JPH11284974A - Image transfer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the security at data transfer in an image transfer system that transfers medical image data among a plurality of LANs, based on a communication system in compliance with the digital imaging and communication medicine(DICOM) standards. SOLUTION: A LAN 1(2) is provided with an encryption relay server P1(2) that encrypts/decodes medical image data. In the case of transferring medical image data, the encryption relay server P1 encrypts the medical image data, and the encrypted medical image data are transferred to the server P2 of the LAN 2 via the Internet. The encryption relay server P2 decodes the encrypted medical image data and transfers the medical image data to the terminal 2 that has made a request of data transfer. Thus, the terminal T2 can diagnose the data by displaying the desired medical image data on a CRT or the like.

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. 2 shows the configuration of an image transfer system for transferring medical image data based on the DICOM standard. The image transfer system shown in FIG. 2 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]

On the other hand, when transferring medical image data between a plurality of LANs or terminals based on the communication method of the DICOM standard, the transfer is often performed via the Internet or a telephone line. When data is transferred, there is a risk that the data may be accidentally transferred to a completely unrelated place, or the data may be stolen and decrypted. In addition, the stolen data is modified and transferred, and there is a risk that a terminal receiving the modified medical image data may make a misdiagnosis, so that the security is extremely low.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an image transfer system capable of improving the security when transferring medical image data by the communication method of the DICOM standard.

[0007]

An image transfer system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of LANs each having at least one terminal.
In an image transfer system for transferring medical image data based on the communication method of the DICOM standard, an encryption relay server for encrypting and decrypting the medical image data is provided in each of the LANs, The encrypted medical image data is transferred between the virtualization relay servers.

[0008] In the present invention, "medical image data"
Contains not only image data but also patient diagnostic information. In the case where there is only one terminal, it cannot be said that the LAN is used.
It shall be included in AN.

Further, in the image transfer system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the encryption relay server restricts a terminal that transfers the medical image data in addition to the encryption and the decryption.

[0010] Here, "restricting terminals for transferring medical image data" means limiting terminals and users who access the encryption relay server, or encrypting according to the port number of the port to which the terminal is connected. Limiting the terminals that can be connected to the relay server.

[0011]

According to the present invention, since each LAN is provided with an encryption relay server for encrypting and decrypting medical image data, the medical image data is encrypted and transferred, and the encrypted medical image data is transmitted. The received data is decrypted by the encrypted relay server of the LAN and sent to the terminal.
Therefore, even if the medical image data is transferred to the wrong place or stolen, the contents cannot be known unless the medical image data is decoded, so that the data is not decrypted. Also, even if the data is altered, the altered data cannot be decrypted by the encryption relay server, so that the data can be known to have been altered, which eliminates the possibility of making a misdiagnosis. It is possible to improve security when transferring image data.

[0012] Further, by restricting the terminals to which the medical image data is transferred, there is no danger of transferring the medical image data only to a more limited terminal, so that the security can be further improved.

[0013]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an image transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention performs transfer of medical image data between a LAN 1 of a certain hospital and a LAN 2 of another hospital based on a communication system of the DICOM standard. is there. LAN1 has one terminal T
1, an encryption relay server P1, an image server and a database (not shown) are provided. The LAN 2 is provided with three terminals T2, T3, T4, an encryption relay server P2, and an image server and a database (not shown).
It is assumed that LAN1 and LAN2 are connected by the Internet. In addition, the encryption relay server P
Reference numerals 1 and P2 encrypt the medical image data sent from the terminals T1 to T4 and transfer the encrypted medical image data to another LAN, and decrypt the encrypted medical image data and transfer the decrypted medical image data to the terminals T1 to T4.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In addition, even if the transfer is from LAN1 to LAN2,
Since the same processing is performed even when transfer is performed from LAN2 to LAN1, in this embodiment, transfer of medical image data is performed from LAN1 to terminal T2 of LAN2. When medical image data is to be transferred from LAN1 to LAN2, the terminal T1 first inputs the fact to the encryption relay server P1. The encryption relay server P1 receives the medical image data from the image server in the LAN1, and encrypts the medical image data. Then, the encryption relay server P
1 sends the encrypted medical image data to the encryption relay server P2 of the LAN 2 via the Internet. In the encryption relay server P2, the encrypted medical image data is decrypted by the decryption key corresponding to the encryption key in the encryption relay server P1, and the medical image data obtained by the decryption is transmitted. To the terminal T2. This allows the terminal T2 to display medical image data and make a diagnosis.

As described above, in this embodiment, each L
Since the AN1 and the LAN2 are provided with the encryption relay servers P1 and P2 for encrypting and decrypting the medical image data, the medical image data is encrypted and transferred, and the encryption of the LAN2 that receives the encrypted medical image data is performed. The data is decrypted in the relay server P2 and sent to the terminal T2. Therefore, even if the medical image data is transferred to the wrong place or stolen, the contents cannot be known without decoding the medical image data,
Data will not be decrypted. Also, even if the data is altered, the altered data cannot be decrypted by the encryption relay server, so that the data can be known to have been altered, which eliminates the possibility of making a misdiagnosis. It is possible to improve security when transferring image data.

In the above-described embodiment, it is preferable to limit the terminals that access the encryption relay servers P1 and P2 in addition to the encryption and decryption of the medical image data in the encryption relay servers P1 and P2. For example, terminals or users who can access the encryption relay servers P1 and P2 are restricted, or the encryption relay servers P1 and P2
The port number of the terminal port connected to
The terminal to be accessed is restricted by the port number. This eliminates the risk of transferring the medical image data only to a limited number of terminals, so that the security can be further improved.

In the above embodiment, two LAs are used.
Although medical image data is transferred between N1 and LAN2, the present invention can be applied to a case where medical image data is transferred between three or more LANs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional image transfer system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 T1 to T4 Terminal P1, P2 Encrypted relay server

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of Ls with at least one terminal
In an image transfer system for transferring medical image data between ANs based on a communication method of the DICOM standard, an encryption relay server for encrypting and decrypting the medical image data is provided in each of the LANs. An image transfer system for transferring encrypted medical image data between encryption relay servers. 2. The image transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the encryption relay server restricts a terminal that transfers the medical image data in addition to the encryption and the decryption.