METHOD FOR GRAPHICALLY PROVIDING CONTINUOUS CHANGE OF STATE DIRECTIONS TO A USER OF A MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM

• US 20140039521A1
• Filed: 10/14/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Mohr, Paul W., Robinson, David W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,892,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0811 for the position of a particular part of an instrument with respect to the rest of the instrument, e.g. position of the anvil of a stapling instrument
• 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 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1692 Calibration of manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39024 Calibration of manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45123 Electrogoniometer, neuronavigator, medical robot used by surgeon to operate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/06 Communication with another machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement

Abstract

Continuous change of state directions are graphically provided on a display screen to assist a user in performing necessary action(s) for transitioning between operating modes in a medical robotic system or performing corrective action. A graphical representation of a target state of an element of the medical robotic system is displayed on a display screen viewable by the user. Current states of the element and indications directing the user to manipulate the element towards the target state are continuously determined and graphical representations of the continuously determined current states and indications are displayed on the display screen along with that of the target state.

Claims

1. A method for graphically providing continuous change of state directions to a user of a medical system, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical representation of a target state of an input device of the medical system on a display screen viewable by the user, wherein the input device is operatively coupled to a plurality of actuatable joints of a slave manipulator of the medical system, and wherein the target state is a state of the input device which does not command the plurality of actuatable joints to be within a threshold distance from a range of motion limit of the plurality of actuatable joints;

continuously determining current states of the input device and current indications directing the user to manipulate the input device towards the target state; and

displaying graphical representations of the current states of the input device and graphical representations of the current indications along with the graphical representation of the target state on the display screen.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying of the graphical representations of the target state for the input device, the determining of current states of the input device, and the determining of current indications directing the user to manipulate the input device towards the target state are performed after an operational mode change is initiated in the medical system.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the operational mode change is initiated after at least one of the plurality of actuatable joints is commanded by the input device to a range of motion limit for the actuatable joint.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

providing force feedback on the input device until the current state of the input device reaches the target state.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

suspending operative coupling between the input device and the plurality of actuatable joints of the slave manipulator after the operational mode change is initiated in the medical system and until the current state of the input device reaches the target state of the input device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input device has a pincher formation, and wherein the displaying graphical representations of the current states of the input device on the display screen comprises:

displaying each graphical representation of the pincher formation on the display screen at a distance from the displayed graphical representation of the target state of the input device so that each distance indicates a difference between the current state of the input device and the target state of the input device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying graphical representations of the current indications on the display screen comprises:

displaying each graphical representation of the current indication as an arrow pointing from the displayed graphical representation of the current state of the input device to the displayed graphical representation of the target state so as to direct the user to manipulate the current state of the input device towards the target state of the input device.

8. A medical system comprising:

a slave manipulator having a plurality of actuatable joints;

an input device operatively coupled to the plurality of actuatable joints;

a display screen viewable by a user of the medical system; and

a processor programmed to;

cause a graphical representation of a target state of the input device to be displayed on the display screen, wherein the target state is a state of the input device which does not command the plurality of actuatable joints to be within a threshold distance from a range of motion limit of the plurality of actuatable joints;

continuously determine current states of the input device and current indications directing the user to manipulate the input device towards the target state; and

cause graphical representations of the current states of the input device and graphical representations of the current indications to be displayed along with the graphical representation of the target state on the display screen.

9. The medical system according to claim 8, wherein the processor is programmed to cause the graphical representations of the target state for the input device, the graphical representations of the current states of the input device, and the graphical representations of the current indications to be displayed on the display device only after an operational mode change is initiated in the medical system.

10. The medical system according to claim 9, wherein the processor is programmed to initiate the operational mode change after at least one of the plurality of actuatable joints is commanded by the input device to a range of motion limit for the actuatable joint.

11. The medical system according to claim 9, wherein the processor is programmed to command force feedback on the input device until the current state of the input device reaches the target state.

12. The medical system according to claim 9, wherein the processor is programmed to suspend operative coupling between the input device and the plurality of actuatable joints of the slave manipulator after the operational mode change is initiated and until the current state of the input device reaches the target state of the input device.

13. The medical system according to claim 8, wherein the input device has a pincher formation, and wherein the processor is programmed to cause the graphical representations of the current states of the input device to be displayed on the display screen by causing each graphical representation of the pincher formation to be displayed on the display screen at a distance from the displayed graphical representation of the target state of the input device so that each distance indicates a difference between the current state of the input device and the target state of the input device.

14. The medical system according to claim 8, wherein the processor is programmed to cause graphical representations of the current indications to be displayed on the display screen by causing each graphical representation of the current indication to be displayed as an arrow pointing from the displayed graphical representation of the current state of the input device to the displayed graphical representation of the target state so as to direct the user to manipulate the current state of the input device towards the target state of the input device.