1. A timepiece comprising:
a reception unit that receives one of a plurality of items of navigation data each included in a respective one of GPS signals transmitted by a like number of GPS satellites;
a timekeeping unit that provides a current time and holds it as internal current time data;
storage that stores identification information indicative of the GPS satellites, from which the respective items of navigation data were received, in corresponding relationship to the correction time data;
an internal current-time determining unit that acquires internal current-time data from the timekeeping unit and determines whether the acquired internal time data matches correction time data stored in the storage;
a GPS satellite selector, responsive to the determining that the acquired internal current time data matches, for selecting a GPS satellite represented by an item of the plurality of items of identification information stored in the storage in corresponding relationship to the corrected time data;
an acquiring unit that causes the reception unit to receive the navigation data from the GPS satellite selected by the GPS satellite selector, and for acquiring GPS time data included in the navigation data;
a correction unit that corrects the internal time data based on the GPS time data acquired by the acquiring unit; and
a storage control unit that stores in the storage identification information indicative of the GPS satellite, from which the navigation data was received by the reception unit, in correspondence to the corrected time data.
2. The timepiece of claim 1, wherein the correction time data involves predetermined time data; and
the internal current time determining unit automatically determines whether the acquired internal current time data matches the correction time data stored in the storage.
3. The timepiece of claim 1, further comprising an operation unit by which a time correction command is given to the timepiece; and wherein:
the internal time determining unit is responsive to a time correction command given by the operation unit to acquire internal current-time data from the timekeeping unit and determines whether the acquired internal time data matches the correction time data stored in the storage.
4. The timepiece of claim 3, further comprising a predetermined period determining unit that determines whether the internal current time is within a predetermined period of time after a correction time indicated by the correction time data stored in the storage; and wherein:
the internal time determining unit is responsive to the determining that the internal time is within the predetermined period of time after a correction time to determine whether the internal time data matches the correction time data.
5. The timepiece of claim 1, wherein the internal time correction unit calculates correcting data based on an intercalary second, the GPS time data acquired by the acquiring unit, the distance between the timepiece and the GPS satellite from which the navigation data was received by the reception unit, and a time required from the acquisition of the GPS signal to correction of the internal current time data, and then corrects the internal current time data with the correcting data.
6. A time correction method comprising the steps of:
acquiring internal current-time data provided by a timekeeping unit, and determining whether the acquired internal time data matches correction time data stored in storage in correspondence to satellite identification data indicative of the GPS satellite from which the GPS signal including navigation data was received;
responsive to the determining that the acquired internal time data matches, selecting a GPS satellite represented by the identification information stored in the storage in corresponding relationship to the correction time data;
receiving the navigation data from the selected GPS satellite, and acquiring GPS time data included in the navigation data;
correcting the internal current time data based on the acquired GPS time data; and
storing in the storage identification information indicative of the GPS satellite, from which the navigation data was received, in correspondence to the correction time data.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the correction time data involves predetermined time data; and
the determining step automatically determines whether the acquired internal time data matches the correction time data stored in the storage.
