CT acquisition control communication system and method based on hybrid networking of multiple communication modes

Abstract

The invention provides a CT acquisition control communication system and method based on hybrid networking of multiple communication modes. The CT acquisition control communication system comprises a CT stator part communication subsystem, a CT rotor part communication subsystem and a master control PC. The master control PC comprises an upper computer, is operated through a visual interface and is responsible for task scheduling, scanning protocol setting, parameter configuration, data processing, patient registration, working state monitoring and image reconstruction of the whole system; the CT stator part communication subsystem comprises a lower computer core control module, a first WIFI module, a first switch, a rack control module, a patient bed control module, a power management module and a control handle; and the CT rotor part communication subsystem comprises a data acquisition and pay-off control module, a second WIFI module, a second switch, a collimator control module and a detector data acquisition and processing module. According to the invention, the overall communication efficiency and stability of the CT system and the expandability of the communication network can be improved, and the later maintenance cost of the communication system is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of detection equipment system communication, and in particular to a CT acquisition control communication system and method based on a hybrid networking of multiple communication modes. Background Art

[0002] CT, the full name of which is Computed Tomography, is a technology widely used in the field of medical imaging. It is an imaging examination method based on X-rays and using advanced computer technology to generate high-resolution three-dimensional images. CT scanning uses a rotating X-ray source and numerous detectors for high-speed rotation scanning to obtain cross-sectional image data inside the human body. These data from different sections are then processed and reorganized by computer to generate three-dimensional images, thereby conducting a comprehensive and non-destructive examination of the patient's internal organs, tissues, structures, etc. CT technology has the advantages of high sensitivity, high resolution, and non-invasiveness, which helps doctors make quick and accurate diagnoses. It is one of the most widely used auxiliary examination tools in many medical departments. In addition to its application in the medical field, CT technology is also often used in fields such as material analysis and biological research.

[0003] In order to prevent the communication line from affecting the rotation of the rack, the existing CT acquisition control communication system uses a carbon brush slip ring connection between the CT stator and the CT rotor or uses a single wireless communication network to achieve data interaction, and the traditional CAN bus is used for communication between the modules of the CT stator or CT rotor. However, the carbon brush slip ring is expensive and has problems such as difficult replacement and maintenance, unstable contacts, and short service life; the single wireless communication network works in a fixed spectrum range and is easily interfered by external noise, causing abnormal data transmission; the CAN bus communication rate is relatively slow, and data congestion and inconsistent data at each node are prone to occur.

[0004] Abnormal data transmission such as transmission channel blockage and data loss will cause CT equipment to fail to initialize, module disconnection, scan termination, scan parameter loss and other abnormal conditions, making the scan unable to proceed normally. Therefore, it is particularly important to ensure the data transmission rate while improving the stability of data communication during CT operation.

[0005] In response to the above problems, the present invention collects and analyzes data of each link message according to the use requirements of CT equipment, and designs a CT acquisition control communication system based on a hybrid networking of multiple communication modes from the aspects of transmission speed, transmission reliability, and interaction speed between communication nodes of the system. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a CT acquisition control communication system and method based on a hybrid networking of multiple communication modes.

[0007] According to a CT acquisition control communication system and method based on a hybrid networking of multiple communication modes provided by the present invention, the scheme is as follows:

[0008] In a first aspect, a CT acquisition control communication system based on a hybrid network of multiple communication modes is provided, the system comprising: a CT stator communication subsystem, a CT rotor communication subsystem and a main control PC;

[0009] The main control PC includes a host computer, which is operated through a visual interface and is responsible for the overall task scheduling, scanning protocol setting, parameter configuration, data processing, patient registration, working status monitoring and image reconstruction of the system;

[0010] The CT stator communication subsystem includes a lower computer core control module, a first WIFI module, a first switch, a rack control module, a patient bed control module, a power management module and a control handle;

[0011] The CT rotor communication subsystem includes a data acquisition and wire release control module, a second WIFI module, a second switch, a collimator control module and a detector data acquisition and processing module;

[0012] The first WIFI module and the second WIFI module are connected to the first switch and the second switch, respectively, to realize the local area networking between the CT stator communication subsystem and the CT rotor communication subsystem and the host computer;

[0013] The lower computer core control module is responsible for heartbeat monitoring, scanning process management, abnormal state monitoring, main rotation drive control, and completing information interaction between other lower computer communication nodes and the main control PC;

[0014] The patient bed control module completes the motion control of the CT patient bed according to the instructions sent by the lower computer core control module, and can send the real-time position data information of the patient bed to the lower computer core control module;

[0015] The power management module is responsible for the power management of each component, mainly completing the control management of the rack, patient bed and various auxiliary power supplies;

[0016] The rack control module is controlled by the lower computer core control module, and completes the motion control of the CT rack according to the instructions sent by the lower computer core control module and returns the real-time information of the rack's speed and angle;

[0017] The control handle is responsible for responding to and processing the operator's input information on the patient bed, rack, and laser light control buttons;

[0018] The data acquisition and release control module is responsible for completing the control of the CT release device and the control management related to the detector data acquisition according to the scanning protocol and completing the forwarding of the collimator control module data;

[0019] The collimator control module is controlled by the lower computer core control module and is responsible for the control work related to the collimator control;

[0020] The detector data acquisition and processing module is responsible for CT part data acquisition and preliminary processing of the acquired data, and sends the acquired data to the host computer;

[0021] The system adopts a system network that is mixed with multiple communication methods, including: Ethernet network, EtherCAT bus, LORA wireless network, 2.4GHz wireless, LVDS network and WIFI.

[0022] Preferably, the Ethernet network includes:

[0023] Ethernet 1 sub-network: the first switch, the first WIFI module, the master PC and the control handle. Each communication node is connected through the LAN interface to form the Ethernet 1 sub-network;

[0024] Ethernet 2 sub-network: the second switch, the second WIFI module and the detector data acquisition and processing module. Each communication node is connected through the LAN interface to form the Ethernet 2 sub-network;

[0025] Ethernet main network: Ethernet 1 sub-network and Ethernet 1 sub-network form Ethernet main network through the first WIFI module and the second WIFI module;

[0026] The EtherCAT bus includes:

[0027] EtherCAT 1 network: The lower computer core control module, patient bed control module, power management module, rack control module and collimator control module constitute the EtherCAT 1 network;

[0028] EtherCAT 2 network: Data acquisition and pay-off control module and collimator control module constitute the EtherCAT 2 network;

[0029] The LORA wireless network: the data acquisition and line release control module and the lower computer core control module constitute the LORA wireless network;

[0030] The 2.4GHz wireless network includes: a data acquisition and wire-laying control module and a lower computer core control module forming a 2.4GHz wireless network;

[0031] The LVDS network includes: a data acquisition and line release control module and a detector data acquisition and processing module to form an LVDS network;

[0032] A dual-channel wireless communication network consisting of a 2.4GHz wireless network and a LORA wireless network is used between the CT stator communication subsystem and the CT rotor communication subsystem; the 2.4GHz wireless network and the LORA wireless network are wireless communication networks operating in different frequency bands. The LORA wireless network and the 2.4GHz wireless network dual-channel wireless communication network are used to realize data interaction between the CT stator lower computer core control module and the CT rotor data acquisition and wire-laying control module.

[0033] Preferably, the master control PC monitors the heartbeat frames sent by the lower computer core control module and the detector data acquisition and processing module, extracts the information of each communication node contained in the heartbeat frame, and updates it to the graphic display interface in real time;

[0034] When the heartbeat frame is abnormal or an abnormal error data frame is received, the status itself is logged and the error information is displayed on the graphical interface.

