JP2005095635A - Remote diagnosis system for medical device, check system for medical device, and remote diagnosis method for medical device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten time required to restore a functional abnormality of a medical device as much as possible by handling the abnormality appropriately at a distant place. <P>SOLUTION: A remote diagnosis system for the medical device comprising a management unit to manage a functional condition of the medical device via a communication means is provided. The medical device comprises means (steps S21-S23) for determining if a relevant abnormality is present or absent by self-diagnosing a function of the medical device, and means (step S25-S30) to send history data including an error log of the relevant medical device to the management unit via the communication means when the presence of abnormality has been determined. The management unit comprises a means (step S31) to analyze the history data including the error log of the medical device sent via the communication means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote diagnosis system for a medical device, an inspection system for a medical device, and a remote diagnosis method for a medical device, and in particular, calls a medical device installed at a site such as a hospital and a center that manages the medical device. The present invention relates to a remote diagnosis system for medical devices connected by a line, a medical device inspection system suitably used for the remote diagnosis system, and a remote diagnosis method for medical devices.

  A remote diagnosis system in which a medical device (for example, an X-ray CT scanner) installed at a site such as a hospital and a center (for example, a factory) that remotely manages whether or not the function of the medical device is normal are connected via a telephone line There is. In this remote diagnosis system, a medical device is normally called from a center via a telephone line and a diagnosis program on the device side is started. A diagnosis relating to the function of the medical device is performed by this diagnosis program, and the diagnosis result is returned to the center via the telephone line again. Therefore, the center analyzes the diagnosis result and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred. Note that the timing at which the center issues a remote command for starting the diagnostic program is not always regular, and information on the occurrence of an abnormality from the staff (for example, an operator on the hospital side, a service engineer, etc.) directly involved in the operation and maintenance of the medical device at the site. In the same way as described above, a temporary diagnosis can be carried out even when.

  However, in the conventional remote diagnosis system, since the diagnosis program on the device side is activated only when the center side takes action in any of the periodic diagnosis and the temporary diagnosis, the process until the abnormality is detected There was a problem that the time was prolonged. For example, in the case of periodic diagnosis, a diagnostic program is periodically started. However, when an abnormality has occurred, a long time may have already passed before the abnormality is detected. In such a case, there is a problem that it is impossible to promptly respond to the occurrence of an abnormality in the medical device, the state of the device abnormality is prolonged, and there is a considerable adverse effect on medical practice. In the case of a temporary diagnosis, for example, since a report from the hospital operator to the center is necessary, the time from the occurrence of the abnormality to the countermeasure is inevitably long, and there is a problem similar to the above.

  The present invention improves the above-described problems of the conventional remote diagnosis system. In remote diagnosis, the abnormality of the function of the medical device is dealt with promptly and promptly, and the time until the repair of such abnormality is minimized. The purpose is to eliminate the state of device abnormality for a long time.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote diagnosis system for a medical device including a management device that remotely manages a function state of the medical device via a communication unit. In this system, the medical device performs a self-diagnosis on the function of the medical device and determines whether there is an abnormality in the function, and when the abnormality is determined by the self-diagnosis unit, Transmission means for transmitting history information including an error log of the medical apparatus to the management apparatus via the communication means, and the management apparatus receives the error log of the medical apparatus transmitted via the communication means. Analyzing means for analyzing the included history information is provided.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medical device inspection system for inspecting a functional state of a medical device. According to this system, a self-diagnosis unit that executes a self-diagnosis on the function of the medical device to determine whether there is an abnormality in the function, and when the self-diagnosis unit determines that the abnormality is present, Transmission means for transmitting history information including an error log of the apparatus to a remote management apparatus via the communication means.

  Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a medical device inspection system for inspecting the functional state of a medical device using X-rays. The system includes a self-diagnosis unit that performs a self-diagnosis on the function of the medical device, an abnormality determination unit that determines a degree of abnormality of the function from a diagnosis result of the self-diagnosis unit, and a determination result of the abnormality determination unit. And an abnormality handling means for taking a specific action from among the actions related to the repair of the plurality of types of abnormality determined in advance. The self-diagnosis unit includes a unit that performs test exposure of the X-ray as the self-diagnosis, and the abnormality determination unit transmits information indicating the abnormality to a remote management device based on a result of the test exposure. Means for determining whether or not it is necessary to transmit, and when the abnormality determination means determines that it is necessary to transmit to a remote management device by the abnormality determination means, the communication means via the communication means Means for transmitting information indicating an abnormality to the management apparatus together with history information including an error log of the medical apparatus;

  Further, according to the present invention, performing a self-diagnosis relating to the function of the medical device, determining whether there is a functional abnormality in the medical device based on a result of the self-diagnosis, And a step of transmitting history information including an error log of the medical device to the management device via communication means when it is determined that there is a functional abnormality in the medical device. A diagnostic method is provided.

  According to the present invention, when the abnormality of the medical device is determined by the self-diagnosis of the medical device, the history information including the error log of the medical device is transmitted to the remote management device. Based on the information, a process for repairing the abnormality of the medical device can be performed. As a result, medical device abnormalities can be quickly repaired, medical device downtime can be reduced, medical devices can be operated efficiently, and the effects of device abnormalities on medical practices are minimized. be able to.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  The remote diagnosis system according to this embodiment performs remote diagnosis of a plurality of X-ray CT scanners. In this remote diagnosis system, as shown in FIG. 1, X-ray CT scanners 10a, 10b,... 10n as medical devices are respectively installed in a plurality of hospitals A, B,. The computers of the line CT scanners 10a, 10b,..., 10n are individually connected to the telephone line 12 via modems 11a, 11b,. The modems 11a, 11b, ..., 11n may be separate from the X-ray CT scanners 10a, 10b, ..., 10n, or may be integrated into a computer inside the scanner.

  A computer 14 of the service center S is connected to the telephone line 12 via a modem 13. The service center S centrally manages maintenance inspections of the X-ray CT scanners 10a, 10b,..., 10n of the hospitals A to N, and can communicate with the hospitals A to N through the communication network of the telephone line 12 described above. It has become. The computer 14 of the service center S corresponds to the management device of the invention.

  Further, the telephone line 12 includes a factory FT of the manufacturer that manufactured the X-ray CT scanners 10a, 10b,..., 10n and service stations STa, STb in charge of maintenance and inspection of the X-ray CT scanners 10a, 10b,. ,... STn are similarly communicably connected.

  Next, the diagnosis flow of the remote diagnosis system will be described with reference to FIG.

  Steps 20 to 30 in FIG. 2 are processes performed on the medical apparatus side, that is, on each of the X-ray CT scanners 10a to 10n. First, in step 20, the computer of the X-ray CT scanner 10a (-10n) performs normal imaging processing. The self-diagnosis process of step 21 is executed at an appropriate timing during this implementation (for example, before the imaging of a patient is completed and the imaging of the next patient is started). In this step, the computer of the scanner 10a (-10n) runs a device-side diagnostic program stored in advance and obtains the diagnosis result. Next, the process proceeds to step 22, and the computer of the scanner 10a (-10n) determines whether there is abnormal data indicating abnormality as a function of the scanner in the diagnosis result. If it is determined in step 22 that there is no abnormal data (NO), the process returns to the normal processing in step 20, but if it is determined that there is abnormal data (YES), the process proceeds to step 23.

