Medical devices and procedures

Abstract

The present invention is entitled "Medical Device and Procedure." To provide a technique that enables an operator to confirm whether their voice is being output from a speaker in a scanning room while speaking into a microphone, a CT apparatus 1 includes: an operator microphone 41 installed in an operating room R2 for receiving the voice of an operator 81; a patient microphone 2 installed in a scanning room R1 for receiving the voice of a patient 80; a speaker 50 installed in the operating room R2 for outputting the voice of the patient 80 received by the patient microphone 2; a speaker 5 installed in the scanning room R1 for outputting the voice of the operator 81 received by the operator microphone 41; and a light emitting portion 31 for notifying the operator 81 that their voice is being output from the speaker 5 when the patient microphone 2 has received the voice of the operator 81 output from the speaker 5.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medical device having communication means allowing communication between a patient and an operator, and a program stored in the medical device. Background Art

[0002] X-ray CT equipment is a medical device used for non-invasive imaging of a patient's body. Because it can image the body part in a short time, it is widely used in medical institutions such as hospitals.

[0003] A CT system consists of a gantry and a table as its main components. These are located within a scanning room. The gantry has a rotating section on which an X-ray tube and detector are mounted. The rotating section rotates while the patient is being imaged. The CT system also has an operator console for operating the gantry and table. This console is located in an operating room separate from the scanning room. The operator controls the gantry and table by operating the console within the operating room.

[0004] CT equipment also includes a communication device that allows communication between an operator in the operating room and a patient in the scanning room. The communication device includes a microphone for receiving the operator's voice and a speaker for transmitting the voice received by the microphone to the patient in the scanning room. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-070256 discloses an example of a communication device.

[0005] When the operator speaks, the microphone receives the operator's voice and causes the operator's voice to be transmitted from the speaker. Therefore, the patient can hear the operator's voice while in the scanning room.

[0006] However, if the communication device is set to "off" mode, which means no communication, or if the communication device malfunctions, for example, when an operator in the operating room speaks into the microphone to request an examination, the operator's voice is not output from the speaker in the scanning room. Therefore, when the operator speaks into the microphone and receives no response from the patient, he or she may sometimes worry that his or her voice is not being output from the speaker in the scanning room. At other times, the operator may be unaware that his or her voice is not being output from the speaker in the scanning room.

[0007] Therefore, it is desirable to enable the operator to confirm whether his / her own voice is being output from the speaker in the scanning room while speaking into the microphone. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention relates to a medical device comprising:

[0009] a first microphone installed in the first room for receiving the operator's voice;

[0010] a second microphone installed in the second room for receiving the patient's speech;

[0011] a first speaker installed in the first room and configured to output the patient's voice received by the second microphone;

[0012] a second speaker installed in the second room for outputting the operator's voice received by the first microphone; and

[0013] means for notifying the operator that the operator's voice is being output from the second speaker if the second microphone has received the operator's voice output from the second speaker.

[0014] In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a program stored in a medical device, the device comprising: a first microphone installed in a first room for receiving an operator's voice; a second microphone installed in a second room for receiving a patient's voice; a first speaker installed in the first room for outputting the patient's voice received by the second microphone; a second speaker installed in the second room for outputting the operator's voice received by the first microphone; and a device for notifying the operator, the device notifying the operator that the operator's voice is being output from the second speaker if the second microphone has received the operator's voice output from the second speaker, the program being configured to cause one or more processors to perform the following operations:

[0015] a process of receiving a first digital signal including sound data representing sound received by the first microphone and a second digital signal including sound data representing sound received by the second microphone, generating a third digital signal representing a signal component corresponding to noise based on the second digital signal, and generating a fourth digital signal including sound data representing the operator's voice by subtracting the third digital signal from the second digital signal; and

[0016] A control process controls the means for notifying the operator based on the fourth digital signal.

[0017] In a third aspect, the present invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium provided in a medical device, the device comprising: a first microphone installed in a first room for receiving an operator's voice; a second microphone installed in a second room for receiving a patient's voice; a first speaker installed in the first room for outputting the patient's voice received by the second microphone; a second speaker installed in the second room for outputting the operator's voice received by the first microphone; and means for notifying the operator, the means notifying the operator that the operator's voice is being output from the second speaker if the second microphone has received the operator's voice output from the second speaker.

[0018] One or more instructions capable of being executed by one or more processors are stored in the recording medium. When the one or more instructions are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations including the following actions:

[0019] receiving a first digital signal, the first digital signal comprising sound data representing sound received by the first microphone;

[0020] receiving a second digital signal, the second digital signal comprising sound data representing sound received by the second microphone;

[0021] generating a third digital signal according to the second digital signal, wherein the third digital signal represents a signal component corresponding to noise;

[0022] generating a fourth digital signal by subtracting the third digital signal from the second digital signal, the fourth digital signal including sound data representing the operator's voice; and

[0023] The means for notifying the operator is controlled based on the fourth digital signal.

[0024] The second speaker outputs the voice of the operator in the first room. When the operator's voice is output from the second speaker, the second microphone receives the voice output from the second speaker. The medical device in the present invention has a device for notifying the operator that the operator's voice is being output from the second speaker when the second microphone has received the operator's voice output from the second speaker. Therefore, when the operator's voice is output from the second speaker, the operator can confirm in the first room via the device for notifying that the voice is being output from the second speaker. Therefore, the operator does not have to worry that the patient may not be able to hear his / her own voice, and the operator can concentrate on his / her work to smoothly perform the scanning of the patient. Description of the Drawings

[0025] Figure 1 External view of the X-ray CT apparatus in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 Schematic diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the X-ray CT apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0027] Figure 3 Circuit diagram of the communication device 500.

[0028] Figure 4 Perspective view of the appearance of the internal communication module 4.

[0029] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the internal communication module 4 set to the first communication mode.

[0030] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the internal communication module 4 set to the second communication mode.

[0031] Figure 7 Schematic explanatory diagram of the first communication mode.

[0032] Figure 8 Schematic explanatory diagram of the second communication mode.

[0033] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of a basic configuration example briefly showing the function of notifying the operator 81 whether his voice is being output from the speaker 5 in the scanning room R1.

[0034] Figure 10 Schematic explanatory diagram of the light-emitting portion 31.

[0035] Figure 11 Schematic explanatory diagram of the light-emitting portion 31 when t0 ≤ t < t1.

[0036] Figure 12 Schematic explanatory diagram of the light-emitting portion 31 when t1 ≤ t < t2.

[0037] Figure 13 Schematic explanatory diagram of the light-emitting portion 31 when t2 ≤ t < t3.

[0038] Figure 14 Schematic explanatory diagram of the light-emitting portion 31 when t3 ≤ t < t4.

[0039] Figure 15 Schematic explanatory diagram of the light-emitting portion 31 when t4 ≤ t < t5.

[0040] Figure 16 Schematic explanatory diagram of the light-emitting portion 31 when t5 ≤ t < t7.

[0041] Figure 17 A schematic diagram illustrating the filter block.

[0042] Figure 18 Schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the internal communication module 4 in the first communication mode.

[0043] Figure 19 Schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the internal communication module 4 in the second communication mode.

[0044] Figure 20 This is an explanatory diagram of a situation in which the display section 33 on the gantry 100 notifies the operator 81 that his voice is being output from the speaker 5 .

[0045] Figure 21 It is an enlarged view of the display portion 33 on the door frame 100.

[0046] Figure 22 This is a diagram showing a situation in which the display device 302 notifies the operator that the speaker 5 has output the operator's voice. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Hereinafter, embodiments for practicing the present invention will be described; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0048] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is an external view of an X-ray CT apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the X-ray CT apparatus 1 includes a gantry 100 , a workbench 200 , and an operator console 300 .

