IP Library Granted Patent US 9,563,186
Granted Patent B2
US 9,563,186 · App. 13/832,055 · Granted Feb 7, 2017

Method and device for controlling apparatus

Inventors: Wolfgang Steinle (Munich, DE); Nils Frielinghaus (Heimstetten, DE); Christoffer Hamilton (Gronsdorf, SE)
Assignee: Brainlab AG
G05B15/00G06F3/011G06F3/017G06F19/3406
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,563,186
App. No.
13/832,055
Granted
Feb 7, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for controlling a medical apparatus includes identifying at least one object and at least one part of a user's body; capturing the position, movement and/or alignment of the identified part of the body and the identified object; and controlling at least one apparatus using a corresponding predetermined command, if predetermined criteria for the identity of the object and/or part of the body and its position, movement and/or alignment are fulfilled. A device for controlling a medical apparatus includes an identifying device which identifies parts of a user's body and objects; a capture device which captures the position, movement and/or alignment of the identified parts of the body and objects; and a control device which controls at least one apparatus using a corresponding predetermined command, if predetermined criteria for the identity of the object and/or part of the body and its position, movement and/or alignment are fulfilled.

Claims (18)

1. A method for controlling at least one of a plurality of medical apparatus, comprising:

identifying at least two of the plurality of medical apparatus and at least one body part of a user controlling the at least one of the plurality of medical apparatus, the at least two medical apparatus and the at least one body part of the user being within a field of view of at least one optical camera, the field of view including an operating theatre;

capturing a position, movement and/or alignment of the at least one identified body part of the user and the at least two identified medical apparatus relative to each other; and

controlling at least one of the plurality of medical apparatus via a corresponding predetermined command, said controlling being effected through a fulfilment of predetermined criteria for the identity and the respective position, movement and/or alignment relative to each other of the at least two medical apparatus and the at least one body part of the user.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein capturing includes optically capturing visual features of the object and/or at least one body part.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein optically capturing includes using at least one optical camera to capture the visual features.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein identifying and/or capturing is/are performed within a predetermined space.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the predetermined space is a medical treatment room.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein body parts of a plurality of users are captured and identified.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined command is stored in a database.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising capturing the controls exercised within a predetermined space in order to determine the level of activity within the space.

9. A device for controlling at least one of a plurality of medical apparatus, comprising:

an identification device configured to identify at least one body part of a user controlling at least one of the plurality of medical apparatus, and at least two of the plurality of medical apparatus, the at least two medical apparatus and the at least one part of the user's body being within a field of view of at least one optical camera, the field of view including an operating theatre;

a capture device configured to capture a position, movement and/or alignment of the at least one identified part of the user's body and the at least two identified medical apparatus relative to each other; and

a control device configured to control at least one of the plurality of medical apparatus via a corresponding predetermined command, said control device configured to control the at least one medical apparatus effected through a fulfilment of predetermined criteria for the identity and the position, movement and/or alignment relative to each other of the at least two medical apparatus and the at least one body part of the user.

10. The device according to claim 9 , wherein a computational unit comprises the identification device and the control device.

11. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the capture device comprises at least one optical camera.

12. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the capture device avails itself of at least one optical camera which is assigned to an apparatus.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 12, 2013
From: STEINLE, WOLFGANG; FRIELINGHAUS, NILS; HAMILTON, CHRISTOFFER
To: BRAINLAB AG
Reel/Frame 030203/0080 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTEP2010064456 · Sep 29, 2010
Related Publication 20130204428A1 · Aug 8, 2013