JP2006061178A - Medical apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize the prevention of troubles of a medical apparatus, the facilitation of a causative analysis or the like after a trouble has occurred, a reduction in burden of a maintenance worker, and the effective collection of useful information. <P>SOLUTION: A motion situation information acquiring means 136 of this medical apparatus 100 stores the action situation information under a normal operation of hardware or software of the apparatus 100 in a non-volatile memory 118 and so forth. A service person who is in charge of the maintenance can unload and peruse the collected information by a simple operation of a personal computer 200 or an operation section 102. The collected information is output by a text format. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical device that is used for medical procedures including human surgery, treatment, and diagnosis.

  Medical devices used for medical procedures including human surgery, treatment and diagnosis (for example, there is a laser scalpel device as a device related to human surgery, and a device related to human treatment for cancer treatment) Since there are X-ray CT and MRI as devices related to human diagnosis), it is desirable to always be able to operate in the best condition. Therefore, maintenance is extremely important for medical devices.

  Medical devices such as those listed above include complex and large-scale devices, which usually have a number of functions for performing advanced medical care, most of which are Control by a computer is performed. A sub-module managed by a computer has been proposed that has a self-diagnosis function in order to enable early detection of trouble (abnormality) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 9-330280 A

In the prior art, only the early detection of a trouble (abnormality) by the self-diagnosis function is focused, and the following problems arise in this respect.
(1) That is, the detection of a trouble (abnormality) by self-diagnosis is, in short, a measure (post-action measure) after the trouble (abnormality) occurs. However, in the case of medical devices that always require good operation, there are first measures to prevent troubles (abnormalities) (for example, timely replacement of key parts that are likely to deteriorate over time). is important. However, the time for replacement of such important parts is not uniform, and changes depending on the operating status of the medical device, such as the operating frequency and mode of operation. It is difficult. In addition, in order to know the replacement time, it is necessary to check in advance, but there is a limit to the manpower and time that can be allocated to the maintenance work of the medical device, so when and how to check The decision itself is also difficult.

  (2) In addition, a medical device is a complex and large-scale device, and usually has a number of functions in order to perform advanced medical treatment. Therefore, even if the occurrence of an abnormality can be detected early by the self-diagnosis function, this time, in order to analyze the cause and formulate an appropriate countermeasure, for example, be familiar with computer hardware and software, and There is a need for skilled maintenance specialists who also have some medical device operating skills. For example, due to the complexity of the operation of the device, it may take considerable skill to retrieve the stored self-diagnostic results in a form that can be analyzed. It may also require considerable skill to accurately know the contents of trouble (abnormality) from the read self-diagnosis result. That is, the maintenance work is complicated, and therefore, there is an aspect in which it is difficult to secure human resources and train human resources because of heavy burden on engineers engaged in maintenance.

  (3) Since the self-diagnosis is only performed in the test mode, when the medical device is to be shifted from the normal operation mode to the test mode in order to make good use of the self-diagnosis function, Or how often self-diagnosis is performed is important. For example, if the interval between tests becomes too long, trouble (abnormality) cannot be detected at an early stage, while if the test is performed too frequently, normal operation may be hindered.

  The present invention has been made based on such consideration, the purpose of which is to prevent medical device trouble in advance, facilitate analysis of the cause after the trouble, etc., reduce the burden on maintenance workers, And to achieve effective collection of useful information.

  The medical device of the present invention is a medical device used for medical actions including human surgery, treatment, and diagnosis, and operation status information about predetermined hardware or software during operation of the medical device. Operating status information acquisition means for acquiring the operating status information, and storage means for storing the operating status information in a storage unit.

  The medical device of the present invention is stored in the storage unit in response to a communication interface for communicating with an external device connected to a communication network, and a transmission request for the operation status information from the external device. Transmitting means for transmitting the operation status information to the external device via the communication interface.

  The medical device according to the present invention includes an external memory interface for connecting an external memory, an input means for inputting a request for storing the operation status information to the external memory, and in response to the storage request And an external memory storage means for storing the operation status information stored in the storage unit in the external memory via the external memory interface.

  In the medical device of the present invention, the operation status information is transmitted to the external device in a text format.

  In the medical device of the present invention, the operation status information is stored in the external memory in a text format.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent medical device troubles in advance, facilitate analysis of causes after troubles occur, reduce the burden on maintenance workers, and effectively collect useful information. it can.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a medical device for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.
In the medical device 100 of FIG. 1, operation status information during normal operation of the device is stored in an internal or external storage unit, and a service person can easily retrieve the information to the outside at an arbitrary timing. You can check the status. In addition, although the medical device 100 in FIG. 1 employs a configuration in which the self-diagnosis function and the operation status information acquisition function during normal operation are used in combination, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, only the operation status information acquisition function may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the medical device 100 includes an operation unit 102 (input means), a communication interface 104 for communicating with a computer 200 connected to a communication network (for example, a LAN in a hospital) L1, CPU 106 (transmission means, storage means, external memory storage means) for comprehensively controlling the operation of each part, program memory 108 (stores self-diagnosis program 110 and operation status monitoring program 112), and hardware to be diagnosed (Or software) 114, a RAM 116 used for various arithmetic processes, a nonvolatile memory 118 such as an EEPROM, and a USB interface (external memory interface) 120 for connecting a USB memory 130 as an external memory , Memory interface 122 and built-in hard disk And a click (HDD) 128. An external hard disk (HDD) 132 can be connected to the memory interface 122.

