JP3211682B2 - Medical diagnostic system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a medical diagnostic system such as an X-ray fluoroscopic system, and more particularly to a medical diagnostic system employing a distributed control system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a medical diagnostic system such as an X-ray fluoroscopic system, which employs a distributed control system, each device constituting the system is divided into several units, and each device is controlled in each unit. In addition, by exchanging control instructions and data with other units, unified control of the entire system is performed. The controller provided in each unit has a function of controlling each device in the unit and a function of communicating with (a controller of) another unit via a communication line.

[0003] Since the controllers of these units are mutually connected via a communication line to perform N: N interactive communication, units having transmission rights communicate with each other such as 1: 1 or 1: all others. And the transmission right is circulated between the units. The controller of one unit that has received the transmission right communicates the control command or data to be transmitted, if any, and after that, sends the transmission right to the controller of the next unit and transmits it. If there is no data, the transmission right is immediately sent to the controller of the next unit.

[0004]

However, in the conventional distributed control type medical diagnosis system, there is a problem that a load on communication control is large in a controller of each unit, which causes trouble in device control and the like. In the communication control, the load is originally large because of the involvement of interruption processing and processing of transferring data to a memory by DMA or the like at the time of reception. In addition, when the system is stationary (standby), transmission of control commands and data is almost unnecessary, so that the frequency of transmission rights circulating through each unit increases. Therefore, in a situation where the number of transmission right rounds increases, the load of communication control of passing the transmission right increases,
The control of each device in the unit is hindered.

[0005] In particular, an operation console is provided with keys (switches) and various switch groups. It is necessary to constantly monitor inputs (scanning of key input states) for whether or not there are key inputs and switch operations. Since it is necessary to continuously perform control such as screen switching related to display on the device, the size of the communication control load as described above is problematic.

In addition, a unit having an initiative in a system such as a console for transmitting a start command in response to an input of a start key and starting the whole system is different from a unit which performs a passive operation in the system. If such a command or the like is not to be transmitted when it should be transmitted, the command or the like cannot be transmitted immediately, and the response and the smoothness of the operation as a whole system are reduced.

In view of the above, the present invention is directed to a distributed control system in which the number of unnecessary rounds of transmission rights is reduced, the communication load is reduced, and equipment control in each unit is sufficiently performed. It is an object to provide a medical diagnostic system.

[0008] The response and response of the entire system
It is another object of the present invention to improve the smoothness of operation.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, each device including a console is divided into a number of units, and each of the devices includes a console. A controller having control means for controlling each device in the unit and communication means for communicating with other units is provided in each unit, and the controller of each unit is connected to the controller of another unit via a communication line. The connected unit having the transmission right transmits to another unit to communicate with the other unit, and the transmission right is circulated between the units, thereby controlling the distributed control system as a whole system. In a medical diagnostic system configured to perform
The controller of each unit includes means for transmitting data or an instruction to be transmitted when receiving the transmission right; means for determining whether the system is stationary when there is no data or instruction to be transmitted; A means for holding the transmission right for a fixed time when it is determined that the apparatus is stationary; and a means for transmitting the transmission right to the next unit after transmitting the data or the command and after the transmission right holding time has elapsed. It is characteristic.

When each unit receives the transmission right and there is data or an instruction to be transmitted to the unit during the operation of the system, the controller transmits the data and the like, and then transmits the transmission right to the next unit. I do. When there is no such data or the like, each controller determines whether the system is in a stationary (standby) state. Whether or not the system is stationary can be easily determined by a flag or the like added when transmitting the transmission right. When each controller determines that the system is stationary, it holds the transmission right for a certain period of time, and sends the transmission right to the next unit after the transmission right holding time has elapsed. Therefore, when the system is stationary, the transmission right is held until the transmission right holding time elapses, and the number of transmission right rounds is reduced. Thereby, the load for communication control of the controller of each unit is reduced. That is, since there is generally no transmission data or the like when the system is stationary, the transmission right circulates frequently, and the load for communication control increases, thereby preventing the controller of each unit from controlling devices in its own unit. This will be improved. For example, in a unit such as a console, even when stationary, scanning of the input state and processing around the screen of the display monitor device are always performed, and it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that such processing is hindered by heavy communication control. Becomes In this way, even in a unit in which the demand for device control is large even when the system is at rest, it is possible to control the device in the unit satisfactorily.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the controller of each of the units includes means for transmitting data or an instruction to be transmitted when receiving the transmission right; And a means for transmitting the transmission right to the next unit after transmitting the data or the command and after the transmission right holding time has elapsed, wherein the transmission right holding time is determined for each unit. In addition, the console unit is characterized in that the holding time is set longer than the other units. The console unit issues a start command in response to operation and can be said to have the initiative within the system, but this console unit has a longer transmission right holding time, and other units have a longer holding time. Since the transmission right holding time is short, when a transmission command etc. occurs in the console unit, the probability that the console unit has the transmission right at that moment increases, and the command etc. can be transmitted immediately. The response as a whole is improved, and the smoothness of the operation of the whole system is improved.

