JPH0541687Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the invention] A. Industrial application field This invention is applicable to nuclear magnetic resonance tomography
It relates to communication devices used in medical testing equipment such as CT devices.

B. Prior Art Conventionally, in this type of communication device, microphones and cords that cause imaging artifacts and induced noise cannot be inserted into the gantry of the inspection equipment, and for this reason, communication devices using a communication tube have been used. has been proposed (Patent Application No. 63-39193).

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of a communication device used in a nuclear magnetic resonance tomography apparatus as a medical testing device.

A communication tube 4 made of resin is attached to a support base 24 provided on a top plate 14 on which a subject M is placed and moves horizontally within the gantry 1. A funnel-shaped sound collector 3 is provided at the end of the speaking tube 4, and the speaking tube 4 is maintained in a bent position so that the sound collector 3 is located at the mouth of the subject M. . Moreover, the communication pipe 4 is connected by a flexible resin communication hose 23.
It is communicatively connected to a microphone 15 provided outside the gantry 1.

According to such a communication device, even when the top plate 14 is moved, the communication hose 23 is guided by a guide mechanism (not shown) and bends to follow the movement of the top plate 14. Regardless of the movement of the subject M, it is possible to communicate with the operator outside the gantry 1.

C. Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the above-mentioned conventional device has the following problems.

Since the communication hose 23 that guides the sound of the subject M to the microphone is configured to follow the movement of the top plate 14 (specifically, about 2 m movement), it is necessary to make the communication hose 23 long. Furthermore, when the top plate 14 is moved to the back of the gantry 1, the diameter of the communication hose 23 needs to be reduced because the communication hose 23 is bent and stored in a limited space. . Therefore, there is a problem in that the voice of the subject M becomes muffled within the communication hose 23, making it difficult for the operator to hear.

Further, it is troublesome to provide a guide mechanism for smoothly bending and extending the communication hose 23.

This invention was made in view of these circumstances, and it is a communication device for medical testing equipment that does not require the above-mentioned guidance mechanism and can clearly hear the voice of the subject. is intended to provide.

D. Means for Solving the Problems This invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object.

That is, in the communication device for medical testing equipment according to this invention, a sound collector for collecting the sound of the subject is attached to the tip side of a movable top plate that moves back and forth into the testing equipment with the subject placed thereon. A communication tube is installed upright, one end side of a communication tube passing longitudinally through the inside of the movable top plate is connected to the base end of the communication tube, and the other end side of the communication tube is connected to the base end of the communication tube. It is guided to the rear end outside the imaging area and connected to the wireless transmission transmitting means provided at the rear end of the movable top plate, and the audio information from this transmitting means is received to transmit information to the outside of the examination room. The feature is that it includes a receiving means for transmitting the information to the person.

E. Effect According to this invention, the sound of the subject is collected by a sound collector,
The sound is guided outside the imaging area via the communication tube and the communication tube inside the top plate, and is then sent to the transmitting means mounted on the rear end of the top plate, and the transmitting means wirelessly transmits the sound. Then, the subject's voice is transmitted from the receiving means to the operator outside the examination room.

F. Example Hereinafter, an example of this invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of this invention, and shows a nuclear magnetic resonance tomography apparatus (MRI apparatus) as an example of medical testing equipment.

In this figure, the parts indicated by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 according to the conventional example are the same parts, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

A movable top plate 14 is supported on the base 2 so that it can move forward and backward into the gantry 1, and on the movable top plate 14,
A bed 6 is placed on which the subject M lies. A speaking pipe 4 made of resin is attached to the leading end of the bed 6 in the direction of movement, and a funnel-shaped sound collector 3 is attached to the end of the speaking pipe 4. A transmitter 7 and a transmitting antenna 8 as transmitting means are provided at the rear end of the bed 6. , are connected in communication. As this communication pipe 5, a flexible resin hose or a plastic pipe may be used.

A receiving antenna 10 and a receiver 11 for receiving radio waves radiated from the transmitting antenna 8 are attached to the inner wall of the electromagnetic wave shield 9 surrounding the MRI apparatus. It is connected to a speaker 13 provided on the outer wall of the electromagnetic shield 9 via a noise filter 12 for preventing induced noise from entering the examination room. The above receiver 11 and speaker 1
3 corresponds to the receiving means of this invention.

