Non-force reflecting method for providing tool force information to a user of a telesurgical system

• US 8,944,070 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• 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 Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Guthart, Gary S., Larkin, David Q., Rosa, David J., Mohr, Paul W., Prisco, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): ROANE, AARON F
• Application Number:
  US11/093,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20050200324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,597 Days
• Field of Search: 606/1, 700/245, 901/2, 3/1
• US Class Current: 128/898
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/04 combined with photographic or television appliances
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/3132 for laparoscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00234 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/031 torque limiting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/066 for measuring torque
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0807 Indication means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/506 using a parallelogram linkage, e.g. panthograph
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• 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 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4218 : characterised by articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 : involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 : Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 : Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 : relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 : ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

Tool force information is provided to a user of a telesurgical system using an alternative modality other than force reflection on a master manipulator, such as providing the information on user-visible, user-audible, or haptic “buzz” or “viscosity” indicators, so as to allow expanded processing, including amplification, of the information, while not significantly affecting the stability of the telesurgical system or any closed-loop control systems in the telesurgical system.

Claims

1. A method for providing force information to a user of a telesurgical system, wherein the telesurgical system includes a tool, a slave manipulator having a plurality of joints for manipulating the tool, a master manipulator, and a first closed-loop control system for driving a first joint of the plurality of joints in response to manipulation of the master manipulator by a user, the method comprising:

processing at least a first value at a first node in the first closed-loop control system to generate force information indicative of a force being exerted against the tool, wherein the processing includes at least one of multiplying the first value by a first gain and passing the first value through a first filter, wherein the force being exerted against the tool results in a reflected force being applied to the master manipulator through at least the first closed-loop control system; and

providing the force information to the user of the telesurgical system in a non-tactile sensory manner so as to be detectable by the user, wherein the providing is initiated upon the force being exerted against the tool being greater than a first threshold value, and wherein the first threshold value corresponds to a reflected force that is less than a minimum force level which is tactilely detectable on the master manipulator by the user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the force information is provided to the user so as to warn the user if excessive force is being applied by the tool against an obstruction.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the force information is provided to the user by displaying the force information on a user-visible indicator.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the providing of the force information to the user is terminated upon the force being exerted against the tool being less than a second threshold value which is less than the first threshold value.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the user-visible indicator increases in intensity as the magnitude of the applied force increases.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the user-visible indicator is in the form of a bar graph.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the telesurgical system includes a monitor having a screen visible to the user, and the user-visible indicator is a blinking icon displayed on the screen.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein the user-visible indicator is located in the proximity of the slave manipulator.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the user-visible indicator is a flashing light.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the force information is provided to the user by using a user-audible indicator.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the user-audible indicator increases in intensity as the magnitude of the applied force increases.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the force information is provided to the user in the non-tactile sensory manner by turning on a first indicator upon the force being exerted against the tool being greater than the first threshold value, and wherein the force information is provided to the user in the non-tactile sensory manner by turning on a second indicator upon the force being exerted against the tool being greater than a third threshold value which is greater than the first threshold value.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first value at the first node derives from an encoder measurement taken at the first joint.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the generation of the force information comprises generating a Cartesian force by using an inverse transform of a Jacobian matrix corresponding to the slave manipulator.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the generation of the force information further comprises generating a filtered force by filtering the Cartesian force with a low pass filter to remove unwanted high frequency noise.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the generation of the force information further includes generating a filtered scalar force by taking the norm of the filtered force.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the generation of the force information further includes generating a static force by multiplying the filtered scalar force by a velocity dependent multiplier that is relatively small at high velocities and large at low velocities.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the velocity dependent multiplier is a natural exponential function with power of −

Av, where v is a column vector of joint velocities and A is a tunable row matrix used to tune and weight the joint velocities as desired.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the telesurgical system includes a second closed-loop control system for driving a second joint of the plurality of joints in response to manipulation of the master manipulator by the user, wherein the generation of the force information includes at least processing a second value at a second node in the second closed-loop control system, and wherein the processing includes at least one of multiplying the second value by a second gain and passing the second value through a second filter.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second closed-loop control systems are similarly configured, and wherein the first and second nodes correspond to different locations in the first and second closed-loop control systems.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second gains are different values.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second filters process input values differently.