[0035] Preferably, the lower computer core control module monitors the heartbeat information sent by the communication nodes in the rack control module, the patient bed control module, the data acquisition and wire release control module, the power management module, and the collimator control module through multiple communication networks;

[0036] If the heartbeat of a communication node is abnormal, a log record will be made and the abnormal information will be reported to the main control PC through the Ethernet 1 network; the lower computer core control module extracts the status of each communication node from the heartbeat data frame, integrates and reorganizes all the information, and sends it to the main control PC in the form of a heartbeat frame, which is displayed by the main control PC.

[0037] Preferably, the patient bed control module packs the patient bed running speed, patient bed horizontal position and patient bed vertical position parameters into a heartbeat frame during operation, and periodically sends it to the lower computer core control module through the EtherCAT 1 bus network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and performs log recording when the heartbeat information is abnormal.

[0038] Preferably, the power management module packs the power status parameters into a heartbeat frame during operation, periodically sends it to the lower computer core control module through the EtherCAT 1 bus network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module and logs it when the heartbeat information is abnormal.

[0039] Preferably, the rack control module packs the real-time rotation speed and rack rotation angle parameters into a heartbeat frame during operation, and periodically sends it to the lower computer core control module through the EtherCAT 1 bus network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and performs log recording when the heartbeat information is abnormal.

[0040] Preferably, during operation, the data acquisition and line-release control module sends its own status information, the status information of the detector acquisition and processing module received from the LVDS network, and the collimator status information sent by the collimator control module via the EtherCAT 2 network to the lower computer core control module via the LORA network and the 2.4GHZ wireless network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and performs log recording when the heartbeat information is abnormal.

[0041] Preferably, the collimator control module packs the collimator related parameters into a heartbeat frame, periodically sends the data acquisition and wire-laying control module through the EtherCAT2 bus network, and the data acquisition and wire-laying control module forwards it to the lower computer core control module, and receives the heartbeat message of the lower computer core control module forwarded from the data acquisition and wire-laying control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and performs log recording when the heartbeat information is abnormal;

[0042] The detector data acquisition and processing module completes communication with the main control PC through the data stream transmission channel of the second switch→the second WIFI module→the first WIFI module→the first switch→the main control PC.

[0043] In a second aspect, a CT acquisition control communication method based on a hybrid networking of multiple communication modes is provided, the method comprising:

[0044] Step S1: Use the main control PC to register the patient according to the scanning requirements, set the scanning mode and other related scanning parameters, generate the scanning protocol, send the scanning parameters to the Ethernet 1 network along with the scanning protocol, and send the data information to the lower computer core control module via the first switch transfer node;

[0045] Step S2: The scanning protocol sent by the master PC in step S1 is received and parsed by the lower computer core control module to obtain the scanning mode and the relevant information of the scanning parameters of each component, and the scanning parameters are checked; if the scanning parameters are normal, step S3 is performed; if the scanning parameters are abnormal, the abnormal parameters are fed back to the master PC via Ethernet 1 network, and the operator corrects the scanning parameters;

[0046] Step S3: The rack parameters obtained by the analysis in step S2 are sent to the rack control module via the EtherCAT 1 network through the lower computer core control module; the collimator parameters are sent to the data acquisition and wire release control module via the 2.4GHz wireless and LORA wireless networks;

[0047] Step S4: receiving collimator related parameters from the 2.4 GHz wireless network and the LORA wireless network through the data acquisition and wire release control module, and forwarding them to the collimator control module through the EtherCAT 2 network;

[0048] Step S5: the rack control module and the collimator control module are configured according to the received scanning parameters;

[0049] Step S6: The lower computer core control module sends the initial position parameters of the bed obtained in step S2 to the patient bed control module, and lights up the bed moving button. Click the bed moving button to move the bed step by step to position the patient bed before scanning. If the position is normal, proceed to step S7; if the position is abnormal, it needs to be repositioned.

[0050] Step S7: The lower computer core control module sends the data acquisition related parameters to the data acquisition and line release control module via the LORA wireless network and the 2.4Ghz wireless network at the same time;

[0051] Step S8: The data acquisition and wire release control module sends the data acquisition related parameters to the detector data acquisition processing module, and configures the X-ray generating device according to the wire release related parameters; the lower computer core control module monitors the status information fed back by each module through the EtherCAT network and the LORA and 2.4GHz wireless network. If the patient bed management module, the collimator control module, the rack control module, and the data acquisition and wire release control module all feed back ready messages, then the process proceeds to step S9;

[0052] Step S9: The core control module of the lower computer enables the data acquisition button;

[0053] Step S10: Click the data acquisition button on the main control PC to enter the data acquisition process. The bed, rack, and CT are controlled by their respective modules according to the scanning protocol. The data acquisition and wire laying control module controls the wire laying. The detector data acquisition and processing module collects and preprocesses raw data and transmits the raw data to the main control PC.

[0054] Step S11: Waiting for the data acquisition process to end, the host PC processes the acquired data and reconstructs the scanned image.

[0055] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0056] 1. The present invention designs a new CT acquisition control communication system that uses a hybrid network of multiple communication modes such as Ethernet, EtherCAT, LORA, 2.4GHz and WIFI to realize information interaction between various components of the CT equipment, ensuring the system stability during the scanning process and normal standby state of the CT equipment;

[0057] 2. The present invention adopts dynamic switching, data confirmation and retransmission, redundant nodes, Hamming code forward error correction and other mechanisms, and the LORA wireless network and 2.4GHz wireless network dual-channel wireless communication network working in different spectrum ranges replace the traditional single wireless communication network and carbon brush slip ring to realize the data interaction between the CT stator lower computer core control module and the CT rotor data acquisition and wire release control module, reducing the number of retransmissions caused by errors, effectively improving the reliability, flexibility, stability and data transmission efficiency of data communication between the CT stator and CT rotor, and reducing the possibility of scanning stop due to abnormal data transmission during CT equipment scanning;

[0058] 3. The present invention adopts EtherCAT bus network to replace the low-medium speed CAN bus network as the communication network between the communication nodes of the CT stator subsystem and the communication nodes of the CT rotor subsystem, which improves the communication efficiency between the communication nodes in the CT stator subsystem and the CT rotor subsystem to a certain extent, prevents communication data jam, and thus improves the overall communication efficiency, stability and scalability of the communication network of the CT system, and reduces the maintenance cost of the later communication system.

[0059] Other beneficial effects of the present invention will be explained in the specific implementation manner through the introduction of specific technical features and technical solutions. Through the introduction of these technical features and technical solutions, those skilled in the art should be able to understand the beneficial technical effects brought about by the technical features and technical solutions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings:

[0061] Figure 1 It is the system composition and networking diagram;

[0062] Figure 2 This is a single scan flow chart of the system;

[0063] Figure 3 This is a topology diagram of a two-way wireless communication network. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. The following embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but are not intended to limit the present invention in any form. It should be noted that, for those of ordinary skill in the art, several changes and improvements can also be made without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0065] The embodiment of the present invention provides a CT acquisition control communication system based on a hybrid networking of multiple communication modes, which is a system network that uses a hybrid networking of multiple communication modes such as Ethernet network, EtherCAT bus, LORA wireless network, 2.4GHz wireless, LVDS network and WIFI. Figure 1 As shown, the system includes: a CT stator communication subsystem, a CT rotor communication subsystem and a main control PC.

[0066] CT stator communication subsystem: including the lower computer core control module, the first WIFI module, the first switch, the rack control module, the patient bed control module, the power management module and the control handle;

[0067] The CT rotor communication subsystem includes a data acquisition and wire-releasing control module, a second WIFI module, a second switch, a collimator control module, and a detector data acquisition and processing module;

[0068] Main control PC: including the host computer, which is operated through a visual interface and is responsible for the overall system task scheduling, scanning protocol setting, parameter configuration, data processing, patient registration, working status monitoring, and image reconstruction.

