Modifying data from a surgical robotic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12223092-B2
Application number	US-202017626312-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2020
Priority date	Jul 11, 2019
Publication date	Feb 11, 2025
Grant date	Feb 11, 2025

Abstract

A method of reducing a data volume of a data stream in a surgical robotic system, the surgical robotic system comprising a robot having a base and an arm extending from the base to an attachment for an instrument, the arm comprising a plurality of joints whereby the configuration of the arm can be altered, the method comprising: receiving a data stream captured by the surgical robotic system, the data stream comprising data relating to a surgical procedure and having a first data volume; identifying a feature in the received data stream indicative of an event in the surgical procedure; and modifying, in dependence on the identified feature, the received data stream to generate a modified data stream having a second data volume that is smaller than the first data volume.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a data modifier to reduce overall a data volume of a data stream captured by a surgical robotic system, the surgical robotic system comprising a robot having a base and an arm extending from the base to an attachment for an instrument, the arm comprising a plurality of joints whereby the configuration of the arm can be altered, the method comprising:
receiving a data stream captured by the surgical robotic system, the data stream comprising data relating to a surgical procedure and having a first data volume;
identifying a feature in the received data stream indicative of an event in the surgical procedure;
in dependence on the identified feature, determining selected data within the received data stream for which data fidelity is to be retained;
in dependence on the determined selected data, controlling a data modifier to move between:
an active state in which the data modifier is arranged to modify the received data stream to generate a modified data stream, and
an inactive state in which the data modifier is arranged not to modify the received data stream, thereby leaving the received data stream unmodified;

such that the data modifier selectively modifies in dependence on the identified feature, the received data stream to generate a modified data stream having a second data volume that is smaller than the first data volume whilst retaining the data fidelity of the determined data; and
outputting the modified data stream.

2. A method according to claim 1 , comprising generating the modified data stream by modifying one or more of:
a first data portion of the received data stream before the identified feature; and
a second data portion of the received data stream after the identified feature.

3. A method according to claim 2 , in which one or both of the first data portion and the second data portion relate to predetermined time periods.

4. A method according to claim 1 , comprising identifying a further feature in the received data stream indicative of a further event in the surgical procedure, and generating the modified data stream by modifying a further data portion relating to a further time period of the received data stream:
between the identified feature and the identified further feature; or
before the first of the identified feature and the identified further feature and after the second of the identified feature and the identified further feature.

5. A method according to claim 1 , in which identifying the feature comprises determining whether a rule of a set of rules is satisfied and identifying the feature where the rule is satisfied.

6. A method according to claim 5 , in which the rule is satisfied where a parameter of a group of parameters of the surgical robotic system and/or the surgical procedure matches a predefined criterion.

7. A method according to claim 6 , in which the received data stream comprises the parameter or in which the parameter is determined from analysis of the received data stream.

8. A method according to claim 1 , in which the received data stream comprises one or more data channel from a group of data channels comprising:
video data received from an endoscope coupled to the surgical robotic system;
audio data recorded in respect of the surgical procedure;
telematics data corresponding to the surgical robotic system;
state data comprising the state of at least a portion of the surgical robotic system; and
further data transmitted by additional devices on the local network;
and in which the method comprises identifying the feature in dependence on one or more data channel from the group of data channels.

9. A method according to claim 8 , in which the method comprises identifying the feature in dependence on a first data channel of the group of data channels, and generating the modified data stream comprises modifying one or more of:
the first data channel and
a second data channel of the group of data channels.

10. A method according to claim 8 , in which the method comprises generating the modified data stream by modifying one or more of:
a video definition of at least a portion of the video data;
a number of video channels of at least a portion of the video data;
a frame rate of at least a portion of the video data;
a colour gamut of at least a portion of the video data;
a representation of the state of the robotic system;
an audio definition of at least a portion of the audio data;
a number of data channels in the group of data channels.

11. A method according to claim 8 , in which the method comprises modifying the received data stream such that the modified data stream comprises one or more of:
a portion of video data having a first resolution and a portion of video data having a second, lower, resolution;
a portion of video data having a first number of channels and a portion of video data having a second, smaller, number of channels;
a portion of video data having a first frame rate and a portion of video data having a second, lower, frame rate;
a portion of video data having a first colour gamut and a portion of video data having a second, smaller, colour gamut;
data relating to changes in state of the robotic system in place of data relating to the state of the robotic system at a plurality of points in time between which the state does not change;
a wire frame model of a known shape in the video data in place of full video or graphics render data relating to that known shape;
a description of a structure in the video data in place of full video data relating to that structure; and
a description of an absolute location and/or a relative location, and a description of a speed and/or a trajectory of movement, in place of full video data or full telematics data.

12. A method according to claim 11 , in which the description of the structure comprises a description of one or more of an anatomical structure, an instrument, and an end effector.

13. A method according to claim 1 , in which the identified feature is indicative of a value of or change in one or more of:
an attachment state of an instrument;
an operational state of an instrument attached to the arm;
an operational state or operational mode of the robotic system;
a configuration of the arm and/or of an instrument attached to the arm; and
a control state of the control console.

14. A method according to claim 1 , in which the identified feature is indicative of one or more of:
a feature detected in the video data;
sensor data; and
data reported by an externally connected system.

15. A method according to claim 1 , in which the method comprises generating the modified data stream by compressing at least a portion of one or more data channel from the group of data channels.

16. A method according to claim 1 , in which the method comprises generating the modified data stream as the surgical procedure is being performed.

17. A method according to claim 1 , in which the method comprises:
generating the modified data stream in real time or substantially real time;
sending the modified data stream to a remote processor thereby enabling the remote processor to perform real time or substantially real time analysis of the modified data stream; and
receiving from the remote processor in real time or substantially real time the result of the analysis for assisting an operator of the surgical robotic system.

18. A computer readable-storage medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions that, when executed at a computer system, c

Assignees

• Cmr Surgical Ltd

Inventors

• Bishop Steven
• Bell Stephen
• Da Silva Ricardo Michael Henderson

Classifications

• G16H30/40

  for processing medical images, e.g. editing · CPC title

• G16H40/67

  for remote operation · CPC title

• G16H20/40

  relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture · CPC title

• A61B34/37

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

• H04N19/136

  Incoming video signal characteristics or properties · CPC title