Software center and highly configurable robotic systems for surgery and other uses

• US 8,004,229 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Guthart, Gary, Mohr, Paul W, Larkin, David Q., Schena, Bruce M., Nowlin, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Benson; Walter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan; Kawing
• Application Number:
  US11/133,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20070013336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,287 Days
• Field of Search: 318/568.21, 318/568.2, 318/568.11, 318/568.13, 318/568.18
• US Class Current: 318/568.21
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/302 specifically adapted for manipulations within body cavities, e.g. within abdominal or thoracic cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• 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 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/77 Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 3/00 Manipulators of master-slave type, i.e. both controlling unit and controlled unit perform corresponding spatial movements
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1682 Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39135 For multiple manipulators operating at same time, avoid collision
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39212 Select between autonomous or teleoperation control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39322 Force and position control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40184 Compliant teleoperation, operator controls motion, system controls contact, force
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45117 Medical, radio surgery manipulator

Abstract

Telerobotic, telesurgical, and/or surgical robotic devices, systems, and methods employ surgical robotic linkages that may have more degrees of freedom than an associated surgical end effector n space. A processor can calculate a tool motion that includes pivoting of the tool about an aperture site. Linkages movable along a range of configurations for a given end effector position may be driven toward configurations which inhibit collisions. Refined robotic linkages and method for their use are also provided.

Claims

1. A robotic system comprising:

a manipulator assembly including a distal end effector, a proximal base, and a linkage extending distally between the base and the end effector for robotically moving the end effector relative to the base, the linkage of the manipulator assembly having a plurality of joints, the joints providing sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of joint states for an end effector position;

an input for receiving a command to effect a desired movement of the end effector; and

a processor coupling the input to the manipulator assembly, the processor determining movements of the joints in response to the command so as to move the end effector with the desired movement, the processor configured to drive at least one of the joints in response to an external articulation of another joint of the linkage of the manipulator assembly, the external articulation comprising movement of the other joint induced by an external force applied against the manipulator assembly.

2. The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to simultaneously effect the desired end effector movement and drive the at least one of the joints in response to the external articulation of the manipulator assembly.

3. The robotic system of claim 2, wherein:

the processor is configured to calculate the desired end effector movement by driving the manipulator to a primary solution, the primary solution being underconstrained; and

the processor comprises a configuration-dependent filter for a secondary control task, the processor driving the manipulator assembly toward desired combinations of joint movements per the secondary control task using the configuration-dependent filter.

4. The robotic system of claim 3, wherein the secondary control task comprises one or more of:

pivoting a shaft of the manipulator assembly adjacent a minimally invasive aperture site;

driving the manipulator assembly toward a desired pose;

or inhibiting collisions of the manipulator assembly.

5. The robotic system of claim 3, wherein the processor comprises a velocity controller configured to calculate the primary solution based on:

an inverse Jacobian;

a pseudo inverse selected from an SVD truncation, a minimum norm pseudo inverse, a Bayesian estimator, or a regularizing inverse;

a constrained convex optimization;

or

an adaptive filter; and

wherein the processor uses the configuration-dependent filter to calculate additional joint velocities, the configuration-dependent filter based on a second member selected from a second group consisting of;

an augmented inverse;

an augmented inverse with a weighted norm;

an inverse with a projector for filtering additional velocities;

or

an inverse with an adaptive filter for filtering of additional velocities.

6. The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine a minimally invasive surgery access site at least in part from observed pivotal movements of a shaft of the manipulator assembly during end effector movements within an internal surgical space.

7. The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a surgical master-slave position controller, and further comprising a force sensor system coupled to the manipulator assembly for sensing the external articulation, the external articulation comprising forces applied against the manipulator assembly by tissues of the patient adjacent a minimally invasive access site.

8. The robotic system of claim 7, wherein the processor comprises a hybrid force/position controller configured to drive the manipulator assembly in response to the access site forces.

9. The robotic system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to compensate for movement of the access site using the access site forces, the movement of the access site generated by at least one of patient breathing, patient repositioning, patient movement, and surgical table motion.

10. The robotic system of claim 7, wherein the force sensing system comprises a cannula for receiving the shaft within the tissues of the access site, the cannula having a force sensor.

11. The robotic system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to apply a cannula retraction force along a tubular axis of the cannula so as to assist with retraction of the cannula from the patient.

12. The robotic system of claim 1, further comprising a collision sensor system along the manipulator assembly, wherein the processor is configured to move the manipulator assembly in response a signal from the collision sensing system.

13. The robotic system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of manipulator assemblies, the manipulator assemblies movable simultaneously in response to signals from the processor and having sufficient degrees of freedom to have a range of joint states for an end effector position, wherein the processor calculates the signals for each manipulator assembly at least in part in response to a joint configuration of an adjacent manipulator assembly during simultaneous movement of the manipulator assemblies so as to inhibit collisions between the manipulator assemblies.

