Robotic arm for patient positioning assembly

• US 20050234327A1
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accuray Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Accuray Incorporated
• Inventors: Saracen, Michael J., Henderson, Toby D., Carrano, Aaron W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,160,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/0487 Motor-assisted positioning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4458 the source unit or the detector unit being attached to robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4464 the source unit or the detector unit being mounted to ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/105 using a laser alignment system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1074 Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/107 in real time, i.e. during treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 23/48 Manually-movable jib cranes for use in workshops
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20335 Wrist

Abstract

A robotic patient positioning assembly including a patient treatment couch, and a robotic arm coupled to the patient treatment couch. The robotic arm is configured to move the patient treatment couch along five rotational degrees of freedom and one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a patient treatment couch; and

a robotic arm coupled to the patient treatment couch, the robotic arm configured to move the patient treatment couch along five rotational degrees of freedom and one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patient treatment couch has a thickness being approximately in a range of 0.75 inches to 3 inches.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patient treatment couch has a thickness of approximately 2.25 inches.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patient treatment couch is made of radiolucent material.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patient treatment couch comprises a skin material and a body material.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the skin material has a thickness being approximately in a range of 0.02 to 0.12 inches.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the skin material has a thickness of approximately 0.058 inches.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the skin material is carbon fiber and the body material is foam.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a tilt sensor coupled to the patient treatment couch and an accelerometer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensing material coupled to an exterior of the robotic arm.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a mounting plate coupled to the robotic arm and the patient treatment couch at an off-center position.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the off-center position comprises:

an off-center length distance being approximately in a range of zero to ninety percent of a distance to a first side of the patient treatment couch from a center position with respect to a width of the patient treatment couch; and

an off-center width distance being approximately in a range of zero to ninety percent of a distance to a second side of the patient treatment couch from a center position with respect to a width of the patient treatment couch.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the off-center position comprises:

an off-center length distance, the off-center length distance is approximately 21 inches; and

an off-center width distance, the off-center width distance is approximately 4 inches.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the length of the patient treatment couch is approximately in a range of forty-eight inches to one hundred forty-five inches, and the width of the patient treatment couch is approximately in a range of ten inches to forty-five inches.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the length of the patient treatment couch is approximately 78 inches and the width of the patient treatment couch is approximately 21 inches.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a dampener having dampening material coupled to the mounting plate and the patient treatment couch.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the treatment couch includes an extension mounting area disposed along a side edge of the treatment couch and wherein the robotic arm is coupled to the patient treatment couch at the extension mounting area.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the dampening material comprises plastic.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the five degrees of freedom comprise:

two rotational axes for translational movements of the patient treatment couch along mutually orthogonal horizontal coordinate x- and y-axes; and

three rotational axes for roll-, pitch-, and yaw-rotational movements about the x-axis, the y-axis, and a z-axis, respectively.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom comprises a substantial linear axis for translational movements of the patient treatment couch along a substantially vertical line in the z-axis substantially perpendicular to the horizontal coordinate x- and y-axes.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the robotic arm comprises:

a wrist assembly rotatably mounted to a mounting plate;

an elbow assembly coupled to the wrist assembly;

a shoulder assembly coupled to the elbow assembly;

a track mount assembly coupled to the shoulder assembly of the robotic arm; and

a track coupled to the track mount assembly.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the track is vertically oriented.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the track is coupled to a vertical side of a column.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the column is mounted to at least one of a floor and a ceiling.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the track is coupled to a wall.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the wrist assembly comprises:

a tool-yaw joint coupled to the mounting plate;

a tool-pitch joint coupled to the tool-yaw joint; and

a tool-roll joint coupled to the tool-pitch joint.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the tool-yaw joint is coupled to rotate the patient treatment couch along a z-axis, wherein the tool-pitch joint is coupled to rotate the patient treatment couch along a y-axis, and wherein the tool-roll joint is coupled to rotate the patient treatment couch along a x-axis.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the elbow assembly comprises:

