System And Method For Indicating Mapping Of Console-Based Surgical Systems

Abstract

A console-based surgical system comprises a plurality of handheld surgical instruments, each instrument having a connector line and at least one of said plurality of handheld surgical instruments comprising an instrument visual indicator. The system further comprises a footswitch having a connector line and comprising a footswitch visual indicator. The system further comprises a console, which in turn comprises a plurality of instrument ports, with the connector lines of the handheld instruments being connected to the instrument ports. The console further comprises a footswitch port, with the connector line of the footswitch connected to the footswitch port. The console further comprises a controller configured to associate the footswitch port with one of the instrument ports such that the footswitch is operable to actuate a function of the handheld surgical instrument connected to the associated instrument port. The controller is further configured to activate the footswitch visual indicator and the instrument visual indicator of the associated instrument port to display outputs that correspond with one another.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A console-based surgical system comprising:
 a plurality of handheld surgical instruments, each of said plurality of handheld surgical instruments having a connector line, at least one of said plurality of handheld surgical instruments comprising an instrument visual indicator;   a footswitch having a connector line, said footswitch comprising a footswitch visual indicator; and   a console comprising:
 a plurality of instrument ports, said connector lines of said plurality of handheld instruments being connected to said plurality of instrument ports; 
 a footswitch port, said connector line of said footswitch connected to said footswitch port; and 
 a controller configured to associate said footswitch port with one of said instrument ports such that said footswitch is operable to actuate a function of said handheld surgical instrument connected to said associated instrument port; 
 said controller further configured to activate said footswitch visual indicator and said instrument visual indicator of said associated instrument port and associated footswitch port to display outputs that correspond with one another. 
   
     
     
         2 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 1 , wherein each one of said instrument visual indicator and said footswitch visual indicator comprises a light emitter. 
     
     
         3 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 2  wherein said light emitter of one of said instrument visual indicator and said footswitch visual indicator comprises a ring-shaped light guide. 
     
     
         4 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 3 , wherein said light emitters of said footswitch visual indicator and said instrument visual indicator are configured to emit colors that match one another when said footswitch visual indicator and said instrument visual indicator display outputs that correspond with one another. 
     
     
         5 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 3 , wherein said light emitter comprises at least one of a LED, a fiber optic, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 1 , further comprising a user input device coupled to the controller and actuatable by a user to output a user output signal to cause said controller to associate said footswitch port with said associated instrument port. 
     
     
         7 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second footswitch having a connector line, said second footswitch comprising a second footswitch visual indicator;   said console further comprising a second footswitch port, said connector line of said second footswitch connected to said second footswitch port;   said controller further configured to associate said second footswitch port with said associated instrument port such that said second footswitch is operable to actuate said function of said handheld surgical instrument connected to said associated instrument port; and   said controller further configured to activate said second footswitch visual indicator and said instrument visual indicator of said associated instrument port to display outputs that correspond with one another.   
     
     
         8 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 7  further comprising:
 a third footswitch visual indicator coupled to a portion of said console adjacent to said footswitch port; 
 a fourth footswitch visual indicator coupled to a portion of said console adjacent to said second footswitch port; 
 a second instrument visual indicator coupled to said console adjacent to a first instrument port of said plurality of instrument ports; 
 a third instrument visual indicator coupled to said console adjacent to a second instrument port of said plurality of instrument ports; and
 said controller further configured to associate at least one of said footswitch port and second footswitch port with at least one of said first instrument port and said second instrument port, such that at least one of said first footswitch and said second footswitch is operable to actuate said function of said handheld surgical instrument connected to one of said first instrument port, said second instrument port; and 
 
 said controller further configured to activate said third footswitch visual indicator, and said fourth footswitch visual indicator, said second instrument visual indicator, to display outputs that correspond with one another. 
 
     
     
         9 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 1 , further comprising an input visual indicator coupled to said footswitch. 
     
     
         10 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 9 , wherein said controller is configured to activate said input visual indicator and said footswitch visual indicator to display outputs that correspond with one another. 
     
     
         11 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 9 , wherein said footswitch comprises a base and a pedal movably coupled to said base, said base comprising said input visual indicator. 
     
     
         12 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 9 , wherein said input visual indicator comprises a first footswitch light emitter and a second footswitch light emitter, said first footswitch light emitter configured to output a first color of light, and said second footswitch light emitter configured to output a second color of light, with said first color being different from said second color. 
     
     
         13 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 11 , wherein said input visual indicator is positioned to illuminate an underside of said pedal. 
     
     
         14 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 1  further comprising an output visual indicator coupled to at least one of said handheld surgical instruments and said connector lines coupled thereto. 
     
     
         15 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 14 , wherein said controller is configured to activate said output visual indicator and said instrument visual indicator of said associated instrument port to display outputs that correspond with one another. 
     
     
         16 . A method of operating a console based surgical system, the console-based surgical system including a plurality of handheld surgical instruments, at least one of the plurality handheld surgical instruments having a connector line, the at least one handheld surgical instrument including an instrument visual indicator, a footswitch having a connector line, the footswitch including footswitch visual indicator, a console including a plurality of instrument ports, the connector lines of the plurality of handheld instruments being connected to the plurality of instrument ports, the console further including a footswitch port, the connector line of the footswitch being connected to the footswitch port, and the console further including a controller, the method comprising:
 associating the footswitch port to the instrument port such that the footswitch is operable actuate a function of the handheld surgical instrument connected to said associated instrument port; and   activating the footswitch visual indicator and the instrument visual indicator of the associated instrument port to display outputs that correspond with one another.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising emitting colors from the footswitch visual indicator and the instrument visual indicator of the associated instrument port, with the colors matching one another. 
     
     
         18 . A surgical console comprising:
 a plurality of instrument ports, each of said of instrument ports having an instrument visual indicator;   a footswitch port having a footswitch visual indicator; and   a controller configured to associate said footswitch port with one of said instrument ports such that a footswitch is operable to actuate a function of a handheld surgical instrument connected to said associated instrument port;   said controller further configured to activate said footswitch visual indicator and said instrument visual indicator of said associated instrument port and said associated footswitch port to display outputs that correspond with one another;   wherein each of said footswitch visual indicator and said instrument visual indicators comprises a light emitter, each of said light emitters comprises a ring shaped light guide coupled to said console to surround a corresponding one of said footswitch port and said plurality of instrument ports.   
     
     
         19 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 18 , wherein said controller is configured to activate said light emitter of one of said instrument visual indicators to emit a colored light to match a colored light emitted by said footswitch visual indicator when said controller associates said footswitch port with said associated instrument port such that said footswitch is operable to actuate a function of the handheld surgical instrument connected to said associated instrument port. 
     
     
         20 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 18 , wherein said controller is configured to activate said light emitter of the other one of said instrument visual indicators to emit white light to indicate that said instrument port is not associated with said footswitch port. 
     
     
         21 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 18 , wherein at least one of said ring-shaped light guides comprises two arcuate light emitter portions on opposing sides of the corresponding port. 
     
     
         22 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 20 , wherein at least one of said arcuate light emitter portions angularly extends approximately 180 degrees. 
     
     
         23 . The console-based surgical system of  claim 19 , wherein at least one of said light emitters is a multi-colored light emitter configured to emit a plurality of colors.