Determining a position and/or a motion of a patient during a medical imaging examination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9945922-B2
Application number	US-201414485723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2014
Priority date	Sep 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A medical imaging apparatus includes a detector unit, a patient-receiving area at least partially surrounded by the detector unit, and a motion capture unit. The motion capture unit includes at least one first motion capture sensor for capturing patient monitoring data relating to a motion of the patient, and at least one second motion capture sensor for the capture of further motion data relating to a motion of the first motion capture sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A medical imaging apparatus comprising:
a detector unit;
a patient-receiving area at least partially surrounded by the detector unit; and
a motion capture unit comprising at least one first motion capture sensor for capturing patient monitoring data relating to a motion of a patient,
wherein the motion capture unit comprises at least one second motion capture sensor for capturing further motion data of a motion of the first motion capture sensor.

2. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first motion capture sensor and the at least one second motion capture sensor are arranged inside the patient-receiving area.

3. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one second motion capture sensor is arranged on a same component as the at least one first motion capture sensor.

4. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one second motion capture sensor is arranged directly on the at least one first motion capture sensor.

5. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one second motion capture sensor, which is inside the patient-receiving area, is arranged such that a capture direction of the at least one second motion capture sensor coincides with a spatial direction of the detector unit, the at least one first motion capture sensor, or the detector unit and the at least one first motion capture sensor.

6. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the motion capture unit comprises a calibration unit for calibration of a coordinate system of the at least one second motion capture sensor with a coordinate system of the at least one first motion capture sensor, a coordinate system of the detector unit, or the coordinate system of the at least one first motion capture sensor and the coordinate system of the detector unit.

7. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the motion capture unit comprises an evaluation unit configured to determine motion correction data of motion of the at least one first motion capture sensor with reference to further motion data captured by the at least one second motion capture sensor.

8. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the evaluation unit is comprised by the at least one first motion capture sensor.

9. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one second motion capture sensor comprises an acceleration sensor.

10. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one first motion capture sensor and the at least one second motion capture sensor are arranged inside the patient-receiving area.

11. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one second motion capture sensor is arranged on a same component as the at least one first motion capture sensor.

12. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the at least one second motion capture sensor is arranged directly on the at least one first motion capture sensor.

13. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the at least one second motion capture sensor is arranged such that a capture direction of the at least one second motion capture sensor coincides with a spatial direction of the detector unit, the at least one first motion capture sensor, or the detector unit and the at least one first motion capture sensor.

14. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the motion capture unit comprises a calibration unit for calibration of a coordinate system of the at least one second motion capture sensor with a coordinate system of the at least one first motion capture sensor, a coordinate system of the detector unit, or the coordinate system of the at least one first motion capture sensor and the coordinate system of the detector unit.

15. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the motion capture unit comprises an evaluation unit configured to determine motion correction data of motion of the at least one first motion capture sensor with reference to further motion data captured by the at least one second motion capture sensor.

16. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the evaluation unit is comprised by the at least one first motion capture sensor.

17. A method for capturing a motion of a patient during a medical imaging examination using a medical imaging apparatus, the method comprising:
capturing patient monitoring data using a first motion capture sensor;
capturing further motion data using a second motion capture sensor;
determining motion correction data of the first motion capture sensor with reference to the further motion data; and
determining corrected motion data relating to the patient with reference to the first patient monitoring data and with reference to the determined motion correction data of the first motion capture sensor.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a coordinate system of the second motion capture sensor is calibrated with respect to a coordinate system of the first motion capture sensor, a coordinate system of a detector unit of the medical imaging apparatus, or the coordinate system of the first motion capture sensor and the coordinate system of the detector unit.

19. In a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions executable by an evaluation unit of a motion capture unit, a medical imaging apparatus, or a combination thereof to capture a motion of a patient during a medical imaging examination using the medical imaging apparatus, the instructions comprising:
capturing patient monitoring data using a first motion capture sensor;
capturing further motion data using a second motion capture sensor;
determining motion correction data of the first motion capture sensor with reference to the further motion data; and
determining corrected motion data relating to the patient with reference to the first patient monitoring data and with reference to the determined motion correction data of the first motion capture sensor.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein a coordinate system of the second motion capture sensor is calibrated with respect to a coordinate system of the first motion capture sensor, a coordinate system of a detector unit of the medical imaging apparatus, or the coordinate system of the first motion capture sensor and the coordinate system of the detector unit.

Assignees

• Benner Thomas
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Benner Thomas

Classifications

• G01R33/283

  Intercom or optical viewing arrangements, structurally associated with NMR apparatus · CPC title

• A61B5/721

  using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured · CPC title

• G01P13/00

  Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement (electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00) · CPC title

• G01R33/56509 Primary

  due to motion, displacement or flow, e.g. gradient moment nulling (G01R33/567 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R33/307

  specially adapted for moving the sample relative to the MR system, e.g. spinning mechanisms, flow cells or means for positioning the sample inside a spectrometer · CPC title