System and method for integrating a plurality of diagnostic related information

• US 6,473,659 B1
• Filed: 04/10/1998
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Dailey, Christopher James, Wallenslager, Susan Teeter, Shah, Rasiklal Punjalal, Ramani, Vipin Kewal
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Application Number:
  US09/058,755
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 700/79, 714/25, 714/26, 714/37, 706/62, 706/10, 706/22, 382/141, 382/157, 702/34, 702/35, 702/179, 702/183
• US Class Current: 700/79
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2242 in multi-processor systems, e.g. one processor becoming the test master G06F11/2736 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2252 using fault dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades

Abstract

This invention provides a system and method for integrating a plurality of diagnostic information from a multiple of sources. In this invention, there is a site specific database which contains site specific information for a machine. A plurality of diagnostic related information is obtained from the machine. A diagnostic router collects the site specific information for the machine and the plurality of diagnostic related information and generates a current incident record therefrom. An approved incident record database contains a plurality of approved incident records obtained from a plurality of machines. An integrator finds approved incident records from the approved incident record database that most closely match the current incident record.

Claims

1. A system for integrating a plurality of information from a multiple of sources, comprising:

a site specific database containing site specific information for a machine;

a plurality of diagnostic related information obtained from the machine;

a plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools for evaluating the plurality of diagnostic related information, wherein each diagnostic and analytic tool generates a tool output containing a list of possible recommendations pertaining to the machine;

a diagnostic router for collecting site specific information for the machine from the site specific database and the plurality of diagnostic related information and generating a current incident record therefrom;

an approved incident record database containing a plurality of approved incident records obtained from a plurality of machines; and

an integrator for finding approved incident records from the approved incident record database that most closely match the current incident record.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic router comprises means for accessing the plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the diagnostic router comprises means for executing the diagnostic and analytic tools according to a user specified selection.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the diagnostic router comprises means for collecting the tool outputs generated from each of the diagnostic and analytic tools and putting the tool outputs into the current incident record.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the diagnostic router comprises means for storing the current incident record in a current incident record database.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the integrator comprises means for displaying the current incident record.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein the integrator comprises means for assigning a weight to each of the plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools, the weight being representative of the confidence in the tool to solve the current incident record.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the integrator comprises means for searching through the approved incident record database for approved incident records that most closely match the current incident record.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of approved incident records in the approved incident record database contains historical tool outputs generated from diagnostic and analytic tools used to evaluate the plurality of machines.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the integrator comprises means for determining a matching percentage between the current incident record and each of the approved incident records in the approved incident record database according to the weights assigned for each of the diagnostic and analytic tools.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the integrator comprises means for ranking the approved incident records according to the matching percentage.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the integrator comprises means for stopping the search according to a user selection.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the integrator comprises means for appending the current incident record with data from the approved incident record that most closely matches the current incident record.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the integrator comprises means for storing the appended current incident record in the approved incident record database.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the integrator comprises means for storing the current incident record in a current incident record database.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the machine and the plurality of machines are medical imaging machines.

17. A method for integrating a plurality of information from a multiple of sources, comprising the steps of:

storing site specific information for a machine;

receiving a plurality of diagnostic related information obtained from the machine;

accessing a plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools for evaluating the plurality of diagnostic related information, wherein each diagnostic and analytic tool generates a tool output containing a list of possible recommendations pertaining to the machine;

collecting site specific information for the machine and the plurality of diagnostic related information and generating a current incident record therefrom;

storing a plurality of approved incident records obtained from a plurality of machines; and

finding approved incident records that most closely match the current incident record.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of collecting further comprises executing the diagnostic and analytic tools according to a user specified selection.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising collecting the tool outputs generated from each of the diagnostic and analytic tools and putting the tool outputs into the current incident record.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising storing the current incident record in a current incident record database.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of finding comprises displaying the current incident record.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of finding comprises assigning a weight to each of plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools, the weight being representative of the confidence in the tool to solve the current incident record.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of finding comprises searching for approved incident records that most closely match the current incident record.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein each of the plurality of approved incident records contains historical tool outputs generated from diagnostic and analytic tools used to evaluate the plurality of machines.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the step of finding comprises determining a matching percentage between the current incident record and each of the approved incident records according to the weights assigned for each of the diagnostic and analytic tools.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the step of finding further comprises ranking the approved incident records according to the matching percentage.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the step of finding further comprises stopping the search according to a user selection.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the step of finding further comprises appending the current incident record with data from the approved incident record that most closely matches the current incident record.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the step of finding further comprises storing the appended current incident record with the plurality of approved incident records.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein the step of finding further comprises storing the current incident record in a current incident record database.

