Console Light Guide Device

Abstract

A console light guide device for use with a control console includes an interconnected array of light tubes. The light tube array includes a translucent surface, a molded body substantially enclosing output connection ports on the outer surface of the console panel, and linear branching sections positioned relative to the molded body. Side-firing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emit light to the corresponding ends of the light tube array. An opaque light guard defines the molded channel and the branching channel. The light tube array is housed within the opaque light guard so that light from the side-firing LEDs is emitted uniformly through the translucent surface without any internal scattering or leakage of light within the console. Control consoles, such as ophthalmic surgical consoles, that include a console light guide device are also disclosed herein.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an improved indicator light for use with a human machine interface (HMI) device having one or more output connection ports. Aspects of the present disclosure relate to ophthalmic and other surgical consoles having a console panel in which such connection ports are intentionally arranged in specified rows and columns. In such an arrangement, the connection ports are readily accessible to the attending surgeon through the outer surface of the console panel.

Background Art

[0002] The console panel of a typical surgical console is often made from a lightweight transparent material such as molded plastic or polycarbonate. At a given output connection port, an indicator light may be located behind the console panel and selectively illuminated to indicate the on / off state, usage status, or another port status of the corresponding port. However, existing indicator lights configured for this purpose tend to provide non-uniform brightness and color. Integrating the indicator lights into the console can also potentially worsen the lighting non-uniformity if the console panel has a curved outer surface.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] Disclosed herein are console light guide devices for use with a control console having a console panel. A console panel as contemplated herein includes an outer surface and output connection ports, the outer surface being optionally curved outward or convex, as outlined above. A control console typically includes multiple rows and columns of output connection ports, but when embodied, for example, as an exemplary ophthalmic surgical console as described below, the term “output connection ports” is used below to simplify examples in the context of “at least one” or “one or more.” In other words, the number and arrangement of such output connection ports may vary within the scope of this disclosure based on the specific application.

[0004] A console light guide device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an interconnected light tube array, a plurality of side-firing light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and an opaque light guard. The light tube array includes a translucent surface, a molded body (e.g., arc-shaped or other molded body) that at least partially encloses an output connection port on the outer surface of the console panel, and a pair of linear branches positioned relative to the molded body. The side-firing LEDs emit light laterally to the corresponding ends of the tube array such that the emitted light propagates along the longitudinal axis of the constituent light tubes of the light tube array.

[0005] The opaque light guard can define a molded channel and a pair of branched channels. The molded body and linear branch of the light tube array are configured to fit within the molded channel and branched channel. Therefore, light from the side-firing LEDs is uniformly emitted through the translucent surface with minimal internal scattering or leakage within the control console.

[0006] Embodiments of a console light guide device include a molded body forming a single open-end tube and a linear branch, the linear branch being tangential to the molded body. The corresponding ends may optionally include four ends for incorporating four side-firing LEDs, but the disclosure is not limited to such embodiments.

[0007] The molded body may be a C-shaped molded body that defines the gap. In such embodiments, the console light guide device may include a front-firing LED positioned radially outward from the gap and configured to illuminate the graphics on the outer surface of the console panel from behind. A baffle may be configured to focus the light from the front-firing LED onto the graphics, thereby illuminating the graphics from behind. The longitudinal axes of each of the pair of linear branches may optionally intersect on opposite sides of the gap in the diametrical direction. In other embodiments, the molded body may not include a gap (for example, the molded body may form a complete ring or other shape).

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure includes each of side-firing LEDs individually driven by a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). In one or more embodiments, interconnected light tube arrays and opaque light guards include axial mounting functions and latches collectively configured to connect console light guide devices to the surface of the PCBA. In some implementations, the surface of the PCBA may be positioned opposite a translucent surface and may be coated with a reflective material.

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure includes an interconnected light tube array made of a transparent material. The translucent surface may be a roughened or textured section of the transparent material. In such embodiments, the surface of the interconnected light tube array located opposite the translucent surface may be coated with a reflective material.

