Medical setup, system for calibrating an operating table in a medical environment, mobile device, and method for operating a medical device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a medical setup 9 having a mobile device 1 and a medical system 10. The mobile device 1 has at least one position sensor 2, a wireless communication unit 4, and an attachment element 8 for attaching the mobile device 1 to a defined location 20 on the operating table 11. The medical system 10 has a wireless communication base unit, a computing unit, and a reference location 16 configured to attach the mobile device 1. The computing unit is configured to calibrate the operating table 11 with respect to the medical system, store the defined location as a known location within the coordinate system of the medical system, and receive position information related to the measured values from at least one position sensor 2 via the wireless communication base unit. The present invention further relates to a system for calibrating the operating table 11, the mobile device 1, and a method for operating a medical device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medical setup, a system for calibrating an operating table in a medical environment, a mobile device, and a method for operating a medical device.

Background Art

[0002] Mobile surgical systems, such as mobile C-arm X-ray systems, are often sold without a dedicated operating table and thus often allow combinations with multiple operating tables from different manufacturers. This leads to unknown positions of the operating table and / or the patient lying on the operating table.

[0003] However, in many applications, for example, when the mobile surgical system is electric and / or when the mobile surgical system is used as a catheter examination room, it is necessary to know the position of the patient and / or the operating table relative to the mobile surgical system. US2021338107 and US10335241 disclose the use of an electronic inertial measurement unit ("IMU") on a surgical imaging system to identify the position of a mobile imaging device or a surgical tool for optimal imaging during surgery.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a medical setup, a system for calibrating an operating table in a medical environment, a mobile device, and a method for operating a medical device for calibrating the relative position of the operating table.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The object of the present invention is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims, and further embodiments are incorporated into the dependent claims.

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, a medical setup is provided. The medical setup has a mobile device and a medical system.

[0007] The mobile device is, in particular, a portable device. It has at least one position sensor and a wireless communication unit. The at least one position sensor is configured to determine the position of the mobile device, in particular the relative position, and is calibratable with respect to a reference location. The wireless communication unit is configured to transmit location information to the medical system. The location information is based on the measurements of the at least one position sensor.

[0008] The mobile device further has an attachment element for attaching the mobile device to a predefined location on the operating table. Such a predefined location is, for example, a rail on the operating table. The attachment element is configured to removably attach the housing of the mobile device to the operating table.

[0009] The medical system may generally be any medical system configured to be used with an operating table. In particular, the medical system may be movable so that it can be moved to the operating table. Additionally, or alternatively, the operating table may be movable so that it can be moved to the medical system. In particular, the medical system has a mobile imaging system such as an X-ray system. To enable relative movement between the medical system and the operating table, the medical system may be implemented as a C-arm device.

[0010] The medical system has a wireless communication base unit. The wireless communication base unit is configured to receive the location information transmitted by the wireless communication unit of the mobile device. The wireless communication base unit can be a USB-compatible transceiver wireless device such as a USB Bluetooth (registered trademark) transceiver module. The wireless communication base unit may be installed, for example, on a stand of the medical system. Also, the wireless communication base unit may be integrated with the system software of the medical system.

[0011] The medical system further has a computing unit. The computing unit may be a separate dedicated computing unit or may be an existing computing unit of the medical system equipped with additional software that enables it to execute the steps outlined below.

[0012] The medical system further has a reference location configured to attach a mobile device. In particular, the reference location is on the mobile imaging system. Attaching the mobile device to the medical system can be performed using attachment elements or by placing the mobile device on a marked spot on the medical system. The mobile device should be placed at the reference location for at least some time during the operation of the medical setup. As a simple example, the reference location may be, for example, a marked spot on the stand of the medical system.

[0013] The computing unit is configured to calibrate the operating table for the medical system, particularly for the mobile imaging system. The calibration is performed when the mobile device is attached to the operating table. The calibration may include moving the mobile device from the reference location of the medical system to a defined location on the operating table. At least one position sensor of the mobile device can measure the change in position from the reference location to the defined location so that the position of the defined location relative to the reference location, and thus the position of the operating table relative to the medical system, is known.

