System and method for configuring positions in a surgical positioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10646290-B2
Application number	US-201715846960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2017
Priority date	Jan 14, 2016
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A medical navigation system is provided including a surgical positioning system for positioning a payload during a medical procedure. The medical navigation system has a robotic arm having a plurality of joints, the robotic arm forming part of the surgical positioning system and having an end effector for holding the payload, an input device for providing input, and a controller electrically coupled to the robotic arm and the input device. The controller has a processor coupled to a memory and the controller is configured to perform the following during the medical procedure: position the robotic arm in a first position by providing a first positioning signal to the robotic arm; save the first position in the memory as a first saved position in response to a signal received from the input device; position the robotic arm in a second position by providing a second positioning signal to the robotic arm; and return the robotic arm to the first position by loading the first saved position from the memory and providing the first positioning signal to the robotic arm when an input is received from the input device corresponding to a command to return to the first saved position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A medical navigation system for positioning a tool during a medical procedure, the medical navigation system comprising:
a robotic arm having an end effector for holding the tool; and
a controller electrically coupled to the robotic arm, the controller being configured to perform the following during the medical procedure:
provide a first positioning signal to the robotic arm to position the robotic arm in a first position;
save the first position in a memory, coupled to the controller, as a first saved position;
provide a second positioning signal to the robotic arm to position the robotic arm in a second position;
in response to a received command to return to the first saved position, load the first saved position from the memory and provide the first positioning signal to the robotic arm; and
when the first saved position corresponds to the tool being held by the end effector, in response to sensing that the tool is placed in the end effector, automatically load the first saved position from the memory and provide the first positioning signal to the robotic arm.

2. The medical navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein the tool includes at least a camera held by the end effector, electrically coupled to the controller.

3. The medical navigation system according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to direct the magnification and focus of the camera.

4. The medical navigation system according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to further save a first magnification and focus of the camera in the memory as part of the first position in the first saved position; and
provide the first positioning signal to the camera to return the camera to the first magnification and focus by loading the first saved position from the memory when the command to return to the first saved position is received.

5. The medical navigation system according to claim 4 , further comprising an augmented reality component, coupled to the controller, configured to provide a first graphical illustration of the first saved position to a user.

6. The medical navigation system according to claim 5 , the controller further being configured to:
provide a third positioning signal to the robotic arm to position the robotic arm in a third position;
save the third position in the memory, coupled to the controller, as a second saved position;
provide a fourth positioning signal to the robotic arm to position the robotic arm in a fourth position; and
in response to a received command to return to one of the first saved position and the second saved position, load the first or second saved position from the memory and provide the corresponding first or third positioning signal to the robotic arm.

7. The medical navigation system according to claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to further save a second magnification and focus of the camera in the memory as part of the third position in the second saved position; and
provide the third positioning signal to the camera to return the camera to the second magnification and focus by loading the second saved position from the memory when the command to return to the second saved position is received.

8. The medical navigation system according to claim 7 , wherein the virtual reality component is configured to further provide a second graphical illustration of the second saved position to the user, thereby allowing a surgeon to easily select between the saved positions.

9. The medical navigation system according to claim 8 , wherein the augmented reality component includes a display electrically coupled to the controller for displaying the graphical illustrations of the saved positions to the surgeon.

10. The medical navigation system according to claim 8 , wherein the augmented reality component includes a headset communicating with the controller for the displaying graphical illustrations of the saved positions to the surgeon.

11. The medical navigation system according to claim 1 further comprising a tracking system electrically coupled to the controller wherein the first saved position is defined relative to a position of a patient determined by the tracking system.

12. The medical navigation system according to claim 11 , wherein the tracking system is selected from the group consisting of an optical tracking system having a camera for viewing optical tracking markers attached to the patient, a 3D scanning tracking system having a 3D scanner for tracking the patient, and an electromagnetic tracking system having an electromagnetic sensor for tracking electromagnetic markers on the patient.

13. The medical navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
provide a redo signal to return the robotic arm to the first position by loading the first saved position from the memory in response to a received redo command.

14. The medical navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to, when an undo command is received:
provide an undo signal to return the robotic arm to a previous position from a subsequent position by performing previous movements in reverse even when the previous position has not been explicitly saved.

15. The medical navigation system according to claim 14 , wherein the controller automatically saves some or all of the previous positions in the memory.

16. A method of positioning a tool during a medical procedure in a medical navigation system, the medical navigation system having a robotic arm, and a controller, the robotic arm having an end effector for holding the tool, the method comprising:
providing a first positioning signal to the robotic arm to position the robotic arm in a first position;
saving the first position in a memory, coupled to the controller, as a first saved position;
providing a second positioning signal to the robotic arm to position the robotic arm in a second position; and
in response to a received command to return to the first saved position, loading the first saved position from the memory and providing the first positioning signal to the robotic arm;
when the first saved position corresponds to the tool held by the end effector, in response to sensing that the tool is placed in the end effector, automatically loading the first saved position from the memory and providing the first positioning signal to the robotic arm.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the tool includes at least a camera held by the end effector, electrically coupled to the controller.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to direct the magnification and focus of the camera.

19. The method according to claim 18 , the method further comprising saving a first magnification and focus of the camera in the memory as part of the first position in the first saved position; and
providing the first positioning signal to the camera to return the camera to the first magnification and focus by loading the first saved position from the memory when the command to return to the first saved position is received.

20. The method according to claim 19 , further comprising:
providing a third positioning signal to the robotic arm to position the robotic arm in a third position;
saving the third position in the memory, coupled to the controller, as a second saved position;
providing a fourth positioning signal to the robotic arm to position the robotic arm in a fourth position; and
in response t

Assignees

• Dell Trevor James
• White Adam Keith
• Mcfadzean David Bruce
• Thomas Monroe Milas
• Rakitine Oleg Valerievitch
• Unger Mark Leon
• Fernald Bradley Allan
• Babby William Dennis
• Srimohanarajah Kirusha
• Sela Gal
• Abhari Kamyar
• Synaptive Medical Barbados Inc

Inventors

• Dell Trevor James
• White Adam Keith
• Mcfadzean David Bruce
• Thomas Monroe Milas
• Rakitine Oleg Valerievitch
• Unger Mark Leon
• Fernald Bradley Allan
• Babby William Dennis
• Srimohanarajah Kirusha
• Sela Gal
• Abhari Kamyar

Classifications

• A61B90/11

  with guides for needles or instruments, e.g. arcuate slides or ball joints · CPC title

• A61B90/361

  Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras · CPC title

• A61B34/32 Primary

  operating autonomously · CPC title

• A61B34/30

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B90/25

  Supports therefor · CPC title