Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090326318 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM PROVIDING AN AUXILARY VIEW INCLUDING RANGE OF MOTION LIMITATIONS FOR ARTICULATABLE INSTRUMENTS EXTENDING OUT OF A DISTAL END OF AN ENTRY GUIDE - A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with surgical tools and a camera extending out of its distal end. To supplement the view provided by an image captured by the camera, an auxiliary view including articulatable arms of the surgical tools and/or camera is generated from sensed or otherwise determined information about their positions and orientations are displayed along with indications of range of motion limitations on a display screen from the perspective of a specified viewing point. | 12-31-2009 |
20090326322 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM WITH IMAGE REFERENCED CAMERA CONTROL USING PARTITIONABLE ORIENTATIONAL AND TRANSLATIONAL MODES - A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with articulatable instruments such as surgical tools and a camera extending out of its distal end. The camera instrument is manipulatable by a camera manipulator, which has a first mechanism for pivoting a focal point of the camera instrument about a pivot of the camera instrument and a second mechanism for positioning the pivot within a three-dimensional space in response to translational commands received from one or a coupled pair of input devices. The system also includes a controller which is configured to receive sensed movement of the input devices, and cause actuation of the first mechanism in response to the sensed movement if the system is in an orientational mode and cause actuation of the second mechanism in response to the sensed movement if the system is in a translational mode. | 12-31-2009 |
20090326552 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM HAVING ENTRY GUIDE CONTROLLER WITH INSTRUMENT TIP VELOCITY LIMITING - A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with articulatable instruments extending out of its distal end, an entry guide manipulator providing controllable four degrees-of-freedom movement of the entry guide, and a controller configured to limit joint velocities in the entry guide manipulator so as to prevent movement of tips of the articulatable instruments from exceeding a maximum allowable linear velocity when the entry guide manipulator is being used to move the entry guide. | 12-31-2009 |
20090326553 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM PROVIDING AN AUXILIARY VIEW OF ARTICULATABLE INSTRUMENTS EXTENDING OUT OF A DISTAL END OF AN ENTRY GUIDE - A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with surgical tools and a camera extending out of its distal end. To supplement the view provided by an image captured by the camera, an auxiliary view including articulatable arms of the surgical tools and/or camera is generated from sensed or otherwise determined information about their positions and orientations and displayed on a display screen from the perspective of a specified viewing point. | 12-31-2009 |
20090326556 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM PROVIDING COMPUTER GENERATED AUXILIARY VIEWS OF A CAMERA INSTRUMENT FOR CONTROLLING THE POSITIONING AND ORIENTING OF ITS TIP - A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with surgical tools and a camera extending out of its distal end. To supplement the view provided by an image captured by the camera, an auxiliary view including articulatable arms of the surgical tools and/or camera is generated from sensed or otherwise determined information about their positions and orientations and displayed on a display screen from the perspective of a specified viewing point. Intuitive control is provided to an operator with respect to the auxiliary view while the operator controls the positioning and orienting of the camera. | 12-31-2009 |
20100198232 | MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL SYSTEM - A control system for a minimally invasive surgical system. In one aspect the control system is a distributed system. A control and transform processor receives data from a master arm controller, an instrument controller, an imaging system controller, and a guide tube controller and distributes data received from one controller to the other controllers. The other controllers use the received data, along with received optimization goals, to control associated slave arms in a distributed but coordinated way. In another aspect, the control system is centralized, in which a motion coordinator receives master inputs, sensor inputs from the slave arms, and optimization inputs. The motion coordinator uses the received inputs to output control signals to an instrument, an imaging system, and a guide tube controller. | 08-05-2010 |
20100274087 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM WITH COUPLED CONTROL MODES - In a coupled control mode, the surgeon directly controls movement of an associated slave manipulator with an input device while indirectly controlling movement of one or more non-associated slave manipulators, in response to commanded motion of the directly controlled slave manipulator, to achieve a secondary objective. By automatically performing secondary tasks through coupled control modes, the system's usability is enhanced by reducing the surgeon's need to switch to another direct mode to manually achieve the desired secondary objective. Thus, coupled control modes allow the surgeon to better focus on performing medical procedures and to pay less attention to managing the system. | 10-28-2010 |
20100332033 | CONTROL OF MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM MANIPULATOR ABOUT KINEMATIC SINGULARITIES - A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with articulatable instruments extending out of its distal end, an entry guide manipulator providing controllable four degrees-of-freedom movement of the entry guide relative to a remote center, and a controller configured to manage operation of the entry guide manipulator in response to operator manipulation of one or more input devices. As the entry guide manipulator approaches a yaw/roll singularity, the controller modifies its operation to allow continued movement of the entry guide manipulator without commanding excessive joint velocities while maintaining proper orientation of the entry guide. | 12-30-2010 |
20110040305 | CONTROLLER ASSISTED RECONFIGURATION OF AN ARTICULATED INSTRUMENT DURING MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF AN ENTRY GUIDE - To perform a tool exchange in a medical robotic system, tool is retracted back into an entry guide from a deployed position and pose so that an assistant in the operating room may replace it with a different tool. While the tool is being retracted back towards the entry guide by user action, its configuration is changed to an entry pose while avoiding collisions with other objects so that it may fit in the entry guide. After the tool exchange is completed, a new tool is inserted in the entry guide and extended out of the guide by user action to the original position of the old tool prior to its retraction into the entry guide while the tool's controller assists the user by reconfiguring the new tool so as to resemble the original deployed pose of the old tool prior to its retraction into the entry guide. | 02-17-2011 |