[0050] The gantry 100 and the work table 200 are installed in the scanning room R1. The operator console 300 is installed in the operating room R2 which is separate from the scanning room R1. Figure 1 In the drawings, for ease of explanation, the ceilings and some side walls of the scanning room R1 and the operating room R2 are omitted.

[0051] The scanning room R1 and the operating room R2 are separated from each other by a wall 101. The wall 101 is provided with a window 102 that allows the operator 81 to view the scanning room R1 from the operating room R2. The wall 101 is also provided with a door 103 to allow the operator 81 to move between the scanning room R1 and the operating room R2.

[0052] The wall 101 and the window 102 between the scanning room R1 and the operating room R2 can be of any shape. In addition, various materials can be used to make the wall and the window as long as human safety is ensured.

[0053] A display portion 33 is provided on the front surface of the gantry 100. The display portion 33 can display patient information, information useful for preparing for scanning, etc. Therefore, the operator can smoothly prepare for scanning of the patient 80 while checking the display on the display portion 33.

[0054] Figure 2 FIG1 is a diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the X-ray CT apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0055] The gantry 100 has a hole 11 for forming a space through which the patient 80 can move.

[0056] The gantry 100 also has an X-ray tube 12, an aperture 13, a collimator device 14, an X-ray detector 15, a data acquisition system 16, a rotating part 17, a high-voltage power supply 18, an aperture driving device 19, a rotating part driving device 20, a GT (gantry worktable) control part 21, etc.

[0057] The rotating portion 17 is configured to be rotatable around the hole 11 .

[0058] The rotating portion 17 has the X-ray tube 12 , the aperture 13 , the collimator device 14 , the X-ray detector 15 , and the data acquisition system 16 mounted thereon.

[0059] The X-ray tube 12 and the X-ray detector 15 are disposed facing each other across the hole 11 of the gantry 100 .

[0060] The aperture 13 is provided between the X-ray tube 12 and the hole 11. The aperture 13 shapes the X-rays emitted from the X-ray focus of the X-ray tube 12 toward the X-ray detector 15 into a fan beam or a cone beam.

[0061] The collimator device 14 is disposed between the hole 11 and the X-ray detector 15. The collimator device 14 removes scattered light entering the X-ray detector 15.

[0062] The X-ray detector 15 has a plurality of X-ray detector elements arranged two-dimensionally in the range and thickness directions along the fan-shaped X-ray beam emitted by the X-ray tube 12. Each X-ray detector element detects X-rays that have passed through the patient 80 and outputs an electrical signal according to the intensity thereof.

[0063] The data acquisition system 16 receives the electrical signals output from the X-ray detector elements in the X-ray detector 15 and converts them into X-ray data for acquisition.

[0064] The table 200 includes a support 201 and a drive device 202. The patient 80 lies on the support 201. The drive device 202 drives the table 200 and the support 201 so that the support 201 can move in the y direction and the z direction.

[0065] The high voltage power supply 18 provides high voltage and current to the X-ray tube 12 .

[0066] The hole driving device 19 drives the hole 13 to modify the shape of its opening.

[0067] The rotating part driving device 20 rotationally drives the rotating part 17 .

[0068] The GT control section 21 performs processing for controlling various devices / components and various components in the gantry 100, as well as the drive device 202 for the work table 200. The GT control section 21 also provides the lighting control section 32 with a signal carrying information necessary to control the lighting section 31. The lighting control section 32 and the lighting section 31 will be discussed below.

[0069] The operator console 300 receives various operations from the operator and includes an input device 301 , a display device 302 , a storage device 303 , a processing device 304 , and an internal communication module 4 .

[0070] The input device 301 may include buttons and a keyboard for receiving operator commands and information input, and a pointing device such as a mouse. The display device 302 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like.

[0071] The storage device 303 may include an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), semiconductor memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The operator console 300 may have all of the HDD, RAM, and ROM as the storage device 303. The storage device 303 may also include a portable storage medium 305 such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0072] The processing device 304 includes a processor for performing various processes.

[0073] When the operator 81 communicates with the patient 80, the internal communication module 4 is used. The internal communication module 4 will be described in detail below.

[0074] Furthermore, the CT apparatus 1 has a communication device 500 that allows the operator 81 in the operating room R2 and the patient 80 in the scanning room R1 to communicate with each other.

[0075] The communication device 500 has a patient microphone 2, a power amplifier board 3, an internal communication module 4 and a speaker 5. Figure 3 and Figure 2 The communication device 500 will be described.

[0076] Figure 3 FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a communication device 500 .

[0077] Figure 3 , the scanning room R1 and the operating room R2 are designated by dashed lines, respectively.

[0078] The scanning room R1 is provided with a patient microphone 2 , a speaker 5 and a power amplifier board 3 of a communication device 500 .

[0079] The patient microphone 2 is used to receive the voice of the patient 80. The patient microphone 2 can be installed near the hole 11 of the door frame 100, such as Figure 1 However, the patient microphone 2 is not necessarily installed in the gantry 100 , and may be installed in a different location outside the gantry 100 (eg, in the workbench 200 , or on the wall or ceiling of the scanning room R1 ), as long as it can receive the voice of the patient 80 .

[0080] The speaker 5 is used to output the voice of the operator 81 in the operating room R2. The speaker 5 can be installed under the bracket 201 of the workbench 200, such as Figure 1 However, the speaker 5 is not necessarily installed in the workbench 200 , and may be installed in a different location outside the workbench 200 (for example, in the gantry 100 , or on the wall or ceiling of the scanning room R1 ), as long as the patient 80 can hear the voice from the speaker 5 .

[0081] return Figure 3 , will continue to describe.

[0082] The power amplifier board 3 amplifies the sound signal received by the patient microphone 2. The power amplifier board 3 can be installed in the door frame 100.

[0083] On the other hand, an internal communication module 4 of the communication device 500 is installed in the operating room R2.

[0084] like Figure 3 As shown, the intercom module 4 has an operator microphone 41, a preamplifier 42, an ADC (analog-to-digital converter) 43, a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) 44, a power amplifier 45, a buffer amplifier 46, an ADC 47, a DAC 48, a power amplifier 49, a speaker 50, a microphone switch 51, and a switch section 52. Although the intercom module 4 includes circuit components, various switches, and various buttons in addition to the components 41 to 52, these components are omitted in the drawings because they are not necessary for the description of the present invention.

[0085] The switch portion 52 has two switch elements 52a and 52b.

[0086] The switch element 52a is provided between the ADC 43 and the DAC 44. When the switch element 52a is set to "ON", the ADC 43 and the DAC 44 are electrically connected via the switch element 52a, and when the switch element 52a is set to "OFF", the ADC 43 and the DAC 44 are electrically disconnected.

[0087] On the other hand, the switch element 52b is provided between the ADC 47 and the DAC 48. When the switch element 52b is set to "ON", the ADC 47 and the DAC 48 are electrically connected via the switch element 52b, and when the switch element 52b is set to "OFF", the ADC 47 and the DAC 48 are electrically disconnected.

[0088] Figure 4 4 is a perspective view of the external appearance of the internal communication module 4. The internal communication module 4 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 4a. The housing 4a has components 41 to 51 of the internal communication module 4 incorporated therein (see Figure 3 ). Figure 4 Three of the components 41 to 51 are shown: the operator microphone 41, the speaker 50, and the microphone switch 51. The microphone switch 51 is provided on the upper surface 4b of the housing 4a. The microphone switch 51 is a switch for changing the communication mode of the internal communication module 4. Here, the microphone switch 51 is configured to allow the operator 81 to press it, and the operator 81 can press the microphone switch 51 as needed to change the communication mode of the internal communication module 4. The communication mode of the internal communication module 4 will now be described below.

