Method for determining the cause of a fault in a medical device, and a medical device

• US 20030101375A1
• Filed: 10/11/2002
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hohn, Wilfried
• Application Number:
  US10/269,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20030101375A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/581 Remote testing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method for determining the cause of a fault that, during the operation of a medical device (1), can occur in the medical device (1). Here, there are stored continuously in a data memory (3, 4) data that are required for an analysis of the operations in the medical device (1) that have proceeded before the occurrence of the fault. The invention also relates to a medical device (1) that has such a data memory (3, 4).

Claims

1. A method for determining the cause of a fault that, during the operation of a medical device (1), can occur in the medical device (1), the method comprising:

storing over a specific period of time data that are required for an analysis of the operations that have proceeded before the occurrence of a fault in the medical device (1) in a first, provisional data memory (3); and

transferring the content of the first, provisional data memory (3) into a second data memory (4) after the occurrence of a fault.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transfer of the content of the first, provisional data memory (3) into the second data memory (4) can be prompted manually.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transfer of the content of the first, provisional data memory (3) into the second data memory (4) can be prompted automatically.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data are status files, dynamic registers, input data, data or actions generated by the medical device (1), screen displays of the medical device (1) and/or video data generated with the medical device (1).

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the content of the data memory (3, 4) is transmitted to a computing device (5) of a service center (8).

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stored data can be read once more into the medical device (1) or into a device similar to the medical device (1) in order to analyze the operations in the medical device (1).

13. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the data are status files, dynamic registers, input data, data or actions generated by the medical device (1), screen displays of the medical device (1) and/or video data generated with the medical device (1).

14. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the data are status files, dynamic registers, input data, data or actions generated by the medical device (1), screen displays of the medical device (1) and/or video data generated with the medical device (1).

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the content of the data memory (3, 4) is transmitted to a computing device (5) of a service center (8).

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the content of the data memory (3, 4) is transmitted to a computing device (5) of a service center (8).

7. A medical device comprising a first, provisional data memory (3) for storing over a specific period of time the data required to determine the cause of a fault that, during the operation of the medical device (1), can occur in the medical device (1) and required for an analysis of the operations that have proceeded in the medical device (1) before the occurrence of the fault;

and a second data memory (4) into which the content of the first, provisional data memory (3) can be transferred after the occurrence of the fault.

8. The medical device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising an actuating device (12) for triggering the transfer of the content of the first, provisional data memory (3) into the second data memory (4).

9. The medical device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a computing device (5) that monitors the current operating data of the medical device (1) for the occurrence of a fault and, in the event of determining a fault, can automatically prompt the transfer of the content of the first, provisional data memory (3) into the second data memory (4).

10. The medical device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data are status files, dynamic registers, input data, data or actions generated by the medical device (1), screen displays of the medical device (1) and/or video data generated with the medical device (1).

11. The medical device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the medical device is structured and arranged to be connected to a communications network (7), it being possible to transmit the content of the data memory (3, 4) via the communications network (7) to a computing device (5) of a service center (8).

12. The medical device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising an interface (10) via which the stored data can be read once more into the medical device (1) in order to analyze the operations in the medical device (1).

17. The medical device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a computing device (5) that monitors the current operating data of the medical device (1) for the occurrence of a fault and, in the event of determining a fault, can automatically prompt the transfer of the content of the first, provisional data memory (3) into the second data memory (4).

18. The medical device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the medical device is structured and arranged to be connected to a communications network (7), it being possible to transmit the content of the data memory (3, 4) via the communications network (7) to a computing device (5) of a service center (8).

19. The medical device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the medical device is structured and arranged to be connected to a communications network (7), it being possible to transmit the content of the data memory (3, 4) via the communications network (7) to a computing device (5) of a service center (8).

20. The medical device as claimed in claim 17, further comprising an interface (10) via which the stored data can be read once more into the medical device (1) in order to analyze the operations in the medical device (1).