Application development system for a medical imaging system

Abstract

A workstation is programmed to operate as an application development system for a medical imaging system. Objects programmed in an object-oriented language are selected from a component library using a visual component assembler which enables them to be dragged from a framework area on a display to a workspace area. Properties of selected components may be edited, and the resulting collection of components may be saved as an application program.

1 . An application development system for a medical imaging system, which comprises: 
 a component library for storing components written in an object-oriented programming language, each component containing executable code and data related to controlling operation of a medical imaging system; and    a visual component assembler for displaying in a framework area components in the component library and enabling a user to select components in the framework area and assemble them in a workspace area, and the visual component assembler being operable to persist components in the work area to form an application program that defines an operation of the medical imaging system.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1  in which the visual component assembler also displays a properties area and enables a user to select a component in the framework area and display a set of properties associated with the selected component in the properties area.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1  in which the persistence is performed by serializing components in the framework area.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3  in which the serializing includes storing a hierarchical relationship between application components and storing their properties.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 2  which includes a property editor which enables a user to change the properties displayed in the properties area.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 5  in which one of the properties displayed in the properties area invokes a visual representation of the component, and the system includes means for displaying the visual representation.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 6  in which the visual representation is a waveform and the means is a waveform plotter.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7  which includes a display having a screen on which the framework area, the workspace area and the properties area are displayed.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 8  in which the waveform plotter produces a window on the display screen in which the waveform appears.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 7  in which the property editor is operable to change the visual representation automatically when another property is changed.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1  in which the object-oriented programming language is Java™.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 3  in which the means for persisting employs a Java™ object serialization mechanism.  
   
   
       13 . A system for producing an application program for a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system, which comprises: 
 a memory for storing a library comprising components written in an object-oriented programming language, each component containing executable code and data related to controlling operation of a medical imaging system;    a workstation having a display, an input device and a processor programmed to perform application development functions, the application development program including:    a visual component assembler for displaying in a framework area on the display icons representing components in the component library and responsive to directions from a user entered through the input device to select components and assemble icons representative of the selected components in a workspace area displayed on the display; and    persisting the selected components to form an application program hat establishes particulars of an MR scan.    
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13  in which the persistence is performed using a serialization mechanism which stores the application program.  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 13  in which the visual component assembler also displays a properties area on the display and it enables a user to select a component and display properties associated with the selected component in the properties area.  
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15  in which the application development program also includes a property editor which enables a user to input data through the input device to change property values displayed in the properties area.  
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16  in which one of the properties displayed in the properties area is a visual representation of the component and the application development program also includes a waveform plotter for displaying the visual representation.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17  in which the waveform plotter produces a window on the display in which the visual representation is produced.  
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 17  in which the property editor is operable to change the visual representation automatically when another property is changed.  
   
   
       20 . A magnetic resonance imaging system comprising: 
 a magnetic assembly including a polarizing magnet, a gradient coil, assembly and an RF coil;    a pulse sequence server coupled to the RF coil and the gradient coil assembly to drive the gradient coils and to the RF coil to perform a magnetic resonance imaging scan; and    a workstation coupled to the pulse sequence server for downloading program elements to the pulse sequence server to drive the RF coil and the gradient coil assembly, the workstation including an object oriented graphical application development system for graphically developing a pulse description and a sequence description to define and control a waveform of control pulses provided on each of the gradient coils and the RF coil, the object oriented graphical application development system including a component library storing graphical object oriented components and a visual assembler for visually assembling the object oriented components to form the pulse sequence, and the pulse sequence server including a program for converting the pulse description and the sequence description developed by the object oriented graphical application development system to hardware dependent programs.    
   
   
       21 . The magnetic resonance imaging system of  claim 20 , wherein the pulse description is at least one of a 2D spin echo, a 2D gradient-echo, a 2D fast spin-echo, and a 3D gradient-echo sequence.  
   
   
       22 . The magnetic resonance imaging system of  claim 20 , wherein the sequence description defines and acquisition order to define at least one a slice and a k-space sampling order.  
   
   
       23 . The magnetic resonance imaging system of  claim 20 , wherein the sequence description defines at least one of a 2D sequential, a 2D interleaved, a 3D sequential, a 3D elliptical centric, and a multi-slice CINE acquisition order.  
   
   
       24 . The magnetic resonance imaging system of  claim 20 , wherein the workstation further provides an acquisition description, a data processing description, and a data store description.  
   
   
       25 . The magnetic resonance imaging system of  claim 20 , wherein the workstation further comprises a waveform plotter for graphically displaying a pulse sequence.  
   
   
       26 . The magnetic resonance imaging system of  claim 20 , wherein the pulse description and the sequence description are provided in an application controller downloadable to the pulse sequence server.  
   
   
       27 . The magnetic resonance imaging system of  claim 24 , wherein the acquisition description includes a set of components for prescribing the real-time processing NMR signals.  
   
   
       28 . The magnetic resonance imaging system of  claim 20 , wherein the object oriented graphical application development system is a JAVA-based system, and the hardware-dependent programs are C-based programs.  
   
   
       29 . The magnetic resonance imaging system of  claim 28 , wherein the C-based program is a C++ program.