Multi-degrees-of-freedom hand controller

• US 9,547,380 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluidity Technologies, Inc. (Safran SA)
• Original Assignee: Fluidity Technologies, Inc. (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Parazynski, Scott Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): POINT, RUFUS C
• Application Number:
  US15/071,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20160195939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0487 Special user inputs or interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/74 Manipulators with manual electric input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45123 Electrogoniometer, neuronavigator, medical robot used by surgeon to operate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/16 in which transmission is by pulses

Abstract

Disclosed is a controller including a first control member, a second control member that extends from a portion of the first control member, and a controller processor that is operable to produce a rotational movement output signal in response to movement of the first control member, and a translational movement output signal in response to movement of the second control member relative to the first control member. The rotational movement output signal may be any of a pitch movement output signal, a yaw movement output signal, and a roll movement output signal, and the translational movement output signal may be any of an x-axis movement output signal, a y-axis movement output signal, and a z-axis movement output signal. In exemplary embodiments, the first control member may be gripped and moved using a single hand, and the second control member may be moved using one or more digits of the single hand, thus permitting highly intuitive, single-handed control of multiple degrees of freedom, to and including, all six degrees of rotational and translational freedom without any inadvertent cross-coupling inputs.

Claims

1. A controller, comprising:

a unified hand controller including;

a first control member configured to be grasped by a user'"'"'s hand, wherein the first control member is movable back and forth through three continuous and independent degrees freedom to provide in response thereto a corresponding first set of three independent control inputs; and

a second control member extending from the first control member and configured to engaged by one of the thumb or the index finger of the user'"'"'s hand, wherein the second control member is movable independently of the first control member back and forth through three continuous and independent degrees of freedom to provide in response thereto a corresponding second set of three independent control inputs, the first set of control inputs being independent of the second set of control inputs, wherein the second control member includes a channel for the insertion of said one of the thumb or the index finger of the user'"'"'s hand whereby the second control member is movable through the three continuous and independent degrees of freedom thereof; and

a controller processor connectable to receive the first and second set of control inputs and generate therefrom a respective first and second set of control signals, wherein the first set of control signals corresponds to three independent rotational movements of a control target and are proportional to a displacement of the first control member through the corresponding first set of degrees of freedom, and wherein the second set of control signals corresponds to three independent translational movements of the control target and are proportional to the displacement of the second control member through the corresponding second set of degrees of freedom.

2. The controller of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter connectable to the controller processor to receive the first and second set of control signals and transmit the first and second set of control signals to the control target.

3. The controller of claim 2, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the control signals through a wired connection.

4. The controller of claim 2, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the control signals through a wire-less connection.

5. The controller of claim 1, wherein the control target is an aircraft.

6. The controller of claim 1, wherein the control target is a medical instrument.

7. The controller of claim 1, wherein the control target is in a virtual environment.

8. The controller of claim 1, wherein the unified hand controller further includes a discrete control element to provide a discrete control input.

9. The controller of claim 8, wherein the discrete control element is a control button formed on the first control member that is configured to be operated by one or more digits of the user'"'"'s hand.

10. The controller of claim 9, wherein the discrete control input is an ON/OFF value.

11. The controller of claim 9, wherein the discrete control input is a trim function.

12. The controller of claim 1, wherein the first control member is moveably coupled to a base and is operable to produce the first set of control inputs in response to movement of the first control member relative to the base.

13. The controller of claim 1, wherein the first control member comprises at least one motion sensor and is operable to produce the first set of control inputs in response to movement of the first control member in space that is detected by the at least one motion sensor.

14. The controller of claim 1, wherein the control target is a medical-surgical device.

15. A control system, comprising:

a controller, including;

a unified hand controller including;

a first control member configured to be grasped by a user'"'"'s hand, wherein the first control member is movable back and forth through three continuous and independent degrees freedom to provide in response thereto a corresponding first set of three independent control inputs; and

a second control member extending from the first control member and configured to engaged by one of the thumb or the index finger of the user'"'"'s hand, wherein the second control member is movable independently of the first control member back and forth through three continuous and independent degrees of freedom to provide in response thereto a corresponding second set of three independent control inputs, the first set of control inputs being independent of the second set of control inputs, wherein the second control member includes a channel for the insertion of said one of the thumb or the index finger of the user'"'"'s hand whereby the second control member is movable through the three continuous and independent degrees of freedom thereof; and

a controller processor connectable to receive the first and second set of control inputs and generate therefrom a respective first and second set of control signals; and

a control target connectable to receive the first and second sets of control signals, the control target including a tool having a member, the member having three independent and continuous rotational movements corresponding the first set of control signals that are proportional to a displacement of the first control member along the corresponding first set of degrees of freedom, and having three independent and continuous translational movements corresponding the second set of control signals that are proportional to the displacement of the second control member along the corresponding second set of degrees of freedom.

16. The control system of claim 15, further comprising:

a transmitter connectable to the controller processor to receive the first and second set of control signals and transmit the first and second set of control signals to the control target.

17. The control system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the control signals through a wired connection.

18. The control system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the control signals through a wire-less connection.

19. The control system of claim 15, wherein the tool is a medical-surgical device.

20. The control system of claim 15, wherein the tool is a medical instrument.

21. The control system of claim 15, wherein the unified hand controller further includes a discrete control element to provide a discrete control input.

22. The control system of claim 21, wherein the discrete control element is a control button formed on the first control member that is configured to be operated by one or more digits of the user'"'"'s hand.

23. The control system of claim 22, wherein the discrete control input is an ON/OFF value.

24. The control system of claim 22, wherein the discrete control input is a trim function.

25. The control system of claim 15, wherein the first control member is moveably coupled to a base and is operable to produce the first set of control inputs in response to movement of the first control member relative to the base.

26. The control system of claim 15, wherein the first control member comprises at least one motion sensor and is operable to produce the first set of control inputs in response to movement of the first control member in space that is detected by the at least one motion sensor.

27. The control system of claim 15, wherein the tool is an industrial device.