Aspects of a control system of a minimally invasive surgical apparatus

• US 6,493,608 B1
• Filed: 04/07/1999
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Incorporated (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Niemeyer, Gunter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): GAIN, EDWARD F
• Application Number:
  US09/288,068
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 700/302, 700/255, 700/256, 700/257, 700/251, 700/263, 700/61, 700/65, 700/63, 606/130
• US Class Current: 700/302
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00149 using articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/102 Modelling of surgical devices, implants or prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/506 using a parallelogram linkage, e.g. panthograph
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/35 for telesurgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40122 Manipulate virtual object, for trajectory planning of real object, haptic display
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45118 Endoscopic, laparoscopic manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/246 Calibration of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/327 Calibration thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes

Abstract

A surgical method and a control system is provided. The surgical method and the control system can advantageously be used in a minimally invasive surgical apparatus. The method includes generating a desired surgical instrument movement command signal. It further includes comparing the desired surgical instrument movement command signal with at least one preset surgical instrument movement limitation. Should the desired surgical instrument command signal transgress the preset surgical instrument movement limitation, the desired surgical instrument movement command signal is restricted to yield a restricted surgical instrument movement command signal. A surgical instrument is then caused to move in response to the restricted surgical instrument movement command signal. The method further provides for haptic feedback on a master control in response to restriction of the desired surgical instrument movement command signal.

Claims

1. A surgical method including:

generating a desired surgical instrument movement command signal comprising a desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to a coordinate reference system;

comparing the desired surgical instrument movement command signal with at least one preset surgical instrument movement limitation;

restricting the desired surgical instrument movement command signal to yield a restricted surgical instrument movement command signal in response to the desired surgical instrument movement command signal transgressing the preset surgical instrument movement limitation;

moving a surgical instrument in response to the restricted surgical instrument movement command signal; and

,

transforming the desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to the coordinate reference system to a corresponding signal in joint space by employing a conversion relationship, while limiting the desired surgical instrument velocity signal to account for at least one singularity, the conversion relationship including at least one term corresponding to the singularity; and

,

modifying the term by replacing it with an appropriate function including that term.

2. A surgical method including:

generating a desired surgical instrument movement command signal comprising a desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to a coordinate reference system;

comparing the desired surgical instrument movement command signal with at least one preset surgical instrument movement limitation by comparing the desired surgical instrument velocity signal in joint space with at least one preset surgical instrument movement limitation in joint space in the form of a preset surgical instrument velocity limitation in joint space;

restricting the desired surgical instrument movement command signal to yield a restricted surgical instrument movement command signal in response to the desired surgical instrument movement command signal transgressing the preset surgical instrument movement limitation, the restricting step including restricting the desired surgical instrument velocity signal in joint space to remain within a joint space velocity range extending between a minimum joint space velocity limit in an arbitrary negative direction and a maximum joint space velocity limit in an arbitrary positive direction in response to the desired surgical instrument velocity signal falling outside the range, to yield a resultant surgical instrument velocity signal in joint space;

moving a surgical instrument in response to the restricted surgical instrument movement command signal;

transforming the desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to the coordinate reference system to a corresponding signal in joint space; and

integrating the resultant surgical instrument velocity signal in joint space to yield a corresponding surgical instrument position signal in joint space.

3. A surgical method as claimed in claim 2, which includes comparing the surgical instrument position signal in joint space with a preset surgical instrument movement limitation in the form of a preset surgical instrument position limitation in joint space.

4. A surgical method as claimed in claim 3, in which the restricting step includes restricting the surgical instrument position signal in joint space to remain within a joint space position range extending between a minimum joint space position limit in an arbitrary negative direction and a maximum joint space position limit in an arbitrary positive direction in response to the surgical instrument position signal failing outside the range, to yield a resultant surgical instrument position signal in joint space.

5. A surgical method as claimed in claim 4, which further includes tapping the velocity signal in joint space prior to passing it through the integration step.

6. A surgical method as claimed in claim 5, which includes rendering the tapped velocity signal zero in response to the corresponding surgical instrument position signal in joint space transgressing the positional limitation in joint space.

7. A surgical method as claimed in claim 3, in which the comparing step includes monitoring the surgical instrument position signal in joint space within a preset surgical instrument position limitation range extending between a maximum position and a minimum position.

8. A surgical method as claimed in claim 7, in which monitoring the surgical instrument position signal within the preset surgical instrument position limitation range includes determining a corresponding joint space velocity required for the surgical instrument position to correspond with the maximum and the minimum positions during a next processing cycle.

9. A surgical method as claimed in claim 8, which includes comparing the joint space velocity required for the surgical instrument position to correspond with the maximum and the minimum positions with respectively a set maximum and a set minimum velocity.

