DESCRIPTION OF BACKGROUND

The following disclosure relates to medical imaging using a mobile device. Particularly, the disclosure relates to an adapter used for facilitating medical imaging and to a computer program for performing imaging tasks.

When inspecting a mouth of a patient, a doctor, physician, dentist or similar medical professional typically uses a mouth mirror and possibly a lighting device. For example, it is common to use a head lamp so that both hands are left free for positioning the mirror, so that the desired location in the mouth can be seen. For example, a dentist may use a mouth mirror in examining teeth and a physician for examining the larynx and vocal chords of a patient. Instead of head lamps also other types of additional lamps exists. For example, dentists typically use a lighting that is attached to the examination chair.

Special tools with integrated mirrors and lighting devices have been developed for specialists. These tools are typically expensive, and they may require particular methods or tools for maintenance, for example, disinfection, decontamination or cleaning. Typically, specialists also have tools for maintenance; however, a general practice physician may not have them. Furthermore, they are not always willing to invest on such tools.

A simple tool for coupling a mouth mirror and a mobile phone has been introduced. However, the problem of this kind of arrangement is that the light of a lighting device of a mobile phone is not designed for imaging through a mirror, and causes problems with exposure and focus settings. SUMMARY

A medical image arrangement for a mobile device is disclosed. The medical image arrangement is an arrangement that can be attached to a mobile device. The medical image arrangement for a mobile device comprises openings for at least one camera lens and for at least one lighting device. The opening for a lighting device further comprises a shade that directs light beams from the lighting device to a desired destination. The arrangement further comprises a computer program for acquiring images with a mobile device equipped with a medical image arrangement for a mobile device.

In an aspect a medical imaging tool is disclosed. The medical imaging tool comprises a body adapted to be attached on a mobile device, which body comprises: a mount configured to receive a mouth mirror; and a shade configured to limit the light beam of a lighting device of the mobile device to which the medical imaging tool is attached.

It is beneficial to provide a possibility to use a normal mouth mirror for inspecting patients. The imaging tool facilitates use of mouth mirror in a manner that earlier required specific tools for providing a light beam to the desired location in the inspected mouth .

In an implementation a medical imaging tool, wherein the mount is a clip. In another implementation the mount is an opening. It is beneficial to use an easy and cheap clip or opening for attaching the mouth mirror. This provides better usability and the person inspecting can acquire the information fast and efficiently .

In an implementation the opening further comprises fixing means for fixing the mouth mirror into the examination position. It is beneficial to use separate fixing means that can attach the mouth mirror firmly and lock it to the examination position. In an implementation the shade is configured to prevent the lighting device from lighting the teeth. It is beneficial to direct the light from the lighting device to its intended destination at the back of the oral cavity. Restricting the light beam only to its intended destination prevents errors with the camera's auto exposure and auto white balance functions by preventing the automatic adjustments with the illuminated teeth as the measuring point.

In an implementation a protective cover is arranged on the surface of the medical imaging tool and the mobile device. The protective cover increases hygiene of the arrangement. In an implementation the protective cover is made of clear plastic with good optical properties. It is beneficial to have good optical properties so that high quality images can still be acquired.

In an aspect a mobile device comprising a camera and a medical imaging tool as described above is disclosed. It is beneficial to use mobile devices, such as mobile phones, because the availability of mobile phones is good and they often comprise a high quality camera with a network connection at low cost. Furthermore, the mobile phones come in various sizes so that the person inspecting patients may choose an appropriate size easily.

In an aspect a computer program comprising computer program code is disclosed. The computer program code, when the computer program code is executed by a computing device, is configured to: activate a lighting device of the mobile device; and acquire at least one image using the camera of the mobile device.

It is beneficial to provide a computer program that can be used together with the medical imaging tool. Together with the medical imaging tool the specially designed computer program for a mobile device provides enhanced results in imaging. In an implementation the computer program is further configured to provide a control for manually adjusting the focus of the camera. It is beneficial to adjust the focus manually so that the point of interest has the best focus.

In an implementation the computer program is further configured to provide a control for manually adjusting the exposure of the camera. It is beneficial to adjust the exposure manually so that the point of interest has the best exposure.

In an implementation the computer program is further configured to provide a control for zooming to a selected point of interest. It is beneficial to be able to choose the center of zooming and the level of zooming so that the point of interest is shown at a best possible manner.

