Ultrasound Touch Panel Dynamic Control Clusters
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing ultrasound imaging system's user interface, with a touch screen and display monitor arrangement, complicates user operation as it requires looking away from the patient to locate and operate touch-sensitive controls, leading to inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A touch screen user interface with a touch panel that dynamically configures and displays multiple clusters of controls based on the active control, allowing for intuitive operation without needing to look away from the image or patient, using a touch screen controller to render control layouts and transitions between control states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user interface is placed in a horizontal position perpendicular to the display monitor, then the controls can be operated with a keyboard or keypad, but the user must look away from the image and patient to operate the touch-sensitive controls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the display monitor and user interface controls into a single integrated touch screen display. The controls are rendered directly on the display surface, merging the previously separate horizontal user interface and vertical display monitor into one unified interaction surface. This allows clinicians to adjust imaging parameters by touching controls displayed on the same screen showing the ultrasound image, eliminating the need to look away at a separate keyboard or control panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional physical control layout (horizontal keyboard perpendicular to vertical monitor) to a virtual control space overlaid on the display surface. Controls are rendered as graphical elements on the touch screen, allowing interaction through touch gestures on the display surface itself rather than requiring a separate physical control plane. This dimensional transformation enables direct manipulation of controls in the same spatial plane as the image display.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple clusters of controls are provided on the touch screen, then comprehensive control functionality is available, but the interface complexity increases making it harder to locate and operate controls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic reconfiguration of control clusters based on the currently active control element. When a user selects or touches a control, the system dynamically rearranges the surrounding control clusters to optimize their spatial relationships. This dynamic adaptation allows comprehensive control functionality to be available while reducing perceived complexity by continuously optimizing the layout based on user interaction context.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different spatial arrangements and densities to different clusters of controls based on their functional relationships. Control clusters are locally optimized with appropriate spacing, grouping, and positioning relative to each other and to the main display area. This local quality approach ensures that related controls are conveniently grouped while maintaining overall interface clarity, allowing comprehensive functionality without uniform complexity across the entire interface.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving a signal from a first touch screen control in response to invocation of the first touch screen control. The first touch screen control is a control from a first cluster of touch screen controls of a plurality of different clusters of touch screen controls of an ultrasound imaging system touch screen user interface. The method further includes identifying a type of the first touch screen control based on the signal. The method further includes obtaining a control configuration for the touch screen controls based on the type of control. The method further includes constructing a control layout for the touch screen user interface based on the configuration. The method further includes visually rendering the control layout via the touch screen user interface.