Medical image capturing device and control method for medical image capturing device

Abstract

To provide a medical image capturing device capable of suppressing deterioration in an S / N ratio of a sound signal due to a positional relationship of the head of a subject and a microphone, and to provide a control method for the medical image capturing device.SOLUTION: A medical image capturing device includes: a bed on which a subject is placed; an image capturing device body for imaging the subject; a plurality of microphones for collecting sound; a signal processing device for synthesizing sound signals output from the plurality of microphones; a position detection device for detecting the position of the head of the subject; and a processor for adjusting each gain of the plurality of microphones. The processor performs gain adjusting processing for relatively lowering a gain of the microphone away from the head of the plurality of microphones as compared to a gain of the microphone close to the head on the basis of a relationship between the position of the head detected by the position detection device and the position of each of the plurality of microphones.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a medical imaging apparatus and a method for controlling a medical imaging apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Medical imaging devices, such as CT (Computed Tomography) devices and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) devices, consist of an imaging device main body for imaging the subject and a console for operating the imaging device main body. The imaging device main body and the console are installed separately in an imaging room and an operation room to shield against radiation, magnetism, etc., which can make it difficult for the operator to properly grasp the subject's condition or to directly speak to the subject. To address this issue, a microphone for collecting the subject's voice is installed in the imaging device main body, and a speaker connected to this microphone is installed in the operation room. A microphone for collecting the operator's voice is installed in the console, and a speaker connected to this microphone is installed in the imaging room, enabling communication between the two.

[0003] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned communication system, the microphone in the imaging room in particular picks up not only the subject's voice but also noise generated by the imaging device itself. For this reason, Patent Document 1 proposes a system that determines whether the subject's voice is included in the sounds picked up by the microphone, and if the subject's voice is included, increases the output volume of the speaker, thereby suppressing the noise output from the speaker in the control room when the subject is not speaking and reducing discomfort, and allowing the subject's voice to be heard at an appropriate volume from the speaker in the control room when the subject is speaking. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-068664 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, when a subject is located far from the microphone, the subject's voice that can be picked up by the microphone is low, so depending on the setting of the threshold for detecting the subject's voice, the output volume of the speaker cannot be increased, and the subject's voice may not be heard. Even if the output volume of the speaker can be increased, the subject's voice may not be heard because the noise is louder than the subject's voice. Thus, there is a problem that the subject's voice may be difficult to hear depending on the positional relationship between the subject and the microphone.

[0006] In CT scanners, MRI scanners, and the like, the subject is placed on a bed and moves, and the positional relationship between the subject's head and the microphone changes depending on the orientation of the bed or the subject's movement. Meanwhile, noise generated by devices such as imaging equipment is constantly present in the imaging room, and the microphone constantly picks up a certain amount of noise. Therefore, when the subject's head moves farther from the microphone, the subject's voice picked up by the microphone becomes quieter compared to the noise (i.e., the S / N ratio decreases), making it difficult to hear the subject's voice output from the speaker. Therefore, in order to efficiently collect the subject's voice regardless of the subject's position, it is conceivable to install multiple microphones in the imaging room and combine the audio signals output from the multiple microphones to collect the subject's voice from a wide range.

[0007] However, when multiple microphones are provided in this way, the ratio of the subject's voice and noise picked up by each microphone varies depending on the distance between the subject's head and each microphone, and the ratio of noise increases the farther a microphone is from the subject's head. Therefore, simply combining the audio signals output from multiple microphones cannot sufficiently suppress the decrease in the signal-to-noise (S / N) ratio of the audio signal due to the influence of microphones that are far from the subject.

[0008] Therefore, the technology disclosed herein aims to provide a medical imaging device and a control method for a medical imaging device that can suppress a decrease in the S / N ratio of an audio signal due to the positional relationship between the subject's head and a microphone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A medical imaging device according to the disclosed technology includes a bed on which a subject rests, an imaging device main body for imaging the subject, a plurality of microphones for collecting sound, a signal processing device for synthesizing audio signals output from the plurality of microphones, a position detection device for detecting the position of the subject's head, and a processor for adjusting the gain of each of the plurality of microphones, and the processor performs a gain adjustment process that reduces the gain of a microphone that is farther from the head than the gain of a microphone that is closer to the head, based on the relationship between the position of the head detected by the position detection device and the position of each of the plurality of microphones.