[0010] The molded body and molded channel may include two opposing molded bodies and two opposing molded channels. In such embodiments, linear branching sections and linear channels connect the corresponding ends of the two opposing molded bodies and two opposing molded channels.

[0011] This specification also discloses a surgical console having a console housing and a console panel connectable to the console housing. The console panel, having an outer and inner surface, is connected to the housing and includes output connection ports on its outer surface. A console light guide device is connected to the console panel.

[0012] The features and advantages of this disclosure described above, as well as any other possible features and advantages, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out this disclosure, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a human-machine interface device in the form of a typical ophthalmic surgical console, equipped with several output connection ports and a console light guide device configured as described herein. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a light guide tube array that can be used as part of the console light guide device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a surrogate arrangement, spacing, and trajectory of side-firing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in a console light guide device according to one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a top view of an opaque light guard that can be used as part of the console light guide device of this disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a bottom view of an opaque light guard that can be used as part of the console light guide device of this disclosure. [Figure 6]Figure 6 shows the structure of a console light guide device for use with an alternatively configured dual connection port. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The solutions in this disclosure may be modified or presented in alternative forms. Typical embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings as non-limiting examples and are described in further detail below. However, the inventive aspects of this disclosure are not limited to the embodiments disclosed. Rather, this disclosure is intended to encompass alternative forms that fall within the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0015] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. However, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed are merely illustrative and that other embodiments may take various alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Some features may be exaggerated or minimized to illustrate the details of certain components. Accordingly, certain structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be constrained, but rather should be interpreted merely as representative grounds to teach those skilled in the art how to employ the present disclosure in various ways.

[0016] As those skilled in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features shown in one or more other figures to create embodiments not explicitly illustrated or described. The illustrated combinations of features provide representative embodiments for typical applications. However, various combinations and modifications of features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure may be desired for specific applications or implementations.

[0017] In the following explanation, certain terms may be used for reference purposes only and are therefore not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “up” and “down” refer to directions within the referenced drawings. Terms such as “front,” “rear,” “forward,” “backward,” “left,” “right,” “rear,” and “side” describe the orientation and / or position of a component or element within an arbitrary reference frame, which will become clear by referring to the text and related drawings describing the component or element being discussed. Furthermore, terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used to describe separate components. Such terms may include the terms specifically mentioned above, their derivatives, and terms with similar meanings.

[0018] A typical human-machine interface (HMI) device 100 is shown in Figure 1, with similar reference numbers pointing to similar components in the drawings. The HMI device 100 in the typical configuration shown includes a control console 10 having a console housing 10H. The specific size, shape, and internal / external configuration of the control console 10 may vary depending on the application, and therefore the control console 10 shown in Figure 1 represents only one possible structure. The console housing 10H, for example, a tower or box made of protective plastic or lightweight metal, houses electrical, pneumatic, data, hydraulic or other application-specific conductors or conduits, control hardware, and associated software. With respect to the latter hardware and software elements, the control console 10 may include a local control system 10C having memory (M) 18 and a processor (P) 19 configured as described in more detail below.

[0019] The console housing 10H further comprises / is connected to a console panel 11 having an outer surface 16. In one or more embodiments, the outer surface 16 may have an outwardly curved or convex outer surface 160, which provides one or more output connection ports 15. The disclosed lighting solution, described in more detail below, aims to improve both the structure and associated lighting control techniques used to selectively illuminate the corresponding outer periphery 150 of the various connection ports 15. Thus, the control console 10 is configured to provide an intuitive color-coded visual indication of the status of the corresponding port, for example, using the appearance of a partial ring (PR) or an illuminated partial "halo". In other embodiments, other shapes (e.g., a full ring, a square, or other custom shapes) may be used.

