Tool grip calibration for robotic surgery

• US 9,872,737 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2017
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Nixon, Thomas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/457,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20170181805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 700 45, 700245, 700247, 700248, 700251, 700254, 700259, 700260, 700261, 700262, 700263, 700264, 901 8, 901 9, 901 14, 901 15, 901 21, 901 22, 901 24, 901 29, 901 30, 901 34, 901 36, 901 39, 901 40, 901 44, 901 45, 901 46, 901 48, 414 4, 414 5, 414729, 414730, 414735, 4147445, 3185681, 31856811, 31856812, 31856818, 31856821, 31856824, 318646, 128897, 29447901, 606 1, 606 33, 606130, 606205, 623 62, 2441725, 29428
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00017 Electrical control of surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00207 with hand gesture control or hand gesture recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00725 Calibration or performance testing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/066 for measuring torque
• 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 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/06 Measuring instruments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1692 Calibration of manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45123 Electrogoniometer, neuronavigator, medical robot used by surgeon to operate
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49305 Store, memory on tool with control and maintenance data
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/39 Jaw structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/40 : Vacuum or mangetic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/44 : inspection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/45 : Compliance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 : Sensing device

Abstract

Telerobotic, telesurgical, and surgical robotic devices, systems, and methods selectively calibrate end effector jaws by bringing the jaw elements into engagement with each other. Commanded torque signals may bring the end effector elements into engagement while monitoring the resulting position of a drive system, optionally using a second derivative of the torque/position relationship so as to identify an end effector engagement position. Calibration can allow the end effector engagement position to correspond to a nominal closed position of an input handle by compensating for wear on the end effector, the end effector drive system, then manipulator, the manipulator drive system, the manipulator/end effector interfacing, and manufacturing tolerances.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a master input device configured to generate a master input signal; and

a processor configured to receive the master input signal;

a robotic manipulator configured to support a mounted end effector and manipulate the mounted end effector in a plurality of degrees of freedom, the robotic manipulator transmitting a signal to the processor indicating mounting of the end effector onto the robotic manipulator;

wherein the processor is configured to;

calibrate a static configuration of the master input device to a predetermined configuration of the mounted end effector in response to receiving the signal indicating mounting of the end effector onto the robotic manipulator, the calibration generating a calibration offset;

based on the calibration offset, drive the end effector in the plurality of degrees of freedom in response to the master input signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the master input device comprising:

an input handle movable with a plurality of degrees of freedom;

an arm and a wrist, the arm and the wrist allowing positional and orientational movement of the input handle relative to a structure of the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, the wrist comprising a gimbal assembly supporting a handle having first and second grip members.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a Hall effect transducer mounted in one of the first and second grip members and a magnet mounted in another of the first and second grip members to generate a grip signal indicating the angular separation between the first and second grip members.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a biasing system urging the first and second grip members apart.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the biasing system comprising a spring or a resilient bumper.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the end effector coupled to a housing by an elongate shaft, the end effector supported relative to the shaft by a distal joint, the robotic manipulator configured to support the mounted end effector by supporting the housing coupled to the end effector.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the end effector comprising first and second end effector elements which pivot relative to each other, the end effector further coupled to a memory used to provide a signal verifying that the end effector is compatible with the processor.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, the end effector comprising a pair of end effector elements, the predetermined configuration of the mounted end effector comprising mutual engagement of the end effector elements, the static configuration of the master input device corresponding to gripping of the input handle.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured not to calibrate any other degree of freedom of the robotic manipulator between mounting of the end effector to the robotic manipulator and a robotic procedure performed using the end effector.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second robotic manipulator configurable to support a mounted end effector, wherein the processor is further configured to calibrate the end effector when mounted to the second robotic manipulator.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, the robotic manipulator comprising a drive system to drive the end effector, wherein the processor is configured to calibrate the end effector by monitoring movement of the drive system when driving the end effector, and identifying a change in torque applied by the drive system during the monitoring.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the processor further configured to identify the change in torque by applying the filter to torque data derived from the drive system.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, the processor configured to determine an end effector initial engagement position by taking a second derivative of the torque data versus time, and identifying a maximum or minimum in the second derivative.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the calibration offset derived by the processor is stored in the memory coupled to the processor.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to apply the calibration offset to driving the manipulator when the end effector corresponding to the stored calibration offset is removed from the manipulator, and subsequently re-mounted.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a feedback force is applied by the master input device at a nominal closed position of the input device, and the processor affects calibration so that initial engagement of the end effector corresponds to the nominal closed position of the master input device.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, the robotic manipulator further transmitting a single-element end effector signal to the processor in response to a single-element end effector being mounted on the processor, wherein the processor is configured to forego calibration of the end effector in response to receiving the single-element end effector signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, the transmitted signal specifying a tool type of the end effector to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to forego calibration of the end effector in response to receiving a signal specifying that the end effector is a single-element end effector.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of end effectors are mountable on the robotic manipulator over time, and the processor is further configured to effect calibration of each of the plurality of end effectors once per robotic procedure utilizing an end effector.