Patent ID: 7316234

Claim:
A method for operating a medical imaging installation having a sensor adapted for interaction with an examination subject, and a control device in communication with a main memory and a bulk memory with signals stored therein, comprising the steps of: with said sensor, detecting measured signals from the examination subject in a signal acquisition procedure and supplying the measured signals to said control device, and said control device buffer-storing said measured signals, or raw signals derived from said measured signals, online in said main memory during said signal acquisition procedure; each buffer-stored signal containing components from a plurality of spatial locations with each component being dependent on a location-dependent influence factor defined by the examination subject; using either the buffer-stored signals or the signals stored in the bulk memory to ascertain useful signals respectively corresponding to one of said influence factors, to allow formation of a three-dimensional reconstruction of the examination subject from the useful signals; and in said control device, permanently storing the buffer-stored signals from the main memory online in the bulk memory during said signal acquisition procedure and in said control device, ascertaining a degree of filling of said main memory and using said degree of filling, making a dynamic decision regarding whether to ascertain the useful signals using the signals buffer-stored in the main memory, or using the signals permanently stored in the bulk memory.