[0014] The computing unit is also configured to store the defined location as a known location in the coordinate system of the medical system, particularly the mobile imaging system.

[0015] The computing unit is further configured to receive position information related to the measurements from at least one position sensor via a wireless communication base unit. In particular, the measurements from at least one position sensor are received not only during the calibration of the operating table but also during subsequent operation of the medical system, particularly during a medical procedure. Thus, the position of the operating table relative to the medical system can be known during a medical procedure.

[0016] In the medical setup, various operating tables may be selected. The medical system knows the position of the operating table, which may be used, for example, to position the patient at the isocenter of the X-ray system for better control of the medical system, which helps improve the 3D image quality. Knowledge of the position of the operating table relative to the medical system also enables a more accurate determination of the patient dose. Knowledge of the position of the operating table relative to the medical system further enables more accurate positioning of the medical system, such as lowering the height of the C-arm and / or bringing the detector closer to the patient, and thus reducing scattered radiation. Knowledge of the position of the operating table relative to the medical system is further useful for preventing collisions between the medical system and the operating table when one or both of them are moved.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the computing unit is further configured to generate control commands for controlling the medical system and / or the operating table based on the received position information. As an example, in the case of a CT scan, the X-ray source and the sensor have to be moved relative to the patient and thus relative to the operating table. This can be performed by moving the X-ray source and the sensor, by moving the operating table, or by moving both the X-ray source and the sensor and the operating table. The received position information is used to determine the required movements of the X-ray source and the sensor and / or the operating table, and the control commands include the determined movements.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the medical system further has a user interface unit. The above user interface unit may be a dedicated user interface unit or a standard user interface unit with additional functions.

[0019] The calibration of the operating table may be performed using a user interface unit. This may include steps requested by the user interface unit for the user to place the mobile unit at a reference location and / or to confirm that the mobile unit is at the reference location. The calibration of the operating table may further include the user interface unit requesting the user to move the mobile device from the reference location to a specified location and to confirm that the mobile device is placed at the specified location. Next, as described above, the position information is received from at least one position sensor. Using this position information, the location of the operating table relative to the medical system is determined.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the medical system further has a base station for the mobile device, and the reference location of the mobile device is on the base station. In particular, the base station may have a recess corresponding to the outer shape of a part of the mobile device so that the mobile device fits onto the base station. Thus, the reference location is more clearly defined, and subsequent measurements of the relative position of the operating table can be improved.

[0021] The base station may further have a power charging base port. The power charging base port is configured to charge the battery of the mobile device. The charging may be performed, for example, by wired charging or by inductive charging. Thus, while the mobile device is at the reference location, its battery is also charged, and as a result, the mobile device is ready to operate when needed.

[0022] In another aspect of the present invention, a system for calibrating an operating table in a medical environment is provided. In particular, the medical environment may have a medical system such as a medical imaging system, and the medical system and / or the operating table are movable.

[0023] The system has a mobile device having a housing, an attachment element, at least one position sensor, and a wireless communication unit. Preferably, the housing houses the position sensor and the wireless communication unit.

[0024] The attachment elements are configured to removably attach the housing to the operating table. In particular, they are configured to attach the housing to a predefined location on the operating table, such as a rail of the operating table.

[0025] The position sensor is configured to measure the position of the mobile device in a fixed coordinate system. The fixed coordinate system is, in particular, a coordinate system attached to the medical system.

[0026] The wireless communication unit is configured to transmit the position information measured by the position sensor. A wireless standard having a range of up to several meters, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), may be sufficient.

[0027] The system further has a computing unit that may have a user interface unit. The user interface unit may be an existing user interface unit of the medical system or a dedicated user interface unit of the system.

[0028] The computing unit is configured to wirelessly receive the position information from the mobile device. For this purpose, the computing unit has or is connected to a wireless communication base unit that shares at least one standard band and / or frequency band with the wireless communication unit of the mobile device.

