CONTROLLING INTENSITY OF LIGHT EMITTED BY A DEVICE

• US 20120157776A1
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Wood, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,326,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/200
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00039 provided with input arrangements for the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00066 Proximal part of endoscope body, e.g. handles A61B1/0052 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0655 Control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0661 Endoscope light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/227 for ears, i.e. otoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0008 provided with illuminating means A61B3/117 takes precedence; goniolenses used for laser treatment A61F9/009; illuminating means for optical instruments G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0033 characterised by user input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A device has a capacitive surface and a light source. A user of the device uses the capacitive surface to change the intensity of light emitted by the light source. To increase and decrease the intensity of the light emitted by the light source, the user touches the capacitive surface with one or more fingers.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a capacitive surface; and

a light source that emits light, an intensity of the light changing in response to a user'"'"'s finger touching the capacitive surface.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the intensity decreases upon the user'"'"'s finger touching the capacitive surface until the user'"'"'s finger releases the capacitive surface.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the intensity increases upon a greater number of the user'"'"'s fingers touching the capacitive surface.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the intensity decreases upon a lesser number of the user'"'"'s fingers touching the capacitive surface.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the intensity of the light increases in response to a pressure of the user'"'"'s finger on the capacitive surface increasing after the user'"'"'s finger initially touches the capacitive surface, and wherein the intensity of the light decreases in response to a pressure of the user'"'"'s finger on the capacitive surface decreasing after the user'"'"'s finger initially touches the capacitive surface.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein no moving parts are involved when changing the intensity of the light.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a processing circuit that receives a signal that encodes a capacitance of the capacitive surface, the processing circuit causing the light source to change the intensity of the light based on the changes to the capacitance of the capacitive surface after the user'"'"'s finger initially touches the capacitive surface, and wherein the processing circuit causes the light source to increase the intensity of the light and also decrease the intensity of the light without the user lifting the user'"'"'s finger off the capacitive surface.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein prior to the user'"'"'s finger initially touching the capacitive surface, the baseline level is the capacitance of the capacitive surface.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit:

calculates a normalized capacitance for a rolling time window using one or more samples, the one or more samples representing capacitances of the capacitive surface at one or more times during the rolling time window;

causes the light source to increase the intensity of the light when the normalized capacitance has increased during the rolling time window; and

causes the light source to decrease the intensity of the light when the normalized capacitance has decreased during the rolling time window.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the processing circuit calculates the normalized capacitance as a mean of the capacitances represented by the samples.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the processing circuit causes the light source to increase the intensity of the light by an amount directly related to an amount by which the capacitance increased during the rolling time window;

and wherein the processing circuit causes the light source to decrease the intensity of the light by an amount directly related to an amount by which the capacitance decreased during the rolling time window.

12. A method for controlling an intensity of a light emitted by a light source in a medical device, the method comprising:

increasing, by the device, the intensity of the light in response to a user'"'"'s finger on a capacitive surface of the device over time; and

decreasing, by the device, the intensity of the light in response to the user'"'"'s finger on the capacitive surface over time.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the intensity is increased or decreased based on a number of the user'"'"'s fingers on the capacitive surface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the device increases the intensity of the light without the user translating the user'"'"'s finger on the capacitive surface, and wherein the device decreases the intensity of the light without the user translating the user'"'"'s finger on the capacitive surface.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein a capacitance of the capacitive surface increases as a pressure of the user'"'"'s finger on the capacitive surface increases, wherein the capacitance of the capacitive surface decreases as the pressure of the user'"'"'s finger on the capacitive surface decreases, and wherein the method further comprises:

increasing the intensity of the light in response to determining that the capacitance of the capacitive surface has increased; and

decreasing the intensity of the light in response to determining that the capacitance of the capacitive surface has decreased.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein increasing the intensity of the light in response to determining that the capacitance of the capacitive surface has increased comprises increasing the intensity of the light by a fixed amount in response to determining that the capacitance of the capacitive surface has increased during a rolling time window, and wherein decreasing the intensity of the light in response to determining that the capacitance of the capacitive surface has decreased comprises decreasing the intensity of the light by the fixed amount in response to determining that the capacitance of the capacitive surface has decreased during the rolling time window.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the device does not increase or decrease the intensity of the light during an onset time interval, the onset time interval starting when the capacitance of the capacitive surface increased from a baseline level.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the device does not increase or decrease the intensity of the light during a liftoff period, the liftoff period ending when the capacitance of the capacitive surface decreases to the baseline level.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising decreasing and also increasing the intensity of the light in response to the capacitance of the capacitive surface increasing or decreasing during an adjustment time interval between the onset time interval and the liftoff period, wherein increasing the intensity of the light comprises increasing the intensity of the light to a first level, and wherein the method further comprises:

after the liftoff period and after a second onset time interval, determining that the capacitance of the capacitive surface has increased again; and

in response to determining that the capacitance of the capacitive surface has increased again, increasing the intensity of the light from the first level to a second level.

20. An otoscope, comprising:

a capacitive surface; and

a light source that emits light, an intensity of the light changing in response to pressure of a user'"'"'s finger on the capacitive surface changing after the user'"'"'s finger initially touches the capacitive surface.