[0069] The first WIFI module and the second WIFI module are connected to the first switch and the second switch respectively, so as to realize the local area networking between the CT stator communication subsystem, the CT rotor communication subsystem and the host computer.

[0070] The first switch and the second switch provide network interfaces for Ethernet network communication.

[0071] The core control module of the lower computer is responsible for heartbeat monitoring, scanning process management, abnormal state monitoring, main rotation drive control, and completing information interaction between other lower computer communication nodes and the main control PC.

[0072] Heartbeat monitoring is implemented by "heartbeat frames", which are communication messages with a fixed data format. The lower computer core control module sends "heartbeat frames" to each sub-module of the lower computer at fixed intervals. Each sub-module of the lower computer determines the communication status with the lower computer core control module based on the reception of the "heartbeat frames". If the "heartbeat frames" can be continuously received, the communication is normal. If the "heartbeat frames" are not received for more than a certain period of time, it is judged as "lost connection" with the lower computer core control module, and the corresponding fault prompt and processing are performed; similarly, each sub-module of the lower computer sends "heartbeat frames" to the lower computer core control module at fixed intervals. The lower computer core control module determines the communication status with the lower computer core control module based on the reception of the "heartbeat frames".

[0073] The patient bed control module completes the motion control of the CT patient bed according to the instructions sent by the lower computer core control module, and can send the real-time position data information of the patient bed to the lower computer core control module.

[0074] The power management module is responsible for the power management of each component, mainly completing the control management of the rack, patient bed and various auxiliary power supplies.

[0075] The rack control module is controlled by the lower computer core control module. It completes the motion control of the CT rack according to the instructions sent by the lower computer core control module and returns real-time information such as the rack's speed and angle.

[0076] The control handle is responsible for responding to and processing the operator's input information on the patient bed, rack, and laser light control buttons.

[0077] The data acquisition and release control module is responsible for controlling the release and detector data acquisition and processing module according to the scanning protocol and forwarding the parameters related to the collimator movement to the collimator control module.

[0078] The collimator control module is controlled by the lower computer core control module and is responsible for the control work related to the collimator control;

[0079] The detector data acquisition and processing module is responsible for the CT part data acquisition and preliminary processing of the acquired data, and sends the acquired data to the host computer.

[0080] The communication subnetworks in this system and the communication nodes in each subnetwork are:

[0081] Ethernet networks include:

[0082] Ethernet 1 sub-network: the first switch, the first WIFI module, the master PC and the control handle. Each communication node is connected through the LAN interface to form the Ethernet 1 sub-network;

[0083] Ethernet 2 sub-network: the second switch, the second WIFI module and the detector data acquisition and processing module. Each communication node is connected through the LAN interface to form the Ethernet 2 sub-network;

[0084] Ethernet main network: Ethernet 1 sub-network and Ethernet 1 sub-network form Ethernet main network through the first WIFI module and the second WIFI module;

[0085] Ethernet network is a communication standard based on LAN topology. The advantages of Ethernet network include ease of use, low cost, high speed, high reliability, long distance, strong compatibility and support for plug-in technology. Ethernet network can be applied to industrial control, digital storage, video transmission, audio transmission and real-time communication, etc., providing high-speed, safe, reliable and low-cost solutions for data transmission and communication.

[0086] The EtherCAT bus includes:

[0087] EtherCAT 1 network: The lower computer core control module, patient bed control module, power management module, rack control module and collimator control module constitute the EtherCAT 1 network;

[0088] EtherCAT 2 network: Data acquisition and pay-off control module and collimator control module constitute the EtherCAT 2 network;

[0089] EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology) bus is a high-performance real-time communication bus used in the field of industrial automation. EtherCAT bus combines the Ethernet frame structure with real-time communication technology to achieve real-time data transmission and control.

[0090] Using the Ethernet communication protocol EnterCAT bus instead of the serial CAN bus for communication between the lower computer modules can achieve command interaction within microseconds, greatly improving the real-time performance of the communication network. At the same time, the EtherCAT bus uses standard Ethernet cables for communication and is compatible with the existing Ethernet infrastructure. In contrast, the CAN bus requires a dedicated bus cable and topology, and the wiring is more complicated.

[0091] LORA wireless network: Data acquisition and line-laying control module and lower computer core control module constitute the LORA wireless network.

[0092] The 2.4GHz wireless network includes: a data acquisition and line-laying control module and a lower computer core control module to form a 2.4GHz wireless network.

[0093] The LVDS network includes: data acquisition and line control module and detector data acquisition and processing module to form the LVDS network. LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) is a low voltage differential signal transmission technology. LVDS can transmit data at a speed of up to 10Gbps, which is suitable for applications in high-speed data transmission. It uses differential signals for transmission and can effectively resist the influence of electromagnetic interference and noise.

[0094] For the detector data acquisition and processing module, it is composed of multiple FPGA chip-based data acquisition modules and a raw data processing module integrated in the same moving part. The raw data processing module needs to receive a large amount of raw data from each data acquisition module and process it, and finally upload it to the main control PC through the Enternet network. The layout of each data acquisition module in the detector data acquisition and processing module is closely connected, which is not conducive to the EtherCAT network cable wiring, and the cost of the EtherCAT port is relatively high. Compared with EtherCAT, LVDS has the characteristics of high-speed data transmission, low power consumption, and high anti-interference, which is more suitable for application in this scenario. Therefore, LVDS is used instead of EtherCAT as the communication method between the data acquisition and line control module and the detector data acquisition and processing module.

[0095] The present invention also provides a CT acquisition control communication method based on a mixed networking of multiple communication modes, referring to Figure 2 As shown, the method specifically includes:

[0096] S1, the operator uses the main control PC to register the patient according to the scanning requirements, sets the scanning mode and other related scanning parameters, generates the scanning protocol, and sends the scanning parameters to the Ethernet 1 network along with the scanning protocol. The data information is sent to the lower computer core control module via the first switch transfer node;

[0097] S2, the lower computer core control module receives the scanning protocol sent by the master PC in step S1, parses it, obtains relevant information such as the scanning mode and scanning parameters of each component, and checks the scanning parameters. If the scanning parameters are normal, proceed to step S3. If the scanning parameters are abnormal, the abnormal parameters are fed back to the master PC via Ethernet 1 network, and the operator corrects the scanning parameters;

[0098] S3, the lower computer core control module sends the rack parameters obtained by the analysis in step S2 to the rack control module via the EtherCAT 1 network; and sends the collimator parameters to the data acquisition and wire release control module via the 2.4GHz wireless and LORA wireless networks;

[0099] S4, the data acquisition and line release control module forwards the collimator related parameters received from the 2.4GHz wireless and LORA wireless networks to the collimator control module through the EtherCAT 2 network;

[0100] S5, the rack control module and the collimator control module are configured according to the received scanning parameters;

[0101] S6, the lower computer core control module sends the initial position parameters of the bed obtained from step S2 to the patient bed control module, and lights up the bed moving button. The operator clicks the bed moving button to move the bed step by step to position the patient bed before scanning. If the positioning is normal, enter step S7; if the positioning is abnormal, it needs to be repositioned.

[0102] S7, the lower computer core control module sends the data acquisition related parameters to the data acquisition and line release control module via the LORA wireless network and the 2.4Ghz wireless network at the same time.

[0103] S8, the data acquisition and wire release control module sends the data acquisition related parameters to the detector data acquisition processing module, and configures the X-ray generator according to the wire release related parameters. The lower computer core control module monitors the status information fed back by each module through the EtherCAT network and LORA and 2.4GHz wireless network. If the patient bed management module, collimator control module, rack control module, data acquisition and wire release control module all feedback ready messages, then enter step S9.