[0029] The computing unit is further configured to register the operating table to the fixed coordinate system. To do so, when attached to the operating table, the computing unit registers the position of the mobile device to the fixed coordinate system. This can be achieved, for example, by measuring the change in position of the mobile device when it is moved from a reference location on the medical system and / or user interface unit to a predefined location on the operating table.

[0030] Then, the position of the mobile device relative to a predetermined geometric reference of the operating table is aligned. The predetermined geometric reference may be a defined location, the upper flat surface of the operating table, or the isocenter of the medical system. Subsequently, the alignment data is stored in a memory. The memory may be the memory of the user interface unit and / or the memory of the medical system.

[0031] And the operating table is calibrated by inputting reference values corresponding to the position of the operating table during use, for example, the maximum and / or minimum position values of the operating table along the directions of a fixed coordinate system. To obtain the maximum and / or minimum position values, the user interface unit may request the user to move the operating table to the respective maximum and / or minimum position values, for example, in one, two, or three Cartesian coordinates. Alternatively, the calculation unit may control the operating table without or with limited interaction with the user according to a predetermined calibration protocol associated with the operating table and the medical system, both of which are technically known and stored in the system. These calibration values are then stored in the memory.

[0032] Alternatively, or additionally, a previously calibrated operating table stored in the memory is read out, selected, and the corresponding calibration values are uploaded from the memory. This saves the time for calibrating a previously used operating table.

[0033] Using the system for calibrating the operating table, various operating tables can be selected. The system knows the position of the operating table, which can be used, for example, for better control of the medical system to position the patient at the isocenter of the X-ray system, which helps improve the 3D image quality. Knowledge of the position of the operating table relative to the medical system also enables a more accurate determination of the patient dose. Knowledge of the position of the operating table relative to the medical system further enables more accurate positioning of the medical system, for example, lowering the height of the C-arm and / or bringing the detector closer to the patient, and thus reducing scattered radiation. Knowledge of the position of the operating table relative to the medical system is also further useful for preventing collisions between the medical system and the operating table when one or both of them are moved.

[0034] The initial position of the operating table when the medical treatment is started can be obtained using a mobile device and stored in the memory. In this way, the change in the position of the operating table compared to the initial position may be used during the medical treatment. In this context, the medical procedure may be a surgical procedure and / or a medical imaging procedure.

[0035] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a mobile device for calibrating an operating room table is provided. The mobile device has at least one position sensor. The position sensor is configured to measure the position of the mobile device in a fixed coordinate system.

[0036] The mobile device further has a control unit. The control unit may in particular be a microcontroller having embedded software. The control unit is configured to receive measurement values from at least one position sensor and broadcast the measurement values and / or position information related to the measurement values via the wireless communication unit of the mobile device. The wireless communication unit may be, for example, a Bluetooth® low energy transceiver.

[0037] The mobile device further has a battery for providing electrical energy to at least one position sensor, a control unit, and a wireless communication unit. In particular, the battery may be a rechargeable battery. In this case, the mobile device also has charging means, for example, a charger and / or a charging adapter having a port for connecting a wireless charging unit.

[0038] The mobile device further has an attachment element for attaching the mobile device to a predefined location on the operating table. In particular, this attachment is a removable attachment having, for example, an attachment bracket. The removal of the mobile device can be further facilitated by, for example, a knob. The predefined location is, in particular, the rail of the operating table.

[0039] The mobile device may further have a housing that houses at least one position sensor, a control unit, a wireless communication unit, and a battery.

[0040] Using the mobile device, the calibration of the operating table can be performed. The advantages of such calibration have been described in detail above.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the at least one position sensor is an inertial measurement unit having an accelerometer and a gyroscope, i.e., a six-degree-of-freedom sensor. By continuously measuring linear acceleration and rotational acceleration, the inertial measurement unit can provide a three-dimensional change in position, in particular the distance and orientation moved. In particular, the at least one position sensor may further have a magnetometer to make it a nine-degree-of-freedom sensor. The use of the magnetometer improves the accuracy of the measurements of the accelerometer and gyroscope, in particular by reducing or eliminating gyro drift or long-term drift.

