Endoscopic robotic surgical tools and methods

• US 6,296,635 B1
• Filed: 05/17/1999
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbiosis Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbiosis Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Mazzeo, Anthony I., Slater, Charles R., Smith, Kevin W., Bales, Thomas O., Kortenbach, Juergen Andrew, Slack, Theodore C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaudhuri, Olik
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trinh, (Vikki) Hoa B.
• Application Number:
  US09/312,501
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 606/95, 606/46, 606/19, 606/118, 606/105, 606/205, 901/12, 901/47, 901/31, 901/2, 901/14, 901/19, 901/27, 901/30, 901/50
• US Class Current: 606/19
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00234 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2059 Mechanical position encoders
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/02 servo-actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 3/04 involving servo mechanisms servo-actuated heads B25J15/02
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/06 characterised by multi-articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/104 with cables, chains or ribbons

Abstract

The methods and devices of the invention include an encoder, an endoscopic robotic instrument, and an encoder/robotic instrument interface. A preferred embodiment of the encoder has a chest/shoulder plate provided with telescoping tubes and joints. Each joint is provided with a direct drive potentiometer to monitor movement and provide a corresponding signal. The chest plate is preferably adaptable to a large range of human-chest sizes and the telescopic segments are strapped to the arms of the practitioner at the elbows. A pistol grip is provided at the wrist end of the telescopic segments. According to the presently preferred embodiment, the encoder encodes flexion and rotation at the shoulder, elbow and wrist of each arm in addition to gripping at each hand. The encoding device is coupled to a circuit which operates a servo system. The servo system includes a series of servo motors. A series of pulleys corresponding to the number of servo motors are arranged in a housing. The robotic instrument preferably comprises two arms mounted at the distal end of a multi-lumen tube. Each arm has rotational and flexional joints corresponding to the shoulder, elbow, and wrist of the practitioner. Tendons are coupled to the pulleys of the servo motors and are fed through the multi-lumen tube to the joints of the two arms.

Claims

1. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a hand-held device for connection to an arm of a user and capable of registering movement of a user;

a controller electrically coupled to the hand-held device to receive input signals from the hand-held device corresponding to movement of a user;

a robotic arm having a surgical tool at an end of the robotic arm, the robotic arm being located remotely from the hand-held device; and

a drive device coupled to the robotic arm, the drive device capable of receiving output signals from the controller that operate the drive device to cause movement of the surgical tool corresponding to similar movement of a user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller computes the output signals from the input signals.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the robotic arm is a first robotic arm and the surgical tool is a first surgical tool, and further comprising a second robotic arm having a second surgical tool at an end of the second robotic arm, and wherein the hand-held device includes a first hand-held device corresponding to the first robotic arm and a second hand-held device corresponding to the second robotic arm.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

an endoscope proximate the first and second robotic arms, the endoscope including a lens; and

a display coupled to the lens, the lens being capable of providing a visual image of a surgical site to the display.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the robotic arm includes feedback means to provide feedback signals to the controller corresponding to a position of the surgical tool.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the feedback means includes at least one position transducer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device includes a feedback device to provide feedback to a user corresponding to a resistance encountered by the surgical tool.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the feedback device includes a solenoid that receives a signal corresponding to the resistance encountered by the surgical tool.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the drive device includes at least one motor to move the robotic arm.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the robotic arm includes at least one joint.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one joint includes six joints.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the robotic arm includes at least one rotational joint and at least one flexional joint.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device is capable of movement through a plurality of degrees of freedom.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the hand-held device includes a plurality of joints to provide the plurality of degrees of freedom.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device includes a plurality of position sensors to indicate a position of the hand-held device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the position sensors are transducers.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the position sensors are potentiometers.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device is configured to rigidly connect to a user.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device includes an exoskeleton.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the exoskeleton is configured to attach to an arm of a user.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device is capable of registering hand movement of a user.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device is capable of registering arm movement of a user.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device includes optical sensors.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device includes a handle.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein operation of the handle causes actuation of the surgical tool.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the surgical tool is a gripper, and operation of the handle causes the gripper to open or close.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the drive device is mechanically coupled to the robotic arm.

28. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a first hand-held device for connection to an arm of a user and capable of registering movement of a user;

a second hand-held device for connection to an arm of a user and capable of registering movement of a user;

a controller electrically coupled to the first and second hand-held devices to receive input signals from the first and second hand-held devices corresponding to movement of a user;

a first robotic arm having a first surgical tool at an end of the first robotic arm, the first robotic arm corresponding to the first hand-held device and being located remotely from the first and second hand-held devices;

a second robotic arm having a second surgical tool at an end of the second robotic arm, the second robotic arm corresponding to the second hand-held device and being located remotely from the first and second hand-held devices; and

a drive device coupled to the first and second robotic arms, the drive device capable of receiving output signals from the controller that operate the drive device to cause movement of the first surgical tool corresponding to movement of a user registered by the first hand-held device and cause movement of the second surgical tool corresponding to movement of a user registered by the second hand-held device.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

an endoscope proximate the first and second robotic arms, the endoscope including a lens; and

a display coupled to the lens, the lens being capable of providing a visual image of a surgical site to the display.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the first robotic arm includes first feedback means to provide first feedback signals to the controller corresponding to a position of the first surgical tool, and the second robotic arm includes second feedback means to provide second feedback signals to the controller corresponding to a position of the second surgical tool.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein each of the first and second feedback means includes at least one position transducer.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the first hand-held device includes a first feedback device to provide first feedback to a user corresponding to first signals from the first surgical tool, and the second hand-held device includes a second feedback device to provide second feedback to a user corresponding to second signals from the second surgical tool.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the first and second feedback devices each includes a solenoid.

