Surgical robot system

• US 9,925,011 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB gomtec GmbH (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Gombert, Bernd, Krausen, Leopold
• Primary Examiner(s): Rink, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US14/907,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20160157942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 2090/0808 for indicating correct assembly of components, e.g. of the surgical apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/03 Automatic limiting or abutting means, e.g. for safety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1666 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45117 Medical, radio surgery manipulator

Abstract

The invention relates to a surgical robot system comprising a robot arm (8) installed on a substructure (1), a first control instance (16) for producing control commands for the robot arm (8) on the basis of user inputs, and a second control instance (18), which receives the control commands from the first control instance (16) and checks the control commands with respect to whether the execution of the control commands by the robot arm (8) requires the robot arm to leave a specified occupied space (21, 22) of the robot arm (8) and releases a control command for execution by the robot arm (8) at most to the extent to which the control command can be executed without the robot arm leaving the specified occupied space (21, 22, 30).

Claims

1. A surgical robot system comprising:

a robotic arm (8) mounted on a base element (1);

a controller, said controller comprising a first controller portion (16), configured for generating control commands for the robotic arm (8) on the basis of user inputs and a second controller portion (18), electrically coupled to said first controller portion (16) and to said robotic arm (8), and configured for receiving the control commands from the first controller portion (16) and for checking the control commands to determine whether execution of said control commands by the robotic arm (8) requires said robotic arm to leave a specified movement space (21, 22, 30) of the robotic arm (8), and responsive to said checking, for releasing a received control command for execution by the robotic arm (8) to the extent to which the received control command can be executed without the robotic arm leaving the specified movement space (21, 22, 30);

a patient support (2), detachably connectable to a support plate (6) mounted on the base element (1), wherein the second controller portion (18) is electrically coupled with at least one sensor (15) disposed in said support plate (6), and wherein said second controller portion (18) is configured for detecting whether the support plate (6) is connected with the patient support (2), and responsive to said detecting carried out by the second controller portion (18), said second controller portion (18) is configured for establishing different robotic arm movement spaces (21, 22) depending on whether or not the patient support (2) is detected as connected with the support plate (6) mounted on the base element (1), wherein if said second controller portion (18) detects that the support plate (6) is connected with the patient support (2), said second controller portion (18) establishes at least a first robotic arm movement space (22) allowing said robotic arm to move within said first robotic arm movement space (22), and if said second controller portion (18) detects that the support plate (6) is not connected with the patient support (2), said second controller portion (18) establishes a second robotic arm movement space (21) allowing said robotic arm to move only within said second robotic arm movement space (21).

2. The surgical robot system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one sensor (15) detects a position of a locking mechanism (14) in said support plate (6).

3. The surgical robot system according to claim 2, characterised in that said locking mechanism (14) in said support plate (6) is movable between a locked position in which it secures the patient support (2) to the support plate (6) mounted on the base element (1) and an unlocked position in which said locking mechanism (14) releases the patient support (2) from the support plate (6) mounted on the base element (1), and wherein said second controller portion (18) maintains said locking mechanism (14) in said locked position if said second controller portion (18) detects that the support plate (6) is connected with the patient support (2).

4. The surgical robot system according to claim 1, characterised in that the second controller portion (18) is coupled to a user interface (20), configured for allowing said second controller portion (18) to switch allowed movement of said robotic arm (8) between the movement spaces (21) and (22).

5. The surgical robot system according to claim 1, characterised in that a camera (23) is connected to the second controller portion (18).

6. The surgical robot system according to claim 5, characterised in that the camera (23) is arranged so as to scan a patient (25) on the patient support (2), and wherein the second controller portion (18) is configured to specify a movement space (22, 30) of the robotic arm (8) on the basis of a position of the patient (25) on said patient support (2).

7. The surgical robot system according to claim 1, characterised in that the second controller portion (18) further includes an interface (27) configured for receiving data relating to an operation to be performed on a patient (25) and is configured to specify the movement space (30) of the robotic arm (8) on the basis of said data relating to an operation to be performed on said patient (25).

8. The surgical robot system according to claim 7, characterised in that the second controller portion (18) is configured to check whether the specified movement space (30) is accessible for the robotic arm (8), and to generate an error message if at least a part of the movement space (30) is not accessible for the robotic arm (8).

9. The surgical robot system according to claim 1, characterised in that the robotic arm (8) can be mounted on the base element (1) in different positions.

10. The surgical robot system according to claim 9, characterised in that the second controller portion (18) is configured to detect the mounting position of the robotic arm (8) on the base element (1).

11. The surgical robot system according to claim 1, characterised in that the first robotic arm movement space (22) comprises a surgical field (34) in a body (25) of a patient.

12. The surgical robot system according to claim 11, characterised in that a part of the first robotic arm movement space (22) is located outside of the body (25) and wherein the surgical field (34) is located inside the body (25) and wherein said first robotic arm movement space (22) and said surgical field (34) are connected together via a port (33).

13. The surgical robot system according to claim 1, characterised in that the robotic arm (8) includes a surgical instrument (17) mounted thereon.