Patent Document ID: 10079999
Application ID: 15035245
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) location surveillance system for limiting access by objects and/or persons to an MR room containing an MRI device, which includes a main magnet, the surveillance system comprising: multiple physical zones through which objects and persons flow when approaching the entrance to the MR room, each physical zone including at least one video camera positioned to view the flow of objects and persons through the physical zone toward the entrance of the MR room in order to obtain images of objects and/or persons approaching the entrance, such that each imaged object and each imaged person is tracked through each physical zone, wherein the multiple physical zones include a first zone most distal to the entrance, a next zone more proximal to the entrance and a narrowed most proximal zone at the entrance, a recognize unit in communication with each of the at least one video camera included in each physical zone, the recognize unit receiving the images of the objects and/or persons, and recognizing each imaged object and each imaged person; a classify unit which classifies each recognized object and/or each recognized person according to MRI safety, and reclassifies each recognized person based on behavior; an authorize unit which determines access to the MR room based on each classified object and/or each classified person based on the classification, and determines configurations of visual and/or audio indicators in the next zone that indicate the presence of MR unsafe classified objects and/or classified persons flowing through the next zone to prevent entry of the MR unsafe classified objects and/or classified persons into the MR room; and at least one ferrous metal detector in a scanned location at an entrance of the narrowed most proximal zone which detects ferrous metals that pass through the scanned location, wherein the classify unit receives a signal from the ferrous metal detector, corresponding to an imaged object and/or person which passed through the scanned location, indicating a detected ferrous metal, and evaluates the received signal from the ferrous metal detector to classify the imaged object and/or person which passed through the scanned location.