RU2680796C1 - Remotely controlled patient examining system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medicine.SUBSTANCE: invention relates to medical technology, in particular to ultrasound diagnostics. Remotely-controlled system for examining patients includes a remote workplace equipped with transceivers and a diagnostic center interconnected by a two-way communication line, wherein the diagnostic center includes a signal converter, a memory device, a monitor and a signal transmitter, characterized in that the diagnostic center and remote workstation are equipped with multifunctional control units, manipulator equipped with a microcontroller is used in a remote workplace, the manipulator is a rectangular frame that is commensurate with the patient's couch and located above it, mounted horizontally on four vertical supports, each of which is height-adjustable, the sides of the frame, located along the couch, serve as rails for the longitudinal movement of the frame perpendicular to the longitudinal sides of the frame provided with stepper rod motors, with the carriage placed thereon with the sensor of the ultrasonic scanner attached thereto with the possibility of movement thereof in three planes with the help of the stepper motor, with which the carriage is provided.EFFECT: invention allows for the remote examination of the patient in case of impossibility of the presence of a doctor at the site of examination or delivery of the patient to the doctor.1 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to medical equipment, namely to ultrasonic diagnostic tools and allows for remote examination of the patient in case of impossibility of the presence of a doctor at the place of examination or delivery of the patient to the doctor.

A known system for remote diagnosis of the state of the fetus, presented in the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2386389 according to class. A61B 5/02, z. March 14, 2008, op. 04/20/2010 r.

A system for remote diagnostics of the fetal condition, containing sensitive elements configured to perceive the tissue response and transmit it to a controller, including a processor for processing tissue responses and comparing the results, and an information display unit, characterized in that the sensitive elements are made in the form of tactile sensors, each of which consists of at least one elastic chamber filled with a pressure-sensitive medium connected to a corresponding pressure sensor, Other chambers are included in an elastic band fixed on the surface of the patient's anterior abdominal wall, with the formation of sensitive surfaces from the side of the body, the processor is configured to record in real time the force applied to each camera from the sensitive surface and to form an image of the distribution of forces over the elastic chambers on the information display unit, and the ultrasound Doppler sensor of the fetal cardiovascular activity is connected to the controller, while the controller en to transmit information via a wire connection to a remote computer or through the module.

A disadvantage of the known system is its limited functionality, because the sensors used are intended only to study the condition of the fetus. At the same time, the sensors do not move here - they are fixed on an elastic tape on the body of a pregnant patient.

A known device for ultrasonic diagnostics, presented in p. RF No. 2424769 "Device for remote ultrasound diagnostics according to class. A61B 8/00, June 3, 2009, op. 07/27/2011 and selected as a prototype.

The known device contains interconnected command line communications remote workstation and a diagnostic center. The remote workstation includes a serially connected ultrasonic sensor, a channel commutator, a unit for generating spatial acoustic channels, a receiver, an analog-to-digital converter, a data packet generator and a data packet transmitter, as well as a scan unit, a generator, a clock generator, and a first command-line transceiver. The diagnostic center includes a serially connected data packet receiver, a data packet disassembling unit, a coordinate transformer, a memory device and a monitor, as well as a second command line transceiver connected to the first command line transceiver. The data packet transmitter is connected to the data packet receiver, the second input of the spatial acoustic channel generation unit is connected to the first output of the generator, the first input of the clock generator and the input of the scan unit, whose output is connected to the third input of the spatial acoustic channel generation unit and to the second input of the data packet generator, the second output of the generator is connected to the second input of the ADC; the second output of the data packet disassembling unit is connected to the second input of the coordinate converter. The use of the invention allows for ultrasound testing in a remote mode.

A disadvantage of the known device is that for conducting a remote examination in a remote workplace, it is necessary to have a sufficiently experienced specialist and that the doctor in the diagnostic center cannot move the sensor at a remote location on the patient’s body, which reduces the effectiveness of remote diagnostics. In addition, the device has a very complex, somewhat outdated structurally design of the ultrasonic sensor.

The objective is to increase the efficiency of remote diagnostics by enabling a highly qualified specialist to conduct an examination of a patient located in a remote area, using the equipment available at the place of examination of the patient.