[0010] In the gain adjustment process, the processor preferably reduces the gain of each of the plurality of microphones as the microphone is farther from the head.

[0011] In the gain adjustment process, the processor preferably increases the gain of the microphone closest to the head among the plurality of microphones and decreases the gain of the other microphones according to the distance from the head.

[0012] The position detection device preferably includes a camera that captures an image of an area including the head and outputs the image, and a computing device that detects the position of the head based on the image.

[0013] The imaging device body is preferably a gantry having an opening through which the top plate of the bed is inserted, and at least some of the plurality of microphones are preferably attached to the gantry.

[0014] The plurality of microphones are preferably two microphones, and the two microphones are preferably attached to one surface and the other surface of the gantry in the insertion direction of the tabletop.

[0015] Each of the plurality of microphones is preferably mounted on a gantry or couch.

[0016] The bed is preferably configured to allow the subject to move, and the processor preferably repeatedly executes the gain adjustment process while the subject is moving.

[0017] A control method for a medical imaging device relating to the technology of the present disclosure is a control method for a medical imaging device that includes a bed on which a subject is placed, an imaging device main body for imaging the subject, multiple microphones that collect sound, a signal processing device that synthesizes audio signals output from the multiple microphones, a position detection device that detects the position of the subject's head, and a processor that adjusts the gain of each of the multiple microphones, and includes the processor performing a gain adjustment process that makes the gain of a microphone that is farther from the head than the gain of a microphone that is closer to the head, based on the relationship between the position of the head detected by the position detection device and the position of each of the multiple microphones. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the technology of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a medical imaging device and a control method for a medical imaging device that can suppress a decrease in the S / N ratio of an audio signal due to the positional relationship between the subject's head and a microphone. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a medical imaging apparatus; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the gantry and the bed in the imaging room. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a console. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a processor. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the control flow of the camera and microphone. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing related to audio output. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of the arrangement of a plurality of microphones. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the control flow of the camera and microphone. [Figure 9] 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the S / N ratio reduction coefficient and the number of microphones. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the technique of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where the medical imaging apparatus is a CT apparatus will be described as an example.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a medical imaging device 1. FIG. 2 is a side view of a gantry 2 and a bed 3 in an imaging room 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medical imaging device 1 is composed of a gantry 2, a bed 3, and a console 4. The gantry 2 and the bed 3 are installed in the imaging room 10. The console 4 is installed in an operation room 12 that is separated from the imaging room 10. The gantry 2 is an example of an "imaging device main body" according to the technology of the present disclosure.

[0022] The gantry 2 has an opening 2A in the center through which a part of the bed 3 is inserted. Inside the gantry 2, there are provided an X-ray source 20 that radiates X-rays to the subject 5, and a detector 21 that detects the X-rays that have passed through the subject 5 to generate a radiological image. The X-ray source 20 and the detector 21 are configured to be rotatable along the annular shape of the gantry 2 while maintaining a mutually opposing positional relationship.

[0023] The bed 3 has a top board 3A on which the subject 5 is placed, a base 3B that supports the top board 3A, and a drive unit 3C that moves the top board 3A back and forth in the direction of arrow A, and is configured to be able to move the subject 5. The top board 3A can be slid in the direction of arrow A relative to the base 3B by the drive unit 3C. When imaging the subject 5, the top board 3A slides and is inserted into the opening 2A of the gantry 2. This transports the subject 5 into the opening 2A. The direction of arrow A corresponds to the "insertion direction" according to the technology of the present disclosure.

[0024] The gantry 2 is also provided with two microphones M1 and M2 that collect surrounding sounds. The microphone M1 is attached to one surface 2B of the tabletop 3A in the insertion direction. The microphone M2 is attached to the other surface 2C of the tabletop 3A in the insertion direction. For example, the surfaces 2B and 2C are each inclined surfaces formed on the outer edge of the opening 2A of the gantry 2. The microphones M1 and M2 are each omnidirectional microphones.

