Abstract:
A remote viewing system includes a plurality of local workstations and a remote console. Each of the local workstations provides screen update data. The remote console is operable to receive the screen update data from the plurality of local workstations and display the screen update data for at least two of the local workstations on a display. A method for remotely interfacing with a plurality of local workstations, each providing screen update data, includes receiving the screen update data from each of the local workstations. The screen update data for at least two of the local workstations is displayed on a display.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Not applicable.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not applicable  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The field of the invention relates generally to the observation of multiple workstations, and more particularly to the simultaneous observation and/or operation of a plurality of workstations by a remote console.  
         [0004]     This section of this document is intended to introduce various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention described and/or claimed below. This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.  
         [0005]     Medical institutions and facilities offer an increasingly wide range of services and procedures to address the needs of the patients. The services offered by the medical institutions, such as hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities, may include medical imaging of the patients. A wide variety of medical imaging systems, such as x-ray system, computed tomography (CT) system, positron emission tomography (PET) system, electron beam tomography (EBT) system, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, ultrasound system, tomosynthesis system, and so forth may be utilized in the medical facilities. The medical imaging systems may produce detailed images of a patient&#39;s internal tissues and organs, thereby mitigating the need for invasive exploratory procedures and providing valuable tools for identifying and diagnosing disease or for verifying wellness.  
         [0006]     To provide support for the medical imaging systems, technicians and other support personnel may be utilized to train personnel on the operation of the medical imaging systems and/or to troubleshoot problems with the medical imaging systems. Though the number of these imaging systems has increased, the personnel qualified to service the imaging systems or assist in instructing new technicians in their use has not increased at the same rate. In addition, because the medical imaging systems may be geographically dispersed, the support of these imaging systems may be very costly. It may not be feasible for a technician to travel to each medical imaging system to provide the training and/or the troubleshooting needed.  
         [0007]     To address the cost and support issues, the instructors and/or the technicians may remotely interact with the local operator workstation through a remote console observation to provide training and/or troubleshooting for the imaging system. The remote console observation may utilize a network that connects the local operator workstation at the imaging system with the remote operator workstation to provide the interaction between the systems. By utilizing the network for this interaction, travel time and costs associated with the servicing and training of personnel for the medical imaging systems may be reduced. For example, a remote service technician may access the imaging system to perform diagnostic routines, to configure imaging settings, or to train; a local operator of the imaging system, while being located in a centralized service center.  
         [0008]     Previous remote observation systems allow a single connection between the local operator and the remote console. Hence, a one-to-one ratio of training personnel to trainees is required. Hence, when a new tool or interface is released a trainer may have to repeat the same training for many different operators, which it time consuming and expensive.  
         [0009]     The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     One aspect of the present invention is seen in a remote viewing system including a plurality of local workstations and a remote console. Each of the local workstations provides screen update data. The remote console is operable to receive the screen update data from the plurality of local workstations and display the screen update data for at least two of the local workstations on a display.  
         [0011]     Another aspect of the present invention is seen in a method for remotely interfacing with a plurality of local workstations. Each local workstation provides screen update data. The method includes receiving the screen update data from each of the local workstations. The screen update data for at least two of the local workstations is displayed on a display.  
         [0012]     These and other objects, advantages and aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention and reference is made, therefore, to the claims herein for interpreting the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     The invention will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and:  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a simplified block diagram of a medical imaging system including multiple remote workstations in accordance with one aspect of the present invention; and  
         [0015]      FIGS. 2, 3 ,  4 , and  5  illustrate exemplary display layouts for monitoring and controlling the remote workstations in the system of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]     One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.  
         [0017]     Turning now to the drawings, referring initially to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary medical imaging system  10  is depicted. The medical imaging system includes a remote console  12  and a plurality of imaging systems  14 . The imaging systems  14  may be located within a common facility or geographically dispersed amongst numerous facilities. The remote console  12  is remote in that it may not be physically located in the proximity of the imaging systems  14 . Each imaging system  14  maintains a connection over a network  16  with the remote console  12 . The type of network  16  employed may vary depending on the distances between the remote console  12  and the imaging systems  14 . For instance, if the imaging systems  14  are operated in the same facility or by the same entity, a local area network, or wide area networks may be used. For more dispersed imaging systems  14 , a global network, such as the Internet, may be used. For instance, the network  16  may include a local intranet within the medical facility, a service network between the medical facility and the remote console  12 , a direct communication line between the imaging system  14  and the remote console  12 , a virtual private network (VPN) established over the Internet, and so forth. In general, the network  16  allows data exchange between the remote console  12  and one or more components of the imaging systems  14 . As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, any suitable circuitry, such as modems, routers, switches, servers, firewalls, and so forth may be included within the network  16 . Various security protocols are known in the art and may be used to secure the connections employed over the network  16 .  
