Handheld Controller Sensor Logic for Medical Device Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical equipment, such as robotic catheter systems, face challenges in preventing unintended motion, which can compromise patient safety and user efficiency, as existing safety mechanisms like wrist detection and foot pedals can limit workflow and are not foolproof against accidental activation.
Innovation Solution
A medical apparatus with a hand-held controller equipped with sensors to detect user interaction, preventing actuation of the medical device if the controller is not being intentionally held and operated, using a combination of optical, mechanical, or electrical sensors to distinguish intended from unintended operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wrist detection sensor is used to prevent unintended motion, then patient safety is improved, but the physician's workflow efficiency deteriorates due to forced wrist positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (foot pedal or release button) that mediates between the safety requirement and workflow efficiency. This intermediary allows the physician to intentionally release the safety lock when needed, rather than maintaining a forced wrist position throughout the procedure. The intermediary component enables safe operation while restoring natural workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring continuous positive confirmation (wrist on rest) to enable movement, the system inverts the logic by requiring a deliberate release action to enable movement. This inversion changes the default state from locked to unlocked, with safety enforced through intentional release rather than continuous positioning, thereby improving workflow efficiency while maintaining safety.
2Reliability
If a safety foot pedal is used to prevent unintended motion, then activation safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by allowing the same safety mechanism to serve multiple purposes: preventing unintended activation during normal operation, enabling intentional activation through foot pedal, and providing release functionality through button press. This universal approach consolidates multiple safety functions into a unified system rather than requiring separate mechanisms for each function.
3Ease of operation
If force sensing joystick with contact sensors is used to enable different functions, then operational control is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the safety detection function from the operational control sensors. Rather than using complex force sensing and multiple contact sensors to detect both operational intent and safety conditions, the system separates safety detection (through simple foot pedal or button press) from operational control (through the joystick). This extraction simplifies the detection and measurement requirements while maintaining operational control capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical apparatus includes a medical device capable of maneuvering within a patient, an input device configured to be operated by a hand of a user, one or more sensors for sensing whether the hand of the user is interacting with the input device, and a controller configured to determine whether the one or more sensors is sensing that the hand of the user is interacting with the input device, and in a case that the controller determines that the one or more sensors is sensing that the hand of the user is not interacting with the input device, prevent actuation of the medical device.