The University of British Columbia

Other

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, As Represented by the Minister

University of Manitoba

Macmillan Bloedel Limited

Mirametrix Inc.

Peter D Lawrence

Septimiu Edmund Salcudean

Real N Frenette

Nariman Sepehri

Michael Jameson

Alexei J Marko

Craig A Hennessey

Danley C Chan

Gregory Z Grudic

James Allen McEwen

Guy Broer Immega

Nima Ziraknejad

Niall R Parker

Reza Zahiri-Azar

Xu Wen

Michael F Kelly

STephen K Chan

Robert V Ross

Todd A Corbet

Behrang Homayoon

Graham S Bell

Brian Day

David Ming-Teh Liu

Alan K Mackworth

Isobel J Mulligen

Juliusz J Grodski

A system permits a medical practitioner to interact with medically relevant information during a medical procedure. The system comprises: a projector for projecting a user interface menu image onto a projection surface; a three-dimensional optical imaging system for capturing three-dimensional location information for objects in a sensing volume which includes the projection surface; and a controller connected to receive the three-dimensional location information from the three-dimensional optical imaging system and configured to interpret one or more gestures made by the practitioner in a space between the three-dimensional optical imaging system and the projection surface based on a location of the gesture relative to the projected user interface menu image. The controller is connectable to a display to cause the display to render images and is configured to cause the display to render an image comprising medically relevant information, the medically relevant information based at least in part on the interpreted gesture.

Methods and systems for accessing and manipulating images comprising medically relevant information with 3D gestures

Methods for determining a point-of-gaze (POG) of a user in three dimensions are disclosed. In particular embodiments, the methods involve: presenting a three-dimensional scene to both eyes of the user; capturing image data including both eyes of the user; estimating first and second line-of-sight (LOS) vectors in a three-dimensional coordinate system for the user's first and second eyes based on the image data; and determining the POG in the three-dimensional coordinate system using the first and second LOS vectors.

Methods and apparatus for estimating point-of-gaze in three dimensions

A method and apparatus for processing ultrasonic image signals is disclosed. The method involves receiving a plurality of input sample values representing reflected sound waves in a ultrasonic system, exponentiating each input sample to produce a plurality of respective exponentiated sample values, conditioning the exponentiated sample values to produce conditioned exponentiated sample values for receipt by an imageformer, and causing the imageformer to produce an image representing the ultrasonic sound waves in response to the conditioned exponentiated sample values.

Method and apparatus for processing ultrasound image signals

A system for medical ultrasound in which the ultrasound probe is positioned by a robot arm under the shared control of the ultrasound operator and the computer is proposed. The system comprises a robot arm design suitable for diagnostic ultrasound, a passive or active hand-controller, and a computer system to co-ordinate the motion and forces of the robot and hand-controller as a function of operator input, sensed parameters and ultrasound images.

Robotically assisted medical ultrasound

Apparatus for evaluating the stability of the shoulder joint of a human subject includes a rotatable, elbow-holding assembly that has sensors and associated processing components for producing an indication of the rotational angle of the long axis of the humerus of the subject relative to a reference. Sensors measure muscle activity as the humerus is rotated. Changes in the muscle activity measurement are processed to produce an indication of the changes in the subject's apprehension as the humerus is moved. The apparatus may include a clock that indicates the times when muscle activity occurs. The levels of muscle activity may be recorded at different times and indicated to the operator. Pressure can be applied in a direction normal to the long axis of the humerus, and sensors produce an indication of the level of the applied pressure and corresponding apprehension of the subject. Also available is an indication of the level of muscle activity that occurs when such pressure is applied.

Apparatus and method for evaluation of shoulder stability

A robot control system generates an offset signal which is added to the control signal for a robot when the velocity error is small. The offset signal is, in each case, based on a previous offset signal added to the then current robot control signal which is updated regularly on discrete increments of time when the velocity error is small. Thus, with the control system when the velocity error is low adds the control signal to the then current offset signal to provide a corrected signal to control the robot. When the velocity error signal is high, the generation and addition of the offset signal is disabled.