34. The system of claim 28, wherein the first and second robotic arms each includes at least one joint.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one joint includes at least one rotational joint and at least one flexional joint.

36. The system of claim 28, wherein each of the first and second hand-held devices includes a plurality of position sensors to indicate a position of the corresponding hand-held device.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the position sensors are transducers.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the position sensors are potentiometers.

39. The system of claim 28, wherein each of the first and second hand-held devices includes an exoskeleton.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the exoskeleton is configured to attach to an arm of a user.

41. The system of claim 28, wherein each of the first and second hand-held devices is capable of registering hand movement of a user.

42. The system of claim 28, wherein each of the first and second hand-held devices includes a handle.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein operation of the handle of the first hand-held device causes actuation of the first surgical tool and operation of the handle of the second hand-held device causes actuation of the second surgical tool.

44. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a hand-manipulable device for connection to an arm of a user and capable of registering movement of a user;

a controller coupled to the hand-manipulable device to receive input signals from the hand-manipulable device corresponding to movement of a user;

a robotic arm having a surgical tool at an end of the robotic arm, the robotic arm being located remotely from the hand-manipulable device; and

a drive device coupled to the robotic arm, the drive device capable of receiving output signals from the controller that operate the drive device to cause movement of the surgical tool corresponding to similar movement of a user.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the controller computes the output signals from the input signals.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein the robotic arm is a first robotic arm and the surgical tool is a first surgical tool, and further comprising a second robotic arm having a second surgical tool at an end of the second robotic arm, and wherein the hand-manipulable device includes a first hand-manipulable device corresponding to the first robotic arm and a second hand-manipulable device corresponding to the second robotic arm.

47. The system of claim 44, wherein the robotic arm includes feedback means to provide feedback signals to the controller corresponding to a position of the surgical tool.

48. The system of claim 44, wherein the hand-held device includes a feedback device to provide feedback to a user corresponding to a resistance encountered by the surgical tool.

49. The system of claim 44, wherein the robotic arm includes at least one joint.

50. The system of claim 44, wherein the hand-manipulable device is capable of movement through a plurality of degrees of freedom.

51. The system of claim 44, wherein the hand-manipulable device includes a plurality of position sensors to indicate a position of the hand-manipulable device.

52. The system of claim 44, wherein the controller is electrically coupled to the hand-manipulable device.

53. The system of claim 44, wherein the drive device is mechanically coupled to the robotic arm.

54. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a hand-held device for connection to an arm of a user and capable of registering movement of a user, wherein the hand-held device includes at least one position sensor to indicate a position of the hand-held device;

a controller coupled to the hand-held device to receive input signals from the hand-held device corresponding to movement of a user;

a robotic arm having a surgical tool at an end of the robotic arm, the robotic arm being located remotely from the hand-held device; and

a drive device coupled to the robotic arm, the drive device capable of receiving output signals from the controller that operate the drive device to cause movement of the surgical tool corresponding to movement of a user.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the hand-held device includes a plurality of position sensors to indicate a position of the hand-held device.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the position sensors are transducers.

57. The system of claim 55, wherein the position sensors are potentiometers.

58. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a first hand-held device for connection to an arm of a user and capable of registering movement of a user;

a second hand-held device for connection to an arm of a user and capable of registering movement of a user;

a controller coupled to the first and second hand-held devices to receive input signals from the first and second hand-held devices corresponding to movement of a user;

a first robotic arm having a first surgical tool at an end of the first robotic arm, the first robotic arm corresponding to the first hand-held device and being located remotely from the first and second hand-held devices;

a second robotic arm having a second surgical tool at an end of the second robotic arm, the second robotic arm corresponding to the second hand-held device and being located remotely from the first and second hand-held devices; and

a drive device coupled to the first and second robotic arms, the drive device capable of receiving output signals from the controller that operate the drive device to cause movement of the first surgical tool corresponding to movement of a user registered by the first hand-held device and cause movement of the second surgical tool corresponding to movement of a user registered by the second hand-held device.

59. The system of claim 58, wherein each of the first and second hand-held devices includes a plurality of position sensors to indicate a position of the corresponding hand-held device.

60. The system of claim 59, wherein the position sensors are transducers.

61. The system of claim 59, wherein the position sensors are potentiometers.

62. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a hand-manipulable device for connection to an arm of a user and capable of registering movement of a user, wherein the hand-manipulable device includes at least one position sensor to indicate a position of the hand-manipulable device;

a controller coupled to the hand-manipulable device to receive input signals from the hand-manipulable device corresponding to movement of a user;

a robotic arm having a surgical tool at an end of the robotic arm, the robotic arm being located remotely from the hand-manipulable device; and

a drive device coupled to the robotic arm, the drive device capable of receiving output signals from the controller that operate the drive device to cause movement of the surgical tool corresponding to movement of a user.