Quality control system for medical diagnostic apparatus

• US 6,934,590 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2000
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr., Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US09/536,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20030153814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,975 Days
• Field of Search: 700 19- 20, 700/79, 700/9, 700/21, 700/54, 382/132, 382/254, 382/312, 382/309, 382/318, 382/131, 378196-197, 378/4, 378/8, 378 19- 20, 600/524, 600/483, 600300-301, 600545-555, 709/203, 709223-226, 709/201, 709/208, 709/220, 709/228, 345/660, 702/182, 702/185, 340/3.1
• US Class Current: 700/19
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/56 Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/566 involving communication between diagnostic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/1644 using an array of optically separate scintillation elements permitting direct location of scintillations G01T1/1645 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/2985 In depth localisation, e.g. using positron emitters; Tomographic imaging (longitudinal and transverse section imaging; apparatus for radiation diagnosis sequentially in different planes, steroscopic radiation diagnosis); using external radiation sources A61B6/02

Abstract

The quality control system includes a network, a plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses which exist on the network and have respective histories of evaluation results on specific items regarding quality of individual medical diagnostic apparatuses and a control device which exists on the network, stores all of the histories of the evaluation results that individual medical diagnostic apparatuses hold and controls them centrally. By this unified quality control system, quality control of a plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses connected to each other on the network can efficiently be performed.

Claims

1. A quality control system for medical diagnostic apparatuses, wherein said medical diagnostic apparatuses comprise at least one medical image input device, said quality control system comprising:

a plurality of medical image input devices holding respective histories of evaluation results on specified items regarding image quality of individual medical image input devices;

a control device which stores all of the histories of said evaluation results regarding the image quality which respective medical image input devices hold to control the histories thereof centrally; and

a network onto which said plurality of medical image input devices and said control device are connected.

2. The quality control system according to claim 1, wherein said medical diagnostic apparatuses comprise at least one medical image output device that is connected onto said network.

3. The quality control system according to claim 2, wherein said at least one medical image output device has a history of evaluation results related to its quality and said control device stores the history of evaluation results related to quality of said at least one medical output device, to control the history thereof centrally.

4. The quality control system according to claim 2, wherein said at least one medical image output device includes a soft copy display device.

5. The quality control system according to claim 2, wherein said at least one medical image output device stores therein said history of evaluation results related to a quality of said at least one medical image output device.

6. The quality control system according to claim 1, further comprising a portable testing unit for performing an image quality check.

7. The quality control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses is said control device.

8. The quality control system according to claim 7, further comprising a portable testing unit for performing an image quality check.

9. The quality control system according to claim 1, wherein said image quality includes at least one of sensitivity, granularity, root mean square (RMS), detective quantum efficiency (DQE), brightness characteristic of a soft copy display device and resolution characteristic of the soft copy display device.

10. The quality control system according to claim 1, wherein said quality control system is applied to a computerized radiography (CR) imaging system.

11. The quality control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of medical image input devices originates an image from a source being imaged using energy conversion to an electrical signal.

12. The quality control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of medical image input devices is selected from one of a computerized radiography (CR) device, a computerized tomography (CT) device, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device.

13. The quality control system according to claim 1, wherein said histories of evaluation results are multiple data entries over time.

14. A quality control system for medical diagnostic apparatuses, wherein said medical diagnostic apparatuses comprise at least one medical image input device, said quality control system comprising:

a plurality of medical image input devices;

a control device which stores all histories of evaluation results on specified items regarding image quality of individual medical image input devices to control the histories thereof centrally; and

a network onto which said plurality of medical image input devices and said control device are connected.

15. The quality control system according to claim 14, wherein said medical diagnostic apparatuses comprise at least one medical image output device that is connected onto said network.

16. The quality control system according to claim 15, wherein said control device also scores a history of evaluation results related to quality of said at least one medical output device, to control the history thereof centrally.

17. The quality control system according to claim 15, wherein said at least one medical image output device includes a soft copy display device.

