Foot controller with an adjustable foot pedal

Abstract

To provide a foot controller with an adjustable treadle.SOLUTION: The disclosed embodiments of the present technology relate to a foot controller with an adjustable treadle assembly including an adjustable treadle surface member slidably coupled to a fixed treadle plate and a latch assembly to adjust the adjustable treadle surface member to fixed positions relative to the treadle plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a foot controller, and more particularly to a foot controller having an adjustable foot pedal.

Background Art

[0002] Patient treatment devices or surgical systems, such as surgical instruments used during ophthalmic surgery, may require control of various subsystems, such as pneumatic and electronically driven subsystems, and treatment lasers.

[0003] The operation of the subsystem can be controlled by a microprocessor-driven console. The microprocessor control unit in the surgical console receives mechanical input from either the operator or assistant of the surgical system and regulates the operation of the subsystems within the patient treatment device. Examples of control input devices include switches on the console, remote hand switches, remote foot controllers, and other control input devices.

[0004] In some surgeries, a foot pedal-driven foot controller is useful, and with the foot pedal-driven foot controller, the operator can adjust a variable control input, such as the cutting speed of a vitreous probe, in the same way that an automobile pedal adjusts speed. In these foot pedal-driven foot controllers, the mechanical input is derived from the movement of the operator's foot, the movement of the operator's foot is converted into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal can be supplied to the microprocessor control unit.

[0005] Foot controllers typically have a fixed size and may optionally include a heel cup to support the operator's foot. However, an operator with a small foot may have difficulty reaching the foot pedal for driving a variable control input. Also, having only one position for the heel cup may result in a suboptimal perceived or actual foot placement relative to the button for some users.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The disclosed embodiments of the present technology relate to a foot controller having an adjustable footrest assembly. The adjustable footrest assembly may include a foot pedal, an adjustable tread member, and a latch assembly.

[0007] The foot controller may include a control assembly that determines the angular position of the footrest assembly and converts the angular position into a first signal representing the angular position of the footrest assembly. The foot controller is communicably coupled to a surgical console, and the first signal representing the angular position of the pedal surface is used to control a surgical tool coupled to the surgical console.

[0008] The foot pedal may be rotatably coupled to the base of the foot controller and may have a variable angular position relative to the base. The foot pedal may have at least one channel on the surface of the foot pedal, at least one rail in the channel, and at least one shuttle slidably coupled to the at least one rail. In some cases, the foot pedal has two channels on the surface of the foot pedal, each of the two channels having one rail. The foot pedal may further have two shuttles slidably coupled to each of the rails in the two channels. The adjustable tread member may have a heel cup and may be coupled to the foot pedal via at least one shuttle, whereby the adjustable tread member can move along the rail to adjust the heel cup relative to the distal end of the foot controller.

[0009] The foot controller may also include a latch assembly having a lever that extends under the pedal. The pedal may further include a plurality of notches on the bottom surface near the distal end of the pedal. The lever may have at least one protrusion that selectively engages with at least one of the plurality of notches on the bottom surface of the pedal to adjust the adjustable tread member to a fixed position relative to the pedal. In some cases, the lever includes a plurality of protrusions that selectively engage with one of the plurality of notches on the bottom surface of the pedal.

[0010] The latch assembly may also include a latch shaft pin that acts as a fulcrum for selectively engaging at least one of the plurality of protrusions with at least one of the plurality of notches on the bottom surface of the pedal. Additionally, the latch assembly may include a latch spring that provides resistance to the movement of the lever about the fulcrum and a force that returns the lever. In some cases, the adjustable tread member further extends downward at the distal end to shield the latch assembly, and the latch assembly may include a latch button disposed in an opening of the shielded area.

