Contactless Surgical Control Panel Using Infrared Reflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical navigation systems face inefficiencies due to the difficulty in clear communication and coordination between surgeons and assistants during surgery, as surgeons must keep their hands aseptic, leading to potential misinterpretation of operations and reduced surgical precision.
Innovation Solution
A contactless control panel system utilizing an infrared camera and computer for image recognition, allowing surgeons to control surgical equipment without physical contact through a panel with infrared reflective areas, enabling hands-free operation and reducing the risk of contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If surgeons use traditional control panels during surgery, then they can operate surgical equipment, but their hands must remain aseptic which limits their ability to interact with controls and may lead to communication inefficiency with assistants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical touch-based control panel with an optical recognition system. The control panel uses infrared reflective material that can be detected by an optical sensor, allowing surgeons to control surgical equipment without physical contact. This substitution of mechanical interaction with optical detection enables hands-free operation while maintaining control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary optical recognition system between the surgeon and the control panel. Instead of direct physical contact, the system uses infrared reflective material as an intermediary that can be detected optically, translating the surgeon's intended actions into control signals without requiring hand contact with the panel surface.
2Productivity
If assistants help operate the surgical navigation system, then they can assist with operations, but communication efficiency deteriorates due to difficulty in expressing and comprehending directions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the optical sensor continuously detects the state of the control panel and provides real-time feedback to the surgical navigation system. This allows the system to automatically respond to control inputs without requiring verbal communication or complex coordination between surgeon and assistant, thereby improving productivity while reducing information loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel system operates autonomously by automatically detecting control inputs through optical recognition and executing corresponding operations without requiring constant human intervention or coordination. The system serves itself by translating optical signals into control actions, reducing the need for efficient communication between team members.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the control panel requires physical contact, then it is simple to manufacture, but it increases the risk of pathogen transmission and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanically interactive control panel with an optical detection system. By using infrared reflective material that can be detected optically, the system eliminates the need for physical contact, thereby reducing pathogen transmission risk while maintaining control functionality through non-contact optical interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a thin film or coating of infrared reflective material on the control panel surface. This thin film approach allows the panel to maintain a simple, sterile surface that can be easily manufactured and sterilized, while the optical detection system reads information from this thin film without requiring physical penetration or complex mechanical structures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances surgical precision and safety by allowing surgeons to control surgical systems without touching the panel, reducing the risk of pathogen transmission and simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining system functionality.
Implementation Method 1
The control areas are coated with infrared reflective material to reflect infrared radiation upon the control areas
Implementation Method 2
The infrared camera is configured to capture an infrared image of the control areas of the contactless control panel reflecting the infrared radiation so as to generate an image signal related to the infrared image
Data Source
AI summary
A surgery system includes a contactless control panel, an infrared camera, a computer and a display. The contactless control panel includes control areas which are arranged in a predetermined pattern and are coated with infrared reflective material to reflect infrared radiation. The infrared camera captures an infrared image of the control areas. The computer performs image recognition on the infrared image, determines, based on the predetermined pattern stored in advance and a result of the image recognition, which one of the control areas is masked, and generates a device control signal based on a function corresponding to the one of the control areas that is determined to be masked. The display device displays images based on the device control signal.