TELEOPERATED SURGICAL SYSTEM EQUIPMENT WITH USER INTERFACE

• US 20150257814A1
• Filed: 03/17/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: MOHR, Paul W., BERRY, Julie L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,166,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/12 by passing a current through the tissue to be heated, e.g. high-frequency current
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1206 Generators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/74 Manipulators with manual electric input means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0383 Remote input, i.e. interface arrangements in which the signals generated by a pointing device are transmitted to a PC at a remote location, e.g. to a PC in a LAN
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0334 Foot operated pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A flux supply unit for supplying a flux to a plurality of surgical instruments may include a plurality of connectors and a user control interface. The plurality of connectors may be configured to supply flux to the surgical instruments when the surgical instruments are operationally coupled to respective connectors. The user control interface may include a continuous display screen including a plurality of graphical display screen sections on the same display screen that display controls for surgical instruments operationally coupled to the plurality of connectors. The plurality of graphical display screen sections may display controls for different types of surgical instruments on the same continuous display screen. The plurality of graphical display screen sections may be arranged relative to the plurality of connectors to visually couple respective graphical display screen sections and connectors to indicate respective associations of the graphical display screen sections with the connectors.

Claims

1. A flux supply unit for supplying a flux to a plurality of surgical instruments, the flux supply unit comprising:

a plurality of connectors to supply flux to the surgical instruments when the surgical instruments are operationally coupled to respective connectors; and

a user control interface comprising;

a continuous display screen comprising a plurality of graphical display screen sections on the same display screen that display controls for surgical instruments operationally coupled to the plurality of connectors;

wherein the plurality of graphical display screen sections display controls for different types of surgical instruments on the same continuous display screen; and

wherein the plurality of graphical display screen sections are arranged relative to the plurality of connectors to visually couple respective graphical display screen sections and connectors to indicate respective associations of the graphical display screen sections with the connectors.

2. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein the display screen is a touch screen.

3. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein the different types of surgical instruments comprise monopolar surgical instruments and bipolar surgical instruments.

4. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein the connectors are each positioned along a long axis of a respective graphical display screen section.

5. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein the visually coupled connectors and graphical display screen sections are arranged along a horizontal direction on the user control interface.

6. The flux supply unit of claim 5, wherein a vertical height of the visually coupled connectors and a vertical height of the graphical display screen sections are substantially the same.

7. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein the visually coupled connectors and graphical display screen sections are arranged along a vertical direction on the user control interface.

8. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein the graphical display screen sections are shaped as bars and the connectors are positioned along a long axis of the bars.

9. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein at least one graphical display screen section includes an indicator to indicate an electrosurgical instrument operationally coupled to one connector that is visually coupled to the at least one graphical display screen section is an electrosurgical instrument including information about the electrosurgical instrument.

10. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein at least one graphical display screen section includes a system installation indicator to indicate that an electrosurgical instrument operationally coupled to one connector that is visually coupled to the one graphical display screen section is mounted to a teleoperated surgical system.

11. The flux supply unit of claim 10, wherein the system installation indicator further comprises a second indicator configured to indicate which arm of the teleoperated surgical system that the electrosurgical instrument has been mounted to.

12. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein at least one graphical display screen section includes a foot pedal assignment indicator to indicate that a foot pedal has been assigned to the at least one graphical display screen section and one connector visually coupled to the one graphical display screen section.

13. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein the flux supply unit is an electrosurgical energy generator.

14. The flux supply unit of claim 1, further comprising at least one visual indicator indicating the visual coupling of a respective graphical display screen section and a respective connector, wherein the visual indicator is located between the respective connector and the respective graphical display screen section.

15. The flux supply unit of claim 14, wherein the one graphical display screen section, the one connector, and the visual indicator are aligned with one another on the user control interface.

16. The flux supply unit of claim 14, wherein the visual indicator is a line or groove on the user control interface.

17. The flux supply unit of claim 14, wherein the visual indicator extends between the one graphical display screen section and the one connector.

18. The flux supply unit of claim 14, wherein the one connector and the visual indicator are positioned along a long axis of the one graphical display screen section.

19. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein one graphical display screen section of the plurality of graphical display screen sections is visually coupled to more than one of the plurality of connectors.

20. The flux supply unit of claim 19, wherein the one graphical display screen section includes a plurality of information sections, wherein the information sections are visually coupled in a one-to-one arrangement with the connectors visually coupled to the one graphical display screen section.

21. The flux supply unit of claim 20, wherein the one graphical display screen section is configured to split into two graphical display screen sections each coupled to the information sections and the connectors in a one-to-one arrangement when a specialized instrument is connected to one of the connectors.

22. The flux supply unit of claim 1, wherein the display screen further comprises an icon to indicate a valid communication connection between the flux supply unit and a teleoperated surgical system.

23. A method of displaying information for a flux supply device of a teleoperated surgical system, the method comprising:

displaying the information in a plurality of graphical display screen sections on the same display screen of a continuous display screen, wherein the graphical display screen sections display controls for surgical instruments operationally coupled to a plurality of connectors;

wherein the controls include controls for different types of surgical instruments; and

wherein the displaying the information comprises displaying the information in the graphical display screen sections that are visually coupled to the connectors to indicate an association between the graphical display screen sections and connectors.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the displaying the information comprises displaying an indicator to indicate an electrosurgical instrument operationally coupled to one connector that is visually coupled to one of the plurality of graphical display screen sections is an electrosurgical instrument including information about the electrosurgical instrument.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the displaying the information comprises displaying a system installation indicator to indicate that an electrosurgical instrument operationally coupled to one connector that is visually coupled to one graphical display screen section is mounted to a teleoperated surgical system.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the displaying the information comprises system installation indicator further comprises a second indicator configured to indicate which arm of the teleoperated surgical system that the electrosurgical instrument has been mounted to.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the displaying the information comprises splitting one graphical display screen section into two graphical display screen sections each coupled to one connector in a one-to-one arrangement when a specialized instrument is connected to one of the connectors.