[0011] To understand the present technology, its features, and its advantages in more detail, refer to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5A

Figure 5B

Figure 6

Figure 7A

Figure 7B

[0013] FIG. 1 shows a foot controller 100 having a base 102, a frame 104, and a foot pedal 108. Optionally, the foot pedal 108 includes a heel cup 106 at the proximal end of the foot pedal 108. The foot pedal 108 is a foot-controlled assembly that can be oriented at a default angular position relative to the base 102 and can be rotated and depressed toward the base 102. The foot controller 100 may also include a control assembly (not shown) that can determine the angular position of the foot pedal 108 relative to the base and convert the angular position into a signal. The foot controller 100 can be communicatively coupled to a console, and the signal can be used to control the console, a console accessory, and / or another module used in conjunction with the console. For example, the foot controller 100 can be coupled to an ophthalmic surgery console, and the signal from the control assembly can be used to control ophthalmic surgery tools such as, for example, a vitrectomy probe, a phacoemulsification handpiece, a display setting, etc. The foot controller 100 may also include one or more buttons 146, 148 at the distal end of the frame 104. When pressed, the buttons 146, 148 can generate additional signals for another control mode of the console, a console accessory, and / or another module used in conjunction with the console.

[0014] Optionally, the control assembly includes a position sensor (not shown). The position sensor can be rotationally coupled directly to the foot pedal 108 or via an intermediate mechanical coupling such as a gear. When a gear is used, as is well known, it is possible to mechanically amplify or attenuate the rotational movement depending on the ratio of the number of teeth of each gear. The position sensor can operate via many possible well-known mechanisms, such as the use of an optical encoder or the use of a potentiometer.

[0015] As described above, in the art, there is a need for a foot controller that can be adjusted to better accommodate various foot sizes of operators. Thus, the foot pedal 108 of the foot controller 100 can be a foot pedal assembly having multiple components that enable such adjustment.

[0016] Figures 2A and 2B show a layer diagram of a foot pedal assembly of a foot controller 200 including a base 202 and a frame 204, according to some embodiments of the present technology. The foot pedal assembly has a footrest 210, an adjustable tread member 250, and a latch 260. Figure 2A shows a layer diagram of the foot controller 200 with the footrest 210 exposed. The footrest 210 can be rotatably coupled to the base 202 of the foot controller at or near the proximal end 216 of the footrest 210. The footrest 210 can include one or more channels 220, 222 on the surface of the footrest 210 that extend in the direction from the proximal end 216 to the distal end 218 of the footrest 210. The channels 220, 222 can accommodate one or more rails 224, 226 to which one or more shuttles 228, 230, 232, 234 are slidably coupled thereon. Figure 2A also shows a latch 260 attached to the footrest 210 via a latching mount 242. The latching assembly including the latch 260 will be described in detail later.

[0017] Figure 2B shows a layer diagram of the foot controller 200 with the footrest 210, with the adjustable tread member 250 coupled to the footrest 210 via the shuttles 228, 230, 232, 234 and the latching mount 242 superimposed. Due to the slidable coupling of the shuttles 228, 230, 232, 234 with the rails 224, 226, the adjustable tread member 250 can be slidably adjusted relative to the footrest 210.

[0018] The foot controller 200 may also include buttons 246, 248 at the distal end of the frame 204. Additionally, the adjustable tread member 250 includes a heel cup 252 at the proximal end of the adjustable tread member 250. When the operator places their foot on the heel cup 252, the position of the heel cup 252 affects the placement of the operator's foot relative to the buttons 246, 248. Thus, by adjusting the adjustable tread member 250, a wider variety of operators can be accommodated due to differences in the size of the operator's feet.

[0019] Although the adjustable tread member 250 is represented as a "surface", it is not necessary for the adjustable tread member 250 to be the uppermost surface, and it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that other materials, films, paints, etc. may be applied, deposited, bonded, etc. to the adjustable tread member 250 while maintaining the usefulness of the foot controller 200.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a cutaway view of a foot controller 300 including a base 302 and a frame 304, according to some embodiments of the present technology, where the foot pedal assembly has a foot pedal 310, an adjustable tread member 350, and a latch 360. As shown, shuttles 328, 330 are slidably coupled to rails 324 in a channel (not labeled) on the surface of the foot pedal 310. The shuttles 328, 330 are also coupled to the adjustable tread member 350, and the adjustable tread member 350 can be slidably adjusted relative to the foot pedal 210.

