Interface device and method for interfacing instruments to vascular access simulation systems

• US 6,470,302 B1
• Filed: 01/28/1999
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Immersion Medical Inc (Immersion Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Immersion Medical Inc (Immersion Corporation)
• Inventors: Feldman, Ben, Cunningham, Richard L., Feldman, Philip, Merril, Gregory L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frejd, Russell
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broda, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US09/238,559
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1-12, 434/262-275, 600/425-429, 128/897, 700/159
• US Class Current: 703/7
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/285 for injections, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, sigmoidscopy, insertion of contraceptive devices or enemas
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/30 Anatomical models G09B23/281 - G09B23/288 take precedence

Abstract

An interface device and method for interfacing instruments to a vascular access simulation system serve to interface peripherals in the form of mock or actual medical instruments to the simulation system to enable simulation of medical procedures. The interface device includes a catheter unit assembly for receiving a catheter needle assembly, and a skin traction mechanism to simulate placing skin in traction or manipulating other anatomical sites for performing a medical procedure. The catheter needle assembly and skin traction mechanism are manipulated by a user during a medical procedure. The catheter unit assembly includes a base, a housing, a bearing assembly and a shaft that receives the catheter needle assembly. The bearing assembly enables translation of the catheter needle assembly, and includes bearings that enable the shaft to translate in accordance with manipulation of the catheter needle assembly. The shaft typically includes an encoder to measure translational motion of a needle of the catheter needle assembly, while the interface device further includes encoders to measure manipulation of the catheter needle assembly in various degrees of freedom (e.g., translation, pitch and yaw) and the skin traction mechanism. Alternatively, the shaft may include an additional encoder to measure translational motion of an instrument inserted through the catheter needle assembly. The simulation system receives measurements from the interface device encoders and updates the simulation and display, while providing control signals to the force feedback device to enable application of force feedback to the catheter needle assembly.

Claims

1. Interface apparatus for interfacing peripherals corresponding to medical instruments to a simulation system thereby permitting a user to interact with the simulation system to perform a medical procedure on a simulated anatomy of a virtual patient, said interface apparatus comprising:

a site manipulation mechanism, selectively manipulable by the user and corresponding to an anatomical site of said virtual patient, providing information associated with manipulation of said site manipulation mechanism for transmission by the interface apparatus to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update a simulated medical procedure in accordance with said mechanism manipulation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mock skin surface includes a compliant material that simulates skin resiliency.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one sensor detects manual pressure applied to said mock skin surface by said user and provides information associated with said pressure detection to said simulation system.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said pressure detection information is utilized by said simulation system to simulate manual pressure applied to said simulated anatomy of said virtual patient.

5. An interface apparatus for interfacing peripherals corresponding to instruments to a simulation system thereby permitting a user to interact with the simulation system to perform a procedure in a virtual environment, said interface apparatus comprising:

a sensing assembly facilitating and measuring manipulation of a peripheral in a plurality of degrees of freedom and transmitting information associated with said measured manipulation to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update a simulated procedure in accordance with said measured manipulation;

wherein said sensing assembly includes a configuration wherein axes of at least two of said degrees of freedom intersect and at least one axis of another of said degrees of freedom is offset from said intersection.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said at least two degrees of freedom are rotational and said at least one degree of freedom is linear.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said at least two degrees of freedom include peripheral pitch and yaw motion, and said at least one degree of freedom includes peripheral translational motion.

8. An interface apparatus for interfacing peripherals corresponding to medical instruments to a simulation system thereby permitting a user to interact with the simulation system to perform a medical procedure on a simulated anatomy of a virtual patient, said interface apparatus comprising:

a first peripheral selectively manipulable by the user and corresponding to a portion of a medical instrument, said peripheral providing information associated with said manipulation to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update a simulated medical procedure in accordance with said manipulation; and

a second peripheral selectively manipulable by the user and nested within said first peripheral, said second peripheral corresponding to a portion of a medical instrument and providing information associated with said second peripheral manipulation to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update the simulated medical procedure in accordance with said second peripheral manipulation;

wherein said second peripheral is selectively translated by the user along a coaxial degree of freedom with respect to said first peripheral and is entirely removable from said first peripheral when fully retracted by the user.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further including:

a force feedback unit to apply force to said first peripheral in response to control signals from the simulation system to simulate forces encountered by said corresponding medical instrument contacting the simulated anatomy during the medical procedure.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said medical procedure is a vascular access procedure.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said first peripheral corresponds to a needle portion of a medical instrument.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said second peripheral corresponds to a flexible catheter portion of a medical instrument.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 further including a sensing assembly, said sensing assembly including:

a pulley;

a tension member extending from a proximal end of a shaft receiving said first peripheral about said pulley to a shaft distal end, wherein said pulley and tension member are manipulated in response to said first peripheral translational motion; and

a translation sensor disposed proximate said pulley to measure pulley rotation due to translational manipulation of said first peripheral and providing information associated with said first peripheral translational motion to the simulation system.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further including a force feedback unit including a force applicator to control rotation of said pulley and apply force to said first peripheral in response to control signals from the simulation system.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said sensing assembly includes a configuration having an axis of peripheral translational motion displaced from said pulley to thereby facilitate manipulation of said peripheral about a peripheral pitch axis independent of a force feedback unit position.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said sensing assembly includes a configuration having an axis of peripheral translational motion displaced from an intersection of peripheral pitch and yaw axes.

