INTERACTIVE CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20140068513A1
• Filed: 08/27/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakagawa, Yukio
• Granted Patent: US 10,628,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0033 characterised by user input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0075 provided with adjusting devices, e.g. operated by control lever manipulators B25J
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/102 for optical coherence tomography [OCT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

An interactive control apparatus for controlling an OCT imaging apparatus instructs, in response to detection of a first instruction signal from a pointer device, a specific action to the OCT imaging apparatus according to selected icon displayed on a display unit, and instructs, in response to detection of a second instruction signal from the pointer device, a specific action to the OCT imaging apparatus according to a preparation status of the OCT imaging apparatus when the second instruction signal is detected.

Claims

1. An interactive control apparatus for controlling an OCT (optical coherence tomography) imaging apparatus connected with a pointer device configured to output two instruction signals, the interactive control apparatus comprising:

a display control unit configured to display, on a display unit, a graphical user interface having icons to be selected by a virtual pointer controlled by the pointer device,

a detection unit configured to detect a first instruction signal of the pointer device for selecting icons under the virtual pointer, and to detect a second instruction signal of the pointer device;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire a preparation status of the OCT imaging apparatus; and

a control unit configured to instruct, in response to the detection of the first instruction signal, a specific action to the OCT imaging apparatus according to the selected icon, and to instruct, in response to the detection of the second instruction signal, a specific action to the OCT imaging apparatus according to the acquired preparation status when the second instruction signal detected.

2. The interactive control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to avoid instructing the specific action according to an icon under the virtual pointer.

3. The interactive control apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether to perform the specific action according to the instruction signal output from the pointer device.

4. The interactive control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit configured to acquire a preparation status of a plurality of elements in the OCT imaging apparatus to be adjusted for performing imaging of a subject;

and

the control unit configured to instruct adjustment of at least one element, of which adjustment is not completed, based on the acquired preparation status, in response to the second instruction signal of the pointer device.

5. The interactive control apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to store an order to adjust the plurality of elements for performing imaging of the subject,

wherein the control unit is configured to instruct, in a case the second instruction signal are outputted from the pointer device, adjustment of a plurality of elements sequentially in the stored order.

6. The interactive control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to instruct, in a case the acquisition unit acquire a preparation status indicating completion of the adjustment of the plurality of elements, a start of OCT imaging to the OCT imaging apparatus.

7. The interactive control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the display control unit is configured to display, on the display unit,

a first graphical user interface for instructing manual adjustment of the plurality of the elements selected by the first instruction signal, and

a second graphical user interface for instructing automatic adjustment of the elements selected by the first instruction signal;

and

the control unit configured to;

instruct, in response to the first instruction signal, manual adjustment according to the first graphical user interface selected by the first instruction signal,

instruct, in response to the first instruction signal, automatic adjustment according to the second graphical user interface selected by the first instruction signal, and

instruct the automatic adjustment, in response to the second instruction signal, according to the adjustment status when the second instruction signal detected.

8. The interactive control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pointer device includes a first button and a second button,

the detection unit configured to detect a click of the first button for selecting the icons on the graphical user interface, and to detect a click of the second button.

9. The interactive control apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the control unit configured to instruct the OCT imaging apparatus a start of OCT imaging in a case that the OCT imaging apparatus is ready for imaging the subject.

10. The interactive control apparatus of claim 8, wherein

the acquisition unit configured to acquire a preparation status of the OCT imaging apparatus having a plurality of elements to be adjusted for preparation for imaging of a subject;

and

the control unit configured to assign at least one of the elements to the second button according to the preparation status of the OCT imaging apparatus.

11. The interactive control apparatus of claim 10, wherein

the control unit further configured to assign at least one of the elements to the first button according to the position of the virtual pointer.

12. The interactive control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit configured to instruct, in response to the detection of the second instruction signal, at least one of an alignment process, an auto focus process, and a coherence gate positioning process, as the specific action.

13. The interactive control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit configured to instruct at least one of a process for moving an optical head of the OCT imaging apparatus, a process for moving a focus lens of the OCT imaging apparatus, and a process for moving a reference mirror of the OCT imaging apparatus.

14. The interactive control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit configured to instruct, in response to the detection of the second instruction signal and a detection of a position of the virtual pointer in a specific area, the specific action to the OCT imaging apparatus according to the acquired preparation status when the second instruction signal detected.

15. The interactive control apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the control unit configured to restrict the specific action according to the acquired preparation status, in a case that the position of the virtual pointer is outside the specific area.

16. An optical coherence tomography imaging apparatus including the interactive control apparatus of claim 1.

17. An imaging system comprising:

an optical coherence tomography imaging apparatus;

the interactive control apparatus of claim 1.

18. An interactive control apparatus for controlling an OCT imaging apparatus connected with a pointer device having first and second buttons, the interactive control apparatus comprising:

a display control unit configured to display a graphical user interface having a plurality of icons;

a detection unit configured to detect a click of the first button for selecting one of the icons on the graphical user interface, and to detect a click of the second button;

a judge unit configured to judge whether or not the OCT imaging apparatus is ready for imaging a subject; and

a control unit configured to instruct the OCT imaging apparatus a start of OCT imaging in a case the judge unit judges that the OCT imaging apparatus is ready for imaging the subject.

19. An interactive control method for controlling an OCT imaging apparatus connected to a pointer device configured to output two types of instruction signals, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display unit, a graphical user interface having icons to be selected by a virtual pointer controlled by the pointer device,

detecting a first instruction signal of the pointer device for selecting icons under the virtual pointer;

detecting a second instruction signal of the pointer device;

acquiring a preparation status of the OCT imaging apparatus;

instructing, in response to the detection of the first instruction signal, a specific action to the OCT imaging apparatus according to an icon to be selected by the virtual pointer in response to the detected first instruction signal; and

instructing, in response to the detection of the second instruction signal, a specific action to the OCT imaging apparatus according to the acquired preparation status when the second instruction signal detected.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program executable by a computer to perform the method of claim 19.

20. An interactive control method for controlling an OCT imaging apparatus connected to a pointer device having first and second buttons, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display unit, a graphical user interface having a plurality of icons;

detecting a click of the first button on the pointer device for selecting one of the icons on the graphical user interface;

detecting a click of the second button on the pointer device;

judging whether or not the OCT imaging apparatus is ready for imaging a subject; and

instructing the OCT imaging apparatus a start of OCT imaging in a case the judging step judges that the OCT imaging apparatus is ready for imaging the subject.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program executable by a computer to perform the method of claim 20.