[0042] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a medical device is provided. The medical device has a medical setup and an operating table as described above. At least one of the medical system and the operating table is movable so that the medical system and the operating table can be brought into an operating position relative to each other.

[0043] According to the method, the mobile device is moved by the user from a reference location on the medical system to a defined location on the operating table. Since the position and orientation of the mobile device are known at the start of this movement, the position of the mobile device at the end of the movement relative to the medical system is also known. And since the mobile device is placed at the defined location on the operating table, this position means the position of the operating table.

[0044] As a next step, the operating table is initialized, i.e., the operating table is aligned with the medical setup.

[0045] Furthermore, during a medical procedure, particularly a surgical procedure or a medical imaging procedure, measurements are performed by at least one position sensor, and the position information related to the measurements is broadcast by the wireless communication unit of the mobile device and received by the wireless communication base unit of the medical setup.

[0046] According to one embodiment, control instructions for controlling a medical system and / or an operating table are generated by a computing unit based on the received position information. The control instructions may in particular be instructions for moving parts of the medical system and / or the operating table. Since the computing unit is part of the medical setup, control instructions for controlling a part of the medical system can be directly executed by the medical system. With respect to control instructions for moving the operating table, the connection between the medical setup and the operating table can be used to execute these instructions, or the instructions can be displayed, for example, on a display of a user interface unit and the user can operate the operating table so that the desired movement is executed. In the latter case, the measurements taken by the mobile device can then be used to confirm that the correct movement has been executed.

[0047] According to one embodiment, initializing the operating table includes moving the operating table to a default position. This can be executed before or after the mobile device is moved from a reference location to a defined location. Based on this default position, the movement range of the operating table is known or becomes known. If the operating table does not have a specific default position, the default position can be defined, for example, as the leftmost, frontmost, and bottommost positions. This definition may also be shown on the user interface unit.

[0048] According to one embodiment, initializing the operating table includes obtaining an operating table movement range calibration. Such a movement range calibration defines at least one range of movement or location of the operating table. Such a range may be the range allowed when the table is moved in a fixed coordinate system. In other words, such a movement range calibration typically defines some limits in the movement and position of the table, defined by the maximum or minimum position (or end point) or movement in or with respect to at least one direction. This is particularly required when a new table is aligned with the medical setup. To obtain the movement range, the position of the mobile device is registered, in particular at the default position, i.e., the position of the mobile device relative to the medical system is saved. Then, for at least one of the three directions in which the operating table can be moved, the operating table is moved to one end point of said direction. There, the position of the mobile device is registered, i.e., the position relative to the medical system is saved. Then, the operating table is moved to the other end point of said direction, where the other end point is the end point on the opposite side of one end point. Also at the other end point, the position of the mobile device is registered. And the movement range of the operating table in said direction is known. If the operating table can be moved in more than one direction, the above steps are repeated for the other directions. In particular, the movement of the operating table is controlled by the user based on instructions given on the display of the user interface unit. In this context, the three directions may be the X, Y, and Z directions in the coordinate system of the operating table.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the movement range calibration may also be performed for rotation about at least one of the three axes, and the three axes are particularly along the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction in the coordinate system of the operating table. For this purpose, the position of the mobile device is registered. Then, the operating table is rotated around the axis to one end point, and the position of the mobile device is registered. Next, the operating table is rotated around the axis to the other end point, and the other end point is opposite to one end point. The position of the mobile device is also registered at this position. Thereby, the rotation range of the operating table is also known.

[0050] According to one embodiment, obtaining the operating table movement range calibration further includes moving the mobile device from a specified location to a predetermined location and determining an offset between the specified location and the predetermined location. Specifically, the mobile device is then returned to the specified location. In an alternative embodiment, the mobile device can be moved from a reference location to a predetermined location and then to a specified location, which saves one step when initializing the operating table. The predetermined location is particularly the position at the top of the operating table, more specifically, the central position at the top of the operating table.