In an implementation the computer program is further configured to detect a point of examination and to adjust the exposure automatically based on the detected point of examination. It is beneficial to be able to detect the point of examination automatically so that the computer program can adjust the exposure automatically based on the desired point. This improves the quality of the images.

In an aspect a method of imaging a patient is disclosed. The method comprises acquiring an image using a mobile device as described above. It is beneficial to use the mobile device and software described above so that it is possible to acquire images from a patient without visiting a specialist.

The benefits of described aspects and implementations include a possibility to perform accurate medical imaging using simple and cost efficient tools. The above disclosed aspects and implementations provide a possibility to perform diagnoses without acquiring expensive special purpose tools that have been feasible for specialists having a justification for making an expensive investment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the medical image arrangement for a mobile device and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments and together with the description help to explain the principles of the medical image arrangement for a mobile device. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows five views of an example of a medical image arrangement for a mobile device,

Fig. 2 shows two views of another example of a medical image arrangement for a mobile device connected to a mobile device,

Fig. 3 is an example of a method using a mobile device with a medical image arrangement for a mobile device .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings .

In figure 1, five different views of a medical imaging tool 100 comprising a body adapted to be attached on a mobile device are shown. The medical imaging tool of figure 1 comprises a shape 101 that is configured to keep the medical imaging tool 100 on a mobile phone or a similar device. The shape 101 shown is only an example and different shapes can be used for different mobile devices. Thus, the medical imaging tools according to the present description can be manufactured so that different mobile devices can be used. A mobile phone is a typical device because of its suitable size. Furthermore, the availability of mobile phones is good and they often comprise a high quality camera with a network connection at low cost.

The medical imaging tool 100 further comprises a shade 102 and an opening for a camera lens 103. The shade 102 and the opening 103 are also mobile device specific and the locations should be taken into account when determining the measures for the shape 101. In the example of figure 1, inside the shade 102 there is a second opening 106 for the lighting device of the mobile device. The opening 103 for the lens of the mobile device can be adapted for only one lens as shown in figure 1; however, different types of openings or a different number of lens openings can be used for mobile devices comprising more than one lens. Furthermore, the medical imaging tool 100 can be manufactured so that it will not cover the lenses. In such case, separate openings are not needed. The same applies to the shade for the lighting device; however, if the shade is desired to be of a similar shape as in figure 1, where the shade is configured to extend around the opening for a light, it is obvious that there needs to be an opening similar to opening 106. However, it is possible to use a shade that does not extend around the whole opening 106 so that the opening 106 needs not to be a round hole, but can be a groove-like opening in the medical imaging tool 100.

The shade 102 is configured to limit the light beam emitted from the lighting device. This shading prevents the lighting device from lighting the teeth and instead directs the light from the lighting device to its intended destination at the back of the oral cavity. Restricting the light beam only to its intended destination prevents errors with the camera's auto exposure and auto white balance functions by preventing the automatic adjustments with the illuminated teeth as the measuring point. The shade 102 is placed around and centered on the lighting device. The medical imaging tool 100 further comprises an opening 104 for a mouth mirror and a locking screw 105 with a knob. The locking screw 104 may be used to tighten the mouth mirror into an examining position. The opening 104 and the screw 105 are just examples of a mount mechanism for attaching a mouth mirror to the medical imaging tool 100. Other types of mechanisms, such as clips, clamps or similar mechanisms may be used. The purpose of the mount mechanism is to hold the mouth mirror firmly enough in place so that examination can be performed.

The medical imaging tool 100 is arranged so that the shade 102 limits light beams, so that the physician performing the examination can direct the light to the location that he or she wants to see. The directed light reduces interferences caused by reflections from undesired parts of the mouth, such as teeth .

