# US 11,439,366 B2 · Image processing apparatus, ultrasound diagnosis system, operation method of image processing apparatus, and computer-readable recording medium

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- Number: US 11,439,366 B2
- Document ID: US11439366B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/441,147
- Filed: 2019-06-14
- Published: 2019-11-28
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-19
- Assignees: Olympus Corporation
- Applicants: Olympus Corporation
- Inventors: Tomohiro Sabata
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11439366B2

## CPC

- A61B 8/469: {for selection of a region of interest}
- A61B 1/045: Control thereof
- A61B 8/461: {Displaying means of special interest}
- A61B 8/465: {adapted to display user selection data, e.g. icons or menus}
- A61B 8/467: {characterised by special input means}
- A61B 8/5223: {for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data (for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012)}
- G01S 7/52071: {Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging}
- G01S 7/52073: {Production of cursor lines, markers or indicia by electronic means}
- G06F 3/147: using display panels
- G06T 1/00: General purpose image data processing
- G09G 5/08: Cursor circuits
- G16H 50/30: for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
- A61B 8/06: Measuring blood flow
- A61B 8/12: in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters
- A61B 8/485: {involving measuring strain or elastic properties}
- G06T 2207/20104: Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI]
- G09G 2340/0464: Positioning
- G09G 2340/12: Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
- G09G 2354/00: Aspects of interface with display user
- G09G 2380/08: Biomedical applications
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA

## Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes: a display controller configured to cause a display to display an image including a first pointer having a predetermined shape superimposed thereon and move a position of the first pointer within the image in accordance with an input position that is input from an input device; a region-of-interest setting circuit configured to set a region corresponding to the position of the first pointer within the image as a region of interest when a confirmation operation for confirming the input position is input to the input device; and a distance determining circuit configured to determine a distance between a first representative position of the first pointer and a second representative position of the region of interest within the image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image processing apparatus comprising:
a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to:
cause a display to display an image having a first pointer superimposed thereon, the first pointer having a predetermined shape;
move a position of the first pointer within the image in accordance with an input position that is input from an input device;
in response to a first confirmation operation for confirming the input position being input to the input device, set a region corresponding to the position of the first pointer within the image as one region of interest
determine whether a distance between a first representative position of the first pointer and a second representative position of another region of interest, the first representative position of the first pointer being a position according to the input position that is input to the input device after the one region of interest is set, is shorter than a predetermined distance; and
in response to determining that the distance between the first representative position and the second representative position is shorter than the predetermined distance:
switch a first indicator of the another region of interest to a second indicator in a selected state notifying that the another region of interest is being selected;
switch the first pointer to a second pointer different from the first pointer; and
cause the display to display the image having the second indicator and the second pointer superimposed on the image.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the processor is configured to:
in response to a second confirmation operation being input to the input device:
determine whether a shortest distance between a center position of the second pointer and an outer periphery of the another region of interest is shorter than a second predetermined distance; and
in response to determining that the shortest distance between the center position of the second pointer and the outer periphery of the another region of interest is shorter than the second predetermined distance, deform the another region of interest in accordance with a movement of the input position that is input.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The image processing apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the processor is configured to:
in response to determining that the shortest distance between the center position of the second pointer and the outer periphery of the another region of interest is not shorter than the second predetermined distance:
determine whether the center position of the second pointer is within the another region of interest; and
in response to determining that the center position of the second pointer is within the another region of interest:
cancel a setting of the another region of interest; and
place the first pointer in a region of which the setting as the another region of interest has been cancelled.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the processor is configured to:
determine whether the region corresponding to the position of the first pointer is overlapped with the another region of interest; and
in response to determining that the region corresponding to the position of the first pointer is overlapped with the another region of interest, switch a first indicator of the region corresponding to the position of the first pointer overlapped with the another region of interest to a second indicator in a selected state notifying that the region corresponding to the position of the first pointer is the one region of interest.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the processor is configured to:
determine whether the another region of interest has an inclusion relation with at least any one of regions of interest other than the one region of interest; and
in response to determining that the distance between the first representative position and the second representative position is shorter than the predetermined distance and determining that the another region of interest has the inclusion relation with the at least any one of regions of interest other than the one region of interest
switch a first indicator of the at least any one of regions of interest having the inclusion relation with the another region of interest to a second indicator in a selected state notifying that the at least any one of regions of interest is being selected; and
cause the display to display the image having the second indicator notifying that the another region of interest is being selected, the second indicator notifying that the at least any one of regions of interest having the inclusion relation with the another region of interest is selected and the second pointer superimposed on the image.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the processor is configured to, in response to two or more inputs of the input position that is input from the input device, cause the display to display the image constantly having the first pointer superimposed thereon.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the image is an ultrasound image generated based on an ultrasound signal received from an ultrasound transducer configured to transmit an ultrasound wave to an observation target and receive an ultrasound wave reflected by the observation target.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

An ultrasound diagnosis system comprising:
the image processing apparatus according to claim 1; and
an ultrasound endoscope comprising an ultrasound transducer configured to transmit an ultrasound wave to an observation target, receive an ultrasound signal reflected by the observation target, and output the ultrasound signal to the image processing apparatus,
wherein the processor of the image processing apparatus is configured to process the ultrasound signal to generate the image.

### Claim 9

An operation method of an image processing apparatus, the operation method comprising:
causing a display to display an image having a first pointer superimposed thereon, the first pointer having a predetermined shape;
moving a position of the first pointer within the image in accordance with an input position that is input from an input device;
in response to a first confirmation operation for confirming the input position being input to the input device, setting a region corresponding to the position of the first pointer within the image as one region of interest;
determining whether a distance between a first representative position of the first pointer and a second representative position of another region of interest, the first representative position of the first pointer being a position according to the input position that is input to the input device after the one region of interest is set, is shorter than a predetermined distance; and
in response to determining that the distance between the first representative position and the second representative position is shorter than the predetermined distance:
switching a first indicator of the another region of interest to a second indicator in a selected state notifying that the another region of interest is being selected;
switching the first pointer to a second pointer different from the first pointer; and
causing the display to display the image having the second indicator and the second pointer superimposed on the image.

### Claim 10

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having an executable program recorded therein, the executable program instructing a processor to execute the following:
causing a display to display an image having a first pointer superimposed thereon, the first pointer having a predetermined shape;
moving a position of the first pointer within the image in accordance with an input position that is input from an input device;
in response to a first confirmation operation for confirming the input position being input to the input device, setting a region corresponding to the position of the first pointer within the image as one region of interest;
determining whether a distance between a first representative position of the first pointer and a second representative position of another region of interest, the first representative position of the first pointer being a position according to the input position that is input to the input device after the one region of interest is set, is shorter than a predetermined distance; and
in response to determining that the distance between the first representative position and the second representative position is shorter than the predetermined distance:
switching a first indicator of the another region of interest to a second indicator in a selected state notifying that the another region of interest is being selected;
switching the first pointer to a second pointer different from the first pointer; and
causing the display to display the image having the second indicator and the second pointer superimposed on the image.