Method for adjusting a volume level of a communications unit and a communications unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10091578-B2
Application number	US-201514806156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2015
Priority date	Jul 22, 2014
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A method for adjusting a volume level of a communications unit is provided. The communications unit is configured for communication between a medical operator and a patient during a magnetic resonance examination and includes at least one microphone and at least one loudspeaker. The method includes detecting communication signals by the at least one microphone, transmitting the detected communication signals to the at least one loudspeaker, and an acoustic output of the detected communication signals by the at least one loudspeaker. A volume level of the at least one microphone may be automatically adjusted during detection of the communication signals, and/or a volume level of the at least one loudspeaker may be automatically adjusted during the acoustic output of the communication signals.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for adjusting a volume level of a communications unit, wherein the communications unit is configured for communication between a medical operator and a patient during a magnetic resonance examination and wherein the communications unit comprises at least one microphone, at least one loudspeaker, and a control unit, the method comprising:
detecting, by the at least one microphone, communication signals;
measuring an ambient volume level by a volume measurement;
transmitting the detected communication signals to the control unit;
automatically adjusting a volume level of the at least one microphone or the at least one loudspeaker using the detected communication signals and the measured ambient volume level; and
outputting, by the at least one loudspeaker, an acoustic output of the detected communication signal at the adjusted volume level.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communications unit is further configured to adjust the volume level as a function of a time parameter of a magnetic resonance scan.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the the ambient volume level is measured by the at least one microphone.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the the ambient volume level is measured by a separate volume detection unit of the communications unit.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automatic adjusting comprises a deactivation of the volume level.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automatic adjusting comprises an adjustment of the volume level to an ambient noise volume level of the at least one microphone or of the at least one loudspeaker.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein after a cessation of interference noises, after an end of a magnetic resonance scan, or after a cessation of interference noises and after an end of a magnetic resonance scan, the volume level is automatically set, by the communications unit, to an original volume level.

8. A communications unit comprising:
at least one microphone;
at least one loudspeaker; and
a control unit,
wherein the communications unit is configured for communication between a medical operator and a patient during a magnetic resonance examination,
wherein the control unit comprises a volume adjustment unit configured to adjust a volume level of the communications unit, and
wherein the communications unit is configured to:
detect, by the at least one microphone, of communication signals;
measure an ambient volume level by a volume measurement;
transmit the detected communication signals to the control unit;
automatically adjust a volume level of the at least one microphone or the at least one loudspeaker using the detected communication signals and the measured ambient volume level; and
output an acoustic output of the detected communication signal at the adjusted volume level.

9. The communications unit of claim 8 , the communications unit further comprising a volume detection unit configured to measure the ambient volume level.

10. A magnetic resonance device comprising:
a communications unit comprising:
at least one microphone;
at least one loudspeaker; and
a control unit,

wherein the communications unit is configured for communication between a medical operator and a patient during a magnetic resonance examination,
wherein the control unit comprises a volume adjustment unit configured to adjust a volume level of the communications unit, and
wherein the communications unit is configured to:
detect, by the at least one microphone, of communication signals;
measure an ambient volume level by a volume measurement;
transmit the detected communication signals to the control unit;
automatically adjust a volume level of the at least one microphone or the at least one loudspeaker using the detected communication signals and the measured ambient volume level; and
output an acoustic output of the detected communication signal at the adjusted volume level.

11. In a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions executable by one or more processors to adjust a volume of a communications unit, wherein the communications unit is configured for communication between a medical operator and a patient during a magnetic resonance examination and comprises at least one microphone, at least one loudspeaker, and a control unit, the instructions comprising:
detect, by the at least one microphone, communication signals;
measure an ambient volume level by a volume measurement;
transmit the detected communication signals to the control unit;
automatically adjust a volume level of the at least one microphone or the at least one loudspeaker using the detected communication signals and the measured ambient volume level; and
output an acoustic output of the detected communication signal at the adjusted volume level.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the communications unit is further configured to adjust the volume level as a function of a time parameter of a magnetic resonance scan.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the ambient volume level is measured by the at least one microphone.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the ambient volume level is measured by a separate volume detection unit of the communications unit.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the automatic adjustment comprises a deactivation of the volume level.

Assignees

• Benner Thomas
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Benner Thomas

Classifications

• H04R3/00 Primary

  Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title

• G10K2210/1161

  NMR or MRI · CPC title

• A61B5/7465

  Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network (telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002) · CPC title

• G16H80/00

  ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring · CPC title

• A61B5/055

  involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging · CPC title