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

• US 10,433,919 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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 Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Roane, Aaron F
• Application Number:
  US14/585,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20150182287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 606 1
• 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 telesurgical system comprising:

a slave manipulator adapted to manipulate a tool when the tool is coupled to the slave manipulator;

a master manipulator;

slave controller means for controlling operation of the slave manipulator in response to input from the master manipulator;

master controller means for;

receiving first information of a force, which is being exerted against the tool, from the slave controller means;

generating a first indication of the force; and

providing the first indication of the force, as a reflected force, to the master manipulator;

a force indicator adapted to provide force information in a non-tactile sensory manner; and

processing means for;

receiving second information of the force, which is indicative of a command generated by the slave controller means to actuate an actuator of the slave manipulator to manipulate the tool, from the slave controller means;

generating a second indication of the force by amplifying the second information of the force; and

providing the second indication of the force to the force indicator, so that the force indicator provides the second indication of the force, as the force information, to a user of the master manipulator in the non-tactile sensory manner.

2. The telesurgical system according to claim 1, wherein the slave controller means comprises:

a feed-forward path providing a feed-forward torque value originating from the master manipulator;

a proportional-integral-derivative path providing a feedback torque value generated using a feedback error in the closed-loop control system; and

a summing node generating a total torque value by summing the feed-forward torque value and the feedback torque value.

3. The telesurgical system according to claim 2, wherein the second information of the force is generated by using the total torque value of the slave controller means.

4. The telesurgical system according to claim 2, wherein the second information of the force is generated by using the feedback torque value of the slave controller means.

5. The telesurgical system according to claim 2, wherein the second information of the force is generated by using a torque contribution of an integral portion of the proportional-integral-derivative path of the slave controller means.

6. The telesurgical system according to claim 2, wherein the second information of the force is generated by using an external disturbance torque value estimated by an observer by using a torque value associated with the slave controller means.

7. The telesurgical system according to claim 1,

wherein the providing of the second indication of the force to the force indicator, by the processing means, is conditioned upon the force being greater than a first threshold level;

and

wherein the first threshold level is a force level that is harmful to an obstruction which is the cause of the force being exerted against the tool, so that the force indicator provides the second indication of the force to the user so as to warn the user that an excessive force is being applied by the tool against the obstruction.

8. The telesurgical system according to claim 7, wherein the first threshold level is a force level that results in the reflected force, which is being provided to the master manipulator, being tactilely non-detectable by the user of the master manipulator, so that the second indication of the force provides information, which is detectable by the user, of the force being exerted against the tool.

9. The telesurgical system according to claim 8, wherein the force indicator comprises a user-visible indicator.

10. The telesurgical system according to claim 9, wherein the user-visible indicator is turned on when the force being exerted against the tool is greater than the first threshold value and the user-visible indicator is turned off when the force being exerted against the tool is less than a second threshold value, wherein the second threshold level is less than the first threshold level.

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

12. The telesurgical system according to claim 10, wherein the user-visible indicator is in the form of a bar graph.

13. The telesurgical system according to claim 10, 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.

14. The telesurgical system according to claim 10, wherein the user-visible indicator is located in the proximity of the slave manipulator.

15. The telesurgical system according to claim 14, wherein the user-visible indicator is a flashing light.

16. The telesurgical system according to claim 8, wherein the force indicator comprises a user-audible indicator.

17. The telesurgical system according to claim 16, wherein the user-audible indicator provides the second indication of the force to the user so as to increase in intensity as the magnitude of the force being exerted against the tool increases.

18. The telesurgical system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second force indicator for providing the second indication of the force to the user of the master manipulator, wherein the force indicator comprises a user-visible indicator and the second force indicator comprises a user-audible indicator.

19. In a telesurgical system having:

a slave manipulator adapted to manipulate a tool when the tool is coupled to the slave manipulator;

a master manipulator;

a slave controller means for controlling operation of the slave manipulator in response to input from the master manipulator; and

a master controller means for;

receiving first information of a force that is being exerted against the tool from one of the slave manipulator and the slave controller means, generating a first indication of the force by using the first information of the force, and providing the first indication of the force, as a reflected force, to the master manipulator, so that the master manipulator provides the first indication of the force to a user of the manipulator in a tactile sensory manner;

the improvement comprising;

a force indicator adapted to provide force information in a non-tactile sensory manner; and

processing means for;

receiving second information of the force, which is indicative of a command generated by the slave controller means to actuate an actuator of the slave manipulator to manipulate the tool, from the slave controller means;

generating a second indication of the force by amplifying the second information of the force; and

providing the second indication of the force to the force indicator, so that the force indicator provides the second indication of the force, as the force information, to the user of the master manipulator in the non-tactile sensory manner.

20. A telesurgical system comprising:

a slave manipulator adapted to manipulate a tool when the tool is coupled to the slave manipulator;

a master manipulator;

slave controller means for controlling operation of the slave manipulator in response to input from the master manipulator;

master controller means for;

receiving first information of a force, which is being exerted against the tool, from one of the slave manipulator and the slave controller means;

generating a first indication of the force by using the first information of the force; and

providing the first indication of the force, as a reflected force, to the master manipulator, so that the master manipulator provides the first indication of the force to a user of the manipulator in a tactile sensory manner;

a force indicator adapted to provide force information in a non-tactile sensory manner; and

processing means for;

receiving second information of the force, which is indicative of a command generated by the slave controller means to actuate an actuator of the slave manipulator to manipulate the tool, from the slave controller means;

generating a second indication of the force by amplifying the second information of the force; and

providing the second indication of the force to the force indicator, so that the force indicator provides the second indication of the force, as the force information, to the user of the master manipulator in the non-tactile sensory manner.