Medical apparatus

• US 6,856,825 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hahn, Guenter
• Primary Examiner(s): MANTIS MERCADER, ELENI M
• Application Number:
  US09/960,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/425, 705/2, 345/762, 345/765, 128/920, 128/925, 702/183, 702/184, 702/185, 702/186, 702/188
• US Class Current: 600/425
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 for the operation of medical equipment or devices

Abstract

A medical apparatus for dealing with problems which, when a problem affecting the medical apparatus occurs, determine the component (7) which is the cause of the problem concerned and display it, in the event that this is a component (7) which can be exchanged by an apparatus user without service support, the means for dealing with problems (13) displaying a request to exchange this component.

Claims

1. A medical imaging apparatus comprising:

means for dealing with problems which, when a problem affecting the medical imaging apparatus occurs, self-determines, free of medically trained user input, that (those) component(s) which is (are) the cause of the problem concerned and display it (them) on a display device,

at least one of the components of which is a self-change component which can be exchanged by an apparatus user without service support and, in the event that a self-change component is a component causing the problem concerned, the means of which for dealing with problems display a self-initiated request to exchange this self-change component, and

in which the means for dealing with problems order the self-change component to be exchanged via telecommunication means, wherein the apparatus user is a physician or an imaging apparatus trained medical assistant.

2. The medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the means of which for dealing with problems obtain problem-specific data on the medical imaging apparatus with respect to the problem determined and evaluate them with regard to the component(s) causing the problem concerned.

3. The medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 2, which contains a data memory in which information serving for determining data is stored and taken from the data memory by the means for dealing with the problem on a problem-dependent basis.

4. The medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the self-change components of which are provided with a visible code and the means of which for dealing with problems indicate the code of a self-change component when they display a request to exchange such a component.

5. The medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which contains a data memory in which illustrations of the self-change components are stored, and in which apparatus the means for dealing with problems display the illustration of a self-change component when they display a request to exchange such a component.

6. The medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which self-change components are designed in a way ensuring that they cannot be mixed up.

7. The medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the self-change components include any one of an x-ray radiation source, a radiation detector system, and a high-voltage generator.

8. The medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for dealing with problems perform a test on the medical imaging apparatus after the exchange of a component and only authorize normal operation of the apparatus if there is a positive test result.

9. The medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 8, which contains a data memory in which information serving for carrying out the test is stored and taken from the data memory by the means for dealing with the problem according to the component respectively exchanged.

10. The medical imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the apparatus being assigned a data memory in which at least partially graphic information concerning how to user-exchange the self-change components which graphic information can be presented on a display unit of the apparatus is stored.

11. The medical imaging apparatus, comprising:

plural components operatively connected to perform a medical function; and

self-test means for independently determining, free of medically trained user input, through an intelligent self-test when a problem affecting the medical imaging apparatus occurs, a problem-causing component from among the plural components, and displaying the problem-causing component on a display device,

the problem-causing component being a self-change component which can be exchanged by an apparatus user without service support,

wherein the apparatus user is a physician or an imaging apparatus trained medical assistant.

12. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 11, wherein the self-test means is interfaced with problem-specific data relating to the components of the medical imaging apparatus with respect to the problem and evaluate the problem with regard to the problem-causing component.

13. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 12 wherein the plural components include any one of an x-ray radiation source, a radiation detector system, and a high-voltage generator.

14. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 13, wherein the self-change component is provided with a visible code and the self-test means indicates the code of a self-change component when displaying the problem-causing component.

15. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 13 further comprising stored illustrations of the self-change component interfaced to the self-test means, wherein the stored illustrations display an illustration of the self-change component when displayed as the problem-causing component.

16. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 13, wherein the self-test means comprises an ordering part for ordering the problem-causing component via a telecommunications link.

17. The medical imaging apparatus of claim wherein the self-test means comprises a post-installation test to perform a diagnostic test on the medical imaging apparatus after the exchange of the problem-causing component to verify proper post-installation operation of the medical imaging apparatus.