METHODS OF USER INTERFACE WITH ALTERNATE TOOL MODE FOR ROBOTIC SURGICAL TOOLS

• US 20090088775A1
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Manzo, Scott, Swarup, Nitish
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1445 at the distal end of a shaft, e.g. forceps or scissors at the end of a rigid rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/715 Cable tensioning mechanisms for removing slack
• 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 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/74 Manipulators with manual electric input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras

Abstract

In one implementation, a method is disclosed in which a lock sensing mode is entered for a robotic surgical instrument. In the lock sensing mode, the degrees of freedom of movement in the robotic surgical instrument are switchably reduced. Further in the lock sensing mode, one or more end effectors of the robotic surgical instrument are switchably clamped together in the robotic surgical instrument. An increased level of torque may also be applied to the end effectors to increase a gripping force applied by the one or more end effectors in response to the reduced degrees of freedom of movement in the robotic surgical instrument.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method for a robotic surgical system comprising:

sensing for a first mode selection signal to enter a lock sensing mode;

sensing for a first hard stop in a control input mechanism to enter a lock mode for a robotic surgical tool;

sensing for a second hard stop in the control input mechanism to exit the lock mode for the robotic surgical tool; and

sensing for a second mode selection signal to exit the lock sensing mode.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein

the control input mechanism is a pair of master grips of a touch sensitive handle.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein

the sensing for the first mode selection signal is a sensing for a first double click of the pair of master grips;

and

the sensing for the second mode selection signal is a sensing for a second double click of the pair of master grips.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein

the control input mechanism is a mode selection switch.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein

the sensing for the first mode selection signal is a sensing for a first activation of a mode selection switch, and

the sensing for the second mode selection signal is a sensing for a second activation of the mode selection switch.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

locking a wrist of the robotic surgical tool in response to being in the lock mode.

26. The method of claim 25,

ratcheting end effectors of the robotic surgical tool in response to being in the lock mode.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

clamping end effectors of the robotic surgical tool together and increasing the torque applied to the end effectors in response to being in the lock mode.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

releasing end effectors of the robotic surgical tool in response to sensing the second hard stop.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

unlocking the wrist of the robotic surgical tool in response to sensing the second hard stop.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein

the elements of the method are controlled by instructions stored on a computer readable medium and performed by a processor.

31. A method for a robotic surgical system comprising:

squeezing grips of a touch sensitive handle twice over a predetermined distance within a predetermined period of time to enter a lock sensing mode;

in the lock sensing mode, squeezing the grips of the touch sensitive handle to within a predetermined percentage of a hard stop to enter a lock mode;

locking a wrist of the robotic surgical instrument in response to entering the lock mode; and

applying a maximum torque to at least one end effector to apply a maximum tip force to the tissue regardless of cable stretch in the robotic surgical instrument in response to entering the lock mode.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

in the lock mode, squeezing the grips of the touch sensitive handle to within the predetermined percentage of the hard stop to exit the lock mode; and

reducing the torque to the at least one end effector in response to exiting the lock mode.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

in the lock sensing mode, squeezing the grips of the touch sensitive handle twice over the predetermined distance within the predetermined period of time to exit the lock sensing mode.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein

the elements of the method are controlled by instructions stored on a computer readable medium and performed by a processor.

35-39. -39. (canceled)

40. A method for a robotic surgical system comprising:

sensing for a first alternate user input signal to enter an alternate tool mode;

alternatively controlling a robotic surgical tool in response to the alternative tool mode; and

in the alternate tool mode, sensing for the first alternate user input signal to exit the alternate tool mode.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising

prior to sensing for the first alternative user input signal, sensing for a second alternate user input signal to enter an alternate sensing mode;

in response to exiting the alternative tool mode, sensing for the second alternate user input signal to exit the alternate sensing mode; and

wherein the sensing for the first alternate user input signal is in response to the alternate sensing mode.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein

the control input mechanism is a mode selection switch.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein

the control input mechanism is a pair of master grips of a touch sensitive handle.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein

the sensing for the second alternate user input signal is a sensing for a double click of the pair of master grips;

and

the sensing for the first alternate user input signal is a sensing for the control input mechanism to exceed a hard stop or a percentage thereof.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein

the elements of the method are controlled by instructions stored on a computer readable medium and performed by a processor.