Electrotome Hardware Arbitration for Fault-Tolerant Output Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing high-frequency electrotome control systems in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgical devices are prone to errors due to software faults, which can lead to incorrect output of high-frequency electrical energy, posing serious risks during surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A high-frequency electrotome control system incorporating an electrotome activation pedal, a master-slave control system, and a high-frequency electrotome activation hardware arbitration module with logic OR and AND circuits, switch elements, and standby switches to ensure correct hardware control signals are used to activate the electrotome generator, preventing wrong outputs and providing fault-tolerant control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If software control is used to manage multiple electrotome surgical tools, then the control process becomes simpler and hardware cost is reduced, but the risk of wrong electrotome output due to software faults increases
Solution Approach 1:
An independent hardware arbitration module is introduced as an intermediary between the software control system and the electrotome generator. This module receives both software control signals and hardware pedal signals, performs logical AND operations to verify consistency, and only activates the electrotome when both signals agree. This intermediary hardware layer prevents software faults from causing wrong electrotome output while maintaining the simplified software-controlled architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple pedals are connected to control multiple surgical tools, then each tool can be independently controlled, but the complexity of the control system increases and the risk of operator error increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pedal control signals are merged into a single hardware arbitration module that processes all signals through logical operations. Instead of having separate control paths for each tool, the system combines all pedal inputs and software control signals into one unified hardware arbitration point. This merging maintains the ability to control multiple tools independently through software while reducing hardware complexity and operator error risk through centralized hardware verification.
3Reliability
If hardware arbitration module is added to verify control signals, then the reliability of electrotome control is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hardware arbitration module replaces complex mechanical pedal-to-generator direct connections with an electronic logic-based verification system. Instead of multiple physical control paths, the system uses electronic signal processing with logical AND operations to verify control intent. This substitution achieves high reliability through electronic verification while reducing overall system complexity by eliminating redundant mechanical control pathways.
Data Source
AI summary
A high-frequency electrotome control system and a control method thereof are disclosed. The high-frequency electrotome control system includes an electrotome activation pedal, a master-slave control system, and a high-frequency electrotome activation hardware arbitration module. The high-frequency electrotome activation hardware arbitration module is connected with the electrotome activation pedal and configured to detect the state of the electrotome activation pedal. The high-frequency electrotome activation hardware arbitration module is connected with the master-slave control system and configured to activate an electrotome control output based on the state of the electrotome activation pedal and an electrotome control signal from the master-slave control system.