Automated calibration of endoscopes with pull wires

• US 9,931,025 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auris Health, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Auris Surgical Robotics, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Graetzel, Chauncey F., Ummalaneni, Ritwik
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cotey, Philip
• Application Number:
  US15/282,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20180092517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00006 of control signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00057 provided with means for testing or calibration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00149 using articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0016 using motor drive units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0051 with controlled bending of insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0052 Constructional details of control elements, e.g. handles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0057 Constructional details of force transmission elements, e.g. control wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/01 Guiding arrangements therefore
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2048 using an accelerometer or inertia sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2061 using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings
• 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 34/30 Surgical robots
• 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: G01B 21/16 for measuring distance of clearance between spaced objects

Abstract

A surgical robotic system automatically calibrates tubular and flexible surgical tools such as endoscopes. By compensating for unideal behavior of an endoscope, the surgical robotic system can accurately model motions of the endoscope and navigate the endoscope while performing a surgical procedure on a patient. During calibration, the surgical robotic system moves the endoscope to a target position and receives data describing an actual position and/or orientation of the endoscope. The surgical robotic system determines gain values based at least on the discrepancy between the target position and the actual position. The endoscope can include tubular components referred to as a sheath and leader. An instrument device manipulator of the surgical robotic system actuates pull wires coupled to the sheath and/or the leader, which causes the endoscope to articulate.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

retrieving, from computer readable media storing calibration data, a plurality of default gain values each associated with a pull wire of a plurality of pull wires of an endoscope;

inserting the endoscope into a body of a patient using a surgical robotic system;

providing a command, derived at least partly from one or more of the plurality of default gain values, to move the endoscope by translating at least one of the plurality of pull wires using the surgical robotic system;

receiving spatial data indicating an actual position of the endoscope having been moved in response to the command;

determining, for at least one of the pull wires, a new gain value based on the spatial data; and

storing the new gain value in the computer readable media.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second command based on the new gain value; and

providing the second command to move the endoscope using the surgical robotic system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the spatial data comprises:

positioning a fluoroscopic imaging system in proximity to the endoscope; and

capturing a plurality of fluoroscopic images of the endoscope by the fluoroscopic imaging system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the surgical robotic system deflects the endoscope to an angle in a yaw direction and a pitch direction in response to the command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the endoscope comprises at least one electromagnetic (EM) sensor coupled to a distal end of the endoscope, and wherein the method further comprises:

positioning at least one EM field generator in proximity to the EM sensor; and

wherein receiving the spatial data comprises detecting, at the EM sensor, an EM field whose strength is a function of the actual position of the distal end of the endoscope containing the EM sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the endoscope comprises one or more spatial sensors coupled to a distal end of the endoscope, the one or more spatial sensors including at least one of an accelerometer or a gyroscope, and wherein receiving the spatial data comprises detecting, by the one or more spatial sensors, motion in at least one direction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the endoscope comprises an optical fiber embedded inside the endoscope, wherein the method further comprises:

positioning a console in proximity to the endoscope, the console coupled to the optical fiber and configured to generate reflection spectrum data based on light reflected by the optical fiber; and

wherein receiving the spatial data comprises analyzing the reflection spectrum data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the endoscope includes a camera lens and a working channel, and wherein the camera lens and the working channel are each non-concentric to each pull wire of the plurality of pull wires.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the endoscope includes a sheath tubular component and a leader tubular component, the sheath tubular component including a first pull wire of the plurality of pull wires, and the leader tubular component including a second pull wire of the plurality of pull wires.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the leader tubular component and the sheath tubular component each include a plurality of segments.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first pull wire of the plurality of pull wires is spiraled at a first angle along a first segment of the plurality of segments of the sheath tubular component.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second pull wire of the plurality of pull wires is spiraled at a second angle along a second segment of the plurality of segments of the leader tubular component.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving information indicating a roll angle of the leader tubular component relative to the sheath tubular component and a length of the leader tubular component radially enclosed by the sheath tubular component; and

wherein the new gain value is further determined based on at least one of the roll angle and the length.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the endoscope by translating the at least one of the plurality of pull wires using the surgical robotic system comprises:

providing the command to a plurality of robotic arms coupled to the endoscope.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of pull wires includes a first pull wire and a second pull wire, and wherein providing the command comprises:

providing a first subcommand to translate the first pull wire a first distance; and

providing a second subcommand to translate the second pull wire a second distance.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of default gain values are determined during a calibration process.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of default gain values are based at least on a discrepancy between a target position and an actual position of the endoscope.

