JPS61172540A - Method for storing medical data - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to optical data information storage, and in particular to laser recorded direct read after-sales, such as medical optical images and medical diagnostics associated with the optical images. - Concerns a method for recording both DRAW and reflective data on an information medium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the field of archival data storage, there is often a need to store audio-visual information. Digital information added by a small laser recorder, stored radiographs, CAT
-Scan (cat scan) photo, micrograph, N
It could be of considerable value for MR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and ultrasound scan photographs and other diagnostic images. Such an at-on record is
It has the potential to be separated from recorded films during storage in medical archives. Even without separation, the differences in archival storage characteristics, ie, film versus paper, pose storage issues.

In United States Patent No. 4.236.332,
Tomo (Doa+o) includes a microfilm part,
The present invention discloses a wallet-type medical record card for an individual to carry, which includes data that can be viewed with the naked eye and other data that can be viewed by enlarging the card.

The directly visible data are code characters regarding the patient's emergency medical condition, and the expandable data section lists the medical history. Such cards are not intended for archival purposes and cannot be used for that purpose. Cards cannot contain X-rays, CAT scans, etc. without significant loss of resolution.

In US Pat. No. 4.110.020, JOhnSOn et al. add a bar code along the edge of a microfilm having an image area. These codes are used by the film reader to position the desired frame. Barcodes are rather limited in the format and amount of information they can display, making it undesirable to use them with detailed medical information.

It is an object of this invention to record medical information such as diagnosis directly onto a medium with an accompanying visible image, such as an X-ray photograph, CAT scan, NMR scan or ultrasound scan photograph or micrograph. It is to give to

Another object of the invention is to record information before, during or after forming a visible image.

Yet another object of this invention is to record standard alphanumeric diagnoses, physician-constructed spoken diagnoses or other recorded spoken word diagnoses in combination with medical photographs on storage media such as film. It is to be.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The above objects have been met by recording medical information on a strip of direct read-after-write laser recordable material that is provided on a medical photographic storage medium next to a medical image. This medium is typically a film, which can be unexposed or exposed in plate, strip or roll form. X-ray photographs, CAT scan photographs,
The film records visible images of the body, such as NMR and ultrasound scans, micrographs, and other diagnostic images. Data strips can be recorded in situ or prerecorded on blank optical media and added to the film.

Analytical or interpretive data such as diagnostic or anatomical descriptions are integrated with the photographic record and both are stored together. the laser beam by ablation of the metal layer, thereby forming a cavity, or by deformation, thereby forming a spot;
Data is recorded on a strip of laser recordable material. Differences in reflectance or transmittance can be detected by a photodetector. In this manner, data regarding the visible image is digitally recorded and read directly from the strip. The reflective strip may contain prerecorded data, simultaneously recorded data, or data recorded after exposure of the photosensitive film of the medium.

No post-laser recording processing is required for the recording stripline since it is a direct read-after-write material. The uniform surface reflectance of the reflective strip before recording will typically be in the range of 15% to 65%. For best modes of operation, a reflectance of 25% to 50% will typically be used.

The average reflectance above the laser recorded holes will be in the range of 6% to 12%. Therefore, the reflective contrast ratio of the recorded holes would be in the range between 2:1 and 8:1. Photographic pre-formatting will produce a spot with 10% reflectance.

Laser scanning systems record and read using mirror-directed laser beams and photodetectors. C
Photodetector arrays such as ODs may also be used. A laser light source, such as a semiconductor laser, emits a beam that is directed to a first servo-controlled mirror. The mirror is mounted for rotation along the axis so that the beam can be moved in a transverse force direction on the strip. The strip has data tracks extending along the length of the strip. The lateral movement of the beam thus allows different tracks to be recorded and read out. From the first mirror, the beam is
servo-controlled deflection direction. This second mirror is mounted for rotation along an axis so that the beam can be moved longitudinally along the strip. In this way, the beam moves along the track a
When reading and writing one track, the first mirror is
Move incremental amounts so that the next track can be scanned. It is also possible to align the tracks in the cross direction and switch the scan direction so that the scan direction is across the strip. The difference in reflectance between the data spots generates an electrical signal corresponding to the spot,
Detected by a photodetector such as a photodiode. Pre-recorded reference position information may be present on the strip to aid in servo control.

An advantage of this invention is that the laser recorded data is not separated from the corresponding image data and both have similar archival characteristics. This strip may be placed directly onto the photographic film or film substrate.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, the data medium used in the present invention comprises a photosensitive medium 11 having a flat major surface 13 divided into a photographic image area 15 and a data strip 17. may be seen as including. The photosensitive medium 11 is preferably a photographic film in sheet form, such as an X-ray film,
Plate film, microfiche film or high resolution photographic plates of the type used in the semiconductor industry.

