Active and semi-active damping in a telesurgical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10058395-B2
Application number	US-201514814858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2015
Priority date	Aug 1, 2014
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems for damping vibrations in a surgical system are disclosed herein. The surgical system can include one or several moveable set-up linkages. A damper can be connected with one or several of the set-up linkages. The damper can be a passive, active, or semi-active damper. The damper can mitigate a vibration arising in one of the set-up linkages, and the damper can prevent a vibration arising in one of the linkages from affecting another of the set-up linkages. The active and semi-active dampers can be controlled with a feedback model and a feed-forward model.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical system comprising:
a base;
a first link mechanically coupled to the base;
a second link mechanically coupled to the first link at a damper, the damper including a variable portion;
a surgical tool supported by the second link;
a sensor configured to detect a movement of at least one of the first link and the second link; and
a processor configured to:
adjust the variable portion of the damper using the movement detected by the sensor; and
command a movement of the surgical tool.

2. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the damper comprises a spring element and a variable damping element.

3. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the variable portion of the damper comprises a variable damping element, and the processor is configured to adjust a damping coefficient of the variable damping element.

4. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the damper comprises an axial flexure.

5. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the damper comprises a top plate and a bottom plate connected by an axial flexure, and wherein the variable portion of the damper comprises a plurality of variable damping elements radially positioned around the axial flexure.

6. The surgical system of claim 5 , further comprising a radial flexure coupled to the top plate of the damper.

7. The surgical system of claim 6 , further comprising a decoupling flexure positioned between the axial flexure and the radial flexure.

8. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the damper comprises a top plate and a bottom plate connected by a shaft, the shaft being connected to the top plate by a ball pivot.

9. The surgical system of claim 8 , wherein the variable portion of the damper comprises a plurality of variable damping elements radially positioned around the shaft.

10. The surgical system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the plurality of variable damping elements is paired with a spring.

11. The surgical system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the plurality of variable damping elements comprises a coil-over damper.

12. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the variable portion of the damper comprises moving a mechanical degree of freedom of the damper to cancel the movement detected by the sensor.

13. A method of controlling a movement of a surgical system comprising:
detecting a vibration at a first link of the surgical system;
adjusting a variable portion of a damper according to the detected vibration, the damper being positioned between the first link and a second link; and
commanding a movement of a surgical instrument supported by the second link.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein detecting the vibration at the first link comprises detecting an acceleration at the first link that is greater than a threshold value.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein adjusting the variable portion of the damper comprises adjusting a damping coefficient of a damping element.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein adjusting the variable portion of the damper comprises:
identifying a movable mechanical degree of freedom of the variable portion of the damper;
determining an appropriate adjustment for the identified movable mechanical degree of freedom to damp the detected vibration; and
moving the identified movable mechanical degree of freedom according to the determined appropriate adjustment.

17. A surgical system comprising:
a base;
a first link mechanically coupled to the base;
a second link mechanically coupled to the first link at a damper, the damper including a variable portion;
a surgical tool supported by the second link; and
a processor configured to
predict a vibration expected to result from a commanded movement of the surgical tool,
adjust the variable portion of the damper according to the predicted vibration; and
command a movement of the surgical tool.

18. A method of controlling a movement of a surgical system comprising:
receiving a command to move a surgical tool;
predicting a vibration expected to result from the commanded move of the surgical tool;
adjusting a variable portion of a damper according to the predicted vibration; and
moving the surgical tool according to the command to move the surgical tool.

19. A method of controlling a movement of a surgical system comprising:
receiving a command to move a surgical tool;
predicting a vibration expected to result from the commanded move of the surgical tool;
generating a movement profile for moving the surgical tool that mitigates the predicted vibration; and
moving the surgical tool according to the generated movement profile.

Assignees

• Intuitive Surgical Operations

Inventors

• Devengenzo Roman L
• Schena Bruce M
• Robinson David W

Classifications

• A61B34/37 Primary

  Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B2090/064

  for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension · CPC title

• A61B2017/00075

  Motion · CPC title