Surgical instrument and control method thereof

• US 9,244,524 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Inoue, Shintaro, Kishi, Kosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US14/169,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20140148819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/253, 700/257, 700/258, 700/259, 700/260, 700/261, 700/262, 700/264, 318/568.11, 318/568.12, 318/568.14, 318/568.16, 318/568.21, 901/1, 901/2, 901/8, 901/9, 901/30, 901/31, 901/34, 901/46, 606/1, 606/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/068 Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clampsstaplers containing only one staple A61B17/10; magazines or containers for staples A61B17/105; for performing anastomosis A61B17/115; staplers in general B25C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32002 with continuously rotating, oscillating or reciprocating cutting instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1402 Probes for open surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00119 alarm; indicating an abnormal situation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00482 with a code
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• 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 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/77 Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/10 specially adapted for instruments, e.g. microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/23 with means to retain or hold surgical implements
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/02 Hand grip control means handles or pedals for crane control B66C13/56; for measuring the force applied to control members G01L5/22; hand-held casings for switching devices, e.g. joy-sticks H01H9/0214
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1612 characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/08 Robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/30 : End effector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18056 : Rotary to or from reciprocating or oscillating

Abstract

A surgical instrument includes an end effector, a manipulation unit, a grip detecting unit, a driving unit, and a control unit. When the control unit determines that the end effector is applying the acting force to the target based on the information acquired by the grip detecting unit, the control unit sets an acting force increasing zone of a predetermined range in a first movable range in the first direction of the manipulation unit, sets a neutral zone in a remaining area of the first movable range, controls the driving unit so that the acting force increases with a constant gradient with respect to an amount of manipulation of the manipulation unit in the acting force increasing zone, and controls the driving unit so that the acting force is kept constant regardless of the amount of manipulation of the manipulation unit in the neutral zone.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument comprising:

an end effector that is opened and closed;

a manipulation unit which has an opening and closing member that is capable of opening and closing and which is configured to open and close the end effector by manipulating the opening and closing member in a first direction by a user so that the end effector applies an acting force to a target;

a grip detecting unit configured to acquire an information to determine whether the end effector applies the acting force to the target;

a driving unit configured to drive the end effector to be opened and closed; and

a control unit configured to control the driving unit based on the information input to the manipulation unit,

wherein when the control unit determines that the end effector applies the acting force to the target based on the information acquired by the grip detecting unit, the control unit;

sets an acting force increasing zone of a predetermined range in a first movable range in the first direction of the opening and closing member,

sets a neutral zone in a remaining area of the first movable range,

controls the driving unit so that the acting force increases with a constant gradient with respect to an amount of manipulation of the manipulation unit in the acting force increasing zone, and

controls the driving unit so that the acting force is kept constant and non-zero regardless of the amount of manipulation of the manipulation unit in the neutral zone.

2. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the acting force increasing zone is set in an initial area toward the first direction in the first movable range.

3. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the grip detecting unit includes a camera imaging the end effector.

4. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the grip detecting unit includes a force sensor detecting the acting force.

5. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the first movable range of the manipulation unit is set to be greater than a movable range of the end effector.

6. The surgical instrument according to claim 2, wherein the acting force decreases when the opening and closing member is manipulated in a second direction, and

wherein when the opening and closing member is manipulated in the second direction, the control unit

sets an acting force decreasing zone of a predetermined range to an initial area toward the second direction in a second movable range of the second direction of the manipulation unit, and

controls the driving unit so that the acting force decreases with a constant gradient with respect to the amount of manipulation of the manipulation unit in the acting force decreasing zone.

7. A control method of a surgical instrument having an end effector that is opened and closed and a manipulation unit which has an opening and closing member that is capable of opening and closing and which is configured to open and close the end effector by manipulating the opening and closing member in a first direction by a user so that the end effector applies an acting force to a target, the control method comprising:

repeatedly determining whether the end effector applies the acting force to the target;

when determining that the end effector applies the acting force to the target,

setting an acting force increasing zone of a predetermined range in a first movable range in the first direction of the opening and closing member,

setting a neutral zone in a remaining area of the first movable range;

causing the acting force to increase with a constant gradient with respect to an amount of manipulation of the manipulation unit in the acting force increasing zone; and

causing the acting force to be kept constant and non-zero regardless of the amount of manipulation of the manipulation unit in the neutral zone.