Surgical robot and robotic controller

• US 20070265638A1
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Macdonald Dettwiler and Associates Limited
• Original Assignee: Macdonald Dettwiler and Associates Limited
• Inventors: Gregoris, Dennis, Lipow, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00207 with hand gesture control or hand gesture recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0046 with a releasable handle; with handle and operating part separable for prosthetic joint-implanting tools A61F2/4603
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00464 for use with different instruments with hole for different instruments A61B2017/22072
• 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 2090/061 for measuring dimensions, e.g. length
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/372 Details of monitor hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/35 for telesurgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/72 Micromanipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/74 Manipulators with manual electric input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/75 Manipulators having means for prevention or compensation of hand tremors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/77 : Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/10 : for stereotaxic surgery, e.g. frame-based stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/14 : Fixators for body parts, e.g. skull clamps; Constructional details of fixators, e.g. pins
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/20 : Surgical microscopes characterised by non-optical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 : Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 : Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 : Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 : Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 : for medicine

Abstract

The present invention was developed by a neurosurgeon and seeks to mimic the results of primate neurological research which is indicative of a human'"'"'s actual neurological control structures and logic. Specifically, the motor proprioceptive and tactile neurophysiology functioning of the surgeon'"'"'s hands and internal hand control system from the muscular level through the intrafusal fiber system of the neural network is considered in creating the robot and method of operation of the present invention. Therefore, the surgery is not slowed down as in the art, because the surgeon is in conscious and subconscious natural agreement and harmonization with the robotically actuated surgical instruments based on neurological mimicking of the surgeon'"'"'s behavior with the functioning of the robot. Therefore, the robot can enhance the surgeon'"'"'s humanly limited senses while not introducing disruptive variables to the surgeon'"'"'s naturally occurring operation of his neurophysiology. This is therefore also a new field, neurophysiological symbiotic robotics.

Claims

1-57. -57. (canceled)

58. A controller robot for performing surgical procedures, the controller comprising:

a robotics portion, the robotics portion comprising a surgical instrument unit;

a workstation portion, the workstation portion comprising a display and an input device;

a controller portion, the controller portion comprising hardware and software for transforming input provided by a surgeon operator via an interface portion into motion of the surgical instrument; and

wherein the robotics portion further comprises force detection sensors for determining force reflectance from tissue in contact with the surgical instrument and a supply of varying surgical instrument units, and wherein the surgical instrument units are adapted to alternately engage the robotics arm.

59. A controller robot according to claim 58, wherein the controller portion further comprises capability to direct the robotics arm to select specific surgical instrument units for engagement to the robotics arm.

60. A controller robot according to claim 58, wherein said interface portion further comprises a microphone for receiving spoken input from a surgeon operator, and wherein said controller portion selects a surgical instrument unit for engagement to the robotics arm dependant on input received via the microphone.

61. A controller robot according to claim 58, wherein the robotics portion further comprises a left robotics arm and a right robotics arm, the robotics arms adapted to alternately engage varying surgical instrument units.

62. A controller robot according to claim 61, where said robotics portion further comprises a left supply of varying surgical instrument units and a right supply of varying surgical instrument units, the surgical instrument units adapted to alternately engage the robotics arms.

63. A controller robot according to claim 62, wherein the controller portion further comprises capability to direct the robotics arms to select specific surgical instrument units for engagement to the robotics arms.

64. A controller robot according to claim 63, wherein the varying surgical instrument units are selected dependant on a procedure to be performed.

65. A controller robot according to claim 64, wherein the varying surgical instrument units making up the left supply are not identical to the varying surgical instrument units making up the right supply.

66. A controller robot according to claim 65, wherein the left supply further comprises at least one instrument magazine engageable to the robotics arm.

67. A controller robot according to claim 65, wherein the right supply further comprises at least one instrument magazine engageable to the robotics arm.

68. A controller robot for performing surgical procedures, comprising:

a robotics portion, the robotics portion comprising a surgical instrument unit;

a workstation portion, the workstation portion comprising a display and an input device;

a controller portion, the controller portion comprising hardware and software for transforming input provided by a surgeon operator via an interface portion into motion of the surgical instrument;

wherein the robotics portion further comprises force detection sensors for determining force reflectance from tissue in contact with the surgical instrument; and

a table adapter, the table adapter for receiving the robotics portion and indexing the robotics portion to a known location on the table.