14. A robotic system comprising:

a manipulator assembly for robotically moving a distal end effector relative to a proximal base, the manipulator assembly having a plurality of joints, the joints providing sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of joint states for an end effector position;

an input for receiving a command to effect a desired movement of the end effector; and

a processor coupling the input to the manipulator assembly, the processor determining movements of the joints in response to the command so as to move the end effector with the desired movement, the processor configured to drive at least one of the joints in response to an external articulation of another joint of the manipulator assembly, wherein the processor has an end effector manipulation mode and a clutch mode, the processor in the manipulation mode calculating the joint movements to provide the desired end effector movement, the processor in the clutch mode driving the at least one joint in response to manual articulation of the other joint, the external articulation comprising the manual articulation.

15. The robotic system of claim 14, wherein each joint of the manipulator assembly has an associated joint degree of freedom, and wherein the processor in the clutch mode is configured to drive the at least one joint in response to the manual articulation of the other joint so as to provide the manipulator assembly with an effective clutch degree of freedom, the clutch degree of freedom differing from each of the joint degrees of freedom.

16. The robotic system of claim 15, wherein some or all of the joints of the manipulator assembly are driven by the processor in the clutch mode, the processor in the clutch mode configured to drive the manipulator assembly in response to manual articulation of one or more joints of the plurality of the joints of the manipulator assembly so that the manipulator assembly has a plurality of effective degrees of freedom when the processor is in the clutch mode.

17. The robotic system of claim 14, wherein the manipulator assembly comprises a surgical instrument having a shaft extending between a mounting interface and the end effector, wherein the processor in the manipulation mode comprises a master-slave controller configured to derive the desired movement of the end effector within an internal surgical space so that the shaft passes through a minimally invasive aperture site.

18. The robotic system of claim 17, wherein the master-slave controller comprises a velocity controller, and wherein the processor in the clutch mode uses a configuration-dependent filter so as to drive the joints with desired combinations of joint velocities that are allowed in the clutch mode.

19. The robotic system of claim 17, wherein the clutch mode comprises a pose clutch mode, the processor in the pose clutch mode, in response to manual articulation of at least a first joint of the manipulator assembly, effecting a movement of at least a second joint of the manipulator assembly, the movement of the second joint maintaining a position of the manipulator assembly distal of the first and second joints.

20. The robotic system of claim 17, wherein the clutch mode comprises an instrument clutch mode, the processor in the instrument clutch mode driving at least some of the joints so that the manipulator assembly pivots about the minimally invasive aperture site when the manipulator assembly is manually articulated.

21. The robotic system of claim 17, wherein the clutch mode comprises a port clutch mode, the processor in the port clutch mode allowing manual repositioning of the manipulator assembly adjacent the shaft so as to laterally position a shaft axis adjacent the aperture site.

22. The robotic system of claim 17, wherein the clutch mode comprises a port clutch mode, the processor determining a location of the aperture site at least in part from the manipulator assembly configuration when the processor changes from the port clutch mode to the manipulation mode.

23. The robotic system of claim 22, further comprising a port-clutch input adjacent the instrument mounting interface.

24. The robotic system of claim 23, wherein the manipulator assembly has an axial joint adjacent the port-clutch input for axial insertion of the shaft through the access site.

25. The robotic system of claim 22, wherein the processor drives the manipulator assembly in the port-clutch mode so as to effect at least one of:

balancing of gravitational forces acting on the manipulator assembly;

dampening momentum of the manipulator assembly during movement;

or urging the manipulator assembly toward a desired pose for surgery.

26. A robotic system comprising:

a manipulator assembly for robotically moving a distal end effector relative to a proximal base, the manipulator assembly having a plurality of joints, the joints providing sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of joint states for an end effector position;

an input for receiving a command to effect a desired movement of the end effector; and

a processor coupling the input to the manipulator assembly, the processor determining movements of the joints in response to the command so as to move the end effector with the desired movement, the processor configured to drive at least one of the joints in response to an external articulation of another joint of the manipulator assembly, wherein;

the processor is configured to simultaneously effect the desired end effector movement and drive the at least one of the joints in response to the external articulation of the manipulator assembly

the processor is configured to calculate the desired end effector movement by driving the manipulator to a primary solution, the primary solution being underconstrained; and

the processor comprises a configuration-dependent filter for a secondary control task, the processor driving the manipulator assembly toward desired combinations of joint movements per the secondary control task using the configuration-dependent filter; and

the primary solution corresponds to the desired end effector movement, and wherein the processor determines a priority between the primary solution and the secondary control task during the end effector movement, the priority varying in response to changes in a configuration of the manipulator assembly.