10. A surgical method as claimed in claim 9, which includes maintaining the set maximum and the set minimum velocity values in response to the joint space velocity required for the surgical instrument position to correspond with the maximum and the minimum positions being respectively greater than and less than the set maximum and the set minimum velocity values.

11. A surgical method as claimed in claim 9, which includes replacing the set maximum velocity value with the value of the joint space velocity required for the surgical instrument position to correspond with the maximum position in response to the joint space velocity required for the surgical instrument position to correspond with the maximum position being less than the set maximum velocity value.

12. A surgical method as claimed in claim 9, which includes replacing the set minimum velocity value with the value of the joint space velocity required for the surgical instrument position to correspond with the minimum position in response to the joint space velocity for the surgical instrument position to correspond with the minimum position being greater than the set minimum velocity value.

13. A surgical method including:

generating a desired surgical instrument movement command signal comprising a desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to a coordinate reference system, the desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to the coordinate reference system including signals corresponding to orientational movement of the surgical instrument and positional movement of the surgical instrument;

transforming the desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to the coordinate reference system into a corresponding velocity signal in joint space, while limiting the desired surgical instrument velocity signal to account for at least one singularity, the transforming step employing a conversion relationship that includes at least one term corresponding to the singularity

modifying the term by replacing it with an appropriate function including that term;

comparing the desired surgical instrument movement command signal with at least one preset surgical instrument movement limitation;

restricting the desired surgical instrument movement command signal to yield a restricted surgical instrument movement command signal in response to the desired surgical instrument movement command signal transgressing the preset surgical instrument movement limitation; and

moving a surgical instrument in response to the restricted surgical instrument movement command signal.

14. A surgical method including:

generating a desired surgical instrument movement command signal comprising a desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to a coordinate reference system, the desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to the coordinate reference system including signals corresponding to orientational movement of the surgical instrument and positional movement of the surgical instrument;

transforming the desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to the coordinate reference system into a corresponding velocity signal in joint space;

isolating joint space velocity signals corresponding to orientational movement after the transformation step;

comparing the desired surgical instrument movement command signal with at least one preset surgical instrument movement limitation;

restricting the desired surgical instrument movement command signal to yield a restricted surgical instrument movement command signal in response to the desired surgical instrument movement command signal transgressing the preset surgical instrument movement limitation; and

moving a surgical instrument in response to the restricted surgical instrument movement command signal.

15. A surgical method as claimed in claim 14, which includes comparing the isolated joint space velocity signals corresponding to orientational movement with velocity limitations in joint space.

16. A surgical method as claimed in claim 14, which includes integrating the isolated joint space velocity signals corresponding to orientational movement to yield corresponding joint space position signals corresponding to orientational movement and comparing the joint space position signals corresponding to orientational movement with position limits in joint space.

17. A surgical method as claimed in claim 14, which includes comparing the isolated joint space velocity signals corresponding to orientational movement with a multidimensional velocity limitation in joint space.

18. A surgical method as claimed in claim 17, which includes restricting the joint space velocity signals corresponding to orientational movement to remain within the multidimensional velocity limitation in joint space to yield a restricted joint space velocity signal corresponding to orientational movement in response to the isolated joint space velocity signal corresponding to orientational movement transgressing the multidimensional velocity limitation in joint space.

19. A surgical method as claimed in claim 18, which includes comparing the joint space velocity signal corresponding to orientational movement with the restricted joint space velocity signal corresponding to orientational movement to yield a joint space error signal.

20. A surgical method as claimed in claim 19, which includes transforming the joint space error signal to a corresponding error signal relative to the coordinate reference system.

21. A surgical method as claimed in claim 20, which includes using a magnitude of the error signal relative to the coordinate reference system to restrict the joint space velocity signal corresponding to orientational movement to remain within the multidimensional velocity limitation in joint space.

22. A surgical method as claimed in claim 21, which further includes isolating velocity signals corresponding to positional movement.

23. A surgical method as claimed in claim 22, which includes comparing the isolated velocity, signals corresponding to positional movement with the joint space velocity signals corresponding to orientational movement.

24. A surgical method as claimed in claim 23, which includes modifying the isolated velocity signals corresponding to positional movement in response to the joint space velocity signals corresponding to orientational movement having been restricted.

25. A surgical method as claimed in claim 24, in which the isolated velocity signals corresponding to positional movement are relative to the coordinate reference system, the method including transforming the velocity signals to joint space signals corresponding with positional movement.

26. A surgical method as claimed in claim 25, in which the transformation step is arranged to cause the velocity signal relative to the coordinate reference system to be transformed into joint space while limiting the velocity signal to account for at least one singularity.

27. A surgical method as claimed in claim 26, which further includes imposing joint space velocity and position limits on the joint space velocity signal corresponding to positional movement.

28. A surgical method as claimed in claim 27, which includes combining the joint space velocity signal corresponding to positional movement with the joint space velocity signal corresponding with orientational movement.