Proportional derivitive control system with low speed offset compensation

A system for controlling the operation of a tele-operated machine uses a sensor which senses the angular orientation of the joint, converts the angular orientation to a required length of the linear actuator (piston and cylinder) to obtain the then current length. A controller inputs the desired position of the joint and the system defines the length of (or flow to) the linear actuator necessary for the joint to be in the desired position based on a comparison of the desired and actual lengths of the actuator and sets the length of (or flow to) the actuator based on the required length (or flow) necessary to move the joint into the desired position i.e. to extend the length of the actuator to that required for the desired movement of the joint. Alternatively the actual and desired positions may be compared in a comparer (subtracter or adder) and the resultant signal modified based on a function of the actual position and the equipment being controlled and the modified signal is used to define the required length of or flow to the actuator.

Joint control system with linear actuation

A force feedback velocity control measures the forces adjacent the end point of an arm being controlled and adjusts the stiffness of a manual controller in any one direction by scaling the end point force in the corresponding direction and adjusting the scaled force based on the degree of displacement of the manual controller away from a datum or zero velocity position in the one direction. A suitable deadband zone is provided surrounding the datum position.

Velocity controller with force feedback stiffness control

A method and apparatus for controlling the movement of an end point of an articulated arm in the x, y and z directions using a manually operated resolved motion control by controlling the component of velocity of the end point in each of the x, y and z directions to change by the same amount for a given change in the component of displacement of the manual controller in the respective x, y and z directions provided the total displacement in the selected x, y or z direction is less than a preselected displacement in the respective x, y or z direction and the end point is within a preselected work space. The velocity of the end point in any one of the x, y and z directions when the total displacement of the manual controller in the respective x, y or z direction is greater than the preselected displacement changes at a ratio of end point speed to change in the component of controller displacement that is independent of the ratio of controller displacement to end point speed in at least one of the other of the x, y or z directions.

Resolved motion velocity control

An inverse kinematics method of determining joint variables for a manipulator is obtained by forming a model by modifying offset values of a selected arm segments of the manipulator to define a model for which it is possible to derive closed-form inverse kinematics equations for solving the joint variables for said model, developing from said closed-form inverse kinematics equations a system of not more than 3 non-linear equations in not more than 3 unknowns which when solved give an inverse kinematics solution for the model, solving the system of at most 3 non-linear equations to provide the inverse kinematic solution for said manipulator to determine its joint variables.

System for determining manipulator coordinates

A hydraulic control system for controlling the motion of a double acting hydraulic actuator determines the flow to and from the actuator in accordance with

Hydraulic control system with pressure responsive rate control

A hydraulic control system for a multi-linked manipulator arm monitors the desired flow of hydraulic fluid to each of the actuators for the links of the manipulator, and when the desired flow to any one or more of the actuators exceeds the available flow to the respective actuators, the flows to all the actuators are reduced on the basis of a scaling factor based on the ratio of the available flow to the desired flow of that actuator having the maximum ratio of its desired to available flows so that the relative speed of all the actuators for manipulating the arm is maintained. In some cases some actuators may have higher priority than others and a second scaling factor in which such priorities have been applied may also have to be applied to the flows to reduce the relative speeds of all actuators.

Proportional hydraulic control

A system for controlling x, y and z directional movement of a point adjacent to the free end of an arm composed of a plurality of interconnected articulated arm segments mounted for movement relative to at least three axes and providing for individual, independent control of movement of the point in any selected one of the x, y or z directions by controllably relatively adjusting the relationships between the segments. The system is particularly suitable for use in equipment when the arm incorporates a boom and stick such as backhoes or the like.

Articulated arm control

An articulated arm employs a controller to generate .delta.r, .delta..THETA. and .delta.z signals for controlling the movement of the arm in r, .THETA. and z directions to product movement of an end point from an initial location along a desired path toward a desired location. The actual location is determined by sensing the relationships between the arm segments and determining the actual location of the end point. The actual location is continuously compared with the desired location represented by the r, .THETA. and z signals and, if the difference between the actual location and desired location exceeds preselected limits, the .delta.r, .delta..THETA. and .delta.z are scaled down thereby redefining the desired location to ensure that the actual arm movement does not lag an unacceptable amount relative to the desired location.

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Vancouver, Canada

Peter D Lawrence