Touch Input for Digital Microscope Image Navigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current medical microscopy methods, both analog and digital, do not provide an efficient or ergonomic way for pathologists to navigate and analyze multiple digital microscopic tissue images, leading to suboptimal working conditions.

Innovation Solution

A method that utilizes touch gestures on a horizontally positioned touch-based input device to navigate and switch between digital microscopic tissue images, allowing for quick and intuitive access to a patient-specific image record displayed on a primary screen in a forward viewing direction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If pathologists manually place slides one-by-one on an analog microscope table or open digital images one-by-one, then they can analyze tissue images, but the working pace is slow and not ergonomic

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworking paceVSAvoidergonomic manner

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of manually placing slides on a microscope table with a digital system where images are displayed on a screen. The mechanical action of moving slides physically is substituted by electronic navigation through digital images using touch gestures, significantly improving both working pace and ergonomics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a touch-based input device as an intermediary between the pathologist and the digital images. This intermediary allows intuitive navigation through images without requiring manual manipulation of physical slides, enabling quick access to multiple images while maintaining ergonomic positioning.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If a touch-based input device is positioned horizontally at the desk, then navigation is more ergonomic, but the image output on the primary screen must be in a forward viewing direction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveergonomic navigationVSAvoidde-coupling of input and output

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent separates the input and output dimensions spatially. The touch-based input device is positioned horizontally at the desk (one dimension), while the primary screen displaying images is positioned in the forward viewing direction (another dimension). This dimensional separation allows ergonomic hand positioning for touch gestures while maintaining proper viewing geometry for image analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS12237070B2Method of determining and displaying an area of interest of a digital microscope tissue image, input/output system for navigating a patient-specific image record, and work place comprising such input/output system

Publication Date: 2025.02.25 PRECIPOINT GMBH

AI summary

A method of determining and displaying an area of interest of a digital microscopic tissue image from a plurality of the same, the images jointly forming a patient-specific image record, includes: displaying an initial area of interest of a particular image on a primary screen; accepting touch gestures from the user on a touch-based input device positioned substantially horizontally at the desk; upon receiving a touch gesture from a first class of touch gestures, determining an updated area of interest within the particular image and displaying the updated area of interest of the particular image on the primary screen; and upon receiving a touch gesture from a second class of touch gestures, switching from the particular image to a different one of the images and displaying an initial area of interest of said different one of the images on the primary screen.