8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of giving a time correction command; and wherein:
the determining step is responsive to the given time correction command to acquire internal current-time data from the timekeeping unit to determine whether the acquired internal current-time data matches the correction time data stored in the storage.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of determining whether the internal current time is within a predetermined period of time after a correction time indicated by the correction time data stored in the storage; and wherein:
the last-mentioned determining step is responsive to the determining that the internal time is within the predetermined period of time after a correction time to determine whether the internal current time data matches the correction time data.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein the correcting step comprises calculating correcting data based on an intercalary second, the acquired GPS time data, the distance between the timepiece and the GPS satellite from which the navigation data was received, and a time required from the acquisition of the GPS signal to correction of the internal current time data, and then correcting the internal current time data with the correcting data.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for operating a magnetic resonance system comprising the steps of:
in a control device that operates a magnetic resonance system to acquire image data from an examination subject representing a diagnostic image of the subject having an image content that allows a medical diagnosis of the examination subject to be made directly therefrom;, manually entering only three first control parameters that define first boundary conditions selected by an operator making the entry, for acquisition of said image data representing said diagnostic image, said first control parameters consisting of
a) contrast response,
b) spatial orientation of at least one image data set to be acquired representing a diagnostic image of the subject having an image content that allows a medical diagnosis of the examination subject to be made directly therefrom, and
c) an organ of the patient from which said image data set is to be acquired; and
in a processor in said control unit, automatically determining a plurality of additional, second control parameters that are necessary in order to control operation of said magnetic resonance system configured to acquire said image data, and defining second boundary conditions, using only said first control parameters, and making said second control parameters electronically available at an output of the processor in a form that is useable in operating said magnetic resonance system and in acquiring said image data representing said diagnostic image.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising entering, as said contrast response, T1 contrast, T2 contrast, diffusion contrast, perfusion contrast, magnetization transfer contrast, proton density weighting, spin density weighting, contrast quantification, and fat saturation contrast.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising entering, as said spatial orientation, an orientation selected from the group consisting of sagittal orientation, coronal orientation, transverse orientation, double oblique orientation, and in-plane rotated orientation.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising entering, as said organ, any localizable body region of the patient.
5. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising making said second control parameters available at an output of said processor of said control unit in a humanly perceptible form, and allowing manual modification of said second control parameters, individually or in groups, in order to define values that deviate from values of said second control parameters automatically set by said processor of said control device.
6. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising electronically storing said first control parameters and said second control parameters associated with a personalized designation of said operator.
7. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, from said control device, operating said magnetic resonance system, before acquiring said image data representing said diagnostic image of the subject, to acquire at least one non-diagnostic positioning image data set, and providing said at least one non-diagnostic positioning image data set to said processor and, in said processor, automatically determining said plurality of additional, second control parameters using said first control parameters and said at least one non-diagnostic positioning image data set.
8. A magnetic resonance apparatus comprising:
a magnetic resonance data acquisition unit that interacts with an examination subject;
a control device that operates said magnetic resonance data acquisition unit in order to acquire image data from the examination subject representing a diagnostic image of the subject having an image content that allows a medical diagnosis of the examination subject to be made directly therefrom;
a user interface configured to enter only three first control parameters that define first boundary conditions selected by an operator making the entry, which sets up the acquisition of said image data representing said diagnostic image, said first control parameters consisting of:
a)contrast response,
b)spatial orientation of at least one image data set to be acquired representing a diagnostic image of the subject having an image content that allows a medical diagnosis of the examination subject to be made directly therefrom, and
c)an organ of the patient from which said image data set is to be acquired; and
said control unit comprising a processor configured to automatically determine a plurality of additional, second control parameters that are necessary in order to control operation of said magnetic resonance system that is configured to acquire said image data, and define the second boundary conditions, using said first control parameters, and making said second control parameters electronically available at an output of the processor in a form that is useable in operating said magnetic resonance system and in acquiring said image data representing said diagnostic image.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said user interface is configured to enter, as said contrast response, T1 contrast, T2 contrast, diffusion contrast, perfusion contrast, magnetization transfer contrast, proton density weighting, spin density weighting, contrast quantification, and fat saturation contrast.
10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said user interface is configured to enter, as said spatial orientation, an orientation selected from the group consisting of sagittal orientation, coronal orientation, transverse orientation, double oblique orientation, and in-plane rotated orientation.
11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said user interface is configured to enter, as said organ, any localizable body region of the patient.
12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 comprising a display at which said control unit makes said second control parameters available in a humanly perceptible form, and wherein said user interface is configured in order to allow manual modification of said second control parameters, individually or in groups, to defined values that deviate from values of said second control parameters automatically set by said processor of said control device.
13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 comprising a memory in which said first control parameters and said second control parameters are stored associated with a personalized designation of said operator.
14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said control device is configured to operate said magnetic resonance data acquisition unit, prior to acquiring said image data representing said diagnostic image of the subject, to acquire at least one non-diagnostic positioning image data set, said at least one non-diagnostic image data set being supplied to said processor, and said processor being configured to automatically determine said plurality of additional, second control parameters using said first control parameters and said at least one non- diagnostic positioning image data set.