Digital Microsurgery Imaging With ROI Magnification and Surgeon Mobility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical microscopes are limited in flexibility and cause neck/back pain and fatigue due to their fixed position, obstruct the operating room, and require multiple microscopes for multiple surgeons to view different areas, lacking digital advantages.
Innovation Solution
A microsurgery system using Head Mounted Display (HMD), cameras suspended above the operated area, and a processing device to display real-time magnified digital image sequences of a Region of Interest (ROI), allowing users to move freely and eliminating the need for traditional microscopes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional surgical microscope is used to provide magnified view of operated area, then magnification and visualization quality are improved, but user mobility is restricted and neck/back pain occurs due to fixed head position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the direct optical viewing system with a digital copy of the visual field. Cameras capture the operated area and transmit digital images to display devices, allowing surgeons to view magnified images without being mechanically coupled to the viewing system. This enables free movement while maintaining high-quality magnified visualization through digital display.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical optical coupling system with an electronic/digital system. Instead of requiring the surgeon's head to be fixed to the microscope for optical alignment, the system uses cameras, processors, and display devices to deliver the magnified visual field electronically, replacing mechanical constraints with flexible electronic transmission.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional surgical microscopes are positioned above the patient to provide stable magnified view, then visualization stability is improved, but the microscopes obstruct the operating room and block movement of medical staff
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the viewing function from the physical microscope structure and relocates it to separate display devices. The cameras remain positioned to capture the operated area, but the visual output is delivered to portable or remote displays, removing the bulky microscope structure from the operating room and eliminating its obstructive presence while maintaining stable visualization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a three-dimensional physical microscope structure occupying space above the patient to a two-dimensional digital display system. The visual information is projected onto display surfaces that can be positioned anywhere in the room, eliminating the need for fixed overhead positioning and freeing up operating space while maintaining visualization stability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple conventional microscopes are deployed to allow multiple surgeons to view different areas, then viewing flexibility for multiple users is improved, but device complexity and obstruction of operating room increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal imaging system where a single camera system serves multiple users simultaneously. The cameras capture the operated area and the digital images can be distributed to multiple display devices, allowing any number of surgeons to view different regions or the same region from different perspectives without requiring separate physical microscopes for each user.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the imaging function into a single centralized camera system that serves all users, rather than having separate microscopes for each surgeon. The digital image stream is shared and can be displayed on multiple screens, combining the resources of multiple viewing systems into one unified platform that reduces overall device complexity and operating room obstruction.
4Measurement precision
If conventional optical microscopes are used to achieve magnification, then optical quality is improved, but the systems become bulky and require fixed mechanical positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the heavy mechanical optical microscope structure with a lightweight camera system and electronic display. The magnification function is achieved through camera sensors and digital display scaling rather than through heavy optical lenses and mechanical positioning mechanisms, dramatically reducing the weight and bulk of the stationary equipment while maintaining magnification quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A system captures and displays video of surgeries. The system may include at least one digital image sensor optically coupled to one or more lenses and configured to capture a video sequence of a scene in a surgery; at least one interface configured to receive at least one region on interest (ROI) of the captured video sequence; an electronic display, selected so that at least one of the digital image sensors has a pixel resolution which is substantially greater than the pixel resolution of the electronic display; and a computer processor configured to: receive the at least one captured video sequence and the at least one received ROI and display over the at least one electronic display a portion of the captured video sequence based on the at least one selected ROI.