Image-directed robotic system for precise robotic surgery including redundant consistency checking

• US 5,299,288 A
• Filed: 09/18/1991
• Issued: 03/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Kazanides, Peter, Taylor, Russell H., Mittelstadt, Brent D., Paul, Howard A., Glassman, Edward, Musits, Bela L., Hanson, William A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, GEORGE B
• Application Number:
  US07/761,720
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 364/522, 364/468, 364/413.19, 364/413.13, 364/413.02, 395/80, 395/94, 395/95, 395/924, 606/130, 623/16, 623/22
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/175 for preparing the femur for hip prosthesis insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/102 Modelling of surgical devices, implants or prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/256 having a database of accessory information, e.g. including context sensitive help or scientific articles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3762 using computed tomography systems [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/46 Special tools or methods for implanting or extracting artificial joints, accessories, bone grafts or substitutes, or particular adaptations therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4633 for selection of endoprosthetic joints or for pre-operative planning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1679 characterised by the tasks executed
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4099 Surface or curve machining, making 3D objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35217 Cagd computer aided geometric design, sbgd scanning based geometric design
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39008 Fixed camera detects reference pattern held by end effector
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40418 Presurgical planning, on screen indicate regions to be operated on
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40609 : Camera to monitor end effector as well as object to be handled
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45123 : Electrogoniometer, neuronavigator, medical robot used by surgeon to operate
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45166 : Tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45168 : Bone prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49137 : Store working envelop, limit, allowed zone
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 : for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 : for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 : Computer assisted medical diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/908 : Bone
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/924 : Medical

Abstract

A robotic surgical system includes a multiple degree of freedom manipulator arm having a surgical tool. The arm is coupled to a controller for controllably positioning the surgical tool within a three dimensional coordinate system. The system further includes a safety monitoring processor for determining the position of the surgical tool in the three dimensional coordinate system relative to a volumetric model. The volumetric model may be represented as a constructive solid geometry (CSG) tree data structure. The system further includes an optical tracking camera system disposed for imaging a region of space that includes at least a portion of the manipulator arm. An output of the camera system is coupled to the processor that processes the volumetric model for determining if the surgical tool is positioned outside of the volumetric model. The system further includes a strain gage for detecting slippage in three dimensions between an immobilized tissue, such as bone, and a reference point. The system also includes multiple and redundant safety features for suspending a motion of the surgical tool to prevent the tool from operating outside of the predetermined volume of space.

Claims

1. A method of surgically removing a quantity of tissue from a patient, the tissue being removed from a region having a predetermined three dimensional shape, the method comprising the steps of:

representing the three dimensional shape as a volumetric model or as a portion of a volumetric model;

determining a location of the volumetric model relative to the tissue that is to be removed; and

operating a multiple degree of freedom manipulator arm means having a surgical tool coupled thereto such that the tissue is removed, the step of operating including the steps of;

monitoring an output of a force sensor means that is coupled to the surgical tool;

detecting a position of the manipulator arm means;

determining a position of the surgical tool relative to the detected position of the manipulator arm means in accordance with a predetermined transformation function;

processing the volumetric model for determining if the determined position of the surgical tool is outside of the volumetric model; and

suspending a further movement of the surgical tool if the surgical tool is determined to be positioned outside of the volumetric model or if the step of monitoring the output of the force sensor means indicates that a sensed force has exceeded a first predetermined threshold.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of operating includes an additional step of monitoring an output of a strain gage means to determine if a movement of the patient has occurred and suspending a further movement of the surgical tool if a movement is detected.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring includes an additional step of de-energizing the manipulator arm means if a force is measured that exceeds a second, higher predetermined threshold.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of operating includes an additional step of periodically monitoring an operational status of the manipulator arm means and suspending a further movement of the surgical tool if the operational status is determined to be less than optimum.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tissue includes bone tissue, wherein the volumetric model has a shape representative of a shape of a prosthetic implant, and wherein the step of representing the three dimensional shape as a volumetric model includes a step of:

selecting a shape of a prosthetic implant from a library of prosthetic implant shapes;

and wherein the step of determining a location of the volumetric model relative to the tissue that is to be removed includes a step of;

interactively determining a position of the selected prosthetic implant shape relative to images of the bone tissue.

