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

• US 8,816,628 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• 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: Nowlin, William C., Mohr, Paul W., Schena, Bruce M., Larkin, David Q., Guthart, Gary S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Kawing
• Application Number:
  US13/175,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 318/568.21, 318/568.2, 318/568.11, 318/568.1, 318/567, 318/560
• 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 tele-surgical system comprising:

a surgical instrument having a proximal end, a distal end effector suitable for insertion into a patient, and an intermediate portion extending between the end effector and the proximal end;

a manipulator configured to support the proximal end of the instrument so as to move the instrument from outside the patient;

the manipulator and instrument together having a plurality of driven joints, the plurality of driven joints being configured to provide sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of joint states of the plurality of driven joints for a state of the end effector while the intermediate portion passes through an access site;

an input configured to receive a movement command to effect a desired movement of the end effector within a surgical workspace; and

a processor coupling the input to the manipulator, the processor being configured to;

determine calculated movements of the plurality of driven joints in response to the commanded movement, the calculated movements being calculated so as to move the end effector with the desired movement by pivoting the instrument about a pivotal center of the instrument, and

determine a dynamic pivotal center location, wherein during the desired movement of the end effector, the calculated movements of the plurality of driven joints pivot the instrument at the dynamic pivotal center location to maintain the pivotal center of the instrument adjacent the access site in response to a changing location of the access site.

2. The tele-surgical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to track changes in a location of the pivotal center of the instrument, the dynamic pivotal center location being calculated based in part on the tracked changes of the location of the pivotal center.

3. The tele-surgical system of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to track movement of the location of the pivotal center of the instrument induced by at least one of cyclical physiological movement, patient movement, and movement of a surgical table supporting the patient.

4. The tele-surgical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to track movement of a location of the pivotal center of the instrument induced by movement of a surgical table supporting the patient and calculate the dynamic pivotal center location so as to compensate for the tracked movement of the location of the pivotal center of the instrument.

5. The tele-surgical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine changes in a location of the pivotal center of the instrument at least in part from observed pivotal movements of the instrument and calculate the dynamic pivotal center location so as to compensate for the tracked movement of the location of the pivotal center of the instrument.

6. The tele-surgical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured so that the dynamic pivotal center location moves within an acceptable range so as to avoid imposing excessive lateral forces on a tissue of the patient when the tissue along the minimally invasive access site moves.

7. The tele-surgical system of claim 1,

wherein the processor comprises a software center module, and

wherein the software center module is configured to determine changes in a location of the pivotal center of the instrument and is further configured to determine forces associated with pivoting of the instrument about the access site, the dynamic pivotal center location being calculated based in part on the determined forces.

8. The tele-surgical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine a cyclical movement of the pivotal center of the instrument, the cyclical movement being associated with a physiological activity of the patient.

9. The tele-surgical system of claim 8, wherein the physiological activity comprises breathing of the patient.

10. The tele-surgical system of claim 8, wherein the physiological activity comprises a heartbeat of the patient.

11. The tele-surgical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to change a compliance or stiffness associated with the dynamic pivotal center location within a range extending from a passive pivot point location to a fixed pivot point location.

12. The tele-surgical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to calculate the driven joint movements so as to inhibit movement of a location of the pivotal center of the instrument in response to a port stiffness factor.

13. The tele-surgical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to drive at least one joint of the plurality of driven joints according to a calculated movement of the at least one joint calculated in response to an external manual articulation of the manipulator so as to maintain the pivotal center of the instrument at the calculated dynamic pivotal center location when the manipulator is manually articulated.

14. A tele-surgical system comprising:

a manipulator assembly configured to robotically move a distal end effector relative to a proximal base, the manipulator assembly having a plurality of driven joints, the manipulator assembly comprising a shaft configured to be inserted through an access site and pivot about a pivotal center adjacent a minimally invasive aperture;

an input configured to receive a command to effect a desired movement of the end effector; and

a processor coupling the input to the manipulator assembly, the processor being configured to determine calculated movements of the plurality of driven joints calculated in response to the command, wherein the calculated movements are calculated so as to move the end effector with the desired movement by pivoting the shaft about a pivotal center of the shaft,

the processor being further configured to determine a dynamic pivotal center location and associated movements of the driven joints so as to pivot the instrument at the dynamic pivotal center location so as to maintain the pivotal center of the shaft adjacent the access site,

the processor being further configured to conform the manipulator with an external articulation of the manipulator when the external articulation exceeds a threshold so that movement of at least one joint of the plurality of driven joints is determined in part in response to the threshold-exceeding external articulation, the external articulation effecting movement of the shaft by movement of the access site, the processor being further configured to accommodate the external articulation by determining a dynamic pivotal center location by tracking changes in the pivotal center of the shaft within the access site in response to a changing location of the access site.