[0012]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, an X-ray fluoroscopic system will be described as a medical diagnostic system to which the present invention is applied. In this exemplary X-ray fluoroscopy system, a distributed control system is adopted, and as shown in FIG. 2, four units, namely, an examination table unit 11, an X-ray control unit 21, an X-ray unit 31, an operation unit It is divided into table units 41, each of which has a controller 12, 22, 32, 42
Is provided. These controllers 12, 22,
Each of the units 32 and 42 has a function of controlling various devices included in the unit and a communication function, and is configured to be connected to a ring-shaped communication line 51 so as to communicate with each other. ing.

The examination table unit 11 comprises a top plate on which a subject is placed and a mechanism for rotating or moving the same.
Further, an image intensifier is provided which holds the X-ray tube and is arranged to face the X-ray tube with the top plate interposed therebetween. A TV camera is connected to the image intensifier via an optical system, and these are also held on the inspection table. A drive device for rotating / moving the top plate and moving the X-ray tube / image intensifier is also provided.

The X-ray controller unit 21 includes an X-ray high voltage generator and a device for setting and controlling the generated voltage and the like, and supplies the generated voltage and current to the X-ray tube of the examination table unit 11. .

The X-ray photographing unit 31 is composed of a so-called rapid photographing device or the like, and sends the film to the input side of the image intensifier at a designated timing to photograph the film. This X-ray imaging apparatus is mechanically attached to an inspection table.

The console unit 41 includes a keyboard for input and various switches, a display monitor device, and displays states such as various settings. Further, an image display device that receives an X-ray image video signal from a TV camera included in the examination table unit 11 and displays an X-ray fluoroscopic image is provided.

A controller provided in each unit controls various devices in each unit and performs communication via a communication line 51. Here, the communication line 51 performs communication of control commands and data, and the transmission of the X-ray power and the transmission of the X-ray image video signal are separately performed.

The controllers 12, 22, 32, 42
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 61, a memory such as a ROM 62 and a RAM 63, a DMA controller 64, a timer 65, an input / output interface 66, a communication interface 67 and the like are connected to a bus 68. The input / output interface 66 includes, for example, a driving device for rotating / moving the tabletop, a driving device for moving the X-ray tube / image intensifier, an image intensifier, and a TV camera. Various devices such as a device that controls the
It is stored in M62 or the like. Further, a communication control program is also stored in the ROM 62 or the like, and the CPU 61 starts the communication control program and starts a control program of each device based on control commands and control data received from other units to execute various types of devices. Perform control.

Communication between the units is performed in such a manner that the unit having the transmission right communicates with other units in a ratio of 1: 1 or 1: all other units. This transmission right is circulated between the units. The controller performs the operation shown in FIG. When the controller of a certain unit receives the transmission right, it checks whether there is any data or instruction to be transmitted, transmits it if there is any, and sends the transmission right to the next unit after completion. If there is no data to be transmitted, it is checked whether the system is stationary. This is determined by a flag of data received with the transmission right attached. When it is determined that the system is stationary, the timer 65 is started, and it is checked whether or not the timer time is over. If it is not over, the presence or absence of transmission data or the like is checked at that time. Performs the same operation as described above. When the time expires, the transmission right is sent to the next unit.

At the time of reception by this controller, the CPU
61 interrupt processing, and DMA controller 6
It is necessary to perform a process of transferring the data under control of Step 4 directly to the RAM 63, and this process becomes a considerable load, and the control efficiency of each device in the unit is reduced. Since the transmission right is retained until the timer expires when the system is stationary, communication processing can be prevented from occurring frequently, improving the control of each device in the unit. it can.

When the system is stationary and in a standby state, the system is normally started by an operation on a console. That is, a start command is sent from the console unit 41 to other units in response to the input of the start key, and the whole system is started and is in an operating state. Before being activated in this way, each device of each unit is hardly operating, and no transmission demand is generated for each unit. Therefore, conventionally, only the transmission right frequently circulates in the system, and the console unit 4
In 1, the scanning of the input state and the processing around the screen of the display monitor device are always performed even when the camera is stationary,
These processes are hindered by communication control with a large load, but such inconvenience can be avoided by holding the transmission right for the time specified by the timer 65 as described above. .

For this reason, the configuration in which the timer 65 is started at a standstill and switched so as to extend the time for holding the transmission right in accordance with the state of the system as described above is adopted in the controller 42 of the console unit 41. It turns out to be effective. In the case of the controller 42 of the console unit 41, the time of the timer 65 is set so that the holding time of the transmission right is set to a time twice as long as the monitoring interval in accordance with the monitoring time such as a key scan. Even when employed in other units, the number of traversals until the transmission right becomes unnecessary when stationary is reduced, so that the work required for communication control in each unit is reduced, and the equipment in that unit can be controlled well. Will be possible.

