Electroimpedance tomograph

• US 7,711,418 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dragerwerk AG & Company KGaA (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Drager Medical AG & Co KG (Dragerwerk AG)
• Inventors: Goldau, Rainer, Rüterbories, Jan, Leonhardt, Steffen, Li, Jianhua, Gärber, Yvo, Steeger, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Long V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Selkin; Saurel J
• Application Number:
  US10/882,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20050059901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,134 Days
• Field of Search: 600/547, 607/17, 607/24, 128/908
• US Class Current: 600/547
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0536 Impedance imaging, e.g. by tomography
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/908 Patient protection from electric shock

Abstract

An electroimpedance tomograph including a plurality of electrodes placed on a body, measuring circuits processing voltage signals recorded by the electrodes, and a control unit supplying two electrodes each with an alternating current. The control unit has a preset feed frequency. The control unit processes the processed voltage signals of all other electrodes to reconstruct the impedance distribution of the body in the electrode plane. The control unit provides for an automatic setting of the current feed frequency/frequencies to record a background frequency spectrum by detecting the electrode voltage signals over a preset period of time and record them as a voltage time series and transform them into a frequency spectrum. The control unit searches in the background frequency spectrum for a frequency (different states) or frequencies (different frequencies) that leads to a useful signal to background ratio above a preset threshold value when used as a feed frequency.

Claims

1. An electroimpedance tomograph comprising:

a plurality of electrodes configured to be placed on a body;

measuring circuits that process voltage signals recorded by the electrodes; and

a control unit supplying two adjacent electrodes with an alternating current having one or more preset feed frequencies, said control unit receiving voltage signals from electrodes not directly supplied with said alternating current such that said control unit reconstructs the impedance distribution of the body in an electrode plane, wherein said control unit automatically sets one or more current frequencies such that said control unit records a frequency spectrum or a plurality of frequency spectra of a background signal based on voltage signals of electrodes received over a preset period of time, said voltage signals being stored in said control unit as a voltage time series, said control unit transforming said voltage time series into a background frequency spectrum, said control unit searching said background frequency for a feed frequency having a useful signal to background signal ratio that is greater than a threshold value, said useful signal having a useful signal frequency range, said background signal having a background frequency range, said threshold value being based on an overlap of said useful signal frequency range with said background frequency range.

2. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control unit automatically repeats said setting of said current feed frequency periodically or aperiodically or to repeat it in the presence of preset criteria or to repeat it in a controlled manner by manual input.

3. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control unit records the voltage time series without alternating current feed into an electrode pair to determine said background frequency spectrum.

4. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control unit records said voltage time series with simultaneous alternating current feed and determines said background frequency spectrum, wherein said current feed frequency is outside a frequency range of interest, or said voltage time series are determined separately with at least two feed frequencies shifted in relation to one another to such an extent that a signal frequency spectra resulting from said at least two feed frequencies do not overlap.

5. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control unit generates a plurality of frequency spectra, which are combined into one frequency spectrum or a plurality of said background frequency spectra, from a plurality of voltage time series of said electrodes during an automatic determination of said background frequency spectrum.

6. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control unit generates a warning and at least allows one of a manual setting of said current feed frequency and interrupting an EIT measurement if no frequency that leads to a useful signal to background ratio above a preset threshold value when used as a feed frequency/frequencies can be found in said background frequency spectrum.

7. A method of recording an electroimpedance tomographic image, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of electrodes configured to be placed on a body;

providing measuring circuits that process voltage signals recorded by the electrodes;

providing a control unit, said control unit supplying two adjacent electrodes with an alternating current that has one or more preset feed frequencies;

processing voltage signals of electrodes not directly supplied with the alternating current;

reconstructing an impedance distribution of the body in an electrode plane, wherein said control unit automatically sets a current feed frequency/frequencies;

recording at least a background frequency spectrum of a frequency spectrum or a plurality of frequency spectra of a background by detecting voltage signals of electrodes over a preset period of time;

recording said voltage signals in said control unit as a voltage time series;

transforming said voltage time series into a frequency spectrum;

selecting at least one feed frequency or feed frequencies based on said background freguency spectrum, said feed freguency or feed freguencies having a useful signal frequency range that has one of no overlap and a minimum overlap with said background frequency spectrum.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

automatically repeating said setting of said current feed frequency any one of

in a controlled manner by manual input;

in the presence of preset criteria;

periodically; and

aperiodically.

9. A method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

recording, by said control unit, said voltage time series without alternating current feed into an electrode pair;

determining said background frequency spectrum.

10. A method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

with said control unit, recording said voltage time series with simultaneous alternating current feed;

determining said background frequency spectrum, wherein said current feed frequency is outside a frequency range of interest, or said voltage time series are determined separately with at least two feed frequencies shifted in relation to one another to such an extent that a signal frequency spectra resulting from said at least two feed frequencies do not overlap.

11. A method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

generating, by said control unit, a plurality of frequency spectra, which are combined into one frequency spectrum from a plurality of voltage time series of said electrodes during an automatic determination of said background frequency spectrum.

12. A method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

generating, by said control unit, a warning and at least and allowing one of

a manual setting of said current feed frequency and

an interruption in an EIT measurement if no frequency can be found in said background frequency spectrum as a feed frequency/frequencies that leads to a useful signal to background ratio above the preset threshold value.

13. An electroimpedance tomograph comprising:

a plurality of electrodes configured to be placed on a body, said electrodes including sets of two adjacent electrodes and other electrodes;

a measuring circuit means for processing voltage signals received by the electrodes; and

a control unit supplying said sets of two adjacent electrodes with an alternating current that has at least one of a preset feed frequency and different preset feed frequencies, said control unit reconstructing an impedance distribution of the body based on voltage signals received from said other electrodes, said control unit automatically setting a current feed frequency/frequencies, said control unit recording a frequency spectrum or a plurality of frequency spectra of a background signal by detecting voltage signals of said other electrodes over a preset period of time, said voltage signals being recorded in said control unit as a voltage time series, said control unit transforming said voltage time series into a background frequency spectrum, said control unit searching for a frequency or frequencies that yields/yield a useful signal to background signal ratio above a preset threshold value when used as a feed frequency/frequencies based on said background frequency spectrum, said useful signal having a useful signal frequency range, said background signal having a background signal frequency range, said preset threshold value associated with a maximum overlap of said user signal frequency range with said background signal frequency range.

14. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 13, wherein said control unit automatically repeats said setting of said current feed frequency any one of

in a controlled manner by manual input;

in the presence of preset criteria;

periodically; and

aperiodically.

15. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 13, wherein said control unit records the voltage time series without alternating current feed into an electrode pair to determine said background frequency spectrum.

16. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 13, wherein said control unit records said voltage time series with simultaneous alternating current feed and determines said background frequency spectrum, wherein said current feed frequency is outside a frequency range of interest, or said voltage time series are determined separately with at least two feed frequencies shifted in relation to one another to such an extent that a signal frequency spectra resulting from said at least two feed frequencies do not overlap.

17. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 13, wherein said control unit generates a plurality of frequency spectra, which are combined into one frequency spectrum or a plurality of said background frequency spectra, from a plurality of voltage time series of said electrodes during an automatic determination of said background frequency spectrum.

18. An electroimpedance tomograph in accordance with claim 13, wherein said control unit generates a warning and at least and allowing one of

a manual setting of said current feed frequency and

an interruption in an EIT measurement if no frequency can be found in said background frequency spectrum as a feed frequency/frequencies that leads to a useful signal to background ratio above the preset threshold value.