[0051] According to one embodiment, obtaining the operating table movement range calibration further includes storing the height value of the mobile device as a reference value. Since the height of the reference location on the floor is known, the height of the mobile device at the specified location can be easily determined using the relative position of the mobile device with respect to the medical setup.

[0052] When the movement range calibration is performed, the calibration value can be stored for later use, particularly using an identifier such as the brand name, model name, serial number, or color of the operating table with respect to the operating table.

[0053] According to one embodiment, obtaining the operating table movement range calibration includes selecting a previously calibrated operating table stored in the memory and reading and uploading the corresponding calibration value from the memory. In particular, the operating table can be identified by an identifier. The selection may be performed, for example, using a drop-down menu of the user interface unit. The memory may be the memory of the computing unit, i.e., the memory associated with the medical system, or the memory of the mobile device. By selecting a previously calibrated operating table, only the position of the mobile device at a specified location relative to the medical system needs to be determined, and the determination of the movement range can be skipped, thus saving a lot of time.

[0054] According to one embodiment, initializing the operating table includes the user selecting the location on the operating table where the mobile device is to be attached. In particular, it can indicate to the user, for example, whether the mobile device is attached to the upper left, lower left, upper right, or lower right rail of the operating table. It can also be further indicated to the user on which side of the operating table, i.e., the left side or the right side, the medical system is arranged.

[0055] According to one embodiment, initializing the operating table includes storing the initial position of the operating table before or when the medical treatment is started. In this context, the medical treatment may be a surgical treatment or a medical imaging treatment. This position can also initialize the patient position for the medical treatment, so that position changes during the medical treatment can always be related to the stored initial position.

[0056] It should be understood that the preferred embodiments of the present invention can be any combination with each independent claim of the dependent claims.

[0057] These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from, and will be described with reference to, the embodiments described below.

[0058] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0059]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3a

Figure 3b

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0060] Components with the same numbers in these figures are either equivalent components or perform the same function. The above-described elements are not necessarily described in later figures if their functions are equivalent.

[0061] FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a mobile device 1. The mobile device 1 has at least one position sensor 2. The position sensor 2 is configured to measure the relative position of the mobile device 1 with respect to a medical system. For example, the at least one position sensor 2 may be an inertial measurement unit having an accelerometer and a gyroscope, particularly a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope. Using the accelerometer and the gyroscope, the movement (both translation and rotation) of the mobile device 1 can be determined, starting from a known starting position, and the final position can be determined with respect to the known starting position. To further improve the accuracy of positioning, the at least one position sensor 2 may further have a magnetometer that can reduce or eliminate gyro drift or long-term drift.

[0062] The mobile device 1 further has a control unit 3, for example, a microcontroller. The control unit 3 receives sensor measurement values and / or sensor signals from at least one position sensor 2. The control unit 3 may process the sensor signals, for example, integrate the acceleration to calculate the change in position.

[0063] The mobile device 1 also has a wireless communication unit 4 that receives information from the control unit 3, for example, processed sensor measurement values such as sensor measurement values or changes in position, and broadcasts the information, for example, to a medical system.

[0064] Power may be supplied to the mobile device 1 by a battery 5. The battery 5 is connected to at least one position sensor 2, a control unit 3, and a wireless communication unit 4, but the connection is not shown in the figure for clarity. The battery 5 is further connected to a charging unit 6 that may be a wired or wireless (e.g., inductive) charging unit.

[0065] The position sensor 2, the control unit 3, the wireless communication unit 4, the battery 5, and the charging unit 6 are all housed within a housing 7.

[0066] An attachment element 8, shown here as a hook, is attached to the housing 7 or is part of the housing 7. The attachment element 8 is configured to attach the mobile device 1 to a defined location on an operating table, such as a rail. There may be additional means to fix the attachment element 8 in the defined location or removal means, such as a knob, to remove the mobile device 1 from the defined location on the operating table.

[0067] Figure 2 shows a medical setup 9 having a medical system 10, a mobile device 1, and an operating table 11.