[0020] The control console 10 in Figure 1 can be securely mounted to a base 12, which in the non-limiting embodiments shown are connected to a set of casters 13. When the control console 10 is configured as an ophthalmic surgical console as shown, the surgical console 10 is operated to a working position near an adjustable surgical chair or other platform in which the patient is positioned. Various surgical instruments 14, such as intraocular illuminators, chandeliers, or other ophthalmic lighting devices, ultrasonic handpieces, proportional control diathermy tools, vitrectomy instruments, or other cutting instruments, irrigation and / or suction devices, laser devices, etc., are then connected to the corresponding output connection ports 15 on the outer surface 16 of the control console 10. The control console 10 may also include other functional components, such as a high-resolution display screen 17 suitable for viewing control and feedback information or other relevant data during the course of performing the procedure.

[0021] As briefly described above, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the exemplary control console 10 is operable to control the operation of various surgical instruments 14. For this purpose, the control console 10 is programmed in software and equipped with hardware, that is, it is "configured" to execute computer-readable instructions from its resident memory 18 using a processor 19. For this purpose, the memory 18 may include a tangible non-transitory memory, such as an optical, magnetic, flash or other type of read-only memory, together with a sufficient amount of random access memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, etc. for the application. The processor 19 may be constructed from various combinations such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), electronic circuits, central processing units, microprocessors, and the like. The non-transitory components of the memory 18 store computer-readable instructions for controlling the operation of the surgical instruments 14 and the illumination functions described herein. The latter, the illumination control function, is realized herein by the specific arrangement and control of one or more console light guide devices 20.

[0022] The control console 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes one or more console light guide devices 20, which are further configured to provide a shape (e.g., a partial ring, a complete ring or another shape) that lights up uniformly on the outer surface 16 of the console panel 11. In some embodiments, each shape may substantially circumscribe the outer periphery 150 of a corresponding one of the connection ports. As used herein, "substantially circumscribing" the circular shape of the outer periphery 150 means "surrounding nearly but less than the full 360° circumference", and may be, for example, about 300° to about 320° depending on the embodiment. Other shapes are also contemplated. For example, a complete ring, square, ellipse, custom shape, etc. that circumscribes the port. The features of the console light guide device 20 described herein collectively enable the integration of the console light guide with the outer surface 16.

[0023] As described above, the outer surface 16 is curved outwardly or convex and can form a curved surface 160. In such a structure, differences in illumination can be more prominent to a user of the control console 10. This is mainly due to the different separation distances between the outer surface 16 and an internal light source shown as a side-firing light-emitting diode (LED) 40 in FIG. 3. The solution to this particular problem is to project light laterally within the structure of the console light guide device 20 rather than directly outward through the outer surface 16 using typical backlight device techniques, i.e., using a "side-fire" arrangement.

[0024] Each console light guide of FIG. 1 can be selectively illuminated in a manner specific to the application by an electronic control unit 10C. For example, a particular one of the console light guides can be illuminated in a color-coded manner using green, blue, amber, etc. The color displayed is used to notify a surgeon or another user of the control console 10 about the current port status of a corresponding output connection port 15 that can be substantially circumscribed by, for example, a console light guide (which can be in the form of a partial ring (PR) or other shape). The term "port status" as used herein can include the on / off status of the connection port 15, or different meanings such as "attention required" or the level of "fading" to indicate an additional step to enable the use of the connection port 15, or a selected function or connection status, fault status, startup status, etc. As understood in the art, since a meaning is assigned to each possible color or combination of colors, the user of the control console 10 can recognize the current port status at a glance and thus can focus on the task at hand.

[0025] Furthermore, the outer surface 16 of the console panel 11 shown in Figure 1 may include artwork in the form of icons, symbols, or other graphics 22 adjacent to each of the output connection ports 15, either as part of the console light guide device 20 or separately. In just one possible implementation, the graphics 22 may be laser-etched into the material of the console panel 11 and used to identify specific functions of the output connection ports 15. In one or more embodiments, the console panel 11 may be fabricated as an in-mold decorative (IMD) part, which may have a molded plastic wall behind a plastic film, as understood in the art, both of which are omitted for simplification. The plastic film may be fabricated with several ink-printed layers, including a white diffuse printing layer for further light diffusion. The translucency of the plastic wall also functions as a diffuser. As part of this solution, such graphics 22 may be illuminated from behind using the lighting of the console light guide. In some embodiments, the graphic 22 may form an integral part of the console light guide device 20, as described below, either together with or separately from the illumination of the console light guide, so that the amount of light scattered or leaked into the control console 10 is minimal (ideally none).

