System and method for sensorized user interface

• US 8,421,642 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Howmedica Osteonics Corp. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navisense
• Inventors: McIntosh, Jason, Boillot, Marc, Roche, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US13/164,396
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686.1, 340/573.1, 340/539.1, 340/539.12, 602/16, 602/587, 482/8
• US Class Current: 340/686.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/45 For evaluating or diagnosing the musculoskeletal system or teeth A61B5/1036, A61B5/1074, A61B7/006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0841 for locating instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/502 using analog signal processing

Abstract

A system and method for is provided for operation of an orthopedic system. The system includes a load sensor for converting an applied pressure associated with a force load on an anatomical joint, and an ultrasonic device for creating a low-power short-range ultrasonic sensing field within proximity of the load sensing unit for assessing alignment. The system can adjust a strength and range of the ultrasonic sensing field according to position. It can report audible and visual information associated with the force load and alignment. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A medical system, comprising:

a load sensing unit for measuring loading by converting a force applied to one or more prosthetic components thereon within an anatomical joint into an electric signal by way of piezoelectric transduction;

a surgical navigation device communicatively coupled thereto for measuring position and alignment of the prosthetic components and muscular-skeletal system in relation to the loading and one another, where the surgical navigation system projects an ultrasonic sensing field and adjusts an energy and range of the sensing field based on a proximity; and

a display wirelessly coupled to the surgical navigation device and the load sensing unit for graphically presenting quantitative data on load magnitude, position, and alignment.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising

an earpiece that audibly presents an indicator of the alignment and the loading responsive to one or more steps associated with identifying and tracking anatomical landmarks in the ultrasonic sensing field.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the surgical navigation device performs the steps of:

emitting a plurality of ultrasonic pulses from a plurality of ultrasonic transmitters on a wand of the surgical navigation device configured to transmit the ultrasonic pulses;

capturing the ultrasonic pulses from a plurality of microphones on a receiver of the surgical navigation device;

digitally sampling and storing a history of received ultrasonic waveforms in a memory of the receiver;

estimating from the stored ultrasonic waveforms a time of flight between transmitting and receiving of the ultrasonic pulses;

identifying a location of the wand from the time of flight measurements received at the plurality of microphones;

calculating for the plurality of ultrasonic waveforms stored in the memory a phase differential between the ultrasonic waveforms and previously received ultrasonic waveforms; and

updating the location of the wand from a mathematical weighting of said time of flight with said phase differential.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the receiver coordinates the emitting and the capturing of the plurality of ultrasonic pulses via wireless infrared synchronized communication from the wand.

5. The system of claim 3, where the surgical navigation device comprises a wand and a receiver that adjusts an ultrasonic waveform transmit sensitivity in accordance with the proximity of the wand to the receiver.

6. The system of claim 3, where the surgical navigation device comprises a wand and a receiver that adjusts an ultrasonic transmit sensitivity to compensate and match transmitter characteristics to airflow and temperature parameters of a sound field therein.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the receiver transmits an index to the wand that identifies a waveshape stored in local memory and which the wand transmits in response to receiving the index.

8. An operating room system comprising:

a load sensing unit for converting an applied pressure associated with an internal load on an anatomical joint into an electrical signal thereby producing a load magnitude quantity;

a surgical navigation device communicatively coupled thereto for creating an ultrasonic sensing field in air and within proximity of the load sensing unit to report an alignment measure associated with the load magnitude quantity;

a remote system wirelessly coupled to the surgical navigation device and the load sensing unit for receiving and reporting the load magnitude quantity and alignment measure; and

a detector unit coupled to the remote system for receiving visual, audio, or motion queues from within a surgical field for controlling the remote system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the step of converting the applied pressure associated with the force load on the anatomical joint into an electric signal is performed by polymer sensing, piezoelectric transduction, or ultrasonic waveguide displacement.

10. The system of claim 8, where the remote system comprises a computer system coupled to a display, where the display presents load-line magnitude and alignment information as integrated quantitative data, and

where the surgical navigation device adjusts a strength and range of the ultrasonic sensing field according to a location of the surgical navigation device with respect to the load sensing unit.

11. The system of claim 9 where an action is generated by the remote system in response to one of a visual, audio, or motion queue.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising

a display wirelessly coupled to the surgical navigation device that graphically presents the load balance and alignment information.

13. An operating room system for displaying a workflow that includes quantitative measurement data of the muscular-skeletal system comprising:

one or more sensors for measuring a joint parameter of the muscular-skeletal system;

a remote system coupled to the one or more sensors for displaying a workflow of a procedure where quantitative measurements from the one or more sensors related to the joint are displayed to support the procedure;

a detector unit coupled to the remote system for receiving visual, audio, or motion queues from within a surgical field where an action is generated upon receiving one of the visual, audio, or motion queues.

14. The system of claim 13, comprising a surgical navigation system for coupling to the remote system for providing position and alignment data of the muscular-skeletal system by measuring time of flight and differential time of flight ultrasonic waveforms.

16. The system of claim 13, where one of the visual, audio, or motion queues controls a GUI of the remote system.

17. The system of claim 13, where the detector unit includes a camera and at least one transducer.

18. The system of claim 13, where an action is performed by the remote system in response to the visual, audio, or motion queue received by the detector, and the action can be visual, audible, or haptic.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein one of the sensors converts an applied pressure associated with a force load on an anatomical joint into an electric signal by polymer sensing, piezoelectric transduction, or ultrasonic waveguide displacement.

20. The system of claim 13, comprising an earpiece that audibly presents an indicator of alignment and load balance responsive to receiving visual, audio, or motion queues from within a surgical field.

15. The system 13, where the one or more sensors are load sensors and where the load sensors are within a load sensing unit for measuring load applied by the muscular-skeletal system.