Method for coordinating multiple remote control units, coordination system, and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps. The method comprises a method step of receiving a first provisional order of a plurality of work steps. At least one remote control unit is assigned to at least one work step, the remote control unit being configured to perform the work step. The method comprises a method step of receiving information about the status of at least the assigned remote control unit. The method comprises a method step of prioritizing a plurality of work steps. The method further comprises a method step of determining a priority order of the plurality of work steps based on the prioritization. The method further comprises a method step of providing the priority order of the plurality of work steps. The method comprises: providing a start signal to the assigned remote control unit to perform at least one of the plurality of work steps. Here, the start signal is configured to initiate the execution of the work step by the assigned remote control unit.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a coordination system, a computer program product, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Typically, when performing an interventional medical procedure, a clinician or a surgeon or a physician is located at the treatment subject on which the interventional medical procedure is to be performed. In other words, the clinician stands at the treatment table where the treatment subject is positioned. In other words, the clinician and the treatment subject are located together in a treatment room. The treatment subject can be, for example, a human or a patient, an animal or an object. The interventional medical procedure herein includes a plurality of work steps to be performed in sequence. It is known that the clinician is supported by at least one other clinician, at least one medical assistant, and / or at least one imaging system. The imaging system can, for example, include an X-ray system, in particular an C-arm X-ray system or a flat-panel X-ray system. Alternatively or additionally, the imaging system can, for example, include an ultrasound system. Alternatively or additionally, the imaging system can be a magnetic resonance tomography system and / or a computed tomography system and / or a positron emission tomography system and / or a single photon emission computed tomography system, etc.

[0003] In recent years, some interventional medical procedures have been performed completely or partially by remote control or remotely. Herein, the clinician can control a robotic system at a remote control unit, and perform the interventional medical procedure on the treatment subject by means of the robotic system. Typically, the remote control unit is located near the treatment subject. In recent years, the interest in remote control over a large distance has increased. The remote control unit can, in particular, be in another room or another building. In particular, the remote control unit can be spatially remote from the treatment subject. In particular, the remote control unit can be located in a different city, country or continent from the treatment subject.

[0004] However, currently remote control over a large distance is not yet common practice because some problems occur in remote control over a large distance in practice. If the clinician is not present at the treatment subject on site, he does not, for example, know the overall situation in the treatment room. In particular, he cannot directly see, for example, whether there is a medical assistant available, whether there is treatment material available, whether the X-ray system is ready, etc. Thus, it is often impossible for the clinician to determine an optimized or prioritized work step sequence for the overall situation, or to adapt the work step sequence to the current situation. In other words, the clinician usually cannot create a prioritized work step sequence adapted to the overall situation.

[0005] Particularly advantageously, a remotely controlled interventional procedure can be carried out jointly by a plurality of clinicians. Here, the clinicians can perform defined tasks and / or act as alternative backups in the event of failure of one clinician. In particular, a plurality of clinicians can operate more than one remote control unit. In other words, the clinicians can be separated from each other at different locations or in space. In other words, clinicians separated in space operate different remote control units. Communication between clinicians acting separately from each other in space can often only be achieved with difficulty and / or delay. In particular, if one clinician has to replace another clinician, that clinician needs to be informed quickly so that a timely response can be made. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method which enables the prioritization of the order of work steps and the coordination between a plurality of remote control units or a plurality of clinicians.

[0007] This object is achieved by a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps, a coordination system for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps, a computer program product, and a computer-readable storage medium according to embodiments. Advantageous refinements are detailed in the following description.

[0008] The solution according to the invention for the object is described below with respect to the claimed device and the claimed method. The features, advantages or alternative embodiments mentioned here can equally be transferred to other claimed subject matters, and vice versa. In other words, a specific embodiment (which, for example, relates to a device) can also be improved by means of features described or claimed in connection with the method. The corresponding functional features of the method are here formed by the corresponding specific modules.

[0009] The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps. The method includes a method step of receiving a first provisional order of a plurality of work steps via an interface. Here, at least one of the plurality of remote control units is assigned to at least one of the plurality of work steps. Here, the assigned remote control unit is configured to perform the work step. The method further includes a method step of receiving information about the state of at least the assigned remote control unit among the plurality of remote control units via the interface. The method further includes the following method steps: prioritizing the plurality of work steps by means of a computing unit based at least on the first provisional order and the information about the state of the assigned remote control unit. In addition, the method further includes a method step of determining a priority order of the plurality of work steps by means of the computing unit based on the prioritization. The method further includes a method step of providing the priority order of the plurality of work steps via the interface. The method further includes a method step of providing a start signal for the assigned remote control unit to perform at least one of the plurality of work steps, wherein the start signal is configured to initiate the performance of the work step by the assigned remote control unit.

[0010] The work steps among the plurality of work steps can in particular be work steps performed during a preparatory and / or tracking and / or interventional medical procedure. The interventional medical procedure can here be a treatment or examination of a treatment object, which is for example a human or a patient or an animal or an object or a subject. At least one of the plurality of work steps can here be performed by one of the plurality of remote control units. In other words, at least one of the plurality of work steps can be performed by a clinician by means of a remote control unit, and the clinician operates the remote control unit. Here, the terms "clinician performs a work step" and "remote control unit performs a work step" are used synonymously. In particular, one or more work steps can be performed directly on the object to be processed. In particular, a clinician or a medical assistant can perform one or more of the plurality of work steps directly on the treatment object without a remote control unit.

[0011] One of the multiple remote control units is particularly configured to control or remotely control or telecontrol a robotic system and / or an imaging system and / or a contrast agent injection system and / or medical staff. The robotic system can in particular be a system for performing interventional medical procedures. The imaging system can in particular be configured to perform interventional imaging. In other words, with the aid of the imaging system, in particular, medical images or photographs of the treatment subject can be recorded before, after or during an interventional medical procedure. In particular, the imaging system can include an X-ray system. The X-ray system can for example include a C-arm system and / or a flat panel X-ray system. Alternatively or additionally, the imaging system can include a computed tomography device, a magnetic resonance tomography device, an ultrasound device, a positron emission device and / or a single photon emission computed tomography device. The medical staff can for example be surgical staff and / or anesthesiologists. In particular, the medical staff is in the treatment room at the treatment subject. The medical staff can be required in a visual and / or auditory manner by means of the remote control unit to perform specific work steps on the treatment subject and / or the medical device, such as the imaging system. In particular, at least one of the multiple remote control units is configured to perform at least one work step, for example with the aid of the imaging system, with the aid of the robotic system, with the aid of the contrast agent injection system and / or with the aid of the medical staff. In particular, a clinician can implement or perform at least one work step by means of at least one remote control unit. In particular, a clinician can operate at least one remote control unit. In particular, the multiple remote control units can be operated by multiple clinicians. In particular, each two of the multiple remote control units are spatially remote from each other. This in particular means that two remote control units can for example be arranged in different rooms or buildings. In particular, two remote control units can be arranged in different cities, different countries or different continents. Then the clinicians operating the respective remote control units are spatially separated.

[0012] In the method step of receiving a first provisional order of multiple work steps, the first provisional order of the work steps is received via an interface. The first provisional order can in particular include a standard order of multiple work steps. The standard order can for example describe the standardized implementation of an interventional medical procedure. The standard order can for example be stored in a database here. In particular, at least one standard order can be stored separately for multiple interventional medical procedures. In particular, in the method step of receiving the first provisional order, then the standard order for the interventional medical procedure to be implemented is received. The standard order can for example be specified or predetermined by the specification of the interventional medical procedure. In particular, the standard order can be determined or preset by a standard operating procedure (SOP or guideline or guide) and / or by a legal norm.

