Imaging system simulator

• US 8,721,344 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Marmaropoulos, George, Vu, Giang T., Herczegh, Laszlo, Jansen, John, Parameswaran, Lekshmy
• Primary Examiner(s): Gishnock, Nikolai A
• Application Number:
  US11/458,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20090258335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,854 Days
• Field of Search: 434/167, 434/169, 434/298, 434/307.R, 434/320, 434/322, 434/323, 434/327, 434/350, 434/351, 434/362, 434/393, 369/63, 446/175, 446/297, 446/301, 463/42, 463/43
• US Class Current: 434/267
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/00 Remote-control arrangements specially adapted for toys, e.g. for toy vehicles steering mechanisms for toy vehicles A63H17/36; for model railways A63H19/24, A63H19/28
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/02 Electrical arrangements transformers H01F; converters H02M
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/24 for chemistry
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/286 for scanning or photography techniques, e.g. X-rays, ultrasonics
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 25/00 Models for purposes not provided for in G09B23/00, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes model vehicles, tracks therefor, models in the nature of toys A63H
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 3/00 Manually or mechanically operated teaching appliances working with questions and answers electrically-operated G09B7/00; e.g. G09B7/063 advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/04 with audible presentation of the material to be studied sound recording or reproducing G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

A medical training and simulation system includes a plurality of inanimate objects, each being associated with an identification tag which stores an identification code which uniquely identifies an associated object. A database stores information of the objects. A reader reads a respective identification code of a selected object. An information retrieving processor retrieves the stored information which corresponds to the read identification code of the selected object. A device reproduces at least a portion of the retrieved information of the selected object.

Claims

1. A medical training and simulation system comprising:

an imaging simulator which includes a model of a diagnostic imaging scanner and defines an associated examination region;

a plurality of inanimate objects, each being associated with an identification tag which stores an identification code which uniquely identifies an associated object;

a database which stores information of the objects;

a reader which reads an associated identification code of a selected object, the reader being disposed adjacent to the examination region for reading the respective identification code of the selected object when positioned in the examination region;

an information retrieving processor for retrieving the stored information which corresponds to the read identification code of the selected object; and

a monitor which displays images depicting an interior portion of the object according to the retrieved stored information.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the objects are toys which resemble a patient.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the monitor displays a story teller who presents a medical story relating to the selected object.

4. The system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the story includes an animation simulating an imaging procedure.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a motion sensor which detects motion of the object positioned in the examination region and triggering a blurring of the displayed image.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein a plurality of identification tags are associated with the selected object, each identification tag identifies an interior portion of the object.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6, wherein

the image retrieving processor retrieves a portion of the stored information which corresponds to the identified interior portion of the object;

and

the monitor displays an image depicting the identified interior portion of the object based on the retrieved portion of the stored information.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7, wherein the interior portion of the object includes one of:

a heart;

a stomach;

a head;

a leg; and

an arm.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the model of the diagnostic imaging scanner depicts one of:

an MRI scanner;

a CT scanner;

a digital x-ray scanner;

a SPECT scanner;

a PET scanner; and

an ultrasound scanner.

10. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a simulation triggering device for triggering the reader when motion of a bed which is moved into the examination region is detected.

19. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the examination region is in a bore defined in the model.

11. A simulation and education method comprising:

positioning a selected inanimate object in an examination region defined in a model of a diagnostic imaging scanner;

reading an identification code stored on an identification associated with the inanimate object which identifies the selected inanimate object positioned in the examination region;

retrieving from computer memory stored data which describes at least an interior region of the identified inanimate object in the examination region; and

displaying on a monitor a diagnostic image depicting the interior portion of the identified object according to the retrieved stored data.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein the object includes one of a plurality of toys which simulate at least one of a human or animal patient.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein the stored data includes a medical story about the selected object and further:

displaying on the monitor a story teller who presents the medical story relating to the selected object.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the story includes an animation simulating an imaging procedure.

15. The method as set forth in claim 11, further including:

associating a plurality of identification tags with the selected object, each identification tag identifies an interior portion of the object.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, further including:

retrieving a portion of previously stored image data which corresponds to the identified interior portion of the object; and

displaying an image depicting the identified interior portion of the object based on the retrieved portion of the stored data.

17. The method as set forth in claim 11, further including:

detecting a motion of the object positioned in the examination region; and

triggering a blurring of the displayed image to demonstrate the importance of remaining still during the imaging procedure.

18. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein the model of the diagnostic imaging scanner depicts at least one of:

an MRI imaging scanner;

a CT imaging scanner;

a SPECT scanner;

a PET scanner;

an x-ray system; and

an ultrasound imager.

20. A medical training and simulation system, comprising:

a plurality of toys which resembles at least one of humans and animals;

a model of a diagnostic imaging scanner which defines an examination region which receives one of the toys;

a reader which identifies the one of the toys which is received in the examination region;

a memory which stores information for each of the toys, the information including at least one of an image depicting an interior region of each toy, a medical story about each toy, and an animation simulating an imaging procedure;

a monitor which displays images; and

a processor connected with the reader to receive an identification of the one of the toys received in the examination region, connected with the memory to retrieve the information for the one of the toys received in the examination region, and connected to the monitor to control the monitor to display the retrieved information.

21. The medical training and simulation system as set forth in claim 20, wherein the memory stores a simulated diagnostic image of an interior of each toy and the monitor displays the diagnostic image corresponding to the identified toy retrieved from the memory.