Method for detection of a stable installation of a system having a rotating device therein

• US 20060229845A1
• Filed: 03/02/2006
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Buttner, Thorsten
• Granted Patent: US 7,340,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/179
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/28 with special adaptations for determining imbalance of the body in situ, e.g. of vehicle wheels

Abstract

In a method for detection of a stable installation of a system that has a rotation device mounted to rotate around a system axis and an arrangement for detection of measurement values indicative of oscillation of the rotation device, a statistical spread of the measurement values is calculated from N measurement values of different rotations of the rotation device, and the stable installation of the system is detected by a comparison of the calculated statistical spread with a predeterminable threshold. The detected N measurement values can be detected with a known arrangement for determination of an out-of-balance condition, so the method for detection of a stable installation can be implemented without the use of additional hardware components.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a stable installation of a system having a rotation device that is mounted to rotate around a system axis, and a detection arrangement that detects measurement values indicative of oscillation of said rotation device, said method comprising the steps of:

with said detection arrangement, detecting at least one measurement value set comprising N measurement values respectively obtained during N different rotations of said rotation device;

for each measurement value set, automatically electronically determining a statistical spread of said N measurement values; and

for each measurement value set, automatically electronically comparing the statistical spread thereof to a predetermined threshold, and thereby automatically electronically determining whether said system is supported in a stable manner if the calculated statistical spread for any measurement value set has a predetermined relationship to said threshold.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising detecting a plurality of measurement value sets, and automatically electronically determining that said system is supported in a stable manner if any one of said measurement value sets is smaller than said threshold.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising detecting two measurement value sets, each containing N measurement values, in each of two measurement planes that are perpendicular to said system axis and spaced from each other along said system axis.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising detecting each of said N measurement values as a vector having two vector components, said two vector components comprising a first vector component representing a magnitude of an out-of-balance condition of said rotation device and a second vector component representing an angle of said out-of-balance condition of said rotation device.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 comprising automatically electronically translating said first vector components into a Cartesian first measurement value component and automatically electronically translating said second vector component into a Cartesian second measurement value component.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 comprising automatically electronically determining said statistical spread as a first statistical spread of said first measurement value component and a second statistical spread of said second measurement value component.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 comprising automatically electronically calculating said first statistical spread as a maximum difference between any two of said first measurement value components for said N measurement values in each measurement value set.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6 comprising automatically electronically calculating said second statistical spread as a maximum difference between any two of said second measurement value components for said N measurement values in each measurement value set.

9. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said threshold comprises a first threshold component and a second threshold component, and wherein the step of automatically comparing said statistical spread to a predetermined threshold comprises automatically electronically comparing, for each measurement value set, a statistical spread of said first measurement value component for the respective N points to said first threshold component, and comparing a statistical spread of said second measurement value component for the respective N points to said second threshold component.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising mounting said detection arrangement in an imaging, system containing said rotation device, and detecting said at least one measurement value set for said rotation device in said imaging system.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising mounting said detection arrangement in an computed tomography system containing said rotation device, and detecting said at least one measurement value set for said rotation device in said computed tomography system.

12. A method for detecting a stable installation of a computed tomography apparatus having a gantry therein during a procedure for correction of an out-of-balance condition of said gantry, said gantry being mounted in said computed tomography system to rotate around a system axis, and said computed tomography system comprising a detection arrangement to detect measurement values indicative of oscillation of said gantry, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting a stable installation of said computed tomography apparatus by said detection arrangement, detecting at least one measurement value set comprising N measurement values respectively obtained during N different rotations of said rotation device, for each measurement value set, automatically electronically determining a statistical spread of said N measurement values, and for each measurement value set, automatically electronically comparing the statistical spread thereof to a predetermined threshold, and thereby automatically electronically determining whether said system is supported in a stable manner if the calculated statistical spread for any measurement value set has a predetermined relationship to said threshold;

if said computed tomography system is detected to have a stable installation, continuing said procedure for correction of an out-of-balance condition of said gantry; and

if said computed tomography system is detected to have an unstable installation, generating a humanly perceptible warning signal.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 comprising allowing an operator of said computed tomography system, after generation of said warning signal, an option of continuing said procedure for correction of an out-of-balance condition of said gantry with said computed tomography system in said unstable installation, or to continue with said procedure for correction of an out-of-balance condition of said gantry only after making an adjustment to said computed tomography system and repeating the step of detecting a stable installation of the computed tomography system with a result that said computed tomography system has a stable installation.