[0013] At least one of the plurality of remote control units can hereby be assigned to at least one of the plurality of work steps. The remote control unit is hereinafter referred to as the assigned remote control unit among the plurality of remote control units. In particular, more than one of the plurality of remote control units can be assigned to a work step. In an embodiment of the present invention, at least one remote control unit can be assigned to each of the work steps. Alternatively, at least one work step can be performed on-site at the treatment subject. In other words, at least one work step cannot be remotely controlled or performed remotely. In particular, no remote control unit is hereby assigned to the corresponding work step.

[0014] In the method step of receiving information about the status of at least the assigned remote control unit among the plurality of remote control units, the information about the status is received via an interface. Here, the status can indicate whether and / or at which time point the assigned remote control unit is available, or whether the clinician operating the remote control unit is ready to perform the corresponding work step. In particular, the information can be adjusted continuously. In particular, if the clinician is not ready to perform the work step, he can indicate so. In particular, the information can include the downtime or failure time or "outage time" of at least one assigned remote control unit or a connection interruption or connection failure with at least one assigned remote control unit. Alternatively or additionally, the information about the status of the assigned remote control unit can include information about the system or medical staff that can be controlled by the remote control unit. In particular, the information can include the bandwidth for data transmission, information about the material inventory, information about the availability of medical staff, information about other remote control units among the plurality of remote control units, information about the system that can be remotely controlled by the remote control unit, information about the treatment subject, information about faults, information about failures, and / or information about complications in the interventional medical procedure.

[0015] In the method step of prioritizing the plurality of work steps, the plurality of work steps are prioritized by means of a computing unit based on a first provisional order and information about the status of the assigned remote control unit. In other words, the prioritization is carried out according to the first provisional order and information about at least one assigned remote control unit. In particular, all of the plurality of work steps are prioritized. In particular, all of the work steps of the first provisional order are prioritized. Here, different work steps can be prioritized equally. In particular, it can be considered here whether and / or when at least one assigned remote control unit is available. Here, the prioritization can indicate with which priority a single work step is to be performed. In particular, the prioritization can preset the order of the work steps.

[0016] In the method steps for determining the priority order of multiple work steps, the priority order is determined by means of a computing unit based on priority sorting. The priority order indicates the order or sequence of multiple work steps optimized based on a first provisional order and information about the status of at least one assigned remote control unit. In particular, work steps can be executed simultaneously here. In other words, more than one work step can be in the same position in the priority order. In particular, these work steps can be equally prioritized. Hereinafter, the term "execute the priority order" is used analogously to the term "execute multiple prioritized work steps".

[0017] In the method steps for providing the priority order of multiple work steps, the priority order is provided by means of an interface. In particular, the priority order can be provided for at least one of multiple clinicians or another user. In particular, the priority order for coordinating multiple work steps can be provided. In particular, the provision can include displaying on a monitor. Alternatively or additionally, the provision can include storing the priority order on a data carrier. The data carrier can be, for example, a USB flash drive, a hard disk, an SD card, a CD, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc. In particular, the priority order can be stored or saved on a cloud system and / or a server system. Alternatively or additionally, the provision can include forwarding the priority order to another system or unit. In particular, the forwarding can be carried out via the Internet, especially via a LAN and / or a WLAN. Alternatively or additionally, the priority order can be forwarded via mobile radio, especially via LTE and / or 5G.

[0018] In the method steps of providing a start signal, a start signal is provided for at least one assigned remote control unit for performing at least one of a plurality of work steps. In particular, if more than one remote control unit is assigned to a work step, the start signal can be provided to each of the assigned remote control units or to any number of the assigned remote control units or a subset of the assigned remote control units. Here, the start signal is configured to start the execution of the work step by the assigned remote control unit. In particular, when at least one work step is to be performed according to a priority order, the start signal is provided. In particular, for each work step to which at least one remote control unit is assigned, a start signal can be provided for at least one of the assigned remote control units. In particular, the start signals are then provided in sequence according to the priority order. In particular, start signals can be provided simultaneously for work steps to be performed simultaneously or in parallel. In particular, providing the start signal can include displaying on the monitor of the assigned remote control unit. For this purpose, the start signal can be configured as a visual signal, for example as an image and / or text. Alternatively or additionally, the start signal can be configured as an audio signal. In particular, the start signal can be output via a loudspeaker. Alternatively or additionally, the start signal can be a green light or a signal lamp set or switched to green in the room where at least one assigned remote control unit is provided. In particular, the clinician operating at least one of the assigned remote control units can be required by the start signal to perform at least one work step by means of at least one remote control unit. In particular, the clinician can be required to manually perform at least one work step by means of at least one of the assigned remote control units. In particular, at least one of the assigned remote control units can be enabled by the start signal to perform at least one work step. In particular, in an embodiment of the present invention, a start signal can be provided to each of the assigned remote control units.

[0019] The inventors have recognized that, based on information about at least one remote control unit and at least one first temporary order, in particular a standard order, the priority order of a plurality of work steps can be determined. In addition, the inventors have recognized that a plurality of remote control units can be coordinated by providing a start signal. The inventors have recognized that the determination of the priority order can be performed before an interventional medical procedure. In particular, the priority order and the assignment of the remote control units can be adapted to the current situation continuously or after a fixed time interval or by a change trigger. The change can be, for example, a change in the state of the assigned remote control unit.

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, a subset of a plurality of remote control units is assigned to at least one work step. Here, the subset of the plurality of remote control units is set in a priority order.

[0021] A subset of the plurality of remote control units can in particular include one remote control unit. In particular, the remote control unit can be at least one assigned remote control unit. In particular, the subset can include all of the remote control units among the plurality of remote control units. In particular, the subset can include any number of the remote control units among the plurality of remote control units. In particular, a second subset of the plurality of remote control units can be assigned to at least one second working step. In particular, the subsets can be different or the same. In particular, any number of the plurality of working steps can be assigned to the same or different subsets. In particular, each remote control unit of the subset can be configured to perform at least one working step.

[0022] The remote control units of the subset are arranged in a priority order. In particular, all of the remote control units among the plurality of remote control units can be arranged in a priority order. In particular, the priority orders in different subsets can be the same or different. In particular, the priority order can indicate which remote control unit should preferably perform the working step. In addition, the priority order can indicate which remote control unit should be used as the first alternative to the preferred remote control unit. In particular, the priority order can indicate in what order the remote control units should alternatively perform the working step in the event of failure of the preferred remote control unit.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present invention, the start signal can only be output to the remote control unit that is ranked first in the priority order in the assigned subset. Additionally, for example, in the event of failure of the preferred or first remote control unit, the start signal can also be alternatively output to at least one of the other remote control units of the subset.

[0024] The inventors have recognized that it is possible to control, via the priority order, which remote control unit of the subset should preferably perform at least one working step. Additionally, it is possible to control, via the priority order, which remote control unit should preferably perform at least one working step alternatively in the event of failure of the preferred remote control unit. The inventors have recognized that the priority order can be predetermined. In particular, in the event of failure of a remote control unit, there is no need for direct communication between clinicians at different remote control units. In particular, based on the priority order, it is possible to quickly and without delay decide which remote control unit should perform at least one working step alternatively.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present invention, the method further includes a method step of detecting the failure of a remote control unit in a subset of the plurality of remote control units. Additionally, the method includes a method step of providing a start signal to the remote control unit that follows the failed remote control unit according to the priority order.

[0026] In the method steps for detecting the failure of a remote control unit, the detection shall be of the failure of a remote control unit that shall perform at least one work step. In particular, the remote control unit shall preferably perform at least one work step according to a priority order. In particular, the subset of remote control units assigned to the work steps thus includes the remote control unit. In particular, a start signal shall be provided to the remote control unit. In other words, a start signal shall be provided to the highest-priority or first remote control unit of the subset. In particular, the failure can be identified or detected by the input of a clinician or by a connection fault or connection failure with the remote control unit. Alternatively or additionally, the failure can be identified by exceeding a predetermined time interval in time. In particular, the time interval between the start signal and the execution of the work step can be determined. In particular, it can be identified when the time interval is too long or exceeds a maximum duration. This can in particular be identified as a failure of the remote control unit.