[0025] Furthermore, a camera 7 is provided above the bed 3 in the imaging room 10. The camera 7 is, for example, a digital camera including a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type imaging element, and is suspended from the ceiling of the imaging room 10. The camera 7 is positioned so as to be able to capture an image of an area including the head 5A of the subject 5, and generates and outputs a camera image by capturing an image of the area including the head 5A. The camera image is used to detect the position of the head 5A of the subject 5. The camera image is an example of an "image" according to the technology of the present disclosure.

[0026] The driving of the gantry 2, the driving of the bed 3, the collection of the voice of the subject 5 by the microphones M1 and M2, and the imaging of the area including the head 5A by the camera 7 are all performed under the control of the console 4.

[0027] Next, we will explain the configuration of the console 4. Fig. 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the console 4. The console 4 is a computer such as a workstation, a server computer, or a personal computer, and includes a processor 40 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), non-volatile storage 41, and memory 42 as a temporary storage area.

[0028] The console 4 also includes a display 43 such as a liquid crystal display, an input device 44 such as a keyboard or a mouse, an interface 45 such as a peripheral device interface or a network interface, and a speaker 46. The processor 40, the storage 41, the memory 42, and the interface 45 are connected to a bus 47, and the display 43, the input device 44, and the speaker 46 are connected to the bus 47 via the interface 45. Each device in the radiography room 10 is also connected to the bus 47 via the interface 45. The processor 40, the display 43, the input device 44, and the speaker 46 are also shown in FIG.

[0029] The storage 41 is realized by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. A program is stored in the storage 41 as a storage medium. The processor 40 reads the program from the storage 41 into the memory 42 and executes processing based on the read program.

[0030] The processor 40 controls the gantry 2 , the bed 3 and the camera 7 via an interface 45 .

[0031] Fig. 4 shows the functional configuration of processor 40. Fig. 5 shows the control flow of camera 7 and microphones M1 and M2. As shown in Fig. 4, processor 40 executes a program to function as an imaging control unit 401, a camera control unit 402, a position detection unit 403, a distance calculation unit 404, a gain adjustment unit 405, a signal processing unit 406, and a speaker control unit 407.

[0032] The imaging control unit 401 controls the gantry 2 and the bed 3 to perform imaging of the subject 5 based on instructions from the input device 44. Specifically, the imaging control unit 401 controls the emission of X-rays by the X-ray source 20, the detection of X-rays by the detector 21, the rotation of the X-ray source 20 and the detector 21, the movement of the top board 3A of the bed 3, etc. The imaging control unit 401 also performs image processing such as reconstruction processing based on the radiation image generated by the detector 21.

[0033] The camera control unit 402 controls the camera 7 to capture images of the subject 5 on the bed 3. The camera 7 captures images while the gantry 2 and the bed 3 are in operation, but may also capture images from the preparation stage before the operations. The camera images captured by the camera 7 are stored in the memory 42. The camera 7 repeatedly captures images at regular intervals, and the camera images captured by each capture are stored in the memory 42 in sequence.

[0034] The position detection unit 403 detects the position of the head 5A of the subject 5 based on the camera image stored in the memory 42. A known face recognition technique or the like can be used for this detection process of the head 5A. The position of the head 5A is, for example, the position of the head 5A within the imaging area of ​​the camera 7. Every time a camera image is stored in the memory 42, the position detection unit 403 reads the camera image into the memory 42 and detects the position of the head 5A. In this embodiment, the camera 7 and the position detection unit 403 as a computing device constitute a "position detection device" according to the technology of the present disclosure.

[0035] The distance calculation unit 404 calculates the distances from the position of the head 5A to the two microphones M1 and M2 based on the position of the head 5A detected by the position detection unit 403. For example, the memory 42 stores positional relationship data that indicates the positional relationship between the positions of multiple heads 5A and the two microphones M1 and M2. The distance calculation unit 404 calculates distances L1 and L2 shown in FIG. 2 based on the position of the head 5A detected by the position detection unit 403 and the positional relationship data. Distance L1 is the distance from the head 5A to microphone M1. Distance L2 is the distance from the head 5A to microphone M2.