[0021] In some cases, the foot controller 300 may also include a spring assembly (not shown) coupled between the base 302 and the foot pedal assembly. The spring assembly may position the foot pedal assembly in a default angular position relative to the base 302 and may be configured to compress by applying torque to the foot pedal assembly by depressing it in a downward rotation of the foot pedal assembly.

[0022] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a latching assembly 470 used in a foot controller 400 having a footrest 410 and an adjustable footrest member 450, according to some embodiments of the present technology.

[0023] The latching assembly 470 includes a lever 462 having a lever distal end 464 disposed near the distal end of the adjustable footrest member 450 and a lever proximal end 466 that extends under the footrest 410 in a direction toward the proximal end of the footrest 410. The latching assembly 470 also includes a latch shaft pin 468 coupled to the adjustable footrest member 450. The lever 462 is rotatably coupled to the latch shaft pin 468, and the latch shaft pin 468 can act as a fulcrum for the lever 462.

[0024] The footrest 410 includes a plurality of notches 412 on the bottom surface of the footrest 410 and substantially adjacent to the distal end of the footrest 410. Additionally, the lever 462 includes a protrusion 472 at or near the lever proximal end 466. By engaging and disengaging the protrusion 472 from a first notch 412 on the bottom surface of the footrest 410 by the operation of the lever 462 about the latch shaft pin 468, the adjustable footrest member 450 can slide along a rail (not shown) on a shuttle (not shown), for example. The protrusion 472 can selectively engage a first notch 412 or another notch 412 on the bottom surface of the footrest 410 to adjust the adjustable footrest member 450 relative to the footrest. In some cases, the lever 462 includes a plurality of protrusions that selectively engage the plurality of notches 412.

[0025] In some other embodiments, the engagement between the footrest 410 and the adjustable footrest member 450 is achieved by friction.

[0026] The latching assembly 470 may also include a latch spring 474 disposed near the lever distal end 464 between the lever 462 and the adjustable tread member 450. The latch spring 474 provides resistance to movement of the lever 462 about the latch shaft pin 468 fulcrum. The latch spring 474 also provides a return force to the lever 462 after the actuating force is removed. In some other cases, the latch spring may be a torsion spring.

[0027] In some cases, the adjustable tread member 450 may further extend downwardly at the distal end of the adjustable tread member 450 to shield the latching assembly 470 and may terminate at the opening 452. The latching assembly 470 may also include a latch button 476 disposed at the lever distal end 464 and extending downwardly to be substantially disposed within the opening 452. The latch button 476 may be used to apply an actuating force to the lever 462.

[0028] Although a particular latching assembly 470 has been explicitly described herein, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that other latching assemblies may be used while maintaining the usefulness of the foot controller 400. For example, the latching function may also be implemented using a linear spring plunger pin, and the latch may be oriented perpendicular to an intermediate linkage (rotational or sliding) that converts movement from longitudinal to perpendicular, etc.

[0029] FIGS. 5A and 5B show side views of a foot controller 500 including a tread plate 510 and an adjustable tread member 550 adjustably coupled to a latching assembly 570, according to some embodiments of the present technology.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5A, the latch button 576 disposed in the opening 552 of the adjustable tread member 550 is actuated to rotate the lever 562 about the latch shaft pin 568. As a result of the rotation, the protrusion 572 at the proximal end of the lever 562 is disengaged from the first notch 512a, and the adjustable tread member 550 freely slides on the rail (not shown) on the tread plate 510 via a shuttle (not shown) on the tread plate 510.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5B, the adjustable tread member 550 is sliding toward the distal end of the foot controller 500, and the protrusion 572 at the proximal end of the lever 562 is positioned below the second notch 512b. After removing the actuating force applied to the latch button 576, the latch spring 574 applies a returning force to the proximal end of the lever 562 to engage the protrusion 572 with the second notch 512b and fix the adjustable tread member 550 in a predetermined position.

[0032] FIG. 6 shows a side view of a foot controller 600 provided with an adjustable tread member 650 adjusted to the distal position of the tread plate 610, with the latching assembly 670 fixing the adjustable tread member 650 in a predetermined position.

