Method and apparatus for localizing components and/or persons assigned to an image recording scanner in a spatial environment

• US 10,034,267 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2017
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Nufer, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHRA, INDER P
• Application Number:
  US15/404,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20170201962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 340524, 701516, 709205
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

In a method and system for localizing optional and/or exchangeable components of at least one image recording scanner and/or for localizing persons assigned to the image recording scanner in a spatial environment around the location of the image recording scanner, the components and/or persons are each provided with a wireless transmit device and the environment is provided with wireless receive devices. For each transmit device, using at least one localization signal received by at least one receive device in which the transmitting transmit device is identified, an item of position information of the transmit device, and thus of the component or person assigned to the transmit device, is determined and is provided in a computer for recall purposes.

Claims

1. A method for localizing items associated with a medical image recording scanner, said method comprising:

providing and uniquely assigning a wireless transmit device to each of a plurality of items, which are associated with operation of a medical image recording scanner, that are separable from but are situated in an environment of the medical image recording scanner, said items being selected from the group consisting of components that are optionally usable in said operation of said medical image recoding scanner, components of said medical image recording scanner that are exchangeable with other components of said medical image recording scanner, and persons to be examined by said operation of said medical image recording scanner;

with at least one receive device situated in said environment receiving at least one localization signal from a respective transmit device that identifies the respective transmit device as a transmitting transmit device;

providing said localization signal from said at least one receive device to a computer and, in said computer, identifying, and determining position information of, the item uniquely associated with the transmitting transmit device;

emitting an output signal from said computer that electronically represents said position information in a form allowing recall of the item uniquely associated with the transmitting transmit device; and

registering said items in said computer and, if a localization signal from an item is not received, emitting a warning signal that indicates an inability to localize that item.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising mounting said at least one receive device at a fixed position, and determining said position information in said computer dependent on said fixed position of said at least one receive device.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising determining said position information in said computer dependent on a reception strength of said localization signal at said at least one receive device.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said environment comprises a plurality of rooms, and positioning a receive device in each room and providing each receive device in said computer with an assignment of the respective room in which the respective receive device is positioned, and determining said position information in said computer dependent on the respective room to which the respective receive device is assigned that receives said localization signal.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising transmitting between said transmit devices and said at least one receive device using radio waves according to the Bluetooth standard.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising transmitting between said transmit devices and said at least one receive device using radio waves, with each transmit device transmitting a respective localization signal cyclically as a broadcast.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of items are persons, and comprising providing each person with said wireless transmit device as an armband comprising the transmit device that is temporarily attachable to the person.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said items are components selected from the group consisting of a patient couch, a signal detector and a local coil.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising emitting said output signal from said computer to a mobile device in communication with said computer.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 comprising also using said mobile device as an input device to register said items in said computer.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 comprising also providing said mobile device with one of said wireless transmit devices.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising determining said position information by executing a search in said computer based on search criterion that are predetermined.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising emitting said position information from said computer at a display in communication with said computer as a map of said environment.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising emitting said output signal from said computer to a mobile device that comprises said display, and providing said mobile device with one of said wireless transmit devices and identifying a position of said mobile device in said map at said display of said mobile device.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 comprising providing a navigation route at said map at said mobile device that navigates a user of said mobile device through said environment to said transmitting transmit device.

16. A localization system for localizing items associated with a medical image recording scanner, comprising:

a wireless transmit device provided to, and uniquely assigned to, each of a plurality of items, which are associated with operation of a medical image recording scanner, that are separable from but are situated in an environment of the medical image recording scanner, said items being selected from the group consisting of components that are optionally usable in said operation of said medical image recoding scanner, components of said medical image recording scanner that are exchangeable with other components of said medical image recording scanner, and persons to be examined by said operation of said medical image recording scanner;

at least one receive device situated in said environment to receive at least one localization signal from a respective transmit device that identifies the respective transmit device as a transmitting transmit device;

a computer provided with said localization signal from said at least one receive device, said computer being configured to identify, and determine position information of, the item uniquely associated with the transmitting transmit device;

said computer being configured to emit an output signal that electronically represents said position information in a form allowing recall of the item uniquely associated with the transmitting transmit device; and

said computer being configured to register said items in said computer and, if a localization signal from an item is not received, to emit a warning signal that indicates an inability to localize that item.