Surgical Robot Console Interface for In-View Instrument Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical robot control systems face challenges in efficiently managing multiple instruments, leading to operator errors due to the need to shift attention between video streams and instrument status checks, which can result in inadequate attention to the video stream during instrument switching.
Innovation Solution
A control system that allows for a graphical arrangement of icons to be displayed on a surgeon console, indicating the selectability and control mode of each instrument, enabling seamless selection and control of surgical instruments without diverting attention from the video stream, through a combination of mode changes, icon transitions, and visual cues like color and position modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the operator checks instrument status separately from the video stream, then instrument control accuracy is improved, but operator attention to the surgical site deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges instrument status information with the video stream by overlaying icons representing different instruments directly on the video display. This allows the operator to monitor both the surgical site and instrument status simultaneously without shifting attention between separate displays, thus maintaining surgical site monitoring reliability while improving instrument status monitoring accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a visual dimension to instrument status monitoring by using graphical icons positioned at specific locations on the display corresponding to instrument positions. This spatial mapping allows the operator to perceive instrument status in the same visual field as the surgical site, eliminating the need to divert attention while maintaining accurate instrument monitoring.
2Measurement precision
If multiple instruments are managed with separate control interfaces, then instrument control precision is improved, but system complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple instrument control functions into a single integrated display interface. By showing icons for multiple instruments on one video stream display with visual indicators of selectability and control mode, the system maintains precise instrument selection while reducing the complexity of having separate control interfaces for each instrument.
Solution Approach 2:
The display interface is designed to be universal, handling multiple instruments and control modes through a single standardized icon system. The same display mechanism shows video feed, instrument icons, selectability indicators, and control mode information for all instruments, eliminating the need for multiple specialized interfaces and reducing overall system complexity.
3Measurement precision
If the operator switches between different instrument views, then instrument identification accuracy is improved, but response time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all instrument identification information into the single video stream display through overlaid icons. The operator can identify all instruments and their status simultaneously without switching views, maintaining accurate instrument identification while eliminating the time loss associated with view switching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares instrument identification information in advance by continuously displaying icons for all instruments in their current positions on the video stream. This preliminary presentation of all instrument information eliminates the need for sequential view switching, allowing immediate instrument identification and selection without time delay.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for controlling a surgical robot by a surgeon console remote from the surgical robot, the control system being configured to: receive one or more state signal associated with a plurality of instruments, each of the plurality of instruments being attachable to the surgical robot, the one or more state signal indicating a selectability of each of the plurality of instruments for control by the surgeon console, and a control mode of each of the plurality of instruments from a group of modes, the group of modes comprising a manipulation mode in which an instrument of the plurality of instruments is controllable by the surgeon console, and a selection mode in which an instrument of the plurality of instruments is selectable for control by the surgeon console; determine a graphical arrangement of icons for display in dependence on the received one or more state signal, where each icon represents a respective one of the plurality of instruments, and output a display signal to cause the graphical arrangement of icons to be displayed; receive a mode change signal.