[0104] S9, the lower computer core control module enables the data acquisition button;

[0105] S10, the operator clicks the data acquisition button on the main control PC to enter the data acquisition process. The bed, gantry, and CT are controlled by their respective modules according to the scanning protocol. The data acquisition and wire laying control module controls the wire laying. The detector data acquisition and processing module collects and preprocesses raw data and transmits the raw data to the main control PC.

[0106] S11, waiting for the data acquisition process to end, the main control PC processes the acquired data and reconstructs the scanned image.

[0107] Reference Figure 3 As shown, the implementation content of the dual-channel wireless communication network consisting of the 2.4GHz wireless network and the LORA wireless network between the CT stator part and the CT rotor part is further explained:

[0108] The 2.4GHz wireless network and the LORA wireless network are wireless communication networks operating in different frequency bands. The LORA wireless network and the 2.4GHz wireless network dual-channel wireless communication network are used to replace the traditional single wireless communication network and carbon brush slip ring to realize data interaction between the CT stator lower computer core control module and the CT rotor data acquisition and wire-laying control module.

[0109] The dual-channel wireless communication network adopts dynamic switching, data confirmation and retransmission, redundant nodes, Hamming code forward error correction and other mechanisms to reduce the number of retransmissions caused by errors, effectively improving the reliability, flexibility, stability and data transmission efficiency of data communication between the CT stator and CT rotor parts, and reducing the possibility of scanning stopping due to abnormal data transmission during CT equipment scanning.

[0110] Dynamic switching mechanism: Take the sending of the "release start command frame" from the lower computer core control module to the data acquisition and release control module as an example. The lower computer core control module of the sender locally forms a "release start command frame" that complies with the LORA communication protocol and the 2.4GHz wireless communication protocol, and sends the "release start command frame" to the receiving data acquisition and release control module by default through the LORA module. The receiving data acquisition and release control module uses the LORA module to monitor and receive the "release start command frame". The sender has a signal stability judgment mechanism. When the LORA signal is found to be weak or unstable, it switches to the 2.4GHz wireless network to send the "release start command frame", and vice versa. When the data acquisition and release control module is the sender, the lower computer core control module uses the same communication principle as the receiver.

[0111] Redundant node mechanism: The lower computer core control module and the data acquisition and wire-laying control module of the CT equipment are each equipped with two LORA modules and two 2.4GHz wireless communication modules. The two LORA modules of the lower computer core control module are LORA module 1 and LORA module 2, and the two LORA modules of the data acquisition and wire-laying control module are LORA module 3 and LORA module 4. The two 2.4GHz wireless communication modules of the lower computer core control module are 2.4GHz wireless communication module 1 and 2.4GHz wireless communication module 2, and the two 2.4GHz wireless communication modules of the data acquisition and wire-laying control module are 2.4GHz wireless communication module 3 and 2.4GHz wireless communication module 4. Take the "wire release start command frame" sent by the lower computer core control module of the CT equipment to the data acquisition and wire release control module through the LORA module as an example. The lower computer core control module sends the "wire release start command frame" through LORA module 1 and LORA module 2 at the same time. The data acquisition and wire release control module monitors and receives the command data sent in the LORA network through LORA module 3 and LORA module 4 at the same time. If a single sending or receiving LORA module node fails, other nodes can still take on the task of data transmission. The same applies to the data acquisition and wire release control module as the sender. The transmission between the lower computer core control module of the CT equipment and the data acquisition and wire release control module through the 2.4GHz wireless communication network is also the same.

[0112] Data confirmation and retransmission mechanism: Taking the "release start command frame" sent by the lower computer core control module of the CT equipment to the data acquisition and release control module through the LORA module as an example, the lower computer core control module as the sender sends the "release start command frame" to the data acquisition and release control module as the receiver through the LORA module. The receiving data acquisition and release control module will send a "message reception confirmation frame" to the sender's lower computer core control module after receiving the "release start command frame". The sender's lower computer core control module ends the command transmission after receiving the "message reception confirmation frame". If the sender does not receive the "message reception confirmation frame" sent by the receiver within a certain period of time, the retransmission mechanism will be triggered, and the "release start command frame" will be sent again. If the "message reception confirmation frame" is still not received after the retransmission times exceed the set number, the dynamic switching mechanism will be triggered to switch from the LORA network to the 2.4GHz wireless network, and repeat this data transmission process through the 2.4GHz wireless network.

[0113] Hamming code forward error correction mechanism: Take the "release start command frame" sent by the lower computer core control module of the CT equipment to the data acquisition and release control module through the LORA module as an example. The lower computer core control module of the sender divides the 8 bits of each byte into 4 valid data bits, 3 check bits and 1 reserved bit. The sender sends the "release start command frame" framed by the Hamming code forward error correction mechanism through the LORA module. After receiving the "release start command frame", the receiving data acquisition and release control module performs Hamming code verification on each bit to detect the wrong bit and correct it, effectively preventing the transmission error caused by the error of a certain bit of data caused by interference during the wireless data transmission process, reducing the number of message retransmissions, and ensuring reliable data transmission. If an error that cannot be corrected is encountered when using Hamming code for error detection and correction, the dynamic switching mechanism is triggered to switch from the LORA network to the 2.4GHz wireless network, and the data transmission process is repeated through the 2.4GHz wireless network.

[0114] Furthermore, the implementation of using a high-speed EtherCAT bus network to replace a low-medium-speed CAN bus network as the communication network between the communication nodes of the CT stator subsystem and the communication nodes of the CT rotor subsystem is described:

[0115] Compared with CAN bus network, EtherCAT bus network has the advantages of higher communication speed, greater network topology flexibility, larger data volume, lower maintenance cost, etc. In CT system, using EtherCAT to replace CAN communication brings significant advantages. These advantages help to improve the overall performance, reliability and user experience of CT system, making it more adaptable to the needs of modern medical imaging technology.

[0116] Higher communication speed: The fastest transmission speed supported by the EtherCAT bus network is 100Mbps in theory, while the fastest transmission speed supported by the CAN bus network is 1Mbps. In actual applications, the transmission speed of the EtherCAT bus can be dozens of times that of the CAN bus. In the CT system, each component acts as a communication node, and they frequently exchange message instructions. More message interactions can better ensure the intercommunication of information between components, and facilitate components to obtain the status information of other components to complete their own functional requirements. Due to the low communication speed of the CAN bus, in actual applications, the smoothness of network communication can only be exchanged for the sacrifice of the number of information interactions. The content of information interaction between components is significantly reduced, and a large amount of message content in a short period of time may cause the CAN bus utilization rate to be saturated, causing the entire CT system communication network to be blocked, message transmission abnormalities, and then abnormal scanning. Using the EtherCAT bus network instead of the CAN bus network will greatly improve the system data transmission speed, increase the content of information interaction between components, improve the stability of transmission, and reduce network transmission message delays.

[0117] Greater network topology flexibility: Compared with the CAN bus network, the EtherCAT bus network supports a variety of network topologies (such as star, ring and line), and nodes can be easily added and removed. This flexibility makes the system design more adaptable to future expansion needs. CAN usually uses a bus topology, which limits the flexibility of the system. In the CT equipment, the communication lines between the components are integrated in the CT housing. When adding or removing communication nodes according to actual needs, if the CAN bus network communication mode is used, it is necessary to remove the housing and re-arrange the communication lines, and change the terminal resistance configuration related to the CAN bus communication on each board, which requires a lot of work. The EtherCAT bus network can easily add and remove the communication nodes of the CT system without restarting the entire system, which greatly reduces the subsequent maintenance costs and improves the flexibility of the network topology.

