US 12,033,530 B2
Laparoscopic simulator
Jordan Luke Van Flute, Widnes (GB); and Elliot Roy Street, Salford Quays (GB)
Assigned to INOVUS LTD, St Helens (GB)
Filed by Inovus Ltd, St Helens (GB)
Filed on Sep. 7, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/013,797.
Claims priority of application No. 1912903 (GB), filed on Sep. 6, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0074183 A1, Mar. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. G09B 23/30 (2006.01); A61B 34/10 (2016.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01)
CPC G09B 23/30 (2013.01) [A61B 34/10 (2016.02); G06F 3/011 (2013.01); A61B 2034/102 (2016.02); A61B 2034/105 (2016.02); A61B 2034/107 (2016.02)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for laparoscopic surgical training,
comprising:
a physical simulator unit;
a physical tissue model; and
a computing and display unit;
 wherein the physical simulator unit comprises at least one side wall and a removable internal base plate;
 wherein the side wall comprises:
a central opening through which a camera is arranged to view the removable internal base plate; and
two or more laparoscopic surgical tools entry openings;
wherein the internal base plate is arranged to hold the physical tissue model in the camera's field of view and in a position accessible to laparoscopic surgical tools when inserted in the two or more laparoscopic surgical tools entry openings; and
 wherein the computing and display unit is arranged to acquire video data from the camera and signal data from the physical tissue model, and to then utilize the data sets to generate and display in real-time a customized mixed reality or augmented video;
 wherein the video data acquired by the camera is augmented in real-time and displayed in the computing and display unit to simulate the video feed of a real laparoscopic surgery;
 wherein the physical tissue model comprises tissue mimicking material embedded with internal wiring and sensors arranged to be connected to electronic circuitry, which is further connected to the computing and display unit;
 wherein an electrical connection check between the internal wiring and the electronic circuitry is performed upon start-up of the apparatus;
 wherein when cutting through the physical tissue model, with the laparoscopic surgical tools by a user, and the internal wiring is cut, an open circuit is identified by the signal data acquisition and the computing and display unit, which then triggers and generates an augmented representation of bleeding in the area of the cut, thus augmenting the video feed acquired by the camera, and a merged video is displayed in the computing and display unit, thus simulating a real-life surgical event;
 wherein the cutting of the physical tissue model with the laparoscopic surgical tools is augmented in real-time and displayed in the computing and display unit via overlaying digital textures on the physical tissue model and via acquiring, processing and displaying the video data and the signal data; and
 wherein the open circuit of the internal wiring prompts the user to rectify the bleed by using the laparoscopic surgical tools to tie off the cut wiring, reestablishing an electrical connection with the electronic circuitry and thus turning off the bleeding trigger.