Sensor for moving equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9851708-B2
Application number	US-201314439345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2013
Priority date	Nov 6, 2012
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to a moving equipment, such as in a medical examination system. In order to provide a facilitated way of moving equipment with high accuracy, a driving device ( 10 ) for moving equipment is provided, comprising a motor-driven positioning unit ( 12 ), a central processing unit ( 14 ), and a user interface ( 16 ) with at least one sensor unit ( 18 ). The motor-driven positioning unit is configured to carry out a movement (M) of movable equipment. Further, the central processing unit is configured to control the movement of the equipment provided by the motor-driven positioning unit. The at least one sensor unit comprises at least one touch sensitive area ( 20 ), and the at least one sensor unit is configured to provide control signals ( 22 ) to the central processing unit in dependency from a force (F) applied by a user to the at least one touch sensitive area. Still further, the at least one sensor unit is configured to be fixedly attached to the movable equipment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A driving device for moving equipment, comprising:
a motor-driven positioning unit;
a central processing unit; and
a user interface with at least one sensor unit;
wherein the motor-driven positioning unit is configured to carry out a movement of a movable equipment;
wherein the central processing unit is configured to control the movement of the equipment provided by the motor-driven positioning unit;
wherein the at least one sensor unit comprises at least one touch sensitive area arranged on the movable equipment such that a force is executable by a user in an acting direction when touching the touch sensitive area, which acting direction is in concordance with an intended moving direction,
wherein the touch sensitive area is a deformable capacitive sensor arranged to detect and provide information about strain and direction of the force, wherein a surface of the touch sensitive area is deformable and the detected force comprises a compressive force and a shear force,
wherein the at least one sensor unit is configured to provide control signals to the central processing unit in dependency from the detected force; and
wherein the at least one sensor unit is configured to be fixedly attached to the movable equipment.

2. Driving device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit is configured to provide control signals in dependency from at least one of the group of:
i) pressure force; and
ii) pressure acting direction.

3. Driving device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit is configured to provide a movement control signal with movement vector components corresponding to vector components of the force.

4. Driving device according to claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a haptic feedback unit, which is configured to provide a haptic signal to the user while the user is in touching contact with the sensor unit.

5. Driving device according to claim 1 , wherein a collision control unit is provided to detect an upcoming collision of the movable component; and wherein a feedback is provided as a haptic warning signal via the touch sensitive area.

6. Driving device according to claim 1 , wherein the equipment is a medical apparatus, and the motor-driven positioning unit is configured to carry out a movement of the medical equipment in an examination room.

7. A medical examination system, comprising at least one movable medical equipment of the group of:
an imaging apparatus;
a patient support; and
a display;
wherein at least one of the medical equipment comprises a movable support and is provided with a driving device according to claim 1 ; and
wherein the at least one sensor is attached to the movable medical equipment.

8. Medical examination system according to claim 7 ; wherein the imaging apparatus is a C-arm arrangement of a C-arm X-ray imaging system; and wherein sensor surfaces are provided at least on two sides of the X-ray detector or X-ray source.

9. Medical examination system according to claim 7 ; wherein the patient support is a patient table; and
wherein sensor surfaces are provided at least on two sides of the patient table.

10. Medical examination system according to claim 7 , wherein the sensor surfaces are provided as large surfaces on the movable medical equipment; wherein the large surfaces are provided with at least one of the group of:
a length that is at least half way along an edge of the medical equipment;
a length of at least 30 cm; and
a surface area of at least 20 cm×20 cm.

11. The medical examination system of claim 7 , wherein the touch sensitive area comprises a curved edge surface attached to the movable medical equipment.

12. A computer program element for controlling an apparatus according to claim 1 .

13. A computer readable medium having stored the program element of claim 12 .

14. The driving device of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensitive area comprises a curved edge surface.

15. A sensor of a touch sensitive area for detecting a direction of an actuating force, comprising:
a first and a second layer of electrodes;
a dielectric elastomer;
a deformable surface;
wherein the first and the second layer are spaced apart by the dielectric elastomer in a variable distance according to a pressure force acting on the sensor;
wherein one of the first or second layer of electrodes comprises at least one electrode that at least partly overlaps with at least two electrodes of the other one of the second or first layer of electrodes;
wherein a local change of capacity detects and provides information about strain and direction of an acting force;
wherein the direction of the acting force is in concordance with an intended moving direction of movable equipment fixedly attached to the sensor; and
wherein the detected force comprises a compressive force and a shear force.

16. The sensor of claim 15 , wherein a direction of the acting force is determined from a difference between a distance between a first electrode of the at least two electrodes of the second layer and the electrode of the first layer and a distance between a second electrode of the at least two electrodes of the second layer and the electrode of the first layer.

17. A method for moving equipment, comprising the following steps:
a) touching a deformable capacitive sensor of a sensor unit of a user interface, which sensor unit is attached to a movable equipment;
b) generating a control signal in dependency from a detected strain and direction of a force applied by a user to the at least one touch sensitive area, wherein the detected force comprises a compressive force and a shear force;
c) providing the generated control signal to a central processing unit; and
d) actuating a motor-driven positioning unit based on the control signal.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the sensor unit comprises a curved edge surface attached to the movable medical equipment.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Heijman Edwin
• Van De Molengraaf Roland Alexander
• Matysek Marc

Classifications

• G05B19/19 Primary

  characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path · CPC title

• G01D5/2417

  by varying separation · CPC title

• A61B6/102

  Protection against mechanical damage, e.g. anti-collision devices · CPC title

• H03K2217/96062

  with tactile or haptic feedback · CPC title

• A61B6/4441

  the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm · CPC title