[0027] In the method step of providing a start signal to the remote control unit that follows the failed remote control unit according to the priority order, after detecting the failure of the remote control unit, a start signal shall be provided to the next remote control unit in the priority order. In other words, when the preferred remote control unit fails, a start signal shall be provided to the alternative remote control unit. The alternative remote control unit is determined based on the priority order. By providing a start signal to the alternative remote control unit, the execution of the work step is started by the alternative remote control unit.

[0028] The inventors have recognized that it is possible to quickly react to the failure of a remote control unit according to the priority order and to require an alternative remote control unit to perform the work step by means of a start signal. In particular, it is possible to preset by means of the priority order which remote control unit should preferably perform the work step instead.

[0029] According to another aspect of the invention, the method further includes a method step of receiving a user input. Here, the user input is configured to adjust the precedence and / or the priority order.

[0030] The user input can here be made by a clinician or by one of a plurality of clinicians. Alternatively, the user input can be made by another user, such as a medical assistant. In particular, the user input can be made via a keyboard or a touchpad or a touchscreen or a computer mouse. Alternatively or additionally, the user input can be made by means of voice recognition. In other words, the voice of the user or the clinician can be detected by means of voice recognition, and the commands of the user or the clinician can be identified and processed by means of voice recognition.

[0031] A user or clinician can perform verification before and / or during the user input. In particular, in this way it can be ensured that the corresponding user or clinician is authorized to adjust the priorities and / or the order of precedence. The verification can be performed, for example, via automatic user identification. The automatic user identification can be performed, for example, via a chip card of the user or clinician, by means of fingerprint, by means of voice recognition, by means of face recognition and / or by means of a password.

[0032] In particular, the user or clinician can be required to perform a user input according to defined rules. For example, when the user or clinician dials into a specific hospital network and / or when it is available and / or when the user or clinician is an expert in the corresponding field of a remotely controlled interventional procedure, the user or clinician can be required to perform a user input.

[0033] When adjusting the priorities, in particular, the order of a plurality of work steps can be changed or altered. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the plurality of work steps can be removed from the priorities. Alternatively or additionally, a work step can be added to the priorities. The adjustment can in particular be based on a list. In particular, the work steps to be added to the priorities can be selected from the list. In particular, the priorities can be provided to the user or clinician in the form of a list for adjustment. Here, the work steps of the priorities are shown as elements in the list. In particular, the user or clinician can move and / or remove elements from the list.

[0034] When adjusting the order of precedence, in particular, the order of precedence can be changed. Alternatively or additionally, a remote control unit can be removed from a subset of the remote control units. Alternatively or additionally, another remote control unit can be added to the subset.

[0035] The inventors have recognized that the priorities and / or the order of precedence can be adjusted individually by means of a user input. The inventors have recognized that individual aspects can thus be taken into account when creating the priorities and / or the order of precedence. In particular, the individual preferences of the clinician can be taken into account.

[0036] According to another aspect of the invention, the correlation between the individual work steps is taken into account during the prioritization.

[0037] The correlation between two work steps can, for example, indicate that a specific work step should always be performed before, after or simultaneously with another work step. In particular, the correlation can indicate whether the order of a subset of work steps is allowed to be changed. In particular, the correlation can indicate whether at least one other work step can be inserted between two work steps.

[0038] The inventors have recognized that it is necessary to take the correlation into account in order to be able to perform an interventional medical procedure in order of precedence.

[0039] According to another aspect of the present invention, a value characterizing the relevance is assigned to at least a part of the plurality of working steps. Herein, a high relevance is assigned to safety-critical values. Herein, the relevance is taken into account during the prioritization.

[0040] In particular, the relevance can indicate which working step or which working steps should be processed with priority. In other words, the relevance can indicate which working step or which working steps should be as far forward as possible in the priority order. In addition, the start signal can be configured differently according to the relevance. In other words, the safety-critical working steps can be characterized by the start signal itself. In particular, the clinician can be made aware that this concerns safety-critical working steps. Herein, the relevance can be characterized, for example, by a numerical value. For example, a relevance of 3 can be high, while a relevance of 1 is low. Alternatively, the relevance can be characterized, for example, by the terms "high", "medium" and "low". Alternatively, refined terms for the relevance are conceivable.

[0041] The inventors have recognized that the relevance of the working steps should be taken into account during the prioritization in order to be able to perform the interventional medical procedure safely and meaningfully.

[0042] According to another aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises a method step of receiving at least a second provisional order of at least one of the plurality of working steps. Herein, the at least one second provisional order includes a personalized order of a user of at least one remote control unit. Herein, the plurality of working steps are also prioritized based on the at least one second provisional order.

[0043] The plurality of working steps included in the second provisional order can correspond to the plurality of working steps included in the first provisional order. Alternatively, the plurality of working steps included in the second provisional order can be different from the plurality of working steps included in the first provisional order. In particular, the second provisional order can include more or fewer working steps than the first provisional order.

[0044] In particular, the user of the remote control unit can be a clinician. In particular, the clinician or the user can provide a personalized order as the second provisional order. In particular, the second provisional order can be received from each of a plurality of clinicians. In particular, the second provisional orders of different clinicians can be different.

[0045] In particular, individual circumstances can be taken into account in the second provisional order. In particular, this can then be referred to as an individual order. The individual circumstances can be, for example, current information about the procedure, information about the treatment subject, information about one or more clinicians, technical assistants, information about the technical conditions and / or the preferences of the clinician. The technical conditions can be, for example, the stability and / or speed of the data transmission to the remote control unit.

[0046] The second provisional order can be manually created by at least one clinician.

[0047] Alternatively, the second provisional order can be based on a model assumption. The model assumption can model the situation when performing multiple work steps in an individual case. With the aid of the model assumption, the second provisional order can be determined based on the individual case.

[0048] Alternatively, the second provisional order can be determined with the aid of a trained function.

[0049] Generally, the trained function mimics the cognitive functions that connect humans with human thinking. In particular, through training based on training data, the trained function can be adapted to new environments and recognize and extrapolate patterns.

[0050] Generally, the parameters of the trained function can be adjusted by means of training. In particular, supervised training, semi-supervised training, unsupervised training, reinforcement learning, and / or active learning can be used for this purpose. Additionally, representation learning (an alternative term is "feature learning") can also be used. In particular, the parameters of the trained function can be adjusted iteratively through multiple training steps.

[0051] In particular, the trained function can include a neural network, a support vector machine, a random tree or a decision tree, and / or a Bayesian network, and / or the trained function can be based on k-means clustering, Q-learning, a genetic algorithm, and / or association rules. In particular, the trained function can include a combination of multiple uncorrelated decision trees or a random forest of decision trees. In particular, the trained function can be determined by means of XGBoosting (eXtreme Gradient Boosting). In particular, the neural network can be a deep neural network, a convolutional neural network, or a convolutional deep neural network. In addition, the neural network can be an adversarial network, a deep adversarial network, and / or a generative adversarial network. In particular, the neural network can be a recurrent neural network. In particular, the recurrent neural network can be a network with long-short-term-memory (LSTM), especially a gated recurrent unit (GRU). In particular, the trained function can include a combination of the described ways. In particular, the method described herein for the trained function is called the network architecture of the trained function.

[0052] The inventors have recognized that at least one individual case can be taken into account by means of at least one second temporal order. In particular, the individual preferences of one or more clinicians can be taken into account during prioritization by means of the second temporal order. The inventors have recognized that in this way, for prioritization, both the preset standard order for interventional medical treatment and information about at least one assigned remote control unit as well as individual cases are taken into account. The inventors have recognized that the optimal priority order can be determined based on a combination of these three influences. In particular, for example, it can be considered that the data transmission to the clinician is very slow. In particular, other work steps can then be avoided during the waiting time during data transmission. In particular, the interventional medical procedure can be shortened in this way.

