USER INITIATED BREAK-AWAY CLUTCHING OF A SURGICAL MOUNTING PLATFORM

• US 20140052154A1
• Filed: 08/15/2013
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Mohr, Paul, Swarup, Nitish, Griffiths, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,452,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• 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 2034/304 including a freely orientable platform, e.g. so called 'Stewart platforms'
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/066 for measuring torque
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/508 with releasable brake mechanisms
• 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 34/77 Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/06 Measuring instruments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/50 Supports for surgical instruments, e.g. articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1633 compliant, force, torque control, e.g. combined with position control
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1669 characterised by special application, e.g. multi-arm co-operation, assembly, grasping
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40414 Man robot interface, exchange of information between operator and robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller

Abstract

Robotic and/or surgical devices, systems, and methods include kinematic linkage structures and associated control systems configured to facilitate preparation of the system for use. One or more kinematic linkage sub-systems may include joints that are actively driven, passive, or a mix of both. A set-up mode employs an intuitive user interface in which one or more joints are initially held static by a brake or joint drive system. The user may articulate the joint(s) by manually pushing against the linkage with a force, torque, or the like that exceeds a manual articulation threshold. Articulation of the moving joints is facilitated by modifying the signals transmitted to the brake or drive system. The system may sense completion of the reconfiguration from a velocity of the joint(s) falling below a threshold, optionally for a desired dwell time. The system may provide a detent-like manual articulation that is not limited to mechanically pre-defined detent joint configurations. Embodiments of the invention provide, and can be particularly well-suited for manual movement of a platform supporting a plurality of surgical manipulators in a robotic surgical system or the like without having to add additional input devices.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a robotic system, the method comprising:

inhibiting manual articulation of a linkage of the system from a first pose in response to a first manual effort against the linkage being below a desired articulation threshold;

facilitating a manual movement of the linkage from the first pose toward a second pose, in response to a second manual effort to articulate the linkage exceeding the desired articulation threshold;

determining the second pose in response to the manual movement of the linkage; and

inhibiting manual movement of the linkage from the second pose.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a joint sensor senses a first torque of the first manual effort applied to a joint, and wherein inhibiting the manual articulation comprises, with a processor, determining drive signals configured to induce a counteracting torque to the linkage opposing the first torque so as to urge the linkage back toward the first pose.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the joint sensor senses a second torque of the second manual effort applied to the joint, and

the processor of the system determines the second effort exceeds the desired articulation threshold using the second torque, and in response, alters the drive signals so as to decrease the counteracting torque so that the first torque is sufficient to manually move the manipulator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the processor determines the second effort exceeds the desired articulation threshold in response to the second torque exceeding a threshold torque.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a processor of the system alters drive signals in response to the second effort exceeding the desired articulation threshold by adding a friction compensation component to the drive signals so as to mitigate friction of the linkage for the manual movement toward the second pose.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second pose comprises determining a velocity of the manual movement is below a threshold velocity.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the second pose further comprises determining the velocity of the manual movement remains below the threshold velocity for a threshold dwell time so as to facilitate reversing a direction of the movement without inhibiting manual movement.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising driving the linkage in the second pose with drive signals so as to inhibit manual movement of the linkage from the second pose in response to a third manual effort against the manipulator being below the desired articulation threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the robotic system comprises a surgical robotic system, wherein the linkage comprises a set-up structure having a proximal base and a platform with the joint disposed therebetween, wherein the platform supports a plurality of surgical manipulators, each manipulator comprising an instrument holder configured for releasably receiving a surgical instrument, and wherein the manual movement alters positions of the plurality of manipulators relative to a surgical site.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the robotic system comprises a surgical robotic system, wherein the linkage is included in a surgical manipulator having an instrument holder configured for releasably receiving a surgical instrument and a cannula interface configured for releasably receiving a cannula, the manipulator configured to pivotably move a shaft of the instrument within an aperture adjacent the cannula so as to manipulate an end effector of the instrument within a minimally invasive surgical aperture, and further comprising inhibiting manual articulation of the joint with manual effort exceeding the desired articulation threshold in response to the cannula being mounted to the cannula interface.

