Dynamic modular control system

• US 8,907,909 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bello, Musodiq O., Avinash, Gopal Biligeri, Hoford, John David, Nittala, Aparna
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/482,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20130321284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 345170-176, 345/1.1
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A modular control system including a plurality of individual touch screen devices, each touch screen device including a display unit, a touch input, a computing device, a network connection, and a programming logic for controlling a remote system and displaying a status of the remote system on the touch screen device, the remote system having network connectivity to enable the remote system to exchange information with and respond to instructions from the touch screen devices, the touch screen devices configured for automatic self-synchronization based on a status of the remote system or a status of at least one of the touch screen devices.

Claims

1. A modular control system comprising:

a plurality of individual touch screen devices, each touch screen device including a display unit, a touch input, a computing device, a network connection, and a programming logic for controlling a remote medical system and displaying a status of the remote medical system on the touch screen device, wherein at least one of the touch screen devices includes a local control application, the local control application configured to activate when the at least one touch screen device is located within a predetermined area and deactivate when the at least one touch screen device is outside the predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area is based on a location of a remote medical device;

the remote medical system having network connectivity to enable the remote medical system to exchange information with and respond to instructions from the touch screen devices, the touch screen devices configured for automatic self-synchronization based on a status of the remote medical system or a status of at least one of the touch screen devices.

2. The modular control system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the controllable devices comprises a medical imaging system.

3. The modular control system of claim 1, wherein more than one of the touch screen devices may be configured to control the remote medical system or be controlled by a one of the touch screen devices.

4. The modular control system of claim 1, wherein the communication grid comprises a wireless local network and the user interface is configured to dynamically change its interface based on its location with respect to the system being controlled.

5. The modular control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch screen devices further comprises:

a first touch screen device assigned to a first area, the first touch screen device having a first local control application installed thereon; and

a second touch screen device assigned to the first area, the second touch screen device configured to automatically detect when the first touch screen device is outside the first area.

6. The modular control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch screen devices further comprise:

a touch screen device assigned to a first area, the first touch screen device having a local control application installed thereon, the first touch screen device automatically deactivating the local control program when the first touch screen device is not in the first area.

7. The modular control system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the touch screen device is assigned to a predetermined location, the touch screen device further configured to operate only a predetermined set of applications when the touch screen device is within the predetermined area.

8. The modular control system of claim 1, wherein to automatic self-synchronize, each touch screen device is configured to identify a location of other touch screen devices within the control and monitoring system and enable information to be shared among the touch screen devices.

9. The modular control system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the touch screen device is configured to enable an operator to input viewing and operational preferences.

10. A modular control system comprising:

a system configured to communicate with a network; and

a plurality of individual touch screen devices, each touch screen device including a display unit, a touch input, a computing device, a network connection, and a programming logic for controlling a remote medical system and displaying a status of the remote medical system on the touch screen device,

the system having network connectivity to enable the system to exchange information with and respond to instructions from the touch screen devices, the touch screen devices configured for automatic self-synchronization based on a status of the remote medical system or a status of at least one of the touch screen devices, wherein each of the plurality of touch screen devices is configured to communicate with the other touch screen devices in the system and adjust a function installed on at least one of the touch screen devices based on feedback from other touch screen devices.

11. The modular control system of claim 10, wherein at least some of the portable touch screen devices are configured to authenticate a user operating the portable touch screen device using at least one of face recognition, a finger print, a predefined password, a predefined gesture, a pre-assigned identification badge, or voice recognition.

12. The modular control system of claim 10, wherein each of the portable touch screen devices is location aware, and is configured to automatically adjust functions and dynamically reconfigure a graphical user interface based on a location of the portable touch screen device.

13. The modular control system of claim 10, wherein the system comprises a medical imaging system.

14. The modular control system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the touch screen devices includes at least one local control program, the at least one touch screen device activating the local control program when the touch screen device is within a predetermined distance of the system and deactivating the local control program when the touch screen device is not within the predetermined distance of the system;

wherein to automatic self-synchronize, each touch screen device is configured to identify a location of other touch screen devices within the control and monitoring system and enable information to be shared among the touch screen devices.