LOW LATENCY SIGNALING OVER DIGITAL NETWORK

• US 20130238286A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Roeven, Henricus Gerardus, Van Liere, Filips
• Granted Patent: US 9,737,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• 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 33/54 Signal processing systems, e.g. using pulse sequences ; Generation or control of pulse sequences; Operator console
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/38 Information transfer, e.g. on bus G06F13/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0038 System on Chip

Abstract

A diagnostic imaging system includes a first controller that detects any unsafe or dangerous conditions in a diagnostic scanner and generates safety/emergency data indicative of the unsafe or dangerous conditions. A communication unit generates a safety/emergency signal from the safety/emergency data using a digital protocol and communicates the safety/emergency over a local digital network.

Claims

1. A diagnostic imaging system comprising:

a first controller that detects any unsafe or dangerous conditions in a diagnostic scanner and generates safety/emergency data indicative of the unsafe or dangerous conditions;

a communication unit that generates a safety/emergency signal from the safety/emergency data using a digital protocol and communicates the safety/emergency over a local digital network.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the digital protocol defines protocol for packet delivery between serial devices including three levels of data transfer;

a character level, a symbol level, and a packet level.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit generates the safety/emergency signal using the digital protocol to insert a custom symbol indicative of the safety/emergency data using otherwise unused symbol codes.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the digital protocol includes a RapidIO networking protocol.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit that generates the safety/emergency signal preempts normal packet delivery over the local digital network and inserts the safety/emergency signal onto the local digital network.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit includes firmware and operates independently of the diagnostic imaging system functions to generate the safety/emergency signal.

7. The system according claim 1, wherein the diagnostic imaging system includes a magnetic resonance system having an RF transmitter and an RF receiver and wherein the unsafe or dangerous conditions includes:

the RF transmitter and RF receiver being in an ON or connected state at the same time.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the local digital network includes a fiber optic network.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication of the safety/emergency signal includes an CRC error detection component.

10. A method of communicating safety/emergency data in a diagnostic imaging system, the method comprising:

detecting unsafe or dangerous conditions in the diagnostic imaging system;

generating safety/emergency data indicative of the unsafe or dangerous conditions;

generating a safe/emergency signal from the safety/emergency data using a digital protocol; and

transmitting the safety/emergency signal over a local digital network.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the digital protocol defines protocol for packet delivery between serial devices including three levels of data transfer:

a character level, a symbol level, and a packet level

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the safety/emergency signal includes a custom symbol component, an acknowledgement/request component, safety/emergency data, and a error check component.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the digital protocol is a standard networking protocol with custom symbols different from symbols of the standard networking protocol to identify the safety/emergency signal.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the diagnostic imaging system includes a magnetic resonance system having an RF transmitter and an RF receiver and wherein the unsafe or dangerous conditions includes:

the RF transmitter and RF receiver being in an ON or connected state at the same time.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium carrying software which control one or more processors to perform the method according to claim 10.

16. An magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising:

a main magnet configured to define an imaging bore;

a support configured to support a subject into and along the bore;

a gradient coil configured to create magnetic field gradients in the imaging bore;

an RF transmitter coil configured to transmit RF pulses into the imaging bore;

an RF receiver coil configured to receive the induced RF pulses; and

one or more processors to perform the method according to claim 10.