[0053] According to another alternative aspect of the invention, the method further includes the method step of receiving confirmation of the priority order.

[0054] In particular, it is possible to confirm the priority order through confirmation before providing the start signal. In particular, when confirming the priority order, it is possible to check whether individual work steps appear twice in the priority order and / or whether individual work steps are mutually exclusive in the priority order. In other words, it is possible to check for contradictions in the priority order during confirmation. In other words, the confirmation indicates that no contradiction has been found. In particular, the confirmation can include a final adjustment of the priority order.

[0055] The confirmation can in particular be provided by the system. The system can be configured to check for contradictions in the priority order and, if necessary, correct them. The system can in particular include a trained function that is configured to identify contradictions in the priority order. Alternatively, the confirmation can be provided by the attending physician. The attending physician is one of a plurality of clinicians. In particular, other clinicians among the plurality of clinicians can have the right to veto the decision of the attending physician. In particular, other clinicians can, if necessary, withdraw the confirmation again and / or adjust the confirmation. Alternatively or additionally, the confirmation can be provided jointly by a plurality of clinicians. In particular, the clinicians among the plurality of clinicians can reach an agreement on this.

[0056] The inventors have recognized that by receiving confirmation, it is possible to prevent the priority order from having contradictions. In particular, it is possible to prevent contradictions from being revealed or recognized during an interventional medical procedure.

[0057] According to another aspect of the invention, the prioritization is based on the weights of a first and at least one second provisional order of a plurality of work steps.

[0058] In particular, the weights can be preset. In particular, the weights indicate how much each provisional order affects the priority order. If one of the provisional orders has a weight of, for example, one hundred percent and the other provisional order has a weight of zero percent, then the priority order corresponds to the provisional order with a weight of one hundred percent. In the case where the value of the weight lies between one hundred percent and zero percent, taking into account the information about at least one assigned remote control unit, a compromise is sought between the first provisional order and the at least one second provisional order based on the weights. Here, the provisional order is considered according to its weight in the priority order. Here, "provisional order" refers to the first provisional order and all second provisional orders.

[0059] The inventors have recognized that the weights of the provisional orders are a simple method for determining the preferred provisional order based on the first provisional order and all second provisional orders taking into account the information about at least one assigned remote control unit.

[0060] According to another aspect of the invention, the prioritization is based on a trained function.

[0061] The trained function can in particular be configured as described above. In particular, the trained function can be trained with training input data and training output data. In particular, the trained function can be trained or adjusted during training such that when the trained function is applied to the training input data, the training output data is generated. The training input data can here be a plurality of first temporary training sequences and associated second temporary training sequences as well as a plurality of training information regarding the assigned remote control units. The training output data can be a plurality of associated priority training sequences. Here, the priority training sequences can be created manually. Alternatively or additionally, the priority training sequences can be derived from observations by a clinician during an interventional medical procedure. In particular, the priority sequence can then be determined or generated by applying the trained function to the first temporary sequence and at least one second temporary sequence and information regarding at least one assigned remote control unit.

[0062] The trained function can in particular be further trained by a user input.

[0063] The inventors have recognized that a continuously trainable method for determining a priority sequence can be provided by means of the trained function. In other words, the determination of the priority sequence can be continuously improved. In particular, the priority sequence can be determined by means of the trained function without user input or interaction with one or more clinicians.

[0064] According to a further optional aspect of the invention, the method further comprises the method step of receiving a reception confirmation. Here, by means of the reception confirmation, the reception of the start signal is confirmed by at least one assigned remote control unit.

[0065] In particular, the reception confirmation can be effected by a user input. Alternatively, at least one assigned remote control unit can automatically feed back or confirm the reception of the start signal.

[0066] The inventors have recognized that the reception confirmation provides a possibility to check whether the start signal has actually been provided. In particular, due to the absence of a reception confirmation, a technical fault can be quickly identified and reacted to without large delays. In particular, if the reception confirmation is effected by a user input by a clinician on at least one assigned remote control unit, it can be recognized that the clinician has not perceived the start signal and / or it is not available, etc.

[0067] According to another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises the method step of receiving an execution confirmation for the initiated work step via an interface, wherein the execution confirmation indicates that the initiated work step is completed.

[0068] The work steps to be initiated are the work steps initiated by an initiation signal here. An execution confirmation indication: The initiated work steps have been completed. Based on this information, the next work step according to the priority can be initiated.

[0069] The execution confirmation can in particular be a manual input by the clinician who executes or implements the work step. In other words, the clinician can confirm that the initiated work steps have been completed or ended or executed. In particular, the clinician can input the execution confirmation via a keyboard, a touchpad, a touch-sensitive screen, a computer mouse, etc. In particular, after a fixed time interval or waiting interval after the initiation of the work step, the clinician can be required to input the execution confirmation by the initiation signal. In particular, the duration of the waiting interval can be specific to the work step. In particular, the non-receipt of the execution confirmation within the waiting interval or after the request can be evaluated as a failure of the remote control unit. In particular, then the initiation signal can be provided to the next remote control unit according to the priority order to execute the initiated work step. In particular, the request for inputting the execution confirmation can be deleted by the clinician. In particular, the waiting interval can then start running again. In particular, the execution confirmation can be manually input by a medical assistant or the like.

[0070] Alternatively, the execution confirmation can be automatically provided after a fixed time interval. Here, the time interval can be specific to the initiated work step. When the remote control unit that performs or implements automatically executes the initiated work step, then in particular the execution confirmation can be automatically provided.

[0071] The inventor has recognized that the execution confirmation indication checks whether the initiated work steps have actually been implemented. In particular, the execution of multiple work steps according to the priority can be optimized by means of the execution confirmation. In addition, the failure of the remote control unit can be identified by the non-receipt of the execution confirmation and the corresponding steps can be initiated in order to continue the interventional medical procedure.

[0072] According to another aspect of the present invention, the method further includes a method step of providing a blocking signal for at least one remote control unit among a plurality of remote control units, the at least one remote control unit not executing the initiated work step until the execution confirmation for the initiated work step is received.

[0073] In particular, the remote control unit that executes the initiated work step is the remote control unit provided with the initiation signal.

[0074] The blocking signal can in particular be an output on the monitor. In particular, the blocking signal can require the clinician not to take action on the remote control unit he operates.

[0075] Alternatively or additionally, the blocking signal can be a red light in the room where the corresponding remote control unit is set or a traffic light switched to red.

[0076] Alternatively or additionally, the blocking signal can be configured such that at least one remote control unit that does not execute the initiated work step is blocked for user input or input from a clinician. In particular, the remote control unit can be blocked such that no input is forwarded to the robotic system and / or the imaging system and / or the contrast agent injection system and / or the medical staff. Alternatively, only emergency inputs can be forwarded.

[0077] In particular, the blocking signal can be output at least to the remote control units in a subset assigned to the initiated work step that do not execute the initiated work step. In particular, the blocking signal can be output to all of the remote control units among a plurality of remote control units, except for the remote control unit that provides the initiation signal for executing the initiated work step.

[0078] The inventors have recognized that the blocking signal prevents more than one clinician from wanting to simultaneously execute the initiated work step on more than one remote control unit. In particular, contradictions or ambiguities during the execution of the initiated work step can thus be avoided. In particular, in this way, the execution of the work steps among a plurality of work steps according to priority can be optimized or accelerated. In particular, the implementation of an interventional medical procedure can be accelerated or optimized in this way.

[0079] According to an alternative aspect of the invention, the method further includes providing a readiness signal.

