Use of human input recognition to prevent contamination

• US 10,085,619 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medivators, Inc. (Steris PLC)
• Original Assignee: Medivators, Inc. (Steris PLC)
• Inventors: Sly, Ward, Lemmer, Stacy, Mistalski, Terry, Petersen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Md Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US15/622,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20170273547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00142 with means for preventing contamination, e.g. by using a sanitary sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/04 combined with photographic or television appliances
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/121 provided with means for cleaning post-use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/701 for flexible tubular instruments, e.g. endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/70 Cleaning devices specially adapted for surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/70 Multimodal biometrics, e.g. combining information from different biometric modalities
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/24 the user being prompted to utter a password or a predefined phrase
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades

Abstract

Embodiments of a system and method for processing and recognizing non-contact types of human input to prevent contamination are generally described herein. In example embodiments, human input is captured, recognized, and used to provide active input for control or data entry into a user interface. The human input may be provided in variety of forms detectable by recognition techniques such as speech recognition, gesture recognition, identification recognition, and facial recognition. In one example, the human input recognition techniques are used in connection with a device cleaning workflow used to obtain data and human input during cleaning procedures while minimizing cross-contamination between the contaminated device or person and other objects or persons. In another example, the human input recognition techniques are used in connection with a device tracking workflow used to obtain data and human input while tracking interactions with and locations of the contaminated or uncontaminated device.

Claims

1. A method for preventing contamination with use of non-contact human audio input, comprising electronic operations performed by an input-controllable electronic system, the electronic operations including:

outputting an electronic system prompt to a human user in a contamination-sensitive environment, the electronic system prompt used to obtain human audio input from the human user at a stage of an object handling workflow for a reusable medical equipment object;

capturing the human audio input in the contamination-sensitive environment;

determining a command of the input-controllable electronic system from speech recognition on the human audio input, wherein the command invokes a human-selectable option in the input-controllable electronic system;

performing the command in the input-controllable electronic system, the command causing an activity to be performed with the input-controllable electronic system wherein the activity changes a tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object within the object handling workflow; and

communicating information to a tracking system to indicate performance of the activity, the tracking system configured to record the tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object and actions performed with the reusable medical equipment object in connection with the object handling workflow.

2. The method of claim 1, the electronic operations further including:

capturing, from the human user in the contamination-sensitive environment, a user prompt to trigger the capturing of the human audio input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is used to start, stop, confirm, or abort the activity on a controllable feature of the input-controllable electronic system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input-controllable electronic system is a cleaning machine adapted to clean the reusable medical equipment object, and wherein the activity includes a machine-performed cleaning action conducted upon the reusable medical equipment by the cleaning machine, wherein the machine-performed cleaning action is performed in the stage of the object handling workflow.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic system prompt includes an audio indication that is output with a speaker;

and wherein the audio indication prompts the human user to provide the human audio input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic system prompt includes a visual indication displayed with a display device, and wherein the visual indication displayed with the display device includes at least one of:

information that indicates a status of capturing the human audio input, or information that indicates at least one command available to be received via the human audio input.

7. The method of claim 6, the electronic operations further including:

displaying, in response to determining the command of the input-controllable electronic system, an indication of the activity to be performed in the input-controllable electronic system.

8. The method of claim 1, the electronic operations further including:

capturing a gesture human input in the contamination-sensitive environment;

determining a second command of the input-controllable electronic system from gesture recognition on the gesture human input; and

performing the second command in the input-controllable electronic system, the second command causing a second activity to be performed in the input-controllable electronic system within the object handling workflow.

9. The method of claim 1, the electronic operations further including:

identifying the human user, wherein the command is performed in the input-controllable electronic system in response to identifying the human user.

10. The method of claim 9, the electronic operations further including:

identifying the human user by performing speech recognition, wherein the speech recognition is specific to one or more specific human users in connection with voice recognition technology designed to recognize voices of the one or more specific human users, and wherein the command is performed in the input-controllable electronic system in response to a positive identification of the human user with the voice recognition technology.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising authenticating the human user with use of a human user authentication component.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the human user authentication component performs identification, verification, or security authentication techniques.

13. The method of claim 9, the electronic operations further including:

obtaining an identifier from a barcode or radio frequency identifier (RFID), wherein the barcode or RFID provides an identification of the human user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the reusable medical equipment object is a contaminated endoscope, and wherein the activity causes the input-controllable electronic system to perform an action in connection with a set of procedures used to conduct a cleaning action with the contaminated endoscope in the object handling workflow.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the reusable medical equipment object is a decontaminated endoscope, and wherein the activity causes the input-controllable electronic system to perform an action in connection with a set of procedures used to conduct a handling action with the decontaminated endoscope in the object handling workflow.