[0026] Referring here to Figure 2, the console light guide device 20 of Figure 1 as contemplated herein includes an interconnected light tube array 25 that forms a light guide conduit network within the scope of this disclosure. The light tube array 25 in the illustrated embodiment includes a ring-shaped or other molded body 28 having a translucent outer surface 26 and a reflective inner surface 260. Figure 2 shows the light tube array 25 in an “upside-down” orientation, and therefore “outside” and “inside” in this orientation refer to the relative positions of the surface 26 and surface 260 to the user of the control console 10 in Figure 1. In other words, the translucent outer surface 26 is the visible surface of the console light guide device 20 when used to form the illuminated console light guide described above. In one or more embodiments, the translucent outer surface 26 may be a roughened or textured section of a transparent material, such as polycarbonate, nylon, plastic, or acrylic. On the other hand, the reflective inner surface 260 located opposite the translucent outer surface may be a pad-printed layer of white, silver, or polished mirror finish, or another reflective material suitable for reflecting incident light through the translucent outer surface 26.

[0027] The light tube array 25 in Figure 2 also includes a pair of linear branch sections 30A and 30B, each positioned relative to a molded body 28 and intersecting with the molded body 28. Thus, the molded body 28 and the linear branch sections 30A and 30B collectively form or define the constituent light guide sections of the interconnected light tube array 25. In this particular embodiment, the molded body 28 and the linear branch sections 30A and 30B are configured as a single open-end tube, with the respective longitudinal central axes A1 and A2 of the branch sections 30A and 30B positioned tangentially to the molded body 28. However, other arrangements are possible within the scope of this disclosure.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, in some embodiments, the molded body 28 may form a shape less than a complete 360° ring or circle. Alternatively, the molded body 28 may be considered substantially C-shaped, that is, a small annular gap 33 may exist between the opposing ends 32E of the molded body 28. The annular gap 33 may further be positioned adjacent to each of the graphics 22 shown above in Figure 1, and thus backlighting of the graphics 22 is used to illuminate and highlight the graphics 22. In some embodiments, the molded body 28 may form a complete 360° ring or circle, or it may form different partial or complete shapes. As part of this technique, the light tube array 25 also includes mounting functions 42 located on the inner surface 260 of the molded body 28. The light tube array 25 also includes latches 44 located on the linear branching sections 30A, 30B. The mounting functions 42 and latches 44, together with other structural elements as described below, work to connect the light tube array 25 to the PCBA 35 in Figure 3.

[0029] Lighting Control: Briefly referring to Figure 3, the console light guide device 20 in Figure 1 also includes or is mounted on the PCBA 35 described above. The PCBA 35, which may also include memory 18 and a processor 19 as shown in Figure 1, can be controlled using computer-readable and executable instructions recorded in the relevant portion of memory 18. The designated “no placement” area 200 of the console light guide device 20 is shown to indicate an area where the designer of the PCBA 35 should not place electrical components unrelated to the console light guide device 20.

[0030] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the side-firing LEDs 40 are intentionally positioned at the indicated relative positions on the PCBA 35 and configured to transmit light laterally within the interconnected light tube array 25 shown in Figure 2. In non-limiting implementations of this teaching, the side-firing LEDs 40 may include four representative side-firing LEDs 40A, 40B, 40C, and 40D. This particular representative number and arrangement may provide an optimal trade-off between the ideal illumination quality and the number of side-firing LEDs 40 in one or more use cases. For example, two side-firing LEDs 40, such as LEDs 40A and 40B adjacent to the end 32E in Figure 2, may be used to improve the brightness in the middle segment of the console light guide in Figure 1. However, in other implementations, more or fewer side-firing LEDs 40 may be used without departing from the intended scope of this disclosure.

