Robotic hand controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11737838-B2
Application number	US-202217651547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2022
Priority date	Aug 22, 2008
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A hand controller for enabling a user to perform an activity and method for controlling a robotic arm is provided. The hand controller includes a bar with a grip and a plurality of motors to provide a force feedback to the user in response to the movement of the plurality of mechanical arms. The method involves receiving input corresponding to the manipulation of a bar and providing a force feedback in response to the movement of the plurality of mechanical arms.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hand controller for controlling an end-effector of a surgical tool in a robotic surgical system, comprising:
a contoured support bar having a lower stem and an upper head that extends generally transverse to the lower stem, at least a portion of the upper head having a greater width than the lower stem, a posterior side of the lower stem having a contoured rear surface, the lower stem having a connector for operatively connecting the hand controller to a console, the contoured support bar configured to receive a user's hand thereon so that a thumb of the user's hand extends over a medial side of the upper head, an index finger of the user's hand extends relative to a lateral side of the upper head, and a palm of the user's hand extends at least partially about the contoured rear surface of the lower stem; and
a finger support member on the lateral side of the upper head and configured to support an index finger of the user's hand, the finger support member having a ring configured to support at least a portion of the index finger.

2. The hand controller of claim 1 , further comprising a clutch actuator disposed on or in the contoured support bar, the clutch actuator selectively actuatable by the user to enable movement of the hand controller without corresponding movement of the surgical tool.

3. The hand controller of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface member on the medial side of the upper head and configured to be actuated by the thumb of the user's hand.

4. The hand controller of claim 1 , further comprising a control button on an anterior side of the contoured support bar and configured to be actuated by a finger of the user's hand.

5. The hand controller of claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors configured to sense a presence of at least a portion of the user's hand.

6. The hand controller of claim 1 , further comprising one or more force feedback actuators configured to provide force feedback to the user.

7. The hand controller of claim 6 , wherein the one or more force feedback actuators provide a tactile force feedback configured to convey a textural effect.

8. The hand controller of claim 6 , wherein the one or more force feedback actuators provide force feedback to the user via the finger support member.

9. The hand controller of claim 6 , wherein the one or more force feedback actuators are vibration motors that provide vibration feedback to the user.

10. The hand controller of claim 9 , wherein the one or more vibration motors are operable to provide a vibration sufficient to allow the user to interpolate a pressure being applied by an end-effector operated by the hand controller.

11. The hand controller of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface member actuatable to switch association of the hand controller between different robotic arms of the robotic surgical system.

12. A hand controller for controlling an end-effector of a surgical tool in a robotic surgical system, comprising:
a contoured support bar having a lower stem and an upper head that extends generally transverse to the lower stem, at least a portion of the upper head having a greater width than the lower stem, a posterior side of the lower stem having a contoured rear surface, the lower stem having a connector for connecting the hand controller to a console, the lower stem transitioning to the upper head via a curved anterior surface, the contoured support bar configured to receive a user's hand thereon so that a thumb of the user's hand extends over a medial side of the upper head, an index finger of the user's hand extends relative to a lateral side of the upper head, and a palm of the user's hand extends at least partially about the contoured rear surface of the lower stem; and
a finger support member on the lateral side of the upper head and configured to support an index finger of the user's hand, the finger support member having a ring configured to support at least a portion of the index finger.

13. The hand controller of claim 12 , further comprising a clutch actuator disposed on or in the contoured support bar, the clutch actuator selectively actuatable by the user to enable movement of the hand controller without corresponding movement of the surgical tool.

14. The hand controller of claim 12 , further comprising a user interface member on the medial side of the upper head and configured to be actuated by the thumb of the user's hand.

15. The hand controller of claim 12 , further comprising a control button on an anterior side of the contoured support bar and configured to be actuated by a finger of the user's hand.

16. The hand controller of claim 12 , further comprising one or more sensors configured to sense a presence of at least a portion of the user's hand.

17. The hand controller of claim 12 , further comprising one or more force feedback actuators configured to provide force feedback to the user.

18. The hand controller of claim 17 , wherein the one or more force feedback actuators provide a tactile force feedback configured to convey a textural effect.

19. The hand controller of claim 17 , wherein the one or more force feedback actuators provide force feedback to the user via the finger support member.

20. The hand controller of claim 17 , wherein the one or more force feedback actuators are vibration motors that provide vibration feedback to the user.

21. The hand controller of claim 20 , wherein the one or more vibration motors are operable to provide a vibration sufficient to allow the user to interpolate a pressure being applied by an end-effector operated by the hand controller.

22. The hand controller of claim 12 , further comprising a user interface member actuatable to switch association of the hand controller between different robotic arms of the robotic surgical system.

Assignees

• Titan Med Inc

Inventors

• Schaible Uwe
• Brocilo Drazena
• Harmen John

Classifications

• A61B34/30 Primary

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B17/00234

  for minimally invasive surgery (A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B34/37

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

• A61B34/74

  Manipulators with manual electric input means · CPC title

• A61B34/76

  Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback · CPC title