Controlling a robotic surgical tool with a display monitor

• US 8,808,164 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Brian D., Nowlin, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLQUE, RONALD DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/058,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 600/101, 600/160, 600/427, 600/429, 600/478, 600/102, 600/117, 600/118, 600/476, 600/587, 600/500, 600/425, 600/473, 600/407, 607/3, 607/42, 607/2, 607/45, 700/264, 700/259, 700/248, 700/245, 606/21, 606/88, 606/130, 606/41
• US Class Current: 600/101
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00042 for mechanical operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00149 using articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00188 with focusing or zooming features
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00199 with a console, e.g. a control panel with a display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00216 with eye tracking or head position tracking control
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/372 Details of monitor hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/32 operating autonomously
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/74 Manipulators with manual electric input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, a method for controlling a robotic surgical tool is disclosed. The method for controlling a robotic surgical tool includes moving a monitor displaying an image of a robotic surgical tool; sensing motion of the monitor; and translating the sensed motion of the monitor into motion of the robotic surgical tool.

Claims

1. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a monitor including

a housing with a window opening;

a touch sensitive display panel coupled to the housing in the window opening, the touch sensitive display panel to display images of a surgical site in the window opening and receive user input; and

one or more motion sensing devices coupled to the housing, the one or more motion sensing devices to generate one or more control signals in response to motion of the monitor;

an arm coupled between the monitor and a surface to support the monitor above the surface;

a processor coupled to the monitor to receive the one or more control signals and the user input, the processor to digitally control the images of the surgical site displayed in the window opening by the touch sensitive display panel; and

an image capturing device coupled to the processor, the image capturing device to capture the images of the surgical site for display by the touch sensitive display panel.

2. The robotic surgical system of claim 1, wherein

each of the one or more motion sensing devices is an inertia sensor.

3. The robotic surgical system of claim 1, wherein

the processor further controls movement of the image capturing device in response to the one or more control signals.

4. The robotic surgical system of claim 3, wherein

the image capturing device is an endoscopic camera.

5. The robotic surgical system of claim 3, wherein

the image capturing device is an ultrasound tool.

6. A method for controlling an endoscopic camera in a robotic surgical system, the method comprising:

capturing images of a surgical site using an image capturing device;

supporting a monitor over a surface with an arm;

displaying on the monitor a first set of images of the surgical site in a target window corresponding to a first plurality of source pixels from the captured images selected by a source window;

moving the monitor and the arm;

sensing motion of the monitor;

in response to the sensed motion, digitally panning the source window to select a second plurality of source pixels for display in the target window; and

displaying on the monitor a second set of images of the surgical site in the target window corresponding to the second plurality of source pixels selected by the source window.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the image capturing device is an endoscopic camera and the method further comprises:

if the sensed motion digitally pans the source window to an edge of a video frame captured by the endoscopic camera, mechanically moving the endoscopic camera to move the source window of selected pixels towards a center of the video frame.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein

the motion of the monitor is sensed by an inertia sensor coupled thereto.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein

the motion of the monitor is sensed by one or more rotary encoders at one or more joints of the arm supporting the monitor.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

prior to moving the monitor, grasping sides of the monitor with a pair of hands.

11. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a monitor including

a housing with a window opening;

a display panel coupled to the housing in the window opening, the display panel to display images of a surgical site in the window opening; and

one or more motion sensing devices coupled to the housing, the one or more motion sensing devices to generate one or more control signals in response to motion of the monitor;

an arm coupled between the monitor and a surface to support the monitor above the surface;

a processor coupled to the monitor, the processor to receive the one or more control signals and digitally control the images of the surgical site displayed in the window opening by the display panel; and

an image capturing device coupled to the processor, the image capturing device to capture the images of the surgical site for display by the display panel,

wherein

the digital control of the images of the surgical site includes

selecting with a source window, a first plurality of source pixels in the captured images to display a first set of images of the surgical site in a target window on the monitor; and

in response to motion sensed by the one or more motion sensing devices, digitally panning the source window to select a second plurality of source pixels in the captured images to display a second set of images of the surgical site in the target window of the monitor.

12. The robotic surgical system of claim 11, wherein

the display panel is a touch sensitive display panel to receive user input;

and

a user selects the source window on the touch sensitive display to select the first plurality of source pixels in the captured images.

13. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a monitor including

a housing with a window opening, and

a display panel coupled to the housing in the window opening, the display panel to display images of a surgical site in the window opening;

an arm having one end coupled to the housing and an opposite end coupled to a surface to support the monitor above the surface, the arm including

one or more serial links between the housing and the surface, and

one or more encoders at one or more joints of the one or more serial links, the one or more encoders to generate one or more control signals in response to motion of the monitor and the arm;

a processor coupled to the display panel and the one or more encoders, the processor to receive the one or more control signals and digitally control the images of the surgical site displayed in the window opening by the display panel; and

an image capturing device coupled to the processor, the image capturing device to capture the images of the surgical site for display by the display panel, wherein

the digital control of the images of the surgical site includes

selecting with a source window a first plurality of source pixels in the captured images to display in a target window on the monitor as a first set of images of the surgical site; and

in response to motion sensed by the one or more motion sensing devices, digitally panning the source window to select a second plurality of source pixels for display in the target window of the monitor as a second set of images of the surgical site.

14. The robotic surgical system of claim 13, wherein

the display panel is a touch sensitive display panel to receive user input.

15. The robotic surgical system of claim 13, wherein

the processor further controls movement of the image capturing device in response to the one or more control signals.

16. The robotic surgical system of claim 15, wherein

the image capturing device is an endoscopic camera.

17. The robotic surgical system of claim 15, wherein

the image capturing device is an ultrasound tool.

18. The robotic surgical system of claim 13, wherein

the display panel is a touch sensitive display panel to receive user input;

and

a user selects the source window on the touch sensitive display to select the first plurality of source pixels in the captured images.