JPH117428A - Medical equipment network system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically correct an internal clock of medical equipment by providing medical equipment with the internal clock and a correcting means which corrects the time of the internal clock based on time information provided form a time device through a network. SOLUTION: An internal clock 26 is provided inside a device, and the clock 26 measures the current date and time, for instance, by counting a basic clock of the device. A time calibrating part 28 is a means which performs time correction that adjusts to the time of a standard clock 16 which is owned by a standard time output device 14. That is, the device 14 is connected to a network 10, and the clock 16 that is provided in it offers clock information to each medical equipment 12. Then, the equipment 12 corrects the time of the clock 26 the self has based on the clock information. This operation performs synchronization among equipment 12 which are connected through the network 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a medical device network system, and more particularly, to modification of a clock provided in a medical device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various medical devices and computers have been connected to a LAN installed in a facility such as a hospital.
Construction of a medical device network system is being performed. Of course, if the LAN is connected to the Internet, a global medical device network system can be constructed. The medical device includes various devices such as an ultrasonic diagnostic device, a nuclear magnetic resonance diagnostic device, an X-ray device, and an electrosurgical device.

[0003] By the way, each medical device is required to manage data.
Has an internal clock. For example, the measured data is managed while adding time information such as a measurement time. With this time information, for example, a time-series relationship between a plurality of data for the same patient can be grasped. Time information is also indispensable for managing ever-changing medical conditions.

[0004]

However, there is no attempt to calibrate the internal clock of each medical device connected to the network without bothering the user.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to automatically correct an internal clock of a medical device.

Another object of the present invention is to synchronize clocks among a plurality of medical devices connected to a network.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a system in which at least one medical device and a clock device for providing time information are connected to a network, Is characterized by including: an internal clock; and correction means for correcting the time of the internal clock based on time information provided from the clock device via a network.

According to the above configuration, the internal clock of each device is automatically corrected based on the time information provided from the clock device. Therefore, the time can be accurately adjusted between the devices. In the case of a large-scale network, the delay time associated with the transmission of the time information from the clock device to each medical device is checked in advance, and the time of the internal clock may be corrected in consideration of the delay time. Good.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the clock device is a dedicated device for providing the time information, an internal clock of another medical device, or a file server for managing medical data.

[0010] In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the correction means corrects the internal clock at the time of starting the apparatus or periodically.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a medical device network system according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the system.

The network 10 is, for example, a network provided in a hospital or a certain area. One or a plurality of medical devices 12 are connected to the network 10. The network 10 may be further connected to the Internet. A standard time output device 14 is connected to the network 10, and time information is provided to each medical device 12 by the standard time output device 14. The medical device 12 is, for example, various medical devices such as an ultrasonic diagnostic device, an electrosurgical device, an ultrasonic surgical device, and a gamma camera.
FIG. 1 shows a state where an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as a medical device 12 is connected to a network 10.

The communication unit 20 is connected to the network 10 and transmits and receives data. The control unit 22
This controls the entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus,
In particular, it controls the measuring unit 24 that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. An internal clock 26 is provided inside the apparatus, and the internal clock 26 measures the current date and time by counting, for example, the basic clock of the apparatus. The time information provided from the internal clock 26 is used by the control unit 22 and is embedded in, for example, the ultrasound image data as a part of the measurement data.

The clock correction unit 28 is a means for adjusting the time to match the time of the standard clock 16 of the standard time output device 14. That is, the standard time output device 14 is connected to the network 10 as described above, and time information is provided to each medical device 12 from the standard clock 16 provided therein. Therefore, each medical device 12 corrects the time of its internal clock 26 based on the time information. Thus, synchronization is achieved between the medical devices 12 connected to the network 10.

Incidentally, the standard time output device 14 may be a dedicated device for outputting time information, an internal clock of another medical device, or a file server for managing medical data.

FIG. 2 shows the operation of the clock correction unit 28. In S101, it is determined whether calibration is necessary. For example, the calibration of the internal clock 26 is executed when the apparatus is started up or at predetermined time intervals. In S102, the clock calibration unit 28 inquires the standard time output device 14 via the communication unit 20 about the time. Thereby, in S103, the time information is supplied from the standard clock 16 of the standard time output device 14 via the communication unit 20 to the clock calibration unit 2
8 In S104, the time of the internal clock 26 is corrected based on the time information sent by the clock correction unit 28. By repeating such a cycle at regular intervals or as necessary, the clocks can be always synchronized between the devices on the network 10. Therefore, the time information included in the measurement data can always be correct, and when treatment or diagnosis is performed on a patient using multiple devices, the time relationship between those actions can always be clarified. It is possible. For example, in a case where ultrasonic diagnosis and X-ray diagnosis are performed simultaneously, there is an advantage that a temporal relationship between measurement data acquired by the diagnosis and the X-ray diagnosis can be accurately grasped.

According to the system of the present embodiment, there is also an advantage that the user's clock does not need to be manually corrected, so that the user's complexity can be reduced.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The internal clock of the medical device on the network can be automatically corrected, and in particular, the internal clock can be synchronized among a plurality of medical devices.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration of a system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a clock correction unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 network, 12 medical equipment, 14 standard time output device, 20 communication unit, 22 control unit, 24 measuring unit, 26 internal clock, 28 clock correction unit.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A system in which at least one medical device and a clock device for providing time information are connected to a network, wherein the medical device is provided from an internal clock and the clock device via a network. Correction means for correcting the time of the internal clock based on the obtained time information. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the clock device is a dedicated device that provides the time information, an internal clock of another medical device, or a file server that manages medical data. Medical device network system. 3. The medical device network system according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit corrects the internal clock at the time of starting the apparatus or periodically.