, the operation of the X-ray imaging unit, and image processing. The input unit 9 has a noncontact operation input unit 9 capable of detecting position of a finger tip of the operator within the predetermined space without a contact so as to select a desirable command among a list of the command displayed in the monitor.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an X-ray diagnostic apparatus for imaging the inside of a subject with X-rays and for performing fluoroscopy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, there are ultrasonic examination, X-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the like as image diagnosis of circulatory system diseases. The X-ray diagnostic method in which a contrast agent is injected from a catheter inserted into a blood vessel and X-ray imaging is performed is used for the final definitive diagnosis because the state of the X-ray can be directly observed. In recent years, catheters have been used not only for angiography, but also for treatments such as injecting an embolic agent to occlude a blood vessel, or for treating a stenotic part of a blood vessel with a balloon catheter. .

In performing such a procedure, a patient is laid on an examination bed in an examination room, an operator (doctor) stands next to the examination bed, the patient's skin is incised, and a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel. The catheter is inserted, and the catheter is advanced gradually to the vicinity of the target while confirming the X-ray fluoroscopic image projected on the monitor in the examination room.

[0004] In parallel with this catheter operation, the surgeon
It is necessary to perform various operations for image processing such as movement of the couch top, positioning of the X-ray imaging system, enlargement and reduction of a contrast image, and the like.

[0005] For this reason, each time the operator needs to operate,
As shown in FIG. 7, it is necessary to move the line of sight between the monitor screen and the console, which is not only very troublesome, but also delays the work and may lengthen the examination or treatment time. .

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray diagnostic apparatus which allows an operator to perform various operations without moving his / her eyes from a monitor screen.

[0007]

(1) The present invention provides a bed on which a subject is placed, an X-ray imaging unit for taking an X-ray image of the subject, and an X-ray image taken by the X-ray imaging unit. A monitor that displays image data, an image processing unit that performs image processing on the X-ray image data, and an input for inputting commands related to the operation of the bed, the operation of the X-ray imaging unit, and the image processing Means for displaying a list of the command candidates on the monitor, and selecting a desired command from the list of command candidates. Non-contact fingertip detection means for detecting the position of the operator's fingertip in a non-contact manner in a predetermined space, voice recognition means, and viewpoint detection means. One Characterized in that it has a means.

(2) The present invention relates to the apparatus of (1),
The non-contact fingertip detection means, the plurality of television cameras arranged in a positional relationship where the visual field partially overlaps, and the three-dimensional position of the fingertip inserted in the overlapping visual field, the plurality of television cameras, A calculator for calculating from a plurality of captured image data.

(3) The present invention relates to the apparatus of (2),
The input unit displays a pointer at a position on the monitor screen corresponding to the XY position of the three-dimensional position of the fingertip calculated by the computer, and changes a display mode of a command selected by the pointer. Means for determining the command selected by the pointer based on a change in the Z position of the three-dimensional position of the fingertip calculated by the calculator.

(4) The present invention relates to the apparatus of (1),
The command display means displays the command candidates arranged in ascending order according to priority.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to a first embodiment. The X-ray tube 1 and the X-ray detector 3 are opposed to each other with the subject placed on the bed 8 therebetween. When a high voltage is applied from the X-ray high voltage generator 2, X-rays are generated from the X-ray tube 1. This X-ray passes through the subject and is detected by the X-ray detector 3. The X-ray detector 3 may be of a type combining an image intensifier (II), an optical system, and a television camera, or may be a solid-state semiconductor detector.

Although not shown, the bed 8 has many movable parts such as a longitudinal slide of the top plate, a fine movement in a short direction, and a vertical movement, and the X-ray tube 1 and the X-ray detector 3 are connected to each other. Rotation, tilt, approach,
There are many movable parts such as separation, and an operator (operator) can freely move these movable parts to take a picture or see through in an optimal posture.