The problem is solved in that in a remotely controlled patient examination system, which includes a remote workstation equipped with transceivers and a diagnostic center, interconnected by a two-way communication line, while the remote workstation also contains an ultrasonic sensor, a sensor signal conversion unit, and a diagnostic the center includes a signal converter, a storage device, a monitor and a signal transmitter, ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION, a diagnostic center and remote operation its place equipped with multifunction control units, as

a sensor with a signal converter in a remote workplace, an ultrasound scanner is used, the sensor of which is mounted in a manipulator equipped with a microcontroller and representing a rectangular frame proportional to the patient bed and located above it, mounted horizontally on four vertical supports, each of which is adjustable for height , the sides of the frame located along the couch, serve as rails for longitudinal movement located perpendicular to the longitudinal with Oron frame provided with stepper motors rod, which is placed on the carriage with the sensor holder attached thereto with possibility of its motion in three planes using a stepper motor, which is provided with a carriage.

Equipping the diagnostic center and the remote workstation with multifunctional control units together using an ultrasound scanner, the sensor of which is mounted in a manipulator equipped with a microcontroller and made in the form of a rectangular frame with height-adjustable supports and sides serving as rails for lateral movement along the frame equipped with stepper motors rods with a carriage placed on it with a sensor holder having the ability to move in three planes through By using the multifunctional control units, a stepper motor mounted on it allows you to transmit commands from the diagnostic center to use the manipulator to examine the patient at a remote workstation as the specialist of the diagnostic center considers it necessary, and to receive the results of the examination in a remote workplace, which makes it possible significantly increase the effectiveness of the survey.

The technical result is an increase in the efficiency of remote diagnostics.

The inventive system has a novelty in comparison with the prototype, differing from it by such significant features as the equipment of the diagnostic center and the remote workstation with multifunction control units, the use of an ultrasonic scanner as an ultrasonic sensor with a signal converter in a remote workstation, its installation in a manipulator equipped with a microcontroller and which is commensurate with the couch for the patient and located above it, a rectangular frame, fixed horizon on four vertical supports, execution of the manipulator frame with the possibility of height adjustment of its supports, using the sides of the frame along the couch as rails for longitudinal movement of a rod equipped with stepper motors located perpendicular to the longitudinal sides of the frame, on which a carriage with a sensor holder is placed, attached to it with the possibility of its movement in three planes by means of a stepper motor attached to it, providing in the aggregate the possibility of servicing dovaniya patient at a remote workplace highly specialist from the diagnostic center, which improves the efficiency of remote diagnostics.

The applicant is not aware of technical solutions having the indicated distinguishing features, which together ensure the achievement of a given result, therefore he believes that the claimed system meets the criterion of "inventive step".

The inventive system of remote examination of patients can be widely used in practical medicine and therefore meets the criterion of "industrial applicability".

The invention is illustrated by drawings, which are presented in:

- FIG. 1 - equipment of a remote workplace;

- FIG. 2 - equipment of the diagnostic center.

The inventive system comprises a diagnostic center 1 and a remote workstation 2, which are equipped with multifunctional control units 3 and 4, respectively. At the same time, the remote workstation 2 (Fig. 1) contains an ultrasound scanner 5, the sensor of which is installed in the manipulator 6, equipped with a microcontroller 7. The manipulator 6 is proportional to the patient’s couch 8 and located above it is a rectangular frame 9 mounted horizontally on four vertical supports 101-4, each of which is configured to adjust the height. The lateral sides of the frame 9, located along the couch 8, serve as rails for the longitudinal movement of the rod 11, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal sides of the frame 9, equipped with stepper motors (not shown), on the rod 11 there is a carriage 12 with a sensor 13 of an ultrasound scanner 5 attached to it with the possibility of its movement in three planes. There is also a personal computer 14. Functions of multifunction unit 4 in a remote workstation 2:

- the implementation of the translation of ultrasound images in real time from the ultrasound scanner 5 to the multifunction unit 3 in the diagnostic center 1;

- control of the manipulator 6 according to the commands received from the multifunction unit 3 for the manipulator 6.

The function of the manipulator 6 is the movement of the sensor 13 of the ultrasound scanner 5 along a predetermined path and swinging it at a certain angle.

Diagnostic center 1 (Fig. 2) contains a multifunctional control unit 3 with a joystick 15 and a working computer 16.

The movement of the rod 11 is controlled using a microcontroller 7, which is part of the multifunctional unit 4, by supplying power to the stepper motors. The microcontroller 7 receives control commands remotely from the diagnostic center 1, where a highly qualified consultant physician is located, who exercises control using the multi-function unit 3, using reverse visual control.