15. A tele-surgical method comprising:

robotically moving a tool holder of a manipulator relative to a proximal base of the manipulator while a shaft of a tool supported by the tool holder extends from the tool holder distally through an aperture to an end effector of the tool;

changing a mode of a processor by receiving a clutch actuation input;

calculating, using the processor, movements of at least one driven joint of a plurality of driven joints of the manipulator according to a calculated movement, the calculated movement being calculated in response to manual articulation of the manipulator so that the tool holder pivots about a pivotal center disposed along an axis of the tool shaft distal of the tool holder;

receiving a command to effect a desired movement of an end effector;

calculating movements of the plurality of driven joints of the manipulator in response to the received command so that the end effector effects the desired movement while the shaft of the tool extends through the aperture and pivots the shaft about the pivotal center; and

calculating a dynamic pivotal center location, wherein the calculated movements of the plurality of driven joints pivot the instrument at the dynamic pivotal center location to maintain the pivotal center of the shaft adjacent the aperture in response to a changing location of the aperture.

16. A tele-surgical system comprising:

a surgical instrument having a proximal end, a distal end effector suitable for insertion into a patient, an intermediate portion extending between the end effector and the proximal end;

a manipulator configured to support the proximal end of the instrument so as to move the instrument from outside the patient;

the manipulator and instrument together having a plurality of driven joints, the plurality of driven joints being configured to provide sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of joint states for a state of the end effector while the intermediate portion passes through an access site;

an input configured to receive a movement command to effect a desired movement of the end effector within a surgical workspace; and

a processor coupling the input to the manipulator, the processor being configured to determine calculated movements of the plurality of driven joints in response to the commanded movement so that the intermediate portion of the instrument is within the access site and so as to move the end effector with the desired movement by pivoting the instrument about a pivotal center of the instrument, the pivotal center being adjacent the access site,

wherein the processor is configured to move the pivotal center within an acceptable range so as to avoid imposing excessive lateral forces on a tissue of the patient when the tissue along the minimally invasive access site moves.

17. A tele-surgical system comprising:

a surgical instrument having a proximal end, a distal end effector suitable for insertion into a patient, and an intermediate portion extending between the end effector and the proximal end;

a manipulator configured to support the proximal end of the instrument so as to move the instrument from outside the patient;

the manipulator and instrument together having a plurality of driven joints, the plurality of driven joints being configured to provide sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of joint states for a state of the end effector while the intermediate portion passes through an access site;

an input configured to receive a movement command to effect a desired movement of the end effector within a surgical workspace; and

a processor coupling the input to the manipulator, the processor being configured to determine calculated movements of the plurality of driven joints in response to the commanded movement so that the intermediate portion is within the access site and so as to move the end effector with the desired movement by pivoting the instrument about a pivotal center of the instrument, the pivotal center being adjacent the access site, wherein the processor is configured to determine a cyclical movement of the pivotal center, the cyclical movement being associated with a physiological activity of the patient.

18. The tele-surgical system of claim 17, wherein the physiological activity comprises breathing of the patient.

19. The tele-surgical system of claim 17, wherein the physiological activity comprises a heartbeat of the patient.

20. A tele-surgical system comprising:

a surgical instrument having a proximal end, a distal end effector suitable for insertion into a patient, and an intermediate portion extending between the end effector and the proximal end;

a manipulator configured to support the proximal end of the instrument so as to move the instrument from outside the patient;

the manipulator and instrument together having a plurality of driven joints, the plurality of driven joints being configured to provide sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of joint states of the plurality of driven joints for a state of the end effector while the intermediate portion passes through an access site;

an input configured to receive a movement command to effect a desired movement of the end effector within a surgical workspace; and

a processor coupling the input to the manipulator, the processor being configured to;

determine a dynamic pivotal center location, during movement of the access site, that remains adjacent the access site;

determine calculated movements of the plurality of driven joints in response to the commanded movement and in response to a changing location of the access site so as to;

move the end effector with the desired movement,

pivot the instrument about a pivotal center of the instrument, and

move the pivotal center of the instrument toward and/or maintain the pivotal center of the instrument at the dynamic pivotal center location to maintain the pivotal center of the instrument adjacent the access site during the desired movement of the end effector.

21. A teleoperated surgical system comprising:

a teleoperated manipulator having a plurality of driven joints;

a surgical instrument having a proximal end mounted on the manipulator, a distal end effector, an intermediate portion between the proximal end and the end effector, and a pivotal center being defined at a position on the intermediate portion of the surgical instrument; and

a processor coupled to the manipulator;

the plurality of driven joints providing sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of states of the plurality of driven joints for an individual position of the end effector;

the processor being configured to

determine calculated movements of the plurality of driven joints to move the pivotal center of the instrument toward and/or maintain the pivotal center of the instrument at a dynamic pivotal center location calculated to remain adjacent an access site as the access site moves,

move the end effector by pivoting the surgical instrument about the pivotal center of the instrument in response to an operator input command as the access site moves, and

in the absence of the operator input command, determine calculated movements of the plurality of driven joints that keep the end effector stationary in relation to a surgical site as the access site moves.