  In step 23, it is determined whether or not the abnormal data found in step 22 indicates a recoverable error. If it is determined that the error is an unrecoverable error (NO), the processing in steps 24-26 is continued. I do. In step 24, an indication that there is abnormal data and it cannot be recovered is displayed on the monitor of the scanner 10a (˜10n), for example, “... an error has occurred. Contacting the service center”. Next, at step 25, the computer of the scanner 10a (-10n) starts the automatic call processing program, so that the computer 14 of the service center S is automatically activated via the modem 11a (-11n), the telephone line 12, and the modem 13. Call and connect between both computers. Next, at step 26, data such as abnormal data collected by the scanner 10a (-10n) and history information on the scanner side is transferred to the service center S via the connected telephone line.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 23 is YES, that is, abnormal data is detected, but it is determined that the error is recoverable, the process proceeds to step 27 and is recorded in the error log, and then the process proceeds to step 28. . In step 28, it is determined whether or not the number of occurrences (frequency) of the error is large by a process such as comparison with a predetermined threshold value. As a result of this determination, if the specific error occurrence number (frequency) is large (YES), as described above, the automatic call processing to the service center S in step 29 and the service center S in step 30 are performed. After the data transfer process is performed, the process returns to the normal process in step 20 to enable the normal process in parallel. If it is determined in step 28 that the number of occurrences (frequency) of the error is small (NO) and it cannot be specified that the state is still abnormal, the process returns to the normal process in step 20.

  Furthermore, the processing of steps 31 to 33 executed by the computer 14 on the service center side will be described. First, in step 31, for example, data transferred from the X-ray CT scanner 10 a (˜10 n) via the telephone line 12 is received as needed, and the data is analyzed. Next, in step 32, based on the analysis result in step 31, a response (for example, replacement or repair of parts) for canceling the abnormal state of the scanner 10a (-10n) is issued to the service base or factory. When the service base or factory is networked through the same telephone line, the response processing may be issued via the network, or when it is not networked, the service center operator is notified to that effect. Announcement may be made and another communication means may be used from the operator. Further, in step 33, the corresponding contents in step 32 are transferred from the service center S to the scanner 10a (-10n) side through a telephone line.

  In step 34, the computer on the scanner 10a (-10n) side that has received the transfer of the response content responds to the monitor (for example, "Contacted the service center. Please wait for the contact from the service station in charge." ”) And the scanner 10a (˜10n) enters a standby state.

  As a result, for example, the factory FT requested to cope with the abnormal state in the step 32 sends the necessary repair parts to the hospital A (to N) or the service station STa (to STn). The service station STa (to STn) requested to respond at 32 will dispatch a service engineer to the hospital A (to N).

  For this reason, even if the X-ray CT scanner 10a (-10n) breaks down, it is possible to immediately start repairing an abnormal situation without waiting for the hospital operator's contact, and to reduce the downtime of the scanner as much as possible. It is possible to minimize the obstacles to medical practice.

  The telephone line 12 may be connected only at the time of data transmission or correspondence result transmission, or may be connected between steps 26 and 31 to 34 as described in the processing of FIG. Good.

  In FIG. 2 described above, the process of step 21 functionally forms a self-diagnosis means, step 22 functionally forms an abnormality determination means, and step 25 functionally forms an automatic call means. . Further, the processing in step 26 functionally forms the transmission means. Further, the processing in steps 31 to 33 functionally forms a repair command means as a component of the present invention.

  Here, specific examples of the self-diagnosis process and the abnormality determination process centering on steps 21 to 23, 27, and 28 in FIG. 2 described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A diagnostic example of the image reconstruction device is shown in FIG. The X-ray CT scanner 10a (... 10n) first reads the test raw data from the magnetic disk at step 40 in FIG. 3, and commands the reconstruction arithmetic unit to perform image reconstruction using the test raw data at step 41. Next, the process proceeds to step 42, where the test image stored in advance and the reconstructed image are compared, and it is determined in step 43 whether or not they match. If it is OK in step 43 (that is, both images match), it is determined in step 44 whether or not the test is to be continued. If it is to be continued, the process returns to step 40; In step 45, it is determined whether or not there is abnormal data during the specified number of tests so far. If there is no abnormal data, the process ends. If there is abnormal data, the monitor display and center automatic call indicate that abnormal data exists. And data transfer (refer to steps 24 to 26 in FIG. 2). On the other hand, if it is not OK in step 43 (that is, the two images do not match), it is determined whether or not the test is continued in step 46. If YES, the abnormal data is stored in step 47, and then the above-mentioned. Repeat the process. However, in the case of NO, monitor display, center automatic call, and data transfer are performed as described above.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of diagnosis during normal scanning of the X-ray high voltage apparatus. The hardware configuration for this diagnosis is shown in FIG.