The transmission right holding time may be determined separately for each unit according to the system configuration. That is, in an actual system, the degree to which communication (especially transmission) is required varies depending on the unit. Inspection table unit 11 and X-ray imaging unit 31
Often operate passively by signals from other units, and do not themselves send out commands and data, especially when the system is stationary. On the other hand, since the console unit 41 is a starting point of the system startup in response to the key operation, the console unit 41 has a transmission right at that moment so that the communication can be performed as soon as there is an input of the startup key even at the standstill. Probability needs to be high. Therefore, the transmission right holding time is determined separately for each unit.

More specifically, each controller detects a system configuration status and a combination of units by inputting a switch or the like in an initial setting after the power is turned on, or by checking a version of software. Set the optimal transmission right holding time for.

As for the console unit 41, for example, as described above, a time approximately twice as long as the key scan is set as the transmission right holding time, so that the transmission according to the key operation can be performed immediately, and the console unit 41 is set. The X-ray controller unit 21 has a holding time of, for example, about 1/3 of that, so that the key scan and the control of the display monitor device can be performed with a margin. Since the examination table unit 11 and the X-ray imaging apparatus unit 31 are completely passive, the transmission right holding time is set to 0 (as soon as the transmission right is received, it is transferred to the next unit). FIG. 4 shows this relationship in a diagram. In FIG. 4, the shaded portion indicates the transmission right holding time.

When the controller of each unit receives the transmission right, it checks whether there is data to be transmitted or not, and immediately transmits the data, if any, and then, upon completion of the transmission right, terminates the transmission right. Send to the next unit. If there is no data or the like to be transmitted, it is determined whether the transmission right needs to be held. If the holding is not required, the transmission right is transmitted, and if the holding is required, the timer 65 is started. During this time, since no other unit has the transmission right, no reception occurs and no passive communication control is performed. Therefore, during the holding time, it is possible to concentrate on processing related to control of each device in the own unit. When the holding time expires, the transmission right is sent to the next unit.

Although an example in which the present invention is applied to an X-ray fluoroscopy system has been described, the present invention relates to an X-ray CT system.
Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to other medical diagnostic systems such as a system and an MRI system. Further, the method of dividing each part of the system into units is not limited to the above, and the number of units is not limited to four as described above, and may be three or five or more.

[0028]

As described above, according to the medical diagnostic system of the present invention, the distributed control system is employed, the number of unnecessary rounds of transmission rights is reduced, and the communication load is reduced. It can be improved so that the device control in the inside can be sufficiently performed. Further, the response of the entire system can be improved, and the smoothness of the operation can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing transmission right holding time in each unit.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining another example.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 11 inspection table unit 21 X-ray control unit 31 X-ray imaging unit 41 console unit 12, 22, 32, 42 controller 51 communication line 61 CPU 62 ROM 63 RAM 64 DMA controller 65 timer 66 input / output interface 67 communication interface 68 bus

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-8-117216 (JP, A) JP-A-6-334673 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 6/00-6/14 A61B 5/00 G06F 19/00 H04L 12/28-12/46

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. Each device including a console, which constitutes a system, is divided into several units, and control means for controlling each device in each unit and communication means for communicating with other units. Is provided in each unit, the controller of each of these units is connected to the controller of another unit via a communication line, and the unit having the transmission right transmits to the other unit, so that communication with the other unit is possible. In a medical diagnostic system configured such that the transmission right is circulated between the units to perform control of the distributed control system as a whole system, the controller of each unit controls the transmission right. The means for transmitting data and instructions to be transmitted when received and the system to be static when there are no data or instructions to be transmitted. Means for determining whether the system is stopped, means for holding a transmission right for a certain time when the system is determined to be stationary, and after transmitting data and instructions, and after the transmission right holding time has elapsed, Means for transmitting the transmission right to the next unit. 2. Each device including a console, which constitutes the system, is divided into several units, control means for controlling each device in each unit, and communication means for communicating with other units. Is provided in each unit, the controller of each of these units is connected to the controller of another unit via a communication line, and the unit having the transmission right transmits to the other unit, so that communication with the other unit is possible. In a medical diagnostic system configured such that the transmission right is circulated between the units to perform control of the distributed control system as a whole system, the controller of each unit controls the transmission right. A means for transmitting data and instructions to be transmitted when received, and a certain period of time when there is no data or instruction to be transmitted Means to retain rights, and after sending data and instructions, and after the transmission rights hold time has elapsed,
Means for sending the transmission right to the next unit, wherein the holding time of the transmission right is determined for each unit, and the holding time of the console unit is set longer than the other units. Medical diagnostic system that has become.