METHOD FOR MOVING AN INSTRUMENT ARM OF A LAPAROSCOPY ROBOT INTO A PREDETERMINABLE RELATIVE POSITION WITH RESPECT TO A TROCAR

• US 20130066335A1
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Ronny Barwinkel
• Inventors: Hornung, Oliver, Brwinkel, Ronny, Maier, Karl-Heinz
• Granted Patent: US 9,066,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical 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 2090/3612 with images taken automatically
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/11 with guides for needles or instruments, e.g. arcuate slides or ball joints

Abstract

A method for moving an instrument aim of a laparoscopy robot into a predeterminable position relative to a trocar placed in a patient is proposed. A spatial marker that can be localized from outside of the patient is applied to the trocar. The spatial position of the trocar is detected based on the spatial marker. The intended position of the instrument arm is established from the spatial position and the relative position. The actual position of the instrument arm is detected. The instrument arm is moved into the intended position based on the actual position, the intended position and an error minimization method.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method for moving an instrument arm of a laparoscopy robot into a desired position relative to a trocar placed in a patient, comprising:

applying a spatial marker located from outside of the patient to the trocar;

detecting a spatial position of the trocar based on the spatial marker;

establishing a desired position of the instrument arm from the spatial position of the trocar and a relative position of the instrument arm relative to the trocar;

detecting an actual position of the instrument arm; and

moving the instrument arm into the desired position based on the actual position, the desired position and an error minimization method.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the instrument arm is moved automatically into the desired position.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the relative position is selected to guarantee a coaxial alignment of an instrument attached to the instrument arm, and wherein the instrument can be inserted axially into the trocar with an instrument axis along a trocar axis.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the spatial position of the trocar and/or actual and desired position of the instrument arm are optically detected by a camera.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the camera comprise an endoscope arranged on the instrument arm.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the instrument arm comprises a combination arm for a single-port system.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the error minimization method comprises a visual servoing method.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the error minimization method comprises an image-based visual servoing method.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the error minimization method is performed using an image Jacobian matrix.

20. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the relative position of the instrument arm is determined using a learning method.