[0089] When the operator 81 has pressed the microphone switch 51 , the mode is set to the first communication mode in which the voice of the operator 81 can be transmitted to the patient 80 . Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the internal communication module 4 set to the first communication mode. When the microphone switch 51 is pressed, the switch element 52a in the switch portion 52 is set to "ON," and thus the operator microphone 41 and the speaker 5 are electrically connected to each other. Therefore, by continuously pressing the microphone switch 51, the operator 81 can transmit his / her own voice to the patient 80 while pressing the microphone switch 51.

[0090] When the microphone switch 51 is pressed, the switch element 52b is set to “off.” Therefore, the patient microphone 2 is electrically disconnected from the speaker 50, and therefore no sound is output from the speaker 50 in the first communication mode.

[0091] On the other hand, when the operator 81 does not press the microphone switch 51 , the mode is set to the second communication mode in which the voice of the patient 80 can be transmitted to the operator 81 . Figure 6FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the internal communication module 4 set to the second communication mode. In this embodiment, when the operator 81 does not press the microphone switch 51, the switch element 52b is in the "on" state. Therefore, in the second communication mode, the patient microphone 2 and the speaker 50 are electrically connected. Therefore, when the patient 80 speaks, the patient's speech is received by the patient microphone 2 and output to the speaker 50, allowing the operator 81 to hear the patient's speech in the operating room R2.

[0092] When the operator 81 does not press the microphone switch 51, the switch element 52a is in the "off" state. Thus, the operator microphone 41 is electrically disconnected from the speaker 5. Therefore, in the second communication mode, no sound is output from the speaker 5.

[0093] As described above, the internal communication module 4 has two communication modes, and the operator 81 can change the communication mode through the microphone switch 51 , thereby allowing communication between the operator 81 and the patient 80 .

[0094] Now, operations of the communication device 500 in the first communication mode and in the second communication mode will be described one by one below.

[0095] (In the first communication mode)

[0096] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the first communication mode.

[0097] In order to set the internal communication module 4 to the first communication mode, the operator 81 continuously presses the microphone switch 51. When the operator 81 presses the microphone switch 51, the switch element 52a is set to "on", and the switch element 52b is set to "off". Figure 7 As shown. Therefore, in the first communication mode, the patient microphone 2 is electrically disconnected from the speaker 50, while the operator microphone 41 is electrically connected to the speaker 5. Therefore, in the first communication mode, the operator 81 speaks into the operator microphone 41, and the patient 80 can hear the patient's voice through the speaker 5. In the first communication mode, the internal communication module 4 operates as follows.

[0098] When the operator 81 utters a voice v1, the operator microphone 41 receives the voice v1 of the operator 81. After receiving the voice v1, the operator microphone 41 outputs an analog signal d1(t) representing the received voice v1.

[0099] The preamplifier 42 receives the analog signal d1(t) output from the operator microphone 41 and amplifies the received analog signal d1(t). The preamplifier 42 amplifies the analog signal d1(t) from the operator microphone 41 to within the input voltage range for the ADC 43 in the next stage.

[0100] The ADC 43 converts the analog signal d2 ( t ) output from the preamplifier 42 into a digital signal D(n).

[0101] Therefore, the circuit portion composed of the preamplifier 42 and the ADC 43 functions as a circuit portion that generates the digital signal D(n) based on the analog signal d1 ( t ).

[0102] The DAC 44 converts the digital signal D(n) from the ADC 43 into an analog signal c1 (t).

[0103] The power amplifier 45 receives the analog signal c1(t) from the DAC 44, amplifies the received analog signal c1(t), and outputs the resulting signal as an analog signal c2(t). This analog signal c2(t) is supplied to the speaker 5. Thus, the circuit portion composed of the DAC 44 and the power amplifier 45 functions as a circuit portion that generates the analog signal c2(t) to be supplied to the speaker 5 based on the digital signal D(n).

[0104] The speaker 5 receives the analog signal c2 ( t ) output from the power amplifier 45 , and outputs a sound corresponding to the received analog signal c2 ( t ).

[0105] Therefore, the patient 80 can hear the voice of the operator 81 .

[0106] (In the second communication mode)

[0107] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the second communication mode.

[0108] In the case where the operator 81 does not press the microphone switch 51, the switch element 52b is in the "on" state, and the switch element 52a is in the "off" state, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown. Therefore, in the second communication mode, the operator microphone 41 is electrically disconnected from the speaker 5, while the patient microphone 2 is electrically connected to the speaker 50. Therefore, in the second communication mode, when the patient 80 speaks, the operator 81 can hear the patient's speech. In the second communication mode, the internal communication module 4 operates as follows.

[0109] When the patient 80 utters a voice v3, the patient microphone 2 receives the voice v3 of the patient 80. After receiving the voice v3, the patient microphone 2 outputs an analog signal m1(t) representing the received voice v3.

[0110] The power amplifier board 3 receives the analog signal m1(t) output from the patient microphone 2, amplifies the received analog signal m1(t), and outputs an analog signal m2(t). The power amplifier board 3 amplifies the analog signal m1(t) so that noise mixed on the signal line (if any) can be ignored.

[0111] The buffer amplifier 46 is used to perform impedance conversion. In addition, the buffer amplifier 46 adjusts the analog signal m2(t) received from the power amplifier board 3 so that it is within the voltage range of the ADC 47 at the next stage, and outputs the resulting signal as an analog signal m3(t).

[0112] The ADC 47 converts the analog signal m3 ( t ) output from the buffer amplifier 46 into a digital signal M(n).

[0113] Therefore, the circuit portion composed of the power amplifier board 3, the buffer amplifier 46, and the ADC 47 functions as a circuit portion that generates the digital signal M(n) based on the analog signal m1(t).

[0114] The DAC 48 converts the digital signal M(n) from the ADC 47 into an analog signal f1(t).

[0115] The power amplifier 49 receives the analog signal f1 ( t ) from the DAC 48 , amplifies the received analog signal f1 ( t ), and outputs an analog signal f2 ( t ).

[0116] The speaker 50 receives the analog signal f2 ( t ) from the power amplifier 49 and outputs a sound corresponding to the received analog signal f2 ( t ).

[0117] Therefore, when the patient 80 utters the voice v3 , the operator 81 can hear the voice v3 of the patient 80 via the speaker 50 .

[0118] from Figure 7 and Figure 8As can be seen from the illustration, intercom module 4 is in the second communication mode, transmitting the patient 80's voice to operator 81, unless operator 81 presses microphone switch 51. Therefore, when patient 80 speaks, operator 81 can hear patient 80's voice through speaker 50 in operating room R2. Only when the operator needs to speak with patient 80 does operator 81 continue to press microphone switch 51 and then speak to the patient, thereby setting intercom module 4 to the first communication mode, transmitting their voice to patient 80. After transmitting the necessary information to patient 80, operator 81 removes microphone switch 51. This causes intercom module 4 to switch from the first communication mode, transmitting operator 81's voice to patient 80, to the second communication mode, transmitting patient 80's voice to operator 81, allowing operator 81 to hear patient 80's response through speaker 50.

[0119] However, sometimes, when the operator 81 is talking to the patient 80, the patient 80 does not respond to any prompts. In this case, the operator 81 may be concerned that the operator's 81 voice is not being output from the speaker 5 in the scanning room R1 due to some problem with the communication device 500. In this case, the operator 81 may talk to the patient 80 multiple times to confirm whether the operator's 81 voice is being output from the speaker 5, which may cause unnecessary work pressure on the operator 81.

[0120] Furthermore, there is a concern that the speech uttered by the operator 81 may not be output from the speaker 5 in the scanning room R1 due to a malfunction of the communication device 500 or the like, without the operator 81 being aware of the situation. In this case, although the content of the operator 81's speech is not transmitted to the patient 80, the operator 81 may assume that the content has been transmitted to the patient 80, and the patient 80 may feel uncomfortable.