a first drive shaft coupled to the tool-yaw joint;

a first motor coupled to the first drive shaft, the first motor configured to drive rotational movement of the tool-yaw joint of the robotic arm in a first rotational axis of the five degrees of freedom of the robotic arm;

a second drive shaft coupled to the tool-pitch joint;

a second motor coupled to the second drive shaft, the second motor configured to drive rotational movement of the tool-pitch joint of the robotic arm in a second rotational axis of the five degrees of freedom of the robotic arm;

a third drive shaft coupled to the tool-roll joint; and

a third motor coupled to the third drive shaft, the third motor configured to drive rotational movement of the tool-roll joint of the robotic arm in a third rotational axis of the five degrees of freedom of the robotic arm.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising:

an elbow joint coupled to the elbow assembly and the shoulder assembly, wherein the elbow joint comprises an elbow gearbox configured to drive rotational movement of elbow assembly of the robotic arm in a fourth rotational axis of the five degrees of freedom of the robotic arm; and

a shoulder joint coupled to the shoulder assembly and the track mount assembly, wherein the shoulder joint comprises a shoulder gearbox configured to drive rotational movement of the robotic arm in a fifth rotational axis of the five degrees of freedom of the robotic arm.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the elbow and shoulder gearboxes have a gear reduction ratio approximately in a range of ten to one gear reduction ratio (10:

1) to six hundred to one gear reduction ratio (600;

1).

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the elbow and shoulder gearboxes have approximately a two hundred to one gear reduction ratio.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the elbow and shoulder gearboxes are configured to move the patient treatment couch in a two-dimensional horizontal plane.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the track and track assembly are configured to move the patient treatment couch in a substantially vertical, linear translational movement perpendicular to the two-dimensional horizontal plane.

34. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the track mount assembly comprises a track mount collar, having a rear height and a frontal height, the rear height being closer to the track than the frontal height.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the rear height of the track mount collar of the track mount assembly is at least approximately eleven inches.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the track mount assembly tapers down in height from a first end closest to the track to a second end farthest away from the track, and wherein the frontal height is at least approximately five inches.

37. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the robotic arm is configured to move the patient treatment couch along an additional degree of freedom.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the five degrees of freedom and the additional degree of freedom comprise:

three rotational axes for translations along mutually orthogonal x-, y-, and z-coordinate axes; and

three rotational axes for roll-, pitch-, and yaw-rotations about x-, y-, and z-axes, respectively.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom comprises a substantial linear axis for translational movement of the patient treatment couch along a substantially vertical line in the z-axis substantially perpendicular to the horizontal x- and y-axes.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising:

a plate member rotatably mounted on the track mount assembly and the shoulder assembly;

a first shoulder joint coupled to the shoulder assembly and the plate member, wherein the first shoulder joint comprises a first shoulder gearbox configured to drive a fifth rotational axis of the six degrees of freedom of the robotic arm; and

a second shoulder joint coupled to the plate member and the track mount assembly, wherein the second shoulder joint comprises a second shoulder gearbox configured to drive an sixth rotation axis of the six degrees of freedom of the robotic arm.

41. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a mounting plate coupled to the patient treatment couch;

a wrist assembly of the robotic arm coupled to the mounting plate, the mounting plate coupled to the patient treatment couch at an off-center position, wherein the patient treatment couch has a thickness of approximately 2.25 inches; and

a track mount assembly coupled to a track, wherein the track mount assembly including a track mount collar, having a rear height at an end closest to the track of at least approximately eleven inches, wherein the robotic arm is configured to support a patient load up to approximately five hundred pounds within a deflection error of approximately zero to five millimeters.

42. A method, comprising:

providing a patient treatment couch coupled to a robotic arm; and

moving the patient treatment couch along five rotational degrees of freedom and one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom using the robotic arm.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the five rotational degrees of freedom comprise two rotational axes for translational movements and three rotational axes for rotational movements including a yaw axis, a pitch axis and a roll axis.

