Use of human input recognition to prevent contamination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10085619-B2
Application number	US-201715622765-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2017
Priority date	Jan 20, 2012
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of a system and method for processing and recognizing non-contact types of human input to prevent contamination are generally described herein. In example embodiments, human input is captured, recognized, and used to provide active input for control or data entry into a user interface. The human input may be provided in variety of forms detectable by recognition techniques such as speech recognition, gesture recognition, identification recognition, and facial recognition. In one example, the human input recognition techniques are used in connection with a device cleaning workflow used to obtain data and human input during cleaning procedures while minimizing cross-contamination between the contaminated device or person and other objects or persons. In another example, the human input recognition techniques are used in connection with a device tracking workflow used to obtain data and human input while tracking interactions with and locations of the contaminated or uncontaminated device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for preventing contamination with use of non-contact human audio input, comprising electronic operations performed by an input-controllable electronic system, the electronic operations including:
outputting an electronic system prompt to a human user in a contamination-sensitive environment, the electronic system prompt used to obtain human audio input from the human user at a stage of an object handling workflow for a reusable medical equipment object;
capturing the human audio input in the contamination-sensitive environment;
determining a command of the input-controllable electronic system from speech recognition on the human audio input, wherein the command invokes a human-selectable option in the input-controllable electronic system;
performing the command in the input-controllable electronic system, the command causing an activity to be performed with the input-controllable electronic system wherein the activity changes a tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object within the object handling workflow; and
communicating information to a tracking system to indicate performance of the activity, the tracking system configured to record the tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object and actions performed with the reusable medical equipment object in connection with the object handling workflow.

2. The method of claim 1 , the electronic operations further including:
capturing, from the human user in the contamination-sensitive environment, a user prompt to trigger the capturing of the human audio input.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the command is used to start, stop, confirm, or abort the activity on a controllable feature of the input-controllable electronic system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input-controllable electronic system is a cleaning machine adapted to clean the reusable medical equipment object, and wherein the activity includes a machine-performed cleaning action conducted upon the reusable medical equipment by the cleaning machine, wherein the machine-performed cleaning action is performed in the stage of the object handling workflow.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic system prompt includes an audio indication that is output with a speaker; and wherein the audio indication prompts the human user to provide the human audio input.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic system prompt includes a visual indication displayed with a display device, and wherein the visual indication displayed with the display device includes at least one of:
information that indicates a status of capturing the human audio input, or information that indicates at least one command available to be received via the human audio input.

7. The method of claim 6 , the electronic operations further including:
displaying, in response to determining the command of the input-controllable electronic system, an indication of the activity to be performed in the input-controllable electronic system.

8. The method of claim 1 , the electronic operations further including:
capturing a gesture human input in the contamination-sensitive environment;
determining a second command of the input-controllable electronic system from gesture recognition on the gesture human input; and
performing the second command in the input-controllable electronic system, the second command causing a second activity to be performed in the input-controllable electronic system within the object handling workflow.

9. The method of claim 1 , the electronic operations further including:
identifying the human user, wherein the command is performed in the input-controllable electronic system in response to identifying the human user.

10. The method of claim 9 , the electronic operations further including:
identifying the human user by performing speech recognition, wherein the speech recognition is specific to one or more specific human users in connection with voice recognition technology designed to recognize voices of the one or more specific human users, and wherein the command is performed in the input-controllable electronic system in response to a positive identification of the human user with the voice recognition technology.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising authenticating the human user with use of a human user authentication component.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the human user authentication component performs identification, verification, or security authentication techniques.

13. The method of claim 9 , the electronic operations further including:
obtaining an identifier from a barcode or radio frequency identifier (RFID), wherein the barcode or RFID provides an identification of the human user.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reusable medical equipment object is a contaminated endoscope, and wherein the activity causes the input-controllable electronic system to perform an action in connection with a set of procedures used to conduct a cleaning action with the contaminated endoscope in the object handling workflow.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reusable medical equipment object is a decontaminated endoscope, and wherein the activity causes the input-controllable electronic system to perform an action in connection with a set of procedures used to conduct a handling action with the decontaminated endoscope in the object handling workflow.

16. An input-controllable electronic system, comprising:
an audio input device to receive human audio input from a human user in a contamination-sensitive environment;
an output device to output a prompt, to the human user, at a stage of an object handling workflow in the contamination-sensitive environment for a reusable medical equipment object; and
processing circuitry to execute instructions to:
obtain the human audio input;
determine a command of the input-controllable electronic system from speech recognition on the human audio input, wherein the command invokes a human-selectable option in the input-controllable electronic system;
perform the command in the input-controllable electronic system, the command causing an activity to be performed in the input-controllable electronic system, wherein the activity changes a tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object within the object handling workflow; and
communicate information to a tracking system to indicate performance of the activity, the tracking system configured to record the tracked state of the reusable medical equipment object and actions performed with the reusable medical equipment object in connection with the object handling workflow.

17. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16 , the processing circuitry to execute further instructions to:
capture, from the human user in the contamination-sensitive environment, a user-initiated prompt to trigger capture of the human audio input via the audio input device.

18. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16 , wherein the command is used to start, stop, confirm, or abort the activity on a controllable feature of the input-controllable electronic system.

19. The input-controllable electronic system of claim 16 , wherein the input-controllable electronic system is a cleaning machine adapted to clean the reusable medical equipment object, and wherein the activity includes a machine-performed cleaning action conducted upon the reusable medical equipment by the cleaning machine, wherein the machine-performed cleaning action is performed in the stage

Assignees

• Medivators Inc

Inventors

• Sly Ward
• Lemmer Stacy
• Mistalski Terry
• Petersen Michael

Classifications

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B1/121

  provided with means for cleaning post-use · CPC title

• A61B90/70

  Cleaning devices specially adapted for surgical instruments · CPC title

• G06F3/005

  Input arrangements through a video camera · CPC title