18. A surgical robotic system comprising:

one or more robotic arms;

an endoscope comprising a plurality of pull wires;

non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform steps including;

retrieve a plurality of default gain values each associated with one of the pull wires;

insert the endoscope into a body of a patient using the one or more robotic arms;

provide a command, derived from one or more of the plurality of default gain values, to move the endoscope by translating at least one of the plurality of pull wires using the one or more robotic arms;

receive spatial data indicating an actual position of the endoscope having been moved in response to the command;

determining, for at least one of the pull wires, a new gain value based on the spatial data; and

storing the new gain value.

19. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein the steps further include:

generating a second command based on the new gain value; and

providing the second command to move the endoscope using the one or more robotic arms.

20. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein receiving the spatial data comprises:

retrieving a plurality of fluoroscopic images of the endoscope captured by a fluoroscopic imaging system.

21. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein the one or more robotic arms deflects the endoscope to an angle in a yaw direction and a pitch direction in response to the command.

22. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein the endoscope comprises at least one electromagnetic (EM) sensor coupled to a distal end of the endoscope, and wherein receiving the spatial data comprises:

detecting, at the EM sensor, an EM field whose strength is a function of the actual position of the distal end of the endoscope containing the EM sensor relative to an EM field generator.

23. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein the endoscope comprises one or more spatial sensors coupled to a distal end of the endoscope, the one or more spatial sensors including at least one of an accelerometer or a gyroscope, and wherein receiving the spatial data comprises detecting, by the one or more spatial sensors, motion in at least one direction.

24. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein the endoscope comprises an optical fiber embedded inside the endoscope, and wherein receiving the spatial data comprises:

analyzing reflection spectrum data generated based on light reflected by the optical fiber.

25. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein the endoscope includes a camera lens and a working channel, and wherein the camera lens and the working channel are each nonconcentric to each pull wire of the plurality of pull wires.

26. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein the endoscope comprises a sheath tubular component and a leader tubular component, the sheath tubular component including a first pull wire of the plurality of pull wires, and the leader tubular component including a second pull wire of the plurality of pull wires.

27. The surgical robotic system of claim 26, wherein the leader tubular component and the sheath tubular component each include a plurality of segments.

28. The surgical robotic system of claim 27, wherein the first pull wire of the plurality of pull wires is spiraled at a first angle along a first segment of the plurality of segments of the sheath tubular component.

29. The surgical robotic system of claim 28, wherein the second pull wire of the plurality of pull wires is spiraled at a second angle along a second segment of the plurality of segments of the leader tubular component.

30. The surgical robotic system of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving information indicating a roll angle of the leader tubular component relative to the sheath tubular component and a length of the leader tubular component radially enclosed by the sheath tubular component; and

wherein the new gain value is further determined based on at least one of the roll angle and the length.

31. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein the one or more robotic arms includes at least a first robotic arm and a second robotic arm, and wherein moving the endoscope by translating the at least one of the plurality of pull wires using the one or more robotic arms comprises:

providing a first subcommand to the first robotic arm; and

providing a second subcommand, being different than the first subcommand, to the second robotic arm.

32. The surgical robotic system of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the plurality of pull wires includes a first pull wire and a second pull wire, and wherein providing the command comprises:

providing a first subcommand to translate the first pull wire a first distance; and

providing a second subcommand to translate the second pull wire a second distance.