[0080] In particular, a readiness signal or a waiting signal can be provided to at least one remote control unit that should execute the next work step according to priority. In particular, the readiness signal can have been provided before the initiation signal for starting the corresponding work step is provided. In particular, the readiness signal can be provided shortly before the waiting time for the initiated work step expires. In particular, the corresponding clinician can be ready to execute or implement the corresponding work step before the initiation signal is provided.

[0081] Alternatively or additionally, the readiness signal can be provided to the remote control unit that follows the remote control unit executing the initiated work step according to the order of priority. In particular, in this way, the clinician operating the remote control unit can be signaled that he must intervene in the event of failure of the remote control unit that is performing the operation. In particular, the readiness signal can be provided if no execution confirmation is received within the waiting time.

[0082] The readiness signal can in particular be a yellow light in the room where the corresponding remote control unit is located or a traffic light switched to yellow. Alternatively or additionally, the readiness signal can be an output on the monitor of the remote control unit.

[0083] The inventors have recognized that the ready signal can already signal in advance to the clinician that he must subsequently perform a work step with the remote control unit he is operating. In particular, the preparation time of the clinician can be set in such a way that the execution of the precedence order of a plurality of work steps is interrupted or delayed as little as possible by said preparation time.

[0084] According to another aspect of the invention, the start is made to receive an execution confirmation and a start signal is provided for the next work step according to the precedence order until all work steps of the precedence order have been executed.

[0085] In particular, the first work step is started according to the precedence order by means of the start signal. Once the execution confirmation for the first work step has been received, the next or subsequent work step according to the precedence order is started by means of the start signal. This order is always executed until a plurality of work steps have been executed according to the precedence order. If two or more work steps are executed simultaneously according to the precedence order, said work steps are started simultaneously by means of the start signal. Only when the execution confirmation has been received from all simultaneously started work steps is the start signal used to start the next one or more work steps according to the precedence order.

[0086] The inventors have recognized that by providing a start signal based on the execution confirmation of the preceding work step according to the precedence order, a plurality of remote control units can be coordinated during the execution of the precedence order. In particular, the execution of the precedence order can be optimized in terms of time. In other words, unnecessary pauses between the individual work steps can be avoided. In particular, it is not necessary to reach a personal agreement between the clinicians spatially separated at different remote control units.

[0087] According to another aspect of the invention, at least one of the plurality of remote control units is configured to control an imaging system and / or a robotic system and / or medical personnel and / or a contrast agent injection system, etc.

[0088] In particular, the clinician can control an imaging system and / or a robotic system and / or medical personnel and / or a contrast agent injection system by means of the remote control unit. The imaging system and the robotic system can be configured as described above. The medical personnel can be trained as described above for performing work steps on the treatment subject. As described above, the control is carried out here according to the system to be controlled.

[0089] Information about the status of the assigned remote control unit can in particular also include information about the system or the medical staff that can be controlled by means of the remote control unit. In particular, the information can include information about the bandwidth for data transmission, information about the material inventory, information about the availability of the medical staff, information about other remote control units among a plurality of remote control units, information about the systems that can be remotely controlled by means of the remote control unit, information about the treatment subject, information about malfunctions, information about failures and / or information about complications in an interventional medical procedure.

[0090] The inventors have recognized that a plurality of systems or personnel can be controlled by a clinician spatially remote by means of a remote control unit. In particular, in this way it is feasible that experts do not have to travel for an interventional medical procedure. It is thus feasible that they can perform more procedures if the experts do not have to be on site each time. In addition, it is feasible that a plurality of experts work together as clinicians without all experts being on site at the treatment subject. In particular, by remote control it is feasible that the clinician does not have to be directly located at the treatment subject. In particular, in the case of an X-ray monitored interventional medical procedure it can be achieved that the clinician is not directly exposed to X-ray radiation during the entire procedure.

[0091] According to another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises the method step of providing demand information to another unassigned remote control unit, wherein the other unassigned remote control unit is required to execute the priority order.

[0092] In particular, by means of the demand information the user can be informed that none of the remote control units assigned to the work step is configured to execute the work step. In particular, the user can be informed that no remote control unit is assigned to the work step. In particular, a user, for example one of the clinicians, can then assign another remote control unit to the corresponding work step, which other remote control unit is configured to execute the work step.

[0093] The inventors have recognized that by means of the demand information it can be ensured that at least the necessary remote control units are assigned to the work steps. In particular, it can be ensured before executing the work steps of the priority order that all work steps among a plurality of work steps can be executed. In particular, it can be ensured that a remote control unit is assigned to any place where it is needed and that the remote control unit can execute the corresponding work step.

[0094] According to another optional aspect of the invention, the method further comprises the method step of receiving complication information and the method step of interrupting the execution of the priority order. The method further comprises the optional method step of starting at least one emergency work step based on the complication information.

[0095] Complication information can in particular describe complications in an interventional medical procedure. In particular, the complication information can indicate: when a complication occurs. In particular, this can cause the execution of the priority order to be interrupted. The execution of the priority order in particular includes outputting a start signal. The execution of the priority order at least alternately includes providing a start signal and receiving an execution confirmation until all work steps of the priority order have been executed. In particular, the execution can be interrupted until the complication has been eliminated.

[0096] Optionally, at least one emergency work step can be initiated to eliminate the complication. Here, the emergency work step can be inserted into the priority order at the location where the priority order is interrupted. In particular, the emergency work step can be initiated by means of a start signal similar to the other work steps of the priority order. In an embodiment of the invention, the execution confirmation can indicate: when the emergency work step has been completed.

[0097] In particular, after the complication has been eliminated, the execution of the priority order can be continued as described above.

[0098] The inventors have recognized that in this way, complications can be handled or reacted to flexibly. In particular, in this way it is possible to flexibly adapt the priority order to unforeseen situations, such as complications.

[0099] The invention also relates to a coordination system for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when executing a plurality of prioritized work steps. The coordination system includes an interface and a computing unit. Here, the interface is configured to receive a first provisional order of a plurality of work steps. Here, the first provisional order includes a standard order of a plurality of work steps. Here, at least one work step of the plurality of work steps is assigned at least one remote control unit configured to execute the work step. The interface is also configured to receive information about the status of at least the assigned remote control units of the plurality of remote control units. The computing unit is here configured to prioritize the plurality of work steps at least based on the first provisional order and the information about the status of the assigned remote control units. The computing unit is also configured to determine a priority order of the plurality of work steps based on the prioritization. The interface is also configured to provide the priority order of the plurality of work steps. The interface is also configured to provide a start signal for the assigned remote control units to execute at least one work step of the plurality of work steps. Here, the start signal is configured to initiate the execution of the work step by the assigned remote control unit.

[0100] Such a coordination system can in particular be configured to execute the method and its aspects described above for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when executing a plurality of prioritized work steps. The coordination system is configured to execute the method and its aspects in such a way that the interface and the computing unit are configured to execute the corresponding method steps.

[0101] The interface can in particular include one or more interfaces, which can perform different method steps of the method. The computing unit can in particular include one or more computing units, which can perform different method steps of the method.

[0102] The invention also relates to a computer program product having a computer program and a computer-readable medium. The advantage of an implementation mainly in software is that a hitherto used coordination system can be retrofitted in a simple manner by means of a software update so as to operate in the described manner. In addition to the computer program, such a computer program product can optionally include additional components, such as documentation, and / or additional components, as well as hardware components for using the software, such as a hardware key (dongle, etc.).

[0103] In particular, the invention also relates to a computer program product having a computer program which can be directly loaded into the memory of a coordination system and has program segments for performing all steps and aspects of the method described above for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps when the program segments are executed by the coordination system.

