Surgery – Truss – Pad
Patent
1990-06-11
1994-05-24
Cohen, Lee S.
Surgery
Truss
Pad
381 71, 381 94, 324318, A61B 5055
Patent
active
053139453
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an active sound attenuation system for patients undergoing diagnosis in equipment which inherently produces undesirable sounds. The preferred embodiments of the invention described herein are related to such an active sound attenuation system for use with magnetic resonance imaging equipment.
2. Description of the Background Art
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment utilizes a large magnet in which the patient lies prone while the magnet is activated to create a magnetic field. A radio signal is used to disorganize the nuclei of hydrogen molecules within the area being scanned. When the radio signal concludes, an MRI computer measures the fraction of a second that elapses before molecules re-orient themselves. Although this procedure is relatively safe and painless, the MRI magnet arrangement inherently generates disturbing undesirable noises.
Prior art arrangements have used music piped in to the patient to "mask" the generated noise. U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,952 to Taylor describes such a noise masking arrangement. Also, so-called passive noise attenuating systems such as ear plugs, noise insulation, and the like have been utilized. However, due to the very confining area that the patient must remain within for a relatively extended period of time, the inherent noises of the magnetic resonance imaging equipment can be quite disturbing, especially to patients with claustrophobic tendencies and/or patients that are ill.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a sound attenuation or counternoise system that will actively cancel the noises generated during the diagnostic process. Another object of the invention is to construct a counternoise system that will not interfere with the operation of the diagnostic equipment.
The present invention achieves the above-mentioned and other objects by providing an active noise cancellation system which produces counternoise waves to cancel the disturbing, undesirable noise waves in the hearing area of the patient while the patient is in the diagnostic equipment. In especially preferred embodiments of the invention, the cancelling sound applied to the area of the patient to cancel the undesirable noise is supplied by non-magnetic lines, preferably pneumatic tubes or the like. Also, to detect the undesirable noise so as to process the same and generate the proper counternoise wave pattern, non-magnetic lines in the form of hollow tubes filled with a sound propagating medium are utilized.
In especially preferred embodiments, headsets are provided which fit over the patients ears and define a small space where the undesirable noise is detected and the counternoise is generated. Prior art arrangements such as disclosed in the above noted Taylor U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,952 utilize hollow tubes filled with sound propagating medium for piping in music or the like. According to the invention, similar tubes can also be used to communicate the counternoise wave patterns from a counternoise processing unit and counternoise wave generator or speaker disposed remote from the diagnostic equipment. Hollow tubes filled with sound propagating medium are also provided for communicating the undesirable noise to be cancelled to the processing unit. The undesirable noise detection tubes need only be spaced a small distance away from the counternoise speaker tubes so as to provide a reliable signal to the counter noise processing unit.
A microprocessor controller is provided at a remote location for processing the undesirable noise signal supplied through the noise detection tubes and for generating a corresponding counternoise signal and driving a speaker that generates counternoise waves which are then supplied as noise cancelling waves via the counternoise tubes.
In certain preferred embodiments, rather than a headset, the fittings for the noise detection tubes and the counternoise tubes are fixedly arranged in the diagnostic equipment at a position adjacent the posit
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Cohen Lee S.
Hiney James W.
Noise Cancellation Technologies, Inc.
Pfaffle Krista M.
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