General purpose distributed operating room control system

• US 20040124964A1
• Filed: 09/18/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Computer Motion Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Uecker, Darrin R., Wooters, Charles C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,053,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/3.54
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00 Surgical instruments, devices or methods, e.g. tourniquets A61B18/00 takes precedence; contraceptive devices, pessaries, or applicators therefor A61F6/00; eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00017 Electrical control of surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00203 with speech control or speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23386 Voice, vocal command or message
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• 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

The present invention pertains to control systems and provides a run time configurable control system for selecting and operating one of a plurality of operating room devices from a single input source, the system comprising a master controller having a voice control interface and means for routing control signals. The system additionally may include a plurality of slave controllers to provide expandability of the system. Also, the system includes output means for generating messages to the user relating to the status of the control system in general and to the status of devices connected thereto.

Claims

1. A control system for selecting from and controlling a plurality of devices in an operating room, the control system comprising:

a master controller, the master controller comprising;

a) means for receiving selection commands from a user wherein each selection command is associated with a device in electrical communication with the master controller;

b) means for receiving control commands from a user;

c) means for converting selection commands and control commands into corresponding selection signals and control signals;

d) means for routing control signals to a device specified by a selection command received by the means for receiving selection commands, the means for routing control signals additionally comprising means for receiving selection signals.

2. The control system of claim 1 further including at least one slave controller in electrical communication with the master controller.

3. The control system of claim 1 wherein the master further comprises:

a) a microphone configured to receive voice commands;

b) an A/D converter configured to convert voice commands into digital representations thereof;

c) a feature extractor electrically connected to and in communication with the A/D converter;

d) a decoder in electrical communication with the feature extractor, the decoder configured to generate information packages indicative of control commands received at the feature extractor;

e) a memory in electrical communication with the decoder wherein the memory contains user models indicative of specific words that are used to control the system;

f) a central processor comprising;

1) means for routing information generated by the decoder to a specifically addressed device;

2) a memory containing addresses for each medical device in electrical communication with the master controller.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the master controller includes a PCMCIA card interface.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein user models are contained on a PCMCIA card that may be inserted into the PCMCIA card interface.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein the slave controller comprises means for modeling the sequence of valid commands.

7. The system of claim 6 further including a plurality of adapters corresponding to the number of devices in electrical communication with the master controller, wherein each adapter has an associated address and means for converting control signals into signals recognized by each specific device.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of devices comprises medical devices.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein the master controller comprises removable storage media.