Control modes and processes for positioning of a robotic manipulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12440992-B2
Application number	US-202318348032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2023
Priority date	Dec 13, 2017
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

A method for controlling a robotic arm in a robotic surgical system includes defining a reference plane at a predetermined reference location for a robotic arm, where the robotic arm includes a plurality of joints, and driving at least one of the plurality of joints to guide the robotic arm through a series of predetermined poses substantially constrained within the reference plane.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for setting up a robotic surgical system prior to a surgical procedure, the method comprising:
driving a plurality of joints of a surgical robotic arm, the arm having a first portion that is pivotally coupled to a second portion at an actuatable joint, to guide the robotic arm through an ordered sequence of progressively unfolded predetermined poses,
starting from a storage pose where the robotic arm is stored substantially underneath a patient table and in which the second portion is collapsed onto or nested adjacent to the first portion both portions underneath the patient table, then
a table clear pose in which the robotic arm is no longer entirely underneath the patient table and can unfold or reconfigure without colliding with the patient table and other objects, wherein the first portion comprises a link that, during a movement of the robotic arm from the storage pose to the table clear pose, pivots outward around a pin that is coupled to and underneath the patient table, wherein the first portion pivots outward relative to the patient table until the table clear pose is reached, then
a plurality of on-plane unfolded poses in which the second portion of the arm has unfolded away from the first portion, wherein in the table clear pose the first portion of the robotic arm is placed at an angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the patient table sufficient to enable the on-plane unfolded poses, and then
a docking position in which the robotic arm is positioned for receiving a surgical instrument.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the storage pose the first portion and the second portion are locked by engaging a brake at the actuatable joint.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the brake is disengaged to facilitate a movement of the robotic arm from the storage pose to the table clear pose.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein when the table clear pose is reached, the arm then rolls onto a reference plane and when the arm is on the reference plane the arm is guided through the plurality of on-plane unfolded poses in which the second portion of the arm unfolds away from the first portion while the first portion and the second portion lie on the reference plane.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein while the arm rolls onto the reference plane the second portion remains in the same orientation as the first portion.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein driving the plurality of joints comprises driving at least one of the plurality of joints forward and backward through a portion of the ordered sequence so that the arm unfolds partially, then refolds partially, and then unfolds fully.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein driving the plurality of joints guides the arm according to a predetermined trajectory through the ordered sequence of progressively unfolded predetermined poses.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein driving the plurality of joints in the plurality of on-plane unfolded poses occurs when the arm is on a reference plane and comprises enforcing a task space virtual fixture at the reference plane, to bias the robotic arm toward the reference plane.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the virtual fixture is uni-directional.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein driving the plurality of joints comprises generating a virtual attractive force at at least one joint of the plurality of joints, to bias the robotic arm toward the reference plane.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein driving the plurality of joints comprises driving at least one joint of the plurality of joints in response to an external force on the robotic arm.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein driving the plurality of joints comprises applying a gravity compensation torque to at least one of the plurality of joints.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein driving the plurality of joints comprises applying a friction compensation torque to at least one of the plurality of joints.

14. A robotic surgical system, comprising:
at least one robotic arm comprising a plurality of joints, a first portion, and a second portion pivotally coupled to the first portion at one of the plurality of joints;
a processor configured to control movement of the at least one robotic arm by driving the plurality of joints to guide the at least one robotic arm through an ordered sequence of progressively unfolded predetermined poses,
starting from a storage pose where the robotic arm is stored substantially underneath a patient table and in which the second portion is collapsed onto or nested adjacent to the first portion both portions underneath the patient table, then
a table clear pose in which the robotic arm is no longer entirely underneath the patient table and can unfold or reconfigure without colliding with the patient table and other objects, wherein the first portion comprises a link that, during a movement of the robotic arm from the storage pose to the table clear pose, pivots outward around a pin that is coupled to and underneath the patient table, wherein the first portion pivots outward relative to the patient table until the table clear pose is reached, then
a plurality of on-plane unfolded poses in which the second portion of the arm has unfolded away from the first portion, wherein in the table clear pose the first portion of the robotic arm is placed at an angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the patient table sufficient to enable the on-plane unfolded poses, and then
a docking position in which the robotic arm is positioned for receiving a surgical instrument.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein when the table clear pose is reached the arm then rolls onto a reference plane, and when the arm is on the reference plane the arm is guided through the plurality of on-plane unfolded poses in which the second portion of the arm unfolds away from the first portion while the first portion and the second portion lie on the reference plane.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein while the arm rolls onto the reference plane the second portion remains in the same orientation as the first portion.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the second portion comprises a user interface element that is upward-facing and accessible to a user when the arm is in the table clear pose, and while the arm rolls onto the reference plane the first portion rotates in a clockwise direction and the second portion rotates in a counter-clockwise direction to keep the user interface element upward-facing throughout the arm's transition onto the reference plane.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to drive the plurality of joints in the plurality of on-plane unfolded poses in accordance with a task space virtual fixture.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the virtual fixture is uni-directional.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to drive the plurality of joints in response to an external force on the at least one robotic arm.

Assignees

• Verb Surgical Inc

Inventors

• Zhou Renbin
• Yu Haoran
• Nia Kosari Sina
• Vakharia Omar J
• SIU Bernard Fai Kin
• Kiturkes Alex

Classifications

• A61B34/37

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

• G05B2219/40117

  Virtual mecanism, like slider to constraint movement in task space · CPC title

• A61B2090/571

  for clamping a support arm to a bed or other supports · CPC title

• A61B2090/5025

  with a counter-balancing mechanism · CPC title

• A61B90/03

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