[0068] The medical system 10 is shown as a C-arm X-ray system having a C-arm 12 and a stand 13. However, a plurality of other medical systems 10, in particular medical systems 10 for which it is necessary to know the relative position of the operating table 11 with respect to the medical system 10, may be used. The medical system 10 further has a user interface unit 14 having a display 15. The mobile device 1 is arranged at a reference location 16 of the medical system 10, which may be indicated, for example, by the drawn circumference of the mobile device 1 on the stand 13 of the medical system 10.

[0069] The operating table 11 has a top plate 17 of the operating table 11 and in particular has rails 18. Further, the operating table 11 is shown as a mobile operating table 11 with wheels 19. However, the invention is also applicable to a stationary operating table 11 and a mobile medical system 10, as well as a mobile operating table 11 and a mobile medical system 10.

[0070] Before a medical procedure such as a surgical procedure or a medical imaging procedure is started, the operating table 11 may be initialized as follows.

[0071] The user interface unit 14 may provide the user with several options, for example, to add a table, select a previously configured table, and initialize the table.

[0072] When the user selects to add a table, the user is required to place the mobile device 1 on the reference location 16 or confirm that the mobile device 1 is already on the reference location 16. Next, as shown in FIG. 3a, the user is required to move the mobile device 1 to the specified location 20 on the operating table 11, for example, to attach it to one of the rails 18. During this movement, the mobile device 1 measures the change in its position so that the relative position of the specified location 20 with respect to the reference location 16 is known. Next, the user may select, on the user interface unit 14, the orientation of the mobile device 1, i.e., which rail 18 of the operating table 11 it is attached to. Also, the user may select on which side of the operating table 11 the medical system 10 is arranged.

[0073] Before or after moving the mobile device 1 to the specified location 20, the user may be required to place the operating table 11 in a default position, for example, a default position provided by the table or a predefined default position such as the minimum height, towards the patient's legs and on the patient's far right side.

[0074] After the mobile device has been moved to the specified location 20 and the operating table 11 has been placed in its default position, the user is required to move the operating table 11 to its maximum and / or minimum position in at least one or all three directions, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3b, and, if available, to rotate the operating table 11 to its maximum and / or minimum position around at least one or all available axes. These movements are recorded by the position sensor 2 of the mobile device 1 so that the extreme positions of the operating table 11 are known to the medical setup 9. This procedure ends when the user selects to initialize the table. In this step, a name or label may be assigned to the table so that it can be selected at a later date, which saves the step of finding the maximum movement range.

[0075] When a previously configured operating table 11 is selected, for example, from a drop-down menu, the user only needs to move the operating table 11 to its default position and move the mobile device 1 from the reference location 16 to the specified location 20.

[0076] Another embodiment of a method for operating the medical setup 9 has the additional steps shown in FIG. 4. Here, the mobile device 1 is moved from the specified location 20 to a predetermined location 21, in particular, for example, on the top plate 17 of the operating table 11 where the patient is or will be placed. When the relative position of the predetermined location 21 with respect to the specified location 20, and thus with respect to the reference location 16, is determined, the mobile device 1 is returned to the specified location 20. Knowing the predetermined position 21 on the top plate 17 of the operating table 11 enables a more accurate relative arrangement of the operating table 11 with respect to the medical system 10.

[0077] In yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the base station 22 is arranged on the stand 13 of the medical system 10. The base station 22 is configured to receive the mobile device 1 and provide a reference location 16 for the mobile device 1. Further, the base station 22 may have a power charging base port for charging the battery 5 of the mobile device 1.

