Medical imaging apparatus with optimized operation

• US 10,429,457 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2015
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Haider, Sultan, Popescu, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Fernandez, Katherine L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yang, Yi-Shan
• Application Number:
  US14/736,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20150362566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/283 Intercom or optical viewing arrangements, structurally associated with NMR apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/288 Provisions within MR facilities for enhancing safety during MR, e.g. reduction of the specific absorption rate [SAR], detection of ferromagnetic objects in the scanner room
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/543 Control of the operation of the MR system, e.g. setting of acquisition parameters prior to or during MR data acquisition, dynamic shimming, use of one or more scout images for scan plane prescription G01R33/546 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5673 Gating or triggering based on a physiological signal other than an MR signal, e.g. ECG gating or motion monitoring using optical systems for monitoring the motion of a fiducial marker
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

In a method for operating a medical imaging apparatus in which an examination object is situated, information is detected indicating that at least one image of the examination object is to be created by the medical device. Next, a selection of an examination sequence is made from multiple stored, predefined examination sequences, and subsequently a detection occurs as to the step in the selected examination sequence at which the medical device is currently operating. Thereafter, a specification of the next step to be undertaken from the selected examination sequence is presented to a person operating the medical imaging apparatus.

Claims

1. A method for operating a medical imaging system that is situated in an examination room, said method comprising:

providing detected information to a control processor of the medical imaging system, after detecting that image data of a patient are to be acquired by operation of the medical imaging system;

in said control processor, selecting an examination sequence, as a selected examination sequence that is dependent on the detected information, from among a plurality of stored predetermined examination sequences, wherein

each of said plurality of stored predetermined examination sequences comprising a plurality of predetermined examination steps consisting of a first category of steps that are to be performed by said medical imaging system and a second category of steps that involve a manual action that is to be performed by an operator of the medical imaging system on an object other than said control processor that is in said examination room;

generating control signals for said first category of steps and emitting said control signals to the medical imaging system in order to operate the medical imaging system so as to execute said selected examination sequence;

in said control processor, after beginning execution of the selected examination sequence, when the selected examination sequence is ongoing, detecting a current examination step in the ongoing selected examination sequence in which the medical imaging system is currently operating;

in said control processor, consulting said ongoing selected examination sequence in order to identify that a next predetermined step in the ongoing selected examination sequence is in said second category of steps, said next predetermined step being required by said ongoing selected examination sequence to immediately follow the detected current examination step in the ongoing selected examination sequence;

in said control processor, when it is determined that said next predetermined step is in said second category of steps, generating step information that represents said manual action to be performed in said next predetermined step; and

in said control processor, generating projector control signals from said step information and emitting said projector control signals from said control processor to an image projector in order to operate said image projector so as to project an image, corresponding to said step information, on a projection surface to inform said operator of the manual action that must be performed in said next predetermined step.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1

wherein said medical imaging system comprises, as said object, a bed on which the patient is situated,

wherein said next predetermined step comprises, as said manual action, moving said bed, with the patient thereon, to the medical imaging system, and

wherein said step information is an illumination pattern in said image designating how the bed must be correctly positioned with respect to said medical imaging system.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2

wherein said next predetermined step requires determination of an examination area of the patient as said object,

wherein said step information comprises a grid that is projected in said image onto the patient on the bed as said projection surface, and

wherein said manual action comprises manually marking a marked area on the patient using said grid, said marked area corresponding to said examination area.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising

identifying steps in said first category, as executed steps, that have already been executed by said medical imaging system prior to said detected current examination step,

comparing the executed steps to said predetermined steps in said ongoing selected examination sequence that precede said detected current examination step, and

emitting an error message from said control processor if the executed steps do not match the predetermined steps in the ongoing selected examination sequence that precede said detected current examination step.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1

wherein said medical imaging system is a magnetic resonance imaging system comprising, as said object, at least one radio-frequency (RF) coil among multiple different RF coils, and further comprising,