20110040404 | SMOOTH CONTROL OF AN ARTICULATED INSTRUMENT ACROSS AREAS WITH DIFFERENT WORK SPACE CONDITIONS - An articulated instrument is controllably movable between areas of different work space limits, such as when it is extendable out of and retractable into a guide tube. To avoid abrupt transitions in joint actuations as the joint moves between areas of different work space limits, a controller limits error feedback used to control its movement. To provide smooth joint control as the instrument moves between areas of different work space limits, the controller imposes barrier and ratcheting constraints on each directly actuatable joint of the instrument when the joint is commanded to cross between areas of different work space limits. | 02-17-2011 |
20110202068 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM PROVIDING SENSORY FEEDBACK INDICATING A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COMMANDED STATE AND A PREFERRED POSE OF AN ARTICULATED INSTRUMENT - A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with articulated instruments extending out of its distal end. A controller is configured to command manipulation of one of the articulated instruments towards a state commanded by operator manipulation of an input device while commanding sensory feedback to the operator indicating a difference between the commanded state and a preferred pose of the articulated instrument, so that the sensory feedback serves to encourage the operator to return the articulated instrument back to its preferred pose. | 08-18-2011 |
20110282351 | SURGICAL SYSTEM ENTRY GUIDE - An entry guide tube and cannula assembly, a surgical system including the assembly, and a method of surgical instrument insertion are provided. In one embodiment, the assembly includes a cannula having a proximal portion that operably couples to an accessory clamp of a manipulator arm, and a distal tubular member coupled to the proximal portion, the tubular member having an opening for passage of at least one instrument shaft. The assembly also includes an entry guide tube rotatably coupled to the proximal portion of the cannula, the entry guide tube including a plurality of channels for passage of a plurality of instrument shafts, wherein the entry guide tube is rotatably driven relative to the proximal portion of the cannula by rotation of at least one instrument shaft about a longitudinal axis of the entry guide tube. | 11-17-2011 |
20110282356 | SURGICAL SYSTEM INSTRUMENT MANIPULATOR - An instrument manipulator and a robotic surgical system including an instrument manipulator are provided. In one embodiment, an instrument manipulator includes a plurality of independent actuator drive modules, each of the plurality of actuator drive modules including an actuator output, wherein each of the actuator outputs are configured to independently actuate a corresponding actuator input of a surgical instrument without force input from another actuator output. The instrument manipulator further includes a frame housing the plurality of independent actuator drive modules, the frame including a distal end from which each of the actuator outputs distally protrude for engaging the corresponding actuator inputs of the surgical instrument. | 11-17-2011 |
20110282357 | SURGICAL SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE - Robotic surgical systems are provided. In one embodiment, the system includes a setup link for locating a remote center of motion for the robotic surgical system; a manipulator arm assembly including an active proximal link and an active distal link, the proximal link operably coupled to the setup link; and a plurality of instrument manipulators operably coupled to a distal end of the distal link, the plurality of instrument manipulators rotatable about an instrument manipulator assembly roll axis. A cannula mount is movably coupled to a proximal end of the distal link, and a cannula is coupled to the cannula mount, the cannula having a longitudinal axis substantially coincident with the instrument manipulator assembly roll axis. The system further includes an entry guide tube at least partially within the cannula, the entry guide tube rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the cannula. | 11-17-2011 |
20130079794 | SURGICAL SYSTEM ENTRY GUIDE - An entry guide tube and cannula assembly, a surgical system including the assembly, and a method of surgical instrument insertion are provided. In one embodiment, the assembly includes a cannula having a proximal portion that operably couples to an accessory clamp of a manipulator arm, and a distal tubular member coupled to the proximal portion, the tubular member having an opening for passage of at least one instrument shaft. The assembly also includes an entry guide tube rotatably coupled to the proximal portion of the cannula, the entry guide tube including a plurality of channels for passage of a plurality of instrument shafts, wherein the entry guide tube is rotatably driven relative to the proximal portion of the cannula by rotation of at least one instrument shaft about a longitudinal axis of the entry guide tube. | 03-28-2013 |
20140277738 | CONTROL OF MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM MANIPULATOR ABOUT KINEMATIC SINGULARITIES - A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with articulatable instruments extending out of its distal end, an entry guide manipulator providing controllable four degrees-of-freedom movement of the entry guide relative to a remote center, and a controller configured to manage operation of the entry guide manipulator in response to operator manipulation of one or more input devices. As the entry guide manipulator approaches a yaw/roll singularity, the controller modifies its operation to allow continued movement of the entry guide manipulator without commanding excessive joint velocities while maintaining proper orientation of the entry guide. | 09-18-2014 |
20140296872 | SURGICAL SYSTEM ENTRY GUIDE - An entry guide tube and cannula assembly, a surgical system including the assembly, and a method of surgical instrument insertion are provided. In one embodiment, the assembly includes a cannula having a proximal portion that operably couples to an accessory clamp of a manipulator arm, and a distal tubular member coupled to the proximal portion, the tubular member having an opening for passage of at least one instrument shaft. The assembly also includes an entry guide tube rotatably coupled to the proximal portion of the cannula, the entry guide tube including a plurality of channels for passage of a plurality of instrument shafts, wherein the entry guide tube is rotatably driven relative to the proximal portion of the cannula by rotation of at least one instrument shaft about a longitudinal axis of the entry guide tube. | 10-02-2014 |