[0078] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such illustrations and descriptions should be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive, and the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0079] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may perform the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be advantageously used. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Explanation of Signs

[0080] 1 Mobile device 2 Position sensor 3 Control unit 4 Wireless communication unit 5 Battery 6 Charging unit 7 Housing 8 Mounting element 9 Medical setup 10 Medical system 11 Operating table 12 C-arm 13 Stand 14 User interface unit 15 Display 16 Reference location 17 Top plate 18 Rail 19 Wheel 20 Specified location 21 Predetermined location 22 Base station

Claims

1. In a system for calibrating an operating table in a medical environment, a mobile device, a housing, attachment elements for removably attaching the housing to the operating table at a defined location, at least one position sensor within the housing for measuring the position of the mobile device, and a wireless communication unit for transmitting the position information measured by the position sensor, the mobile device having the above, a computing unit, wirelessly receiving position information from the mobile device, aligning the position of the mobile device in a fixed coordinate system when attached to the operating table, aligning the position of the mobile device to a predetermined geometric reference of the operating table, storing this alignment data in a memory, thereby aligning the operating table to the fixed coordinate system, calibrating the operating table having input reference values corresponding to the positions measured by the position sensor during use of the operating table, such reference values having maximum and / or minimum values along at least one direction of the fixed coordinate system with respect to the relative movement of the operating table, storing these calibration values in the memory, and / or reading, selecting a previously calibrated operating table, and updating the corresponding reference values from the memory, the computing unit configured as such, a system having the above.

2. A medical system, particularly having a mobile imaging system, a reference location configured to attach the mobile device, particularly on the mobile imaging system, the medical system having the above, the computing unit, once the mobile device is attached to the operating table, calibrating the operating table for the medical system, particularly for the mobile imaging system, storing the defined location of the mobile device at the time of attachment to the operating table, defined with respect to the reference location in the coordinate system of the medical system, particularly the mobile imaging system, further configured as such, The system according to claim 1.

3. The computing unit is further configured to generate control commands for controlling the medical system and / or the operating table based on the received position information, The system according to claim 2.

4. The medical system further has a user interface unit, The calibration of the operating table is performed using the user interface unit. In particular, after the mobile device has been moved by the user from the reference location to the specified location, the mobile device integrates the received position information from the at least one position sensor as further input for the calibration. The system according to claim 2 or 3. **Claim 5** The medical system further has a base station for the mobile device, and the reference location of the mobile device is on the base station. In particular, the base station has a power charging base port. The system according to any one of claims 2 to 4. **Claim 6** A method for operating a medical device, wherein the medical device is the system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, an operating table, and has The method includes a step of moving the mobile device by the user from the reference location to the specified location of the operating table, a step of initializing the operating table, a step of performing measurements by the at least one position sensor, a step of broadcasting position information related to the measurements by the wireless communication unit, a step of receiving the position information by the wireless communication base unit, and is a method. **Claim 7** The method further includes a step of generating a control command for controlling the medical system and / or the operating table based on the received position information by the calculation unit. The method according to claim 6. **Claim 8** The step of initializing the operating table includes obtaining an operating table movement range calibration. The method includes a step of registering the position of the mobile device, for at least one of three directions, a step of moving the operating table to one end point in the direction, a step of registering the position of the mobile device, a step of moving the operating table to the other end point in the direction, a step of registering the position of the mobile device, and has The three directions are, in particular, the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction in the coordinate system of the operating table. The method according to claim 6. **Claim 9** The step of obtaining the operating table movement range calibration includes a step of registering the position of the mobile device, for at least one of three axes, a step of rotating the operating table to one end point around the axis, a step of registering the position of the mobile device, rotating the operating table to another end point around the axis; registering the position of the mobile device; comprising; the three axes are particularly along the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction in the coordinate system of the operating table; The method according to claim 8.

10. Obtaining the operating table movement range calibration further includes moving the mobile device from the specified location to a predetermined position related to a known reference value of the operating table, particularly on the top plate of the operating table, and determining an offset between the specified location and the predetermined location. The method according to claim 8 or 9.

11. The step of obtaining the operating table movement range calibration includes storing the height value of the mobile device as a reference value. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

12. Obtaining the operating table movement range calibration includes selecting a pre-calibrated operating table stored in a memory, reading out and uploading the corresponding calibration value from the memory. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

13. The step of initializing the operating table includes the user selecting the location of the operating table to which the mobile device is attached. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 12.

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