[0033] FIG. 7A shows a conventional system bus computing system architecture 700, where the components of the system communicate electrically with each other using bus 705. Exemplary system 700 includes a system bus 705 that couples various system components, including a processing unit (CPU or processor) 710, to system memory 715 such as read-only memory (ROM) 720 and random access memory (RAM) 725, to the processor 710. System 700 may include a cache of high-speed memory that is directly connected to, in proximity to, or integrated as part of processor 710. System 700 may copy data from memory 715 and / or storage device 730 to cache 712 for rapid access by processor 710. In this way, the cache may provide a performance improvement that avoids latency of processor 710 while data is waiting. These modules and other modules may control, or be configured to control, processor 710 to perform various actions. Other system memory 715 may be used as well. Memory 715 may include multiple different types of memory with different performance characteristics. Processor 710 may include any general-purpose processor and hardware modules or software modules such as module 1 732, module 2 734, and module 3 736 stored in storage device 730 that are configured to control processor 710, and a dedicated processor where software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. Processor 710 may be an essentially fully self-contained computing system including multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, etc. The multi-core processor may be symmetric or asymmetric.

[0034] To enable user interaction with the computing device 700, the input device 745 may represent any number of input mechanisms such as a microphone for voice, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphic input, a keyboard, a mouse, motion input, voice, etc. The output display 735 may also be one or more of several output mechanisms known to those skilled in the art. In some cases, a multimodal system may enable a user to provide multiple types of input to communicate with the computing device 700. The communication interface 740 may generally regulate or manage user input and system output. Since there is no limitation on the operation in a specific hardware configuration, the basic functions here can be easily replaced with improved hardware or firmware configurations during development.

[0035] The storage device 730 is non-volatile memory and can be a hard disk, or other types of computer-readable media such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, solid state memory devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges, random access memory (RAM) 725, read-only memory (ROM) 720, and their hybrids, which can store data accessible by a computer.

[0036] The storage device 730 may include software modules 732, 734, 736 for controlling the processor 710. Other hardware or software modules are also contemplated. The storage device 730 may be connected to the system bus 705. In one aspect, a hardware module that performs a specific function may include software components stored in a computer-readable medium in conjunction with the necessary hardware components such as the processor 710, bus 705, display 735, etc. to perform that function.

[0037] FIG. 7B shows a computer system 750 having a chipset architecture that can be used in performing the described method and generating and displaying a graphical user interface (GUI). Computer system 750 is an example of computer hardware, software, and firmware that can be used to implement the disclosed techniques. System 750 may include a processor 755 that represents any number of physically and / or logically distinct resources capable of executing software, firmware, and hardware configured to perform the specified computations. Processor 755 may communicate with a chipset 760 that can control input to and output from processor 755. In this example, chipset 760 may output information to an output 765, such as a display, and may read from and write information to a storage device 770 that may include, for example, magnetic media and solid state media. Chipset 760 may also read from and write data to RAM 775. To interface with chipset 760, a bridge 780 may be provided to interface with various user interface components 785. Such user interface components 785 may include, for example, a keyboard, a microphone, touch detection and processing circuitry, and a pointing device such as a mouse. In general, inputs to system 750 may come from any of a variety of sources, either machine-generated and / or human-generated.

[0038] The chipset 760 may also interface with one or more communication interfaces 790 that may have different physical interfaces. Such communication interfaces may include interfaces for wired and wireless local area networks, broadband wireless networks, and personal area networks. Some uses of the methods for generating, displaying, and using the GUIs disclosed herein may include receiving an ordered dataset via a physical interface or being generated by the machine itself by analyzing data stored in storage 770 or 775 by processor 755. Further, the machine may receive input from a user via user interface component 785 and execute appropriate functions such as browsing functions by interpreting these inputs using processor 755.

[0039] It will be appreciated that the exemplary systems 700 and 750 may have two or more processors 710 or may be part of a group or cluster of computing devices networked together to provide greater processing power.

[0040] For clarity of explanation, in some cases, the technology may be presented as including individual functional blocks including devices, device components, steps or routines in methods embodied in software, or functional blocks including combinations of hardware and software.

