Patient monitor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10183177-B2
Application number	US-201314424376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2013
Priority date	Oct 12, 2012
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

Images obtained by a camera system (10) arranged to obtain stereoscopic images of a patient (20) undergoing radio-therapy are processed by a modeling unit (56,58) which generates a model of the surface of a patient (20) being monitored. Additionally the patient monitoring system processes image data not utilized to generate a model of the surface of a patient being monitored to determine further information concerning the treatment of the patient (20). Such additional data can comprise data identifying the relative location of the patient and a treatment apparatus (16). This can be facilitated by providing a number or retro-reflective markers (30-40) on a treatment apparatus (16) and a mechanical couch (18) used to position the patient (20) relative to the treatment apparatus (16) and monitoring the presence and location of the markers in the portions of the images obtained by the stereoscopic camera (10).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A treatment system, comprising:
a treatment apparatus for treating a patient, a plurality of markers attached to a surface of the treatment apparatus,
a mechanical couch for positioning a patient relative to the treatment apparatus; and
a treatment monitoring system for monitoring relative positioning of the treatment apparatus relative to a patient to which radiation treatment is being applied, including:
a camera system including a projector for projecting a pattern of light onto a patient and operable to obtain a sequence of images, within a defined field of view, of a patient to which radiation treatment is being applied;
a modeling unit operable to process images of a patient and generate a 3D computer model of a surface of a patient being monitored on the basis of an appearance of the patient corresponding to part of the images obtained by the camera system; and
an apparatus position determination module operable to determine the positioning of the treatment apparatus;
wherein the apparatus position determination module is arranged to process sequences of images of the markers contained in portions of the images obtained by the camera system within the defined field of view and which are not utilized to generate the 3D computer model of the surface of a patient to track the relative positioning of the treatment apparatus relative to the 3D computer model of the patient during a course of treatment and compare the relative positioning of the treatment apparatus relative to a patient with an expected relative positioning based on a predefined treatment plan, the obtaining of the images, within the defined field of view, of both the patient and of the markers being simultaneous so as to identify disparities, based on the comparison, between the relative positioning of the treatment apparatus relative to the patient and the expected relative positioning based on the predefined treatment plan.

2. The treatment system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the treatment apparatus comprises a gantry operable to rotate about an axis relative to a main body of the apparatus and at least some of the markers are provided on the surface of the treatment apparatus arranged such that the apparatus position determination module is operable to determine relative rotation of the gantry about the axis on the basis of positions of the markers in the portions of the images which are not utilized to generate a model of the surface of a patient.

3. The treatment system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the treatment apparatus further comprises a rotatable collimator provided at an end of the gantry remote from the main body of the apparatus wherein the rotatable collimator is operable to rotate about an axis perpendicular to an axial extent of the gantry and at least some of the markers are provided on the surface of the treatment apparatus arranged such that the apparatus position determination module is operable to determine relative rotation of the collimator on the basis of the positions of the markers in the portions of the images which are not utilized to generate a model of the surface of a patient.

4. The treatment system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the markers provided on the surface of the treatment apparatus are provided in a number of groups and the apparatus position determination module is operable to determine an extent of rotation based on presence and location of one or more groups of markers in the portions of the images which are not utilized to generate a model of the surface of a patient.

5. The treatment system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising one or more markers attached to the mechanical couch, wherein the apparatus position determination module is operable to determine relative positions of the mechanical couch relative to a position of the treatment apparatus on the basis of a position of the one or more markers attached to the mechanical couch in the portions of the images which are not utilized to generate a model of the surface of a patient.

6. The treatment system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the markers comprise retro-reflective markers, the camera system includes a light source and the apparatus position determination module is operable to identify portions of the images which are not utilized to generate a model of the surface of the patient and which correspond to the markers by performing a thresholding operation.

7. The treatment system in accordance with claim 6 , wherein at least some of the markers are spherical and the apparatus position determination module is operable to identify portions of the images which are not utilized to generate a model of the surface of a patient and which correspond to the markers by identifying circular representations of the markers in the images.

8. The treatment system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the apparatus position determination module is operable to determine the relative positioning of a treatment apparatus relative to a patient and generate a warning if the treatment apparatus is likely to collide with the patient or the mechanical couch.

9. The treatment system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a face mask having distinctive markings thereon wherein the apparatus position determination module is arranged to process image data corresponding to portions of the images which are not utilized to generate a model of the surface of a patient to detect presence of the distinctive markings on a face mask and provide a warning if the markings do not correspond to expected markings for a patient being treated.

Assignees

• Vision Rt Ltd

Inventors

• Meir Ivan
• Cooper Kathryn
• Smith Norman
• Hale Gideon
• Allen Martin

Classifications

• H04N13/204

  using stereoscopic image cameras (stereoscopic photography G03B35/00) · CPC title

• A61N5/1081

  Rotating beam systems with a specific mechanical construction, e.g. gantries · CPC title

• A61N2005/1059

  using cameras imaging the patient · CPC title

• A61B2090/3904

  specially adapted for marking specified tissue · CPC title

• G06T7/285

  using a sequence of stereo image pairs · CPC title