Redundant robot power and communication architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11673274-B2
Application number	US-202016816055-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2020
Priority date	Mar 11, 2020
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

An electronic circuit for a surgical robotic system includes a central power node, a first voltage bus that electrically couples a first power source to the node, a second voltage bus that electrically couples a second power source to the node, and several robotic arms, each arm is electrically coupled to the node via an output circuit breaker and is arranged to draw power from the node. Each bus is arranged to provide power from a respective power source to the node and each bus has an input circuit breaker that is arranged to limit a first output current flow from the node and into the bus. Each breaker that is arranged to limit a second output current flow from the node and into a respective arm. A breaker is arranged to open in response to a fault occurring within the respective arm, while the other breakers remain closed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic circuit for a surgical robotic system comprising:
a central power node;
a first voltage bus that electrically couples a first power source to the central power node and a second voltage bus that electrically couples a second power source to the central power node, each bus arranged to provide power from a respective power source to the central power node, wherein each bus has an input circuit breaker that is arranged to limit a first output current flow from the node and into the bus;
a plurality of robotic arms, each arm is electrically coupled to the central power node via an output circuit breaker and is arranged to draw the power from the central power node,
wherein each output circuit breaker is arranged to limit a second output current flow from the central power node and into a respective robotic arm; and
a first power controller and a second power controller that are both communicatively coupled to each of the output circuit breakers,
wherein one of the output circuit breakers is arranged to open in response to a fault occurring within the respective robotic arm, while a remainder of the output circuit breakers remain closed, wherein the output circuit breaker only opens in response to both the first power controller and the second power controller transmitting control signals that include instructions to open the output circuit breaker.

2. The electronic circuit of claim 1 , wherein the remainder of the output circuit breakers remain closed in response to at least one of the power controllers transmitting a control signal that includes instructions to close the remainder of the output circuit breakers.

3. The electronic circuit of claim 1 further comprising:
a first communication controller having a master responsibility that includes receiving robotic control commands from a host and routing the robotic control commands to the plurality of robotic arms and a second communication controller that is a redundant controller,
wherein the first communication controller is electrically coupled to the central power node via a third voltage bus to draw the power from the central power node and the second communication controller is electrically coupled to the central power node via a fourth voltage bus to draw power from the central power node.

4. The electronic circuit of claim 3 , wherein each of the third and fourth voltage busses couple to the central power node via an output circuit breaker, wherein, in response to a fault occurring along the third voltage bus, the output circuit breaker of the third voltage bus is arranged to open, thereby configuring the second communication controller to have the master responsibility instead of the first communication controller.

5. The electronic circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first power source is an AC mains power source and the second power source is a battery.

6. The electronic circuit of claim 5 , wherein a surgical table of the surgical robotic system is arranged to only draw power from the battery, separate from the second voltage bus.

7. An electronic circuit for a surgical robotic system comprising:
a first communication controller having a master responsibility that includes communicating with a robotic arm of the surgical robotic system and a host, while having the master responsibility the first communication controller is configured to process a robotic control command that is received from the host that includes an instruction to drive the robotic arm to perform a movement and to transmit the robotic control command as a joint command signal to the robotic arm;
a second communication controller that is a redundant controller; and
a monitoring controller that is configured to signal, in response to detecting a fault, that the second communication controller is to have the master responsibility instead of the first communication controller.

8. The electronic circuit of claim 7 further comprising routing logic that is arranged to communicatively couple the first communication controller, the second communication controller, and the monitoring controller with the robotic arm, wherein, while having the master responsibility the first communication controller is configured to:
receive, from the robotic arm and via the routing logic, a response signal that includes an indication of movement performed by the robotic arm; and
process and transmit the response signal as a feedback signal to the host.

9. The electronic circuit of claim 8 , wherein the monitoring controller is configured to detect a fault by
producing an expected feedback signal based on the indication from the response signal; and
comparing the expected feedback signal with the feedback signal.

10. The electronic circuit of claim 8 , wherein the monitoring controller signals that the second communication controller is to have the master responsibility by configuring the routing logic to prevent the first communication controller from transmitting future joint command signals to the robotic arm and allow the second communication controller to transmit future joint command signals processed from future robotic control commands to the robotic arm.

11. The electronic circuit of claim 10 , wherein the monitoring controller is arranged to communicatively couple the first communication controller and the second communication controller to the host, wherein the monitoring controller signals that the second communication controller is to have the master responsibility instead of the first communication controller by preventing the first communication controller from transmitting future feedback signals to the host and allowing the second communication controller to process and transmit future response signals as future feedback signals to the host.

12. The electronic circuit of claim 7 , wherein the monitoring controller is configured to detect a fault by
producing an expected joint command signal based on the instruction from the robotic control command; and
comparing the expected joint command signal with the joint command signal.

13. The electronic circuit of claim 7 , wherein the joint command signal is a first joint command signal,
wherein the second communication controller receives and processes the robotic control command as a second joint command signal, and
wherein the monitoring controller prevents the second communication controller from transmitting the second joint command signal to the robotic arm while the first communication controller has the master responsibility.

14. The electronic circuit of claim 7 further comprising:
a first voltage bus that is electrically connected to the first communication controller and is arranged to provide power to the first communication controller; and
a second voltage bus that is electrically connected to the second communication controller and is arranged to provide the power to the second communication controller,
wherein the monitoring controller detects the fault by determining that the first communication controller is not receiving power from over the first voltage bus.

15. The electronic circuit of claim 7 further comprising:
routing logic that is arranged to communicatively couple the first communication controller, the second communication controller, and the monitoring controller with the robotic arm, wherein the routing logic routes output data produced by the first communication controller to the robotic arm and does not route output data produced by the second communication controller to the robotic arm, when the first communication controller has the master responsibility,
wherein t

Assignees

• Verb Surgical Inc

Inventors

• Rea Rochelle
• Zietlow Klaus
• Hoffman Adam
• Zeng Yiqi

Classifications

• A61B34/37 Primary

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

• B25J9/1674

  characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic · CPC title

• A61B34/30

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• G05B2219/33235

  Redundant communication channels, processors and signal processing hardware · CPC title

• A61B90/03

  Automatic limiting or abutting means, e.g. for safety · CPC title