US-12622754-B2 - Beacon-based systems, methods, and apparatuses for managing communicative pairing of an apparatus with a medical system

Abstract

A first ultrasonic beacon transmission includes a first pilot signal and a first encoded information signal. An apparatus may detect the first pilot signal and decode, based on the first pilot signal, the first encoded information signal to identify a medical system associated with the first ultrasonic beacon transmission. Based on the first encoded information signal, the apparatus may enter into a first pairing state in which the apparatus is communicatively paired with the medical system. While the apparatus is operating in the first pairing state and within a threshold time of entering the first pairing state, the apparatus may detect a second pilot signal included in a second ultrasonic beacon transmission, which also includes a second encoded information signal. Based on the detection of the second pilot signal within the threshold time, the apparatus may continue operating in the first pairing state without decoding the second encoded information signal.

Inventors

• A. Jonathan McLeod
• Mahdi AZIZIAN
• Alan S Bradley
• Christopher R. Burns
• Wen Pei Liu

Assignees

• Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20220303

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: detect a first pilot signal included in a first ultrasonic beacon transmission, the first ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a first encoded information signal; decode, based on the first pilot signal, the first encoded information signal to identify a first medical system associated with the first ultrasonic beacon transmission; enter, based on the decoding of the first encoded information signal, into a first pairing state in which the apparatus is communicatively paired with the first medical system; detect, while operating in the first pairing state and within a threshold time of entering the first pairing state, a second pilot signal included in a second ultrasonic beacon transmission, the second ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a second encoded information signal; and continue, based on the detection of the second pilot signal within the threshold time, operating in the first pairing state without decoding the second encoded information signal.
2. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to: determine that the apparatus does not detect any pilot signals within the threshold time and subsequent to the detection of the second pilot signal; and transition, based on the determination that the apparatus does not detect any pilot signals within the threshold time and subsequent to the detection of the second pilot signal, from operating in the first pairing state to operating in a second pairing state that is different from the first pairing state.
3. 3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the apparatus is communicatively unpaired from the first medical system while operating in the second pairing state.
4. 4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein: a functional feature associated with the first medical system is accessible by way of the apparatus while the apparatus operates in the first pairing state; and the functional feature associated with the first medical system is not accessible by way of the apparatus while the apparatus operates in the second pairing state.
5. 5 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, based on the determination that the apparatus does not detect any pilot signals and subsequent to the detection of the second pilot signal, the apparatus to request user input to indicate a desired pairing state; and wherein the second pairing state is set based on the user input.
6. 6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to: detect, while operating in the first pairing state and after the threshold time of entering the first pairing state, a third pilot signal included in a third ultrasonic beacon transmission, the third ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a third encoded information signal; decode, based on the third pilot signal, the third encoded information signal to identify a medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission; determine that the medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission corresponds to the first medical system; and continue, based on the determination that the medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission corresponds to the first medical system, to operate in the first pairing state.
7. 7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to: detect, while operating in the first pairing state and after the threshold time of entering the first pairing state, a third pilot signal included in a third ultrasonic beacon transmission, the third ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a third encoded information signal; decode, based on the third pilot signal, the third encoded information signal to identify a medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission; determine that the medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission corresponds to a second medical system that is different from the first medical system; and transition, based on the determination that the medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission corresponds to the second medical system, from operating in the first pairing state to operating in a third pairing state that is different from the first pairing state.
8. 8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to: detect, while operating in the first pairing state and after the threshold time of entering the first pairing state, a fourth pilot signal included in a fourth ultrasonic beacon transmission, the fourth ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a fourth encoded information signal; determine that the fourth encoded information signal is not decodable; determine, based on the determination that the fourth encoded information signal is not decodable, that the apparatus is in motion while the apparatus detects the fourth pilot signal; and continue, based on the determination that the apparatus is in motion while the apparatus detects the fourth pilot signal, to operate in the first pairing state without decoding the fourth encoded information signal.
9. 9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising: an inertial measurement unit; wherein the determination that the apparatus is in motion while the apparatus detects the fourth pilot signal is based on information generated by the inertial measurement unit.
10. 10 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the determining that the apparatus is in motion while the apparatus detects the fourth pilot signal comprises identifying a Doppler shift in the fourth encoded information signal.
