MEDICAL DEVICE WITH MOTION SENSING

• US 20120179035A1
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Boudier, Aurelie
• Application Number:
  US12/986,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20120179035A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/439
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2048 using an accelerometer or inertia sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4405 the apparatus being movable or portable, e.g. handheld or mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/547 involving tracking of position of the device or parts of the device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4263 using sensors not mounted on the probe, e.g. mounted on an external reference frame
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/46 Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/13 guided by light, e.g. laser pointers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092

Abstract

In one embodiment, a medical system includes an emitter or a detector configured to interface with a patient and integrated with a housing of a handheld medical instrument, a motion detection device integrated with the housing and configured to detect motion of the handheld medical instrument and convert the motion to motion data, and a processor configured to receive the motion data and programmed to issue a command related to control of the medical system based on a correlation between the motion data and the command.

Claims

1. A medical system, comprising:

an emitter or a detector configured to interface with a patient and integrated with a housing of a handheld medical instrument;

a motion detection device integrated with the housing and configured to detect motion of the handheld medical instrument and convert the motion to motion data; and

a processor configured to receive the motion data and programmed to issue a command related to control of the medical system based on a correlation between the motion data and the command.

2. The medical system of claim 1, comprising the detector, wherein the detector comprises an X-ray detector.

3. The medical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is disposed within a main unit separate from the handheld medical instrument.

4. The medical system of claim 3, comprising communication features configured to communicatively couple the handheld medical instrument with the main unit via a cable or wirelessly.

5. The medical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is disposed within the housing.

6. The medical system of claim 1, comprising the emitter and the detector, wherein the emitter is configured to emit ultrasound into a target and the detector is configured to detect the ultrasound after passing through the target.

7. The medical system of claim 1, comprising at least one actuation feature on the handheld medical instrument configured to provide a status of the actuation feature to the processor via a communication feature.

8. The medical system of claim 1, comprising an interface configured to facilitate emission of waves into a patient from the emitter or detection of waves from the patient with the detector.

9. The medical system of claim 1, comprising a light emitter assembled with the housing and configured to transmit a light beam indicative of a direction in which the handheld medical instrument is pointed to a light detection feature separate from the handheld medical instrument.

10. The medical system of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a control feature configured to change a mode of operation of the handheld medical instrument based detection of a motion or series of motions indicated by the motion data and based on a status of actuation features of the handheld medical instrument.

11. The medical system of claim 1, wherein the motion detection device comprises an accelerometer.

12. A method, comprising:

emitting or detecting waves from a handheld medical instrument to facilitate a therapeutic or diagnostic procedure;

detecting movement of the handheld medical instrument with a motion detection device and providing motion data based on the movement;

communicating the motion data to a processor; and

receiving a command related to control of the handheld medical instrument in response to the motion data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting the movement of the handheld medical instrument with the motion detection device comprises detecting the movement with at least one accelerometer.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising processing the motion data by comparing the motion data to a table of motion data with correlations to control commands with a programmed processor.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising communicating the motion data and data related to a status of at least one actuation feature of the handheld medical instrument from the handheld medical instrument to a main unit via a cable or wirelessly.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising communicating the motion data from the handheld medical instrument to a main unit that is outside of a sterile area while the handheld medical instrument is within the sterile area.

17. An ultrasound system, comprising:

a handheld ultrasound device, comprising;

a housing;

an emitter integral with the housing and configured to emit ultrasound into a target;

a motion detection device integral with the housing; and

a first communication feature configured to transmit motion data from the motion detection device; and

a main unit, comprising;

a second communication feature configured to receive the motion data from the first communication feature; and

a memory and a processor configured to perform various operations based on detection of a motion or a series of motions of the handheld medical instrument.

18. The ultrasound system of claim 17, wherein the motion detection device comprises at least one accelerometer.

19. The ultrasound system of claim 17, comprising at least one actuation feature integral with the housing and configured to transmit a status of the at least one actuation feature.

20. The ultrasound system of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to perform the various operations based on detection of the motion or the series of motions of the handheld medical instrument and based on the status of the at least one actuation feature.