[0104] In particular, the invention relates to a computer-readable storage medium on which program segments readable and executable by a coordination system are stored for performing all steps and aspects of the method described above for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps when the program segments are executed by the coordination system. Description of the Drawings

[0105] In conjunction with the drawings and their description, the above-mentioned features, characteristics and advantages of the invention become clearer and easier to understand. Here, the drawings and the description should not limit the invention and its implementation forms in any way. In different drawings, the same components are provided with corresponding reference numerals. The drawings are generally not drawn to scale and are shown as:

[0106] Figure 1 showing a first embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps;

[0107] Figure 2 showing a second embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps;

[0108] Figure 3 showing a third embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps;

[0109] Figure 4 showing a fourth embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps;

[0110] Figure 5 Shows a fifth embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps;

[0111] Figure 6 Shows a sixth embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps;

[0112] Figure 7 Shows a seventh embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps;

[0113] Figure 8 Shows a coordination system for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps. Detailed description

[0114] Figure 1 Shows a first embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps.

[0115] One of the plurality of remote control units is configured to control, for example, an imaging system, a robotic system, a contrast agent injection system, and / or medical personnel. In this case, the control can include electronic control and / or control by means of visual and / or acoustic output. In particular, the remote control unit can perform work steps. To perform a work step, one of the above systems or medical personnel can be controlled. At least two of the plurality of remote control units can be spatially separated from each other or arranged. In other words, the remote control units can be arranged or located in different rooms or different buildings or different cities or different countries or different continents. The remote control units can be operated by clinicians. In particular, the clinicians can thus perform work steps with the aid of the remote control units. In particular, the plurality of remote control units can be operated by a plurality of clinicians.

[0116] A plurality of work steps can be performed by a plurality of remote control units. The plurality of work steps can be, for example, at least a part of an interventional medical procedure. The interventional medical procedure can be performed on a treatment subject, such as a human or patient, an animal or an object. The work steps among the plurality of work steps can be prioritized according to the method. In other words, the work steps can be placed in an (optimized) order or sequence. Thus, the plurality of prioritized work steps are set in a preferred or optimized order.

[0117] In a method step of receiving a first provisional order of a plurality of working steps REC-1, the first provisional order is received via interface SYS.IF. The first provisional order describes the standard order of the plurality of working steps. The standard order can be preset, for example, by a medical guideline (standard operating procedure, SOP) or a legal norm. In particular, the first provisional order can be stored in a database. The first provisional order can be specific to an interventional medical procedure. In particular, different first provisional orders can be stored for different interventional medical procedures.

[0118] Here, at least one remote control unit is assigned to at least one of the plurality of first working steps. In particular, a subset of the plurality of remote control units can be assigned to this working step. The subset can in particular include one or all of the remote control units here. At least one of the assigned remote control units is in particular configured to perform the working step. In other words, the clinician operating at least one of the assigned remote control units is trained to perform the working step. In particular, at least one remote control unit can be assigned to more than one of the plurality of working steps. In particular, one remote control unit can be assigned to each of said working steps. Advantageously, a remote control unit is assigned to each working step that can be performed remotely.

[0119] In particular, the subset of remote control units can be set in a priority order. In particular, all of the plurality of remote control units can be set in a priority order. In particular, the priority order in the subset can then be related to the priority order of all of the remote control units. Alternatively, the priority order for each working step can be different. In particular, when performing the working step assigned to a remote control unit, the priority order can indicate the priority ranking of the remote control units. In other words, the priority order can indicate which remote control unit in the assigned subset of remote control units should ideally perform the corresponding working step. In particular, it can be adjusted by means of the priority order which remote control unit should alternatively take over the execution of the working step. In particular, the remote control units perform the execution of the working step according to the priority order.

[0120] In the method step of receiving REC-2 information about the status of at least one assigned remote control unit among a plurality of remote control units, information about the status of at least one assigned remote control unit is received by means of the interface SYS.IF. The status can in particular be the availability of the assigned remote control unit and / or the failure of the assigned remote control unit. In particular, the information about the status can also include information about the status of the system or medical staff controlled by the assigned remote control unit. For example, the information can be information about the bandwidth for data transmission and / or information about material inventory and / or information about medical staff and / or information about a plurality of (assigned) remote control units and / or information about treatment objects and / or information about faults and / or information about complications, etc. In particular, the information about the status of at least one assigned remote control unit can also include information about whether the clinician operating the remote control unit is ready to perform a work step.

[0121] In the method step of prioritizing a plurality of work steps PRIO, a plurality of work steps are prioritized based on a first temporary order and information about the status of the assigned remote control units by means of a computing unit SYS.CU. In other words, when prioritizing a plurality of work steps PRIO, at least the first temporary order and information about the status of at least one assigned remote control unit are taken into account. If more than one remote control unit is assigned to a plurality of work steps, information about the status of each assigned remote control unit is taken into account. In particular, when prioritizing PRIO, the relevance or importance of the work steps can be taken into account. In particular, safety-critical work steps can be assigned a high relevance. In particular, when prioritizing PRIO, the association between the individual work steps can be taken into account. The association can in particular describe that a work step must be executed before another work step. Alternatively or additionally, the association can indicate whether it is permitted to execute another work step between two work steps. Alternatively or additionally, the association can indicate whether two or more work steps should be executed in parallel. In particular, for this purpose, two or more work steps can be prioritized in the same manner.

[0122] In the method step of prioritizing a plurality of working steps of DET-1, a priority is determined by means of a calculation unit SYS.CU based on a priority ranking PRIO. The priority specifies an order of the plurality of working steps, which order is determined based on the priority ranking PRIO. In particular, the priority thus takes into account at least a first provisional order and information about the state of at least one assigned remote control unit. The priority can also be referred to as prioritized working steps.

[0123] In the method step of providing a priority for multiple working steps of PROV-1, the priority is provided by means of the interface SYS.IF. In particular, the priority can be provided to a user, for example to at least one of a plurality of clinicians. In particular, the priority can be provided on a monitor. In other words, the priority can be displayed. Alternatively or additionally, the priority can be stored on a data carrier. The data carrier can in particular be a USB stick, an SD card, a CD, a CD-ROM, a DVD or a hard disk (for example a hard disk, HD or solid state disk, SSD). Alternatively or additionally, the priority can be provided to a computer system. For example, the priority can be provided to the computer system comprised by an imaging system.

[0124] In the method step of providing a start signal for PROV-2 for executing at least one of multiple working steps, the start signal is provided to the assigned remote control unit. The start signal is configured to start the execution of the working step by the remote control unit. If more than one remote control unit is assigned to the working step, in particular the start signal can be provided to a selected remote control unit from a subset of the remote control units. In particular, the selected remote control unit can be selected according to a priority order. In particular, the start signal can be output to the remote control unit with the highest level in the priority order. Alternatively, the start signal can be provided to each remote control unit from a subset of the remote control units.

[0125] Figure 2 A second embodiment of a method for coordinating multiple remote control units when executing multiple prioritized working steps is shown.

[0126] According to the description regarding Figure 1 the following method steps are formed: receiving REC-1 a first provisional order of multiple working steps; receiving REC-2 information regarding the status of at least the assigned remote control units, prioritizing PRIO the multiple working steps; determining DET-1 the priority order; providing PROV-1 the priority order and providing PROV-2 the start signal.

[0127] In the method step of detecting REC-3 the failure of a remote control unit from a subset of multiple remote control units, it is detected that: the remote control unit assigned to the working step has failed. The subset of multiple remote control units corresponds to the set of remote control units assigned to the working step to be executed. The working step to be executed is the next working step to be executed according to the priority order. The failure can in particular be detected by the absence of the remote control unit or the feedback of the clinician operating the remote control unit and / or by an error message and / or by the input of the clinician etc. In particular, in this method step, the failure of the remote control unit responsible for the working step to be executed according to the priority order is detected. In other words, it is detected that: the remote control unit responsible according to the priority order fails to execute the working step to be executed.