[0036] The purpose of the position detection unit 403 is to obtain position relationship information for calculating the distances between the head 5A and each of the microphones M1 and M2. However, since the positions of the microphones M1 and M2 are fixed and known, there is no need to detect them from the image, and it is possible to store them in advance in the memory 42 or the like. In order to speed up the processing, it is desirable to calculate the distances using the position relationship information stored in advance in the memory 42 or the like.

[0037] Note that by installing the camera 7 so as to be able to photograph the area including the head 5A and the microphones M1 and M2, it is also possible to directly calculate the distances L1 and L2 from the camera image.

[0038] The gain adjustment unit 405 adjusts the gains (i.e., amplification factors) of the two microphones M1 and M2 based on the distances L1 and L2 calculated by the distance calculation unit 404. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the microphones M1 and M2 includes a sound receiving unit 60 that converts sound waves into signals and a variable gain amplifier 61 that amplifies the signals output by the sound receiving unit 60. The gain adjustment unit 405 adjusts the gain G1 of the variable gain amplifier 61 included in the microphone M1 and the gain G2 of the variable gain amplifier 61 included in the microphone M2.

[0039] The gain adjustment unit 405 makes the gain of the microphone farther from the head 5A relatively lower than the gain of the microphone closer to the head 5A among the two microphones M1 and M2. Specifically, when L1 < L2, the gain adjustment unit 405 sets G1 > G2, and when L1 > L2, the gain adjustment unit 405 sets G1 < G2 based on the distances L1 and L2 calculated by the distance calculation unit 404.

[0040] Generally, the sound pressure of sound waves input to a microphone is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the sound source. In this embodiment, the sound pressure of the voice input to each of the microphones M1 and M2 from the head 5A, which is the sound source, is inversely proportional to the square of the distance. Meanwhile, noise is generated from a wide range within the imaging room 10, such as the rotation of the gantry 2 and the rotation of a cooling fan (not shown), and therefore the noise is input at a substantially constant sound pressure regardless of the location of the microphones M1 and M2. For this reason, the audio signals output from each of the microphones M1 and M2 contain more noise components the greater the distance from the head 5A of the subject 5 (i.e., the S / N ratio decreases).

[0041] For this reason, in this embodiment, the gain adjustment unit 405 sets the gains G1 and G2 based on the distances L1 and L2 as shown in the following equations (1) and (2).

[0042]

number

number

[0043] Here, L0 is the reference distance and G0 is the reference gain. The reference distance L0 and the reference gain G0 are constant values. It is also possible to set L0=L1 and G0=G1.

[0044] The microphones M1 and M2 output signals after gain adjustment by a gain adjustment unit 405.

[0045] The signal processing unit 406 synthesizes the audio signals output from the microphones M1 and M2. The signal processing unit 406 constitutes a "signal processing device" according to the technology of the present disclosure. The signal processing unit 406 may be constituted by a processing device separate from the processor 40.

[0046] The speaker control unit 407 performs processing such as volume adjustment and muting on the audio signal synthesized by the signal processing unit 406, and causes the speaker 46 to output the audio.

[0047] Next, a description will be given of the flow of processing executed by the processor 40. Fig. 6 shows the flow of processing related to audio output. The following processing is performed, for example, while imaging of the subject 5, that is, while the tabletop 3A on which the subject 5 of the bed 3 is placed, is moving.

[0048] First, the camera control unit 402 controls the camera 7 to perform an imaging operation to acquire a camera image (step S10). Next, the position detection unit 403 detects the position of the head 5A of the subject 5 based on the camera image (step S11). Next, the distance calculation unit 404 calculates the distances L1 and L2 from the head 5A to the microphones M1 and M2, respectively (step S12).

[0049] Next, the gain adjustment unit 405 adjusts the gains G1 and G2 of the microphones M1 and M2 based on the distances L1 and L2, respectively (step S13). Next, the signal processing unit 406 combines the audio signals output from the microphones M1 and M2 (step S14). Then, the speaker control unit 407 performs processing such as volume adjustment and muting on the audio signals, and causes the speaker 46 to output audio (step S15).

