WO2007132392A2

WO2007132392A2 - Automated ultrasound system fault reporting to a remote location

Info

Publication number: WO2007132392A2
Application number: PCT/IB2007/051669
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Gauthier; Raphael Goyran
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2006-05-09
Filing date: 2007-05-03
Publication date: 2007-11-22
Also published as: WO2007132392A3

Abstract

A diagnostic ultrasound system and method are described by which an ultrasound system automatically logs system error conditions upon the occurrence of a system fault and reports error log data to a service center. This is done through an onboard data communications system that automatically sends error logs to a service center and/or the system manufacturer without the need for operator intervention. The error logs are promptly received, sorted and assigned to personnel who can diagnose and resolve the fault conditions. A complete log of system error can assist ultrasound system designers in the design of error-free future products.

Description

AUTOMATED ULTRASOUND SYSTEM FAULT REPORTING TO A REMOTE LOCATION

This invention relates to medical diagnostic ultrasound systems and, in particular, to ultrasound systems which are capable of automatically reporting fault conditions to a remote service center.

Ultrasonic diagnostic systems are complex, highly computerized instruments which perform a variety of precise and sophisticated functions. As is the case with most software intensive electronic instruments, errors in data processing and control can occasionally occur. Sometimes these errors are entirely internal and transparent to the user. A momentary malfunction can occur which is quickly- resolved by the ultrasound system with no user intervention. At other times, user intervention is required. For instance, the system may notify the user to repeat the previous function or data entry. In less common occurrences a severe fault condition may occur, requiring the user to reboot the system or refrain from system use until a repair has been made. Generally such faults can be resolved by reloading software but hardware malfunctions can also occur. Consequently, manufacturers have gone to great lengths to enable ultrasound systems to be self- diagnostic and to log error conditions quickly and in detail so that the condition can be analyzed and diagnosed by service personnel. See, for example, US patents 6,865,512 and 6,882,271 and US patent application publication 2004/0153862.

Typically, when a fault condition occurs in an ultrasound system, the ultrasound system will automatically create and save an error log file. The error log file will contain a great deal of information about the condition and the state of the ultrasound system at the time the error occurred. This information can include the date and time of the error, a code identifying the type of error, and the sequence of events leading up to and in process at the time of the error, such as the controls manipulated by the user just prior to the error occurrence. If the error condition is not automatically resolved by the ultrasound system or by the user, a serviceperson will be summoned. The serviceperson will read out the error log file and try to diagnose and repair the condition from the error log information. If that is not successful the serviceperson will download the error log file onto a service computer for transmission to a service center where highly specialized experts can diagnose the problem. At times it may Joe necessary to copy one or more large error logs, which is generally done by copying the files onto a DVD disk or other media, which is then sent to the service center. The specialists at the service center will try to reproduce the error condition and then diagnose and effect a repair which is conveyed to the serviceperson for implementation. The difficulties inherent in such a repair scenario are many. It may take a considerable amount of time to transmit the log files to the service center and for the log data to be diagnosed by the appropriate specialist, particularly when the affected system is located on the far side of the globe. Involving service personnel at the customer site requires time and the expense of the time and training of these personnel. Moreover, this error reporting system generally results in the reporting of only very significant error conditions. Minor errors, which can be helpful to an ultrasound system manufacturer in designing future, more reliable instruments, will usually go unreported. See, e.g., US patent [application serial number 60/679,639, filed May 10, 2005.] Accordingly it is desirable to have a more efficient way to report ultrasound system error conditions to the system manufacturer or a service center, and to report a majority, if not all, error conditions for guidance in future system design.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a diagnostic ultrasound system and method are described by which an ultrasound system automatically logs system error conditions and reports error data to a service center. This is done through an onboard data communications system that automatically sends error logs to a service center and/or the system manufacturer without the need for operator intervention. The error logs are promptly received and preferably sorted and quickly assigned to personnel who can diagnose and resolve the fault conditions .

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 illustrates in block diagram form an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the communications protocols of an ultrasound system constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 3 is a flowchart illustrating an error log reporting sequence of the present invention. Referring first to FIGURE 1, an ultrasound system 10 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown in block diagram form. The ultrasound image acquisition, processing and display path of the ultrasound system 10 starts with an array probe 12 having an array of transducer elements 14. The transducer array transmits ultrasonic waves under control of a beamformer 16 and receives echo signals from the subject being imaged which are converted to electrical signals. The signals received by the individual elements of the array are appropriately delayed and combined by the beamformer 16 to form coherent echo signals. The echo signals may then undergo specific processing for the type of information acquired and to be displayed such as detection, filtering, Doppler processing, harmonic signal separation, and the like. This processing is performed by a signal processor 22. The processed signals are formed into an image of a desired display format by an image processor 24 and the processed images are displayed on an image display 20. The images may be stored in an image store 26 for further processing and review or later display.