The signal corresponding to the intensity of the incident X-ray output from the X-ray detector 3 is converted into digital data by an A / D converter 4 and supplied to an image processor 5 as image data. The image processing unit 5 has various image processing functions such as enhancement processing, smoothing processing, enlargement / reduction processing, subtraction (difference) processing, correction processing, and interpolation processing, and is selected by an operator (operator). Image processing is performed on image data. The image data or the processed image data is displayed on the monitor 6 and is stored in the image recording unit 7.
Will be recorded.

The operator can perform operations such as catheter operation while viewing a moving image (perspective image) or a still image (photographed image) displayed on the screen of the monitor 6. During this work, the operator does not have to perform only the catheter operation, switches between fluoroscopy and imaging, changes the imaging posture by moving the movable part of the bed and the support mechanism described above,
An operation of inputting various commands (commands) to the X-ray diagnostic apparatus, such as applying image processing to image data, selecting the image processing, and setting conditions relating to the image processing, is required.

The X-ray diagnostic apparatus includes a non-contact operation input unit 9 and an input processing unit 10 for the purpose of inputting these various commands from the screen of the monitor 6 without moving the eyes. Equipped. Details of the non-contact operation input unit 9 and the input processing unit 10 will be described below with reference to FIG.

The non-contact operation input unit 9 includes two television cameras 11 and 12 arranged in a positional relationship where the visual fields partially overlap each other, and an operator working near the bed 8 Can be easily installed, for example, near the bedside. When the operator puts his hand in the space (three-dimensional position detection area) where the visual fields overlap, the three-dimensional position of the fingertip is photographed by the two television cameras 11 and 12 by the three-dimensional position detection unit 2. It is calculated based on the image data of one sheet. That is, the three-dimensional position detection unit 13 extracts a hand image from each of the two pieces of image data while distinguishing it from the background,
The two-dimensional coordinates of the tip (fingertip) of the image of the hand are obtained, and the three-dimensional position (X, Y, Z) of the fingertip is calculated based on the difference (parallax) between the two-dimensional coordinates.

The fingertip position information is sent to the UI processing unit 14. The operation of the UI processing unit 14 will be described with reference to FIG. When the fingertip position information is sent from the three-dimensional position detection unit 13 (S1), the UI processing unit 14 sorts a plurality of command candidates in accordance with the priority order based on the use frequency and the like by using the fingertip position information as a trigger. Then, the graphic data of the command menu and the graphic data of the UI pointer such as a cursor are supplied to the image processing unit 5 together with the display command. This allows
The created command menu is displayed together with the UI pointer on the screen of the monitor 6 displaying the subject image (S2). This command menu is classified according to the types of commands such as movable parts and image processing, and has a hierarchical structure. The operator narrows down the main command menu in which the type items are listed to the sub menu in order. , A desired command can be easily reached.

The three-dimensional position detector 13 repeatedly calculates the fingertip position information at a frame cycle, and sends the latest fingertip position information to the UI processor 14 one after another (S3).
At this time, when the operator moves the hand up, down, left, and right, the XY coordinates of the fingertip position information change. According to this, the UI processing unit 14
Moves the UI pointer in the screen (S4). Also,
When the UI pointer is over a command candidate in the command menu, the UI processing unit 14 changes the display mode of the command candidate so that it can be distinguished from the others by reverse display, blinking display, and the like (S5).

The operator can select a desired command by moving his hand up, down, left, and right. When the hand is moved forward or backward by a predetermined distance or more, the Z coordinate of the fingertip position information changes by a predetermined amount or more. Accordingly, the UI processing unit 14
Determines the selected command at that time (S
7) The command information is sent to a corresponding destination, for example, if the command is switching between fluoroscopy and imaging, it is sent to a system controller (not shown) that controls it. The image processing unit 5 sends the image data to a movable unit controller (not shown), and further selects image processing and sets image processing conditions.
Send to As a result, an operation corresponding to the command is executed (S8).