[0031] In addition, each console light guide device 20 contemplated herein may include a front-firing LED 140 positioned a short distance away from the side-firing LED 40. In one possible implementation, the front-firing LED 140 may be embodied as a white LED or an LED illuminating in a color suitable for another application. The front-firing LED 140 is positioned radially outward from the annular gap 33 shown in Figure 2. In this position, the front-firing LED 140 is positioned directly behind the graphic 22 in Figure 1 for the user of the control console 10, and thus provides rear illumination or backlighting of the graphic 22 as described above.

[0032] In the exemplary configuration of Figure 3, each side-firing LED 40 and front-firing LED 140 is individually addressable by the operation of the PCBA 35. As understood in the art, individually addressable or so-called "smart" LEDs have unique assigned addresses and can therefore be independently controlled and illuminated by corresponding electronic signals from the processor 19, in contrast to the need to illuminate all LEDs 40, 140 or groups thereof simultaneously. For this purpose, each of the LEDs 40 and 140 may be surface-mounted on the PCBA 35. The PCBA 35 is further connected to or driven by the processor 19 via appropriate protocols and transmission conductors to control brightness, color, timing, and other desired characteristics. In a likely embodiment, the front-firing LED 140 remains illuminated while the control console 10 in Figure 1 is operating, or at least while the corresponding output connection port 15 is in use.

[0033] Since the output connection port 15 may be used at different times during a given procedure, the corresponding illuminated color of the console light guide in Figure 1 also changes in response to changes in the port status. To enable rapidly responsive dynamic color changes, the side-firing LEDs 40 in Figure 3 may be implemented as a multi-channel red-green-blue (RGB) LED array with a controller chip, optionally integrated into a single circuit board package. Thus, the processor 19 and associated circuitry of the PCBA 35 can be adapted to the failure of individual side-firing LEDs 40 in order to maintain the desired illumination uniformity described herein. That is, instead of the user experiencing dark spots that may occur when using conventional backlights and evenly spaced back-firing LEDs in the illuminated console light guide of Figure 1, the loss or degradation of a single LED 40 can be compensated using this method simply by adjusting the control settings of the remaining / functioning side-firing LEDs 40.

[0034] Referring here to Figures 4 and 5, each console light guide device 20 further includes an opaque light guard 50. The opaque light guard 50 works in conjunction with the interconnected light tube array 25, shown engaged with the opaque light guard 50 in Figure 4, to guide the light emitted by each side-firing LED 40 and front-firing LED 140 through the translucent outer surface 26 of the molded body 28. While doing so, the opaque light guard 50 also prevents undesirable light leakage between adjacent console light guides and between illuminated graphics 22 within the control console 10 in Figure 1. As will be discussed below, using white or other reflective colors for part of the opaque light guard 50 may help increase the overall brightness output of the collective LEDs 40 and 140.

[0035] In the illustrative configuration shown in Figure 4, the opaque light guard 50 surrounds the opening 350 of the PCBA 35, through which the output connection port 15 protrudes. For additional light leakage prevention, the opaque light guard 50 further includes a baffle 55 that defines a cavity 155 inside it, with the front-firing LED 140 positioned within the cavity 155, all sides of which are surrounded by the baffle wall 550. Thus, the baffle 55 protrudes outward from the outer surface 135 of the PCBA 35. Thus, the opaque light guard 50 and baffle 55 are configured and positioned to minimize not only undesirable light leakage between adjacent console light guides on the control console 10 in Figure 1, but also any light leakage between the illuminated graphics 22 and other structures of the control console 10.

[0036] The opaque light guard 50 in Figures 4 and 5 also defines the molded channel 52 and the pair of linear branch channels 54. The corresponding structures of the interconnected light tube array 25 shown in Figure 2, i.e., the molded body 28 and the linear branch sections 30A, 30B (see Figure 2), are configured to fit securely within the molded channel 52 and the pair of linear branch channels 54, respectively, as best shown in Figure 4. When engaged in this manner, the light (arrow LL) from the side-firing LEDs 40 in Figure 3, e.g., LEDs 40A, 40B, 40C, and 40C, is uniformly radiated through the translucent outer surface 26 of the interconnected light tube array 25 and ultimately through the outer surface 16 of the console panel 11 shown in Figure 1, thereby forming a console light guide.

