OPTICAL RESPIRATION STATUS SENSOR

• US 20120289817A1
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Rey, Eduardo M., Nelson, Mark D., Cates, Harold J.
• Application Number:
  US13/510,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20120289817A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/413
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion

Abstract

A subject monitor includes a belt (16) that circumscribes a cyclically moving portion of a subject (14), such as a chest cavity or abdomen. A optical sensing device (18) includes a housing; a tape (50) under tension to retract into the housing, at least one of the tape (50) and the housing are connected with the belt (16); a lens (56) configured to focus light on a pattern (52) that moves with the tape (50); and a photon detector (58) configured to detect light (57) reflected from the pattern (52). An optical decoder (26) determines movement of the belt (16) from the light reflected (57) from the pattern (52).

Claims

1. A subject monitor comprising:

a belt that circumscribes a cyclically moving portion of a subject, such as a chest cavity or abdomen;

a optical sensing device including;

a housing;

a tape under tension to retract into the housing, at least one of the tape and the housing being connected with the belt;

a lens configured to focus light on a pattern that moves with the tape; and

a photon detector configured to detect light reflected from the pattern; and

a optical decoder which determines movement of the belt from the light reflected from the pattern.

2. The subject monitor according to claim 1, further including:

a respiration phase circuit or processor which determines a respiratory phase of the subject from the determined movement of the belt.

3. The subject monitor according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensing device and the subject are positioned inside an examination region of an MR scanner.

4. The subject monitor according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensing device is connected by one or more fiber optic cables with a light source and the optical decoder.

5. The subject monitor according to claim 1, wherein the light source and the optical decoder are displaced outside the MR scanner.

6. The subject monitor according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is configured to determine displacement, direction, and speed of the belt.

7. An MR system comprising:

an MR scanner which generates MR data from a portion of a subject in an examination region; and

the subject monitor according to claim 1 disposed the optical sensing device in or adjacent the examination region.

8. The MR system according to claim 7, further including:

a optical decoder displaced from the examination region and connected by one or more fiber optic cables to the optical sensing device.

9. The MR system according to claim 7, further including:

a light source displaced from the examination region and connected by one or more fiber optic cables to the optical sensing device.

10. The MR system according to claim 8, wherein the subject monitor is positioned inside a 5 Gauss line and the optical decoder is positioned outside the 5 Gauss line.

11. A method for determining cyclic movement of subject, the method comprising:

focusing light on a pattern that moves with a tape, the tape being connected to a belt that circumscribes a cyclically moving portion of a subject and under tension to retract;

detecting the light reflected from the pattern; and

determining the movement of the belt from the light reflected from the pattern.

12. The method according to claim 11, further including:

determining a respiratory phase of the subject from the movement of the belt.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein an optical sensing device is disposed in the magnetic field.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the pattern is configured to determine displacement, direction, and speed of the belt.

15. The method according to claim 11, further including:

displaying at least one of the determine respiratory phase of the subject.