[0050] Thereafter, the processor 40 determines whether or not a termination condition is satisfied (step S16). For example, the termination condition is that the operator has performed a termination operation using the input device 44. If the termination condition is not satisfied (step S16: NO), the processor 40 returns the process to step S10. That is, by repeatedly executing steps S10 to S15, the gains of the microphones M1 and M2 are always adjusted to optimal values ​​according to the position of the subject 5, even if the subject 5 moves. If the termination condition is satisfied (step S16: YES), the processor 40 terminates the process.

[0051] As described above, according to this embodiment, based on the relationship between the position of the subject 5's head 5A and the positions of each of the microphones M1 and M2, the gain of the microphone M1 or M2 that is farther from the head 5A is made relatively lower than the gain of the microphone closer to the head 5A, thereby reducing the influence of the microphone farther from the head 5A (i.e., the influence of an audio signal with a high proportion of noise) and making it possible to prevent the S / N ratio of the audio signal from decreasing depending on the position of the head 5A.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even in situations where the subject 5 moves and the distances L1 and L2 change, the gain adjustment process based on the distances L1 and L2 is repeatedly performed, so that the S / N ratio of the audio signal can always be prevented from decreasing.

[0053] In the above embodiment, two microphones are provided on the gantry 2, but the number of microphones and the positions at which the microphones are provided may be changed as appropriate. It is preferable that at least some of the multiple microphones are attached to the gantry 2. It is also preferable that each of the multiple microphones is attached to the gantry 2 or the bed 3.

[0054] 7, in addition to the microphones M1 and M2 provided on the gantry 2, microphones M3 to M5 may be provided on the bed 3. For example, the microphones M3 to M5 are provided at one end, the other end, and the center of the base 3B in the direction of arrow A. The distances to the head 5A of each of the microphones M1 to M5 change in accordance with the movement of the tabletop 3A.

[0055] The gain adjustment process when three or more microphones are provided in this way is similar to that in the above embodiment, and the gain adjustment unit 405 lowers the gain of each of the multiple microphones the farther they are from the head 5A. Specifically, the gain adjustment unit 405 increases the gain of the microphone closest to the head 5A among the multiple microphones, and lowers the gain of the other microphones in accordance with the distance from the head 5A.

[0056] The following describes the gain adjustment process when n microphones M1 to Mn are provided. Fig. 8 shows the flow of control for the camera 7 and the microphones M1 to Mn.

[0057] A parameter for distinguishing the microphones M1 to Mn is k, where n is an integer equal to or greater than 3, and k is an integer in the range of 1 to n. The signal output from each sound receiving unit 60 of the k-th microphone Mk is expressed as R k Then, the signal R k is expressed as shown in the following equation (3), where R Sk is the signal component containing the voice of subject 5, and R Nk is the noise component.

[0058]

number

[0059] The gain adjustment unit 405 calculates the gain G of the microphone Mk based on the following equation (4): k Determine where L k is the distance from the head 5A to the microphone Mk.

[0060]

number

[0061] The audio signal OS synthesized by the signal processing unit 406 is expressed by the following equation (5).

[0062]

number

[0063] According to the above equations (3) and (5), the S / N ratio (hereinafter referred to as SN in the equations) of the audio signal OS is expressed by the following equation (6).

[0064]

number

[0065] Furthermore, when the above formula (4) is applied to the above formula (6), the S / N ratio of the audio signal OS is expressed by the following formula (7).

[0066]

number

[0067] Here, when the sound pressure of the voice emitted from the subject 5 at a point that is a reference distance L0 is S0 and the sound pressure of the noise sound is N0, the above-mentioned signal component R Sk and the noise component R Nk are expressed by the following equations (8) and (9), respectively. This means that the sound pressure S0 of the voice of the subject 5 is k This is because the sound pressure N0 of the noise is attenuated inversely proportional to the square of the noise and input to the microphone Mk, whereas the sound pressure N0 of the noise is almost constant within the radiography room 10.

[0068]

number

number

[0069] By applying the above equations (8) and (9) to the above equation (7), the S / N ratio of the audio signal OS is expressed by the following equations (10) and (11).

