Integrated Physiological Signal and Image Data Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Functional tomography examinations, such as MR tomography, are significantly influenced by physiological interference signals like breathing, which can contribute up to 60% to variance and affect sensitivity, especially with increasing magnetic field strengths, necessitating improved capture and synchronization of physiological signals and image data.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where physiological signals and image data are captured simultaneously using the same image capturing system, with a single processor controlling both image and signal time stamps, avoiding the need for multiple clock generators and allowing immediate processing and synchronization of data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple separate systems are used to capture image data and physiological signals, then each system can be optimized independently, but synchronization accuracy deteriorates due to multiple clock generators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the image capturing system and physiological signal capturing system into a single integrated system. Both image data and physiological signals are captured by the same system using a single clock generator, eliminating synchronization errors between multiple independent systems while reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The image capturing system is designed to perform multiple functions: capturing image data and simultaneously capturing physiological signals. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate dedicated systems, improving synchronization accuracy while reducing the number of clock generators required.
2Reliability
If physiological signals are captured separately with their own timer, then signal capture is independent, but synchronization with image data deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the timing function for both image data and physiological signals into a single timer within the image capturing system. This eliminates the need for separate timers, ensuring that both data types are time-stamped with reference to the same time base, thereby improving synchronization reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The single timer in the image capturing system serves multiple functions: timing image data acquisition and timing physiological signal acquisition. This universal timing mechanism ensures consistent time referencing across all captured data without requiring additional dedicated timing hardware.
3Measurement precision
If physiological interference signals are not captured, then the system is simpler, but evaluation accuracy of functional tomography deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful physiological interference signals into useful information by capturing them simultaneously with the image data. The same system that detects the interference also records the physiological signals, allowing the interference to be used for correcting or evaluating the functional tomography results rather than merely being discarded as noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The captured physiological signals provide feedback about the examination object's physiological state during the scan. This feedback is used to evaluate and potentially correct the functional tomography results, improving evaluation accuracy by accounting for physiological variations that occur during the examination.
Data Source
AI summary
In a method and an image capturing system (5) for capturing signals and image data of a volume segment of an examination object, raw data of the volume segment are captured, and image time stamps are captured at which certain of the raw data are captured. Physiological signals of the examination object are captured at the same time as capturing the raw data. Signal time stamps are captured at which certain of the physiological signals are captured. The capture of the raw data and the capture of the physiological signals is controlled by the same processor of the image capturing system, so that both the image time stamps and the signal time stamps are predetermined by the same processor.