[0118] Larger data volume: The EtherCAT bus network can support data packets with a maximum size of 2048 bytes, while the CAN bus standard data frame is only 8 bytes, which means that the EtherCAT bus network has better data throughput and better data aggregation capabilities than the CAN bus network. In the information interaction of the CT system, some message contents often contain a large number of bytes. When using the CAN bus network, a single message must be divided into multiple CAN data frames for transmission, which increases the number of data transmissions and the utilization rate of the CAN bus, thereby increasing the occurrence of bus blocking abnormalities. When using the EtherCAT bus network, a single data frame can be used to contain the message content, which reduces the number of data packets in the network. By aggregating data, the communication overhead and delay of the CT system are reduced, and the efficiency of data transmission in the CT system is improved, especially when multiple components of a multi-CT system work together.

[0119] Lower maintenance costs: Although the initial investment of the EtherCAT bus network may be high, its high speed, flexibility and ease of maintenance can reduce maintenance costs and improve maintenance efficiency in the long-term use of the CT system.

[0120] Next, the present invention will be described in more detail.

[0121] The present invention provides a CT acquisition control communication system based on a mixed networking of multiple communication modes, referring to Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the CT acquisition control communication system consists of the following components:

[0122] (1) Main control PC: The upper computer is operated through a visual interface and is responsible for the overall system task scheduling, scanning protocol setting, parameter configuration, data processing, patient registration, working status monitoring, image reconstruction, etc. The main control PC monitors the heartbeat frames sent by the lower computer core control module and the detector data acquisition and processing module, and extracts the information of each communication node contained in the heartbeat frame, and updates it to the graphical display interface in real time. When the heartbeat frame is abnormal or an abnormal error data frame is received, the status itself is logged and the error information is displayed on the graphical interface.

[0123] (2) A first WIFI module and a second WIFI module: connected to the first switch and the second switch respectively, to realize the local area networking between the CT stator communication subsystem and the CT rotor communication subsystem and the host computer;

[0124] (3) The first switch and the second switch: provide network interfaces for Ethernet network communications;

[0125] (4) Lower computer core control module: The CT lower computer core control module is responsible for heartbeat monitoring, scanning process management, abnormal status monitoring, main rotation drive control, etc. between the lower computer modules, and completes the information interaction between other lower computer communication nodes and the main control PC; the lower computer core control module monitors the heartbeat information sent by the communication nodes in the rack control module, patient bed control module, data acquisition and wire release control module, power management module, and collimator control module through multiple communication networks. If the heartbeat of a communication node is abnormal, it will be logged and the abnormal information will be reported to the main control PC through the Ethernet 1 network. The lower computer core control module extracts the status of each communication node from the heartbeat data frame, such as bed position, rack position, power status, detector position, etc., integrates and reorganizes all the information, and sends it to the main control PC in the form of a heartbeat frame, which is displayed by the main control PC;

[0126] (5) Patient bed control module: completes the motion control of the CT patient bed according to the instructions sent by the lower computer core control module, and can send the real-time position data information of the patient bed to the lower computer core control module; during the operation of the patient bed control module, the patient bed running speed, patient bed horizontal position and patient bed vertical position and other parameters are packaged into the heartbeat frame, and periodically sent to the lower computer core control module through the EtherCAT 1 bus network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and logs itself when the heartbeat information is abnormal;

[0127] (6) Power management module: responsible for the power management of each component, mainly completing the control and management of the rack, patient bed and various auxiliary power supplies; during the operation of the power management module, the power status and other parameters are packaged into the heartbeat frame, and periodically sent to the lower computer core control module through the EtherCAT1 bus network, and the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module is received to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module. When the heartbeat information is abnormal, it will record the log itself;

[0128] (7) Rack control module: controlled by the lower computer core control module, completes the motion control of the CT rack according to the instructions sent by the lower computer core control module and returns the real-time information such as the rack speed and angle; during the operation of the rack control module, the real-time rotation speed, rack rotation angle and other parameters are packaged into the heartbeat frame, and periodically sent to the lower computer core control module through the EtherCAT 1 bus network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and logs itself when the heartbeat information is abnormal;

[0129] (8) Control handle: responsible for responding to and processing the operator's input information on the patient bed, rack, laser light and other control buttons;

[0130] (9) Data acquisition and release control module: responsible for completing the control of the CT release device and the control management related to the detector data acquisition according to the scanning protocol and completing the forwarding of the collimator control module data. During the operation of the data acquisition and release control module, the status information of the detector acquisition processing module received from the LVDS network and the collimator status information sent by the collimator control module via the EtherCAT 2 network are sent to the lower computer core control module via the LORA network and the 2.4GHZ wireless network, and the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module is received to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and the heartbeat information is recorded by itself when it is abnormal;

[0131] (10) Collimator control module: controlled by the lower computer core control module, responsible for the control work related to the collimator control; the collimator control module packages the collimator related parameters into the heartbeat frame, and periodically sends it to the data acquisition and wire release control module through the EtherCAT 2 bus network, which is forwarded to the lower computer core control module by the data acquisition and wire release control module, and receives the heartbeat message of the lower computer core control module forwarded by the data acquisition and wire release control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and logs itself when the heartbeat information is abnormal;

[0132] (12) Detector data acquisition and processing module: responsible for CT data acquisition and preliminary processing of the collected data, and sending the collected data to the host computer; the detector data acquisition and processing module completes communication with the host PC through the data stream transmission channel of the second switch → second WIFI module → first WIFI module → first switch → host PC.

[0133] The communication sub-networks and communication nodes in each sub-network of the CT acquisition control communication system based on mixed networking of multiple communication modes are as follows:

[0134] (1) Ethernet 1 sub-network: the first switch, the first WIFI module, the master PC and the control handle. Each communication node is connected through a LAN interface to form the Ethernet 1 sub-network;

[0135] (2) Ethernet 2 sub-network: the second switch, the second WIFI module and the detector data acquisition and processing module. Each communication node is connected through a LAN interface to form an Ethernet 2 sub-network;

[0136] (3) Ethernet main network: Ethernet 1 sub-network and Ethernet 2 sub-network form the Ethernet main network through WIFI module 1 and WIFI module 2;

[0137] (4) EtherCAT 1 network: The lower computer core control module, patient bed control module, power management module, rack control module and collimator control module constitute the EtherCAT 1 network;

[0138] (5) EtherCAT 2 network: The data acquisition and wire-laying control module and the collimator control module constitute the EtherCAT2 network;

[0139] (6) LVDS network: The data acquisition and line control module and the detector data acquisition and processing module constitute the LVDS network;

[0140] (7) 2.4 GHz wireless network: The data acquisition and wire-laying control module and the lower computer core control module constitute a 2.4 GHz wireless network;

[0141] (8) LORA wireless network: The data acquisition and line-laying control module and the lower computer core control module constitute the LORA wireless network.

[0142] The single scan process of the CT acquisition control communication system based on a mixed networking of multiple communication modes is initiated by the main control PC, and other scan-related nodes respond to and interact with commands. Figure 2 The figure shows the workflow of each component in the CT acquisition control communication system during a single scan. The specific steps are as follows:

[0143] S1, the operator uses the main control PC to register the patient according to the scanning requirements, sets the scanning mode and other related scanning parameters, generates the scanning protocol, and sends the scanning parameters to the Ethernet 1 network along with the scanning protocol. The data information is sent to the lower computer core control module via the first switch transfer node;

[0144] S2, the lower computer core control module receives the scanning protocol sent by the main control PC in step S1 and parses it to obtain relevant information such as the scanning mode and scanning parameters of each component, and checks the scanning parameters. If the scanning parameters are normal, proceed to step S3. If there are abnormalities in the scanning parameters, the abnormal parameters are fed back to the main control PC via the Ethernet 1 network, and the operator corrects the scanning parameters. The scanning parameters mainly include the gantry rotation angle, gantry rotation speed, patient bed scanning initial position, patient bed scanning movement speed, scanning time and other parameters. The lower computer core control module is responsible for monitoring the status of the lower computer during the scanning process. If an abnormal state is detected, the scanning is terminated and the error code is notified to the main control PC through the Ethernet 1 network. The lower computer core control module will generate a work log during operation, which is sent to the main control PC via the Ethernet 1 network and recorded in a local file by the main control PC.