[0121] Therefore, the CT apparatus 1 of this embodiment is configured so that when the operator 81 speaks, the operator 81 can confirm whether the operator's speech is being output from the speaker 5 in the scanning room R1. Specifically, the CT apparatus 1 has a function that, when the operator 81 speaks, notifies the operator 81 whether the operator's speech is being output from the speaker 5 in the scanning room R1. The basic configuration of this function will be described below.

[0122] Figure 9 1 is a diagram briefly showing a basic configuration example of a function of notifying the operator 81 whether his or her voice is being output from the speaker 5 in the scanning room R1.

[0123] To illustrate the basic configuration of this function, Figure 9 The GT control section 21, the light emitting section 31, and the light emitting control section 32 are shown, but Figures 5 to 8 Not shown in .

[0124] The GT control section 21 receives the digital signal M(n) output from the ADC 47. The light emitting section 31 is connected to the GT control section 21 via the light emitting control section 32.

[0125] The light emitting portion 31 is provided on the front surface of the door frame 100. Figure 1 As shown. The operator 81 can see the light-emitting portion 31 in the gantry 100 through the window 102 in the operating room R2. In this embodiment, the light-emitting portion 31 includes a right light-emitting portion 31R and a left light-emitting portion 31L. The right light-emitting portion 31R is located on the right side of the hole 11, while the left light-emitting portion 31L is located on the left side of the hole 11.

[0126] Figure 10 31 is a schematic diagram for explaining the light emitting portion 31.

[0127] The light emitting section 31 includes a left light emitting section 31L and a right light emitting section 31R. The basic structure of the left light emitting section 31L is the same as that of the right light emitting section 31R. Therefore, the left one of the left light emitting section 31L and the right light emitting section 31R will be used as a representative in describing the light emitting section 31.

[0128] The left light emitting portion 31L is shown in close-up. Figure 10 As shown. The left light-emitting portion 31L includes a plurality of light-emitting elements. For ease of explanation, the left light-emitting portion 31L is illustrated as having five light-emitting elements e1-e5, but the number of light-emitting elements may be less than or greater than five. For example, LEDs may be used as the light-emitting elements. The right light-emitting portion 31R also has the same number of light-emitting elements as the left light-emitting portion 31L.

[0129] return Figure 9 , will continue to describe.

[0130] The light emission control section 32 controls the light emission section 31 to inform the operator 81 whether the voice of the operator 81 is being output from the speaker 5 in the scanning room R1. A control method of the light emission section 31 will be described below.

[0131] Figure 9 When the operator 81 utters the voice v1, the operator 81's voice v2 is output through the speaker 5, as previously described. Figure 7 As stated.

[0132] The patient microphone 2 receives the operator's 81 voice v2 output from the speaker 5. Upon receiving the voice v2, the patient microphone 2 outputs an analog signal m1(t) representing the received voice v2. The power amplifier board 3 processes the analog signal m1(t) to output an analog signal m2(t). The analog signal m2(t) is processed by the buffer amplifier 46, and the analog signal m3(t) output from the buffer amplifier 46 is converted into a digital signal M(n) by the ADC 47. While the digital signal M(n) is output to the DAC 48, it is not provided to the DAC 48 because the switch element 52b of the preceding stage of the DAC 48 is in the "off" state.

[0133] However, since the ADC 47 is connected to the GT control section 21 , the digital signal M(n) is supplied to the GT control section 21 .

[0134] The GT control section 21 converts the digital signal M(n) into a digital signal Q(n) compatible with CAN (Controller Area Network) communication and outputs the digital signal Q(n) to the light emission control section 32 .

[0135] The light emission control section 32 outputs a control signal L(n) to the light emission section 31 based on the digital signal Q(n), for energizing the light emission section 31 in accordance with the loudness of the voice of the operator 81 .

[0136] Now, the method of energizing the light emitting portion 31 according to the loudness of the operator's 81 voice will be described below with reference to Figures 11 to 16 Provide a description.

[0137] First, yes Figure 11 Provide explanation.

[0138] Figure 11 The lower part shows the speech waveform of the operator 81 between time point t0 and time point t8. The vertical axis represents time, and the horizontal axis represents the loudness of the operator 81's speech. In the implementation process, the speech waveform changes complexly over time, but Figure 11 A simple waveform thereof is shown to facilitate understanding of the operation of the light emitting section 31. Here, it is assumed that the voice loudness increases linearly from the time point t0 to the time point t6, and decreases linearly from the time point t6 to the time point t8.

[0139] The light control section 32 identifies which region of regions w1 to w6 the voice loudness falls within at time point t. The light control section 32 then determines which portion of the light emitting elements (LEDs) e1 to e5 are to be energized and which are not to be energized, based on the region in which the voice loudness falls.

[0140] In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements to be energized and the light-emitting elements not energized are determined in (1) to (6) below.

[0141] (1) If the voice loudness is within the range of area w1, it is determined that there is no light-emitting element to be powered on, that is, no light-emitting element is powered on.

[0142] (2) If the voice loudness is within the range of area w2, it is determined that the light-emitting element e1 is powered on, while the other light-emitting elements e2 to e5 are not powered on.

[0143] (3) If the voice loudness is within the range of area w3, it is determined that the light-emitting elements e1 and e2 are powered on, while the other light-emitting elements e3 to e5 are not powered on.

[0144] (4) If the voice loudness is within the range of area w4, it is determined that the light-emitting elements e1, e2 and e3 are powered on, while the other light-emitting elements e4 and e5 are not powered on.

[0145] (5) If the voice loudness is within the range of area w5, it is determined that the light-emitting elements e1 to e4 are powered on, while the other light-emitting element e5 is not powered on.

[0146] (6) If the voice loudness is within the range of area w6, it is determined that all the light-emitting elements e1 to e5 are powered on.

[0147] Now, one or more of the light-emitting elements e1 to e5 will be described below as being powered on at each time point t.

[0148] (t0≤t <t1)

[0149] When t0 ≤ t < t1, the light-emitting control section 32 determines that the voice loudness is within the range of area wl. Therefore, the light-emitting control section 32 outputs a control signal L(n) to turn off all the light-emitting elements (LEDs) e1 to e5 in the above (1). Therefore, the light-emitting elements e1 to e5 do not emit light within t0 ≤ t < t1.

[0150] [[ID=**28]] (t1≤t <t2)

[0151] Figure 12 [[ID=**32]]A schematic diagram for explaining the light-emitting section 31 when t1 ≤ t < t2.

[0152] When t1 ≤ t < t2, the light-emitting control section 32 determines that the voice loudness is within the range of area w2. Therefore, the light-emitting control section 32 outputs a control signal L(n) to turn on the light-emitting element e1, while the other light-emitting elements e2 to e5 in the above (2) are not powered on. Therefore, only the light-emitting element e1 among the light-emitting elements e1 to e5 emits light within t1 ≤ t < t2.

[0153] (t2≤t <t3)

[0154] Figure 13 [[ID=**42]]A schematic diagram for explaining the light-emitting section 31 when t2 ≤ t < t3. It should be noted that there are two tags (ID=32 and ID=42) in the original text that seem to be incomplete or have incorrect formatting in the "description schematic diagram" part. I have translated them as accurately as possible based on the context. If there are specific requirements or corrections for these parts, please let me know.

[0155] When t2 ≤ t < t3, the light emission control section 32 determines that the voice loudness is within the range of area w3. Therefore, the light emission control section 32 outputs a control signal L(n) to energize the light emitting elements e1 and e2, and the other light emitting elements e3 to e5 in (3) above are not energized. Therefore, the light emitting elements e1 and e2 among the light emitting elements e1 to e5 emit light within t2 ≤ t < t3.

[0156] (t3≤t <t4)

[0157] Figure 14 It is a schematic explanatory diagram of the light emitting section 31 when t3 ≤ t < t4.

