System and methods for positioning a manipulator arm by clutching within a null-perpendicular space concurrent with null-space movement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9415510-B2
Application number	US-201414218788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 17, 1999
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for positioning an end effector or remote center of a manipulator arm by floating a first set of joints within a null-perpendicular joint velocity sub-space and providing a desired state or movement of a proximal portion of a manipulator arm concurrent with end effector positioning by driving a second set of joints within a null-space orthogonal to the null-perpendicular space. Methods include floating a first set of joints within a null-perpendicular space to allow manual positioning of one or both of a remote center or end effector position within a work space and driving a second set of joints according to an auxiliary movement calculated within a null-space according to a desired state or movement of the manipulator arm during the floating of the joints. Various configurations for devices and systems utilizing such methods are provided herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robotic method comprising:
providing a manipulator arm including a movable distal end effector, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a plurality of joints between the end effector and the base, the plurality of joints having sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states for a given end effector state in a surgical work space;
floating a first set of joints of the plurality of joints within a null-perpendicular space of a Jacobian, the first set of joints associated with a position of the end effector within the work space, wherein the null-perpendicular space is a joint velocity space in which movement of the first set of joints results in movement of the end effector;
sensing a manual backdriving movement of the end effector to a desired position within the work space;
calculating an auxiliary movement of a second set of joints of the plurality of joints to effect a desired movement of a proximal portion of the manipulator arm, wherein calculating the auxiliary movement comprises calculating joint velocities of the second set of joints within a null-space of the Jacobian, the null-space being orthogonal to the null-perpendicular space; and
driving the second set of joints according to the calculated auxiliary movement concurrent with floating of the first set of joints.

2. The robotic method of claim 1 , wherein the desired position of the end effector comprises a position and/or alignment of the end effector within the work space so as to allow for insertion of the distal end effector through a cannula or positioning of the end effector adjacent a minimally invasive aperture.

3. The robotic method of claim 1 , wherein the desired state or movement of the proximal portion of the manipulator arm is any or all of a desired position, velocity, configuration, pose, reconfiguration movement, or collision avoidance movement of the manipulator arm within the work space.

4. The robotic method of claim 3 , wherein the desired state or movement of the proximal portion of the manipulator arm comprises a state or movement of a portion of the manipulator arm proximal the distal end effector.

5. The robotic method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second set of joints includes one or more joints.

6. The robotic method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second set of joints includes one or more joints in common.

7. The robotic method of claim 1 , wherein floating of the first set of joints, calculating the auxiliary movement, and driving the joints according to the auxiliary movement occurs within a first clutch mode of a processor determining movement of the joints, the processor further having a tissue manipulation mode, the method further comprising:
receiving a tissue manipulation command from a user input to move the end effector to effect a desired tissue manipulation;
calculating a manipulation movement of the plurality of joints in response to the tissue manipulation command so as to move the manipulator with the desired movement.

8. The robotic method of claim 7 , wherein when in the tissue manipulation mode, the method further comprises:
calculating an auxiliary movement of a subset of joints of the plurality of joints to effect a desired state or movement of the manipulator arm during tissue manipulation, wherein calculating the auxiliary movement comprises calculating joint velocities of the subset of joints within the null-space; and
driving the subset of joints according to the calculated auxiliary movement and manipulation movement so as to move the end effector according to the commanded manipulation movement concurrent with the desired movement of the manipulator arm.

9. The robotic method of claim 1 , wherein the manipulator arm is configured to support a tool having an intermediate portion with the intermediate portion extending along an insertion axis distally of the proximal portion and the end effector is at a distal end of the intermediate portion, wherein at least some of the joints mechanically constrain movement of the tool relative to the base such that the tool of the manipulator arm pivots about a remote center disposed along the insertion axis to facilitate movement of the end effector at a work site accessed through a minimally invasive aperture.

10. The robotic method of claim 9 , wherein a portion of the manipulator arm adjacent the end effector is mechanically constrained relative to the base such that an instrument shaft of the end effector pivots about a remote center when the constrained portion moves.

11. The robotic method of claim 9 , wherein a first joint of the plurality of joints couples the proximal portion to the base, the first joint comprising a revolute joint that supports the distal portion of the manipulator arm such that joint movement of the revolute joint pivots the distal portion of the manipulator arm about a pivotal axis of the revolute joint, wherein the pivotal axis extends from the revolute joint and through the remote center so that the insertion axis of the manipulator arm moves along a distally tapered cone oriented towards the remote center.

12. The robotic method of claim 11 , wherein the second set of joints includes the first joint.

13. A robotic method comprising:
providing a manipulator arm including a movable distal end effector, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a plurality of joints between the end effector and the base, the plurality of joints having sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states for a given end effector state within a surgical work space, wherein the end effector comprises an instrument shaft that pivots about a remote center adjacent a minimally invasive aperture within the work space during a surgical procedure;
floating a first set of joints of the plurality of joints within a null-perpendicular space of a Jacobian, wherein the null-perpendicular space is a joint velocity space in which movement of the first set of joints results in movement of the distal end effector within the work space;
driving the plurality of joints so as to maintain the remote center at a controlled position in the work space;
sensing a manual backdriving movement of the distal end effector to a desired position within the work space;
calculating an auxiliary movement of a second set of the plurality of joints to effect a desired movement of the manipulator arm, wherein calculating the auxiliary movement comprises calculating joint velocities of the second set of joints within a null-space of the Jacobian, the null-space being orthogonal to the null-perpendicular space, wherein the null-space is a joint velocity space in which joint movement maintains the state of the end effector; and
driving the second set of joints according to the calculated auxiliary movement concurrent with maintaining the position of the remote center and the desired movement of the manipulator arm.

14. The robotic method of claim 13 , wherein the first and second set of joints include one or more joints in common.

15. The robotic method of claim 13 , wherein the controlled position comprises a fixed location within the work space.

16. A robotic method comprising:
providing a manipulator arm including a movable distal end effector, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a plurality of joints between the end effector and the base, the plurality of joints having sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states for a given end effector state, wherein the distal end effector comprises an instrument shaft that pivots about a remote center adjacent a

Assignees

• Intuitive Surgical Operations

Inventors

• Hourtash Arjang
• Swarup Nitish

Classifications

• B25J9/1666

  Avoiding collision or forbidden zones · CPC title

• A61B34/37

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

• A61B34/30 Primary

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• B25J18/007

  the end effector rotating around a fixed point · CPC title

• B25J9/1638

  compensation for arm bending/inertia, pay load weight/inertia · CPC title