System control apparatus, medical system control apparatus and image-plane display method of medical system control apparatus

• US 5,678,568 A
• Filed: 07/22/1994
• Issued: 10/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsunakawa, Makoto, Nagaoka, Yukiko, Takahashi, Hiroshi, Kaneko, Mamoru, Takemoto, Satoshi, Uchikubo, Akinobu, Harano, Kenji, Hirai, Tsutomu, Taguchi, Akihiro, Kami, Kuniaki, Onishi, Junichi, Imagawa, Kyou, Tatsumi, Yasukazu, Inomata, Kenya, Tanikawa, Kouji, Ichikawa, Yoshito
• Primary Examiner(s): Sykes, Angela D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lacyk, John P.
• Application Number:
  US08/278,940
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 364/413.01-413.03, 128/897-898
• US Class Current: 128/897
• 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 18/00 Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00017 Electrical control of surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00132 Setting operation time of a device A61B2017/00123 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00199 with a console, e.g. a control panel with a display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00225 Systems for controlling multiple different instruments, e.g. microsurgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/004 by using forward error control H04L1/0618 takes precedence; coding, decoding or code conversion, for error detection or correction H03M13/00

Abstract

A medical system control apparatus including a plurality of pieces of medical equipment having respective identification numbers thereof individually, and having display portions on which setting conditions or operating conditions are displayed and operating portions for modifying the setting conditions or the operating conditions which are displayed on the display portions, a centralized controller for controlling the plurality of pieces of medical equipment, a centralized display device connected to the controller and provided with a display portion which displays the display contents of the plurality of pieces of medical equipment, a centralized operation device connected to the controller for controlling the setting conditions or the operating conditions which are displayed on the display portions of the plurality of pieces of medical equipment, and a communication device for enabling the plurality of pieces of medical equipment, the centralized display device and the centralized operation device and the controller to communicate with each other in a bidirectional manner.

Claims

1. A medical system control apparatus comprising:

a plurality of pieces of medical equipment each having an identification number, the plurality of pieces of medical equipment having respective display portions on which one of setting conditions and operating conditions is displayed and respective operating portions for modifying one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions which are displayed on said display portions;

control means for controlling, in a centralized manner, said plurality of pieces of medical equipment;

centralized display means connected to said control means and provided with a display portion which displays the display contents of said plurality of pieces of medical equipment;

centralized operation means connected to said control means for controlling one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions which are displayed on said display portions of said pieces of medical equipment; and

communication means for enabling said plurality of pieces of medical equipment, said centralized display means and said centralized operation means and said control means being adapted to communicate with each other in a bidirectional manner where one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions of said pieces of medical equipment is operable by any one of the operating portions and the centralized operation means which are provided respectively on the pieces of medical equipment, wherein operating indications from the operating portions of the pieces of medical equipment have priority over an operating indication from the centralized operation means.

2. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions of said pieces of medical equipment is operated by one of the operating portions and the centralized operation means which are provided on the piece of medical equipment, operating indications from the operating portions of the pieces of medical equipment have priority over an operating indication from the centralized operation means.

3. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of pieces of medical equipment are loaded on at least one cart, and wherein a distributor is provided on the cart which loads the pieces of medical equipment.

4. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a cart on which said plurality of pieces of medical equipment are loaded is arranged in an unsterile area, and wherein a proximal end of one of cables and tubes which extend out from said cart toward a sterile area is provided so as to be opposed against the sterile area side.

5. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operating portion of the medical equipment which is loaded on said cart and which is adaptable to be operated by a person in charge who is in the unsterile area, and an exchange port of the medical equipment which requires exchanging are so arranged as to be isolated from the sterile area.

6. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication means is a communication cable.

7. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said centralized display means and said centralized operation means is arranged within the operating chamber, and wherein, when one of said centralized display means and said centralized operation means which is arranged within said operating chamber moves, one of said centralized display means and the display portion of said centralized operation means is so operated as to be interlocked therewith so as to be opposed against a person in charge.

8. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said centralized display means and the display portion of said centralized operation means is provided with a light emitting element having high directivity as an attack-angle recognition means.

9. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication means is an optical communication means, and wherein an optical communication device is provided on at least one set of at least one cart which loads said plurality of pieces of medical equipment, the centralized display means, the centralized operation means and said control means.

10. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said optical communication device comprises an output side which is provided with a modulator, a communication light source and a driver for driving the communication light source, and an input side which is provided with a detector, a condensing lens, a band pass filter, an amplifier and a demodulator.

11. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the optical communication device which is provided on at least one set of said plurality of carts, the centralized display means, said centralized operation means and said control means performs optical communication through a repeating satellite unit.

12. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein wavelengths of a light which is used in the optical communication of said optical communication device are set so as to be different from every other communication device.

