System and method for scheduling plurality of imaging tasks in a medical imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016284083-A1
Application number	US-201615080946-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 25, 2016
Priority date	Mar 27, 2015
Publication date	Sep 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system that provides an improved way of scheduling a plurality of imaging tasks in a medical imaging system is disclosed. The system enables a user (i.e. a technician or medical expert) to group different imaging tasks and executes them simultaneously to significantly reduce scan time. These imaging tasks are of different types or are related to different imaging techniques. If different imaging tasks need to be performed substantially at the same location and have substantially same scan time then they can be scheduled simultaneously so that overall scan time can be reduced.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A system for scheduling a plurality of imaging tasks in a medical imaging system, the system comprising:
an imaging task processor configured to:
analyze the plurality of imaging tasks, wherein the plurality of imaging tasks comprises a plurality of first imaging tasks and a plurality of second imaging tasks; and
group at least one first imaging task of the plurality of first imaging tasks and the at least one second imaging task of the plurality of second imaging tasks; and
an imaging processor configured to execute the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task simultaneously for performing imaging.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each first imaging task of the plurality of first imaging tasks and each second imaging task of the plurality of second imaging tasks have respective execution time for execution.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the imaging task processor performs grouping based on execution time of each first imaging task of the at least one first imaging task and execution time of each second imaging task of the at least one second imaging task.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the imaging task processor is further configured to determine that at least one second imaging task having associated cumulative execution time substantially equal to cumulative execution time associated with the at least one first imaging task.

5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task are non-simultaneous.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging task processor is further configured to suggest grouping of the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task to a user.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a first imaging task of the plurality of first imaging tasks and a second imaging task of the plurality of second imaging tasks are associated with different imaging techniques.

8 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the imaging task processor is further configured to:
determine an imaging location associated with a subject's body for each imaging task; and identify the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task for grouping based on at least one imaging location associated with the subject's body where the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task are performed.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein at least one imaging location associated with the subject's body where the at least one first imaging task is performed is substantially near to at least one imaging location associated with the subject's body where the at least one second imaging task is performed.

10 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the imaging task processor is further configured to:
determine an imaging center associated with each imaging task; and identify the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task for grouping based on at least one imaging center where the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task are performed.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein an imaging center associated with at least one first imaging task is substantially near to an imaging center associated with the at least one second imaging task.

12 . A method of scheduling a plurality of imaging tasks in a medical imaging system, the method comprising:
analyzing the plurality of imaging tasks, wherein the plurality of imaging tasks comprises a plurality of first imaging tasks and a plurality of second imaging tasks; grouping at least one first imaging task of the plurality of first imaging tasks and the at least one second imaging task of the plurality of second imaging tasks; and executing the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task simultaneously for performing imaging.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein each first imaging task of the plurality of first imaging tasks and each second imaging task of the plurality of second imaging tasks have respective execution time for execution.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein grouping is performed based on execution time of each first imaging task of the at least one first imaging task and execution time of each second imaging task of the at least one second imaging task.

15 . The method of claim 13 further comprising determining that at least one second imaging task having associated cumulative execution time substantially equal to cumulative execution time associated with the at least one first imaging task.

16 . The method of claim 13 further comprising suggesting grouping of the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task to a user.

17 . The method of claim 13 further comprising:
determining an imaging location on a subject's body where imaging is performed for each imaging task; and
identifying the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task for grouping based on at least one imaging location on the subject's body where the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task is performed.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein at least one imaging location on the subject's body where the at least one first imaging task is performed is substantially near to at least one imaging location on the subject's body where the at least one second imaging task is performed.

19 . The method of claim 13 further comprising:
determining an imaging center associated with each imaging task; and
identifying the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task for grouping based on at least one imaging center associated with the at least one first imaging task and the at least one second imaging task.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein an imaging center associated with the at least one first imaging task is substantially near to an imaging center associated with the at least one second imaging task.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Singh Umesh Kumar

Classifications

• G16H40/20 Primary

  for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms · CPC title

• G06T2207/10088

  Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] · CPC title

• G06T2207/10104

  Positron emission tomography [PET] · CPC title

• G06T7/0012 Primary

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title

• G06K9/32

  Physics · mapped topic