[0158] When t3 ≤ t < t4, the light emission control section 32 determines that the voice loudness is within the range of area w4. Therefore, the light emission control section 32 outputs a control signal L(n) to energize the light emitting elements e1, e2, and e3, and the other light emitting elements e4 and e5 in (4) above are not energized. Therefore, the light emitting elements e1, e2, and e3 among the light emitting elements e1 to e5 emit light within t3 ≤ t < t4.

[0159] (t4≤t <t5)

[0160] Figure 15 It is a schematic explanatory diagram of the light emitting section 31 when t4 ≤ t < t5.

[0161] When t4 ≤ t < t5, the light emission control section 32 determines that the voice loudness is within the range of area w5. Therefore, the light emission control section 32 outputs a control signal L(n) to energize the light emitting elements e1, e2, e3, and e4, and the other light emitting element e5 in (5) above is not energized. Therefore, the light emitting elements e1, e2, e3, and e4 among the light emitting elements e1 to e5 emit light when t4 ≤ t < t5.

[0162] (t5≤t <t7)

[0163] Figure 16 It is a schematic explanatory diagram of the light emitting section 31 when t5 ≤ t < t7.

[0164] When t5 ≤ t < t7, the light emission control section 32 determines that the voice loudness is within the range of area w6. Therefore, the light emission control section 32 outputs a control signal L(n) to energize all the light emitting elements e1 to e5 in (6) above. Therefore, all the light emitting elements e1 to e5 emit light within t5 ≤ t < t7.

[0165] (t7≤t <t8)

[0166] When t7 ≤ t < t8, the voice loudness is within the range of area w5, as shown when t4 ≤ t < t5. Therefore, the light-emitting elements e1 to e5 among the light-emitting elements e1 to e5 emit light, as Figure 15 shown.

[0167] Therefore, if the voice loudness of the operator 81 exceeds the threshold between areas w1 and w2, the light-emitting portion 31 emits light. Thus, the operator 81 can see the light-emitting portion 31 while speaking, so as to visually confirm whether the voice of the operator 81 is being output from the speaker 5 (see Figure 1 ).

[0168] In addition, when the operator 81 speaks, the number of energized light-emitting elements changes according to the voice loudness. In the present embodiment, the number of energized light-emitting elements increases as the voice loudness increases. For example, if the voice waveform changes, as Figures 11 to 16 shown, the number of energized light-emitting elements increases by 1 with time within t0 ≤ t < t7. On the other hand, the number of energized light-emitting elements decreases as the voice loudness decreases. For example, within t7 ≤ t < t8, the number of energized light-emitting elements decreases by 1. Therefore, the light-emitting portion 31 serves as a sound level meter, in which the number of energized light-emitting elements increases or decreases according to the voice loudness of the operator 81. Thus, the volume information indicating the voice loudness of the operator 81 can be provided to the operator 81. Therefore, the operator 81 can see the light-emitting portion 31 while speaking, so as to intuitively identify the voice loudness of the operator 81 heard by the patient 80.

[0169] In addition, in order to prevent the voice of the operator 81 from being too low for the patient 80 to hear, when the loudness of the voice emitted by the operator 81 is lower than the threshold between areas w1 and w2, the light-emitting portion 31 is set not to emit light. Therefore, if the light-emitting portion 31 does not emit light and regardless of the voice emitted by the operator 81, the operator 81 can realize that his voice may be too low, so the operator 81 will immediately speak again so that the patient 80 can hear.

[0170] Sometimes, the patient 80 can emit a voice v3 when the internal communication module 4 is set to the first communication mode (see Figure 9). In this case, since the patient 80 utters the voice v3 when the operator 81 does not utter the voice v1, the patient microphone 2 receives the voice v3 of the patient 80. However, the light-emitting portion 31 emits light in response to the voice v3 of the patient 80 received through the patient microphone 2, regardless of the fact that the operator 81 does not utter the voice v1, which may confuse the operator 81. In addition, when CT imaging is performed on the patient 80, the operation of mechanical equipment (such as the gantry 100 and / or the workbench 200) generates operating noise, and another operator (if any) in the scanning room R1 may utter a voice. Similarly, in these cases, the light-emitting portion 31 emits light in response to the operating noise generated by the mechanical equipment or the voice of the operator in the scanning room R1, which may confuse the operator 81.

[0171] Therefore, the CT apparatus 1 in this embodiment includes a filter block for energizing the light emitting portion 31 only in response to the voice of the operator 81, even when sounds other than the voice of the operator 81 (e.g., the voice of the patient 80, operating noise of mechanical equipment, and / or the voice of the operator in the scanning room R1) are generated when the internal communication module 4 is set to the first communication mode. The filter block will be described below.

[0172] Figure 17 A schematic diagram illustrating the filter block.

[0173] The internal communication module 4 includes a filter block 60. The filter block 60 is formed of a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The filter block 60 includes an adaptive filter 61, a subtraction section 62, and a subtraction section 63.

[0174] The adaptive filter 61 has an input portion 61a connected to a node 64 between the switch element 52a and the DAC 44. The digital signal D(n) output from the ADC 43 is input to the input portion 61a of the adaptive filter 61.

[0175] The subtraction section 62 is connected to the output section 61b of the adaptive filter 61 and the ADC 47. The subtraction section 62 receives the digital signal M(n) from the ADC 47 and the digital signal D'(n) from the adaptive filter 61, subtracts the digital signal D'(n) from the digital signal M(n), and outputs the digital signal M'(n) obtained by the subtraction.

[0176] Furthermore, the adaptive filter 61 has an input portion 61 c for receiving the digital signal M'(n) output by the subtraction portion 62. The adaptive filter 61 adjusts its coefficients based on the digital signal M'(n) so that the difference between the digital signal D(n) received at the input portion 61 a and the digital signal D'(n) output from the output portion 61 b ​​becomes as close to zero as possible.

[0177] The subtracting portion 63 receives the digital signal M'(n) output by the subtracting portion 62 and also receives the digital signal M(n) output from the ADC 47. The subtracting portion 63 subtracts the digital signal M'(n) from the digital signal M(n) and outputs a digital signal P(n) obtained by the subtraction.

[0178] The filter block 60 is thus configured as described above.

[0179] Next, the operation of the internal communication module 4 provided with the filtering block 60 will be described for the first communication mode and the second communication mode, respectively.

[0180] (In the first communication mode)

[0181] Figure 18 Schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the internal communication module 4 in the first communication mode.

[0182] In order to set the internal communication module 4 to the first communication mode, the operator 81 continuously presses the microphone switch 51. Figure 18 As shown, when the operator 81 is pressing the microphone switch 51, the switch element 52a is set to "ON" and the switch element 52b is set to "OFF." Therefore, in the first communication mode, the patient microphone 2 is set to a state of being electrically disconnected from the speaker 50, while the operator microphone 41 is electrically connected to the speaker 50.

[0183] When the operator 81 utters a voice v1, the operator microphone 41 receives the voice v1 of the operator 81. After receiving the voice v1, the operator microphone 41 outputs an analog signal d1(t) representing the received voice v1. The preamplifier 42 receives the analog signal d1(t), amplifies the analog signal d1(t), and outputs an analog signal d2(t).

[0184] The ADC 43 converts the analog signal d2(t) into a digital signal D(n). The digital signal D(n) contains sound data representing the sound received by the operator microphone 41 (here, the voice v1 of the operator 81). The digital signal D(n) is supplied to the DAC 44.

[0185] The DAC 44 converts the digital signal D(n) into an analog signal c1(t). The power amplifier 45 receives the analog signal c1(t) and outputs an analog signal c2(t). The analog signal c2(t) is input to the speaker 5, which then outputs the voice v2 of the operator 81 corresponding to the received analog signal c2(t).