As described above, in the present embodiment, by putting a hand in the three-dimensional position detection area in which the visual fields of the two television cameras 11 and 12 are superimposed, a plurality of command candidates become the same as the image. A list is displayed on the screen of the monitor 6. In addition, a desired command can be selected by moving the hand up, down, left, and right in the three-dimensional position detection area. Further, by moving the hand forward or backward, the selected command can be determined and the command can be executed. That is, the operator keeps his / her gaze fixed on the screen of the monitor 6 as shown in FIG. You can enter various commands simply by touching and moving the. In addition, since it is not necessary to touch the console as in the related art, safety against infection and the like is increased.

Although the non-contact operation input unit 9 is employed so that the command selection and the determination operation can be performed while watching the screen, the voice recognition technology and the gaze detection technology (the attention point detection technology) ) Can be applied to achieve the same effect. An embodiment combining these techniques will be described below.

(Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, the operation of inputting a command while keeping the line of sight fixed on the monitor 6 is described.
A part of the operation by the non-contact operation input unit 9 of the first embodiment can be replaced by a voice recognition technology, thereby simplifying the operation and further reducing the burden on the operator.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration of a part related to command input of the X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted. In this embodiment,
In addition to the non-contact operation input unit 9 of the first embodiment, a microphone 15 arranged near the operator for picking up voice generated by the operator and converting it into an electric signal (voice signal); And a voice recognizing unit 17 for recognizing a voice signal output from the PC. The UI processing unit 16 has a function corresponding to the recognition result of the speech recognition unit 17.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the operator inserts his hand into the three-dimensional position detection area of the non-contact operation input unit 9, the UI processing unit 16 is triggered by fingertip position information from the three-dimensional position detection unit 13, enters the voice recognition mode, and enters the monitor mode. 6 displays a message indicating that speech recognition is in progress.

When the operator utters the type of command by voice, a plurality of command candidates belonging to the type are displayed in a menu as in the first embodiment, and are displayed on the monitor 6 where the operator is watching the image up to that point. Is done. This command menu is also sorted according to the priority such as the frequency of use as in the first embodiment.

The operation of selecting a desired command from the command menu and confirming it is performed by moving the hand up, down, left, and right in the three-dimensional position detection area of the non-contact operation input unit 9 as in the first embodiment. By doing so, you can select the desired command, and by moving your hand forward or backward,
The selected command can be determined and the command can be executed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the operator can input a command by hand movement and voice while keeping his / her gaze fixed on the screen of the monitor 6. it can. Instead of the non-contact operation input unit 9, the operations from the display of the command menu to the selection of the command and the finalization of the command may be performed only by voice.

(Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment, the operation of inputting a command while keeping the line of sight fixed to the monitor 6 is described.
This is realized by using a voice recognition technology and a gaze detection technology (point of interest detection technology) without using the non-contact operation input unit 9 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a part related to command input of the X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIGS. 2 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment, the non-contact operation input unit 9 is not provided,
In addition to the microphone 15 and the voice recognition unit 17 of the embodiment, an eye camera 1 of a type that detects the direction of reflected light from a small light source of the cornea or a type that detects a pupil center position by infrared rays
Reference numeral 8 is attached to the operator, and a viewpoint detecting unit 19 for calculating a line of sight (point of interest) based on the direction of the reflected light detected by the eye camera 18 and the pupil center position is provided.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The speech recognition start icon is displayed on the monitor 6 by the UI processing unit 20. When the operator pays attention to the voice recognition start icon, the UI processing unit 20 receives viewpoint position information corresponding to the position of the icon from the viewpoint detection unit 19,
The voice recognition mode is entered, and a message indicating that voice recognition is being performed is displayed on the monitor 6.

When the operator issues a command type by voice, a plurality of command candidates belonging to the type are displayed as a menu on the monitor 6 on which the operator is watching the image. This command menu is also sorted according to the priority such as the frequency of use as in the first embodiment.