[0128] In the method step of providing a PROV-3 start signal for a remote control unit that follows a failed remote control unit according to the priority order, a start signal is provided for the remote control unit that should alternatively execute the corresponding work step. Providing a PROV-3 start signal for the replacement remote control unit can be carried out analogously to the method step of providing a PROV-2 start signal for the assigned remote control unit.

[0129] In other words, by executing these two method steps, as long as one of the remote control units fails or is unavailable, the remote control units assigned to the work steps can be activated in the priority order.

[0130] Figure 3 Shows a third embodiment of a method for coordinating multiple remote control units when executing multiple prioritized work steps.

[0131] According to the description regarding Figure 1 the following method steps are constituted: receiving REC-1 the first temporary order of multiple work steps; receiving REC-2 status information regarding at least the assigned remote control units, performing priority sorting PRIO on the multiple work steps; determining DET-1 the priority order; providing PROV-1 the priority order and providing a PROV-2 start signal. According to the description regarding Figure 2 the following method steps are constituted: detecting REC-3 the failure of the remote control unit and providing a PROV-3 start signal for the remote control unit that follows the failed remote control unit according to the priority order.

[0132] In the method step of receiving REC-4 a user input, a user input is received, and the user input is configured to adjust the priority order and / or the priority sequence. The user can in particular be one or more clinicians. Alternatively, the user can be a medical assistant or a doctor, etc. In particular, the user can adjust the priority order according to their preferences via the user input. In particular, the user can check whether the priority order complies with legal regulations or guidelines and adjust it if necessary. For example, the priority sequence can be adjusted according to the clinician operating the remote control unit. In particular, in the case of a long-term failure of the remote control unit, the priority sequence can be adjusted.

[0133] The user input can in particular be carried out via input by a keyboard, a touchpad, using a computer mouse or a touch-sensitive screen.

[0134] Figure 4 Shows a fourth embodiment of a method for coordinating multiple remote control units when executing multiple prioritized work steps.

[0135] According to the description regarding Figure 1The description thereof constitutes the following method steps: receiving a first temporary order of a plurality of working steps of REC-1; receiving information REC-2 about the state of at least the assigned remote control unit; prioritizing a plurality of working steps with PRIO; determining DET-1 priority order; providing PROV-1 priority order and providing PROV-2 start signal. According to the description about Figure 2 The description thereof constitutes the following method steps: detecting the failure of the remote control unit of REC-3 and providing a PROV-3 start signal for the remote control unit following the failed remote control unit according to the priority order. According to the description about Figure 3 The description thereof constitutes the method step of receiving REC-4 user input.

[0136] In the method step of receiving at least a second temporary order of a plurality of working steps of REC-5, at least a second temporary order of the working steps is received. The second temporary order is herein the personalized order of the user of the remote control unit. The user can in particular be a clinician. The plurality of working steps included in the second temporary order can be different from the plurality of working steps included in the first temporary order. The second temporary order can in particular correspond to the preferences of the clinician or the user. In particular, when creating the second temporary order, the user can adjust the standard order according to their preferences. In particular, the second temporary order can be received from more than one user or clinician. In particular, the second temporary order can be received from each of a plurality of clinicians. In particular, the second temporary orders of different clinicians are different.

[0137] When prioritizing with PRIO, a plurality of working steps are prioritized based on the first temporary order, the second temporary order, and at least the information about the state of at least one assigned remote control unit. In other words, the first temporary order, the second temporary order, and at least the information about the state of at least one assigned remote control unit are considered. In particular, when prioritizing with PRIO, and thus also when determining the DET-1 priority order, the individual preferences of one or more clinicians are considered.

[0138] The prioritization PRIO can herein be based on the weights of the first temporary order and at least one second temporary order. The influence of the temporary order on the prioritization PRIO can be adjusted via the weights.

[0139] Alternatively or additionally, the prioritization PRIO can be based on a trained function. In particular, the trained function can receive the temporary order and at least the information about the state of at least one assigned remote control unit as input data. In particular, the trained function can prioritize a plurality of working steps with PRIO based on the input data. In an embodiment of the present invention, the trained function can also determine the priority order.

[0140] Figure 5Shows a fifth embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps.

[0141] According to the description regarding Figure 1 the following method steps are constituted: receiving REC-1 a first provisional order of a plurality of work steps; receiving REC-2 status information regarding at least the assigned remote control units, prioritizing PRIO the plurality of work steps; determining DET-1 the order of priority; providing PROV-1 the order of priority and providing PROV-2 a start signal. According to the description regarding Figure 2 the following method steps are constituted: detecting REC-3 the failure of a remote control unit and providing PROV-3 a start signal for the remote control unit that follows the failed remote control unit according to the order of priority. According to the description regarding Figure 3 the following method step of receiving REC-4 user input is constituted. According to the description regarding Figure 4 the following method step of receiving REC-5 at least a second provisional order is constituted.

[0142] In the method step of receiving REC-6 an execution confirmation, an execution confirmation for the work step to be started is received via the interface SYS.INF. Here, the execution confirmation indicates that the started work step is completed. The execution confirmation can in particular be provided manually by the clinician who is to perform the work step with the assigned remote control unit. In particular, after a waiting interval, the clinician can be requested to provide or send or confirm the execution confirmation. For each work step, the waiting interval can include a specific duration. The waiting interval can start running with the provision of the start signal for the work step. The clinician can, if necessary, extend or restart the waiting interval. Alternatively, the execution confirmation can be provided automatically after the waiting interval has expired. However, this only makes sense if the work step is carried out completely automatically. In particular, the failure of the corresponding remote control unit can be detected without an execution confirmation.

[0143] Receiving REC-6 the execution confirmation triggers the provision of PROV-2 a start signal for the next work step according to the order of priority. This is in particular shown in this figure by the arrow between the method steps of receiving REC-6 the execution confirmation and providing PROV-2 the start signal.

[0144] After providing PROV-2 the start signal, it is thus possible to detect the failure of the remote control unit or to wait for receiving REC-6 the execution confirmation. These two loops are executed until all work steps in the order of priority have been carried out.

[0145] Figure 6 Shows a sixth embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps.

[0146] According to the description regardingFigure 1 The description of Figure 1 constitutes the following method steps: receiving REC-1 the first temporary order of a plurality of work steps; receiving REC-2 information about the status of at least the assigned remote control units, prioritizing PRIO the plurality of work steps; determining DET-1 the priority order; providing PROV-1 the priority order and providing PROV-2 a start signal. According to the description of Figure 2 The description of Figure 2 constitutes the following method steps: detecting REC-3 the failure of a remote control unit and providing PROV-3 a start signal for the remote control units that follow the failed remote control unit according to the priority order. According to the description of Figure 3 The description of Figure 3 constitutes the method step of receiving REC-4 a user input. According to the description of Figure 4 The description of Figure 4 constitutes the method step of receiving REC-5 at least a second temporary order. According to the description of Figure 5 The description of Figure 5 constitutes the method step of receiving REC-6 an execution confirmation.

[0147] In the method step of providing PROV-4 a blocking signal, the blocking signal is provided to a plurality of remote control units that do not execute the starting work steps. Here, the blocking signal is provided until an execution confirmation is received. In particular, the blocking signal is provided to the remote control units that are remote control units in a subset of the remote control units that are assigned to the work steps to be executed and have not been provided with a start signal. In particular, the blocking signal can be a visual and / or acoustic signal. In particular, the blocking signal can be output on a screen or monitor. Alternatively or additionally, the blocking signal can include blocking the remote control unit. Alternatively or additionally, the blocking signal can be a red light or a traffic light switched to red. The blocking signal prevents: a plurality of remote control units from executing the same work step simultaneously. If a remote control unit should execute the work step for a failed remote control unit according to the priority order, the blocking signal can be cancelled for this remote control unit before receiving REC-6 the execution confirmation. In particular, providing PROV-3 the start signal can be superimposed with the blocking signal.

