Image management apparatus, method, and computer-readable recording medium and capsule endoscope system

1. An image management apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores a plurality of types of additional information assigned to a plurality of images;

a calculation unit that calculates a feature quantity of each of the plurality of images;

an additional information extracting unit that extracts, based on the feature quantity, one or more types of additional information of the plurality of types of additional information;

a display control unit that generates one or more icons corresponding to the one or more types of additional information and causes the generated icons to be displayed on a screen;

an input unit that receives input of a signal according to a user's operation;

an image selecting unit that selects, from the plurality of images, an image according to the signal received by the input unit; and

an additional information assigning unit that assigns to the selected image, when input of an operation signal associating the image selected by the image selecting unit with an icon selected from the one or more icons by the user is received by the input unit, additional information corresponding to the icon associated with the selected image,

wherein:

the plurality of types of additional information stored in the storage unit are different labels assignable by the user to the plurality of images,

the additional information extracting unit extracts, based on the feature quantity calculated by the calculation unit for an image selected from the plurality of images, one or more of the different labels for the image selected from the plurality of images,

the display control unit generates one or more icons respectively corresponding to the one or more of the labels extracted and causes the generated icons to be displayed on the screen for the image selected from the plurality of images, and

the additional information assigning unit assigns to the selected image, when the input of the operation signal associating the selected image with an icon selected by the user from the one or more icons is received by the input unit, the label corresponding to the selected icon.

2. The image management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the additional information extracting unit extracts the one or more types of additional information for each of groups into which the plurality of images are classified based on the feature quantities.

3. The image management apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the images are medical images and the groups are organ groups.

4. The image management apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

the display control unit causes a bar indicating an index of time or space corresponding to the plurality of images and a slider specifying a point on the bar to be displayed on the screen, and

the additional information extracting unit extracts the one or more types of additional information according to the organ group at a time or space corresponding to the point specified by the slider.

5. The image management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the additional information extracting unit extracts the one or more types of additional information corresponding to the feature quantity of the image selected by the image selecting unit.

6. The image management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the one or more icons to be displayed on the screen in a format according to a frequency at which the corresponding additional information has been assigned.

7. The image management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the one or more icons to be displayed on the screen in a format according to the feature quantities of the plurality of images.

8. The image management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the additional information assigned to the selected image to be displayed on the screen in association with the image.

9. The image management apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an additional information selecting unit that selects, from the one or more icons displayed on the screen, additional information corresponding to an icon selected according to a signal received by the input unit; and

an image extracting unit that extracts, from the plurality of images, an image to which the additional information selected by the additional information selecting unit has been assigned.

10. The image management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the images are medical images and the additional information is a lesion label corresponding to a lesion captured in the medical image.

11. The image management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the additional information that has been assigned to the selected image to be displayed on the screen beside a thumbnail image of the image.

12. An operating method of an image management apparatus, comprising:

calculating, by a calculation unit, a feature quantity of each of a plurality of images;

extracting, by an additional information extracting unit, from a plurality of types of additional information to be assigned to the plurality of images and stored beforehand in a storage unit, one or more types of additional information, based on the feature quantity;

generating and displaying, by a display control unit, on a screen one or more icons corresponding to the one or more types of additional information;

receiving, by an input unit, input of a signal according to a user's operation;

selecting, by an image selecting unit, from the plurality of images, an image according to the signal received via the input; and

assigning to the selected image, by an additional information assigning unit, when input of an operation signal associating the image selected in the selecting of the image with an icon selected from the one or more icons by the user is received, additional information corresponding to the icon associated with the image,

wherein:

the plurality of types of additional information stored are different labels assignable by the user to the plurality of images,

one or more of the different labels for an image selected from the plurality of images are extracted, based on the feature quantity calculated for the image selected from the plurality of images,

one or more icons respectively corresponding to the one or more of the labels extracted are generated and caused to be displayed on the screen for the image selected from the plurality of images, and

when the input of the operation signal associating the selected image with an icon selected by the user from the one or more icons is received, the label corresponding to the selected icon is assigned to the selected image.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which an executable program is recorded, the program instructing a processor to perform:

calculating a feature quantity of each of a plurality of images;

extracting, from a plurality of types of additional information to be assigned to the plurality of images and stored beforehand in a storage unit, one or more types of additional information, based on the feature quantity;

generating and displaying on a screen one or more icons corresponding to the one or more types of additional information;

receiving input of a signal according to a user's operation;

selecting, from the plurality of images, an image according to the signal received via the input; and

assigning to the selected image, when input of an operation signal associating the image selected in the selecting of the image with an icon selected from the one or more icons by the user is received, additional information corresponding to the icon associated with the image,

wherein:

the plurality of types of additional information stored are different labels assignable by the user to the plurality of images,

one or more of the different labels for an image selected from the plurality of images are extracted, based on the feature quantity calculated for the image selected from the plurality of images,

one or more icons respectively corresponding to the one or more of the labels extracted are generated and caused to be displayed on the screen for the image selected from the plurality of images, and

when the input of the operation signal associating the selected image with an icon selected by the user from the one or more icons is received, the label corresponding to the selected icon is assigned to the selected image.

14. A capsule endoscope system comprising:

a capsule endoscope that is introduced inside a body of a subject, performs imaging, and generates image data corresponding to in-vivo images of the subject;

a receiving device that receives the image data generated by the capsule endoscope via wireless communications with the capsule endoscope; and

an image management apparatus that receives and manages the image data received by the receiving device, wherein the image management apparatus includes:

a storage unit that stores a plurality of types of additional information assigned to a plurality of images;

a calculation unit that calculates a feature quantity of each of the plurality of images;

an additional information extracting unit that extracts, based on the feature quantity, one or more types of additional information of the plurality of types of additional information;

a display control unit that generates one or more icons corresponding to the one or more types of additional information and causes the generated icons to be displayed on a screen;

an input unit that receives input of a signal according to a user's operation;

an image selecting unit that selects, from the plurality of images, an image according to the signal received by the input unit; and

an additional information assigning unit that assigns to the selected image, when input of an operation signal associating the image selected by the image selecting unit with an icon selected from the one or more icons by the user is received by the input unit, additional information corresponding to the icon associated with the selected image,

wherein:

the plurality of types of additional information stored in the storage unit are different labels assignable by the user to the plurality of images,

the additional information extracting unit extracts, based on the feature quantity calculated by the calculation unit for an image selected from the plurality of images, one or more of the different labels for the image selected from the plurality of images,

the display control unit generates one or more icons respectively corresponding to the one or more of the labels extracted and causes the generated icons to be displayed on the screen for the image selected from the plurality of images, and

the additional information assigning unit assigns to the selected image, when the input of the operation signal associating the selected image with an icon selected by the user from the one or more icons is received by the input unit, the label corresponding to the selected icon.