Surgical Microscope Balance Monitoring for Brake Release Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical microscope systems face challenges in maintaining balance, especially when accessories are added or components are adjusted, leading to potential sudden movements due to imbalance, which can surprise surgeons and compromise surgical precision.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of sensors to monitor the balance of the surgical microscope system, providing warnings to users and overriding brake releases to prevent sudden movements, using a processing module that integrates with various output modules for visual, audio, or haptic feedback, and optionally activating an auto-balancing system to correct imbalances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automatic balancing functionality is implemented, then balancing effort and time are reduced, but sudden movements may occur when imbalance is not detected in time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of imbalance conditions before they result in sudden movements. Sensors continuously monitor balance parameters and trigger warnings or brake overrides in advance, preventing the harmful effect of sudden microscope movements while maintaining ease of operation through automatic monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback through sensors that monitor balance conditions and provide real-time information to the control system. This feedback loop enables the system to detect impending imbalances and respond with warnings or brake overrides, ensuring system stability while maintaining automatic operation.
2Reliability
If sensors and monitoring systems are added, then system stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is integrated into the existing microscope stand structure, allowing the same components to serve multiple functions: structural support, balance monitoring, and automatic correction. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated monitoring components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring and control functions are merged with the existing brake and balancing systems. The processing module integrates sensor data with the brake control system, combining multiple functions into a unified control architecture that reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate independent systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
Examples relate to a surgical microscope system and a corresponding apparatus, method and computer program. The surgical microscope system comprises one or more sensors for providing sensor information about a balance of the surgical microscope system. The surgical microscope system comprises one or more brakes for holding at least one component of the surgical microscope system in place. The surgical microscope system comprises a surgical microscope. The surgical microscope system comprises a processing module, configured to process the sensor information. The processing module is configured to determine an information about the balance of the surgical microscope system. In some embodiments, the processing module is configured to provide a warning to a user of the surgical microscope system based on the information about the balance of the surgical microscope system. The warning indicates a danger of imbalance in the surgical microscope system. Alternatively or additionally, the processing module may be configured to control a release of the one or more brakes based on the information about the balance of the surgical microscope system.