69. A controller robot according to claim 68, wherein the robotics portion is selectively detachable from the mobile base when the robotics portion is engaged to the table adapter.

70. A controller robot according to claim 68, wherein the workstation portion is engageable to the mobile base.

71. A controller robot according to claim 68, wherein the controller portion is engageable to the mobile base.

72. A controller robot for performing surgical procedures, the controller comprising:

a robotics portion, the robotics portion comprising a surgical instrument unit;

a workstation portion, the workstation portion comprising a display and an input device;

a controller portion, the controller portion comprising hardware and software for transforming input provided by a surgeon operator via the interface portion into motion of the surgical instrument;

wherein the robotics portion further comprises force detection sensors for determining force reflectance from tissue in contact with the surgical instrument; and

an auxiliary interface connected to the controller portion.

73. A controller robot according to claim 72, wherein the controller portions connected to a communications network.

74. A controller robot according to claim 73, further comprising a database connected to said network, said database storing parameters associated with surgeons.

75. A controller robot according to claim 73, further comprising a database connected to said network, said database storing parameters associated with tissues.

76. A controller robot according to claim 73, further comprising a database connected to said network, said database storing historical information associated with performance of a medical procedure using the controller robot.

77. A controller robot according to claim 73, further comprising continuous frameless navigation equipment connected to said network.

78. A controller robot according to claim 73, further comprising computer aided tomography equipment connected to said network.

79. A controller robot according to claim 73, further comprising magnetic resonance imaging equipment connected to said network.

80. A controller robot for performing surgical procedures, the controller comprising:

a robotics portion, the robotics portion comprising a surgical instrument unit;

a workstation portion, the workstation portion comprising a display and an input device;

a controller portion, the controller portion comprising hardware and software for transforming input provided by a surgeon operator via an interface portion into motion of the surgical instrument; and

wherein the robotics portion further comprises force detection sensors for determining force reflectance from tissue in contact with the surgical instrument, and wherein the surgical instrument unit further comprises an imager configured to view an area associated with a surgical instrument.

81. A controller robot for performing surgical procedures, comprising:

a robotics portion, the robotics portion comprising a surgical instrument unit;

a workstation portion, the workstation portion comprising a display and an input device;

a controller portion, the controller portion comprising hardware and software for transforming input provided by a surgeon operator via an interface portion into motion of the surgical instrument; and

wherein the robotics portion further comprises force detection sensors for determining force reflectance from tissue in contact with the surgical instrument, and wherein the controller portion is able to receive definition of a boundary past which a surgical instrument should not travel, the controller further being able to limit motion of the robotics arm to prevent interference between the surgical instrument and the boundary.

82. The controller robot of claim 81, wherein the controller portion predicts a future position of a surgical instrument dependant on the present motion of the robotics arm, and further signals a surgeon operator when such prediction indicates a likely interference between the surgical instrument and the boundary

83. A robotic system for surgical procedures, comprising:

a workstation having a dock configured to mate with an operating table such that the workstation is indexed to a known location relative to the table;

a robotics portion comprising a handle configured to be grasped by an operator, an arm, and an instrument unit comprising a plurality of different surgical instruments configured to be carried by the arm and perform a procedure on a patient; and

a controller operatively coupled to the handle and to the arm, wherein the controller is configured to transform input provided by the surgeon operator via the handle into motion of the surgical instrument.

84. The robotic system of claim 83, wherein the robotic portion comprises a first handle and a second handle, a first arm associated with the first handle and a second arm associated with the second handle, and a first instrument unit having a first plurality of instruments configured to be carried by the first arm and a second instrument unit having a second plurality of instruments configured to be carried by the second arm.

85. The robotic system of claim 83 wherein the workstation further comprises rollers configured to transport the workstation.

86. The robotic system of claim 83 wherein the robotics portion further comprises an interchange block carried by the arm, and wherein the interchange block and the surgical instruments are configured so that the surgical instruments are interchangeably attachable to the interchange block.

87. The robotic system of claim 83 wherein the instrument unit further comprises a magazine and the plurality of surgical instruments are carried by the magazine.

88. The robotic system of claim 87 wherein the magazine comprises a tray proximate to the arm.

89. The robotic system of claim 87 wherein the magazine comprises a rotary instrument holder attached to the arm and configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the magazine.