44. The method of claim 42, further comprising preventing a patient from falling off the patient treatment couch using at least one of a tilt sensor coupled to the patient treatment couch and an accelerometer coupled to the patient treatment couch.

45. The method of claim 42, further comprising:

providing a sensing material coupled to an exterior of the robotic arm; and

preventing the robotic arm from knocking over an operator using the sensing material.

46. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

providing a mounting plate coupled to the patient treatment couch; and

providing a dampener coupled to the mounting plate and the patient treatment couch, the dampener to dampen vibrations of the patient treatment couch.

47. The method of claim 43, further comprising sustaining a load on the patient treatment couch up to five hundred pounds within a deflection error of the robotic arm being approximately in a range of zero to five millimeters.

48. The method of claim 43, further comprising moving the patient treatment couch along the substantially vertical, linear axis throughout substantially an entire range of motion of the patient treatment couch without moving the patient treatment couch along the five rotational degrees of freedom.

49. The method of claim 43, wherein moving the patient treatment couch further comprises:

rotating the patient treatment couch along the z-axis using a tool-yaw joint of the robotic arm;

rotating the patient treatment couch along the y-axis using a tool-pitch joint of the robotic arm;

rotating the patient treatment couch along the x-axis using a tool-roll joint of the robotic arm;

rotating the patient treatment couch along the two horizontal rotational axes using a elbow joint and a shoulder joint; and

translating the patient treatment couch along a substantially vertical, linear axis using a track and track mount assembly perpendicular to the two horizontal rotational axes.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising rotating the patient treatment couch along an additional translational axis using an additional shoulder joint.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising providing a controller, the controller to move the robotic arm and patient treatment couch along at least one of five or six rotational degrees of freedom and one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom.

52. The method of claim 51, further comprising providing a user interface unit coupled to the controller, the user interface unit to manually move the robotic arm and patient treatment couch along at least one of five and six rotational degrees of freedom and one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom.

53. An apparatus, comprising:

a patient treatment couch; and

a vertically mounted robotic arm coupled to the patient treatment couch at an off-center position.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the off-center position comprises:

an off-center length distance, the off-center length distance is approximately 21 inches; and

an off-center width distance, the off-center width distance is approximately 4 inches.

55. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the patient treatment couch has a thickness being approximately in a range of 0.75 inches to 3 inches.

56. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the patient treatment couch has a thickness being approximately 2.25 inches.

57. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the vertically mounted robotic arm is configured to move along at least five rotational degrees of freedom and one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom.

58. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the vertically mounted robotic arm has a track mount assembly, the track mount assembly including a track mount collar, having a rear height at an end closest to the track of at least approximately eleven inches.

59. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the vertically mounted robotic arm is configured to support a patient load on the patient treatment couch up to five hundred pounds using a robotic arm within a deflection error of the robotic arm being approximately in a range of zero to five millimeters.

60. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising a tilt sensor coupled to the patient treatment couch.

61. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising a sensing material coupled to an exterior of the vertically mounted robotic arm.

62. An apparatus comprising:

a patient treatment couch; and

means for supporting a patient on the patient treatment couch up to five hundred pounds using a robotic arm within a deflection error of the robotic arm being approximately in a range of zero to five millimeters.

63. The apparatus of claim 62, further comprising:

means for positioning the patient treatment couch in five rotational degrees of freedom comprising two rotational axes for translational movements and three rotational axes for rotational movements; and

means for positioning the patient treatment couch along a substantially vertical, linear axis.

64. The apparatus of claim 63, further comprising means for moving the patient treatment couch along the substantially vertical, linear axis throughout substantially an entire range of motion of the patient treatment couch without moving the patient treatment couch along the five rotational degrees of freedom.