in said control processor, determining which RF coil, among said multiple different RF coils, is needed to execute said next predetermined step;

generating said step information so as to designate said RF coil needed to execute said next predetermined step; and

operating said image projector so as to include, in said image, a designation of said RF coil needed to execute said next predetermined step, and to designate said manual action as selecting said RF coil needed to execute said next step from among said multiple RF coils.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1

wherein said medical imaging system is a magnetic resonance imaging system,

wherein said method further comprises

detecting, as said object, an occurrence of a closed inductance loop in the patient at a location occupied by the patient in the magnetic resonance imaging system and, if the occurrence of said closed loop is detected;

generating said step information so as to include a designation of said closed induction loop; and

projecting said image to provide an optical identification of said closed induction bop at said location occupied by the patient in the medical imaging system, and

wherein said manual action comprises adjusting said patient to open said closed induction loop.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1

wherein said medical imaging system comprises a bed, as said object, on which the patient is situated in the medical imaging system, and

wherein said method comprises

generating said step information so as to include a designation of how the patient must be positioned on said bed in order to execute the next predetermined step, and

projecting in said image an optical silhouette onto the bed, as said projection surface, that designates how the examination object must be positioned on the bed, as said manual action, in order to execute the next predetermined step.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising

detecting a hand movement of the operator and, in said processor, determining a command, from the detected hand movement, for one of said steps in said first category and thereafter executing said command by said medical imaging system.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7 comprising:

using a camera to obtain a camera image of said examination room including a plurality of examination room objects that are situated in said examination room;

in an image processor in communication with said camera, applying a pattern recognition algorithm to said camera image in order to identify, among said plurality of examination room objects, said object that involves said manual action that is to be performed by said operator, as an identified object; and

providing said control processor with a designation of said identified object from said image processor, and

in said control processor, including, in said image, a representation of said identified object.

9. A medical imaging apparatus comprising:

a medical imaging system that is situated in an examination room,

an image projector, and

a control processor configured to detect information that image data of a patient are to be generated by operation of the medical imaging system wherein

said control processor being configured to select an examination sequence, as a selected examination sequence that is dependent on the detected information, from among a plurality of stored predetermined examination sequences, each of said plurality of stored predetermined examination sequences comprising a plurality of predetermined examination steps consisting of a first category of steps that are to be performed by said medical imaging system and a second category of steps that involve a manual action to be performed by an operator of the medical imaging system on an object in the examination room;

said control processor being configured to generate control signals for said steps in said first category and to emit said control signals to the medical imaging system in order to operate the medical imaging system so as to execute said examination sequence;

said control processor being configured to detect, after beginning execution of said selected examination sequence when the selected examination sequence is ongoing, a current examination step in the ongoing selected examination sequence in which the medical imaging system is currently operating;

said control processor being configured to consult said ongoing selected examination sequence in order to identify whether a next predetermined step in the ongoing selected examination sequence is in said second category steps, said next predetermined step being required by said ongoing selected examination sequence to immediately follow the detected current examination step in the selected examination sequence;

said control processor, when it is determined that said next predetermined step is of in said second category of steps, being configured to generate step information that represents said manual action in said next predetermined step; and

said control processor being configured to generate projector control signals from said step information and to emit said projector control signals from said control processor to said image projector in order to operate said image projector so as to project an image, corresponding to said step information, on a projection surface in order to inform said operator of the manual action that must be performed in said next predetermined step.

10. A medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

a camera that obtains a camera image of said examination room including a plurality of examination room objects that are situated in said examination room;

an image processor in communication with said camera that applies a pattern recognition algorithm to said camera image in order to identify, among said plurality of examination room objects, said object that involves said manual action that is to be performed by said operator, as an identified object; and

said control processor is further configured to receive a designation of said identified object from said image processor and to include, in said image, a representation of said identified object.