[0145] S3, the lower computer core control module sends the rack parameters such as rack rotation speed and rack rotation angle obtained by analysis in step S2 to the rack control module 206 via the EtherCAT 1 bus network; and sends the collimator related parameters to the data acquisition and wire release control module via the 2.4GHz wireless network and the LORA wireless network.

[0146] S4, the data acquisition and wire-laying control module forwards the collimator parameter information received from the 2.4 GHz wireless network and the LORA wireless network to the collimator control module via the EtherCAT 2 network.

[0147] S5, the rack control module sets the rack rotation speed, rack rotation angle and other parameters received from the EtherCAT 1 bus network to change the rack motion state; the collimator control module sets the collimator-related parameters received from the EtherCAT2 bus network to change the collimator state.

[0148] S6, the lower computer core control module sends the initial position of the patient bed obtained by parsing in step S2 to the patient bed control module via the EtherCAT 1 bus network, and the lower computer core control module enables the bed moving button. The operator presses and holds the bed moving button, and the main control PC continuously sends stepping bed moving commands to the lower computer core control module via the Ethernet 1 network to position the patient bed. The lower computer core control module receives and processes the command and sends it to the patient bed control module via the EtherCAT 1 bus network. The patient bed control module controls the movement of the patient bed according to the received bed moving command, and feeds back the ready information to the lower computer core control module after reaching the specified position, thereby completing the bed moving.

[0149] S7, the lower computer core control module sends the data acquisition related parameters and line-laying related parameters obtained by parsing in step S2 to the data acquisition and line-laying control module via the LORA network and the 2.4GHz wireless network at the same time.

[0150] S8, the data acquisition and wire-laying control module configures the X-ray generating device according to the wire-laying parameters and sends the data acquisition related parameters to the detector data acquisition processing module via the LVDS network.

[0151] The communication between the lower computer core control module of the CT stator part and the data acquisition and wire-laying control module of the CT rotor part is linked through the LORA network and the 2.4GHz wireless network. The working frequency band of the LORA network is 410MHz~441MHz, and the working frequency band of the 2.4GHz wireless network is 2.400GHz~2.525GHz. The interactive information is sent and received simultaneously through the two data networks. If one of the wireless networks is disturbed by noise in a certain frequency band and causes communication abnormality and data loss, the other network can still complete the data reception and transmission to ensure the normal operation of the system.

[0152] S9, the lower computer core control module waits for the ready message fed back by the patient bed control module, the collimator control module, the rack control module and the data acquisition and wire release control module, and then enables the data acquisition button;

[0153] S10, the operator clicks the acquisition button on the main control PC to enter data information acquisition, the patient bed control module controls the patient bed to move according to the scanning protocol, the rack control module controls the rack to rotate according to the scanning protocol, the collimator control module controls the collimator to move according to the scanning protocol, and the data acquisition and release control module controls the X-ray generating device to release the line; the detector data acquisition and processing module performs scanning data acquisition and preprocessing, and sends the processed data to the main control PC through the data link of the second switch → second WIFI module → first WIFI module → first switch → main control PC;

[0154] S11, waiting for the data acquisition process to end, the lower computer core control module reports the end information to the main control PC via the Ethernet 1 network to end this scan, and the main control PC processes the received acquisition data and reconstructs the scanned image.

[0155] Reference Figure 3 As shown, a dual-path wireless communication network consisting of a 2.4 GHz wireless network and a LORA wireless network between the CT stator part and the CT rotor part.

[0156] Dynamic switching mechanism: Take the sending of the "release start command frame" from the lower computer core control module to the data acquisition and release control module as an example. The lower computer core control module of the sender locally forms a "release start command frame" that complies with the LORA communication protocol and the 2.4GHz wireless communication protocol, and sends the "release start command frame" to the receiving data acquisition and release control module by default through the LORA module. The receiving data acquisition and release control module uses the LORA module to monitor and receive the "release start command frame". The sender has a signal stability judgment mechanism. When the LORA signal is found to be weak or unstable, it switches to the 2.4GHz wireless network to send the "release start command frame", and vice versa. When the data acquisition and release control module is the sender, the lower computer core control module uses the same communication principle as the receiver.

[0157] Redundant node mechanism: The lower computer core control module and the data acquisition and wire-laying control module of the CT equipment are each equipped with two LORA modules and two 2.4GHz wireless communication modules. The two LORA modules of the lower computer core control module are LORA module 1 and LORA module 2, and the two LORA modules of the data acquisition and wire-laying control module are LORA module 3 and LORA module 4. The two 2.4GHz wireless communication modules of the lower computer core control module are 2.4GHz wireless communication module 1 and 2.4GHz wireless communication module 2, and the two 2.4GHz wireless communication modules of the data acquisition and wire-laying control module are 2.4GHz wireless communication module 3 and 2.4GHz wireless communication module 4. Take the "wire release start command frame" sent by the lower computer core control module of the CT equipment to the data acquisition and wire release control module through the LORA module as an example. The lower computer core control module sends the "wire release start command frame" through LORA module 1 and LORA module 2 at the same time. The data acquisition and wire release control module monitors and receives the command data sent in the LORA network through LORA module 3 and LORA module 4 at the same time. If a single sending or receiving LORA module node fails, other nodes can still take on the task of data transmission. The same applies to the data acquisition and wire release control module as the sender. The transmission between the lower computer core control module of the CT equipment and the data acquisition and wire release control module through the 2.4GHz wireless communication network is also the same.

[0158] Data confirmation and retransmission mechanism: Taking the "release start command frame" sent by the lower computer core control module of the CT equipment to the data acquisition and release control module through the LORA module as an example, the lower computer core control module as the sender sends the "release start command frame" to the data acquisition and release control module as the receiver through the LORA module. The receiving data acquisition and release control module will send a "message reception confirmation frame" to the sender's lower computer core control module after receiving the "release start command frame". The sender's lower computer core control module ends the command transmission after receiving the "message reception confirmation frame". If the sender does not receive the "message reception confirmation frame" sent by the receiver within a certain period of time, the retransmission mechanism will be triggered, and the "release start command frame" will be sent again. If the "message reception confirmation frame" is still not received after the retransmission times exceed the set number, the dynamic switching mechanism will be triggered to switch from the LORA network to the 2.4GHz wireless network, and repeat this data transmission process through the 2.4GHz wireless network.

[0159] Hamming code forward error correction mechanism: Take the "release start command frame" sent by the lower computer core control module of the CT equipment to the data acquisition and release control module through the LORA module as an example. The lower computer core control module of the sender divides the 8 bits of each byte into 4 valid data bits, 3 check bits and 1 reserved bit. The sender sends the "release start command frame" framed by the Hamming code forward error correction mechanism through the LORA module. After receiving the "release start command frame", the receiving data acquisition and release control module performs Hamming code verification on each bit to detect the wrong bit and correct it, effectively preventing the transmission error caused by the error of a certain bit of data caused by interference during the wireless data transmission process, reducing the number of message retransmissions, and ensuring reliable data transmission. If an error that cannot be corrected is encountered when using Hamming code for error detection and correction, the dynamic switching mechanism is triggered to switch from the LORA network to the 2.4GHz wireless network, and the data transmission process is repeated through the 2.4GHz wireless network.