  First, the hardware configuration of FIG. 5 will be described. This X-ray high voltage apparatus has a high-voltage transformer 51 connected to the X-ray controller 50, and an X-ray tube 53 is connected to the secondary side of the high-voltage transformer 51 as a load via rectifier circuits 52 and 52. Has been. A tube current detection circuit 54 and a tube voltage detection circuit 55 each having an operational amplifier and a comparator are connected between the rectifier circuits 52 and 52 and the X-ray tube 53, and these detection signals are supplied to the CPU 56. The comparators of the detection circuits 54 and 55 are supplied with reference voltages corresponding to the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the tube current and the saddle voltage, respectively.

  The CPU 56 operates as shown in FIG. That is, it is determined whether or not an error has occurred in step 61 at an appropriate timing while commanding a normal scan in step 60 of FIG. This determination is made by reading a detection signal of a logic level supplied from the tube current detection circuit 54 and the tube voltage detection circuit 55, and overload current, overtube voltage, overcurrent of the main circuit, X-ray tube overheat, heat This is done by checking items such as the flow abnormality of the exchanger. If the determination is NO (no error has occurred), the process returns to step 60, but if YES (error has occurred), it is determined whether or not the fatal error is in step 62. If the determination is YES (a fatal error), monitor display, center automatic call, and data transfer are performed in the same manner as in steps 24 to 26 in FIG. However, in the case of NO (not a fatal error), the process proceeds to step 63 to record abnormal data, and further proceeds to step 64 to determine whether or not the error occurrence frequency is greater than the reference value. To do. If NO is determined in step 64, the process returns to step 60. However, if YES (error occurrence frequency is high) is determined, monitor display, center automatic call, and data transfer are performed.

  Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows an example of diagnosis at the time of exposure under the test conditions of the X-ray high voltage apparatus. A hardware configuration for this diagnosis is shown in FIG.

  Referring to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 7, this X-ray high voltage apparatus has a tube current detection circuit 54 and a tube voltage between the rectifier circuits 52 and 52 and the X-ray tube 53, each having an operational amplifier and an A / D converter. A detection circuit 55 is connected, and those detection signals are supplied to the CPU 56. Other circuits are the same as those shown in FIG.

  The CPU 56 operates as shown in FIG. That is, X-ray exposure under test conditions is performed at step 70 in FIG. 6, and it is determined at step 71 whether or not the tube voltage, tube current, and exposure time are within an allowable range. When this determination is NO (not within the allowable range), monitor display, center automatic call, and data transfer are performed as described above. However, when the answer is YES (within the allowable range), the process proceeds to step 72, where it is determined whether or not the test is continued. If YES (the test is continued), the process returns to step 70, but NO (the test is not continued). If so, the process ends.

  Various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment.

  First, the call destination of the automatic call may be changed depending on whether or not the error is recoverable (that is, not a fatal error). For example, in the case of a fatal error, if an automatic call is made directly to the service station STa (to STn) in charge, a treatment according to the urgency becomes possible.

  Secondly, the self-diagnostic program described above may be run at night, and if the result of the self-diagnosis is not a fatal error (for example, image re-sampling that occurs at a rate of once every thousands of times) An error at the time of configuration), the automatic call processing program on the scanner side is activated, and the service center S is automatically called through the modem on the scanner side. Then, the scanner-side information, abnormality occurrence date and time, abnormality data, etc. may be transferred to the service center S so that the use can be continued as a normal system after the transfer. The series of processing may be software processing in the background of normal use of the scanner.

  Third, when it is determined that the service center S side wants to know more detailed abnormal state of the scanner 10a (-10n) as a result of the analysis in the step 31 of FIG. 2, another diagnosis is performed from the center side to the apparatus side. It is possible to run the program or to instruct the apparatus to automatically change the setting to a mode that avoids errors (see step 31a in FIG. 8: steps in FIG. Showing). In addition, after instructing the remote diagnosis processing from the center side, the line is once disconnected, and when the processing on the medical device side is completed, an automatic call and data transfer are possible. At this time, an automatic call may be made only when it is determined that there is an abnormality.