Figure 2 shows another example of a medical imaging tool 200. In figure 2 the medical imaging tool

200 is attached to a mobile device 202. The mobile device may be a common mobile phone or the like. A mouth mirror

201 has been attached to the medical imaging tool 200 such that the mobile device 202 is able to acquire images using the mouth mirror 201. The medical imaging tool 200 comprises a shade 203 that is arranged around the opening for a lighting device of the mobile device 202. The medical imaging tool 200 further comprises an opening 204 for a camera lens. A mount 205 for the mouth mirror 201 is implemented in a form of an opening to which the mouth mirror 201 locks automatically. The locking can be caused, for example, by using a mouth mirror designed for the opening and equipped with a snap-fit-like mechanism. Another example is an opening made of soft material to which it is possible to mount a slightly bigger mouth mirror 201, so that the mouth mirror stays firmly in the examining position. Figure 3 shows an example of a method implemented by an application executed in the mobile device. The application is a computer program comprising computer program code that causes the execution of the method and its features, some of which may be optional.

The application is configured to use the camera and the lighting device of a mobile device. The camera functionality is modified according to the following principles, so that images acquired are more suitable for the purpose than with the standard camera application .

The application may be used for real time view or for acquiring images to be inspected later. For example, it is possible to acquire a video, at least one higher resolution image or a combination of them. The physician may inspect the patient using the screen of the mobile device, or the mobile device may be used to transmit the acquired images and videos to a larger screen for better view.

The example method of figure 3 is initiated by initializing a camera application in a mobile device, step 300. The camera application may be a special purpose camera application or a modified version of a standard camera application of the mobile device. The required modifications may be done, for example, by using a plug-in or other add-on that can provide additional functionality to the camera application.

Then, a lighting device, torch or a similar device is activated, step 301. Around the lighting device there is a shade that directs the light towards a desired destination. This is followed by setting the focus, step 302, and exposure, step 303. The focus and exposure settings may be automatic, such that the person chooses a point to which the focus and exposure is set, or it may be manual. In case of the manual setting, an appropriate controller is shown to the user so that the destination can be brought into focus. Furthermore, it is possible that the automatic focus performs an initial adjustment that is fine-tuned by the user. The need for fine-tuning depends on the capabilities of the camera. The exposure is set accordingly. The user is shown a control bar or the like to adjust the exposure. The possibility to use manual adjustments provides a better end result as the image is acquired through a mirror.

Finally, the desired zoom center and level are chosen, step 304. The zooming center may be at any location on the image, and the zoom level can be chosen by using a control bar, a gesture or the like. It is not necessary to adjust all of the focus, exposure and zoom, but only those that need to be adjusted so that the acquired image is of sufficient quality. The desired zoom center may also be selected automatically. This may be done, for example, by automatically recognizing the point of interest and zooming to the recognized point of interest.

Finally, one or more images are acquired for analysis, step 305. The one or more images may be still images or in a form of a video, so that they provide enough information for analysis.

In the example above the analysis concentrates on images only, however, in some occasions it may be useful to capture a sound track of the examination event using a microphone of the mobile device. The sound track provides additional information that may be used to supplement images when analyzing the acquired information .

The above mentioned method described with reference to figure 3 may be implemented as computer software which is executed in a computing device, such as a mobile phone, tablet computer or similar computer. When the software is executed in a computing device it is configured to perform the above described method. The software is embodied on a computer readable medium so that it can be provided to the computing device, such as the mobile device 202 of figure 2.

A protective cover or case can be a part of the medical imaging tool for better hygiene. The case can be single use or reusable. The protective case can cover the whole or a portion of surface of the medical imaging tool and the mobile device facing towards the oral cavity. The case can be manufactured of plastic e.g. polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) e.g. via thermoforming/vacuum forming or injection molding. The material of the case can be clear with good optical properties which enable light to pass freely to the camera and from the lighting device. If the material is opaque apertures for the camera and lighting device are necessary.

As stated above, the components of the exemplary embodiments can include a computer readable medium or memories for holding instructions programmed according to the teachings of the present embodiments and for holding data structures, tables, records, and/or other data described herein. The computer readable medium can include any suitable medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Common forms of computer-readable media can include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other suitable magnetic medium, a CD- ROM, CD±R, CD±RW, DVD, DVD-RAM, DVDiRW, DVD±R, HD DVD, HD DVD-R, HD DVD-RW, HD DVD-RAM, Blu-ray Disc, any other suitable optical medium, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other suitable memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave or any other suitable medium from which a computer can read.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that with the advancement of technology, the basic idea of the medical image arrangement for a mobile device may be implemented in various ways. The medical image arrangement for a mobile device and its embodiments are thus not limited to the examples described above; instead they may vary within the scope of the claims.