Medical imaging device having a movable patient couch and a touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface for controlling the movable patient couch, and method for operating a medical imaging device
A medical imaging device, such as a computed tomography device and/or a magnetic resonance device, includes at least one movable component. The at least one movable component can include a patient couch, and the medical image device can further include an operating device for controlling the operation of the at least one component. The operating device can include a touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface (e.g. touchscreen display) having at least one touch sensor and at least one force sensor that measure the strength of a touch.
1. A medical imaging device, comprising:
a movable patient couch;
a controller; and
an operating interface assigned to the controller and configured to control an operation of the movable patient couch, wherein the operating interface includes a touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface having at least one touch sensor and at least one force sensor configured to measure a strength of a touch.
2. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the operating interface comprises a controller associated with the at least one touch sensor and the at least one force sensor; and/or
the controller is configured to detect at least one possible operating action related to a movement of the movable patient couch in response to:
touch position data being within a tolerance range of matching touch position data of the at least one touch sensor and the at least one force sensor, the at least one force sensor being further configured for touch position measurements, and/or
a minimum touch force and/or a minimum touch duration being exceeded.
3. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface comprises a plurality of force sensors installed at different positions, the plurality of force sensors being configured to measure forces for force-sensor-side touch position measurements, and wherein the controller and/or the controller associated with the plurality of force sensors are configured to evaluate the measured forces to establish a touch position and a touch force.
4. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to:
step-less adapt a control parameter assigned to at least one operating action as a function of the touch force measured for the at least one operating action, and/or
distinguish operating actions based on a touch force and/or a touch duration to recognize a double touch taking place within a period of time as an operating action corresponding to a switching of a mode of operation.
5. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to evaluate a course of a touch force over time to detect an operating action.
6. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to detect, based on a touch force exceeding a force threshold value, an emergency operating action including an emergency movement stop, and wherein the touch force exceeding the force threshold value includes a pulse type course of a touch force having an increase exceeding an increase threshold value and/or a time falling below a time threshold value.
7. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to, on a detection of at least one first operating action, depending on a touch position of the at least one first operating action, define at least two operating areas of an of an operating surface of the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface, in which second operating actions assigned to different functionalities are detectable.
8. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein at least two opposite operating areas, of the at least two operating areas, relating to the touch position of the at least one first operating action are assigned to an activation of different directions of a movement and/or directions of an adjustment of the movable patient couch by the controller, wherein a touch force of a second operating action provided for moving the movable patient couch is evaluatable by the controller to establish a speed of a movement and/or a speed of an adjustment of the movable patient couch.
9. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to evaluate a direction of a drag starting from the touch position after the at least one first operating action to select an operating area.
10. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to activate a display of the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface to display information describing the at least two operating areas.
11. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the operating interface further comprises at least one acoustic output, a haptic output, and/or an optical display assigned to the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface to acknowledge and/or display at least one operating action.
12. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the optical display is assigned to the movable patient couch and is arranged remotely from the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface in a field of vision of a user of the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface.
13. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface comprises a touchscreen display.
14. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the medical imaging device is a computed tomography device, the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface being arranged on a gantry; or
the medical imaging device is a magnetic resonance device, the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive interface being arranged adjacent to a patient receiving area on a main magnet unit.
15. The medical imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an actuator that is configured to move the movable patient couch.
16. A method for operating a medical imaging device having a movable component and a touch-sensitive and force-sensitive touchscreen display configured to control an operation of the movable component, the method comprising:
measuring, using at least one touch sensor and at least one force sensor of the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive touchscreen display, a strength of a touch input on the touch-sensitive and force-sensitive touchscreen display; and
controlling a movement of the movable component based on the measuring.
17. The method as claimed in 16 , wherein the movable component is a patient couch, a light, an imaging device, or an air conditioner.
18. The method as claimed in 16 , wherein the medical imaging device is a computed tomography device and/or a magnetic resonance device.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable computer program stored thereon, that when executed, instructs a processor to perform the method of claim 16 .