SURGICAL ROBOT SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20110276058A1
• Filed: 02/08/2010
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eterne, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Eterne, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Woo Jyoung, Lee, Min kyu, Choi, Seung Wook, Jang, Bae Sang, Won, Jong Seok
• Application Number:
  US13/144,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276058A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/372 Details of monitor hardware
• 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: B25J 9/1671 characterised by simulation, either to verify existing program or to create and verify new program, CAD/CAM oriented, graphic oriented programming systems
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39389 Laparoscopic surgery, camera on center of operated part, view around, scale
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40168 Simulated display of remote site, driven by operator interaction
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40195 Tele-operation, computer assisted manual operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45123 Electrogoniometer, neuronavigator, medical robot used by surgeon to operate
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A master interface for a surgical robot, mounted on a master robot for controlling a slave robot, may include two or more robot arms each having a mounted surgical instrument. The master interface may include: a screen display unit configured to display an on-screen image corresponding to a picture signal inputted from a surgical endoscope; two or more arm manipulation units equipped for controlling the two or more robot arms, respectively; and a control unit configured to provide control such that the on-screen image is rotated or mirrored in a pre-designated direction according to a user manipulation, and configured to provide control such that control conditions for the robot arm are renewed to match the rotated or mirrored on-screen image. Thus, the display screen on a surgical monitor can be suitably controlled according to the intent of the surgeon, to remove the non-intuitiveness of a surgical procedure.

Claims

1-51. -51. (canceled)

52. A master interface for a surgical robot, the master interface mounted on a master robot for controlling a slave robot, the slave robot comprising two or more robot arms each having a surgical instrument mounted thereon, the master interface comprising:

a screen display unit configured to display an on-screen image corresponding to a picture signal inputted from a surgical endoscope;

two or more arm manipulation units equipped for controlling the two or more robot arms, respectively; and

a control unit configured to provide control such that the on-screen image is rotated or mirrored in a pre-designated direction according to a user manipulation, and configured to provide control such that control conditions for the robot arm are renewed to match the rotated or mirrored on-screen image.

53. The master interface of claim 52, further comprising:

a manipulation signal generator unit configured to generate a manipulation signal according to a user manipulation on the arm manipulation unit and transmit the manipulation signal to the slave robot, and configured to generate a manipulation signal for one or more of a position adjustment for one or more of a robot arm and a surgical instrument and a changing of the arm manipulation units corresponding respectively to the robot arms in order to renew the control conditions.

54. The master interface of claim 52, wherein the control unit computes a rotation angle by instrument-based display control and provides control such that the on-screen image is displayed rotated to match the computed rotation angle.

55. The master interface of claim 54, wherein the instrument-based display control includes foaming a virtual trapezoid or quadrilateral having two surgical instruments as oblique sides and computing the rotation angle such that a top side or a bottom side of the trapezoid or quadrilateral becomes parallel to a horizontal plane of a display screen within a margin of error.

56. A method of controlling a surgical robot system, the method performed in a master robot for controlling a slave robot, the slave robot comprising two or more robot arms each having a surgical instrument mounted thereon, the method comprising:

displaying an on-screen image corresponding to a picture signal inputted from a surgical endoscope;

receiving as input a manipulation command for instructing a rotation or a mirroring of the on-screen image;

providing control such that the on-screen image is rotated or mirrored in a pre-designated direction according to the manipulation command; and

providing control such that a manipulation signal is generated for one or more of a position adjustment for one or more a robot arm and a surgical instrument and a changing of arm manipulation units corresponding respectively to the robot arms, the manipulation signal is transmitted to the slave robot, and a control condition of the robot arm is renewed to match the rotated or mirrored on-screen image.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the changing of the arm manipulation units is performed according to display-based instrument control.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the display-based instrument control includes renewing a configuration such that a surgical instrument located on a right side in the rotated on-screen image is manipulated by an arm manipulation unit located on a right side of an operator, and a surgical instrument located on a left side in the rotated on-screen image is manipulated by an arm manipulation unit located on a left side of an operator.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein a manipulation signal is generated for adjusting a position of one or more of a robot arm and a surgical instrument in a certain direction in accordance with a user manipulation for the position adjustment regardless of a rotation of the on-screen image.

60. The method of claim 56, wherein the position adjustment includes moving the surgical instrument in a rotational movement in the on-screen image to match a rotation angle of the on-screen image.

61. The method of claim 56, wherein a rotation angle of the on-screen image is determined in proportion to a number of times the manipulation command is inputted.

62. The method of claim 56, wherein a rotation angle of the on-screen image is determined in proportion to a holding time during which the manipulation command is inputted.

63. The method of claim 56, wherein the receiving of the manipulation command as input comprises:

receiving as input a user voice; and

generating the manipulation command by recognizing and analyzing the inputted user voice.

64. The method of claim 56, wherein the receiving of the manipulation command as input comprises:

receiving as input a sensing value from each of position sensors located on a plurality of locations of the two or more robot arms;

computing a rotation angle for rotating the on-screen image by using the inputted sensing values to recognize an extending direction of the robot arms; and

receiving the computed rotation angle as the manipulation command.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the rotation angle is computed such that a front of one or more of the robot arm along the extending direction is positioned facing a particular direction on a display screen.

66. The method of claim 56, wherein the receiving of the manipulation command as input comprises:

receiving as input an image taken by a camera equipped on a ceiling;

computing a rotation angle for rotating the on-screen image by using an extending direction of the robot arms as recognized from analyzing the inputted image; and

receiving the computed rotation angle as the manipulation command.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein a paint is coated over any one of an entire area of, an upper area of, and a plurality of locations of the robot arm, the paint having one or more of a pre-designated color and a pre-designated material.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the surgical endoscope is rotated about an axis formed along its extending direction so that the on-screen image is displayed rotated to match the rotation angle.

69. The method of claim 56, wherein the providing of the control such that the on-screen image is rotated or mirrored includes providing control such that a direction indicator is displayed, the direction indicator providing information related to a rotation of the on-screen image.

70. A method of controlling a surgical robot system, the method performed in a master robot for controlling a slave robot, the slave robot comprising two or more robot arms each having a surgical instrument mounted thereon, the method comprising:

displaying an on-screen image corresponding to a picture signal inputted from a surgical endoscope;

computing a rotation angle for the on-screen image by instrument-based display control such that an optimum screen is displayed by recognizing a position of the surgical instrument in the on-screen image; and

providing control such that the on-screen is displayed rotated by the computed rotation angle.

71. The method of claim 70, wherein the instrument-based display control includes forming a virtual trapezoid or quadrilateral having two surgical instruments as oblique sides and computing the rotation angle such that a top side or a bottom side of the trapezoid or quadrilateral becomes parallel to a horizontal plane of a display screen within a margin of error.

72. The method of claim 70, wherein the surgical endoscope is rotated about an axis formed along its extending direction so that the on-screen image is displayed rotated to match the rotation angle.