Multifunctional handle for a medical robotic system

• US 20050043719A1
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Computer Motion Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Uecker, Darrin, Sanchez, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 8,002,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/742 Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• 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 34/77 Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04774 with additional switches or sensors on the handle

Abstract

A handle used to control movement of a medical instrument. The medical instrument may be coupled to a robotic arm that is connected to a controller. The medical instrument may have a plurality of functions such as wrist locking and motion scaling. One of the functions may be selected through a graphical user interface operated by the end user. The handle may have a plurality of buttons. One of the buttons may allow the end user to control the selected function. For example, when wrist locking/unlocking is selected, depressing the button can toggle the medical instrument wrist between a locked state and an unlocked state.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A medical robotic system comprising:

a medical instrument;

a robotic am movably supporting the medical instrument;

a handle assembly including a handle and a linkage supporting the handle, the linkage having a plurality of joints, the handle having a first multi-function button;

a screen displaying a graphical user interface, the screen oriented for viewing by a surgeon holding the handle, the graphical user interface identifying a plurality of functions of the medical robotic system including a first selected function, the graphical user interface having an input; and

a controller coupling the handle assembly to the robotic arm so that the medical instrument moves in response to input movement of the handle, the controller performing the first selected function in response to actuation of the multi-function button when the graphical user interface identifies the first selected function, the graphical user interface identifying a second selected function in response to the input, the controller performing the second selected function in response to actuation of the multi-function button when the graphical user interface identifies the second selected motion.

25. The medical robotic system of claim 24, wherein the medical instrument comprises end effector jaws, the handle further comprises a grasper, the grasper actuatable by grasping with a hand of the surgeon and the end effector jaws closing in response to actuation of the grasper.

26. The medical robotic system of claim 25, wherein the handle and graphical user interface are configured to allow the operator to effect control over the first selected function or the second selected function using the multi-function button and without moving the hand of the operator from the handle.

27. The medical robotic system of claim 24, wherein the instrument movement effected by the controller in response to an input movement of the hand varies in response to the first selected function.

28. The medical robotic system of claim 24, wherein the first selected function comprises motion scaling, a selected motion scaling of the medical instrument in response to an input movement of the handle chewing between a first motion scaling and a second motion scaling in response to a first actuation of the multi-function button.

29. The medical robotic system of claim 28, wherein medical instrument comprises a wrist coupling an end effector to a shaft, the second selected function comprising locking of the wrist, the wrist changing between an locked state and an unlocked state in response to a second actuation the multi-function button.

30. The medical robotic system of claim 24, wherein at least one of the functions comprises a member of the group including motion scaling, wrist locking, system configuration/status, and a timer.

31. The medical robotic system of claim 24, wherein the handle comprises a plurality of multi-function buttons, each multi-function button effecting control over an associated function identified by the graphical user interface.

32. An input system comprising:

a handle assembly including a handle and a linkage supporting the handle, the linkage having a plurality of joints, the handle having a first multi-function button;

a screen displaying a graphical user interface, the screen oriented for viewing by a system operator moving the handle in an input workspace, the graphical user interface;

identifying a plurality of functions including a first selected function, the graphical user interface having an input; and

a controller coupled to the handle assembly and transmit a signal in response to input movement of the handle, the controller performing the first selected function in response to actuation of the multi-function button when the graphical user interface identifies the first selected function, the graphical user interface identifying a second selected function in response to the input, the controller performing the second selected function in response to actuation of the multi-function button when the graphical user interface identifies the second selected function.

33. The input system of claim 32, wherein the signal from the controller from an input movement of the handle changes from a first output signal to a second output signal in response to actuation of the multi-function button when the graphical user interface identifies the first selected function.

34. The input system of claim 32, wherein a first output signal from the controller in response to a first input movement of the handle corresponds to a first motion scaling and a second output signal corresponds in response to the first input movement of the handle corresponds to a second motion scaling, the first selected function comprising varying of motion scaling.

35. A medical robotic method comprising:

inputting a movement command to a handle assembly by moving a handle so that a linkage supporting the handle articulates, the linkage having a plurality of joints, the handle having a first multi-function button;

viewing a graphical user interface identifying a plurality of functions including a first selected function, the graphical user interface having an input; and

computing a movement of a medical instrument with a controller in response to the movement of the handle

moving the medical instrument by driving a robotic arm supporting the medical instrument in response to the computed movement;

performing the first selected function in response to actuation of the multi-function button when the graphical user interface identifies the first selected function;

altering the graphical user interface in response to an input so that the graphical user interface identifies a second selected function; and

performing the second selected function in response to actuation of the multi-function button when the graphical user interface identifies the second selected function.