Photographic image area 15 is a conventional photographic image, produced by conventional photographic techniques, typically by exposing and developing film. The image area 15 includes, except for the data strip or discrete area shown in FIG.
The entire film may be dedicated. It may be similar to discrete area motion photographic film or roll film or microfiche film, where several images are provided on one film member. Alternatively, only one image may be on the film.

The invention features an optical data strip 17 that is a direct read after write (DRAW) material that may have prerecorded information and/or user written information. The type of DRAW material used creates a relatively shiny field versus spots of low reflectivity such as bits, craters, holes or dark spots on reflective surfaces that tend to absorb light energy. It is a highly reflective material. The contrast difference between spots of low reflectance and the shiny reflective field surrounding them causes those spots to be illuminated by less intense light than the light that originally created them. Detector fluctuations occur when There are also laser recording materials that create reflective spots in the dark field.

Data strip 17 is intended to provide an archival data record that accompanies photographic images on the same material in the same way that a movie soundtrack accompanies individual frames of film. Data is written in longitudinally extending individual tracks, as shown by the spot pattern 19, and these spot patterns are such that the data tracks contain a much higher density of information in reflection than in transmission. Similar to a soundtrack on a film, except it is read out normally. Since each of the spots in the spot pattern are approximately 5 microns in diameter with spacing of approximately 5-20 microns between spots, the information density is high. The spots can be either digital or analog data, but in either case, as described, for example, by Bouldin et al.
U.S. Patent No. 4.278.756 for
recorded by a laser in the usual way, as shown in .

FIG. 2 shows that, except when a larger photosensitive medium 21 is used with multiple rows of images 23, 25 and 27,
Similar to Figure 1. Compatible data strip 33.35
and 37 with images in each row. These data strips are similar in configuration to the strips of FIG. Again, each row need not have an individually different image. Each row may consist of multiple images or one image. The embodiment of FIG. 2 is a microfiche type medium in which each row of images has corresponding data on a data strip. The image is such that it can be seen with the naked eye or with low magnification (magnification) optics. On the other hand, the data strip does not have to be read with the naked eye, but needs to be read out by microscopy or preferably by reflection of a scanning laser beam as described below.

FIG. 3 shows a first configuration of the recording medium shown in FIG. The cross-sectional view includes a substrate 22, which is transparent and may be glass or one of a number of polymeric substrate materials known in the photographic art.

Alternative layers not shown and emulsion layer 24
is applied to the substrate 22. This emulsion layer has photographic image areas 15 created by exposure and development in the conventional manner. Wavy 1126 indicates fibrous black eye particles, which characterize the black and bright images of normal photographs. Data strip 17 is halogenated with fine grain size, less than 0.1 microns, by a silver diffusion transfer process described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,938 (Drexler and Bouldin), incorporated herein by reference. A laser recording material made from silver emulsion. Data strip 17 is created before processing image area 15.

In the patented process, a silver halide emulsion is exposed to non-saturating levels of actinic radiation to activate the silver halide. The activated emulsion is then photodeveloped to red light to a gray color with an optical density of 0.05-2.0 to form an absorbing underlayer. No fusing occurs after the first development strip. The surface of the emulsion strip is then fogged with a fogging agent such as hydrogenated boron to nucleate silver precipitation from the unexposed and undeveloped portions of the silver halide emulsion.

The strip is then contacted with a bath containing a silver halide solvent and a silver reducing agent to complex and transfer the remaining unexposed and undeveloped silver and form a reflective non-fiber at the location of the nuclei on the surface. It is reduced to silver.

The reflective layer contains 20% to 50% silver particles, of which 1% to
50% is fibrous silver formed in the initial development step. Beneath the reflective layer is an absorbent underlayer.

The reflective surface layer is characterized by non-fibrous particles 28 overlying a concentration of fibrous particles forming an absorbent underlayer. An untreated silver halide buffer area 3o, which generally remains transparent, separates the data strip from the image area, since it has not been exposed or developed. Although buffer region 30 is not necessary, it is desirable because the chemical processing of data strip 17 is different from that of image region 15. Buffer area 30
may be fixed to remove the silver halide so that the area remains clear.

This is optional. A mask! Image processing may be performed by spraying a chemical agent onto the surface of the film while covering the 1lili area 30. Such atomization processes are well known in photolithography. however,
In this case, it may be necessary to proceed in two steps.

In a first step, conventional photographic processing of image area 26 is performed. Subsequently, the image area, together with the buffer area 30, is masked to allow further processing of the data strip 28.

