Surgical simulator user input device

• US 5,800,177 A
• Filed: 07/11/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Princeton Digital Image Corporation (Princeton Digital)
• Original Assignee: Robert G. Gillio M.D
• Inventors: Gillio, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US08/678,319
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 434/262, 434/267, 434/268, 434/270, 434/271, 434/272, 434/273, 434/307 R, 434/322, 434/323, 364/130, 364/142, 364/146, 364/188, 364/190, 364/174, 364/400, 364/578, 364/423.099
• US Class Current: 434/262
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/742 Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/35 for telesurgery
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/285 for injections, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, sigmoidscopy, insertion of contraceptive devices or enemas
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 600/921 Manipulating image characteristics

Abstract

A virtual surgery system or virtual testing system provides a simulation or test based on image data. A simulator combined with a real exam requires simulation tasks by a test taker. Additionally, a surgical procedure may be simulated using image data of a patient in devices simulating the physical instruments a surgeon uses in performing the actual procedure, for example. The user input device, such as a mouse, three dimensional mouse, joystick, seven dimensional joystick, full size simulator, etc., can be used in a virtual simulation to move through the image data while the user looks at the data and interaction of the input device with the image data on a display screen. Force feedback can be provided based on physical constraint models (of the anatomy, for example), or based on edge and collision detection between the virtual scope or virtual tool used by the operator and walls or edges of the image data in the image space. The virtual simulator may be used as a teaching, training, testing, demonstration, or remote telesurgery device, for example.

Claims

1. A surgical simulator user input device comprising:

a virtual medical instrument corresponding to a real surgical instrument used in a medical operation, said virtual medical instrument connected to a computer for simulating a surgical procedure and including a virtual mouse attached to a tube;

wherein said virtual medical instrument is capable of simulating multiple real surgical instruments by interchangeably utilizing a different virtual mouse attached to said tube wherein each of said different virtual mouse performs functions associated with a particular real surgical instrument to be simulated.

2. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 1 further comprising a housing representative of a virtual patient wherein said virtual medical instrument extends inside said housing through a virtual orifice and wherein said virtual orifice is connected to a computer for providing data to the computer for simulating a surgical procedure.

3. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 2 wherein the computer provides data to said virtual orifice for simulating a surgical procedure.

4. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 3 wherein said data provided to said virtual orifice by the computer adjusts said virtual orifice to represent a particular orifice of a human body.

5. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 2 further comprising means for providing force feedback to said virtual medical instrument.

6. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 5 wherein said means for providing force feedback on said virtual medical instrument is edge collision and detection software resident in the computer used for conducting a virtual surgery procedure and a force feedback device in said housing.

7. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 5 wherein said means for providing force feedback is rollers, arms and springs.

8. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 5 wherein said means for providing force feedback is a mechanical device.

9. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 5 wherein said means for providing force feedback is an electro-mechanical device.

10. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 5 wherein said means for providing force feedback is a pneumatic device.

11. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 5 wherein said means for providing force feedback is a hydraulic device.

12. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 2 wherein said housing includes rollers, arms and springs and wherein said virtual medical instrument is accommodated within said housing by positioning said virtual medical instrument by said rollers, arms and springs.

13. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 1 wherein said virtual medical instrument includes a hand-operable activation device for simulating a particular procedure of a simulated surgery.

14. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 13 wherein said hand-operable activation device is an electrical switch.

15. The surgical simulator input device according to claim 13 wherein said hand-operable activation device is a mechanical actuator.

16. A surgical simulator user input device comprising:

a first surgical instrument simulator module for simulating procedures performed in a surgical procedure; and

a second surgical instrument simulator module for simulating procedures performed in a surgical procedure;

wherein said first surgical instrument simulator module and said second surgical instrument simulator module are interconnected and wherein said surgical simulator user input device is capable of simulating multiple real surgical instruments by interchangeably interconnecting different first and second surgical instrument simulator modules wherein each of said surgical instrument simulator modules perform functions associated with a particular real surgical instrument to be simulated.

17. A surgical simulator user input device according to claim 16 wherein said first surgical instrument simulator module is a virtual mouse and said second surgical instrument simulator module is a tube.

18. A surgical simulator user input device according to claim 16 further comprising a housing representative of a virtual patient wherein said second surgical instrument simulator module extends inside said housing through a virtual orifice and wherein said virtual orifice is connected to a computer for providing data to the computer for simulating a surgical procedure.

19. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 18 wherein the computer provides data to said virtual orifice for simulating a surgical procedure.

20. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 19 wherein said data provided to said virtual orifice by the computer adjusts said virtual orifice to represent a particular orifice of a human body.

21. The surgical simulator user input device according to claim 18 further comprising means for providing force feedback to said second surgical instrument simulator module.