The functioning of the processes of the image acquisition, processing and display path is controlled and coordinated by a system controller 30 which is coupled to the elements of the signal path. The system controller responds to commands from a user which can be input by a graphical user interface on a display or from a control panel 32 or voice recognition system. The system controller runs an operating system 31 which performs functions involving the user interface and the display 20. In accordance with the principles of the present invention the operating system can also run a system diagnostic and error handler software package 34. The system diagnostic and error handler software is generally stored on a disk drive or other storage medium of the ultrasound system. The operating system 31 is coupled to a network adapter 36 by which the ultrasound system communicates over a network 40. The network adapter comprises hardware and software by which the ultrasound system 10 can communicate over the network 40, formats for which include Ethernet, FDDI, PPP, token-ring, FTP, IEEE 802.11, I²C and others. Generally the network adapter will be in the form of a network interface card (NIC) or a modem card. When the ultrasound system is connected to the network 40 it can communicate with other devices on the network, examples of which include hospital information/radiology information systems (HIS/RIS) 42, picture archival and communication systems (PACS) 44, and workstation terminals 46. The communications protocols of a typical network adapter are shown in detail in FIGURE 2.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention error logs captured and saved by the system diagnostic and error handler 34 are automatically communicated over the network 40 by the operating system and network adapter shortly after the occurrence of a fault condition, where they are received by a service center 46 for immediate identification and diagnosis. A typical scenario by which this occurs is shown in FIGURE 3. When an error occurs as indicated at 102, the operating system immediately alerts the error handler to the condition at 104. The system diagnostics are invoked to try to resolve the error condition immediately but if that cannot be done transparently to the user and the normal system operation, the user is notified at 106 by the display of a banner on the screen of the ultrasound system. The error handler then creates a log file with information concerning the error condition and saves the log file to the ultrasound system harddrive at 108. In a constructed embodiment the log file is formatted in XML and contains information such as the serial number of the ultrasound system, its software version identity, an error code, the date and time of the error the contents of data registers associated with the condition, and the sequence of events leading up to the error condition including user interface events such as keystrokes, trackball manipulation, controls used or in use, and messages between different parts of the hardware. The log file is encrypted for transmission at 120 by encryption software 60 (see FIGURE 2) . The operating system then transmits the encrypted log file to the service center where the error condition can be diagnosed. This can be done by connecting the ultrasound system directly to the Internet by means of an Internet service provider. In a large institution such as a hospital the ultrasound system will generally be connected to the hospital's data network, hospital information system, or PACS (picture archive and communication system) , which will generally have a port for external data transmission. These institutions will usually prefer that these communications be made through the institution' s data network for reasons of system and data security and patient data privacy. Communication protocols are used to effect data packet transmission and the transmitting site logs into the service center computer at 124. The transmitting site is authenticated by the service center computer at 126 and the log file packets are sent to the service center at 128. The received log file is sorted from among the data received at the service center at 130 and an issue is created for the error incident at 132 by the service center' s issue management system. From a review of the error code and other information in the log file, the issue is assigned to a software engineer, preferably to one with expertise in the affected area of the ultrasound system and most preferably to the software engineer who actually wrote the software code which was being executed at the time of the incident. The software engineer can perform a manual or automated comparison of the instant error incident with other errors, looking for related issues that might indicate a solution to the problem. If none is found the software engineer can try to replicate the problem on an ultrasound system or system software at the service center. When the error is replicated at the service center, its cause can be determined and a solution sent to the ultrasound system or to a serviceperson who- can implement the repair. In this scenario ultrasound system problems are relayed immediately to a service center where the problem can be diagnosed and remedied, and repair instructions promptly implemented to return the ultrasound system to productive operation. In one implementation only errors above a predetermined level of severity are sent to the service center. These would generally be problems which interrupt the regular diagnostic functioning of the ultrasound system. Preferably, however, the logs of all errors alerted to the error handler are sent to the service center, including errors which are completely transparent to the ultrasound system operator. Minor errors can give advance warning of the development of more problematic conditions, which can be averted by prompt response and remedy of the minor error conditions. Furthermore, when the service center is operated by the ultrasound system manufacturer, all of the error conditions can be tabulated and analyzed by the design engineers of the ultrasound system manufacturer. In this way future system upgrades and new system designs can be produced which avoid many error conditions at the outset .

FIGURE 2 is a more detailed block diagram of the ultrasound system of FIGURE 1 showing greater detail of exemplary communication protocols which may be employed to transmit error logs to the service center. At the top of the drawing is the ultrasound signal path of system, including the probe 12 with its array transducer 12, the beamformer 16 which provides steering and focusing of transmit beams and processes echo signals received by the elements of the array transducer to form coherent echo signals, the ultrasound signal processor 22, the image processor 24, and the display 20 on which the ultrasound image and data are displayed. The operation of these components is coordinated by the system controller 30. The operation of the ultrasound system is directed by operator controls 32 coupled to the system controller. The system controller 30 can store images and diagnostic reports produced by the ultrasound system on storage device 26.

