REGISTERED INSTRUMENT MOVEMENT INTEGRATION

• US 20100125284A1
• Filed: 07/22/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hansen Medical Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Hansen Medical Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Tanner, Neal A., Sewell, Christopher M.
• Application Number:
  US12/507,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125284A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/24 with a catheter A61B18/26, A61B18/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/003 Steerable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/102 Modelling of surgical devices, implants or prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0818 Redundant systems, e.g. using two independent measuring systems and comparing the signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/306 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3614 using optical fibre
• 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 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/11 with guides for needles or instruments, e.g. arcuate slides or ball joints

Abstract

Systems and method are disclosed whereby elongate medical instruments may be registered to adjacent tissue structures and other structures, and may be navigated and operated in a coordinated fashion to maximize ranges of motion, ease of use, and other factors. A method for registering an instrument relative to nearby structures may comprise moving a portion of the instrument between two in situ positions, tracking movement during this movement with both a kinematic model and also a localization sensor based configuration, determining the orientation of the tracked portion relative to both the instrument coordinate system used in the kinematic modeling and also a localization coordinate reference frame, and adjusting the orientation of the instrument coordinate reference frame to minimize the difference between determined orientations using the kinematic model and localization sensors. Methods and configurations for navigating coupled and registered instrument sets are also disclosed.

Claims

25. A method for navigating a coupled instrument set, comprising:

a. registering an instrument set, comprising a first instrument having a first instrument workspace, movably coupled to a second instrument having a second instrument workspace, relative to a three-dimensional map of nearby anatomical structures;

b. presenting an operator with a user interface configured to allow the operator to input navigation commands of the first instrument relative to nearby anatomical structures; and

c. subsequent to input of a navigation command by an operator for the first instrument, moving the first instrument as commanded, while also moving the second instrument so as to keep the first instrument close to a preferred portion of the workspace of the first instrument by repositioning the second instrument.

1. A method for navigating a coupled instrument set, comprising:

a. registering an instrument set, comprising a first instrument having a first instrument workspace, movably coupled to a second instrument having a second instrument workspace, relative to a three-dimensional map of nearby anatomical structures;

b. presenting an operator with a user interface configured to allow for selection of various anatomical destinations wherein operation of the instrument set is desired; and

c. upon selection of an anatomical destination by an operator, assisting the operator in repositioning the instrument set such that the first instrument workspace and second instrument workspace are optimized relative to the selected anatomical destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein registering an instrument set comprises:

a. registering the instrument set relative to a master input device an operator display; and

b. registering the instrument set relative to a three-dimensional map of nearby anatomical structures.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein registering the instrument set relative to a three-dimensional map of nearby anatomical structures comprises navigating the registered instrument set to one or more known anatomical landmarks also featured on the three-dimensional map of nearby anatomical structures, and aligning the map with the instrument workspace of one or more of the instruments comprising the instrument set.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein registering the instrument set comprises registering the first instrument relative to a master input device and operator display, then registering the second instrument relative to the first instrument.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein registering an instrument set comprises:

a. moving a portion of the first instrument between a first position in situ and a second position in situ relative to a first instrument coordinate reference frame;

b. tracking movement of the portion relative to the first instrument coordinate reference frame using a kinematic model, and also tracking movement of the portion relative to a localization coordinate reference frame using one or more localization sensors coupled to the portion;

c. determining the orientation of the portion relative to both the first instrument coordinate reference frame and the localization coordinate reference frame; and