11. 11 . An apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic sensor configured to detect ultrasonic signals; and a processing unit configured to: determine that the ultrasonic sensor detects, while the apparatus is operating in a first pairing state in which the apparatus is communicatively paired with a first medical system, a first pilot signal included in a first ultrasonic beacon transmission, the first ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a first encoded information signal identifying a medical system associated with the first ultrasonic beacon transmission; determine that the ultrasonic sensor detects the first pilot signal within a threshold time of a pairing state initialization event; and control, based on the determination that the apparatus detects the first pilot signal within the threshold time of the pairing state initialization event and without decoding the first encoded information signal, the apparatus to continue operating in the first pairing state.
12. 12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to: determine that the ultrasonic sensor does not detect any pilot signals within the threshold time of the pairing state initialization event and subsequent to the detection of the first pilot signal; and transition, based on the determination that the ultrasonic sensor does not detect any pilot signals within the threshold time of the pairing state initialization event and subsequent to the detection of the first pilot signal, the apparatus from operating in the first pairing state to operating in a second pairing state that is different from the first pairing state.
13. 13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to: determine that the ultrasonic sensor detects, while the apparatus is operating in the first pairing state, a second pilot signal included in a second ultrasonic beacon transmission that is subsequent to the first ultrasonic beacon transmission, the second ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a second encoded information signal identifying a medical system associated with the second ultrasonic beacon transmission; determine that the ultrasonic sensor detects the second pilot signal after the threshold time of the pairing state initialization event; decode, based on the second pilot signal and based on the determination that the ultrasonic sensor detects the second pilot signal after the threshold time of the pairing state initialization event, the second encoded information signal to identify the medical system associated with the second ultrasonic beacon transmission; control, based on a determination that the medical system associated with the second ultrasonic beacon transmission corresponds to the first medical system, the apparatus to continue operating in the first pairing state; and transition, based on a determination that the medical system associated with the second ultrasonic beacon transmission does not correspond to the first medical system, the apparatus from operating in the first pairing state to operating in a second pairing state that is different from the first pairing state.
14. 14 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the pairing state initialization event comprises a most recent transition between pairing states or a most recent decoding of an encoded information signal included in a detected ultrasonic beacon transmission.
15. 15 . The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a motion sensor configured to detect motion of the apparatus; wherein the processing unit is further configured to: determine that the ultrasonic sensor detects, while the apparatus is operating in the first pairing state and after the threshold time of the pairing state initialization event, a second pilot signal included in a second ultrasonic beacon transmission that is subsequent to the first ultrasonic beacon transmission, the second ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a second encoded information signal; determine that the motion sensor detects motion of the apparatus while the ultrasonic sensor detects the second pilot signal; and control, based on the determination that the motion sensor detects motion of the apparatus while the ultrasonic sensor detects the second pilot signal and without decoding the second encoded information signal, the apparatus to continue operating in the first pairing state.
16. 16 . A method comprising: detecting, by an apparatus, a first pilot signal included in a first ultrasonic beacon transmission, the first ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a first encoded information signal; decoding, by the apparatus and based on the first pilot signal, the first encoded information signal to identify a first medical system associated with the first ultrasonic beacon transmission; entering, by the apparatus and based on the decoding of the first encoded information signal, into a first pairing state in which the apparatus is communicatively paired with the first medical system; detecting, by the apparatus and while operating in the first pairing state and within a threshold time of entering the first pairing state, a second pilot signal included in a second ultrasonic beacon transmission, the second ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a second encoded information signal; and continuing, by the apparatus and based on the detection of the second pilot signal within the threshold time, operating in the first pairing state without decoding the second encoded information signal.
17. 17 . The method claim 16 , further comprising: determining, by the apparatus, that the apparatus does not detect any pilot signals within the threshold time and subsequent to the detection of the second pilot signal; and transitioning, by the apparatus and based on the determination that the apparatus does not detect any pilot signals within the threshold time and subsequent to the detection of the second pilot signal, from operating in the first pairing state to operating in a second pairing state that is different from the first pairing state.
18. 18 . The method claim 16 , further comprising: detecting, by the apparatus and while operating in the first pairing state and after the threshold time of entering the first pairing state, a third pilot signal included in a third ultrasonic beacon transmission, the third ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a third encoded information signal; decoding, by the apparatus and based on the third pilot signal, the third encoded information signal to identify a medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission; determining, by the apparatus, that the medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission corresponds to the first medical system; and continuing, by the apparatus and based on the determination that the medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission corresponds to the first medical system, operating in the first pairing state.
