Biological Signal Display Apparatus for Surgical Microscope Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing biological signal display apparatuses are not suitable for surgical environments as they require the surgeon to physically approach the device or ask staff to read numerical values, making it difficult to monitor evoked responses in real-time during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A biological signal display apparatus that includes a stimulation unit, measurement unit, calculator, and display controller to display evoked responses as bar-shaped images on a display unit, allowing for intuitive monitoring of feature amounts such as amplitude and latency, with the ability to update images in real-time and output to external devices like goggles or microscopes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If waveform or numerical values are displayed on a separate apparatus, then measurement precision is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates because the surgeon must approach the apparatus or ask staff to read values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the display function directly into the surgical microscope, merging the measurement apparatus and display apparatus into a single integrated system. This allows surgeons to monitor evoked responses without leaving their surgical position or requiring additional staff intervention, thereby improving ease of operation and eliminating time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces bar-shaped images as an intermediary visual representation that translates complex waveform data into intuitive height-based visual cues. These bar-shaped images serve as a mediator between the raw measurement data and the surgeon's perception, enabling rapid comprehension of evoked response status without requiring direct waveform analysis.
2Ease of operation
If detailed waveform information is displayed, then measurement precision is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates because the information is not intuitively graspable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color coding to enhance the intuitiveness of the display. Different colors represent different states or ranges of evoked responses, allowing surgeons to rapidly comprehend the status of neural monitoring without analyzing detailed waveform characteristics. This visual encoding transforms complex data into immediately recognizable patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms one-dimensional waveform data into two-dimensional bar-shaped visual representations with height corresponding to amplitude and position corresponding to latency. This dimensional transformation preserves the essential measurement information while presenting it in a format that is intuitively graspable through visual comparison of bar heights and positions.
3Productivity
If bar-shaped images are displayed for each stimulation, then ease of operation improves for real-time monitoring, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic display system that automatically updates bar-shaped images in real-time as new evoked responses are measured following each stimulation. The display adapts to the ongoing surgical process, continuously refreshing the visual information without requiring manual intervention or complex configuration changes from the surgeon.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the surgical microscope to perform multiple functions: it serves as both the primary surgical tool for visualizing anatomical structures and as the monitoring apparatus for displaying evoked responses. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated monitoring equipment, thereby managing device complexity while enabling real-time monitoring capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A biological signal display apparatus includes: a stimulation unit which performs stimulation on a living body; a measurement unit which measures an evoked response evoked by the stimulation; a calculator which calculates a feature amount of the evoked response; a display unit; and a display controller which, based on the feature amount calculated by the calculator, displays a bar-shaped image on the display unit, each time when the stimulation is performed, the bar-shaped image corresponding with the evoked response on the display unit.