After processing is complete, a transparent 1i32 is applied to the emulsion to form a protective layer. Layer 32 may be any of the well-known protective coatings, including a layer of transparent gelatin.Apart from data strip 17, the remainder of the film need not have a fine grain size. Strip 17 can also be added to photographic film in the form of adhesive tape, which is adhered to the photographic film either before or after the film is developed.

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 except that substrate 34 is coated with silver halide emulsion only to the right of line 36. Image area 15 is exposed, developed and fixed. A protective coating 38 may then be applied. A preformed strip 4o of laser recording material may be provided on the substrate. This may be a strip of □ rexon material.

Drexson is the owner of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,312.
938 is a trademark of Drexler Technology Corporation for reflective silver-based laser recording materials.

The preformed strip of laser recording material has its own thin substrate 39 carrying the emulsion layer. Alternatively, the recording material may be other direct read-after-write laser recording materials such as those described in De Bont, et al., issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,938. Any material may be used; this patent describes Bi, Te,
, Ind, Sn, Cu.

An, Pt, Au, Rh, As, Sb, Ge
teaches thin metallic recording layers of reflective metals such as , Se, Qa. Preferred materials are those with high reflectivity and low melting points, especially Cd, Sn, Ti.

In D, si and amalgam. These materials are deposited onto the substrate 3, such as by sputtering.
4 or may be prefabricated onto a very thin substrate and attached to the substrate by alternative layers. After depositing the DRAW material onto the substrate, a transparent protective coating 44 is applied. This coating material may be the same as the protective material 38.

Referring to FIG. 5, a substrate 52 has a cutout or groove 54 that has a DRAW
Allows placement of material 56. This DRAW material can be either from the pre-existing silver halide material in the grooves, as in the case of Figure 3, or from the pre-existing DRA material of Figure M4.
Pre-existing DRAW placed in the groove, like W material
Materials may be processed in situ. In either case, photographic image areas 15 are exposed and developed as usual, while unexposed and undeveloped areas 58 protect data strips 56. Since emulsion area 58 is unexposed and undeveloped, it remains transparent and forms a protective layer over the data strip.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, there are no grooves in the substrate 60. Rather, photographic image areas 15 are exposed and developed in the conventional manner, and the remainder of the substrate is covered with an emulsion that is masked and protected from exposure and development, leaving protected areas 62 exposed and developed. Form. At the top of the protected area 62, there is a DR
A strip of AW material 64 is positioned. This DR
The AW material may be formed in situ by applying a silver halide emulsion strip to be processed when the data strip 17 of FIG. 3 is processed, or it may be "applied" as in FIG. It may be a pre-formed strip; this strip is then covered with a protective coating 66.

Referring to FIG. 7, a substrate 70 is shown which carries a photographic image in a portion of the substrate not shown. This image may be on the surface of the substrate or in a groove in the substrate, as described above.

The substrate carries a secondary substrate 72 which is a thin flexible material, with only a few mils of solder carrying DRAW material 74.

Secondary substrate 72 is adhered to primary substrate 70 by an adhesive or sticky substance similar to the soft adhesive found on tape. The DRAW material may be any of the materials previously discussed, such as the DREXON material, except that the secondary substrate 72 is used in place of the second previously described substrate.

A protective coating 76 is applied over the DRAW material.

Using this embodiment, prior art photographs may be converted to optical data and image media of the present invention. In this situation, although not shown in the drawing of FIG. 7, a portion of the image area is converted to a non-image area by applying adhesive DRAW material. The DRAW material overlies a developed silver halide emulsion similar to FIG. 6, except that the emulsion is exposed and developed in the area underlying the secondary nubstrate.

In all of these embodiments, the strip of DRAW material is positioned adjacent to one or more photographic images to provide a similar quality of archival data storage for data as for photographic images. A comment in alphanumeric or audio form may be recorded adjacent to the photographic image. By this measure, these two forms of communication are not separated.

This configuration is particularly suitable for adding analytical information to X-rays used for medical purposes or for non-destructive testing, or to micrographs of biological objects or metallurgical structures. worth it.

Of course, the photographic image may be read out by conventional means, but a low power laser or photodetector array device must be used to read out the data strip.

The laser apparatus is illustrated in FIG. 8, which shows a side view of the longitudinal dimension of the medium of FIG. 1 consisting of a data strip in combination with a photographic image. The data strip portion 41 of this medium is typically received in a movable holder 42 that brings the strip into the trajectory of the laser beam.

A laser light source 43, preferably a pulsed semiconductor laser at an infrared wavelength, emits a beam 45;
passes through optical means 47 which create and converge parallel beams. The beam is sampled by beam splitter 49, which transmits a portion of the beam via converging lens 51 to photodetector B53. Detector 53 confirms laser writing and is not essential. next,
The beam is directed onto a first servo-controlled mirror 55, which is mounted for rotation along an axis 57 in the direction indicated by arrow B. The purpose of the mirror 55 is, in the coarse mode of operation, to find the lateral edge of the data strip, and then, in the fine mode of operation, to identify the data path that exists at a predetermined distance from the edge. It is.

