Automatic control of a medical device

• US 7,835,498 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2006
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Fernandez Guerrero, Manuel, Kramer, Joost, Bonfiglio, Silvio, Martegani, Franco
• Primary Examiner(s): SONG, HOON K
• Application Number:
  US11/815,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20080253519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 378/115
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00216 with eye tracking or head position tracking control
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/469 for selecting a region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

System and method for automatic control of processes or application, such as the activation or deactivation of a radiation source for medical purposes. The system comprises an operator tracking system arranged to determine the gesture/posture of a user, an evaluation device arranged to evaluate the determined gesture/posture, and an enabling device arranged to enable and disable the radiation source in response to an output of the evaluation device. The operator tracking system may use a gazing direction analysis that may be based on the output of an eye tracking system, or an emitter-receiver arrangement for a directed signal.

Claims

1. A system for controlling one or more functions of one or more medical devices, the system comprising:

an operator tracking unit arranged to determine a silhouette of a body part, hand, facial feature, or entire body of the operator;

an evaluation device arranged to evaluate the determined silhouette;

a control device arranged to control the function of the medical device; and

an operating mode selector and a pedal or switch, wherein the operating mode selector selects between four or more operating modes, the first operating mode being one of maximum safety which requires pressing of the pedal or switch in combination with silhouette detection, a second operating mode which is fully automatic and requires only silhouette detection, a third operating mode which requires only pressing of the pedal or switch, and a fourth operating mode which requires silhouette detection to activate the function of the medical device and the function continues until it is deactivated by pressing of the pedal or switch or by another silhouette detection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the silhouette is of a gaze direction of the head of the operator.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a video camera detector for detecting the silhouette.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the evaluation device is a computer programmed to receive the determined silhouette and evaluate the gesture of the silhouette.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controlling of the function of the medical device is that the control device automatically activates or deactivates a radiation source of the medical device based on the evaluation of the determined silhouette.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising that the controlling of the function of the medical device is done in combination with voice command.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device controls other devices in synchronization with the function of the medical device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device includes an adjustable timer to delay the deactivation of the function of the medical device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is a diagnostic or therapeutic device.

10. A method for controlling one or more functions of one or more medical devices, the method comprising:

determining a silhouette of a body part, hand, facial feature, or entire body of an operator;

evaluating the determined silhouette;

controlling the function of the medical device based on the determined silhouette; and

operating a mode selector and a pedal or switch, wherein the mode selector selects between four or more operating modes, the first operating mode being one of maximum safety which requires pressing of the pedal or switch in combination with silhouette detection, a second operating mode which is fully automatic and requires only silhouette detection, a third operating mode which requires only pressing of the pedal or switch, and a fourth operating mode which requires silhouette detection to activate the function of the medical device and the function continues until it is deactivated by pressing of the pedal or switch or by another silhouette detection.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the silhouette is of a gaze direction of the head of the operator.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the silhouette of an operator with a video camera.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the evaluating the determined silhouette is performed with a computer programmed to receive the determined silhouette and evaluate the gesture of the silhouette.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the controlling of the function of the medical device is that the control device automatically activates or deactivates a radiation source of the medical device based on the evaluation of the determined silhouette.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the medical device is a diagnostic or therapeutic device.