31. The method according to claim 17, wherein the machine and plurality of machines are medical imaging machines.

32. A system for integrating a plurality of information from a multiple of sources to facilitate monitoring and diagnosis of a medical imaging machine, comprising:

a site specific database containing site specific information for the medical imaging machine;

a plurality of diagnostic related information obtained from the medical imaging machine;

a plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools for evaluating the plurality of diagnostic related information, wherein each diagnostic and analytic tool generates a tool output containing a list of possible recommendations pertaining to the medical imaging machine;

a diagnostic router for collecting site specific information for the medical imaging machine from the site specific database and the plurality of diagnostic related information and generating a current incident record therefrom;

an approved incident record database containing a plurality of approved incident records obtained from a plurality of medical imaging machines; and

an integrator for finding approved incident records from the approved incident record database that most closely match the current incident record.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein the diagnostic router comprises means for accessing the plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools.

34. The system according to claim 33, wherein the diagnostic router comprises means for executing the diagnostic and analytic tools according to a user specified selection.

35. The system according to claim 34, wherein the diagnostic router comprises means for collecting the tool outputs generated from each of the diagnostic and analytic tools and putting the tool outputs into the current incident record.

36. The system according to claim 35, wherein the diagnostic router comprises means for storing the current incident record in a current incident record database.

37. The system according to claim 32, wherein the integrator comprises means for displaying the current incident record.

38. The system according to claim 33, wherein the integrator comprises means for assigning a weight to each of the plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools, the weight being representative of the confidence in the tool to solve the current incident record.

39. The system according to claim 38, wherein the integrator comprises means for searching through the approved incident record database for approved incident records that most closely match the current incident record.

40. The system according to claim 39, wherein each of the plurality of approved incident records in the approved incident record database contains historical tool outputs generated from diagnostic and analytic tools used to evaluate the plurality of medical imaging machines.

41. The system according to claim 40, wherein the integrator comprises means for determining a matching percentage between the current incident record and each of the approved incident records in the approved incident record database according to the weights assigned for each of the diagnostic and analytic tools.

42. The system according to claim 41, wherein the integrator comprises means for ranking the approved incident records according to the matching percentage.

43. The system according to claim 42, wherein the integrator comprises means for stopping the search according to a user selection.

44. The system according to claim 43, wherein the integrator comprises means for appending the current incident record with data from the approved incident record that most closely matches the current incident record.

45. The system according to claim 44, wherein the integrator comprises means for storing the appended current incident record in the approved incident record database.

46. The system according to claim 43, wherein the integrator comprises means for storing the current incident record in a current incident record database.

47. A method for integrating a plurality of information from a multiple of sources to facilitate monitoring and diagnosis of a medical imaging machine, comprising the steps of:

storing site specific information for the medical imaging machine;

receiving a plurality of diagnostic related information obtained from the medical imaging machine;

accessing a plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools for evaluating the plurality of diagnostic related information, wherein each diagnostic and analytic tool generates a tool output containing a list of possible recommendations pertaining to the medical imaging machine;

collecting site specific information for the medical imaging machine and the plurality of diagnostic related information and generating a current incident record therefrom;

storing a plurality of approved incident records obtained from a plurality of medical imaging machines; and

finding approved incident records that most closely match the current incident record.

48. The method according to claim 47, wherein the step of collecting further comprises executing the diagnostic and analytic tools according to a user specified selection.

49. The method according to claim 48, further comprising collecting the tool outputs generated from each of the diagnostic and analytic tools and putting the tool outputs into the current incident record.

50. The method according to claim 49, further comprising storing the current incident record in a current incident record database.

51. The method according to claim 47, wherein the step of finding comprises displaying the current incident record.

52. The method according to claim 47, wherein the step of finding comprises assigning a weight to each of plurality of diagnostic and analytic tools, the weight being representative of the confidence in the tool to solve the current incident record.

53. The method according to claim 52, wherein the step of finding comprises searching for approved incident records that most closely match the current incident record.

54. The method according to claim 53, wherein each of the plurality of approved incident records contains historical tool outputs generated from diagnostic and analytic tools used to evaluate the plurality of medical imaging machines.

55. The method according to claim 54, wherein the step of finding comprises determining a matching percentage between the current incident record and each of the approved incident records according to the weights assigned for each of the diagnostic and analytic tools.

56. The method according to claim 55, wherein the step of finding further comprises ranking the approved incident records according to the matching percentage.

57. The method according to claim 56, wherein the step of finding further comprises stopping the search according to a user selection.

58. The method according to claim 57, wherein the step of finding further comprises appending the current incident record with data from the approved incident record that most closely matches the current incident record.

59. The method according to claim 58, wherein the step of finding further comprises storing the appended current incident record with the plurality of approved incident records.

60. The method according to claim 57, wherein the step of finding further comprises storing the current incident record in a current incident record database.