From mirror 55, a beam is directed in 161 directions. This mirror is mounted for rotation on a pivot 63. Mirror 55
The purpose of this is to provide fine control of the beam motion along the length of the data strip. Coarse control of the longitudinal section of the data strip with respect to the beam is achieved by movement of the movable holder 42. Holder position may be established by a linear motor regulated by a closed loop position subsystem of the type used in magnetic disk drives. Reference position information may be pre-recorded on the card so that a position W1 error signal may be generated and used as feedback in motor control. When reading one data path, mirror 55 is rotated slightly. The motor moves the holder 42 in the longitudinal direction so that its path can be read out again, for example. When light is scattered and reflected from a spot of DRAW material, the reflectance of the beam changes with respect to the surrounding material where no spot is present. The beam should distribute sufficient laser energy to the surface of the recording material to create a spot of altered reflectance in the data writing mode.
There should not be any surface splitting that would cause difficulties in the data read mode. The wavelength of the laser must be compatible with the recording material to achieve this purpose. In recording mode, the output is about 5% to 10% of the recording or writing output
It is.

The difference in reflectance between the spot and the surrounding material is detected by a photodetector 65, which may be a photodiode. The light passes through a beam splitter 67 and a converging lens 6
9 onto the detector 65. A servo motor, not shown, controls the position of the mirror and drives the mirror according to instructions received not only from the feedback device but also from the control circuit. Detector 65 generates electrical signals corresponding to the bits. Other optical means, not shown, are used to observe the optical image, while data is read or written on the data strip.

Photodetector arrays such as CODs may also be used. It can be either a linear array or an area array. The number of detector elements per track will be approximately 3 elements to create readout redundancy. The surface will be illuminated with low cost light emitting diodes that produce output primarily in the near infrared to match the sensitivity spectrum of the photodetector array.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a first embodiment of the recording medium of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of a second embodiment of the invention. 3-6 are alternate cross-sectional configurations of the media of FIG. 1 taken along line A--A of FIG. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the alternating embodiment of the media of FIG. 8 is a plan view of an optical device for reading and writing the data strip portion of the media shown in FIG. 1; FIG. In the figure, 11 is a photosensitive medium, 13 is a main surface, 15 is a photographic image area, 17 is a data strip, 19 is a spot pattern, 23. 25 and 27 are images, 33.35 and 37 are data strips, 30 is an m-bump area, 26 is an image area, and 28 is a data strip. Patent applicant: Drexler Technology Co., Ltd. Engraving of the drawings (no changes to the contents)

Claims (20)

[Claims] (1) producing a medical photograph on a photographic storage medium, disposing a direct read-after-write optical data storage thin layer in side-by-side relationship with the medical photograph on the photographic storage medium, and relating to the medical photograph; A method of recording medical data, comprising: recording medical information on said thin optical data storage layer. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical information associated with the medical photograph is an anatomical description of the photograph. (3) The method of claim 1, wherein the medical information related to the medical photo is a medical diagnosis related to the photo. (4) The method according to claim 1, wherein the medical photograph is an X-ray photograph. (5) the medical photograph is a cat-scan photograph;
A method according to claim 1. (6) The method according to claim 1, wherein the medical photograph is an ultrasound scan photograph. (7) The method according to claim 1, wherein the medical photograph is a photomicrograph. (8) The method according to claim 1, wherein the medical photograph is a nuclear magnetic resonance image. (9) The method according to claim 1, wherein the medical information is audio information. (10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the medical information is alphanumeric. (11) disposing a direct read-after-write optical data storage thin layer on an unexposed medical photographic storage medium, exposing and developing a medical photograph on the photographic storage medium; A method for recording medical data, comprising recording medical information related to said photograph on a thin layer. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the medical information associated with the medical photograph is an anatomical description of the photograph. (13) The method of claim 11, wherein the medical information related to the medical photo is a medical diagnosis regarding the photo. (14) The method according to claim 11, wherein the medical photograph is an X-ray photograph. (15) The method according to claim 11, wherein the medical photograph is a cat-scan photograph. (16) The method according to claim 11, wherein the medical photograph is an ultrasound scan photograph. (17) The method according to claim 11, wherein the medical photograph is a photomicrograph. (18) The method according to claim 11, wherein the medical photograph is a nuclear magnetic resonance image. (19) The method according to claim 11, wherein the medical information is audio information. (20) The method according to claim 11, wherein the medical information is alphanumeric.