CONTROL METHODS OF SINGLE-PORT SURGICAL ROBOT

• US 20140257329A1
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JANG, Jun Won, CHOI, Hyun Do, KIM, Hyung Joo, LIM, Yo An
• Granted Patent: US 9,561,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence

Abstract

A control method of a single-port surgical robot, the single-port surgical robot comprising a slave device including a surgical instrument provided with an elbow and an end effector, and a master device to control motion of the slave device may comprise setting a virtual incision port to an arbitrary position; setting an operating position of the end effector; calculating a target position of the elbow using the set position of the virtual incision port and the set operating position of the end effector; calculating a movement angle of each joint used to move the elbow using the calculated target position of the elbow; and/or calculating a movement angle of each joint used to move the end effector using the calculated target position of the elbow and the set operating position of the end effector.

Claims

1. A control method of a single-port surgical robot, the single-port surgical robot comprising a slave device including a surgical instrument provided with an elbow and an end effector, and a master device to control motion of the slave device, the method comprising:

setting a virtual incision port to an arbitrary position;

setting an operating position of the end effector;

calculating a target position of the elbow using the set position of the virtual incision port and the set operating position of the end effector;

calculating a movement angle of each joint used to move the elbow using the calculated target position of the elbow; and

calculating a movement angle of each joint used to move the end effector using the calculated target position of the elbow and the set operating position of the end effector.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calculating of the target position of the elbow is implemented in such a way that the target position of the elbow is positioned in a straight line that connects the position of the virtual incision port and the set operating position of the end effector to each other.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calculating of the target position of the elbow is implemented using the following equations:

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting of the operating position of the end effector is implemented upon receiving a control signal from the master device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting of the position of the virtual incision port is implemented in such a way that the position of the virtual incision port is located at a surface of a body of a patient, outside the body of the patient, or inside the body of the patient.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after the calculating of the movement angle of each joint used to move the elbow, judging whether or not the calculated movement angle of each joint is valid.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein judgment of whether or not the movement angle of each joint is valid is implemented by judging whether or not the movement angle of each joint is included within a movable angular range of the corresponding joint.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein after judgment of whether or not the movement angle of each joint is valid, the calculating of the movement angle of each joint used to move the end effector using the calculated target position of the elbow and the operating position of the end effector is implemented if the movement angle of each joint is valid.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising, after judgment of whether or not the movement angle of each joint is valid:

searching for another reachable target position of the elbow with respect to the set operating position of the end effector if the movement angle of each joint is not valid;

recalculating the movement angle of each joint used to move the elbow using the searched target position of the elbow; and

judging whether or not the recalculated movement angle of each joint is valid.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the searching for the another reachable target position of the elbow is implemented using a set of all points included in a surface of a sphere about the set operating position of the end effector, a radius of the sphere being a length from the end effector to the elbow.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the searching for the another reachable target position of the elbow is implemented using a three-dimensional (3D) look-up table in which a valid target position of the elbow, among reachable target positions of the elbow with respect to the set operating position of the end effector, is matched to a corresponding operating position of the end effector.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising, after the judging of whether or not the recalculated movement angle of each joint is valid, setting the virtual incision port to a new position using the searched target position of the elbow and the set operating position of the end effector if the recalculated movement angle of each joint is valid.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein after the setting of the new position of the virtual incision port, calculating of the target position of the elbow using the newly set position of the virtual incision port and the set operating position of the end effector is implemented.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the setting of the position of the virtual incision port is implemented using the following equations:

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein after the judging of whether or not the recalculated movement angle of each joint is valid, searching for the another reachable target position of the elbow and the recalculating of the movement angle of each joint used to move the elbow using the another reachable target position of the elbow are repeatedly implemented if the recalculated movement angle of each joint is not valid.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after the calculating of the movement angle of each joint used to move the end effector, judging whether or not the calculated movement angle of each joint is valid.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein after the judging of whether or not the movement angle of each joint is valid, searching for another reachable target position of the elbow with respect to the set operating position of the end effector, recalculating of the movement angle of each joint used to move the elbow using the searched target position of the elbow, and the judging of whether or not the recalculated movement angle of each joint is valid are repeatedly implemented if the movement angle of each joint is not valid.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the searching for the another reachable target position of the elbow is implemented using a set of all points included in a surface of a sphere about the set operating position of the end effector, a radius of the sphere being a length from the end effector to the elbow.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein after the judging of whether or not the recalculated movement angle of each joint is valid, setting of a new position of the virtual incision port using the searched target position of the elbow and the set operating position of the end effector is implemented if the recalculated movement angle of each joint is valid.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein after the judging of whether or not the recalculated movement angle of each joint is valid, the searching for the another reachable target position of the elbow and recalculation of the movement angle of each joint used to move the elbow using the searched target position of the elbow are repeatedly implemented if the recalculated movement angle of each joint is not valid.