Surgical Force Overlay Display for Tissue-Safe Endoscopic Handling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Operators in endoscopic and laparoscopic surgeries face difficulties in accurately knowing the forces applied by surgical instruments on tissues, leading to potential tissue damage due to unintended force application, and existing display methods either require shifting gaze or obscure tissue visibility.
Innovation Solution
A force sense display device that superimposes force magnitude and direction representations onto the surgical instrument area in the image display, using color, brightness, transparency, or numerical values to intuitively indicate the applied forces, ensuring the tissue area remains visible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a large number of buttons are arranged on the right information display device to provide detailed button information, then the button information can be fully displayed, but the device size increases and portability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a 2D display (screen only) to a 3D interaction model by adding physical buttons that protrude from the display surface. This allows button information to be conveyed through both visual display and tactile feedback, eliminating the need to expand device size while maintaining information completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the information display function across multiple channels: visual display for button information, tactile feedback for button identification, and auditory feedback for confirmation. This multi-channel approach allows comprehensive information delivery without increasing device footprint.
2Measurement precision
If detailed button information is displayed on the right information display device, then users can identify buttons accurately, but the time required to display all information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent provides different levels of information detail at different stages: initial tactile feedback gives basic button identification, visual display provides detailed information, and auditory feedback confirms selection. This staged information delivery reduces overall time while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The tactile buttons enable users to self-identify button locations and functions through touch alone, without waiting for visual display updates. This parallel information delivery reduces the time required for button identification.
3Area of stationary object
If the right information display device is made smaller to improve portability, then device compactness improves, but the display area for button information decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple information delivery modalities (tactile, visual, auditory) into a unified button interaction system. This allows compact device design while maintaining comprehensive button information delivery through the combination of senses rather than relying solely on display area.
4Measurement precision
If tactile buttons are added to provide force feedback, then button press detection accuracy improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tactile buttons serve multiple functions simultaneously: visual display element, tactile identifier, force feedback mechanism, and input device. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate components for each function.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is a force sense display device that, to facilitate reduction of damage to tissue, is configured to include: an image obtainer obtaining captured-image information of an affected part; a force sense obtainer obtaining force sense information containing information on a magnitude of and a direction of a force acting on at least one surgical instrument for treatment of the affected part; a generator generating, based on the force sense information, a force sense representation including a force amount representation indicting the magnitude of the force and a direction representation that represents the direction of the force; a detector detecting, based on the captured-image information, a surgical instrument area in which the surgical instrument is displayed on the display section; and a superimposing section generate display information for display, on the display section, of the surgical instrument area with the force sense representation superimposed thereon.