[0037] PCBA Engagement Functions: As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the console light guide device 20 also includes several different engagement functions, as specified herein, that are collectively suitable for mounting the console light guide device 20 to the PCBA 35 in Figure 3. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the light tube array 25 may include axial mounting functions 42, e.g., one or more cylindrical alignment pins or posts, and latches 44, e.g., one or more locking tabs or snap hooks. Similarly, the opaque light guard 50 in Figure 5 may include similar axial mounting functions 142 and latches 144, 144A. Therefore, the installation of the console light guide device 20 to the PCBA 35 may include pushing the axial mounting functions 42, 142 and latches 44, 144 into mating slots or openings 420, 440 of the PCBA 35 (see Figure 3) in a "push-in connection" manner. The latch 144A can then mate with the corresponding slot structure of the light tube array 25. The thin nominal wall thickness of the axial mounting functional parts 42, 142 and the latches 44, 144 helps to make such components sufficiently flexible and elastic for this purpose.

[0038] An alternative console light guide device 20A is shown in Figure 6. As understood in the art, some of the output connection ports 15 located on the console panel 11 in Figure 1 may be configured as dual connection ports 15D, for example, proportionally controlled diathermy ports. The molded bodies 28 and molded channels 52 described above may be adapted to fit the dual connection ports 15D, in this case using, for example, two opposing molded bodies 280 and two opposing molded channels 520, where the molded bodies 280 form a "half-ring" segment (HR). The function of the opaque light guard 50 described above may be performed using, for example, a modified opaque light guard 500 having a semi-circular shape.

[0039] In this embodiment, one or more linear branch sections 30C and linear channels 540 located therein may connect the ends 32E of two opposing molded bodies 280 and two opposing molded channels 520. Subsequently, each half-ring segment (HR) of the alternative console light guide device 20A in Figure 6 may be illuminated by two side-firing LEDs 40 of possible configuration. The implementation of the console light guide device 20A in Figure 6 is otherwise as described above.

[0040] Therefore, the aforementioned disclosure improves upon the prior art of typical light rings. A particular challenge associated with the current state of the art is the relative difficulty in achieving molded illumination with uniform brightness and color using a minimum number of LEDs. Typical methods use 12 or more front-firing LEDs, similar to the single front-firing LED 140 in Figures 3 and 4, and possibly a front diffuser panel to achieve some degree of uniformity. If one or more LEDs fail, dark spots may appear in the illumination shape. Therefore, the individually addressable LEDs 40 and the curved configuration of the console light guide device 20 described above solve these and other potential challenges related to achieving uniform brightness and color, optimal bending of light, and optimal projection of bent light through curved surfaces, such as the outer surface 16 of the console panel 11 shown in Figure 1. These and other incidental advantages of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art who currently possess the advantages of the present disclosure.

[0041] The characteristics of the embodiments shown in the figures or the various embodiments referred to in this specification should not necessarily be understood as independent embodiments. It is possible to combine each of the characteristics described in one of the multiple examples of a single embodiment with one or more other desired characteristics from other embodiments to obtain other embodiments not described in words or by reference to the drawings.

[0042] Therefore, such other embodiments are included within the framework of the appended claims. While the detailed description and drawings support and illustrate this disclosure, the scope of this disclosure is defined solely by the claims. Although some best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the disclosure described in the claims have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for carrying out the disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A console light guide device for use with a control console having a console panel and output connection ports, An interconnected light tube array having a translucent surface, a molded body configured to at least partially surround the output connection port on the outer surface of the console panel, and at least one linear branch positioned relative to the molded body, A plurality of side-firing light-emitting diodes (LEDs), each of which is configured to emit light to the corresponding end of the interconnected light tube array, An opaque light guard defining a molded channel and at least one corresponding branch channel, wherein the interconnected light tube array is configured such that the light from the side-firing LEDs is uniformly radiated through the translucent surface without internal scattering or leakage of the light within the control console, the opaque light guard and the at least one branch channel, Console light guide device, including

2. The console light guide device according to claim 1, wherein the molded body and the at least one linear branch are configured as a single open-end tube, and the at least one linear branch is arranged tangentially to the body.

