SURGICAL ROBOT PLATFORM

• US 20170245951A1
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globus Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Globus Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Crawford, Neil R., Theodore, Nicholas, Foster, Mitchell A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,485,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/02 Instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; needle locating or guiding means A61B17/3403; samplers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/26; sampling or preparing biological specimens G01N33/48
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0233 Pointed or sharp biopsy instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0275 with sample notch, e.g. on the side of inner stylet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/025 Joint distractors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1615 Drill bits, i.e. rotating tools extending from a handpiece to contact the worked material
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1671 for the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/17 Guides or aligning means for drills , mills, pins or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1703 using imaging means, e.g. by X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1757 for the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7082 for driving, i.e. rotating, screws or screw parts specially adapted for spinal fixation, e.g. for driving polyaxial or tulip-headed screws driving other bone screws A61B17/8875
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8866 for gripping or pushing bones, e.g. approximators joint distractors A61B17/025
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0208 Biopsy devices with actuators, e.g. with triggered spring mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00119 alarm; indicating an abnormal situation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00203 with speech control or speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00207 with hand gesture control or hand gesture recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00876 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0256 for the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2059 : Mechanical position encoders
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 : Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• 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 2034/741 : Glove like input devices, e.g. "data gloves"
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/742 : Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/743 : Keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/744 : Mouse
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/034 : abutting on parts of the device itself
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 : for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0811 : for the position of a particular part of an instrument with respect to the rest of the instrument, e.g. position of the anvil of a stapling instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/365 : augmented reality, i.e. correlating a live optical image with another image
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/374 : NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3762 : using computed tomography systems [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3764 : with a rotating C-arm having a cone beam emitting source
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 : using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3937 : Visible markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3941 : Photoluminescent markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3945 : Active visible markers, e.g. light emitting diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/395 : with marking agent for marking skin or other tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3966 : Radiopaque markers visible in an X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3975 : active
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3979 : infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3983 : Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 : Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• 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 34/25 : User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 : Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/32 : operating autonomously
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 : Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/74 : Manipulators with manual electric input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 : Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/20 : specially adapted for patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 : Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 : using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/064 : using markers A61B5/062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/066 : Superposing sensor position on an image of the patient, e.g. obtained by ultrasound or x-ray imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/13 : Trolleys, e.g. carts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/11 : with guides for needles or instruments, e.g. arcuate slides or ball joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/14 : Fixators for body parts, e.g. skull clamps; Constructional details of fixators, e.g. pins
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 : Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 : Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/96 : using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 : using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 : electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0529 : Electrodes for brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1065 : with parallelograms

Abstract

A medical robot system, including a robot coupled to an effectuator element with the robot configured for controlled movement and positioning. The system may include a transmitter configured to emit one or more signals, and the transmitter is coupled to an instrument coupled to the effectuator element. The system may further include a motor assembly coupled to the robot and a plurality of receivers configured to receive the one or more signals emitted by the transmitter. A control unit is coupled to the motor assembly and the plurality of receivers, and the control unit is configured to supply one or more instruction signals to the motor assembly. The instruction signals can be configured to cause the motor assembly to selectively move the effectuator element and is further configured to (i) calculate a position of the at least one transmitter by analysis of the signals received by the plurality of receivers; (ii) display the position of the at least one transmitter with respect to the body of the patient; and (iii) selectively control actuation of the motor assembly in response to the signals received by the plurality of receivers.

Claims

1. A medical robot system, comprising:

a robot including a display and an arm;

an end effector coupled to the arm;

a dynamic reference base capable of being coupled to a patient;

an optical tracking system configured to track the position of the arm, the end effector and the reference base; and

a control unit coupled to the robot and the optical tracking system, the control unit providing image registration data of the patient and the robot system to the display,

wherein the optical tracking system includes optical markers positioned on the arm, the reference base and the end effector,

wherein the control unit implements a planned trajectory causing the robot arm to position the end effector along a trajectory vector.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the end effector is a tube having a pitch axis, a roll axis and a tube axis defining an axis of rotation of the tube.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the end effector element comprises a needle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a laser light indicates the end effector position by projecting a beam down the trajectory vector.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the laser light is positioned at a top portion of the end effector.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein when the end effector coincides with the trajectory vector an auditory feedback is provided to indicate the desired trajectory has been achieved.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit autonomously causes the robot arm to be adjusted to position the end effector at the trajectory vector based on detected optical markers.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a specially-configured computer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the end effector position can only be moved along the trajectory vector.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the end effector position can be locked at a fixed distance from the patient

11. A medical robot system, comprising:

a robot including a display and an arm;

an end effector coupled to the arm;

a dynamic reference base capable of being coupled to a patient;

an optical tracking system configured to track the position of the arm, the end effector and the reference base; and

a control unit coupled to the robot and the optical tracking system, the control unit providing image registration data of the patient and the robot system to the display,

wherein the optical tracking system includes optical markers positioned on the arm, the reference base and the end effector,

wherein the control unit implements a planned trajectory causing the robot arm automatically to position the end effector along a trajectory vector,

wherein the control unit is configured to return the end effector to the trajectory vector if the end effector is moved off the planned trajectory.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the end effector is a tube having a pitch axis, a roll axis and a tube axis defining an axis of rotation of the tube.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the end effector element comprises a needle.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein a laser light indicates the end effector position by projecting a beam down the trajectory vector.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the laser light is positioned at a top portion of the end effector.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein when the end effector coincides with the trajectory vector an auditory feedback is provided to indicate the desired trajectory has been achieved.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the control unit autonomously causes the robot arm to be adjusted to position the end effector at the trajectory vector based on detected optical markers.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the end effector position can only be moved along the trajectory vector autonomously by the robotic arm.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the end effector position can be locked at a fixed distance from the patient.

20. A medical robot system, comprising:

a robot including a display and an arm;

an end effector coupled to the arm;

a dynamic reference base capable of being coupled to a patient;

an optical tracking system configured to track the position of the arm, the end effector and the reference base; and

a control unit coupled to the robot and the optical tracking system, the control unit providing image registration data of the patient and the robot system to the display,

wherein the optical tracking system includes optical markers positioned on the arm, the reference base and the end effector,

wherein the control unit implements a planned trajectory causing the robot arm to position the end effector along the planned trajectory,

wherein the control unit registers the planned trajectory with data associated with the optical markers and radiographic imaging.