         [0018]     A user operating the remote console  12  may simultaneously observe or interact with all of the imaging systems  14 . Each of the imaging systems  14  is typically complex and requires periodic maintenance and/or periodic instruction for technicians or personnel using the imaging system  10 . As the availability of qualified service technicians may be limited, remote access for training and diagnostics purposes may be utilized. The connections between the remote console  12  and the imaging system  14  may allow the transfer of images as well as bi-directional voice or text communication.  
         [0019]     One of the imaging systems  14  is illustrated in greater detail. The operations and functions of the imaging system  14  may be controlled by a local operator workstation  20 . Generally, the imaging system  14  includes an imager  22  that detects signals and converts the signals into useful data. As described more fully below, the imager  22  may operate in accordance with various physical principals for creating the image data. The imager  22  creates image data indicative of regions of interest in a patient  24 , either in a conventional film or in a digital media.  
         [0020]     The imager  22  operates under the control of system control circuitry  26 . The system control circuitry  26  may include a wide variety of circuits, such as radiation source control circuits, timing circuits, circuits for the coordination of data acquisition in conjunction with patient or table movement, circuits for controlling the position of the radiation source and detectors and so forth. In the present context, the system control circuitry  26  may also include memory elements for storing programs and routines executed by the system control circuitry  26  or by associated components of the imaging system.  
         [0021]     The imager  22 , following acquisition of the image data or signals, may process the signals, such as for conversion to digital values, and forward the image data to data acquisition circuitry  28 . In the case of analog media, such as photographic film, the data acquisition system may generally include supports for the film, as well as equipment for developing the film and producing hard copies that may be subsequently digitized. For digital systems, the data acquisition circuitry  28  may perform a wide range of initial processing functions, such as adjustment of digital dynamic ranges, smoothing or sharpening of data, as well as compiling of data streams and files, where desired. The data may then be transferred to data processing circuitry  30  where additional processing and analysis are performed. For conventional media such as photographic film, the data processing system may apply textual information to films, as well as attach certain notes or patient-identifying information. For the various digital imaging systems available, the data processing circuitry  30  perform substantial analyses of data, ordering of data, sharpening, smoothing, feature recognition, and so forth. The acquired images or image data may be stored in short or long-term storage devices, such as picture archiving communication systems, which may be comprised within or remote from the imaging system  14 .  
         [0022]     The local operator workstation  20  interfaces with the system control circuitry  26 . The local operator workstation  20  may include one or more general purpose or application specific computers or processor-based components. The local operator workstation  20  may include a monitor or other visual display and one or more input devices. The monitor and input devices may be used for viewing and inputting configuration information or for operating the imaging system  14 , in accordance with the techniques discussed herein. As with the system control circuitry  26 , the local operator workstation  20  may communicate with a memory or data storage component for storing programs and routines executed by the local operator workstation  20  or by associated components of the imaging system  14 . It should be understood that any type of computer accessible memory or storage device capable of storing the desired amount of data and/or code may be accessed by the local operator workstation  20 . Moreover, the memory or storage device may comprise one or more memory devices, such as magnetic or optical devices, of similar or different types, which may be local and/or remote to the imaging system  14 .  
         [0023]     It should be noted that a serving station, such as the local operator workstation  20 , may be a laptop, a workstation, a server, or any other suitable device that may receive image data and transmit the image data. Also, it should be noted that more than a single local operator workstation  20  may be provided within a particular imaging system  14 . For example, an imaging system  14  may include an interface which permits regulation of the parameters involved in the image data acquisition procedure, whereas a different operator interface may be provided for manipulating, enhancing, and viewing the reconstructed images.  
         [0024]     The remote console  12  may be located in or associated with a service provider. The service provider may include a facility or facilities for providing training and technical assistance based on a subscription or contract basis. The remote console  12  allows a remote operator to access elements of the imaging systems  14  via the network  16 . In particular, the remote console  12  may allow a remote operator to configure parameters associated with a scanning operation, access or initiate service operations, configure the processing of acquired scan data, and so forth.  