[0186] The above operations and reference Figure 9The operation is the same as described above, and the filter block 60 is omitted in the figure. However, since the CT device 1 includes Figure 18 The filter block 60 shown is therefore supplied with the digital signal D(n) in addition to the DAC 44. If the sound received by the patient microphone 2 includes the voice v2 (the voice of the operator 81 output from the speaker 5) and also includes other sounds v4 (e.g., the voice of the patient 80, the operating noise of mechanical equipment, and / or the voice of the operator in the scanning room R1), the filter block 60 performs a process of removing the sound v4 from the sound (v2 + v4) received by the patient microphone 2. This process will be described in detail below.

[0187] like Figure 18 As shown, the patient microphone 2 receives the operator 81's voice v2, as well as other sounds v4 (e.g., including the patient 80's voice, the operating noise of mechanical equipment, and / or the operator's voice in the scanning room R1) output from the speaker 5. The sound v4 will be referred to as noise hereinafter. After receiving the sound including the operator 81's voice v2 and the noise v4, the patient microphone 2 outputs an analog signal m1(t) representing the received sound.

[0188] The analog signal m1(t) is input to the power amplifier board 3. The power amplifier board 3 processes the analog signal m1(t) and outputs an analog signal m2(t). The buffer amplifier 46 processes the analog signal m2(t) and outputs an analog signal m3(t). The analog signal m3(t) can be expressed by the following equation:

[0189] m3(t)=d3(t)+e(t),...(1)

[0190] Here, the signal component d3(t) is a signal component corresponding to the voice v2 of the operator 81 output from the speaker 5, and the signal component e(t) is a signal component corresponding to the noise v4.

[0191] The analog signal m3(t) is converted into a digital signal M(n) by ADC 47. The digital signal M(n) is a signal containing sound data representing the sound received by the patient microphone 2 (including the sound of the voice v2 and the noise v4). The digital signal M(n) can be expressed by the following equation:

[0192] M(n)=D3(n)+E(n),...(2)

[0193] Where D3(n) and E(n) correspond to the signal components d3(t) and e(t), respectively, of the analog signal m3(t) input to the ADC 47 (see the right side of equation (1)). Therefore, the signal component D3(n) of the digital signal M(n) represents the signal component corresponding to the voice v2 of the operator 81 output from the speaker 5, and the signal component E(n) of the digital signal M(n) represents the signal component E(n) corresponding to the noise v4.

[0194] Comparing signal component D3(n) with the aforementioned digital signal D(n), signal component D3(n) represents speech v2 received by patient microphone 2 in scanning room R1, while digital signal D(n) represents speech v1 received by operator microphone 41 in operating room R2. Since speech v2 can be considered substantially identical to speech v1, signal component D3(n) can be considered substantially identical to digital signal D(n). Therefore, representing D3(n) = D(n), equation (2) can be expressed as follows:

[0195] M(n)=D3(n)+E(n)

[0196] =D(n)+E(n). ...(3)

[0197] Therefore, in this embodiment, the digital signal M(n) is represented by the sum of two signal components D(n) and E(n), as shown in equation (3).

[0198] This digital signal M(n) is supplied to the subtracting portion 62 .

[0199] Furthermore, as previously described, the filter block 60 includes an adaptive filter 61 . The adaptive filter 61 receives the digital signal D(n) and outputs a digital signal D′(n). The digital signal D′(n) is output to the subtraction section 62 .

[0200] The subtraction section 62 subtracts the digital signal D'(n) output by the adaptive filter 61 from the digital signal M(n) output by the ADC 47, and outputs the digital signal M'(n). The digital signal M'(n) can be expressed by the following equation:

[0201] M'(n)=M(n)-D'(n). ...(4)

[0202] Substituting M(n) expressed in equation (3) into equation (4), we obtain the following equation:

[0203] M'(n)=M(n)-D'(n)

[0204] =D(n)+E(n)-D'(n). ...(5)

[0205] As described above, the adaptive filter 61 receives the digital signal M'(n) from the subtraction section 62 via the input section 61c. The adaptive filter 61 adjusts its coefficients based on the digital signal M'(n) received from the subtraction section 62 so that the difference between the digital signal D(n) received at the input section 61a and the digital signal D'(n) output from the output section 61b is as close to zero as possible. This allows us to consider D'(n) as D'(n)≈D(n). Therefore, equation (5) can be expressed as follows:

[0206] M'(n)=D(n)+E(n)-D'(n)

[0207] ≈E(n). ...(6)

[0208] As previously described, E(n) represents the signal component corresponding to noise v4. Therefore, by subtracting the digital signal D'(n) output by the adaptive filter 61 from the digital signal M(n) output by the ADC 47 through the subtraction section 62, a digital signal M'(n) representing the signal component corresponding to noise v4 is generated from the digital signal M(n).

[0209] The filter block 60 also has another subtraction section 63. The subtraction section 63 subtracts the digital signal M'(n) from the digital signal M(n) output from the ADC 47 and outputs a digital signal P(n). The digital signal P(n) is expressed by the following equation:

[0210] P(n)=M(n)-M'(n),...(7)

[0211] Where M(n) is expressed by equation (3), and M'(n) is expressed by equation (6); therefore, equation (7) can be changed to the following equation:

[0212] P(n)=M(n)-M'(n)

[0213] ≈D(n)+E(n)-E(n)

[0214] ≈D(n). ...(8)

[0215] As shown in equation (6), digital signal M'(n) represents a signal component E(n) that substantially corresponds to noise v4. Therefore, by subtracting the subtracted portion 63 of digital signal M'(n) from digital signal M(n), a digital signal P(n)≈D(n) containing sound data representing the operator's voice v2 can be generated.

[0216] In this way, the filtering block 60 can remove the signal component substantially corresponding to the noise v4 from the digital signal M(n) containing the operator's voice v2 and the noise v4 to extract the digital signal P(n)≈D(n) corresponding to the operator's voice v2.

[0217] The digital signal P(n)≈D(n) output from the filter block 60 is input to the GT control section 21 .

[0218] The GT control unit 21 performs processing to convert the digital signal P(n)≈D(n) into a digital signal Q(n) compatible with CAN (Controller Area Network) communication. The GT control unit 21 includes a storage unit and a processor. The storage unit stores a program for performing the processing to convert the digital signal P(n) into a digital signal Q(n) compatible with CAN communication. The processor is configured to load the program stored in the storage unit and perform the above-mentioned conversion processing. The storage unit in the GT control unit 21 may be a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having one or more processor-executable instructions stored therein. When executed by the processor, the one or more instructions cause the processor to perform the operation of converting the digital signal P(n) into the digital signal Q(n).

[0219] The GT control section 21 outputs the digital signal Q(n) to the light emission control section 32 .

[0220] The light control section 32 performs processing to control the light-emitting section 31 based on the digital signal Q(n). The light control section 3 includes a storage section and a processor. The storage section stores a program for controlling the light-emitting section 31 based on the digital signal Q(n). The processor loads the program stored in the storage section and performs the aforementioned control processing. The storage section in the light control section 32 may be a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having one or more processor-executable instructions stored therein. When executed by the processor, these one or more instructions cause the processor to perform operations to control the light-emitting section 31 based on the digital signal Q(n).

[0221] As reference Figures 11 to 16 As described above, the light emitting portion 31 changes the number of energized light emitting elements according to the loudness of the operator's 81 voice.

[0222] As described above, when the noise v4 occurs in the first communication mode, the patient microphone 2 receives the patient 80's voice v2 in addition to the noise v4. However, because the noise v4 is removed from the sound (v2 + v4) received by the patient microphone 2 by operating the filter block 60, the digital signal P(n) containing substantially only the operator 81's voice is provided to the GT control section 21. Therefore, even when the noise v4 occurs in the first communication mode, the light emitting section 31 can be energized in response to the loudness of the operator 81's voice.