The configurations of the transmitter 7 and receiver 11 described above are shown in the block diagram of FIG.

The transmitter 7 includes a microphone 15 connected to a communication pipe 5 passing through the inside of the bed 6, and an amplifier 1 that amplifies the audio signal wave from the microphone 15.
6, a carrier wave generation source 18 that generates a carrier wave for transmitting an audio signal wave, and a frequency modulation circuit 17 that changes the frequency of the carrier wave according to the amplitude of the audio signal wave, and converts the modulated wave into a radio wave. A transmitting antenna 8 radiating into the air is connected to this. The carrier wave generation source 18 has a frequency that does not induce noise in the MRI apparatus (specifically, approximately
The oscillation circuit that generates a carrier wave with a frequency of 100 MHz or more) and the movable top plate 14 are
A cord lace power source, for example, a DC power source such as a dry battery, is used.

The receiver 11 includes a frequency demodulation circuit 19 that reproduces an audio signal wave from the modulated wave received by the receiving antenna 10, and an amplifier 20 that amplifies the audio signal wave and supplies it to the noise filter 12. .

Note that although a frequency modulation method has been exemplified as a transmission/reception method, an amplitude modulation method may be used instead.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned device will be explained.

After the sound from the subject M is collected by the sound collector 3, it is applied to the microphone 15 via the communication tube 4 and the communication tube 5, and is converted into an audio signal wave.
This is frequency modulated by the frequency modulation circuit 17 and radiated from the transmitting antenna 8 as a radio wave. The radio wave received by the receiving antenna 10 is reproduced as an audio signal by a frequency demodulation circuit 19, and is provided to a speaker 13 via a noise filter 12. Thereby, the voice of the subject M is transmitted to the operator outside the electromagnetic shield 9.

Note that this invention can be modified as follows.

In the above-described embodiment, the voice of the subject M is communicated using radio waves, but the voice signal wave of the subject M may be converted into ultrasonic waves for communication. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the transmitter 7 is provided with an ultrasonic transducer 21 that converts electrical signals into mechanical displacement to generate ultrasonic waves, and the receiver 11 is configured to generate ultrasonic waves. The configuration includes an ultrasonic piezoelectric element 22 that receives mechanical displacement and converts it into an electrical signal. In this way, by performing voice communication using ultrasound, the influence of noise on the MRI apparatus can be further suppressed.

Further, the configuration may include a communication means that uses not only ultrasonic waves but also light.

In this case, the transmitter 7 may be provided with a light emitting element such as a laser diode, and the receiver 11 may be provided with a light receiving element such as a photodiode.

G. Effect of the invention As is clear from the above explanation, the communication device in the medical testing equipment according to this invention receives the sound of the subject guided outside the imaging area by the communication tube provided inside the top plate. Since the transmitting means mounted on the rear end of the top plate is used to wirelessly transmit information to the operator outside the examination room, there is no need to make the communication tube follow the movement of the movable top plate as in the conventional case. Therefore, the communication pipe can be made thicker and shorter than in the conventional example.
Therefore, the voice of the subject is not muffled within the communication tube, and the voice can be easily heard by the operator outside the examination room, which is a relief from the inconvenience.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 3 relate to an embodiment of this invention, with Figure 1 being a front view showing a schematic configuration of a communication device, and Figure 2 being a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transmitter and a receiver. , FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transmitter and a receiver in a modified example. Moreover, FIG. 4 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional device. 3...Sound collector, 4...Communication tube, 5...Communication tube,
7...Transmitter, 8...Transmitting antenna, 10...Receiving antenna, 11...Receiver, 13...Speaker, 14...Movable top plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A communication tube with a sound collector attached to collect the voice of the subject is installed upright on the tip side of a movable top plate on which a subject is placed and moves back and forth into the testing equipment, and a communication tube is installed at the proximal end of the communication tube. One end side of a communication tube that penetrates the inside of the movable top plate in the longitudinal direction is connected for communication, and the other end side of the communication tube is led out to the rear end of the movable top plate outside the photographing area. Medical use, characterized in that it is connected to a transmitting means for wireless transmission provided at the rear end of the top plate, and is provided with a receiving means that receives audio information from the transmitting means and transmits it to an operator outside the examination room. Communication device in inspection equipment.