Digital electronic foot control for medical apparatus and the like

A digital electronic foot pedal control system for controlling the operation of an associated apparatus, said foot pedal control system comprising:

• a. foot pedal means including a pedal mount, a pedal shaft pivotally mounted to said mount, and a foot-operated pedal fixed to said shaft to pivot therewith;
• b. digital shaft rotational position indicating means connected to said shaft for providing digital shaft position output signals indicative of pedal angular position relative to a pedal zero reference position;
• and
• c. logic means which include:
• (1) digital storage means for storing N given sets of output control signals which correspond to N given pedal angular positions relative to said reference position, said digital storage means including one or more address cards each having N addresses, each one of said addresses corresponding to one of said N given shaft rotational positions and storing corresponding sets of given control output signals for controlling the operation of said associated apparatus;
• and
• (2) processing means connected for receiving said shaft position output signal from said shaft rotational position indicating means and including counting means for counting the shaft position output signals from the shaft rotational position indicating means and for deriving therefrom shaft position address pointers for applying to said one or more address cards to thereby cause the outputting therefrom of said sets of given control signals.

A digital electronic foot pedal control system for controlling the operation of an associated apparatus, said foot pedal control system comprising:

• a. foot pedal means including a pedal mount, a pedal shaft pivotally mounted to said mount, and a foot-operated pedal fixed to said shaft to pivot therewith;
• b. digital shaft rotational position indicating means connected to said shaft for providing digital shaft position output signals indicative of pedal angular position relative to a pedal zero reference position;
• c. logic means which include:
• (1) digital storage means for storing N given sets of output control signals which correspond to N given pedal shaft angular positions relative to said reference position, said digital storage means including one or more address cards each having N addresses, each one of said N addresses corresponding to one of said N shaft rotational positions and storing corresponding sets of given control output signals for controlling the operation of said associated apparatus;
• and
• (2) processing means connected for receiving said shaft position output signal from said shaft rotational position indicating means and including counting means for counting the shaft position output signals from the shaft rotational position indicating means and for deriving therefrom appropriate address pointers for applying to said one or more address cards to thereby cause the outputting therefrom of said sets of control signals corresponding to pedal shaft positions;
• and
• d. motor means connected to said shaft for driving said shaft in a rotational direction toward said zero reference position when the pedal is displaced therefrom and when said motor means are energized, said motor means thereby providing a resistance to, but not preventing, further pedal rotational movement away from said zero reference position.

A digital electronic foot pedal control system for controlling the operation of an associated apparatus, said foot pedal control system comprising:

• a. foot pedal means including a pedal mount, a pedal shaft pivotally mounted to said mount, and a foot-operated pedal fixed to said shaft to pivot therewith;
• b. digital shaft rotational position indicating means connected to said shaft for providing a digital shaft position output signal indicative of pedal angular position relative to a pedal zero reference position;
• c. logic means which include:
• (1) digital storage means for storing N given sets of output control signals which correspond to N given pedal angular positions relative to said reference position, and
• (2) processing means connected for receiving said shaft position output signal from said shaft rotational position indicating means and responsive thereto for causing the outputting from said storage means of corresponding sets of control signals for controlling the operation of said associated apparatus, said control signals corresponding to shaft rotational positions indicated by said received shaft position output signal;
• and
• d. motor means connected to said pedal shaft so as to drive said pedal shaft in a rotational direction toward said zero reference position when the pedal shaft is displaced therefrom and when said motor means are energized, said motor means thereby providing a resistance, but not preventing, further pedal shaft rotational movement away from said zero reference position.

A digital electronic foot pedal control system, especially useful for medical apparatus having a plurality of operating functions and means for selecting among said functions, said foot pedal control system comprising:

• a. foot pedal means including a pedal mount, a pedal shaft pivotally mounted to said mount, and a foot-operated pedal fixed to said shaft to pivot therewith;
• b. digital shaft rotational position indicating means connected to said shaft for providing a digital shaft position output signal indicative of pedal angle relative to a pedal zero reference position;
• c. logic means which include:
• (1) digital storage means for storing N given sets of output control signals which correspond to N given pedal shaft angular positions relative to said reference position, said digital storage means including a plurality of address cards each having N addresses, each of said address cards corresponding to one or more of said functions and being selected in response to said selecting means selecting among said function, and each of said N addresses corresponding to a particular one of said N shaft rotational positions and storing a corresponding set of control output signals for operating said medical apparatus;
• and
• (2) processing means connected for receiving said shaft position output signal from said shaft rotational position indicating means and including counting means for counting the shaft position output signals from the shaft rotational position indicting means and for deriving address pointers therefrom, and further including means responsive to said means for selecting among said functions for applying said address pointers to the address card which corresponds to the selected function to thereby cause the outputting therefrom of appropriate ones of said sets of given control signals;
• and
• d. a stepper motor connected to said pedal shaft for driving said shaft in a rotational direction toward said zero reference position when the shaft is displaced therefrom and when said stepper motor is energized, said stepper motor thereby providing a resistance to, but not preventing, further pedal rotational movement away from said zero reference position, given ones of said sets of output control signals stored in said digital storage means including control signals for causing the energizing of said stepper motor at given pedal rotational positions.