[0160] Since the number of data bits (n) and the number of check bits (k) required to satisfy the Hamming code check should satisfy 2k≥n+k+1, the 8-bit bit format of a single byte of Hamming code in a two-way wireless communication network is:

[0161] Location 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 content P1 P2 D1 P3 D2 D3 D4 reserve

[0162] Among them, P1, P2, and P3 are check bits, D1, D2, D3, and D4 are data bits, and position 8 is a reserved bit with a default value of 1. The check bits are calculated using the following rules so that each check bit is responsible for a specific data bit and the sum of these bits is an even number (i.e., even check):

[0163] p1: responsible for checking positions 1, 3, 5, 7 (D1, D2);

[0164] p2: responsible for checking positions 2, 3, 6, 7 (D1, D3);

[0165] p3: responsible for checking positions 4, 5, 6, 7 (D2, D3);

[0166] Take a single byte in the "release start command frame" sent by the lower computer core control module of the CT equipment to the data acquisition and release control module through the LORA module as an example. The data content is binary 1011, that is, D1=1, D2=0, D3=1, D4=1. According to the verification rules, then:

[0167] Calculate P1: P1+D1+D2=P1+1+0. Both sides of the equation must be even numbers, then P1=1.

[0168] Calculate P2: P2+D1+P3=P2+1+1. Both sides of the equation must be even numbers, then P2=0.

[0169] Calculate P3: P3+D2+D3=P3+0+1. Both sides of the equation must be even numbers, then P3=1.

[0170] The bytes finally formed at the lower computer core control module of the CT device are binary 10110111. The other bytes in the data frame are confirmed by the same principle, and multiple bytes together form a "line release start command frame", which is sent by the lower computer core control module of the sender through the LORA network.

[0171] If the binary 10110111 changes to binary 10111111 due to interference, the data acquisition and pay-off control module as the receiving party will perform a Hamming code check after receiving the "pay-off start command frame". At this time, the byte is calculated:

[0172] P1+D1+D2=1+1+1=3 is an odd number, so the result is abnormal.

[0173] P2+D1+D3=0+1+1=2 is an even number, so the result is normal.

[0174] P3+D2+D3=1+1+1=3 is an odd number, so the result is abnormal.

[0175] A comparison revealed that an error occurred in the 4th bit during the transmission process. The data acquisition and line-release control module on the receiving side corrected the fourth bit from 1 to 0, and the received byte was restored to 10110111, which was consistent with that sent by the sender. The other bytes in the data frame were verified and corrected using the same principle to ensure data correctness, enhance the stability of the CT system's dual-channel wireless communication network and reduce the occurrence of errors.

[0176] The high-speed EtherCAT bus network is used to replace the low-speed CAN bus network as the communication network between the communication nodes of the CT stator subsystem and the communication nodes of the CT rotor subsystem.

[0177] Compared with CAN bus network, EtherCAT bus network has the advantages of higher communication speed, greater network topology flexibility, larger data volume, lower maintenance cost, etc. In CT system, using EtherCAT to replace CAN communication brings significant advantages. These advantages help to improve the overall performance, reliability and user experience of CT system, making it more adaptable to the needs of modern medical imaging technology.

[0178] Higher communication speed: The fastest transmission speed supported by the EtherCAT bus network is 100Mbps in theory, while the fastest transmission speed supported by the CAN bus network is 1Mbps. In actual applications, the transmission speed of the EtherCAT bus can be dozens of times that of the CAN bus. In the CT system, each component acts as a communication node, and they frequently exchange message instructions. More message interactions can better ensure the intercommunication of information between components, and facilitate components to obtain the status information of other components to complete their own functional requirements. Due to the low communication speed of the CAN bus, in actual applications, the smoothness of network communication can only be exchanged for the sacrifice of the number of information interactions. The content of information interaction between components is significantly reduced, and a large amount of message content in a short period of time may cause the CAN bus utilization rate to be saturated, causing the entire CT system communication network to be blocked, message transmission abnormalities, and then abnormal scanning. Using the EtherCAT bus network instead of the CAN bus network will greatly improve the system data transmission speed, increase the content of information interaction between components, improve the stability of transmission, and reduce network transmission message delays.

[0179] Greater network topology flexibility: Compared with the CAN bus network, the EtherCAT bus network supports a variety of network topologies (such as star, ring and line), and nodes can be easily added and removed. This flexibility makes the system design more adaptable to future expansion needs. CAN usually uses a bus topology, which limits the flexibility of the system. In the CT equipment, the communication lines between the components are integrated in the CT housing. When adding or removing communication nodes according to actual needs, if the CAN bus network communication mode is used, it is necessary to remove the housing and re-arrange the communication lines, and change the terminal resistance configuration related to the CAN bus communication on each board, which requires a lot of work. The EtherCAT bus network can easily add and remove the communication nodes of the CT system without restarting the entire system, which greatly reduces the subsequent maintenance costs and improves the flexibility of the network topology.

[0180] Larger data volume: The EtherCAT bus network can support data packets with a maximum size of 2048 bytes, while the CAN bus standard data frame is only 8 bytes, which means that the EtherCAT bus network has better data throughput and better data aggregation capabilities than the CAN bus network. In the information interaction of the CT system, some message contents often contain a large number of bytes. When using the CAN bus network, a single message must be divided into multiple CAN data frames for transmission, which increases the number of data transmissions and the utilization rate of the CAN bus, thereby increasing the occurrence of bus blocking abnormalities. When using the EtherCAT bus network, a single data frame can be used to contain the message content, which reduces the number of data packets in the network. By aggregating data, the communication overhead and delay of the CT system are reduced, and the efficiency of data transmission in the CT system is improved, especially when multiple components of a multi-CT system work together.

[0181] Lower maintenance costs: Although the initial investment of the EtherCAT bus network may be high, its high speed, flexibility and ease of maintenance can reduce maintenance costs and improve maintenance efficiency in the long-term use of the CT system.

[0182] Those skilled in the art know that, in addition to realizing the system and its various devices, modules, and units provided by the present invention in a purely computer-readable program code, it is entirely possible to realize the same functions in the form of logic gates, switches, application-specific integrated circuits, programmable logic controllers, and embedded microcontrollers by logically programming the method steps. Therefore, the system and its various devices, modules, and units provided by the present invention can be considered as a hardware component, and the devices, modules, and units included therein for realizing various functions can also be regarded as structures within the hardware component; the devices, modules, and units for realizing various functions can also be regarded as both software modules for realizing the method and structures within the hardware component.

[0183] The above describes the specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which does not affect the essence of the present invention. In the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other arbitrarily.

Claims

1. A CT acquisition control communication system based on a mixed networking of multiple communication modes, characterized in that: include: CT stator communication subsystem, CT rotor communication subsystem and main control PC; The main control PC includes a host computer, which is operated through a visual interface and is responsible for the overall task scheduling, scanning protocol setting, parameter configuration, data processing, patient registration, working status monitoring and image reconstruction of the system; The CT stator communication subsystem includes a lower computer core control module, a first WIFI module, a first switch, a rack control module, a patient bed control module, a power management module and a control handle; The CT rotor communication subsystem includes a data acquisition and wire-releasing control module, a second WIFI module, a second switch, a collimator control module, and a detector data acquisition and processing module; The first WIFI module and the second WIFI module are connected to the first switch and the second switch, respectively, to realize the local area networking between the CT stator communication subsystem and the CT rotor communication subsystem and the host computer; The lower computer core control module is responsible for heartbeat monitoring, scanning process management, abnormal state monitoring, main rotation drive control, and completing information interaction between other lower computer communication nodes and the main control PC; The patient bed control module completes the motion control of the CT patient bed according to the instructions sent by the lower computer core control module, and can send the real-time position data information of the patient bed to the lower computer core control module; The power management module is responsible for the power management of each component, mainly completing the control management of the rack, patient bed and various auxiliary power supplies; The rack control module is controlled by the lower computer core control module, and completes the motion control of the CT rack according to the instructions sent by the lower computer core control module and returns the real-time information of the rack's speed and angle; The control handle is responsible for responding to and processing the operator's input information on the patient bed, rack, and laser light control buttons; The data acquisition and release control module is responsible for completing the control of the CT release device and the control management related to the detector data acquisition according to the scanning protocol and completing the forwarding of the collimator control module data; The collimator control module is controlled by the lower computer core control module and is responsible for the control work related to the collimator control; The detector data acquisition and processing module is responsible for CT part data acquisition and preliminary processing of the acquired data, and sends the acquired data to the host computer; The system adopts a system network that is mixed with multiple communication methods, including: Ethernet network, EtherCAT bus, LORA wireless network, 2.4GHz wireless, LVDS network and WIFI.