17. The apparatus of claim 8 further including a first translational sensor for measuring manipulation of said first peripheral relative to a shaft receiving said first peripheral and providing information associated with said first peripheral manipulation to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update the simulated medical procedure in accordance with said first peripheral manipulation.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further including a second translational sensor for measuring manipulation of said second peripheral relative to said first peripheral and providing information associated with said measured manipulation of said second peripheral to the simulation system to update the simulated medical procedure in accordance with said second peripheral manipulation.

19. The apparatus of claim 8 further including:

peripheral sensing means for measuring manipulation and detecting insertion and removal of each peripheral within the simulated anatomy and providing information associated with said peripheral manipulation, insertion and removal to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to simulate performance of the medical procedure with said corresponding medical instruments and exchange of said corresponding medical instruments during the medical procedure in accordance with said manipulation, insertion and removal of said peripherals.

20. A method permitting a user to interact with a simulation system via an interface to perform a medical procedure on a simulated anatomy of a virtual patient, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) operatively interconnecting a first peripheral to the interface, wherein said first peripheral is selectively manipulable by the user and corresponds to a portion of a medical instrument;

(b) operatively interconnecting a second peripheral corresponding to a portion of a medical instrument to the interface, wherein said second peripheral is selectively manipulable by the user and is nested within said first peripheral, and wherein said second peripheral is selectively translated by the user along a coaxial degree of freedom with respect to said first peripheral and is entirely removable from said first peripheral when fully retracted by the user;

(c) measuring manipulation of each peripheral within the simulated anatomy via the interface; and

(d) transmitting information associated with the manipulation of each peripheral from the interface to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update a simulated medical procedure in accordance with the manipulation of said first and second peripherals.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the interface includes a force feedback unit to apply force to said first peripheral, and said method further includes the step of:

(e) applying force feedback, via the force feedback unit, to said first peripheral in response to control signals from the simulation system to simulate forces encountered by the corresponding medical instrument contacting the simulated anatomy during the medical procedure.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the interface further includes a pulley and a tension member coupled to a shaft receiving said first peripheral and extending about the pulley, wherein the pulley and tension member are manipulated in response to first peripheral translational motion, and step (c) further includes:

(c.1) measuring pulley rotation due to translational manipulation of said first peripheral;

step (d) further includes;

(d.1) transmitting information associated with said translational manipulation of said first peripheral from the interface to the simulation system.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein step (d) further includes:

(d.2) controlling rotation of the pulley to apply force to said first peripheral in response to control signals from the simulation system.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.1) operatively interconnecting said first peripheral to the interface by displacing a peripheral pitch axis from the pulley to thereby facilitate manipulation of said peripheral about the pitch axis independent of a force feedback unit position.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.1) operatively interconnecting said first peripheral to the interface by displacing an axis of peripheral translational motion from an intersection of peripheral pitch and yaw axes.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein step (c) further includes:

(c.1) measuring manipulation of said first peripheral relative to a shaft receiving said first peripheral; and

step (d) further includes;

(d.1) transmitting information associated with said measured first peripheral manipulation from the interface to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update the simulated medical procedure in accordance with the manipulation of said first peripheral.

27. The method of claim 26 step (c) further includes:

(c.2) measuring manipulation of said second peripheral relative to said first peripheral; and

step (d) further includes;

(d.2) transmitting information associated with the measured manipulation of said second peripheral to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update the simulated medical procedure in accordance with the manipulation of said second peripheral.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein step (c) further includes:

(c.1) measuring manipulation and detecting insertion and removal of each peripheral within the simulated anatomy; and

step (d) further includes;

(d.1) transmitting information associated with the peripheral manipulation, insertion and removal to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to simulate performance of the medical procedure with the corresponding medical instruments and exchange of the corresponding medical instruments during the medical procedure in accordance with the peripheral manipulation, insertion and removal.

29. A method permitting a user to interact with a simulation system via an interface to perform a medical procedure on a simulated anatomy of a virtual patient, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) operatively interconnecting a site manipulation mechanism to the interface, wherein said site manipulation mechanism is selectively manipulable by the user and corresponds to an anatomical site of the virtual patient;

(b) measuring manipulation of said site manipulation mechanism via the interface, wherein the measured manipulation of said site manipulation mechanism provides information associated with manipulation of the anatomical site; and

(c) transmitting the manipulation measurement for said site manipulation mechanism from the interface to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update a simulated medical procedure in accordance with the measured mechanism manipulation.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.1) measuring manual pressure applied to said mock skin surface by said user via said at least one sensor.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein step (c) further includes:

(c.1) transmitting said manual pressure measurement for said mock skin surface from the interface to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to simulate manual pressure applied to said simulated anatomy of said virtual patient.

32. A method permitting a user to interact with a simulation system via an interface to perform a procedure within a virtual environment, wherein the interface includes a sensing assembly to facilitate and measure manipulation of a peripheral corresponding to an instrument in a plurality of degrees of freedom, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displacing an axis of at least one of said degrees of freedom from an intersection of axes of at least two others of said degrees of freedom;

(b) measuring manipulation of said peripheral via the interface; and

(c) transmitting the manipulation measurement for said peripheral from the interface to the simulation system permitting the simulation system to update a simulated procedure in accordance with the measured peripheral manipulation.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said at least two degrees of freedom are rotational and said at least one degree of freedom is linear.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein said at least two degrees of freedom include peripheral pitch and yaw motion, and said at least one degree of freedom includes peripheral translational motion.