16. An input-controllable electronic system, comprising:

an audio input device to receive human audio input from a human user in a contamination-sensitive environment;

an output device to output a prompt, to the human user, at a stage of an object handling workflow in the contamination-sensitive environment for a reusable medical equipment object; and

processing circuitry to execute instructions to;

obtain the human audio input;

determine a command of the input-controllable electronic system from speech recognition on the human audio input, wherein the command invokes a human-selectable option in the input-controllable electronic system;

perform the command in the input-controllable electronic system, the command causing an activity to be performed in the input-controllable electronic system, wherein the activity changes a tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object within the object handling workflow; and

communicate information to a tracking system to indicate performance of the activity, the tracking system configured to record the tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object and actions performed with the reusable medical equipment object in connection with the object handling workflow.

17. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, the processing circuitry to execute further instructions to:

capture, from the human user in the contamination-sensitive environment, a user-initiated prompt to trigger capture of the human audio input via the audio input device.

18. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, wherein the command is used to start, stop, confirm, or abort the activity on a controllable feature of the input-controllable electronic system.

19. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, wherein the input-controllable electronic system is a cleaning machine adapted to clean the reusable medical equipment object, and wherein the activity includes a machine-performed cleaning action conducted upon the reusable medical equipment by the cleaning machine, wherein the machine-performed cleaning action is performed in the stage of the object handling workflow.

20. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, wherein the output device includes a speaker, wherein the prompt includes an audio indication that is output with the speaker, and wherein the audio indication prompts the human user to provide the human audio input.

21. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, wherein the output device includes a display device, wherein the prompt includes a visual indication that is output with the display device, and wherein the visual indication includes at least one of:

information that indicates a status of capturing the human audio input, or

information that indicates at least one command available to be received via the human audio input.

22. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, the processing circuitry to execute further instructions to:

display, in response to determining the command of the input-controllable electronic system, an indication of the activity to be performed in the input-controllable electronic system.

23. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, the processing circuitry to execute further instructions to:

capture a gesture human input in the contamination-sensitive environment;

determine a second command of the input-controllable electronic system from gesture recognition on the gesture human input; and

perform the second command in the input-controllable electronic system, the second command causing a second activity to be performed in the input-controllable electronic system within the object handling workflow.

24. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, the processing circuitry to execute further instructions to:

identify the human user with speech recognition, wherein the human user is one or more specific human users, wherein the speech recognition is specific to the one or more specific human users in connection with voice recognition technology designed to recognize voices of the one or more specific human users, and wherein the command is performed in the input-controllable electronic system in response to a positive identification of the human user with the voice recognition technology.

25. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, the processing circuitry to execute further instructions to authenticate the human user with use of a human user authentication component.

26. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 25, wherein the human user authentication component performs identification, verification, or security authentication techniques.

27. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, further comprising:

an identifier reader, wherein the identifier reader is configured to obtain an identifier from one or both of a barcode or radio frequency identifier (RFID), wherein the barcode or RFID provides an identification of the human user, and wherein the command is performed in the input-controllable electronic system in response to a positive identification of the human user.

28. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16, wherein the reusable medical equipment object is a endoscope, and wherein the activity causes the input-controllable electronic system to perform an action as part of a handling procedure with the endoscope, the handling procedure involving a cleaning action or handling action tracked in the object handling workflow.

29. At least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium, comprising a plurality of instructions adapted for preventing contamination with use of non-contact human audio input, wherein the instructions, responsive to being executed with processor circuitry of a machine, cause the processor circuitry to perform operations that:

output a system prompt to a human user in a contamination-sensitive environment, the system prompt used to obtain human audio input from the human user at a stage of an object handling workflow for a reusable medical equipment object;

obtain the human audio input in the contamination-sensitive environment, wherein the human audio input is obtained in response to a user prompt;

determine a command of an input-controllable electronic system from speech recognition on the human audio input, wherein the command invokes a human-selectable option in the input-controllable electronic system;

perform the command in the input-controllable electronic system, the command causing an activity to be performed with the input-controllable electronic system, wherein the activity changes a tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object within the object handling workflow; and

communicate information to a tracking system to indicate performance of the activity, the tracking system configured to record the tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object and actions performed with the reusable medical equipment object in connection with the object handling workflow.

30. The machine readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the system prompt includes:

an audio indication that is output with a speaker, wherein the audio indication prompts the human user to provide the human audio input;

or

a visual indication displayed with a display device, wherein the visual indication includes at least one of;

information that indicates a status of capturing the human audio input, or information that indicates at least one command available to be received via the human audio input.

31. The machine readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the input-controllable electronic system is a cleaning machine adapted to clean the reusable medical equipment object, and wherein the activity includes a machine-performed cleaning action conducted upon the reusable medical equipment by the cleaning machine, wherein the machine-performed cleaning action is performed in the stage of the object handling workflow.

32. The machine readable storage medium of claim 29, the processor circuitry to further perform operations that:

identify the human user with speech recognition, wherein the human user is one or more specific human users, wherein the speech recognition is specific to the one or more specific human users in connection with voice recognition technology designed to recognize voices of the one or more specific human users, and wherein the command is performed in the input-controllable electronic system in response to a positive identification of the human user with the voice recognition technology.

33. The machine readable storage medium of claim 29, the processor circuitry to further perform operations that authenticate the human user utilizing a human user authentication component.

34. The machine readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein operations to authenticate the human user include performance of identification, verification or security authentication techniques.