2. The CT acquisition control communication system based on mixed networking of multiple communication modes according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The Ethernet network includes: Ethernet 1 sub-network: the first switch, the first WIFI module, the master PC and the control handle. Each communication node is connected through the LAN interface to form the Ethernet 1 sub-network; Ethernet 2 sub-network: the second switch, the second WIFI module and the detector data acquisition and processing module. Each communication node is connected through the LAN interface to form the Ethernet 2 sub-network; Ethernet main network: Ethernet 1 sub-network and Ethernet 1 sub-network form Ethernet main network through the first WIFI module and the second WIFI module; The EtherCAT bus includes: EtherCAT 1 network: The lower computer core control module, patient bed control module, power management module, rack control module and collimator control module constitute the EtherCAT 1 network; EtherCAT 2 network: Data acquisition and pay-off control module and collimator control module constitute the EtherCAT 2 network; The LORA wireless network: the data acquisition and line release control module and the lower computer core control module constitute the LORA wireless network; The 2.4GHz wireless network includes: a data acquisition and wire-laying control module and a lower computer core control module forming a 2.4GHz wireless network; The LVDS network includes: a data acquisition and line release control module and a detector data acquisition and processing module to form an LVDS network; A dual-channel wireless communication network consisting of a 2.4GHz wireless network and a LORA wireless network is used between the CT stator communication subsystem and the CT rotor communication subsystem; the 2.4GHz wireless network and the LORA wireless network are wireless communication networks operating in different frequency bands. The LORA wireless network and the 2.4GHz wireless network dual-channel wireless communication network are used to realize data interaction between the CT stator lower computer core control module and the CT rotor data acquisition and wire-laying control module.

3. The CT acquisition control communication system based on mixed networking of multiple communication modes according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The main control PC monitors the heartbeat frames sent by the lower computer core control module and the detector data acquisition and processing module, extracts the information of each communication node contained in the heartbeat frame, and updates it to the graphic display interface in real time; When the heartbeat frame is abnormal or an abnormal error data frame is received, the status itself is logged and the error information is displayed on the graphical interface.

4. The CT acquisition control communication system based on mixed networking of multiple communication modes according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The lower computer core control module monitors the heartbeat information sent by the communication nodes in the rack control module, the patient bed control module, the data acquisition and wire release control module, the power management module, and the collimator control module through multiple communication networks; If the heartbeat of a communication node is abnormal, a log record will be made and the abnormal information will be reported to the main control PC through the Ethernet 1 network; the lower computer core control module extracts the status of each communication node from the heartbeat data frame, integrates and reorganizes all the information, and sends it to the main control PC in the form of a heartbeat frame, which is displayed by the main control PC.

5. The CT acquisition control communication system based on mixed networking of multiple communication modes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The patient bed control module packs the patient bed running speed, patient bed horizontal position and patient bed vertical position parameters into a heartbeat frame during operation, and periodically sends it to the lower computer core control module through the EtherCAT 1 bus network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and performs log recording when the heartbeat information is abnormal.

6. The CT acquisition control communication system based on mixed networking of multiple communication modes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power management module packs the power status parameters into a heartbeat frame during operation, periodically sends it to the lower computer core control module through the EtherCAT 1 bus network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and logs itself when the heartbeat information is abnormal.

7. The CT acquisition control communication system based on mixed networking of multiple communication modes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rack control module packs the real-time rotation speed and rack rotation angle parameters into a heartbeat frame during operation, and periodically sends it to the lower computer core control module through the EtherCAT 1 bus network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and logs itself when the heartbeat information is abnormal.

8. The CT acquisition control communication system based on mixed networking of multiple communication modes according to claim 1, characterized in that: During operation, the data acquisition and wire-laying control module sends its own status information, the status information of the detector acquisition processing module received from the LVDS network, and the collimator status information sent by the collimator control module via the EtherCAT 2 network to the lower computer core control module via the LORA network and the 2.4GHZ wireless network, and receives the heartbeat message sent from the lower computer core control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and performs log recording when the heartbeat information is abnormal.

9. The CT acquisition control communication system based on mixed networking of multiple communication modes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The collimator control module packs the collimator related parameters into the heartbeat frame, periodically sends the data acquisition and wire-laying control module through the EtherCAT 2 bus network, and the data acquisition and wire-laying control module forwards it to the lower computer core control module, and receives the heartbeat message of the lower computer core control module forwarded from the data acquisition and wire-laying control module to monitor the online status of the lower computer core control module, and performs log recording when the heartbeat information is abnormal; The detector data acquisition and processing module completes communication with the main control PC through the data stream transmission channel of the second switch→the second WIFI module→the first WIFI module→the first switch→the main control PC.

10. A CT acquisition control communication method based on a hybrid networking of multiple communication modes, based on the CT acquisition control communication system based on a hybrid networking of multiple communication modes according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: include: Step S1: Use the main control PC to register the patient according to the scanning requirements, set the scanning mode and other related scanning parameters, generate the scanning protocol, send the scanning parameters to the Ethernet 1 network along with the scanning protocol, and send the data information to the lower computer core control module via the first switch transfer node; Step S2: The scanning protocol sent by the master PC in step S1 is received and parsed by the lower computer core control module to obtain the scanning mode and the relevant information of the scanning parameters of each component, and the scanning parameters are checked; if the scanning parameters are normal, step S3 is performed; if the scanning parameters are abnormal, the abnormal parameters are fed back to the master PC via Ethernet 1 network, and the operator corrects the scanning parameters; Step S3: The rack parameters obtained by the analysis in step S2 are sent to the rack control module via the EtherCAT 1 network through the lower computer core control module; the collimator parameters are sent to the data acquisition and wire release control module via the 2.4GHz wireless and LORA wireless networks; Step S4: receiving collimator related parameters from the 2.4 GHz wireless network and the LORA wireless network through the data acquisition and wire release control module, and forwarding them to the collimator control module through the EtherCAT 2 network; Step S5: the rack control module and the collimator control module are configured according to the received scanning parameters; Step S6: The lower computer core control module sends the initial position parameters of the bed obtained in step S2 to the patient bed control module, and lights up the bed moving button. Click the bed moving button to move the bed step by step to position the patient bed before scanning. If the position is normal, go to step S7; If the position is abnormal, it needs to be repositioned; Step S7: The lower computer core control module sends the data acquisition related parameters to the data acquisition and line release control module via the LORA wireless network and the 2.4Ghz wireless network at the same time; Step S8: The data acquisition and wire release control module sends the data acquisition related parameters to the detector data acquisition processing module, and configures the X-ray generating device according to the wire release related parameters; the lower computer core control module monitors the status information fed back by each module through the EtherCAT network and the LORA and 2.4GHz wireless network. If the patient bed management module, the collimator control module, the rack control module, and the data acquisition and wire release control module all feed back ready messages, then the process proceeds to step S9; Step S9: The core control module of the lower computer enables the data acquisition button; Step S10: Click the data acquisition button on the main control PC to enter the data acquisition process. The bed, rack, and CT are controlled by their respective modules according to the scanning protocol. The data acquisition and wire laying control module controls the wire laying. The detector data acquisition and processing module collects and preprocesses raw data and transmits the raw data to the main control PC. Step S11: Waiting for the data acquisition process to end, the host PC processes the acquired data and reconstructs the scanned image.

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