[0223] Figure 18 The main operations of the adaptive filter 61 and the subtracting portions 62 and 63 in the illustrated first communication mode are as follows.

[0224] (a1) The input section 61a of the adaptive filter 61 receives a digital signal D(n) containing voice data representing the voice that the operator microphone 41 has received.

[0225] (a2) The subtracting section 62 receives the digital signal M(n) containing sound data representing the sound that the patient microphone 2 has received.

[0226] (a3) The subtracting section 62 generates a digital signal M'(n) representing a signal component corresponding to the noise v4 from the digital signal M(n).

[0227] (a4) Adaptive filter 61 generates digital signal D'(n) based on digital signal D(n) and digital signal M'(n). Adaptive filter 61 also adjusts its coefficients based on digital signal M'(n) so that the difference between digital signal D(n) and digital signal D'(n) is as close to zero as possible.

[0228] (a5) The subtracting section 63 subtracts the digital signal M′(n) from the digital signal M(n), thereby generating a digital signal P(n) containing sound data representing the voice of the operator 81 .

[0229] Furthermore, the internal communication module 4 has a storage section 53 in which a program for executing the above-mentioned reference Figure 18 The filtering block 60 is configured as a processor for loading the program stored in the storage portion 53 and executing the aforementioned processing. The storage portion 53 may be a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having one or more processor-executable instructions stored therein. When executed by the processor, the one or more instructions cause the processor to perform operations including the following processing (b1) to (b5):

[0230] (b1) receiving a digital signal D(n) including voice data representing the voice received by the operator microphone 41;

[0231] (b2) receiving a digital signal M(n) containing sound data, the sound data representing the sound received by the patient microphone 2;

[0232] (b3) generating a digital signal M'(n) representing a signal component corresponding to noise from the digital signal M(n);

[0233] (b4) generating a digital signal D'(n) based on the digital signal D(n) and the digital signal M'(n); and

[0234] (b5) The digital signal M′(n) is subtracted from the digital signal D(n) to generate a digital signal P(n) including audio data representing the voice of the operator 81 .

[0235] In the present embodiment, a program for executing the operations including the above-described processes (b1) to (b5) is stored in the storage section 53 of the internal communication module 4. However, the program may be stored in a storage section different from the storage section 53, or only a part of the program may be stored in a storage section different from the storage section 53.

[0236] exist Figure 18 In the embodiment, the operation of the CT device 1 in the first communication mode is described. Next, the operation of the CT device 1 in the second communication mode will be described below.

[0237] (In the second communication mode)

[0238] Figure 19 Schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the internal communication module 4 in the second communication mode.

[0239] When the operator 81 is not pressing the microphone switch 51, the switch element 52b is in the "on" state, and the switch element 52a is in the "off" state, as shown in FIG. Figure 19 Therefore, in the second communication mode, the operator microphone 41 is electrically disconnected from the speaker 5 , while the patient microphone 2 is electrically connected to the speaker 50 .

[0240] When the patient 80 utters a voice v3, the patient microphone 2 receives the voice v3 of the patient 80. After receiving the voice v3, the patient microphone 2 outputs an analog signal m1(t) representing the received voice v3.

[0241] The power amplifier board 3 receives the analog signal m1(t) output from the patient microphone 2, amplifies the received analog signal m1(t), and outputs an analog signal m2(t). The buffer amplifier 46 processes the analog signal m2(t) received from the power amplifier board 3 and outputs an analog signal m3(t).

[0242] The ADC 47 converts the analog signal m3 ( t ) output from the buffer amplifier 46 into a digital signal M(n).

[0243] This digital signal M(n) is supplied to the subtracting portion 62 .

[0244] The subtraction section 62 subtracts the digital signal D'(n) output by the adaptive filter 61 from the digital signal M(n) output by the ADC 47 and outputs the digital signal M'(n). The digital signal M'(n) can be expressed by the following equation:

[0245] M'(n)=M(n)-D'(n). ...(9)

[0246] In the second communication mode, the switch element 52a is "off", and this allows us to regard the digital signal D'(n) as D'(n)≈0. Therefore, equation (9) can be expressed as follows:

[0247] M'(n)=M(n)-D'(n)

[0248] ≈M(n). ...(10)

[0249] Since the digital signal M(n) represents the voice v3 of the patient 80 , it can be seen that the digital signal M′(n) output by the subtraction section 62 substantially represents the voice v3 of the patient 80 .

[0250] The digital signal M'(n) is input to the DAC 48. The DAC 48 converts the digital signal M'(n) into an analog signal f1(t). The power amplifier 49 receives the analog signal f1(t) from the DAC 48, amplifies the received analog signal f1(t), and outputs an analog signal f2(t). The analog signal f2(t) is supplied to the speaker 50. Thus, the circuit section composed of the DAC 48 and the power amplifier 49 functions as a circuit section that generates the analog signal f2(t) to be supplied to the speaker 50 based on the digital signal M'(n).

[0251] The speaker 50 receives the analog signal f2 ( t ) from the power amplifier 49 and outputs a sound corresponding to the received analog signal f2 ( t ).

[0252] Therefore, when the patient 80 utters the voice v3 , the operator 81 can hear the voice v3 of the patient 80 through the speaker 50 .

[0253] The digital signal M'(n) is also supplied to the subtraction section 63. The subtraction section 63 subtracts the digital signal M'(n) from the digital signal M(n) output from the ADC 47 and outputs a digital signal P(n). The digital signal P(n) is expressed by the following equation:

[0254] P(n)=M(n)-M'(n). ...(11)

[0255] Since M'(n)≈M(n) (see equation (10)), equation (11) can be changed to the following equation:

[0256] P(n)=M(n)-M'(n)

[0257] ≈0.

[0258] Therefore, in the second communication mode, the digital signal P(n) is P(n)≈0. Thus, the light emission control section 32 determines that the operator 81 does not utter a speech substantially, and therefore prevents the light emission section 31 from emitting light when the patient 80 utters a speech v3.

[0259] As described above, in the first communication mode (see Figure 18 ), when noise v4 is generated, the noise can be removed from the sound received by the patient microphone 2. Therefore, the operator 81 can see the light-emitting portion 31 while speaking, and can visually confirm the change in the number of energized light-emitting elements in real time according to the loudness of the operator's 81 voice. Therefore, the patient 80 can intuitively recognize the loudness of the operator's 81 voice heard by the operator 81.

[0260] In the second communication mode (see Figure 19 ), when the patient 80 utters the voice v3, the operator 81 can hear the voice of the patient 80. In addition, the light emitting portion 31 does not emit light when the patient 80 utters the voice v3. Therefore, if the voice of the operator 81 is not output from the speaker 5, the light emitting portion 31 can be avoided from emitting light.

[0261] In the present embodiment, the GT control section 21 and the light emission control section 32 are used to generate the control signal L(n) to control the light emission section 31 by the digital signal P(n). However, the GT control section 21 and the light emission control section 32 may be configured as a single control section that can be used to generate the control signal L(n) to control the light emission section 31 by the digital signal P(n).

[0262] This embodiment describes a case where the operator 81 is notified that his voice is being output from the speaker 5 through the light emitting portion 31. The method of notifying the operator 81 that his voice is being output from the speaker 5 is not limited to the above case, and the operator 81 may be notified by a different method. As another method, a method using the display portion 33 on the gantry 100 (see FIG. 10 ) will be described below. Figure 1 ) situation.

[0263] Figure 20 A schematic diagram for explaining a situation in which the operator 81 is notified that his voice is being output from the speaker 5 via the display portion 33 on the gantry 100.

[0264] The GT control section 21 receives the digital signal P(n) and generates a control signal T(n) for controlling the display section 33 based on the digital signal. The display section 33 notifies the operator 81 that his voice is being output from the speaker 5 based on the control signal T(n) (see FIG. Figure 21 ).