65. An apparatus, comprising:

a patient treatment couch;

a robotic arm coupled to the patient treatment couch, the robotic arm configured to move the patient treatment couch along five rotational degrees of freedom and one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom;

a controller coupled to the robotic arm; and

an imaging system coupled to the controller to generate a plurality of image slices of a patient.

66. The apparatus of claim 65, further comprising:

a therapeutic radiation treatment system coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to control movement of at least one of the robotic arm and the therapeutic radiation treatment system to align a therapeutic radiation source with a treatment target within a patient disposed on the patient treatment couch.

67. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the therapeutic radiation treatment system is robot-based linear accelerator system.

68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein orientation and position of the therapeutic radiation source of the robot-based linear accelerator system and the patient treatment couch are dynamically coordinated by the controller.

69. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the controller is configured to positioning the patient treatment couch and the therapeutic radiation source of the robot-based linear accelerator system to create a treatment target in a previously obstructed location caused by a positioning restriction within a mechanical range of motion of the robotic arm and the robot-based linear accelerator system.

70. The apparatus of claim 69, wherein the positioning restriction comprises at least one of obstructions of a possible collision with at least one of the robotic arm coupled to the patient treatment couch and the therapeutic radiation source with at least one of the treatment couch, the therapeutic radiation source, x-ray imaging sources, and detectors.

71. The apparatus of claim 69, wherein positioning restriction comprises obstructions of a radiation beam of the therapeutic radiation source with at least one of the treatment couch, the therapeutic radiation source, x-ray imaging sources, and detectors.

72. The apparatus of claim 65, wherein the imaging system is configured to have an imaging field of view and wherein the robotic arm is coupled to the patient treatment couch at an extension mounting area to maintain the robotic arm outside the field of view of the imaging system when the robotic arm moves the patient treatment couch.

73. A method comprising:

providing a patient treatment couch coupled to a first robotic arm;

providing a robot-based linear accelerator system coupled to a second robotic arm; and

moving the patient treatment couch along five rotational degrees of freedom and one substantially vertical, linear degree of freedom using the first robotic arm.

74. The method of claim 73, further comprising moving the robot-based linear accelerator system along at least two degrees of freedom using the second robotic arm of the robot-based linear accelerator system.

75. The method of claim 73, further comprising moving the robot-based linear accelerator system along at five degrees of freedom using the second robotic arm of the robot-based linear accelerator system.

76. The method of claim 73, further comprising providing a controller coupled to the robot-based linear accelerator system and the robotic arm.

77. The method of claim 76, wherein moving the patient treatment couch and the robot-based linear accelerator system further comprise dynamically coordinating orientation and position of the patient treatment couch and a therapeutic radiation source of the robot-based linear accelerator system using the controller.

78. The method of claim 77, wherein dynamically coordinating the orientation and position of the patient treatment couch and the therapeutic radiation source increases a total usable surface area of the therapeutic radiation source within a mechanical range of motion of the robotic arm.

79. The method of claim 73, wherein moving the patient treatment couch and the robot-based linear accelerator system further comprises aligning a therapeutic radiation source of the robot-based linear accelerator system with a treatment target within a patient disposed on the patient treatment couch.

80. The method of claim 76, wherein moving the patient treatment couch and the robot-based linear accelerator system further comprises positioning the patient treatment couch and the therapeutic radiation source to create a treatment target in a previously obstructed location caused by a positioning restriction within a mechanical range of motion of the robotic arm and the robot-based linear accelerator system.

81. The method of claim 80, wherein dynamically coordinating the orientation and position of the patient treatment couch and the therapeutic radiation source further comprises avoiding the positioning restriction.

82. The method of claim 81, wherein the positioning restriction comprise obstructions of the therapeutic radiation source due to at least one of an x-ray imaging source and detector.

83. The method of claim 73, further comprising:

providing an imaging system having an imaging field of view; and

maintaining the patient treatment couch substantially outside of the imaging field of view for all supported treatment positions.