  Fourth, when an error occurs during normal use, the operator may be required to determine whether or not an automatic call to the service center S is necessary.

  Fifth, means for making an automatic call according to the operator's judgment may be provided. That is, abnormal information noticed by the operator is input, and the information is automatically called and transferred based on the operation of the operator. This makes it possible to transfer various problems that do not depend on automatic self-diagnosis. At this time, if the operator can designate the degree of urgency, a small request from the operator can be obtained. That is, it is possible to steadily collect information that is less urgent, such as improvement or request, but not so much as to contact the service station or call a service engineer to make a request.

  As described above, whether it is a fatal error (for example, X-ray tube failure, bed failure, etc.), intermittent error (for example, X-ray tube discharge), error detected by execution of diagnostic program Even if it is an improvement request of an operator, the urgency level and frequency are appropriately determined, and an automatic call is appropriately made according to the determination result, and a countermeasure is taken. For this reason, the downtime of the medical device can be greatly reduced, and the function can be fully exhibited.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the X-ray CT scanner as a medical apparatus and the service center are connected by a general telephone line, and therefore can be operated at a lower cost than when a dedicated line is installed. In addition, since automatic calls using a telephone line can be realized with a modem and a processing program for automatic calls, a medical apparatus equipped with a computer such as an X-ray CT scanner can also be used as a computer, and also in terms of hardware. It becomes an inexpensive system.

  The medical apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the X-ray CT scanner, and the number thereof is arbitrary. For example, the medical device may be a magnetic resonance imaging device or a nuclear medicine diagnostic device, and may be connected to a different type of medical device connected to the center, or a single device and a center. May be configured to connect. The center of the present invention is not necessarily limited to what is called a service center, and any mechanism that can remotely manage the function diagnosis of a medical device may be used. Furthermore, the site in the present invention refers to a place where a medical device is installed, and is not necessarily referred to as “˜hospital”.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a remote diagnosis system according to the present invention. The flowchart which shows an example of the process from a self-diagnosis to abnormal condition repair instruction | indication. The flowchart which shows the specific example of the self-diagnosis at the time of image reconstruction, and abnormality determination. The flowchart which shows the specific example of the self-diagnosis of X-ray high voltage apparatus and abnormality determination. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration when performing the processing of FIG. 4. The flowchart which shows another specific example of the self-diagnosis of X-ray high-voltage apparatus, and abnormality determination. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration when performing the processing of FIG. 6. The partial flowchart which shows another example of the process from self-diagnosis to abnormal condition repair instruction | indication.

Explanation of symbols

10a to 10n X-ray CT scanner 11a to 11n Modem 12 Telephone line 13 Modem 14 Computer A to N Hospital S Service center

Claims (17)

