Constraint based control in a minimally invasive surgical apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9266239-B2
Application number	US-31879405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2005
Priority date	Dec 27, 2005
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A medical robotic system that includes a robotically controlled surgical instrument. The system includes a constraint controller that constrains the movement of the instrument based on a predetermined parameter. The parameter may be a surgical space, wherein the instrument cannot be moved into, or alternatively cannot be moved out of, the space. The surgically constrained spaced may be defined through a telestrator screen that allows a surgeon to point and click the boundaries of the space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medical system comprising:
an endoscope positioned to view a work site;
a telestrator screen for displaying an image of the work site captured by the endoscope;
a telestrator pen;
a surgical instrument disposed at the work site for performing a procedure;
a robotic arm adapted to hold and move the surgical instrument;
a master handle; and
a controller programmed with instructions to interpret a first telestration indicated by movement of the telestrator pen over the image of the work site being displayed on the telestrator screen as defining a first space within the work site, and to command the robotic arm to move the surgical instrument according to movement of the master handle and one or more constraint parameters that effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm differently as the surgical instrument moves into or moves within the first space than as the surgical instrument moves out of or moves outside of the first space.

2. The medical system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters is definable by the operator using a graphical user interface.

3. The medical system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to prevent the surgical instrument from moving into the first space.

4. The medical system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to prevent the surgical instrument from moving out of the first space.

5. The medical system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to control the velocity of the surgical instrument.

6. The medical system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to provide damped movement as the surgical instrument moves into the first space.

7. The medical system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to provide damped movement as the surgical instrument moves out of the first space.

8. The medical system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed with instructions to interpret a second telestration indicated by movement of the telestrator pen over the image of the work site being displayed on the telestrator screen as defining a second space within the work site, and to command the robotic arm to move the surgical instrument according to movement of the master handle and one or more second constraint parameters that effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm differently as the surgical instrument moves into or moves within the second space than as the surgical instrument moves out of or moves outside of the second space.

9. The medical system according to claim 8 , wherein the second space is completely within the first space and the one or more second constraint parameters effect commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to prevent the surgical instrument from moving out of the first space and into the second space.

10. A medical system comprising:
an endoscope positioned to view a work site;
a telestrator screen for displaying an image of the work site captured by the endoscope;
a telestrator pen;
a surgical instrument disposed at the work site for performing a procedure;
a robotic arm adapted to hold and move the surgical instrument;
a master handle; and
a processor programmed with instructions to interpret a first telestration indicated by movement of the telestrator pen over the image of the work site being displayed on the telestrator screen as defining a boundary within the work site, to receive a proposed new position of the surgical instrument as commanded by movement of the master handle, to determine whether the proposed new position satisfies an inequality defined by the boundary, and to command the robotic arm to move the surgical instrument to a desired position of the surgical instrument, wherein the desired position of the surgical instrument is set to the proposed new position of the surgical instrument if the inequality is satisfied, and wherein the desired position of the surgical instrument is maintained at a current position of the surgical instrument if the inequality is not satisfied.

11. A method for controlling movement of a surgical instrument in response to operator manipulation of a master handle, comprising:
using a processor to interpret a first telestration indicated by movement of a telestrator pen over an image of a work site being displayed on a telestrator screen as defining a first work space within the work site; and
using the processor to command a robotic arm to move the surgical instrument according to operator manipulation of the master handle and one or more constraint parameters that effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm differently as the surgical instrument moves into or moves within the first space than as the surgical instrument moves out of or moves outside of the first space.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising: providing the one or more constraint parameters to the processor from a graphical user interface.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to prevent the surgical instrument from moving into the first space.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to prevent the surgical instrument from moving out of the first space.

15. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to control the velocity of the surgical instrument.

16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to provide damped movement as the surgical instrument moves into the first space.

17. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more constraint parameters effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to provide damped movement as the surgical instrument moves out of the first space.

18. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
using the processor to interpret a second telestration indicated by movement of the telestrator pen over the image of the work site being displayed on the telestrator screen as defining a second space within the work site;
wherein using the processor to command the robotic arm to move the surgical instrument includes using the processor to command the robotic arm to move the surgical instrument according to one or more second constraint parameters that effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm differently as the surgical instrument moves into or moves within the second space than as the surgical instrument moves out of or moves outside of the second space.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the second space is completely within the first space and the one or more second constraint parameters effect the commanded movement of the robotic arm so as to prevent the surgical instrument from moving out of the first space and into the second space.

Assignees

• Miller Brian
• Intuitive Surgical Operations

Inventors

• Miller Brian

Classifications

• A61B34/76

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

• A61B34/70

  Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery · CPC title

• A61B34/10

  Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations · CPC title

• A61B34/30

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B2034/303

  specifically adapted for manipulations within body lumens, e.g. within lumen of gut, spine, or blood vessels · CPC title