Operating Room Touchscreen Control for Integrated Equipment Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current operating room systems lack comprehensive control over diverse medical equipment, requiring manual adjustment by personnel outside the sterile environment due to differing signal formats and lack of network connections, which can lead to miscommunication and errors during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A fully integrated operating room system with a customizable touchscreen interface that allows surgeons to control all equipment, both within and outside the sterile environment, through a network-connected computer system, enabling configuration of icon placement, video output, and equipment control based on user preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If diverse medical equipment from different manufacturers is used in the operating room, then the system offers greater versatility and adaptability, but control complexity increases and integration becomes difficult due to diverse signals and control formats
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a standardized communication interface that acts as an intermediary between diverse medical equipment and the central control system. This interface translates various signal formats and control protocols into a unified communication standard, enabling the touchscreen controller to manage multiple manufacturers' equipment without direct integration complexity. The intermediary layer handles protocol conversion and signal normalization.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system employs a universal touchscreen interface that can control multiple types of medical equipment from different manufacturers through a single unified control platform. The system achieves multi-functionality by supporting various control formats and signal types through the standardized communication interface, allowing one device to perform multiple control functions across diverse equipment.
2Ease of operation
If personnel outside the sterile environment manually adjust equipment, then equipment control is possible, but miscommunication and errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables surgeons and medical personnel within the sterile environment to directly control equipment themselves through the touchscreen interface, eliminating the need for external personnel to make manual adjustments. The self-service capability allows users to independently configure and control medical equipment, reducing dependency on external operators and minimizing miscommunication risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the control functionality from external personnel and places it directly into the hands of surgeons and medical staff through the integrated touchscreen system. By taking control capabilities out of the external support role and embedding them in the primary user interface, the system eliminates the communication chain that leads to errors.
3Ease of manufacture
If a fixed control interface is used, then the system is simpler to manufacture, but it cannot be customized to user preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The control interface is designed as a dynamic, reconfigurable system that allows users to customize the layout, positioning, and configuration of control elements according to their preferences. The interface can be dynamically adjusted during operation, enabling surgeons to optimize the display and control arrangements for different procedures and personal workflows while maintaining a standardized underlying architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by allowing different regions of the touchscreen interface to be customized independently. Each control element and display area can be configured with specific properties and positions tailored to user preferences, while the overall system maintains standardized manufacturing and integration protocols.
4Productivity
If surgeons need to access equipment controls during procedures, then operational efficiency improves, but the interface must be positioned outside the sterile environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a touchscreen controller that can be positioned within the sterile environment, creating a local copy of the control interface that surgeons can access directly at the surgical site. This eliminates the need for surgeons to reach outside the sterile field to control equipment, as all necessary controls are replicated and made accessible within the sterile boundary through the networked touchscreen system.
Data Source
AI summary
An operating room control system that is soft configurable allowing a user to completely configure the control and function of the system. The system includes a touchscreen that provides a video display received from a video endoscope and presents icons on the touchscreen allowing the user to control and interface with the tools/equipment in the operating room as well as hospital systems. The controls, displays, tools, equipment, etc. are configured to be operated from a single centralized platform.