  Further, as a result of the CPU 106 operating in accordance with the self-diagnosis program 110, a self-diagnosis unit 134 as a functional block is formed in the CPU 106. Similarly, as a result of the CPU 106 operating in accordance with the operation status monitoring program 112, an operation status information acquisition unit 136 as a functional block is formed in the CPU 106.

  When a configuration using a sub CPU is employed as the computer architecture, a sub CPU 124 and a nonvolatile memory 126 such as an EEPROM, which are indicated by a dotted line in the figure, are added.

Next, an outline of main operations and maintenance work of the medical device of FIG. 1 will be described.
The self-diagnosis unit 134 periodically shifts to a diagnosis mode (test mode) in a state in which the power supply of the medical device 100 is turned on, and the predetermined hardware in the diagnosis target hardware (or software) 114 or Diagnose the software and determine if there is an abnormality. The self-diagnosis unit 134 stores the determination result as self-diagnosis information in at least one of the nonvolatile memory 118, the internal hard disk 128, and the external hard disk 132.

  On the other hand, the operation status information acquisition unit 136 is always operated during normal operation of the medical device 100, and causes trouble (failure, abnormality) in the diagnosis target hardware (or software) 114. Centralized monitoring of the operating status of parts that are likely to deteriorate over time, or information on parts that indicate signs of trouble (delay of processing time, occurrence of errors, frequent occurrence of chattering, increase in its level, increase in the number of retry processing, etc.) Centralized monitoring and periodically obtain operating status information. Further, the operation status information acquisition unit 136 acquires the operation status information even immediately after the medical device 100 is started up. Specific examples of the acquired operation status information include, for example, time-series diagnosis information of parts expected to deteriorate with time, processing time of a predetermined series of processing during normal operation, detailed information when an error occurs, and sensor output There are signal chattering history and control sequence retry information. These pieces of information are useful information useful for preventing troubles in the medical device 100 and investigating the cause. The operation status information acquisition unit 136 stores the acquired operation status information in at least one of the nonvolatile memory 118, the internal hard disk 128, and the external hard disk 132. This storage is performed, for example, at the same time that the operation status information is acquired, and is automatically performed when the power supply of the medical device 100 is turned off.

  The information obtained in this way (self-diagnosis information, operation status information) is taken out by a service person in charge of maintenance. There are the following two methods for taking out, both of which are simple procedures and do not require skill, so even a beginner can perform it sufficiently.

  One method for extracting the acquired information (self-diagnosis information, operation status information) is a method using the communication network L1. That is, an information transmission request is transmitted from the personal computer 200 to the CPU 106 of the medical device 100 via the communication network L1. This operation can be performed with a simple key operation. In response to this transmission request, the CPU 106 of the medical device 100 reads information stored in at least one of the nonvolatile memory 118, the internal hard disk 128, and the external hard disk 132, and the personal computer via the communication interface 104. Transmit to 200. The personal computer 200 stores the sent information in, for example, a hard disk (not shown). According to this method, self-diagnosis information and operation status information can be taken out of the apparatus by a simple operation, which is useful for reducing the burden on maintenance personnel and improving the efficiency of maintenance work.

  Another method of extracting the acquired information (self-diagnosis information, operation status information) is to connect an external memory such as the USB memory 130 to the medical device 100 and In this method, information is read out by a simple key operation on the operation panel of the operation unit 102 and stored in the USB memory 130. In this case, when a storage request for information to the USB memory 130 is input from the user by an operation on the operation panel (for example, pressing one button), the CPU 106 responds to the storage request with the non-volatile memory 118 and the built-in hard disk 128, information stored in at least one of the external hard disks 132 is read and stored in the USB memory 130 via the USB interface 120. According to this method, self-diagnosis information and operation status information can be taken out of the apparatus by a simple operation, which is useful for reducing the burden on maintenance personnel and improving the efficiency of maintenance work.

  Also, if the information output to the outside is in a format that is difficult to read, such as a program list, it requires skill to refer to the information, which hinders effective use. Therefore, the medical device 100 outputs the acquired information to the outside in a text format. For example, the CPU 106 stores the acquired self-diagnosis information or operation status information after converting it to a text format. Alternatively, when an information transmission request or storage request is made, the CPU 106 converts the read self-diagnosis information or operation status information into a text format and then transmits it to the computer 200 or stores it in the USB memory 130. To do. As a result, anyone can refer to the information, promote the use of the information, reduce the burden on the maintenance staff, and improve the efficiency of the maintenance work.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the medical device of FIG.
When the medical device 100 is activated, first, an initialization self-diagnosis is performed (S1), and self-diagnosis information and error information regarding the initialization of the medical device 100 are, for example, one of the hard disks (128, 132). (S2). Subsequently, the medical device 100 stands up and enters an idle state (S3).

