Navigation System and User Interface For Directing a Control Action

• US 20110029913A1
• Filed: 10/08/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OrthoSensor, Inc (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: OrthoSensor, Inc (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: McIntosh, Jason, Boillot, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 9,141,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/776
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00207 with hand gesture control or hand gesture recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00221 with wireless transmission of data, e.g. by infrared radiation or radiowaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2048 using an accelerometer or inertia sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2063 Acoustic tracking systems, e.g. using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2068 using pointers, e.g. pointers having reference marks for determining coordinates of body points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/254 being adapted depending on the stage of the surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A navigation system is provided to direct control of a user interface work-flow during a procedure. Such a need can arise in sterile environments were touchless interaction is preferable over physical contact. The system includes a wand and receiver for controlling a pagination and parameter entry of the work-flow, a processor to compare wand movement profiles, a clock for limiting a time window between the comparison, and a controller for activating a user interface control in the workflow when a wand movement profile or gesture is recognized. The comparison can be based on the wand'"'"'s direction, orientation and movement to and from various locations. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A navigation system for directing a touchless control action, the system comprising:

a user interface that displays an interactive work-flow;

a sensing unit for controlling a pagination and parameter entry of the work-flow responsive to tracking a wand movement and capturing a first profile corresponding to the wand movement directed to the first location;

a processor communicatively coupled to the sensing unit for comparing the first profile with a second profile captured during wand movement to a second location, the second profile corresponding to the wand movement directed away and back again to the first location;

a clock for limiting a time window between the comparing of the first profile and the second profile, and

a controller communicatively coupled to the device for activating a user interface control in the work-flow when the comparison of the first profile and the second profile corresponds to a touchless command directive to the user interface.

2. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor:

backtracks pagination from a current page to a previous page when the comparison indicates the wand is directed and waved to a first side, and

forwards pagination from a current page to a next page when the comparison indicates the wand is directed and waved to a second side.

3. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit detects a continuous wand movement, an accelerated wand movement, a pattern wand movement, a wand orientation and a stop wand movement and controls the user interface according to a sequential combination thereof.

4. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit captures at least one of a plurality of profiles corresponding to wand movements between the capturing of the first profile and the second profile, and saves at least one of the plurality of profiles to memory for comparative reference.

5. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the sensing device consists of an active element that comprises at least one of an ultrasonic transmitter, an optical transmitter, an infrared transmitter, and a laser.

6. The navigation system of claim 1, where the sensing unit comprises:

a wand including;

a plurality of transmitters to transmit positional signals;

a communication port to receive timing directives to transmit the signals;

an interface to receive user input on the wand; and

a battery to power the electronics of the wand,

and,

a receiver including;

a plurality of sensors to receive the signals transmitted by the wand;

a processor to resolve from the received signals received wand movement;

a communications interface to transmit the timing directives to the wand and convey the wand movement to a remote system; and

a battery to power the processor and associated electronics.

7. The navigation system of claim 6, wherein the receiver includes

a memory for saving at least one profile of the user interface movements of the wand;

wherein at least one profile further includes coordinate information comprising a relative displacement, orientation and location of the wand.

8. The navigation system of claim 6, wherein the wand includes an accelerometer to indicate an orientation of the wand, and the processor provides the parameter entry according to the orientation and acceleration of the wand.

9. The navigation system of claim 6, where wand and the receiver are instruments that register anatomical points of interest and report anatomical alignment and positional measurements of the registered points during the procedure while intermittently used for touchless user interface control.

10. The navigation system of claim 6, further comprising the remote system, wherein the remote device is a computer, laptop or display that exhibits a visual acknowledgement of the wand movement.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the wand interface comprises a navigation press button to complement control of the user interface.

12. A method for virtual navigation of a user interface workflow, the method comprising the steps of:

tracking a wand movement and capturing a first profile corresponding to the wand movement directed to a first location;

tracking the wand movement to a second location and capturing a second profile corresponding to the wand movement directed away to the second location and back again to the first location;

comparing the first profile with the second profile while limiting a time window between the comparison of the first profile and the second profile; and

activating a behavior in the work-flow when the comparison of the first profile and the second profile corresponds to a touchless command directive to the user interface.

13. The navigation system of claim 12, wherein the processor:

backtracks pagination from a current page to a previous page when the comparison indicates the wand is directed and waved to a first side, and

forwards pagination from a current page to a next page when the comparison indicates the wand is directed and waved to a second side.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising:

identifying one of a continuous wand movement, an accelerated wand movement, a wand orientation and a stop wand movement; and

,

performing the behavior according to a sequential combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising:

capturing at least one of a plurality of wand movements between the capturing of the first profile and the second profile, and

saving at least one of the plurality of profiles to memory for comparative reference.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising controlling the pagination or parameter entry via a button press on the wand.

17. A remote system for virtual navigation, the remote system comprising:

a processor and a power supply for powering the processor

a user interface to display an interactive work-flow by way of the processor; and

a communications interface communicatively coupled to the processor that receives from a sensing unit information for controlling a pagination and parameter entry of the work-flow, where the sensing unit;

tracks a first touchless user interface movement of a wand directed to a first location in the user interface,

captures a first profile corresponding to the first touchless user interface movement at the first location;

compares the first profile with a second profile captured during touchless user interface tracking of the wand to a second location of the user interface and back to the first location, the second profile corresponding to a second touchless user interface movement directing the wand away and back again to the first location;

limits a time window between the comparing of the first profile and the second profile, and

activates a behavior in the work-flow when the comparison corresponds to a touchless command directive to the user interface.

18. The remote system of claim 17, where the user interface:

backtracks pagination from a current page to a previous page when the comparison indicates the wand is directed and waved to a first side, and

forwards pagination from a current page to a next page when the comparison indicates the wand is directed and waved to a second side.

19. The remote system of claim 17, includes

a memory for saving at least one profile of the user interface movements of the wand;

wherein at least one profile further includes coordinate information comprising at least one of a relative displacement or position of the wand.

20. The remote system of claim 17, wherein the remote system identifies at least one of a continuous wand movement, an accelerated wand movement, a wand orientation, and a stop wand movement and performs the behavior to a sequential combination thereof.

21. A navigation system for a touchless control action in an orthopedic application, the system comprising:

a user interface that displays an interactive work-flow of a surgical procedure;

a sensing unit for controlling a pagination and parameter entry of the work-flow responsive to tracking a wand movement within a sterile field, capturing a first profile corresponding to the wand movement directed to the first location, and ultrasonically capturing a location or position of the muscular-skeletal system;

a processor communicatively coupled to the sensing unit for comparing the first profile with a second profile captured during wand movement to a second location, the second profile corresponding to the wand movement directed away and back again to the first location;

a clock for limiting a time window between the comparing of the first profile and the second profile, and

a controller communicatively coupled to the device for activating a user interface control in the work-flow when the comparison of the first profile and the second profile corresponds to a touchless command directive to the user interface.