The operating system 31 executes encryption software (ENCR. ) which encrypts the error logs provided by the system diagnostic and error handler 34. The operating system also runs communication software to send the error logs to the service center, such as that illustrated by protocol stack 62. The error log data may be compressed before transmission using a compression protocol such as MP- MLQ or ACELP, Standard ITU-T G.723.1. The error log data is packetized and sent from the host ultrasound system over the network 40. This may be done directly from one endpoint to another, e.g., from the ultrasound system directly to a nearby service location, but generally the packet traffic is mediated by a gatekeeper such as a router on the hospital's data network which manages data traffic by performing duties such as translating IP addresses of the endpoint devices, granting or denying access, call signaling to connect the transmission, authorization, bandwidth management and communication management. The error log data packets may be directed by multiple gatekeepers before reaching the destination device at the service center. At the receiving device the packet data is unpacked in accordance with instructions provided by the packet protocols and reassembled to reproduce the error log file in its original state.

The illustrated protocol stack 62 is typical for communication over a TCP/IP network. Other protocols may alternatively be used. At the bottom of the stack is the physical layer which performs connection services and signal conversion for the data link layer above. The data link layer in this embodiment is an Ethernet protocol layer. The network layer is the IP protocol so that the voice packets can share the communication medium with other IP service packets including image communication between the ultrasound system and the hospital's PACS system and other communication devices. At the next layer is the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for data packets while the associated control and signaling packets use the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) as the transport protocol. At the top of the stack are the data transfer protocols, the HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) and the File Transport Protocol (FTP) . If it is desirable to facilitate the ability to immediately send error logs and/or repair software when such is available, RTP may be used, a real time transport protocol that carries the error log data packets. The procedure to set up a communication link involves discovering a gatekeeper with which the endpoint can register; registration with the gatekeeper; entering the communication setup phase; capability exchange between the endpoint and the gatekeeper; and establishing the communication. In this example the error log data packets are sent by way of an Ethernet connection 52, although communication may also be delivered and received by other ports such as a modem 54 or a serial port 56. It will be appreciated that the error log information, their types, and frequency can be used by ultrasound system designers of the manufacturer to produce future ultrasound systems which exhibit improved mean times between service events (MTBSE) , the hallmark of instrumentation reliability and customer satisfaction.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system which automatically reports error conditions to a remote location comprising: an ultrasound signal processing path; a display coupled to the signal processing path; a system controller coupled to the signal processing path which acts to control the operation of the signal processing path; an error handler, responsive to the occurrence of errors in at least one of the controller or the signal processing path; and a data transmitter, coupled to an external data network and responsive to the identification of an error by the error handler, which acts to transmit data concerning the error to a remote location.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of Claim 1, wherein the error handler is further responsive to the occurrence of an error to produce an error log file, wherein the data transmitter acts to transmit the error log file to the remote location.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of Claim 2, wherein the remote location further comprises a remotely located service center.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of Claim 3, wherein the remotely located service center comprises an ultrasound system manufacturer facility, wherein a transmitted error log file is sorted for analysis by the facility.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of Claim 1,^' wherein the error handler is further responsive to the occurrence of errors to produce an error log for errors above a given severity level, wherein the error logs above a given severity level are transmitted to the remote location.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of Claim 1, wherein the error handler is further responsive to the occurrence of errors to produce an error log for all errors detected by the error handler, wherein all error. logs are transmitted to the remote location.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of Claim 1, wherein the data concerning the error comprises information about the state of the ultrasound system at the time of occurrence of the error.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of Claim 7, wherein the data concerning the error further comprises user interface events which occurred immediately prior to the occurrence of the error condition.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of Claim 1, further comprising encryption software which acts to encrypt data concerning an error prior to its transmission to a remote site.

10. A method for providing information about a fault condition of an ultrasound system to a remote location which can respond to the fault condition comprising: connecting an ultrasound system to a network which can communicate data to the remote location; operating the ultrasound system; responding to the occurrence of a fault condition of the ultrasound system by producing an error log file; and automatically transmitting the error log file from the ultrasound system to the remote location.

11. The method of Claim 10, further comprising alerting the operator of the ultrasound system to the occurrence of the fault by means of a display of the ultrasound system.

12. The method of Claim 10, wherein automatically transmitting further comprises transmitting error log files for errors above a given severity level to the remote location.

13. The method of Claim 10, wherein automatically transmitting further comprises transmitting all error log files to the remote location.

14. The method of Claim 10, further comprising responding to the receipt of an error log file at the remote location by sorting the error log file for analysis .

15. The method of Claim 10, further comprising responding to the receipt of an error log file at the remote location by creating an issue for the error; and assigning the issue to technical personnel for resolution.

16. The method of Claim 15, wherein the fault condition involves a software problem; and wherein assigning the issue to technical personnel for resolution comprises assigning the issue to personnel familiar with software involved in the fault condition.

17. The method of Claim 10, further comprising responding to the receipt of an error log file at the remote location by creating an issue for the error; and comparing the issue to other issues to search for related issues.

18. The method of Claim 10, wherein producing an error log file further comprises creating a file of system data relating to the time of occurrence of the fault condition.

19. The method of Claim 18, wherein producing an error log file further comprises creating a file including user interface events immediately preceding the occurrence of the fault condition.