Instrument collision detection and feedback

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10729503-B2
Application number	US-201515570286-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2015
Priority date	May 1, 2015
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A method of operating a robotic control system comprising a master apparatus in communication with a plurality of input devices having respective handles capable of translational and rotational movement and a slave system having a tool positioning device corresponding to each respective handle and holding a respective tool having an end effector whose position and orientation is determined in response to a position and orientation of a corresponding handle. The method involves producing desired new end effector positions and orientations of respective end effectors in response to current positions and orientations of corresponding handles, using the desired new end effector positions and orientations to determine distances from each point of a first plurality of points along a first tool positioning device to each point of a plurality of points along at least one other tool positioning device, and determining and notifying that any of the distances meets a proximity criterion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a robotic control system comprising a master apparatus in communication with a plurality of input devices including respective handles capable of translational and rotational movement and a slave system including a tool positioning device corresponding to each respective handle, each tool positioning device holding a respective tool including an end effector whose position and orientation is determined in response to a position and an orientation of the corresponding handle, the method comprising:
by at least one processor circuit associated with the master apparatus, producing desired new end effector positions and desired new end effector orientations of the respective end effectors in response to current positions and current orientations of the corresponding respective handles;
by the at least one processor circuit, determining a plurality of distances from each point of a first plurality of points along a first tool positioning device to each point of a plurality of points along at least one other tool positioning device using the desired new end effector positions and the desired new end effector orientations;
by the at least one processor circuit, determining that any of the distances meets a proximity criterion;
by the at least one processor circuit, generating notification signals for notifying an operator of the handles associated with respective tool positioning devices that one or more of the plurality of distances meets the proximity criterion;
by the at least one processor circuit, generating control signals for disabling movement of all tool positioning devices associated with the one or more of the plurality of distances that meets the proximity criterion; and
by the at least one processor circuit, causing transmission of the control signals to respective slave systems associated with the tool positioning devices, each of the control signals identifying a previous position and a previous orientation of the respective end effectors when the proximity criterion is met and each of the control signals identifying a current end effector position and a current end effector orientation based on a current position and a current orientation of the corresponding handle when the proximity criterion is not met.

2. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with codes for directing a processor circuit to execute the method of claim 1 .

3. An apparatus for use in a robotic control system, the apparatus in communication with a plurality of input devices including respective handles capable of translational and rotational movement and the robotic control system comprising a slave system including a tool positioning device corresponding to each respective handle, each tool positioning device holding a respective tool including an end effector whose position and orientation is determined in response to a position and an orientation of the corresponding handle, the apparatus comprising:
means for producing desired new end effector positions and desired new end effector orientations of the respective end effectors in response to current positions and current orientations of the corresponding respective handles;
means for determining a plurality of distances from each point of a first plurality of points along a first tool positioning device to each point of a plurality of points along at least one other tool positioning device based on the desired new end effector positions and desired new end effector orientations;
means for determining that any of the plurality of distances meets a proximity criterion;
means for generating notification signals for notifying an operator of the handles associated with respective tool positioning devices that one or more of the plurality of distances meets the proximity criterion;
means for generating control signals for disabling movement of all tool positioning devices associated with the one or more of the plurality of distances that meets the proximity criterion; and
means for causing transmission of the control signals to respective slave systems associated with the tool positioning devices, each of the control signals identifying a previous position and a previous orientation of the respective end effectors when the proximity criterion is met and each of the control signals identifying a current end effector position and a current end effector orientation based on a current position and a current orientation of the corresponding handle when the proximity criterion is not met.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each of the tool positioning devices includes a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments comprised of a plurality of vertebrae and wherein at least some of the points in each of the plurality of points of the respective tool positioning device are points on a respective segment or a vertebrae of a segment.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising means for computing vectors to points along each tool positioning device from a reference point associated with the tool positioning device to a point on a segment of the plurality of segments of the tool positioning device based on the desired new end effector position and orientation calculated for the end effector associated with the tool positioning device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising means for computing a position of at least one vertebrae associated with the segment based on the position of the point on the segment.

7. An apparatus for use in a robotic control system, the apparatus in communication with a plurality of input devices including respective handles capable of translational and rotational movement and a slave system including a tool positioning device corresponding to each respective handle, each tool positioning device holding a respective tool including an end effector whose position and orientation is determined in response to a position and an orientation of the corresponding handle, the apparatus comprising at least one processor circuit configured to:
produce desired new end effector positions and desired new end effector orientations of the respective end effectors in response to current positions and current orientations of the corresponding respective handles;
using the desired new end effector positions and the desired new end effector orientations, determine a plurality of distances from each point of a first plurality of points along a first tool positioning device to each point of a plurality of points along at least one other tool positioning device;
determine that any of the plurality of distances meets a proximity criterion;
generate notification signals for notifying an operator of the handles associated with respective tool positioning devices that one or more of the plurality of distances meets the proximity criterion;
generate control signals for disabling movement of all tool positioning devices associated with the one or more of the plurality of distances that meets the proximity criterion; and
cause transmission of the control signals to respective slave systems associated with the tool positioning devices, each of the control signals identifying a previous position and a previous orientation of the respective end effectors when the proximity criterion is met and each of the control signals identifying a current end effector position and a current end effector orientation based on a current position and a current orientation of the corresponding handle when the proximity criterion is not met.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to generate signals for causing the handles associated with the tool positioning devices associated with the one or more of the plurality of distances that

Assignees

• Titan Med Inc

Inventors

• Cameron Peter

Classifications

• B25J9/06

  characterised by multi-articulated arms · CPC title

• A61B34/74

  Manipulators with manual electric input means · CPC title

• A61B2017/00115

  with audible or visual output · CPC title

• A61B34/37 Primary

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

• A61B2017/00123

  and automatic shutdown · CPC title