18. The quality control system according to claim 14, further comprising a portable testing unit for performing an image quality check.

19. The quality control system according to claim 14, wherein said at least one of said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses immediately outputs said history of evaluation results on specified items regarding quality of at least one of said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses, after determining said history.

20. The quality control system according to claim 14, wherein said image quality includes at least one of sensitivity, granularity, root mean square (RMS), detective quantum efficiency (DQE), brightness characteristic of a soft copy display device and resolution characteristic of the soft copy display device.

21. The quality control system according to claim 14, wherein said quality control system is applied to a computerized radiography (CR) imaging system.

22. The quality control system according to claim 14, wherein at least one of said plurality of medical image input devices originates an image from a source being imaged using energy conversion to an electrical signal.

23. The quality control system according to claim 14, wherein at least one of said plurality of medical image input devices is selected from one of a computerized radiography (CR) device, a computerized tomography (CT) device, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device.

24. The quality control system according to claim 14, wherein said histories of evaluation results are multiple data entries over time.

25. A quality control system, for one or more medical diagnostic apparatuses, comprising:

one or more medical diagnostic apparatuses, wherein at least one of said one or more medical diagnostic apparatuses automatically outputs information relating to image quality of at least one of said one or more medical diagnostic apparatuses;

a device for storing information relating to the image quality of said one or more medical diagnostic apparatuses; and

a network onto which said one or more medical diagnostic apparatuses and said device are connected.

26. The quality control system according to claim 25, wherein said image quality includes at least one of sensitivity, granularity, root mean square (RMS), detective quantum efficiency (DQE), brightness characteristic of a soft copy display device and resolution characteristic of the soft copy display device.

27. The quality control system according to claim 25, wherein said at least one of said one or more medical diagnostic apparatuses comprises a local memory, said local memory outputting said information relating to image quality of at least one of said one or more medical diagnostic apparatuses during said automatic outputting operation.

28. A quality control system for medical diagnostic apparatuses, comprising:

a plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses, wherein said plurality of medical apparatuses comprises at least one medical image input device and at least one medical image output device, said at least one medical image input device having a history of evaluation results related to its image quality;

a control device which stores histories of evaluation results related to image quality of individual medical diagnostic apparatuses, to control the histories thereof centrally; and

a network onto which said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses and said control device are connected.

29. The quality control system according to claim 28, wherein at least one of said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses is said control device.

30. The quality control system according to claim 28, wherein said image quality includes at least one of sensitivity, granularity, root mean square (RMS), detective quantum efficiency (DQE), brightness characteristics of a soft copy display device and resolution characteristic of the soft copy display device.

31. The quality control system according to claim 28, wherein said at least one medical image input device originates an image from a source being imaged using energy conversion to an electrical signal.

32. The quality control system according to claim 28, wherein said at least one medical image input device is selected from one of a computerized radiography (CR) device, a computerized tomography (CT) device, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device.

33. The quality control system according to claim 28, wherein said histories of evaluation results are multiple data entries over time.

34. A quality control system for medical diagnostic apparatuses, comprising:

a plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses, wherein at least one of said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses automatically outputs a history of evaluation results on specified items regarding image quality of at least one of said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses, to a control device;

said control device stores all histories of evaluation results on specified items regarding image quality of individual medical diagnostic apparatuses, to control the histories thereof centrally; and

a network onto which said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses and said control device are connected.

35. The quality control system according to claim 34, wherein said image quality includes at least one of sensitivity, granularity, root mean square (RMS), detective quantum efficiency (DQE), brightness characteristic of a soft copy display device and resolution characteristic of the soft copy display device.

36. The quality control system according to claim 34, wherein at least one of said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses comprises a local memory, said local memory outputting said information relating to image quality of at least one of said plurality of medical diagnostic apparatuses during said automatic outputting operation.

37. The quality control system according to claim 34, wherein said histories of evaluation results are multiple data entries over time.