Medical Manipulator Force Visualization via Dynamic Transparency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical manipulator systems lack effective visualization of external forces exerted on the manipulator during procedures, which can hinder precise operation and increase the risk of tissue damage due to inadequate feedback to the operator.
Innovation Solution
A medical manipulator system that includes an external-force detecting means, a controller with a processor to generate an auxiliary image based on detected forces, and a display system to superimpose the auxiliary image on the endoscope image, adjusting its transparency or form to indicate force levels, thereby providing conspicuous feedback to the operator without obstructing the real image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If an auxiliary image is displayed to show manipulator position, then the operator can observe the manipulator location, but the auxiliary image may block the real image and reduce visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by changing the transparency of the auxiliary image based on the detected external force magnitude. When external force is high, the auxiliary image becomes more transparent to prioritize real image visibility. When external force is low, the auxiliary image becomes less transparent to improve manipulator position visibility. This localized adjustment of transparency resolves the contradiction between showing manipulator position and maintaining real image visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the auxiliary image transparency adjustable and responsive to real-time external force detection. The transparency is not static but dynamically changes based on the magnitude of external force detected during the procedure. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt between prioritizing manipulator position visibility and real image visibility depending on operational conditions.
2Reliability
If the auxiliary image is made conspicuous to notify operators of external forces, then safety feedback is improved, but it may obstruct the real image and hinder treatment observation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by spatially and visually differentiating the auxiliary image from the real image. The auxiliary image is displayed with different transparency levels and can be positioned in specific regions, allowing safety feedback to be conveyed without uniformly obscuring the treatment area. The transparency adjustment based on external force magnitude ensures that safety information is prominent when needed while minimizing obstruction during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes color changes as a visual mechanism to convey external force information through the auxiliary image. By changing the color or intensity characteristics of the auxiliary image based on detected external force levels, the system provides conspicuous safety feedback while maintaining distinguishability from the real image, thus avoiding complete obstruction of the treatment area.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical manipulator system having a controller configured to receive an image showing a state of a treating portion of a manipulator from an endoscope, determine a magnitude of an external force exerted on the manipulator based on the state of the treating portion of the manipulator shown in the image, generate an auxiliary image in which a display form thereof is changed with a change in the magnitude of the external force exerted on the manipulator determined, determine a display position of the auxiliary image in the image on the basis of the magnitude of the external force exerted on the manipulator determined, and generate a composited image signal of a composited image in which the auxiliary image is superimposed on the image on the basis of the display position determined.