X-RAY IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20120051519A1
• Filed: 08/10/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Abe, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,649,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/98
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4411 the apparatus being modular A61B6/4283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4417 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/545 involving automatic set-up of acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/586 Detection of faults or malfunction of the device

Abstract

An X-ray imaging apparatus that performs X-ray imaging while switching a plurality of wireless sensors according to an imaging condition of an object includes: an acquisition unit that acquires examination information indicating the imaging condition of the object; a management unit that manages, as sensor information, remaining battery levels of the plurality of wireless sensors that have been registered; a control unit that assigns a priority order of wireless sensor candidates usable for performing the X-ray imaging according to the imaging condition indicated in the acquired examination information to the plurality of wireless sensors, in descending order of the remaining battery levels; and an imaging unit that performs the X-ray imaging of the object using wireless sensors sequentially consisting of those in descending order of the priority order assigned by the control unit up to a wireless sensor having a preset order number, as determined according to the imaging condition.

Claims

1. An X-ray imaging apparatus that performs X-ray imaging while switching a plurality of wireless sensors according to an imaging condition of an object, comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire examination information indicating the imaging condition of the object;

a management unit configured to manage, as sensor information, remaining battery levels of the plurality of wireless sensors that have been registered;

a control unit configured to assign a priority order of wireless sensor candidates usable for performing the X-ray imaging according to the imaging condition indicated in the examination information acquired by the acquisition unit to the plurality of wireless sensors, in descending order of the remaining battery levels managed by the management unit; and

an imaging unit configured to perform the X-ray imaging of the object using wireless sensors sequentially consisting of those in descending order of the priority order assigned by the control unit up to a wireless sensor having a preset order number, as determined according to the imaging condition.

2. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit configured to set a mode in which the X-ray imaging apparatus is used in one of an examination room mode in which imaging is performed in an examination room and a mobile mode in which imaging is performed on a mobile cart,

wherein, if the examination room mode is set, the control unit assigns a priority order of wireless sensor candidates usable for performing the X-ray imaging according to the imaging condition to the plurality of wireless sensors managed by the management unit, in descending order of the remaining battery levels, and

if the mobile mode is set, the control unit assigns a wireless sensor having a highest remaining battery level from among the plurality of wireless sensors as a wireless sensor to be used for the X-ray imaging, regardless of the imaging condition.

3. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit configured to store the priority order of the wireless sensors assigned the last time of use of the X-ray imaging apparatus, when turning off the X-ray imaging apparatus,

wherein the sensor information managed by the management unit contains information indicating a communication condition of whether or not the wireless sensors can perform wireless communication, and

if it is determined from the information indicating the communication condition that there is no wireless sensor that can currently perform communication when turning on the X-ray imaging apparatus, the control unit performs wireless sensor assignment according to the priority order assigned in the last use, as stored in the storage unit.

4. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor information managed by the management unit contains information indicating whether or not communication via wired connection can be performed in addition to wireless communication, and

the control unit performs assignment such that a priority order of a wireless sensor that can perform the communication via the wired connection is higher than a priority order of a wireless sensor that cannot perform the communication via the wired connection.

5. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display a result of the assignment performed by the control unit.

6. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging condition contains information on an imaging region of the object and imaging equipment to be used for the imaging of the imaging region.

7. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the imaging condition further contains at least one of a grid condition of whether or not to perform imaging using a grid for removing a scattered X-ray and an imaging area size for the imaging of the imaging region of the object.