Patent ID: 7996095

Claim:
A method for controlling an actual medical imaging apparatus installed at an installation site and having a manually operable apparatus control unit connected to the actual medical imaging apparatus at said installation site, said actual medical imaging apparatus being configured to operate by executing a set of apparatus functions to generate medical image data, said method comprising the steps of: at a controller that is independent of said actual medical imaging apparatus and said apparatus control unit, accessing an electronically generated virtual representation of said actual medical imaging apparatus that simulates execution of said set of apparatus functions; for a medical image data acquisition procedure using said actual medical imaging apparatus, accessing, from said controller, at least one accessed parameter selected from the group consisting of parameters specific to said procedure and parameters specific to said actual medical imaging apparatus; in said controller, generating setting parameters for setting said actual medical imaging apparatus to execute said medical data acquisition procedure, by applying said at least one accessed parameter to said virtual representation and simulating said set of apparatus functions with said virtual representation according to said at least one accessed parameter; and communicating said setting parameters from said controller to said apparatus control unit at said installation site, and operating said actual medical imaging apparatus to execute said medical image data acquisition procedure according to said setting parameters with no manual entry of said setting parameters at said apparatus control unit.