User input device for controlling medical imaging equipment motion

• US 20030069653A1
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Johnson, Mark A., Mauvarin, Luc
• Granted Patent: US 6,785,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/83
• 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 6/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/54 Control of apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis

Abstract

A system including a user input device for controlling a position of medical equipment is described. In an example embodiment, the user input device is configured to be coupled to the medical equipment and is responsive to an operator input representation of a desired movement of the equipment. A processor determines a direction in which the operator desires the equipment to move based on a device output.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a position of medical equipment, said system comprising:

at least one sensor configured to be coupled to the medical equipment and responsive to an operator input representative of a desired movement of the equipment; and

a processor coupled to said sensor for determining at least one of a direction and speed in which the operator desires the equipment to move based on a sensor output.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said sensor comprises at least one of a capacitance sensor, an infrared sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of sensors are coupled to the equipment and outputs from said sensors are processed by said processor to determine a speed and a direction in which the equipment is to be moved.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein said processor is programmed to generate composite move vector values by vectorially adding said sensor outputs.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein said sensor comprises a capacitance sensor, said sensor being one of a proximity sensor and a touch based sensor.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein the medical equipment comprises at least one of an X-ray machine, computed tomography machine, a positron emission tomography machine, a magnetic resonance machine, and an ultrasound machine.

7. A sensor comprising a core having an outer surface, a plurality of sensing areas on said outer surface, each said sensing area responsive to operator input for generating a signal representative of the operator input.

8. A sensor according to claim 7 wherein said core comprises plastic, and wherein each of said sensing areas comprises a conductive foil bonded to said plastic.

9. A sensor according to claim 7 wherein said core has one of a circular and rectangular cross sectional shape.

10. A sensor according to claim 7 wherein a ground plane is at a periphery of each sensing area.

11. A sensor according to claim 7 wherein the operator input is based on a position of an operator'"'"'s hand.

12. A sensor according to claim 7 further comprising eight sensing areas, each of said sensing areas comprising a conductive foil, and ground planes at a periphery of each said sensing area.

13. A sensor according to claim 7 further comprising thirty two sensing areas, each sensing area coupled to a matrix switch.

14. A medical imaging system, comprising:

a source for transmitting signals towards a patient,

a detector for detecting signals that have been transmitted through the patient;

a movable member on which at least one of said source and said detector are mounted;

a user input device comprising a plurality of sensors coupled to said movable member and responsive to an operator input representative of a desired movement of the equipment; and

a processor coupled to said user input device for determining at least one of a direction and speed in which the operator desires said member to move based on sensor outputs.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein said sensors comprise at least one of a capacitance sensor, an infrared sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

16. A system according to claim 14 wherein said processor determines both a speed and a direction in which the equipment is to be moved.

17. A system according to claim 16 wherein said processor is programmed to generate composite move vector values by vectorially adding said sensor outputs.

18. A system according to claim 14 wherein at least some of said sensors comprise capacitance sensors, each of said capacitance sensors being one of a proximity sensor and a touch based sensor.

19. A system according to claim 15 wherein said source comprises one of an x-ray source, a magnetic resonance source, a positron emission tomography source, and an ultrasound source.