[0070]

number

number

[0071] Here, α is a reduction coefficient for the S / N ratio (i.e., S0 / N0) of the signal when acquired near the head 5A. The reduction coefficient α is a value within the range of 0<α<1. The reduction amount of the S / N ratio is smaller as the reduction coefficient α is closer to 1, and is larger as the reduction coefficient α is closer to 0.

[0072] Next, as a comparative example, when the gain adjustment unit 405 does not perform gain adjustment, that is, when the gain G of the microphone Mk is k The case where the above equation (4) is replaced by the following equation (4a) will be described.

[0073]

number

[0074] In this case, when the above equation (4a) is applied to the above equation (6), the S / N ratio of the audio signal OS is expressed by the following equation (7a).

[0075]

number

[0076] Then, by applying the above equations (8) and (9) to the above equation (7a), the reduction coefficient α is expressed by the following equation (11a) instead of the above equation (11).

[0077]

number

[0078] In the above embodiment, even if the number n of microphones increases (i.e., even if the number n of microphones far from the head 5A increases), the decrease in the reduction coefficient α is kept constant and the decrease in the S / N ratio is suppressed. However, in the comparative example, as the number n of microphones increases, the reduction coefficient α decreases and the S / N ratio decreases. To confirm this, L0=1 and L k =k (k=1, 2, 3, . . . , n), the reduction coefficient α was calculated for the above embodiment and the comparative example.

[0079] 9 shows the relationship between the reduction coefficient α of the S / N ratio and the number n of microphones. In FIG. 9, the solid line shows the reduction coefficient α calculated using equation (11) according to the above embodiment, and the dashed line shows the reduction coefficient α calculated using equation (11a) according to the comparative example. According to the above embodiment, even if the number n of microphones increases, the reduction coefficient α converges to a constant value, suppressing the reduction in the S / N ratio, whereas in the comparative example, as the number n of microphones increases, the reduction coefficient α approaches 0 (i.e., the S / N ratio approaches 0).

[0080] In the example shown in FIG. 9, the reduction coefficient α in the above embodiment is π 2 / 15. This convergence value is the known ζ(2) = π 2 / 6 and ζ(4) = π 4 / 90, where ζ(s) is the Riemann zeta function.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the position detection device is configured with the camera 7 and the position detection unit 403 as a computing device, but the configuration of the position detection device is not limited to this. For example, since the approximate position where the subject 5 is placed on the table 3A is fixed, the processor 40 may detect the position of the head 5A based on the amount of movement of the table 3A of the bed 3 without using a camera image.

[0082] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the medical imaging device 1 is a CT device, but the medical imaging device 1 can also be an MRI device or the like.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the following various processors may be used as the hardware structure of processing units that perform various processes, such as the shooting control unit 401, camera control unit 402, position detection unit 403, distance calculation unit 404, gain adjustment unit 405, signal processing unit 406, and speaker control unit 407. As described above, the various processors include a CPU, which is a general-purpose processor that executes software (programs) and functions as various processing units, as well as dedicated electrical circuits that are processors having a circuit configuration specifically designed to perform specific processes, such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) that is a processor whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0084] A single processing unit may be configured with one of these various processors, or may be configured with a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a combination of multiple FPGAs or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Also, multiple processing units may be configured with a single processor.

[0085] Examples of configuring multiple processing units with a single processor include, first, a form in which one processor is configured with a combination of one or more CPUs and software, and this processor functions as multiple processing units, as typified by computers such as client and server. Second, a form in which a processor is used to realize the functions of an entire system including multiple processing units with a single IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, as typified by SoC (System On a Chip). In this way, various processing units are configured using one or more of the above-mentioned various processors as a hardware structure.