[0265] Figure 21 It is an enlarged view of the display portion 33 on the door frame 100.

[0266] The sound level meter 34 is displayed on the display portion 33. The sound level meter 34 is divided into a plurality of areas. For ease of explanation, the sound level meter 34 is Figure 21 The figure shows that the sound level meter 34 is divided into five areas, but the sound level meter 34 can be divided into more or less than five areas. Each area corresponds to a corresponding light emitting element in the light emitting portion 31 (see Figure 10 ). The sound level meter 34 indicates the loudness of the operator's 81 voice in five levels, including level 1 to level 5. Figure 21 , the case where the loudness of the voice of the operator 81 is level 4 is shown.

[0267] The display section 33 changes the sound level indicated by the sound level meter 34 in response to the control signal T(n) so that the sound level corresponds to the loudness of the voice of the operator 81. Therefore, the operator 81 can confirm whether his voice is being output from the speaker 5 by visually confirming the display section 33.

[0268] exist Figure 20 (and Figure 21 ), the control signal T(n) is transmitted to the display portion 33 on the gantry 100 to display the sound level meter 34 on the display portion 33. However, the control signal T(n) may be transmitted to the display device 302 on the operator console 300 to display the sound level meter on the display device 302, as shown in FIG. Figure 22 shown.

[0269] Furthermore, at least two or more of the light emitting portion 31, the display portion 33 on the mast 100, and the display device 302 on the operator console may be used to inform the operator 81 that his voice is being output from the speaker 5. Furthermore, the intercom module 4 may be provided with a display portion to display information for notifying the operator 81 whether his voice is being output from the speaker 5 on the display portion of the intercom module 4.

[0270] Although the present embodiment describes a case where the light emitting portion 31 used as a sound level meter can be used to notify the operator 81 that his voice is being output from the speaker, a method other than a sound level meter may be used as long as it can notify the operator 81 that his voice is being output from the speaker.

[0271] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the number of energized light-emitting elements among the light-emitting elements e1 to e5 in the light-emitting portion 31 is changed based on the loudness of the voice of the operator 81. However, the light-emitting portion 31 may be composed of only one light-emitting element that is energized when the operator 81 utters a voice and is not energized when the operator 81 does not utter a voice.

[0272] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operator 81 and the patient 80 communicate with each other using the internal communication module 4, and the internal communication module can be switched between the first communication mode and the second communication mode using the microphone switch 51. However, the present invention is not limited to the case of using the above-mentioned internal communication module 4, and can be applied to the case of using a communication system capable of performing communication from the operator 81 to the patient 80 and from the patient 80 to the operator 81.

[0273] In the present embodiment, the filter block 60 is constructed by the adaptive filter 61 and the subtraction section 62 and the subtraction section 63. However, the filter block 60 is not limited to this configuration, and may have a configuration different from the adaptive filter 61, the subtraction section 62, and the subtraction section 63 as long as noise can be removed from the sound received by the patient microphone 2. For example, the filter block 60 may be constructed using a calculation section (e.g., an addition section, a multiplication section, or a division section) other than the subtraction section.

[0274] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a DSP is used as the filter block 60. However, in the present invention, the filter block 60 is not limited to the DSP, and may be implemented using a circuit other than the DSP such as, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0275] In addition, in this embodiment, the operator 81 visually confirms the light emitting portion 31 through the window 102 (see Figure 1 However, the operator 81 may confirm the lighting state of the lighting portion 31 using a method different from the method of visually confirming the lighting portion 31 through the window 102. For example, a camera for monitoring the interior of the scanning room R1 may be provided to display a camera image on a display device in the operating room R2, allowing the operator 81 to visually confirm the lighting state of the lighting portion 31.

[0276] Furthermore, in this embodiment, scanning room R1 and operating room R2 are separated by wall 101. However, the present invention is not limited to the case where scanning room R1 and operating room R2 are separated by wall 101. For example, a corridor may be provided between scanning room R1 and operating room R2, allowing an operator to walk through the corridor to move between the two rooms, rather than separating scanning room R1 and operating room R2 by wall 101. In this case, to enable operator 81 to visually confirm the lighting state of light emitting section 31, windows allowing operator 81 to visually confirm the lighting state of light emitting section 31 may be provided in both scanning room R1 and operating room R2. Alternatively, a camera for monitoring the interior of scanning room R1 may be provided to display a captured image on a display device in operating room R2, allowing operator 81 to visually confirm the lighting state of light emitting section 31.

[0277] In addition, in this embodiment, the gantry 100 is provided with a light emitting portion 31 for visually notifying the operator that their voice is being output from the speaker. However, if the operator can confirm that their voice is being output from the speaker, the operator does not necessarily need to be notified visually, and the operator may be notified in another manner (e.g., auditorily).

[0278] Furthermore, this embodiment describes the case of the CT apparatus 1. However, the present invention is applicable to any medical apparatus other than the CT apparatus 1 that requires communication between an operator and a patient, such as an MRI apparatus or a SPECT apparatus.

Claims

1. A medical device comprising: a first microphone installed in the first room for receiving the operator's voice; a second microphone installed in the second room for receiving the patient's speech; a first speaker installed in the first room and configured to output the patient's voice received by the second microphone; a second speaker installed in the second room and configured to output the operator's voice received by the first microphone; and means for notifying the operator that the operator's voice is output from the second speaker when the second microphone has received the operator's voice output from the second speaker.

2. The medical device according to claim 1, wherein: The means for notifying the operator visually notifies the operator that the voice is output from the second speaker.

3. The medical device of claim 2, wherein: The means for notifying the operator notifies the operator of volume information indicating loudness of the operator's voice in a case where the second microphone has received the operator's voice output from the second speaker. 4 . The medical apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a control section for controlling the means for notifying the operator.

5. The medical device according to claim 4, comprising: A filter block comprising: means for receiving a first digital signal, the first digital signal comprising sound data representing sound received by the first microphone; means for receiving a second digital signal, the second digital signal comprising sound data representing sound received by the second microphone; means for generating a third digital signal from the second digital signal, the third digital signal representing a signal component corresponding to noise; and means for generating a fourth digital signal by subtracting the third digital signal from the second digital signal, the fourth digital signal comprising sound data representing the operator's voice, wherein The control portion controls the means for notifying the operator based on the fourth digital signal.

6. The medical device of claim 4, wherein: The door frame installed in the second room includes a light emitting portion as the means for notifying the operator.

7. The medical device of claim 6, wherein: The light emitting portion has a plurality of light emitting elements, and The control section controls the plurality of light emitting elements to change the number of light emitting elements that emit light and the number of light emitting elements that do not emit light among the plurality of light emitting elements according to the loudness of the operator's voice.

8. The medical device of claim 7, wherein: When the loudness of the operator's voice is less than a threshold, the plurality of light emitting elements do not emit light.

9. The medical device of claim 4, wherein: a door frame installed in the second room having a display portion as the means for notifying the operator, and The control section controls the display section to display volume information indicating the loudness of the operator's voice.

10. The medical device of claim 4, wherein: The means for notifying the operator is a display device installed in the first room, and The control section controls the display device to display volume information indicating the loudness of the operator's voice.

11. The medical device according to any one of claims 6 to 10, comprising: A filter block comprising: means for receiving a first digital signal, the first digital signal comprising sound data representing sound received by the first microphone; means for receiving a second digital signal, the second digital signal comprising sound data representing sound received by the second microphone; means for generating a third digital signal from the second digital signal, the third digital signal representing a signal component corresponding to noise; and means for generating a fourth digital signal by subtracting the third digital signal from the second digital signal, the fourth digital signal comprising sound data representing the operator's voice, wherein The control portion controls the means for notifying the operator based on the fourth digital signal.

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