Instrument insertion compensation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019000568-A1
Application number	US-201816018644-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 26, 2018
Priority date	Jun 28, 2017
Publication date	Jan 3, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and techniques for compensating for insertion of an instrument into a working channel of another instrument in a surgical system. According to one embodiment, a method of compensation includes: detecting insertion of an insertable instrument into a working channel of a flexible instrument; detecting, based on a data signal from at least one sensor, a position change of a distal portion of the flexible instrument from an initial position: generating a control signal based on the detected position change; and adjusting a tensioning of a pull wire based on the control signal to return the distal portion to the initial position.

First claim

1 . A robotic system, comprising:
a first instrument, comprising:
a shaft comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion comprising an articulable region and a distal end, the shaft comprising a working channel extending therethrough; and
at least one pull wire;
at least one sensor configured to detect a position of the distal end of the shaft; at least one computer-readable memory having stored thereon executable instructions; one or more processors in communication with the at least one computer-readable memory and configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to at least:
detect, based on a data signal from the at least one sensor, a position change of the distal end of the shaft in response to insertion of a second instrument into the working channel of the shaft; and
generate at least one control signal based on the detected position change; and
a drive mechanism connected to the at least one pull wire at the proximal portion of the shaft, the drive mechanism configured to adjust a tensioning of the at least one pull wire based on the at least one control signal, wherein the adjusted tensioning facilitates returning the distal end of the shaft towards an initial position before the position change occurred.

2 . The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein:
the drive mechanism is connected to an end effector of a robotic arm, the robotic arm and the drive mechanism are configured to navigate the distal portion of the shaft through a luminal network of a patient to a treatment site.

3 . The robotic system of claim 1 , further comprising an electromagnetic (EM) field generator, wherein:
the at least one sensor comprises a first set of one or more EM sensors at the distal end of the shaft; and the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to: calculate a first position of the first set of EM sensors within an EM field based on data from the first set of EM sensors; and detect the position change of the distal end of the shaft based on the calculated first position.

4 . The robotic system of claim 3 wherein:
the second instrument further comprises a second set of one or more EM sensors at the distal end; and
the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to: calculate a second position of the second set of EM sensors within the EM field based on data from the second set of EM sensors; and generate the at least one control signal further based on the calculated second position.

5 . The robotic system of claim 1 wherein:
the at least one sensor comprises a set of one or more inertial sensors at the distal end of the shaft; and
the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to: calculate a first position of the set of one or more inertial sensors based on data from the set of one or more inertial sensors; and generate the at least one control signal further based on the calculated first position.

6 . The robotic system of claim 1 wherein:
the at least one sensor comprises a set of one or more strain gauges; and
the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to: calculate a first position of the distal end of the shaft based on data from the set of one or more strain gauges; and generate the at least one control signal further based on the calculated first position.

7 . The robotic system of claim 6 wherein the drive mechanism comprises the set of one or more strain gauges.

8 . The robotic system of claim 1 wherein:
the first instrument comprises a leader; and
the at least one sensor comprises a set of one or more cameras at the distal end of the leader.

9 . The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions of the at least one control signal comprise commands for the drive mechanism to increase the tension in one or more of the pull wires until the distal end of the shaft is returned to the initial position as measured by the data signal from the at least one sensor.

10 . The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are a part of a workstation that includes a user interface for controlling the system.

11 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one respiration sensor, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to:
determine, based on data from the at least one respiration sensor, a respiration pattern of a patient during acquisition of the data signal from the at least one sensor; and distinguish the position change of the distal end of the shaft caused by the insertion of the second instrument into the working channel from a position change of the distal end of the shaft caused by the respiration pattern of the patient.

12 . The robotic system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to: detect an identifier on the second instrument; and generate the at least one control signal further based on the detected identifier.

13 . The robotic system of claim 12 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to detect the identifier based on reading a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag of the second instrument.

14 . A method of controlling at least one pull wire of a first instrument, the method comprising:
determining an initial position of the first instrument, the first instrument comprising:
a shaft comprising proximal and distal portions, the distal portion comprising an articulable region and a distal end, the shaft comprising a working channel extending therethrough; and
the at least one pull wire;
detecting, based on a data signal from at least one sensor, a position change of the distal end of the shaft in response to insertion of a second instrument into the working channel of the first instrument; generating at least one control signal based on the detected position change of the distal end of the shaft; and adjusting a tensioning of the at least one pull wire based on the at least one control signal, wherein the adjusted tensioning facilitates returning the distal end of the shaft to the initial position.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the at least one sensor comprises a first set of one or more EM sensors at the distal end of the shaft; and the detecting of the position change of the distal end of the shaft is further based on receiving data from the first set of one or more EM sensors.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the at least one sensor comprises a set of one or more inertial sensors at the distal end of the shaft; and the detecting of the position change of the distal end of the shaft is based on data from the set of one or more inertial sensors.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein;
the at least one sensor comprises a set of one or more one or more strain gauges; and the detecting of the position change of the distal end of the shaft is based on data from the set of one or more strain gauges.

18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the at least one sensor comprises a set of one or more cameras at the distal end of the first instrument; and the detecting of the position change of the distal end of the shaft is based on data from the set of one or more cameras.

19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising
determining, based on data from at least one respiration sensor, a respiration pattern of

Assignees

• Auris Health Inc

Inventors

• Connolly Ryan Jeffrey
• Landey Casey Teal
• Graetzel Chauncey F

Classifications

• A61B34/71 Primary

  Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms · CPC title

• A61B2090/309

  using white LEDs · CPC title

• A61B90/90

  Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags · CPC title

• A61B2017/00809

  Lung operations · CPC title

• A61B2034/2059

  Mechanical position encoders · CPC title