Sight Line Control for Medical Apparatuses
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Solution Overview
Problem
In medical systems, the existing methods for controlling medical apparatuses through sight line recognition are inefficient due to the need for nurses to operate panels in unsanitary regions, leading to delayed instructions and errors in transmission and recognition.
Innovation Solution
A medical system that includes a display section for operation instructions, a sight line detection section to measure the operator's sight line position coordinates, a sight line measurement level calculation section to assess the reliability of these coordinates, and an eyeball measurement level determination section to ensure both eyes are recognized, allowing for direct surgeon control of medical apparatuses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If nurses operate operation panels in unsanitary regions, then the surgeon can control apparatuses remotely, but time delay and transmission errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/verbal communication system (nurse verbally instructing panel operations) with an automated optical recognition system. The sight line detection section captures eye gaze coordinates, and the recognition section automatically translates these into control commands, eliminating human transmission intermediaries and their associated errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the surgeon to directly control apparatuses through their own eye movements without requiring assistance from nurses. The automated recognition system serves the surgeon's control needs directly, eliminating the need for intermediary human operators in unsanitary regions.
2Extent of automation
If operation panels are placed in racks or carts in unsanitary regions, then centralized control is achieved, but surgeons cannot directly operate the panels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sight line detection apparatus as an intermediary between the surgeon and the operation panels. This intermediary captures the surgeon's gaze direction and automatically translates it into control commands for the centralized panels, allowing the surgeon to control apparatuses without physically accessing the panels in unsanitary regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces direct physical interaction with panels (mechanical operation) with an optical field-based system. The sight line detection section captures eye gaze using optical principles, and the recognition section converts this optical information into control signals, eliminating the need for physical panel access.
3Ease of operation
If sight line recognition is used for control, then direct surgeon operation is enabled, but recognition errors may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a recognition result indication section that provides visual feedback to the surgeon about the system's recognition status. This feedback mechanism allows the surgeon to verify that the correct apparatus is being controlled and to correct any potential recognition errors, improving overall control accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system requires the surgeon to maintain eye gaze on the operation panel for a predetermined time period before recognition is activated. This temporal threshold acts as a filtering mechanism that prevents spurious or accidental gaze detections, ensuring that only intentional control actions are executed.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical system has peripheral apparatuses, a sight line operation screen in which a command area for instructing operation of the peripheral apparatuses is displayed, a sight line measuring apparatus configured to detect sight line position coordinates of an operator, a sight line recognition level calculation section configured to calculate an extent of sight line recognition by the sight line measuring apparatus, and a sight line recognition level display area configured to display a calculation result of the sight line recognition level calculation section on the sight line operation screen.