Aspects of a control system of a minimally invasive surgical apparatus

• US 6,772,053 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2002
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: VISX Incorporated
• Inventors: Niemeyer, Günter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, THOMAS K
• Application Number:
  US10/269,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20030029463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 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 by moving a master control with a movement from a first location to a second location, the desired surgical instrument command signal corresponding to the movement of the master control from the first location to the second location, wherein generating a desired surgical instrument movement command signal comprises generating a desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to a coordinate reference system;

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

comparing the desired surgical instrument velocity signal in joint space with at least one preset surgical instrument movement limitation in joint space, wherein the at least one preset surgical instrument movement limitation comprises 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;

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

resisting the master control movement from the first location to the second location in response to the restricting of the desired surgical instrument command signal;

wherein the restricting step includes 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 a first direction and a maximum joint space velocity limit in a second 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;

and wherein 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, and 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.

2. A surgical method as claimed in claim 1, 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.

3. A surgical method as claimed in claim 1, in which the transforming step is arranged to cause the desired surgical instrument velocity signal relative to the coordinate reference system to be transformed into joint space while limiting the desired surgical instrument velocity signal to account for at least one singularity.

4. A surgical method as claimed in claim 2, which includes maintaining the set maximum and the set minimum velocity values in response to the joint space velocity 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.

5. A surgical method as claimed in claim 2, which includes replacing the set maximum velocity value with the value of the joint space velocity for the surgical instrument position to correspond with the maximum position in response to the joint space velocity for the surgical instrument position to correspond with the maximum position being less than the set maximum velocity value.

6. A surgical method as claimed in claim 2, which includes replacing the set minimum velocity value with the value of the joint space velocity 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.

7. A surgical method as claimed in claim 3, in which the conversion relationship is defined by a conversion matrix.

8. A surgical method as claimed in claim 3, in which the conversion relationship includes at least one term corresponding to the singularity, the method including modifying the term.

9. A surgical method as claimed in claim 6, in which transformation of the desired surgical instrument velocity signal includes employing a conversion relationship.

10. A surgical method as claimed in claim 9, in which the conversion matrix is an Inverse Jacobian matrix.