Wireless data transmission in CT-scanners

• US 6,914,957 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips Medical Systems Technologies Ltd. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Green, James W., Dafni, Ehud
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruce, David V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMAS, COURTNEY D
• Application Number:
  US10/312,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20030185338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 378/4, 378/15, 378/901, 375/130, 375/146, 375/147, 375/259, 375/295, 375/316
• US Class Current: 378/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/56 Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings

Abstract

A CT-scanner having a gantry comprising a stator and a rotor, wherein an X-ray source and array of X-ray detectors are mounted to the rotor for determining absorption of X-rays along paths through the body of a patient imaged by the CT-scanner, the CT imager comprising: a processor that processes data comprised in signals generated by the X-ray detectors responsive to intensity of X-rays from the X-ray source incident on the detectors to generate an image of the patient; at least one spread spectrum transmitter that receives data comprised in the signals generated by the X-ray detectors and transmits signals encoded with the data in accordance with a spread spectrum coding; and at least one spread spectrum receiver that receives the encoded signals transmitted by the at least one spread spectrum transmitter and forwards the encoded data to the processor.

Claims

1. A CT-scanner having a gantry comprising a stator and a rotor, wherein an X-ray source and array of X-ray detectors are mounted to the rotor for determining absorption of X-rays along paths through the body of a patient imaged by the CT-scanner, the CT scanner comprising:

a processor that processes data comprised in signals generated by the X-ray detectors responsive to intensity of X-rays from the X-ray source incident on the detectors to generate an image of the patient;

at least one spread spectrum transmitter that receives data comprised in the signals generated by the X-ray detectors and transmits signals encoded with the data in accordance with a spread spectrum coding; and

at least one spread spectrum receiver that receives the encoded signals transmitted by the at least one spread spectrum transmitter and forwards the encoded data to the processor.

2. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 wherein the at least one transmitter comprises at least one time hopping impulse modulation (THIM) transmitter that transmits signals encoded with the data in accordance with a THIM code and the at least one receiver comprises at least one THIM receiver that receives the encoded signals transmitted by the at least one THIM transmitter.

3. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 wherein the signals encoded with the data are free space electromagnetic waves encoded with the data.

7. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 or claim 4 wherein the transmitter and receiver are located in a same room.

8. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 or claim 4 wherein the transmitter is located on the gantry and the receiver is at a distance from the gantry.

9. A CT-scanner according to claim 8 wherein the transmitter and receiver are located in different rooms.

10. A CT-scanner according to claim 7 wherein the transmitter is located on the stator.

11. A CT-scanner according to claim 7 wherein the transmitter is located on the rotor.

12. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 or claim 4 wherein the transmitter is located on the rotor and the at least one receiver is located on the stator.

13. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 or claim 4 wherein the at least one receiver and the processor are near each other in a same location.

14. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 or claim 4 wherein the receiver and the processor are in different rooms.

15. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 or claim 4 wherein the at least one receiver is connected to the processor by wire over which the receiver forwards the data to the processor.

16. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 or claim 4 wherein the at least one receiver is connected to the processor by optical fiber over which the receiver forwards the data to the processor.

17. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 or claim 4 wherein the at least one transmitter comprises a plurality of transmitters.

18. A CT-scanner according to claim 17 wherein the transmitters transmit simultaneously.

19. A CT-scanner according to claim 17 wherein the at least one receiver comprises a plurality of receivers.

20. A CT-scanner according to claim 19 wherein at least two of the plurality of receivers receives transmissions from different transmitters.

21. A CT-scanner according to claim 1 or claim 4 and comprising at least one data acquisition system (DAS) mounted on the rotor connected to the X-ray detectors that receives the signals generated by the X-ray detectors and generates digital data therefrom, portions of which digital data the at least one DAS routes to each of The at least one transmitter.

22. A CT-scanner according to claim 21 wherein the at least one DAS comprises a plurality of DASs each of which acquires signals from different detectors.

4. A CT-scanner having a gantry comprising a stator and a rotor, wherein an X-ray source and array of X-ray detectors are mounted to the rotor for determining absorption of X-rays along paths through the body of a patient imaged by the CT-scanner, the CT scanner comprising:

a processor that processes data comprised in signals generated by the X-ray detectors responsive to intensity of X-rays from the X-ray source incident on the detectors to generate an image of the patient;

at least one transmitter that receives data comprised in the signals generated by the X-ray detectors and transmits free space electromagnetic waves encoded with the data;

at least one receiver that receives the encoded free space electromagnetic waves transmitted by the at least one transmitter and forwards the encoded data to the processor.

5. A CT-scanner according to claim 4 wherein the at least one transmitter comprises at least one spread spectrum transmitter that encodes the data in the free space electromagnetic waves in accordance with a spread spectrum code and the at least one receiver comprises at least one spread spectrum receiver.

6. A CT-scanner according to claim 5 wherein the at least one transmitter comprises at least one THIM transmitter that encodes the data in the free space electromagnetic waves in accordance with a THIM code and the at least one receiver comprises at least one THIM receiver.

23. A method of transmitting to a desired location data comprised in signals generated by X-ray detectors mounted on a rotor of a gantry comprised in a CT-scanner, the method comprising:

generating free space electromagnetic waves encoded with the data;

sensing the electromagnetic waves at the desired location; and

decoding the sensed electromagnetic wave to recover the data.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the data is encoded in accordance with a spread spectrum code.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the data is encoded in accordance with a time hopping impulse modulation (THIM) code.

26. A method of transmitting to a desired location data comprised in signals generated by X-ray detectors mounted on a rotor of a gantry comprised in a CT-scanner, the method comprising:

generating signals encoded with the data in accordance with a spread spectrum code;

sensing the signals at the desired location; and

decoding the sensed signals to recover the data.

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein the code is a THIM code.

28. A method according to claim 26 or claim 27 wherein the signals encoded with the data are free space electromagnetic waves encoded with the data.