6. A method as set forth in claim 5 and including an additional step of storing data for use during the step of processing, the stored data being expressive of the dimensions and shape of the selected prosthetic implant and data expressive of the determined position.

7. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein the step of operating further includes a step of displaying in succession cross-sectional images of the bone tissue each having a corresponding cross-sectional view of the selected prosthetic implant superimposed thereon, a specific one of the cross-sectional bone tissue images being selected for display as a function of the position of the surgical tool relative to the volumetric model.

8. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tissue includes bone tissue, wherein the volumetric model has a shape representative of a shape of a prosthetic implant, and wherein the step of representing the three dimensional shape as a volumetric model includes a step of:

defining a shape of a prosthetic implant as a function at least of the shape of the bone tissue;

and wherein the step of determining a location of the volumetric model relative to the tissue that is to be removed includes a step of;

interactively determining a position of the defined prosthetic implant shape relative to images of the bone tissue.

9. A method of preparing a cavity within a tissue to receive a prosthetic implant, the method comprising the steps of:

representing the prosthetic implant as a volumetric model or as a portion of a volumetric model;

determining a location of the volumetric model relative to the tissue within which the prosthetic implant is to be implanted; and

operating a multiple degree of freedom manipulator arm means having a surgical tool coupled thereto such that a cavity is prepared within the tissue to receive the prosthetic implant therein, the step of operating including the steps of;

monitoring an output of a force sensor means that is coupled to the surgical tool;

imaging a portion of the manipulator arm means during the operation thereof so as to determine a position of the manipulator arm means within a three-dimensional coordinate system;

determining a position of the surgical tool, relative to the determined position of the manipulator arm means, in accordance with a predetermined transformation function;

processing the volumetric model for determining if the determined position of the surgical tool is outside of the volumetric model; and

suspending a further movement of the surgical tool if the surgical a tool is determined to be positioned outside of the volumetric model or if the step of monitoring the output of the force sensor means indicates that a sensed force has exceeded a first predetermined threshold.

10. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the step of operating includes an additional step of monitoring an output of a strain gage means that is coupled to the tissue so as to detect a movement of the tissue;

and suspending a further movement of the surgical tool if a movement is detected.

11. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the step of monitoring includes an additional step of de-energizing the manipulator arm means if a force is measured that exceeds a second predetermined threshold, the second predetermined threshold being greater than the first predetermined threshold.

12. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the tissue includes bone tissue, and wherein the step of monitoring includes a step detecting if a position of the surgical tool transitions between trabecular bone and cortical bone.

13. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the tissue includes bone tissue, and wherein the step of representing the prosthetic implant as a volumetric model includes a step of:

selecting a shape of a prosthetic implant from a library of prosthetic implant shapes;

and wherein the step of determining a location of the volumetric model relative to the tissue includes a step of;

interactively determining a desired position of the selected prosthetic implant shape relative to images of the bone tissue.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13 and including an additional step of storing data for use during the step of processing, the stored data being expressive of the dimensions and shape of the selected prosthetic implant and data expressive of the determined position.

15. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the step of operating further includes a step of displaying in succession cross-sectional images of the bone tissue each having a corresponding cross-sectional view of the selected prosthetic implant superimposed thereon, a specific one of the cross-sectional bone tissue images being selected for display as a function of a current position of the surgical tool relative to the volumetric model.

16. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the tissue includes bone tissue, and wherein the step of representing the prosthetic implant as a volumetric model includes a step of:

defining a shape of a prosthetic implant as a function at least of the shape of the bone tissue;

and wherein the step of determining a location of the volumetric model relative to the tissue includes a step of;

interactively determining a desired position of the defined prosthetic implant shape relative to images of the bone tissue.