Controlling a laser surgical device with a sensation generator

1. A system for controlling a laser device, comprising:

the laser device configured to generate a laser beam with a focal point;

a distance meter configured to measure a distance between the focal point and a target of a patient;

a haptic sensation generator configured to generate an acoustic field that projects a sensory pattern onto a user; and

a computer configured to:

receive the distance from the distance meter;

determine the pattern corresponding to the distance according to a function in which the distance is a variable, wherein given the distance, the function yields a length of a dimension of a shape of the pattern; and

instruct the haptic sensation generator to generate the acoustic field that projects the determined pattern.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shape is selected from a group consisting of a circle, an oval, a square, a rectangle, a plurality of points, and a line.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the shape is a circle; and

the dimension is a diameter of the circle.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the shape is a plurality of objects; and

the dimension is a distance between at least two of the objects.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

given a first distance, the function yields a first length; and

given a second distance greater than the first distance, the function yields a second length greater than the first length.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

given a first distance outside of an alert distance range, the function yields a pattern with a first shape; and

given a second distance within the alert distance range, the function yields a pattern with a second shape.

7. The system of claim 1 :

further comprising a gesture detector configured to:

detect a gesture of the user; and

provide a description of the gesture to the computer; and

the computer configured to provide instructions to perform an operation corresponding to the gesture.

8. The system of claim 7 , the computer configured to provide the instructions to the laser device to move the focal point of the laser beam.

9. The system of claim 7 , the computer configured to provide the instructions to the laser device to change illumination of the patient.

10. The system of claim 7 :

further comprising a patient support configured to support the patient relative to the laser device; and

the computer configured to provide the instructions to the patient support to move the patient relative to the laser device.

11. A method for controlling a laser device, comprising:

generating, with the laser device, a laser beam with a focal point;

measuring, with a distance meter, a distance between the focal point and a target of an eye of a patient;

generating, with a haptic sensation generator, an acoustic field that projects a sensory pattern onto a user;

receiving, at a computer, the distance from the distance meter;

determining, by the computer, the pattern corresponding to the distance according to a function in which the distance is a variable, wherein given the distance, the function yields a length of a dimension of a shape of the pattern; and

instructing, by the computer, the haptic sensation generator to generate the acoustic field that projects the determined pattern.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

given a first distance, the function yields a first length; and

given a second distance greater than the first distance, the function yields a second length greater than the first length.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

detecting, with a gesture detector, a gesture of the user;

providing, by the gesture detector, a description of the gesture to the computer; and

providing, by the computer, instructions to perform an operation corresponding to the gesture.

14. The method of claim 11 :

supporting, with a patient support, the patient relative to the laser device; and

providing, by the computer, the instructions to the patient support to move the patient relative to the laser device.