| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090248037 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM ADAPTED TO INHIBIT MOTIONS RESULTING IN EXCESSIVE END EFFECTOR FORCES - A medical robotic system includes a surgical instrument, a robotic arm assembly, an input device, and a processor. The surgical instrument has an end effector and a sensor for sensing a force exerted by the end effector, and is operatively mounted on the robotic arm assembly. The processor is configured to receive commanded movement of the end effector from the input device, receive information of the force from the sensor, determine a reduced velocity of the commanded movement that would inhibit damage causing motion of the end effector, and control robotic manipulation of the surgical instrument in response to the commanded movement of the end effector while restricting the velocity of the commanded movement to the reduced velocity. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090248038 | FORCE AND TORQUE SENSING IN A SURGICAL ROBOT SETUP ARM - An apparatus, system, and method for improving force and torque sensing and feedback to the surgeon performing a telerobotic surgery are provided. In one embodiment, a robotic surgical manipulator system, a robotic surgical system, and a method for improved sensing of forces on a robotic surgical instrument and/or manipulator arm are disclosed. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20100082041 | Passive preload and capstan drive for surgical instruments - A robotic surgical system uses a passive preload system attached to a tendon that is wrapped around a capstan to control relaxed tension in the tendon. The passive preload system can employ a spring or other structure to apply tension to the tendon. The capstan can be driven by a motor when the tendon is needed to pull on a structural member of the instrument. For example, for the application of clamping pressure or movement of the structural member against resistance, capstan friction can produce the tendon tension that is many times the tension applied by the passive preload system. However, when the tendon is not needed to apply force to the member, the capstan can be freed, so that the spring system provides enough tension to prevent derailment or other malfunctions of the tendon. The low tension in relaxed tendons can reduce tendon friction, particularly in instruments with flexible shafts. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100160724 | FLEXIBLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH LINKS UNDERGOING SOLID-STATE TRANSITIONS - A surgical instrument has a tip section with several degrees of freedom of articulation and at least one link that may be too long for insertion through an entry guide that follows a curved path. Each long link is made of a shape memory alloy or another material having a state in which the link is sufficiently flexible to bend as needed to pass through the entry guide. Once through the entry guide, the material of the link makes a transition to a state in which the link returns to a desired shape and is sufficiently rigid for precise controlled movement against external forces and for actuation using tendons. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100228265 | Operator Input Device for a Robotic Surgical System - A robotic surgical system includes a master controller with an input handle and robotic manipulator assemblies including a surgical end effector and an endoscopic camera. The input handle is translatable to provide a position and rotatable to provide an orientation. A control system couples the master controller to the first and second manipulator assemblies. The control system moves the surgical end effector in response to the position and orientation of the input handle. The control system moves the input handle to orient the input handle to correspond to an orientation of the surgical end effector from a viewpoint of the endoscopic camera during the repositioning of at least one of the input handle position, the end effector, or the endoscopic camera. The control system may move the surgical end effector only in a first mode and orients the input handle only in a second mode. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20100331820 | COMPLIANT SURGICAL DEVICE - A compliant surgical device such as a flexible entry guide employs tendons to operate or steer the device and attaches asymmetric or constant force spring systems to control tension in the tendons. As a result, the surgical device can be compliant and respond to external forces during a surgical procedure without rapidly springing back or otherwise causing a reaction that damages tissue. The compliance also permits manual positioning or shaping of the device during or before insertion for a surgical procedure without damaging the tendons or connections of the tendons within the device or to a backend mechanism | 12-30-2010 |
| 20110040306 | Medical Robotic System Adapted to Inhibit Motions Resulting in Excessive End Effector Forces - A medical robotic system includes a surgical instrument, a robotic arm assembly, an input device, and a processor. The surgical instrument has an end effector and a sensor for sensing a force exerted by the end effector, and is operatively mounted on the robotic arm assembly. The processor is configured to receive commanded movement of the end effector from the input device, receive information of the force from the sensor, determine a reduced velocity of the commanded movement that would inhibit damage causing motion of the end effector, and control robotic manipulation of the surgical instrument in response to the commanded movement of the end effector while restricting the velocity of the commanded movement to the reduced velocity. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110118749 | METHOD AND SYSTEM TO SENSE RELATIVE PARTIAL-POSE INFORMATION USING A SHAPE SENSOR - A shape-sensing segment traverses through at least a portion of a kinematic chain of a tele-operated slave surgical instrument in a tele-operated minimally-invasive surgical system. The shape-sensing segment includes a pre-set perturbation. Shape information from the pre-set perturbation allows determination of relative partial-pose information for at least one link in the kinematic chain. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110119023 | METHOD AND SYSTEM TO SENSE RELATIVE PARTIAL-POSE INFORMATION USING A SHAPE SENSOR - A shape-sensing segment traverses through at least a portion of a kinematic chain of a tele-operated slave surgical instrument in a tele-operated minimally-invasive surgical system. The shape-sensing segment includes a pre-set perturbation. Shape information from the pre-set perturbation allows determination of relative partial-pose information for at least one link in the kinematic chain. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110160904 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM WITH SLIDING MODE CONTROL - A medical robotic system has a joint coupled to medical device or a slave manipulator or robotic arm adapted to hold and/or move the medical device for performing a medical procedure, and a control system for controlling movement of the joint according to user manipulation of a master manipulator. The control system includes at least one joint controller having a sliding mode control for reducing stick-slip behavior on its controlled joint during fine motions of the joint. The sliding mode control computes a distance to a sliding surface, computes a reaching law gain, and processes the distance and reaching law gain to generate a sliding mode control action that is in absolute value less that a maximum desired feedback control action. The sliding mode control action is then further processed to generate a feedback torque command for the joint motor. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110166706 | MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM WITH SLIDING MODE CONTROL - A medical robotic system has a joint coupled to medical device or a slave manipulator or robotic arm adapted to hold and/or move the medical device for performing a medical procedure, and a control system for controlling movement of the joint according to user manipulation of a master manipulator. The control system includes at least one joint controller having a sliding mode control for reducing stick-slip behavior on its controlled joint during fine motions of the joint. The sliding mode control computes a distance to a sliding surface, computes a reaching law gain, and processes the distance and reaching law gain to generate a sliding mode control action that is in absolute value less that a maximum desired feedback control action. The sliding mode control action is then further processed to generate a feedback torque command for the joint motor. | 07-07-2011 |