d. adjusting the orientation of the first instrument coordinate reference frame to minimize the difference between determined orientations using the kinematic model and localization sensors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting an operator with a user interface configured to allow for selection of various anatomical destinations comprises presenting the operator with a set of menu driven software selections, presenting the operator with a set of hardware interfaces associated with various anatomical destinations, or presenting the operator with a map of anatomical destinations which may be selected using a master input device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein assisting the operator in repositioning the instrument set such that the first instrument workspace and second instrument workspace are optimized relative to the selected anatomical destination comprises limiting commanded movement to movement along a single path.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the single path is a line.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the single path is a curved path.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein limiting commanded movement comprises imparting haptic feedback to the operator through a haptic master input device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein limiting commanded movement comprises providing a haptic groove feedback configuration to the operator.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein limiting commanded movement comprises providing a gravity well feedback configuration to the operator.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein assisting the operator in repositioning the instrument set such that the first instrument workspace and second instrument workspace are optimized relative to the selected anatomical destination comprises limiting commanded movement to movement along a single plane.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein limiting commanded movement comprises imparting haptic feedback to the operator through a haptic master input device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein assisting the operator in repositioning the instrument set such that the first instrument workspace and second instrument workspace are optimized relative to the selected anatomical destination comprises avoiding contact between the first or second instruments and certain predetermined anatomical zones of preferred contact avoidance.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein avoiding contact comprises imparting haptic feedback to the operator through a haptic master input device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein assisting the operator in repositioning the instrument set such that the first instrument workspace and second instrument workspace are optimized relative to the selected anatomical destination comprises automatically navigating the first and second instrument to the selected anatomical destination.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein automatically navigating comprises taking into account predetermined movement limitations of the first and second instrument.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein automatically navigating comprises taking into account predetermined anatomical contact limitations.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein assisting the operator in repositioning the instrument set comprises sequentially assisting the operator in repositioning one of the first or second instruments toward the selected anatomical destination, then assisting the operator in repositioning the remaining one of the first or second instruments toward the selected anatomical destination.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first and second instruments are coaxially and movably coupled to one another, and wherein subsequent to positioning of the first, the second may be advanced along the path of the first.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first and second instruments comprise robotically navigable catheters, and wherein assisting the operator in repositioning the instrument set comprises electromechanically navigating the first instrument toward the selected anatomical destination, and subsequently following the path established by the first instrument with electromechanical advancement of the second instrument.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first instrument is repositioned to the selected anatomical destination before movement of the second.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the first and second instruments are alternately and incrementally positioned toward the selected anatomical destination in a plurality of sequences.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein registering an instrument set comprises:

a. registering the instrument set relative to a master input device and operator display; and

b. registering the instrument set relative to a three-dimensional map of nearby anatomical structures.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein registering the instrument set relative to a three-dimensional map of nearby anatomical structures comprises navigating the registered instrument set to one or more known anatomical landmarks also featured on the three-dimensional map of nearby anatomical structures, and aligning the map with the instrument workspace of one or more of the instruments comprising the instrument set.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein registering the instrument set comprises registering the first instrument relative to a master input device and operator display, then registering the second instrument relative to the first instrument.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein registering an instrument set comprises:

a. moving a portion of the first instrument between a first position in situ and a second position in situ relative to a first instrument coordinate reference frame;

b. tracking movement of the portion relative to the first instrument coordinate reference frame using a kinematic model, and also tracking movement of the portion relative to a localization coordinate reference frame using one or more localization sensors coupled to the portion;

c. determining the orientation of the portion relative to both the first instrument coordinate reference frame and the localization coordinate reference frame; and

d. adjusting the orientation of the first instrument coordinate reference frame to minimize the difference between determined orientations using the kinematic model and localization sensors.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising secondarily moving the second instrument so as to keep the second instrument as close to a preferred portion of the workspace of the second instrument by repositioning the second instrument.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the current positions of the instrument workspaces for the first and second instruments are illustrated in a user interface relative to the instrument set and nearby anatomical structures.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the preferred portion of the workspace of the first instrument is the center of said workspace.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the preferred portion of the workspace of the first instrument is a forward-oriented conical volume of said workspace.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the preferred portion of the workspace of the second instrument is the center of said workspace.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the preferred portion of the workspace of the second instrument is a forward-oriented conical volume of said workspace.

36. The method of claim 25, wherein the second instrument is moved so as to keep the first instrument close to the preferred portion of the workspace of the first instrument only after the first instrument crosses a threshold of misalignment with the preferred portion of the workspace.