Method and apparatus for ensuring correct positioning for a radiography acquisition

1. A method for positioning a body region of a patient for a radiography acquisition by a radiography system, the method comprising:

providing an examination requirement for the body region;

pre-positioning the body region in the radiography system for the radiography acquisition;

pre-positioning an acquisition unit of the radiography system for the radiography acquisition;

producing a three-dimensional positioning acquisition of the body region using a 3D camera system, the three-dimensional positioning acquisition being a three-dimensional surface image of the body region;

producing a preview image from the three-dimensional positioning acquisition, wherein a patient model is generated from the three-dimensional positioning acquisition and the preview image is produced from the patient model, the preview image depicts a preview of an image generated by the acquisition unit, the patient model being a three-dimensional patient model produced from the three-dimensional surface image and three-dimensional organ data objects of an organ database, the three-dimensional organ data object positioned based on the three-dimensional surface image; and

outputting at least one of the preview image and positioning information based on the preview image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient model is produced based upon at least one of a machine learning model and a statistical body model.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the patient model has a form of an avatar.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the examination requirement specifies additional acquisition parameters for the acquisition unit, and the preview image simulates a radiography acquisition using these acquisition parameters.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preview image is displayed on a screen or as a projection.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positioning information contains information on settings to be adjusted and whether the preview image is acceptable according to the examination requirement.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the positioning information contains information indicating what settings should be adjusted.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outputting at least one of the preview image and positioning information uses at least one of a visual indicator and an audible indicator.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the positioning information contains at least one of information on how a setpoint position appears, navigation information, and information indicating whether the setpoint position is reached.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outputting at least one of the preview image and positioning information includes displaying a change in a light field of the radiography system, wherein at least one of brightness and color of the light field changes based on correct positioning.

11. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:

determining a correct position of the acquisition unit based on the examination requirement, and

producing a radiography acquisition by the acquisition unit,

wherein the determining the correct position includes performing the method of claim 1 at least one time, and at least one of the body region and acquisition unit are in a different position each performance of the method of claim 1 .

12. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a computer program, directly loadable into a memory device of a control device or a memory device of a processing device, including program segments to perform the method of claim 1 when the computer program is executed via the control device or the processing device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing program segments, readable and executable by a processing unit to perform the method of claim 1 when the program segments are executed by the processing unit.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preview image is produced using a combination of the position of the pre-positioned acquisition unit and the three-dimensional patient model.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the examination requirements includes parameters for the acquisition unit, the 3D camera system, the preview image, and a position of the acquisition unit.

16. An apparatus for positioning a body region of a patient for a radiography acquisition by a radiography system, comprising:

an interface configured to provide an examination requirement for the body region;

an interface configured to pre-position an acquisition unit of the radiography system;

at least one of a 3D camera system configured to produce a three-dimensional positioning acquisition of the body region, and a data interface to receive the three-dimensional positioning acquisition, the three-dimensional positioning acquisition being a three-dimensional surface image of the body region;

a production unit configured to produce a preview image from the three-dimensional positioning acquisition, the production unit being configured to produce the preview image from a patient model generated from the three-dimensional positioning acquisition, the preview image depicts a preview of an image generated by the acquisition unit, the patient model being a three-dimensional patient model produced from the three-dimensional surface image and three-dimensional organ data objects of an organ database, the three-dimensional organ data objects positioned based on the three-dimensional surface image; and

an output unit configured to output at least one of the preview image and positioning information based on the preview image.

17. A control device comprising the apparatus of claim 16 .

18. A radiography system comprising the control device of claim 17 .

19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the output unit is further configured to perform automatic analysis of the preview image to ascertain whether the preview image correctly represents the body region for the radiography acquisition.