When a desired command is focused on from the command menu, the display mode of the command candidate is selected by the UI processing unit 20 in accordance with the viewpoint position information. If the command candidate is acceptable, the operator generates a predetermined voice that means confirmation. The command is executed according to the voice.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the first,
As in the second embodiment, the operator can input a command by voice and viewpoint movement while keeping the line of sight fixed on the screen of the monitor 6. In addition, the operation from the command menu display, command selection, and further command confirmation,
It may be performed only by moving the viewpoint.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be implemented in various modifications. In the above description, the non-contact operation input technology, the combination of the non-contact operation input technology and the voice recognition technology, and the combination of the voice recognition technology and the viewpoint detection technology allow the user to select a command from a command menu display and further determine a command. Although the operations up to this point were performed, this series of operations may be performed independently, or may be performed by a combination of the non-contact operation input technology and the viewpoint detection technology, and The non-contact operation input technology, the voice recognition technology, and the viewpoint detection technology may all be performed in combination.

As a non-contact operation input technique, not only two television cameras are used as described above, but also an alternating magnetic field is generated by a transmitting coil, and attached to a fingertip of an operator in the magnetic field. A method may be adopted in which a change in the magnetic flux is detected by the measurement coil, and the position and direction in the magnetic field are detected based on the change in the magnetic flux.

[0037]

According to the present invention, command candidates are displayed in a list on the same monitor screen as the image, and the non-contact fingertip detecting means and the voice recognizing means are displayed while viewing the list of command candidates. , A desired command can be selected using at least one of the viewpoint detection means. That is, it is not necessary to move the line of sight between the monitor and the console every time a command is input, as in the related art, and various commands can be input while almost closely watching the monitor screen. As a result, the operator (operator) is released from the troublesome movement of the line of sight, and accordingly, the progress of the examination and the treatment is accelerated, so that the examination and the treatment can be shortened and the burden on the patient can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a non-contact operation input unit and an input processing unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a line of sight of an operator in the X-ray diagnostic apparatus of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an input unit and an input processing unit of an X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an input unit and an input processing unit of an X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a line of sight movement of an operator in a conventional X-ray diagnostic apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... X-ray tube, 2 ... X-ray high voltage generator, 3 ... X-ray detection part, 4 ... A / D converter, 5 ... Image processing part, 6 ... Display monitor, 7 ... Image storage part, 8 ... Bed 9 Non-contact input unit 10 Input processing unit 11 Television camera 12 Television camera 13 Three-dimensional position detection unit 14 UI processing unit

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 4C093 AA01 CA15 CA17 CA18 EB02 EB13 EC21 EC28 ED06 ED07 EE01 EE30 FD07 FF01 FF06 FF07 FF13 FF34 FG11 FG13 5C054 AA01 AA05 AA06 CA02 CA04 CE01 EB05 FC01 FC01 DD02 FC01 DD

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A bed on which a subject is placed, an X-ray imaging unit that captures the subject with X-rays, a monitor that displays X-ray image data captured by the X-ray imaging unit, and the X-ray In an X-ray diagnostic apparatus comprising: an image processing unit that performs image processing on image data; and an operation of the bed, an operation of the X-ray imaging unit, and input means for inputting a command related to the image processing. The input means has command display means for displaying a list of the command candidates on the monitor, and command selection means for selecting a desired command from the list of command candidates. The selection means has at least one of a non-contact fingertip detection means for detecting a position of a fingertip of the operator in a non-contact manner in a predetermined space, a voice recognition means, and a viewpoint detection means. X-ray diagnostic apparatus. 2. The non-contact fingertip detecting means, comprising: a plurality of television cameras arranged in a positional relationship in which a visual field partially overlaps; and a three-dimensional position of a fingertip inserted in the superimposed visual field, the plurality of television cameras. 2. The X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a calculator for calculating from a plurality of image data captured by one of the television cameras. 3. The input means includes means for displaying a pointer at a position on the monitor screen corresponding to the XY position of the three-dimensional position of the fingertip calculated by the computer, and a command for a command selected by the pointer. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: means for changing a display mode; and means for determining a command selected by the pointer based on a change in the Z position of the three-dimensional position of the fingertip calculated by the calculator. The X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the command display unit displays the command candidates arranged in ascending order according to a priority order.