WIRELESS COMMAND MICROPHONE MANAGEMENT FOR VOICE CONTROLLED SURGICAL SYSTEM

• US 20110063429A1
• Filed: 09/16/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Storz Endoskop Produktions GmbH (Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg)
• Original Assignee: Storz Endoskop Produktions GmbH (Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg)
• Inventors: Panchapagesan, Sankaran, Applebaum, Ted, Contolini, Matteo
• Granted Patent: US 9,549,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00 Surgical instruments, devices or methods, e.g. tourniquets A61B18/00 takes precedence; contraceptive devices, pessaries, or applicators therefor A61F6/00; eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00203 with speech control or speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

A voice controlled surgical system including a wireless command microphone receiving audio input, a voice control module for generating commands from the audio input received by said wireless command microphone, a detection module for generating signals indicative of a proximity of said wireless command microphone, a switch module for disabling the commands in response to one or more of the signals, and an alarm module activated in response to the one or more of the signals.

Claims

1. A voice controlled surgical system, comprising:

a wireless command microphone receiving audio input;

a voice control module for generating commands from the audio input received by said wireless command microphone;

a detection module for generating signals indicative of a proximity of said wireless command microphone;

a switch module for disabling the commands in response to one or more of the signals; and

an alarm module activated in response to the one or more of the signals.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm module produces an audible alarm.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said switch re-enables the commands if the audible alarm is detected in the audio input by said detection module.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the audible alarm includes a voice instruction.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm module produces a visual warning.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one video camera recording video images of an operating room; and

an image recognition module, in communication with said detection module, receiving the video images and generating a signal indicative of the wireless command microphone being present in the operating room if the wireless command microphone is identified in the video images.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the wireless command microphone includes at least one visual feature uniquely identifying the wireless command microphone.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver in an operating room;

wherein the wireless command microphone is paired with said receiver upon determining that the wireless command microphone in the operating room.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said detection module generates a first signal when said wireless command microphone is outside of a particular room;

and wherein said detection module generates a second signal when said wireless command microphone is inside the particular room.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said detection module generates a third signal in response to at least one of a power and communication loss with said wireless command microphone.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an emitter producing an ultrasound signal; and

wherein said detection module discriminates the audio input received by said wireless command microphone to detect the ultrasound signal.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein a first signal indicative of the wireless command microphone being inside a particular room is generated if the ultrasound signal is detected;

and

wherein a second signal indicative of the wireless command microphone being outside the particular room is generated if at least a portion of an audio input is received and the ultrasound signal is not detected.

13. The system according to claim 12,

wherein a third signal indicative of a power loss in said wireless command microphone is generated if audio input is not received and the ultrasound signal is not detected.

14. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reference microphone;

wherein the detection module receives a first audio input from said wireless command microphone and a second audio input from said reference microphone; and

wherein said detection module compares the first audio input and the second audio input to determine the proximity of the wireless command microphone to the reference microphone.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless command microphone has a predetermined range, wherein said detection module generates a signal when the wireless command microphone is outside of the predetermined range.

16. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a radio frequency identification tag reader in communication with said detection module, wherein said wireless command microphone includes a radio frequency identification tag;

wherein said detection module generates a signal indicative of said wireless command microphone being in a particular room when the radio frequency identification tag is read by the radio frequency identification tag reader.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said radio frequency identification tag transmits a signal to the radio frequency identification tag reader including an identification code indicative of the wireless command microphone.

18. The system according to claim 16, further comprising:

An infrared transmitter transmitting an infrared signal including an identification code indicative of a particular operating room;

wherein said wireless command microphone further includes an infrared signal detector;

wherein, upon the infrared signal detector detecting the infrared signal, said radio frequency identification tag transmits a signal to the radio frequency identification tag reader including both the identification code indicative of the particular operating room and an identification code indicative of said wireless command microphone.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein said radio frequency identification tag reader is located at a door of an operating room;

wherein said detection module generates a signal when the radio frequency identification tag passes through the door of the operating room.

20. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal indicative of a heart rate received by said detection module, wherein said detection module compares the audio input received by said wireless command microphone and the signal indicative of the heart rate, whereby said switch module is responsive to said detection module for disabling said voice control module when the first audio input and the signal indicative of the heart rate are substantially different.

21. A voice controlled surgical system, comprising:

an emitter producing an ultrasound signal;

a wireless command microphone receiving at least one of a speech input and the ultrasound signal;

a detection module detecting the receipt of at least one of the speech input and the ultrasound signal;

a voice control module for generating commands identified in the speech input;

a switch responsive to said detection module for controlling at least one of said wireless command microphone and said voice control module, wherein said switch disables the commands in accordance with detection of the ultrasound signal.

22. The system according to claim 21, further comprising:

an alarm responsive to said detection module, said alarm activated in accordance with the detection of the ultrasound signal.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein said detection module generates a first signal indicative of the wireless command microphone being inside a particular room if the ultrasound signal is detected.

24. The system according to claim 23,

wherein said detection module generates a second signal indicative of the wireless command microphone being outside the particular room if at least a portion of the speech input is received and the ultrasound signal is not detected.

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein said detection module generates a signal indicative of a power loss in said wireless command microphone if speech input is not received and the ultrasound signal is not detected.

26. The system according to claim 21, wherein said voice control module only generates commands identified in speech input in which the ultrasound frequency is present.

27. A voice controlled surgical system, comprising:

a computer including a voice control module;

a wireless command microphone in wireless communication with said computer;

a reference microphone having a fixed location;

a detection module for comparing a first audio input received by said wireless command microphone and a second audio input received by said reference microphone; and

a switch responsive to said detection module for disabling voice commands if the first audio input received by said wireless command microphone and the second audio input received by said reference microphone are substantially different; and

an alarm responsive to said detection module and activated when the audio input received by said wireless command microphone and the audio input received by said reference microphone are substantially different.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein the alarm is an audible alarm, and wherein detection module generates a signal indicative of an status misclassification if the audible alarm is detected by the detection module.

29. The system according to claim 27, wherein the alarm is an audible alarm, and wherein detection module corrects a status misclassification if the audible alarm is detected by the detection module.

30. The system according to claim 27, wherein the alarm is an audible alarm, and wherein said switch reactivates at least one of said wireless command microphone and said voice control module if the audible alarm is detected by the detection module.

31. The system according to claim 27, wherein said detection module calculates a cross-correlation between audio input received by said wireless command microphone and audio input received by said reference microphone.

32. The system according to claim 27, wherein said detection module determines a time lag indicative of a distance of said wireless command microphone.

33. The system according to claim 27, wherein said detection module employs an adaptive filter to estimate an impulse response between the first audio input and the second audio input to measure a distance between said wireless command microphone and said reference microphone.

34. The system according to claim 27, wherein the comparison of the first audio input and the second audio input includes a measure of cross-correlation.

35. The system according to claim 27, wherein the comparison includes measuring of the audio inputs'"'"' energies.

36. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:

a voice control module implementing voice commands identified in the first audio input received by said wireless command microphone.

37. The system according to claim 27, wherein at least one of the first audio input and the second audio input includes audio input indicative of a heart rate.

38. The system according to claim 27, further comprising:

a plurality of reference microphones, wherein said detection module further compares the first audio input received by said wireless command microphone and audio inputs received by said plurality of reference microphones.

39. The system according to claim 38, wherein the comparison of the first audio input and the audio inputs received from said plurality of reference microphones includes a measure of cross-correlation.

40. The system according to claim 38, wherein the comparison of the first audio input and the audio inputs received from said plurality of reference microphones includes a measure of the audio signals'"'"' energies.

41. The system according to claim 38, wherein the comparison of the first audio input and the audio inputs received from said plurality of reference microphones includes a measure of cross-correlation and a measure of the audio signals'"'"' energies.