3. The console light guide device according to claim 2, wherein the corresponding end includes four ends, and the plurality of side-firing LEDs are equal to four side-firing LEDs.

4. The molded body includes a C-shaped molded body that defines a gap, and the console light guide device is A front-firing LED is positioned radially outward from the gap and configured to illuminate the graphics on the outer surface of the console panel from behind, A baffle configured to focus the light from the front-firing LED onto the graphic, thereby illuminating the graphic from behind, The console light guide device according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. The console light guide device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one linear branch includes a pair of linear branchs, and the longitudinal axes of each of the pair of linear branchs intersect on opposite sides of the gap in the diametrical direction.

6. The console light guide device according to claim 1, wherein each of the side-firing LEDs is driven individually via a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), and the interconnected light tube array and the opaque light guard include one or more axial mounting functions and latches collectively configured to connect the console light guide device to the surface of the PCBA.

7. The console light guide device according to claim 6, wherein the surface of the PCBA is positioned opposite the translucent surface and is coated with a reflective material.

8. The console light guide device according to claim 1, wherein the interconnected light tube array is made of a transparent material, the translucent surface is a roughened or textured section of the transparent material, and the surface of the interconnected light tube array located opposite the translucent surface is coated with a reflective material.

9. The console light guide device according to claim 1, wherein the molded body and the molded channel include two opposing molded bodies and two opposing molded channels, and the at least one linear branch and at least one linear channel connect the corresponding ends of the two opposing molded bodies and the two opposing molded channels.

10. Console housing and A console panel having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein the console panel is connected to the housing and includes an output connection port on the outer surface, A console light guide device connected to the console panel, An interconnected array of light tubes having a translucent surface, An arc-shaped molded body configured to at least partially surround the output connection port on the outer surface of the console panel, A pair of linear branching portions are arranged on the arc-shaped molded body, A plurality of side-firing light-emitting diodes (LEDs), each of which is configured to emit light to the corresponding end of the interconnected light tube array, An opaque light guard defining an arc-shaped molded channel and a pair of branch channels, wherein the interconnected light tube array is configured to be contained within the arc-shaped molded channel and the pair of branch channels of the opaque light guard so that the light from the side-firing LEDs is uniformly radiated through the translucent surface without internal scattering or leakage of the light within the control console, Includes a console light guide device, A control console, including the control console.

11. The arc-shaped molded body includes a C-shaped molded body that defines an arc-shaped gap, and the console light guide device is A front-firing LED is positioned radially outward from the aforementioned arc-shaped gap and configured to illuminate the graphics on the outer surface of the console panel from behind, A baffle configured to focus the light from the front-firing LED onto the graphic, thereby illuminating the graphic from behind, The control console according to claim 10, further comprising:

12. Each of the side-firing LEDs is driven individually via a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), and the interconnected light tube array and the opaque light guard include one or more axial mounting functions and latches collectively configured to connect the console light guide device to the surface of the PCBA, as described in claim 10.

13. The control console according to claim 10, wherein the interconnected light tube array is made of a transparent material, and the translucent surface is a roughened or textured section of the transparent material.

14. The control console according to claim 10, wherein the arc-shaped molded body and the arc-shaped molded channel include two opposingly arranged arc-shaped molded bodies and two opposingly arranged arc-shaped molded channels, and the linear branch and the linear channel connect the corresponding ends of the two opposingly arranged arc-shaped molded bodies and the two opposingly arranged arc-shaped molded channels.

15. The control console according to claim 10, wherein the control console is configured as an ophthalmic surgical console, the outer surface is curved outward or convex, and the output connection ports include a plurality of connection ports, each configured to connect to a corresponding ophthalmic surgical instrument.

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