11. A robotic system comprising:

a linkage having a joint;

a drive or brake system coupled to the linkage; and

a processor coupled with the drive or brake system, the processor configured to;

transmit signals to the drive or brake system so as to inhibit manual articulation of the linkage from a first pose in response to a first manual effort against the linkage being below a desired articulation threshold;

alter the signals in response to a second manual effort to articulate the linkage exceeding the desired articulation threshold, wherein the altered signals are configured to facilitate a manual movement of the linkage from the first pose toward a second pose;

determine the second pose in response to the manual movement of the linkage; and

transmit the signals to the drive system so as to inhibit manual movement of the linkage from the second pose.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a joint sensor coupled to the joint, the joint sensor configured to sense a first torque of the first manual effort applied to the joint, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the signals so as to apply a counteracting torque to the linkage opposing the first torque and urge the linkage back toward the first pose, the drive or brake system comprising a drive system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the joint sensor is configured so as to transmit, to the processor, a second torque of the second manual effort applied to the joint, and wherein the processor of the system is configured to determine if the second effort exceeds the desired articulation threshold using the second torque, and in response, to alter the drive signals so as to decrease the counteracting torque so that the first torque is sufficient to manually move the manipulator.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to determine the second effort exceeds the desired articulation threshold in response the second torque exceeding a threshold torque.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the signals comprise drive signals and the processor is configured to alter the drive signals in response to the second effort exceeding the desired articulation threshold by adding a friction compensation component to the drive signals so as to mitigate friction of the linkage for the manual movement toward the second pose.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine the second pose in response to a velocity of the manual movement being below a threshold velocity.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to determine the second pose by determining the velocity of the manual movement is below the threshold velocity for a threshold dwell time so as to facilitate a reversal of a direction of the manual movement without inhibiting the manual movement.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to inhibit manual movement of the linkage from the second pose in response to a third manual effort against the manipulator being below the desired articulation threshold.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the robotic system comprises a surgical robotic system, wherein the linkage comprises a set-up structure having a proximal base and a platform with the joint disposed therebetween, wherein the platform supports a plurality of surgical manipulators, each manipulator comprising an instrument holder configured for releasably receiving a surgical instrument, and wherein the manual movement alters positions of the plurality of manipulators relative to a surgical site.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the robotic system comprises a surgical robotic system, wherein the linkage is included in a surgical manipulator having an instrument holder configured for releasably receiving a surgical instrument and a cannula interface configured for releasably receiving a cannula, the manipulator configured to pivotably move a shaft of the instrument within an aperture adjacent the cannula so as to manipulate an end effector of the instrument within a minimally invasive surgical aperture, and wherein the processor is configured to inhibit manual articulation of the joint with manual effort exceeding the desired articulation threshold in response to the cannula being mounted to the cannula interface.

21. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a linkage having a joint disposed between a proximal base and an instrument holder configured for releasably supporting a surgical instrument;

a drive system coupled to the linkage;

a torque sensor system coupled to the joint; and

a processor coupling the torque sensor with the drive system, the processor configured to;

transmit drive signals to the drive system so as to inhibit manual articulation of the joint from a first configuration in response to a sensed torque being below a desired articulation threshold;

alter the drive signals in response to the sensed torque exceeding the desired articulation threshold, wherein the altered drive signals are configured to facilitate a manual movement of the joint from the first configuration toward a second configuration using a movement torque lower than the articulation threshold;

determine the second configuration in response to a velocity of the manual movement being below a threshold velocity; and

transmit drive signals to the drive system so as to inhibit manual movement of the linkage from the second pose in response to the sensed torque being below a desired articulation threshold.

22. A method comprising:

driving a robotic assembly during manual efforts to move a linkage of the assembly so as to simulate a first and second detent of the linkage at first and second linkage poses, respectively; and

determining the second pose in response to a manual movement of the linkage to the second pose.