Robotized surgery system with improved control

• US 10,251,713 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asensus Surgical Italia Srl (Asensus Surgical, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Transenterix Italia S.R.L. (Asensus Surgical, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruiz Morales, Emilio, Brasset, Damien, Invernizzi, Paolo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Robert T
• Application Number:
  US15/149,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20160249992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00 Surgical instruments, devices or methods, e.g. tourniquets A61B18/00 takes precedence; contraceptive devices, pessaries, or applicators therefor A61F6/00; eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00216 with eye tracking or head position tracking control
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

A robotized surgery system (10) comprises at least one robot arm (11) which acts under the control of a control console (12) intended for the surgeon. The console (12) comprises an eye tracking system (21) for detecting the direction of the surgeon'"'"'s gaze and for entering commands depending on the directions of the gaze detected. The console (22) comprises advantageously a screen (23) with at least one zone (23) for viewing the operating field and, among the commands which can be performed depending on the gaze directions, there is advantageously an automatic command for enabling or disabling the movement of the robot arm (11) when a gaze direction which falls within or outside of said zone (23) of the screen is detected.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a robotic surgery system, comprising:

providing a surgical system comprising a robotic arm, an endoscopic camera moveable by the robotic arm, a surgeon console including a screen displaying an image from the endoscopic camera and an eye tracking system configured to determine a zone of a surgeon'"'"'s gaze on an image on the screen and to determine a distance of the surgeon'"'"'s eyes from the screen;

detecting movement of a surgeon'"'"'s eyes towards or away from the screen using the eye tracking system, and

causing the robotic arm to move the camera to enlarge or diminish the image on the screen in response to the detected eye movement.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

determining a zone of the surgeon'"'"'s gaze on the image on the screen using the eye tracking system, and

causing the robotic arm to move the camera in response such that the zone is repositioned on the screen.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the robotic arm is caused to move the camera such that the zone is centered on the screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the system allows the robotic arm to move the camera in response to the eye tracking system only in the presence of a manual command from a manual input device.

5. The method of claim 1, further including disabling movement of the robotic arm when the eye tracking system determines that the surgeon'"'"'s gaze falls outside of an area of the screen.

6. A robotic surgery system comprising:

a robotic arm adapted to carry an endoscopic camera;

a surgeon console including a screen operable to display an image from the endoscopic camera;

an eye tracking system configured to determine a zone of a surgeon'"'"'s gaze on the image on the screen and to determine a distance of the surgeon'"'"'s eyes from the screen,

wherein the surgery system is responsive to the eye tracking system to cause the robotic arm to move the camera in response to the determined zone of the surgeon'"'"'s gaze to pan the image on the screen, and to cause the robotic arm to move the camera to enlarge or diminish the image on the screen in response to detected movement of the surgeon'"'"'s eyes towards or away from the screen.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the surgeon console further includes a manual input device, wherein the surgery system is not responsive to the eye tracking system to cause the robotic arm to move the camera in response to input from the eye tracking system in the absence of a manual command from the manual input device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the system includes a second robotic arm carrying a surgical instrument, and wherein the surgeon console includes a manipulator operable by the surgeon to generate input to move the second robotic arm, wherein the manual input device is on the manipulator.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the system is configured to disable movement of the robotic arm when the surgeon'"'"'s gaze falls outside of an area of the screen.