In a remote diagnosis system for a medical device comprising a management device for remotely managing the function status of the medical device via a communication means,
The medical device performs self-diagnosis on the function of the medical device, and determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the function; and
A transmission unit that transmits history information including an error log of the medical device to the management device via the communication unit when the abnormality is determined by the self-diagnosis unit;
The remote management system for medical devices, wherein the management device comprises analysis means for analyzing history information including an error log of the medical devices transmitted via the communication means. The remote diagnosis system for a medical device according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying information indicating whether or not it is possible. The medical device includes an abnormality determination unit that determines a degree of abnormality of the function, and returns the medical device to its normal operation mode according to a determination result of the abnormality determination unit, or through the communication unit. The medical device remote diagnosis according to claim 1, further comprising: an abnormality handling unit that executes a response to transmit information indicating that the medical device is in an abnormal state to the management device. system. The medical device includes recording means for recording the history information,
4. The transmission unit according to claim 3, wherein the transmission unit includes a unit that transmits history information recorded in the recording unit to the management device via the communication unit when the abnormality is determined. Remote diagnostic system for medical devices. The said management apparatus is provided with the means to instruct | indicate the information regarding parts replacement | exchange or repair for canceling the said abnormal state to the computer terminal of a factory or a service station via the said communication means. The remote diagnosis system for a medical device according to any one of the above. 2. The medical device according to claim 1, wherein the self-determining unit is a unit that determines whether or not the function of the medical device is abnormal based on test data or test conditions stored in a storage unit. Remote diagnostic system. In the medical device inspection system for inspecting the functional state of the medical device,
Self-diagnosis means for performing a self-diagnosis on the function of the medical device to determine whether there is an abnormality in the function;
Transmission means for transmitting history information including an error log of the medical device to a remote management device via the communication means when the self-diagnosis means determines that the abnormality exists. Medical device inspection system. 8. The self-diagnosis unit is configured to execute a diagnostic program related to the function of the medical device at a timing between the operation of the medical device for a patient and the operation of the next patient. Inspection system for medical devices as described in 1. While the self-diagnosis means has means for reading a signal representing an operating state of the medical device during the operation of the medical device as the self-diagnosis,
An abnormality determination unit that determines the degree of abnormality based on a signal read from the self-diagnosis unit, and changes the call destination of an automatic call according to the degree of abnormality determined by the abnormality determination unit to 9. The medical device inspection system according to claim 8, further comprising automatic call means for sending information to the outside. The automatic call means, according to the degree of abnormality of the function determined by the abnormality determination means, the terminal of the service center responsible for maintenance management of the medical device, the terminal of the manufacturer's factory that manufactured the medical device, The medical device inspection system according to claim 9, wherein the medical device inspection system is configured to connect a communication path of the communication unit to any one of the management devices. In the medical device inspection system for inspecting the functional state of a medical device using X-rays,
Self-diagnosis means for performing self-diagnosis on the function of the medical device;
An abnormality determination means for determining the degree of abnormality of the function from the diagnosis result of the self-diagnosis means;
An abnormality handling means that takes a specific response from among the responses related to the repair of a plurality of types of abnormality determined in advance according to the determination result of the abnormality determination means,
The self-diagnosis means has means for performing test exposure of the X-ray as the self-diagnosis,
The abnormality determination means includes means for determining whether or not information indicating the abnormality needs to be transmitted to a remote management device based on the result of the test exposure,
When the abnormality determination unit determines that the abnormality determination unit needs to transmit to a remote management device, information indicating the abnormality is transmitted via communication unit together with history information including an error log of the medical device. An inspection system for a medical device, comprising means for transmitting to the management device. The abnormality determination means includes means for determining whether or not an abnormality of the medical device needs to be urgently repaired,
When the abnormality determination unit determines that the abnormality needs to be urgently repaired, the abnormality handling unit transmits information indicating the abnormality to the management device via the communication unit, and 12. The medical device inspection system according to claim 11, further comprising means for accumulating and recording information relating to the abnormality in the recording means when it is determined that urgent repair is unnecessary. 12. The self-diagnosis unit is configured to perform self-diagnosis based on at least one of a tube current and a tube voltage of an X-ray tube provided in the medical device. The medical device inspection system described. A step of performing a self-diagnosis on the function of the medical device, a step of determining whether or not there is a functional abnormality in the medical device based on the result of the self-diagnosis, and a functional abnormality in the medical device. And a step of transmitting history information including an error log of the medical device to the management device via the communication means when it is determined that the medical device is present. The medical device remote diagnosis method according to claim 14, further comprising: analyzing history information including an error log of the medical device transmitted via the communication unit. When it is determined by the self-diagnosis that there is a functional abnormality in the medical device, the medical device has a step of displaying information indicating whether or not the abnormality is recoverable. Item 16. The remote diagnosis method for a medical device according to Item 15. If it is determined by the self-diagnosis that there is a functional abnormality in the medical device, a step of determining the degree of the abnormality, and the medical device according to a determination result of the degree of the abnormality, Or a step of performing any one of the steps of: returning to the management apparatus, or transmitting that the medical apparatus is in an abnormal state to the management apparatus via the communication unit. Or the remote diagnosis method of the medical device of 16.

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