Software-Configurable Medical Light Handle for Sterile-Field Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical lights often lack intuitive and user-friendly control mechanisms for adjusting light characteristics, such as intensity, spot size, and color temperature, which can complicate operation during surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A medical light handle assembly with a controller that maps user inputs, like handle twists and button presses, to light adjustments, allowing customizable control and configuration data transfer between handle assemblies, enabling consistent operation across different lights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a control panel is provided on the surgical light housing or suspension arm, then the light characteristics can be adjusted, but the control becomes less intuitive and requires the surgeon to break sterility or reach for controls away from the sterile field
Solution Approach 1:
The control functions are extracted from the surgical light housing and suspension arm controls and relocated to the handle assembly. This allows the surgeon to control light characteristics directly at the sterile field without reaching for controls away from the surgical site, improving intuitiveness while maintaining sterility.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle assembly serves as an intermediary control interface between the surgeon and the surgical light. It provides a sterile barrier that can be grasped directly over the surgical field, translating intuitive hand movements into light control commands without compromising sterility.
2Ease of operation
If the handle assembly control is customized for each user, then the control becomes more intuitive for that user, but the system requires reconfiguration when switching handles between different lights
Solution Approach 1:
The handle assembly includes a controller that pre-loads configuration data mapping user inputs to light characteristics before being mounted to a surgical light. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for on-site reconfiguration when switching handles, as the correct mappings are already in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle assembly contains a memory storage that stores user-specific configuration data. When the handle is mounted to a different surgical light, the same configuration data is copied and applied, ensuring consistent and intuitive control across different light units without manual reconfiguration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the handle assembly is removably mounted to the medical light, then the handle can be switched between different lights, but the control configuration may not be consistent across different lights
Solution Approach 1:
The handle assembly is designed with universal compatibility to be mounted on multiple different surgical light units. The controller in the handle assembly is configured to work with various light types, maintaining consistent control functionality across different surgical lights through standardized communication protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle assembly controller communicates with the surgical light controller to receive and verify configuration data. This feedback mechanism ensures that the correct light characteristics and control mappings are applied when the handle is mounted to a different light, maintaining control consistency across the system.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling a medical light by a handle assembly removably mounted to the medical light includes storing configuration data at a controller of the handle assembly that defines a mapping of handle assembly user inputs to medical light property adjustments; detecting a first user input to the handle assembly; and sending a control signal to the medical light to vary a property of light provided by the medical light according to the first user input and the configuration data.