[0041] In some embodiments, computer-readable storage devices, media, and memories may include wireless signals including a cable or bitstream, etc. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable storage media explicitly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals themselves.

[0042] The method according to the above example can be implemented using computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium or otherwise available from a computer-readable medium. Such instructions can include, for example, instructions and data that cause a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a special-purpose processing device to perform or configure specific functions or groups of functions. Some of the computer resources used can be accessed via a network. The computer-executable instructions can be, for example, binary, assembly language, firmware, or intermediate format instructions such as source code. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used to store instructions, the information used, and / or the information created during the method according to the described examples include magnetic or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, and the like.

[0043] Devices implementing the method according to these disclosures can include hardware, firmware, and / or software and can take any of various form factors. Typical examples of such form factors include laptops, smartphones, small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, and the like. The functions described herein can also be embodied in a peripheral device or an add-in card. Such functions can also be implemented on a circuit board, as a further example, within different chips or different processes executed by a single device.

[0044] Instructions, the media for transmitting such instructions, the computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are means for providing the functions described in these disclosures.

[0045] The subject matter of the above-disclosed invention should be regarded as illustrative and not as limiting, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments that fall within the true spirit and scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the scope of this disclosure is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.

Claims

1. A base and 1. A foot pedal assembly comprising: a step plate rotatably coupled to the base at a proximal end of the step plate and having a variable angular position relative to the base at a distal end of the step plate, the step plate comprising: at least one channel in a surface of the tread; at least one rail in the at least one channel; at least one shuttle slidably coupled to the at least one rail; a plurality of notches in a bottom surface of the step and substantially adjacent the distal end of the step; A step plate; an adjustable tread member coupled to the tread plate via the at least one shuttle; a latch assembly including a lever having a lever distal end disposed near a distal end of the adjustable tread member and a lever proximal end extending under the tread in a direction toward a proximal end of the tread; a heel cup at a proximal end of the adjustable tread member; the lever proximal end includes at least one protrusion that selectively engages at least one of the plurality of notches in a bottom surface of the footboard to thereby slide the at least one shuttle on the at least one rail, thereby adjusting the adjustable tread member relative to the footboard; Foot Assembly and Equipped with a latch pivot pin that acts as a fulcrum for the latch assembly to selectively engage the at least one protrusion with at least one of the plurality of notches in a bottom surface of the footboard and separates the lever distal end and the lever proximal end; a latch spring disposed between the lever and the adjustable tread member substantially adjacent to a distal end of the lever, the latch spring providing resistance to movement of the lever about the fulcrum and a return force for the lever; the adjustable tread member is substantially planar from the heel cup at the proximal end of the adjustable tread member to the distal end of the adjustable tread member; a spring assembly coupled to the base and the foot assembly, the spring assembly configured to place the foot assembly in a default angular position relative to the base and configured to compress by applying a torque to the foot assembly by depressing the foot assembly in a downward rotation; Foot controller.

2. 2. The foot controller of claim 1, wherein the foot plate further comprises two channels in the surface of the foot plate extending from the proximal end of the foot plate toward the distal end of the foot plate, each of the two channels comprising a rail.

3. The foot controller of claim 2 , wherein the tread further comprises two shuttles slidably coupled to each of the rails in the two channels.

4. The latch assembly includes: a latch button disposed at the distal end of the lever and extending downwardly so as to be substantially disposed in the opening; The foot controller of claim 1 further comprising:

5. The foot controller of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable tread member comprises a generally flat surface generally sized to accommodate an operator's foot.

6. a control assembly configured to determine the angular position of the foot assembly relative to the base and to convert the angular position into a first signal representative of the angular position of the foot assembly. The foot controller of claim 1 further comprising:

7. The foot controller of claim 1 , wherein the lever includes a plurality of protrusions that selectively engage with ones of the plurality of notches in the bottom surface of the foot plate.

8. 10. The foot controller of claim 1, wherein the foot controller is communicatively coupled to a surgical console, and a first signal representative of the angular position of a pedal surface is used to control a surgical tool coupled to the surgical console.

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