Siemens Healthineers

Hardware development for CT test automation

Task and project scope

When examining patients using CT scans, potential hazards must be identified and intercepted or mitigated using suitable measures. One specific measure is that scans can only be triggered and the patient couch moved via a separate control panel.

The control panels were made tamper-proof by protection modules and could no longer be controlled by software in the autotest. This hurdle was overcome by developing hardware to control the control panel, thus ensuring functionality in the autotest. Further development of this hardware also enables the CT systems in the test laboratory to be switched on and off automatically. This is currently also used for sustainable use of the systems. At times when they are not required for manual or automated tests, they are automatically switched off or switched on again in good time. This saves a huge amount of energy, especially at night or at the weekend.

Facts & Figures

Special challenge

The computer tomographs have additional input interfaces such as: control panels, buttons, switches; which must be used during the auto tests. These input interfaces require special solutions in the form of dedicated hardware for control. On the one hand, this hardware must provide simple and clear interfaces and, on the other, it must not interfere with the SUT, or do so in a minimally invasive manner. These interfaces are used by various test levels and therefore parties: Firmware Tests / Subsystem Level Test / System Integration Tests / System Stability Tests / Performance Tests / System Verification Tests / ... and must therefore be generally understandable. The controlled interfaces are:

the Control Box / Control Device (movement of the patient table, activation of the laser projection, triggering of X-rays)
the Remote Control Gantry Panel Button (movement of the scanning unit in 2 speed levels, activation of the laser projection, triggering of X-rays)
the On/Off button (switching the entire system on and off)
the switchable socket (for switching between mains and battery operation for mobile computed tomography devices)

This control hardware was and is developed, maintained, expanded and constantly kept up to date by sepp.med. The computing and control unit used here is the "Raspberry Pi" single-board computer.

Siemens Healthineers

Engineering and further development of hardware for controlling computer tomographs in test automation

Task and project scope

Facts & Figures

Facts & Figures

Tasks

Special challenge

Regulatory requirements

Technical environment

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