Self-guided portable medical diagnostic system

• US 8,983,663 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Marar, Rajeev Ramankutty
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOYER, DALE S
• Application Number:
  US11/550,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20080161672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,073 Days
• Field of Search: 700/246, 700258-259, 700/264, 901/1
• US Class Current: 700/264
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4405 the apparatus being movable or portable, e.g. handheld or mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4405 Device being mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

The present invention provides a medical diagnostic device with an automatic moving mechanism. The device comprises an input interface for receiving instructions from an operator or from a remote device. A motion controller is coupled to the input interface for controlling movements of the diagnostic device based on the instructions received through the input interface. A moving assembly is coupled to the motion controller for moving the diagnostic device under control of the motion controller. In an embodiment, a method of guiding a portable imaging system through various locations in a hospital is disclosed. Also the invention discloses a self-guided portable imaging system.

Claims

1. A medical diagnostic device with an automatic moving mechanism, comprising:

an input interface for receiving instructions;

a motion controller coupled to the input interface for controlling movements of the medical diagnostic device based on a work list, the work list including patient information and job information, the job information including at least one of schedule of scanning, body part to be scanned, suitable imaging device needs to be used for scanning, or availability of doctor, wherein the motion controller is configured to automatically control movements of the medical diagnostic device based on the work list without manual control by a user; and

a moving assembly coupled to the motion controller for automatically moving the medical diagnostic device under control of the motion controller, the movement being controlled in accordance with a navigation route automatically generated by the motion controller based on the work list.

2. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the input interface is a user interface, and the instructions represent movements commanded by a user.

3. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 2, wherein the moving assembly is configured to receive signals from the motion controller for moving the medical diagnostic device under manual control of the user.

4. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the input interface is configured to receive the instructions from a remote device.

5. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the medical diagnostic device is a medical imaging device.

6. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 5, wherein the medical imaging device is selected from a group consisting of a computed tomography imaging device, a positron emission tomography imaging device, a magnetic resonance imaging device, an ultrasound imaging device and an X-ray imaging device.

7. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the medical diagnostic device is a patient monitoring device.

8. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 7, wherein the patient monitoring device is selected from a group consisting of an electrocardiographic monitoring device, a blood pressure monitoring device, and an anesthesia monitoring device.

9. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the input interface is a wireless interface.

10. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the motion controller is configured to receive the instructions from the input interface and to generate control signals based on the instructions, the control signals applied to the moving assembly for controlling movements of the medical diagnostic device.

11. A medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the moving assembly is configured to allow a linear and a 360 degree rotational movement of the medical diagnostic device.

12. The medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the motion controller is configured to automatically change the navigation route while on the navigation route based on a received input, and wherein the change in the navigation route alters an order of patients to be visited along the navigation route in response to the received input.

13. The medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the job information includes the availability of the doctor.

14. The medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the job information includes the suitable imaging device needs to be used for scanning.

15. The medical diagnostic device as in claim 1, wherein the job information includes the schedule of scanning, the body part to be scanned, the suitable imaging device needs to be used for scanning, and the availability of the doctor.

16. A self-guided portable medical imaging system comprising:

a medical imaging device;

a robotic controller coupled to the medical imaging device, the robotic controller comprising;

a processor configured to automatically guide the movement of the medical imaging device using a work list and a route map, the work list including patient information and job information, the job information including at least one of schedule of scanning, body part to be scanned, suitable imaging device needs to be used for scanning, or availability of doctor; and

a moving assembly operably coupled to the processor for automatically moving the medical imaging device in accordance with a navigation route automatically generated by the robotic controller based on the work list.

17. A self-guided portable medical imaging system as in claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to fetch the work list automatically from a server on a predefined interval.

18. A self-guided portable medical imaging system as in claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically generate the route map from hospital data, the hospital data being fetched from the server.

19. A self-guided portable medical imaging system as in claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically generate the navigation route using the route map for controlling the moving assembly.

20. A self-guided portable medical imaging system as in claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to provide security to the imaging device from unauthorized usage.

21. A self-guided portable medical imaging system as in claim 16, wherein the robotic controller comprises a user interface configured to receive movement commands from a user to manually direct the movement of the medical imaging device.

22. A self-guided portable medical imaging system as in claim 16, wherein the imaging device is one of a computed tomography device, a positron emission tomography device, a magnetic resonance imaging device, an ultrasound imaging device and an X-ray device.