[0086] Furthermore, more specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors can be an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0087] From the above description, the technology described in the following supplementary paragraphs can be understood. [Additional note 1] a bed on which a subject is placed; an imaging device main body for imaging the subject; Multiple microphones that collect sound, a signal processing device that synthesizes audio signals output from the plurality of microphones; a position detection device for detecting the position of the subject's head; a processor for adjusting the gain of each of the plurality of microphones; Equipped with The processor: Based on the relationship between the position of the head detected by the position detection device and the positions of the plurality of microphones, a gain adjustment process is performed to relatively lower the gain of a microphone farther from the head than the gain of a microphone closer to the head. Medical imaging equipment. [Additional note 2] In the gain adjustment process, the processor reduces the gain of each of the plurality of microphones as the microphone is farther from the head. Item 1. A medical imaging device according to claim 1. [Additional note 3] In the gain adjustment process, the processor increases the gain of the microphone closest to the head among the plurality of microphones and decreases the gain of the other microphones according to the distance from the head. Item 2. A medical imaging device according to claim 2. [Additional note 4] The position detection device includes a camera that captures an image of an area including the head and outputs the image, and a computing device that detects the position of the head based on the image. Item 3. A medical imaging apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3. [Additional note 5] the imaging device body is a gantry having an opening through which a top plate of the bed is inserted, At least some of the microphones are attached to the gantry. Item 4. A medical imaging apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 4. [Additional note 6] The plurality of microphones is two microphones, The two microphones are attached to one surface and the other surface of the gantry in the insertion direction of the top plate. 6. The medical imaging device according to claim 5. [Additional note 7] Each of the plurality of microphones is attached to the gantry or the bed. 6. The medical imaging device according to claim 5. [Additional note 8] the bed is configured to allow the subject to move thereon; The processor repeatedly executes the gain adjustment process while the subject is moving. 7. The medical imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is a medical imaging device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1 Medical imaging equipment 2 Gantry 2A aperture 2B,2C side 3 berths 3A Top plate 3B base 3C Drive Unit 4 Console 5. Subjects 5A head 7. Camera 10 Filming Studio 12 Control room 20 X-ray source 21 Detector 40 processors 41 Storage 42 memory 43 Display 44 Input Devices 45 Interface 46 Speaker 47 Bus 60 Sound receiver 61 Variable Gain Amplifier 401 Shooting control unit 402 Camera control unit 403 Position detection unit 404 Distance calculation unit 405 Gain adjustment section 406 Signal Processing Unit 407 Speaker control unit M1~M5,Mn microphones

Claims

1. a bed on which a subject is placed; an imaging device main body for imaging the subject; Multiple microphones that collect sound, a signal processing device that synthesizes audio signals output from the plurality of microphones; a position detection device for detecting the position of the subject's head; a processor for adjusting the gain of each of the plurality of microphones; Equipped with The processor: Based on the relationship between the position of the head detected by the position detection device and the positions of the plurality of microphones, a gain adjustment process is performed to relatively lower the gain of a microphone farther from the head than the gain of a microphone closer to the head. Medical imaging equipment.

2. In the gain adjustment process, the processor reduces the gain of each of the plurality of microphones as the microphone is farther from the head. The medical imaging device according to claim 1 .

3. In the gain adjustment process, the processor increases the gain of the microphone closest to the head among the plurality of microphones and decreases the gain of the other microphones according to the distance from the head. The medical imaging apparatus according to claim 2 .

4. The position detection device includes a camera that captures an image of an area including the head and outputs the image, and a computing device that detects the position of the head based on the image. The medical imaging device according to claim 1 .

5. the imaging device body is a gantry having an opening through which a top plate of the bed is inserted, At least some of the microphones are attached to the gantry. The medical imaging device according to claim 1 .

6. The plurality of microphones is two microphones, The two microphones are attached to one surface and the other surface of the gantry in the insertion direction of the top plate. The medical imaging apparatus according to claim 5 .

7. Each of the plurality of microphones is attached to the gantry or the bed. The medical imaging apparatus according to claim 5 .

8. the bed is configured to allow the subject to move thereon; The processor repeatedly executes the gain adjustment process while the subject is moving. The medical imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. a bed on which a subject is placed; an imaging device main body for imaging the subject; Multiple microphones that collect sound, a signal processing device that synthesizes the audio signals output from the plurality of microphones; a position detection device for detecting the position of the subject's head; a processor for adjusting the gain of each of the plurality of microphones; A method for controlling a medical imaging apparatus comprising: the processor: Based on the relationship between the position of the head detected by the position detection device and the positions of the plurality of microphones, a gain adjustment process is performed to make the gain of a microphone farther from the head relatively lower than the gain of a microphone closer to the head. A method for controlling a medical imaging apparatus, comprising:

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