Medical Remote Control Layout With Dynamic Button-to-Icon Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing a remote control device with physical control buttons that can intuitively and flexibly control a variety of medical devices, such as operating tables, with different configurations, is challenging due to the need for a universal button layout that accommodates multiple device models while providing haptic feedback and avoiding false inputs.
Innovation Solution
The remote control device features physically distinct button units with visually distinguishable features, a display unit showing icons representing device components, and a control unit that assigns buttons to device components based on received mapping information, allowing for flexible adaptation to different medical devices by reflecting button features in the display, enabling intuitive operation and avoiding false inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a remote control device uses virtual control buttons on a touch-sensitive screen, then the control panel can be easily adapted to different table models, but the user loses haptic perceptibility and mechanical feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of physical buttons (haptic feedback, mechanical feedback, ease of location) with the advantages of virtual buttons (adaptability to different configurations) by superimposing a graphical user interface on a physical control panel. The physical buttons provide tactile feedback while the display screen shows context-sensitive icons that adapt to different table configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The display screen acts as an intermediary between the physical buttons and the control functions. It translates the fixed physical button layout into context-appropriate virtual button representations, allowing the system to adapt to different table configurations while maintaining the physical buttons' tactile advantages.
2Ease of operation
If different remote control devices are designed for different operating tables, then each device can be optimized for its specific table configuration, but the device complexity and number of different devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal remote control device that can control multiple different table configurations through a single device. The control unit stores multiple icon sets corresponding to different table configurations and automatically selects the appropriate icon set based on the detected table model, eliminating the need for multiple specialized remote controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote control device dynamically adapts its display based on the detected table configuration. The control unit changes the displayed icons according to the current table model, allowing the same physical device to provide configuration-specific control interfaces without requiring physical reconfiguration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If backlighting is used to indicate active keys for different configurations, then the remote control can adapt to different table models, but the user cannot locate keys by touch alone in dark environments
Solution Approach 1:
The control panel is segmented into multiple button units, each with a specific function. This segmentation allows the physical buttons to maintain their tactile identifiability while the display screen provides configuration-specific information through icons, combining the benefits of both approaches.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a remote-control device (12, 50, 160) for controlling at least one medical appliance (14, 52, 100, 130, 170) having a plurality of actuatable appliance components (54, 58, 60, 62, 106, 108, 132, 136 to 140, 152, 172, 176 to 84), comprising a plurality of physical pushbutton units (22, 24, 26, 68, 70, 72, 74) for actuating the appliance components (54, 58, 60, 62, 106, 108, 132, 136 to 140, 152, 172, 176 to 84), wherein the pushbutton units (22, 24, 26, 68, 70, 72, 74) each have visually detectable distinguishing features for visual distinction from one another, a display unit (18, 82) for displaying pictograms ( 84, 86, 88, 90, 112, 116, 118, 146, 148, 152, 190 to 200) which represent the appliance components (54, 58, 60, 62, 106, 108, 132, 136 to 140, 152, 172, 176 to 184), a providing unit (20, 162, 164, 166) for obtaining an item of assignment information which defines a unique assignment between the pushbutton units (22, 24, 26, 68, 70, 72, 74) and the appliance components (54, 58, 60, 62, 106, 108, 132, 136 to 140, 152, 172, 176 to 84), and a control unit (16) for assigning the pushbutton units (22, 24, 26, 68, 70, 72, 74) to the table components (54, 58, 60, 62, 106, 108, 132, 136 to 140, 152, 172, 176 to 84) in accordance with the item of assignment information received. The control unit (16) controls the display unit (18, 82) in such a way that the pictograms (84, 86, 88, 90, 112, 116, 118, 146, 148, 152, 190 to 200) displayed by the display unit (18, 82) are provided with the visually detectable distinguishing features of those pushbutton units (22, 24, 26, 68, 70, 72, 74) which are assigned to the respective appliance components (54, 58, 60, 62, 106, 108, 132, 136 to 140, 152, 172, 176 to 84) by using the assignment information.