19. 19 . The method claim 16 , further comprising: detecting, by the apparatus and while operating in the first pairing state and after the threshold time of entering the first pairing state, a third pilot signal included in a third ultrasonic beacon transmission, the third ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a third encoded information signal; decoding, by the apparatus and based on the third pilot signal, the third encoded information signal to identify a medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission; determining, by the apparatus, that the medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission corresponds to a second medical system that is different from the first medical system; and transition, by the apparatus and based on the determination that the medical system associated with the third ultrasonic beacon transmission corresponds to the second medical system, from operating in the first pairing state to operating in a third pairing state that is different from the first pairing state.
20. 20 . The method claim 16 , further comprising: detecting, by the apparatus and while operating in the first pairing state and after the threshold time of entering the first pairing state, a fourth pilot signal included in a fourth ultrasonic beacon transmission, the fourth ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a fourth encoded information signal; determining, by the apparatus, that the fourth encoded information signal is not decodable; determining, by the apparatus and based on the determination that the fourth encoded information signal is not decodable, that the apparatus is in motion while the apparatus detects the fourth pilot signal; and continuing, by the apparatus and based on the determination that the apparatus is in motion while the apparatus detects the fourth pilot signal, operating in the first pairing state without decoding the fourth encoded information signal.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a U.S. National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/US2022/018755, filed on Mar. 3, 2022, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/157,226, filed Mar. 5, 2021, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. BACKGROUND INFORMATION In a medical facility (e.g., a hospital, a nursing home, etc.), medical personnel may use a medical system to diagnose, treat, and/or assist patients. In some medical facilities the medical personnel may also use a user device (e.g., a tablet computer, a smartphone, etc.) in the diagnosis, treatment, and/or assistance of the patient. For example, during a computer-assisted surgical procedure, such as a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed at a surgical facility, a surgeon may interact with a computer-assisted surgical system to control teleoperated surgical instruments to perform the surgical procedure on a patient. Other surgical team members may also interact with the computer-assisted surgical system to assist with the surgical procedure. A surgical team member (e.g., a nurse) may use an auxiliary device (e.g., a mobile device) during the surgical procedure, such as to view information about the patient or the computer-assisted surgical system. There is a need to facilitate the use of an auxiliary device in conjunction with use of a medical system and to ensure that the auxiliary device receives and provides accurate and relevant information. SUMMARY The following description presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects of the methods and systems described herein in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the methods and systems described herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below. An illustrative apparatus may comprise one or more processors and memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to detect a first pilot signal included in a first ultrasonic beacon transmission, the first ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a first encoded information signal; decode, based on the first pilot signal, the first encoded information signal to identify a first medical system associated with the first ultrasonic beacon transmission; enter, based on the decoding of the first encoded information signal, into a first pairing state in which the apparatus is communicatively paired with the first medical system; detect, while operating in the first pairing state and within a threshold time of entering the first pairing state, a second pilot signal included in a second ultrasonic beacon transmission, the second ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a second encoded information signal; and continue, based on the detection of the second pilot signal within the threshold time, operating in the first pairing state without decoding the second encoded information signal. Another illustrative apparatus may comprise an ultrasonic sensor configured to detect ultrasonic signals; and a processing unit configured to determine that the ultrasonic sensor detects, while the apparatus is operating in a first pairing state in which the apparatus is communicatively paired with a first medical system, a first pilot signal included in a first ultrasonic beacon transmission, the first ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a first encoded information signal identifying a medical system associated with the first ultrasonic beacon transmission; determine that the ultrasonic sensor detects the first pilot signal within a threshold time of a pairing state initialization event; and control, based on the determination that the apparatus detects the pilot signal within the threshold time of the pairing state initialization event and without decoding the first encoded information signal, the apparatus to continue operating in the first pairing state. An illustrative method may comprise detecting, by an apparatus, a first pilot signal included in a first ultrasonic beacon transmission, the first ultrasonic beacon transmission further including a first encoded information signal; decoding, by the apparatus and based on the first pilot signal, the first encoded information signal to identify a first medical system associated with the first ultrasonic beacon transmission; entering, by the apparatus, based on the decoding of the first encoded information signal, into a first pairing state in which the apparatus is communicatively paired with the first medical system; detecting, by the apparatus and while operating in the first pairing state an