         [0025]     To remotely observe the imaging systems  14  from the remote console  12 , screen update data may be transmitted from the local operator workstations  20  or the imaging systems  14  to the remote console  12 . The remote console  12  may receive the screen update data and display the images and information via a monitor  34 . The screen update data may include screen information that is utilized to display information and detailed images of a patient&#39;s anatomy, such as internal tissues and organs. The remote console  12  and local operator workstation  20  may utilize remote frame buffer (RFB) protocol, X windows protocol, independent computing architecture (ICA) protocol, or other similar protocol to communicate the screen updates. The protocols may be an implementation of virtual network computing or other similar software to provide for remote training or diagnostics. The communication links may also allow bi-directional voice or text communication.  
         [0026]     Turning to  FIG. 2 , a diagram illustrating an exemplary display screen  50  employed by the remote console  12  is provided. The display screen  50  is divided into a plurality of frames  52 , each associated with one of the local operator workstation  20  at the imaging systems  14 . The remote console  12  receives screen update data from each of the local operator workstations  20  and displays it in the associated frame  52 . The operator of the remote console  12  may then observe all of the local operator workstations  20  simultaneously. Because, the size of each frame  52  is typically smaller than the display employed at the imaging system  14 , the screen update data may be compressed, averaged, or reduced in some other manner prior to sending to the remote console  12  to reduce bandwidth requirements over the network  16 . The performance of the network  16  may impact the remote observation of the local operator workstations  20 . Because the network  16  may be outside the control of the imaging system&#39;s operator or technician, it may be desirable to adjust the image updates transmitted to the remote console  12  based on congestion or latency on the network  16 . In making these adjustments, it may further be advantageous to dynamically or automatically adjust the interaction based on the network performance without manual intervention by the operator. In this manner, the remote observation between the local operator workstation  20  at imaging system  10  and the remote console  12  may be able to compensate for network performance.  
         [0027]     While monitoring the local operator workstations  20  via the frames  52 , the operator of the remote console  12  may communicate instructions to the local operators of the imaging systems  14  for training purposes. These instructions may be communicated by voice, text, or other means incorporated into the software application implementing the remote console interface. For example, the operator of the remote console  12  may demonstrate features of a new interface or imaging procedure. By monitoring the local operator workstations  20 , the operator of the remote console  12  may readily identify those local operators that are having difficulty with the instructed procedures.  
         [0028]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the operator of the remote console  12  may select a particular one of the frames  52  for increased attention (e.g., due to an observed problem situation or a query from the local operator of the imaging system  14 . Selecting the frame  52  causes the screen image to be displayed in an expanded frame  54  that may be displayed on the screen  50  in manner that may partially overlap one or more of the other frames  52 . The zoom level of the expanded frame  54  may also be selected by the operator of the remote console  12  using a zoom control  56 .  
         [0029]     In another embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the frames  52  may be further reduced and rearranged to allow display of both the expanded frame  54  and the remaining frames  52 .  
         [0030]     In yet another alternative embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the remote console  12  may be equipped with multiple monitors, with the screen  50  including the multiple frames  52  being displayed on one monitor; while the frame  54  associated with a selected local operator workstation  20  is displayed on a second monitor, as represented by screen  58 .  
         [0031]     In embodiments, where the screen update data is reduced or compressed to reduce bandwidth, the screen update data of the local operator workstation  20  associated with the expanded frame  54  may be left in an unreduced state, providing the operator of the remote console  12  an enhanced view of the screen update data.  
         [0032]     The expanded frame  54  may also be used by the operator of the remote console  12  to take over control of the associated local operator workstations  20  for purposes of servicing or troubleshooting the imaging system  14  or providing additional training to he local operator. The operator of the remote console  12  may remotely control one of the imaging systems  14 , while maintaining the observation of the remaining imaging systems  14 . In this manner, a local operator who is having difficulty may be assisted without interrupting the other local operators.  
         [0033]     Although the invention is described as it may be implemented in a medical imaging system  10 , its application extends to other systems not related to medical imaging. For example, training personnel in a corporation may use the remote console  12  to interface with multiple local workstations  20  to provide training or assistance with various software or hardware applications, depending on the nature of the equipment associated with the local workstations. In an office environment, the operator of the remote console  12  may provide training or monitor the usage of various software tools; such as word processing, spreadsheet, drawing, accounting, or other software applications. In a manufacturing environment, the local workstations may be attached to manufacturing tools or networks, and the remote console operator may provide training or observe local operators interfacing with various manufacturing processes. In a help desk situation, a technician may assist multiple users with computer issues simultaneously.  
         [0034]     The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.