The functions of multifunction unit 3 in diagnostic center 1:

- direct communication - transfer from the work computer 16 of the consultant physician of control commands for the multifunction unit 4 of the remote workstation 2 via Internet connection (control commands for block 4), indicating the position of the sensor 13 of the ultrasound scanner 5, its movement and scanning modes;

- feedback - from the multifunctional unit 4, the transmission to the computer 14 in real time of an ultrasound image obtained from the multifunctional unit 3, the state of the ultrasound scanner 5, the manipulator 6.

Remote workstation 2 includes a manipulator 6, which carries out the movement of the sensor 13 and sets its position, a multifunction unit 4, an ultrasound scanner 5, a computer 14, equipped with a video camera, audio system and microphone.

The system operates as follows.

The patient comes for examination to a remote workstation 2 (an outpatient clinic, a health center in a working village, a small town, etc.) and lays down on a couch 8. Above the couch 8 on the frame 9 there is a manipulator 6. To the moving carriage 12 of the manipulator 6 a paramedic or nurse (hereinafter the operator) attaches the sensor 13 of the ultrasound scanner 5.

The operator lowers the carriage movement panel 12 so that the sensor 13 is in contact with the patient’s body, turns on the ultrasound scanner 5. Next, he checks the presence of the image transmitted by the ultrasound scanner 5 and connects the multifunction unit 4 to the scanner 5 via the USB port (not shown in the drawings). Then the operator turns on the multifunction unit 4.

The doctor in the diagnostic center 1 turns on the computer 15, connects the multifunction unit 3 to it and turns it on. Between blocks 4 and 3 via a communication line (for example, via the Internet), a connection is established between them (a communication line is not shown in the drawings). On the multifunctional unit 3, a remote control is installed on which there is an analog joystick 16 and buttons 17 1-4. Two buttons 17 specify the movement of the carriage 12 to the right and left along the bar 11 (across the patient’s body). The other two buttons 17 control the movement of the bar 11 back and forth along the rails on the long sides of the frame 9 located along the couch 8 (i.e. along the patient’s body). Using the analog joystick 16, the doctor sets the wobble of the sensor 13 of the ultrasound scanner 5 within 100 degrees. Thus, the doctor uses the multifunctional unit 3 as a control panel for the manipulator 6 in the remote workplace 2. The multifunctional unit 4 receives control commands via the Internet wireless communication. Bluetooth controls the movement of the carriage 12 of the manipulator 6. The carriage 12 moves along the rod 11 from left to right and from right to left. The rod 11 is located across the patient’s torso and moves along two rails on the sides of the frame 9, located along the couch 8. On the carriage 12 there is a stepper motor (not shown in the drawings), which swings the sensor 13 within 100 degrees.

The doctor in the diagnostic center 1, moving the ultrasound scanner 5 in the remote workplace 2 with the help of a manipulator 6 over the patient’s body, observes signals on the patient’s computer monitor 15 that indicate the condition of the patient, registers them in the computer’s storage device and makes a diagnosis that tells the patient that operator in a remote workplace 2.

The system allows a highly qualified doctor from the diagnostic center 1 to conduct a remote examination of a patient located in a remote workplace 2 by directly monitoring the movement of the sensor 13 of the ultrasound scanner 5, which makes it possible to use this system in the most remote corners of the country, increasing the efficiency of patient diagnosis simple system diagram.

In comparison with the prototype of the inventive remote-controlled patient examination system is more efficient and simple.

Claims (1)

A remote-controlled patient examination system, including a remote workstation equipped with transceivers and a diagnostic center, interconnected by a two-way communication line, the diagnostic center includes a signal converter, a storage device, a monitor and a signal transmitter, characterized in that the diagnostic center and the remote workstation are equipped with multifunction control units, a manipulator equipped with a microcontroller is used in the remote workplace representing a rectangular frame commensurate with the patient’s couch and located above it, mounted horizontally on four vertical supports, each of which is adjustable for height, the sides of the frame located along the couch serve as rails for longitudinal movement located perpendicular to the longitudinal sides of the frame equipped with step rod motors, on which a carriage with an ultrasound scanner sensor is attached, attached to it with the possibility of its movement in x planes using the stepper motor that the carriage is equipped with.

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