[0148] Figure 7 Shows a seventh embodiment of a method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when executing a plurality of prioritized work steps.

[0149] According to the description of Figure 1 The description of Figure 1 constitutes the following method steps: receiving REC-1 the first temporary order of a plurality of work steps; receiving REC-2 information about the status of at least the assigned remote control units, prioritizing PRIO the plurality of work steps; determining DET-1 the priority order; providing PROV-1 the priority order and providing PROV-2 a start signal. According to the description of Figure 2The description thereof constitutes the following method steps: detecting the failure of the REC-3 remote control unit and providing a PROV-3 start signal to the remote control unit following the failed remote control unit according to the priority order. According to the description regarding Figure 3 The description thereof constitutes the method steps of receiving REC-4 user input. According to the description regarding Figure 4 The description thereof constitutes the method steps of receiving at least one second temporary order of REC-5. According to the description regarding Figure 5 The description thereof constitutes the method steps of receiving the execution confirmation of REC-6. According to the description regarding Figure 6 The description thereof constitutes the method steps of providing a PROV-4 blocking signal.

[0150] In the method steps of providing PROV-5 demand information, it can be provided to another unassigned remote control unit according to the demand. Here, additional remote control units are required to execute the priority order. In particular, when determining the DET-1 priority order, if one of the work steps in multiple prioritized work steps cannot be executed, it can be recognized because no remote control unit is assigned, or because the assigned remote control unit is not configured to execute the work step, or because the assigned remote control unit fails. The demand information indicates which work step an appropriate additional remote control unit must be assigned to in order to execute the priority order. The additional remote control unit can be a part of multiple remote control units. Alternatively, the additional remote control unit may still be unknown. In particular, one of the clinicians or a medical assistant can add an additional remote control unit and assign it to the corresponding work step if necessary.

[0151] Figure 8 Shows a coordination system SYS for coordinating multiple remote control units when executing multiple prioritized work steps.

[0152] The system SYS shown for coordinating multiple remote control units when executing multiple prioritized work steps is configured to execute the method for coordinating multiple remote control units according to the present invention when executing multiple prioritized work steps. The system SYS includes an interface SYS.IF, a computing unit SYS.CU, and a storage unit SYS.MU.

[0153] The system SYS can in particular be a computer, a microcontroller or an integrated circuit (IC). Alternatively, the SYS system can be a real or virtual computer network (the technical term for a real computer network is "Cluster", and the technical term for a virtual computer network is "Cloud"). The system SYS can be configured as a virtual system (technical term: "Virtualization") executed on a computer or a real or virtual computer network.

[0154] The interface SYS.IF can be a hardware interface or a software interface (e.g., PCI bus, USB, or Firewire). The computing unit SYS.CU can include hardware and / or software components, such as a microprocessor or a so-called FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The storage unit SYS.MU can be configured as a non-permanent working memory (Random Access Memory, RAM) or a permanent mass storage (hard disk, USB flash drive, SD card, solid state drive (SSD)).

[0155] The interface SYS.IF can in particular include a plurality of sub-interfaces, which perform different method steps of the corresponding method according to the present invention. In other words, the interface SYS.IF can be configured as a plurality of interfaces SYS.IF. The computing unit SYS.CU can in particular include a plurality of sub-computing units, which perform different method steps of the corresponding method according to the present invention. In other words, the computing unit SYS.CU can be configured as a plurality of computing units SYS.CU.

[0156] If not yet explicitly implemented but meaningful and within the meaning of the present invention, the individual embodiments, individual sub-aspects or features can be combined or exchanged with each other without departing from the scope of the present invention. The advantages described for one embodiment of the present invention also apply to other embodiments, where applicable, without being explicitly mentioned.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when performing a plurality of prioritized work steps, the method comprising the following method steps: - Receiving, via an interface, a first provisional order of the plurality of work steps, wherein the first provisional order includes a standard order of the plurality of work steps, wherein at least one of the plurality of remote control units is assigned to at least one of the plurality of work steps, the at least one remote control unit being configured to perform the work step, - Receiving, via the interface, information about the state of at least the assigned remote control unit among the plurality of remote control units, - Prioritizing the plurality of work steps by means of a computing unit based at least on the first provisional order and the information about the state of the assigned remote control unit, - Determining, based on the prioritization, a priority order of the plurality of work steps by means of the computing unit, - Providing, via the interface, the priority order of the plurality of work steps, - Providing a start signal to the assigned remote control unit to perform at least one of the plurality of work steps, wherein the start signal is configured to initiate, by the assigned remote control unit, the performance of the work step, - Receiving, via the interface, an execution confirmation for the initiated work step, wherein the execution confirmation indicates that the initiated work step is completed, - Providing a blocking signal to at least one of the plurality of remote control units that does not perform the initiated work step until an execution confirmation for the initiated work step is received.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a subset of the plurality of remote control units is assigned to at least one work step, wherein the subset of the plurality of remote control units is arranged in a priority order.

3. The method according to claim 2, the method further comprising the following method steps: - Detecting a failure of a remote control unit in the subset of the plurality of remote control units, - Providing the start signal to the remote control unit following the failed remote control unit according to the priority order.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, the method further comprising the following method steps: - Receiving a user input, wherein the user input is configured to adjust the priority order and / or the priority arrangement.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the relevance between the respective work steps in the plurality of work steps is considered during the prioritization.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a value representing relevance is assigned to at least a part of the plurality of work steps, wherein a high relevance is assigned to safety-critical work steps, wherein the relevance of the work steps is considered during the prioritization.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the method further comprising the following method steps: - Receiving at least a second provisional order of the plurality of work steps, wherein the at least one second provisional order includes a personalized order of a user of at least one remote control unit, The plurality of work steps are also prioritized based on the at least one second temporary order.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the prioritization is based on weights of the first temporary order and the at least one second temporary order of the plurality of work steps.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the prioritization is based on a trained function.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein receipt of an execution confirmation is initiated and the start signal is provided for the next work step according to the order of precedence until all work steps of the order of precedence have been executed.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of remote control units is configured to control an imaging system and / or a robotic system and / or medical staff and / or a contrast agent injection system.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the method further comprising the following method steps: - Providing demand information to another unassigned remote control unit, wherein the other remote control unit is required to execute the order of precedence.

13. A coordination system for coordinating a plurality of remote control units when executing a plurality of prioritized work steps, the coordination system comprising an interface and a computing unit: - wherein the interface is configured to receive a first temporary order of the plurality of work steps, wherein the first temporary order includes a standard order of the plurality of work steps, wherein at least one of the plurality of remote control units is assigned to at least one of the plurality of work steps, the at least one remote control unit being configured to execute the work step, - wherein the interface is further configured to receive information about the status of at least the assigned remote control units among the plurality of remote control units, - wherein the computing unit is configured to prioritize the plurality of work steps based at least on the first temporary order and the information about the status of the assigned remote control units, - wherein the computing unit is further configured to determine an order of precedence of the plurality of work steps based on the prioritization, - wherein the interface is further configured to provide the order of precedence of the plurality of work steps, - wherein the interface is further configured to provide a start signal to the assigned remote control unit to execute at least one of the plurality of work steps, wherein the start signal is configured to initiate execution of the work step by the assigned remote control unit, - wherein the interface is configured to receive an execution confirmation for the initiated work step, wherein the execution confirmation indicates that the initiated work step is completed, - wherein the interface is configured to provide a blocking signal for at least one of the plurality of remote control units, the at least one remote control unit not executing the initiated work step until an execution confirmation for the initiated work step is received.

14. A computer program product having a computer program that can be directly loaded into the memory of a coordination system, the computer program having program segments for performing all method steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 when the program segments are executed by the coordination system.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having program segments stored thereon that can be read and executed by a coordination system for performing all method steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 when the program segments are executed by the coordination system.

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