  Next, the medical device 100 receives a processing request input from the operation unit 102 (or the personal computer 200 connected via the communication network L1) (S4). The contents of processing requests are roughly divided into three types: normal processing, maintenance processing, and termination processing. If the received processing request is normal processing, a series of normal processing is performed (S6), and the operation status information is acquired by the operation status information acquisition unit 136. For example, the hard disk (128, 128) is acquired together with error information. 132) (S7). Subsequently, when the process is retried (S8), a retry operation is performed (S9), and the retry information is stored in the hard disk (either 128 or 132) together with the error information (S10). Then return to A. If there is no retry in S8, the process returns to A in the same manner.

  In S5, when the acceptance processing request is a maintenance processing request (the transmission request or the storage request), information is read from the hard disk (128, 132), and the read information is stored in the personal computer 200. Or stored in the USB memory 130 (S14).

  In S5, when the received processing request is a termination processing request, the termination operation of the apparatus is performed (S11), and the self-diagnosis information and the operation status information at that time are the latest information on the hard disks (128, 132). (S12).

  As described above, according to the medical device 100, operation status information during normal operation can be acquired and stored. Therefore, the usage frequency of the medical device 100 can be ascertained and used (functions with high frequency of use). Etc.) and the background factors of trouble occurrence can be easily understood. When a failure occurs in the medical device 100, the sign always appears during daily operations before that. According to the medical device 100, the sign can be detected from the operation status information. Since this is possible, it is possible to replace parts in a timely manner and prevent failure.

  Further, according to the medical device 100, it is possible to grasp the tendency of failure or the like based on the operation status information, and it is easy to make a prediction of parts inspection and replacement time. Even when the cause of the trouble is analyzed, the cause can be investigated more quickly and accurately by referring to the past operation status history. Thereby, possibility that a medical device can always be used in a favorable state increases, and a user can receive a diagnosis or the like by a medical device with high reliability.

  Further, according to the medical device 100, information can be easily extracted from an external device (such as a personal computer) connected to the communication network using a communication network in a hospital. Even a maintenance person who is not so familiar with the operation of the medical device itself can easily extract and use the information, thereby reducing the burden on the maintenance person and improving the efficiency of the maintenance work.

  Further, according to the medical device 100, the acquired information can be stored in an external memory such as a USB memory by a simple operation. Since the acquired information can be easily extracted to the outside, the burden on maintenance personnel can be reduced and the efficiency of maintenance work can be improved.

  Further, according to the medical device 100, information output to the outside is output in text format. If the information output to the outside is in a format that is difficult to read, such as a program list, it requires skill to refer to the information and hinders effective use. But you can use it easily. For this reason, the burden on the maintenance staff is reduced and the efficiency of the maintenance work is realized.

  In addition, according to the medical device 100, since both the self-diagnosis information and the operation status information during normal operation can be extracted to the outside, it is more effective by using the self-diagnosis information and the operation status information together. It is possible to prevent troubles (failures and abnormalities) and analyze the cause of troubles.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the medical device for demonstrating embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the operation | movement flow of the medical apparatus for demonstrating embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Medical apparatus 102 Operation part 104 Communication interface 106 CPU
108 Program memory 110 Self-diagnosis program 112 Operation status monitoring program 114 Hardware (or software) to be diagnosed
116 RAM used for various arithmetic processes
118 Nonvolatile memory (EEPROM, etc.)
120 USB interface (external memory interface)
122 Memory interface 124 Sub CPU
126 Non-volatile memory (EEPROM, etc.)
128 Internal hard disk (HDD)
130 USB memory 132 External hard disk (HDD)
134 Self-diagnosis means (function block)
136 Operation status information acquisition means

Claims (5)

A medical device used for medical procedures including human surgery, treatment and diagnosis,
Operation status information acquisition means for acquiring operation status information about predetermined hardware or software during operation of the medical device;
A medical device comprising storage means for storing the operation status information in a storage unit. The medical device according to claim 1,
A communication interface for communicating with an external device connected to the communication network;
A medical apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the operation status information stored in the storage unit to the external device via the communication interface in response to a transmission request for the operation status information from the external device. The medical device according to claim 1 or 2,
An external memory interface to connect the external memory;
Input means for inputting a request to store the operation status information in the external memory;
A medical device comprising: an external memory storage unit that stores the operation status information stored in the storage unit in the external memory via the external memory interface in response to the storage request. The medical device according to claim 2,
The operation status information is a medical device that is transmitted to the external device in a text format. The medical device according to claim 3,
The medical device stores the operation status information in a text format in the external memory.

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