13. A medical system control apparatus comprising:

a plurality of pieces of medical equipment having respective identification numbers thereof individually, and having respective display portions on which one of setting conditions and operating conditions is displayed and respective operating portions for modifying one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions which are displayed on said display portions;

control means for controlling, in a centralized manner, said plurality of pieces of medical equipment; and

communication means for enabling said plurality of pieces of medical equipment and said control means to be communicated, in a bidirectional manner, with each other,

wherein at least one of centralized display means provided with a display portion for displaying the display contents of the plurality of pieces of medical equipment and centralized operation means having a display portion for displaying the display contents of the plurality of pieces of medical equipment, said centralized operation means which control one of the setting conditions and the operating condition of the pieces of medical equipment is connected to said control means, and wherein at least one of said centralized display means and the display portion of said centralized operation means has an image plane which displays the contents of a specific function of the plurality of pieces of medical equipment.

14. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein at least one of said centralized display means and the display portion of said centralized operation means has an image plane which displays the operating portion which performs modification of one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions which are had respectively by the plurality of pieces of medical equipment.

15. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the display image plane of the display portion of said centralized operation means has a backup image plane for storing a predetermined operating condition of the pieces of medical equipment which is extracted from the plurality of pieces of medical equipment.

16. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 13, further including a plurality of centralized display means and a plurality of centralized operation means, wherein at least one of the plurality of centralized display means and the plurality of said centralized operation means is connected to said control means, and wherein the display contents which are displayed on one of said centralized display means and the display portion of said centralized operation means are set from every one of said centralized display means and said centralized operation means.

17. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the control contents of the plurality of centralized operating means which are connected to said control means are set from the plurality of pieces of medical equipment, and wherein the pieces of medical equipment are operated respectively by the centralized operation means.

18. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said centralized operation means of at least one of the plurality of centralized operation means which are connected to the control means controls all the pieces of medical equipment which form a system.

19. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said centralized operation means of at least one of the plurality of centralized operation means which are connected to the control means is arranged within a sterile operation chamber.

20. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, when a plurality of control signals are inputted to the control means from said plurality of centralized operation means within a predetermined period of time, the control means assigns different levels of priority to each of the plurality of control signals and the control signal from said operating means which is highest in priority level is processed first.

21. A medical system control apparatus according to claim 20, wherein, when said plurality of centralized operation means are provided on a sterile area and an unsterile area of an operating chamber, the centralized operation means which is arranged within the sterile area has a higher priority than the centralized operation means which is arranged in the unsterile area.

22. An image-plane display method of medical system control apparatus, comprising:

controlling, in a centralized manner, a plurality of pieces of medical equipment having respective identification numbers thereof individually and having respective display portions on which one of setting conditions and operating conditions is displayed, and respective operating portions for modifying one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions which is displayed on said display portion, through control means;

displaying the display contents of said plurality of pieces of medical equipment which are controlled by said control method, onto a centralized display means;

displaying the display contents of the plurality of pieces of medical equipment which are controlled by said control method onto a centralized operation means, for controlling one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions which are displayed on said display portions of the pieces of medical equipment; and

bidirectionally communicating between the centralized display means, said centralized operation means and the control means,

wherein an image plane which displays the contents of specific functions of said plurality of pieces of medical equipment, an image plane which displays the contents of one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions which are displayed on said display portions which are displayed respectively on said plurality of pieces of medical equipment, and a backup image plane for storing a predetermined operating condition of the pieces of medical equipment which is extracted from said plurality of pieces of medical equipment are hierarchically displayed on at least one of centralized display means which is provided with a display portion for displaying one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions of the plurality of pieces of medical equipment and a display portion of centralized operation means for controlling one of the setting conditions and the operating conditions of the pieces of medical equipment.

23. An image-plane display method of medical system control apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising the step of selecting image planes of said hierarchy image planes respectively by selective switches which are provided on parts of the respective image planes.

24. An image-plane display method of medical system control apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising the step of setting priority levels beforehand respectively to the plurality of pieces of medical equipment which are connected to said control means, wherein said hierarchy image planes are so arranged as to be in order from highest to lowest in accordance with the priority levels of pieces of said medical equipment.

25. An image-plane display method of medical system control apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising the step of informing abnormality of a system onto the hierarchy image plane which is displayed on at least one of said centralized display means and the display portion of said centralized operation means.

26. An image-plane display method of medical system control apparatus according to claim 25, wherein, in said informing step, when the abnormality is detected, abnormality information is displayed on the image plane, and a tone of color of a display region of the medical equipment corresponding to the abnormality information is changed.

27. An image-plane display method of medical system control apparatus according to claim 25, wherein, in said informing step, when the abnormality is detected, abnormality information is displayed on the image plane, and a display region of the medical equipment corresponding to the abnormality information is turned on and off.

28. An image-plane display method of medical system control apparatus according to claim 25, wherein, in said informing step, the display regions of the medical equipment in which the abnormality is detected are erased from the hierarchy image plane.