Tool Grip Calibration for Robotic Surgery
Granted: November 6, 2014
Application Number:
20140330434
Telerobotic, telesurgical, and surgical robotic devices, systems, and methods selectively calibrate end effector jaws by bringing the jaw elements into engagement with each other. Commanded torque signals may bring the end effector elements into engagement while monitoring the resulting position of a drive system, optionally using a second derivative of the torque/position relationship so as to identify an end effector engagement position. Calibration can allow the end effector…
SURGICAL PATIENT SIDE CART WITH DRIVE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MOVING A PATIENT SIDE CART
Granted: October 2, 2014
Application Number:
20140297130
A patient side cart for a teleoperated surgical system can include at least one manipulator arm portion for holding a surgical instrument, a steering interface, and a drive system. The steering interface may be configured to detect a force applied by a user to the steering interface indicating a desired movement for the teleoperated surgical system. The drive system can include at least one driven wheel, a control module, and a model section. The control module may receive as input a…
AUTOFOCUS AND/OR AUTOSCALING IN TELESURGERY
Granted: October 2, 2014
Application Number:
20140296870
Robotic, telerobotic, and/or telesurgical devices, systems, and methods take advantage of robotic structures and data to calculate changes in the focus of an image capture device in response to movement of the image capture device, a robotic end effector, or the like. As the size of an image of an object shown in the display device varies with changes in a separation distance between that object and the image capture device used to capture the image, a scale factor between a movement…
SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SHAFT
Granted: October 2, 2014
Application Number:
20140296869
A surgical instrument may include a shaft, a force transmission mechanism, and an end effector. The shaft may have a proximal end and a distal end. The force transmission mechanism may be coupled to the proximal end of the shaft. The end effector may be coupled to the distal end of the shaft. The shaft may include a body having an outer surface and an inner surface. The inner surface may surround a lumen configured to receive a drive member that extends through the lumen. The outer…
SHAPE-TRANSFERRING CANNULA SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USE
Granted: October 2, 2014
Application Number:
20140296779
A rigidizable medical device may include an inner element and an outer element. The outer element of the device may be positioned at least in part around the inner element so as to define a space radially between the inner element and the outer element. The medical device may further include a stiffening material positioned in the space between the inner and outer elements. The stiffening material may be transitionable between a first relatively compliant state and a second relatively…
SHAPE-TRANSFERRING CANNULA SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USE
Granted: September 25, 2014
Application Number:
20140288568
A method for advancing a rigidizable medical device may include rigidizing a portion of an outer element of the device, and while the portion of the outer element is rigidized, advancing an inner element of the device relative to the outer element of the device by a first preestablished length of advancement. The method may also include, after advancing the inner element, relaxing the portion of the outer element of the device. The method may further include, after relaxing the portion…
SURGICAL INSTRUMENT DRIVE ELEMENT, AND RELATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140277106
A surgical instrument including a shaft, an end effector, and a push/pull drive element is provided. The push/pull drive element may include a head extending perpendicular to a push/pull direction of the push/pull element. The head of the push/pull drive element may have end portions each having a cross-section that differs from a cross-section of a main portion of the head between the end portions. The push/pull drive element may include an engagement portion in contact with the end…
ROBOTIC SYSTEM PROVIDING USER SELECTABLE ACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH GAZE TRACKING
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140282196
A robotic system provides user selectable actions associated with gaze tracking according to user interface types. User initiated correction and/or recalibration of the gaze tracking may be performed during the processing of individual of the user selectable actions.
CONTROL OF MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM MANIPULATOR ABOUT KINEMATIC SINGULARITIES
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140277738
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…
GEOMETRICALLY APPROPRIATE TOOL SELECTION ASSISTANCE FOR DETERMINED WORK SITE DIMENSIONS
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140277736
A robotic system includes a processor that is programmed to determine and cause work site measurements for user specified points in the work site to be graphically displayed in order to provide geometrically appropriate tool selection assistance to the user. The processor is also programmed to determine an optimal one of a plurality of tools of varying geometries for use at the work site and to cause graphical representations of at least the optimal tool to be displayed along with the…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING ACCESS TO EDGES OF CARTESIAN-COORDINATE SPACE USING THE NULL SPACE
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140276954
Devices, systems, and methods for providing increased range of movement of the end effector of a manipulator arm having a plurality of joints with redundant degrees of freedom. Methods include defining a position-based constraint within a joint space defined by the at least one joint, determining a movement of the joints along the constraint within a null-space and driving the joints according to a calculated movement to effect the commanded movement while providing an increased end…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRACKING A PATH USING THE NULL-SPACE
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140276953
Devices, systems, and methods for providing a desired movement of one or more joints of a manipulator arm having a plurality of joints with redundant degrees of freedom while effecting commanded movement of a distal end effector of the manipulator. Methods include defining a constraint, such as a network of paths, within a joint space defined by the one or more joints and determining a movement of the plurality of joints within a null-space to track the constraints with the one or more…
SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR POSITIONING A MANIPULATOR ARM BY CLUTCHING WITHIN A NULL-PERPENDICULAR SPACE CONCURRENT WITH NULL-SPACE MOVEMENT
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140276952
Devices, systems, and methods for positioning an end effector or remote center of a manipulator arm by floating a first set of joints within a null-perpendicular joint velocity sub-space and providing a desired state or movement of a proximal portion of a manipulator arm concurrent with end effector positioning by driving a second set of joints within a null-space orthogonal to the null-perpendicular space. Methods include floating a first set of joints within a null-perpendicular space…
Software Configurable Manipulator Degrees of Freedom
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140276951
Methods, apparatus, and systems for controlling a plurality of manipulator assemblies of a robotic system. In accordance with a method, a first plurality of sensor signals are received at a plurality of joint space interface elements from a plurality of connector input elements via a first mapping between the joint space interface elements and joints of the first manipulator assembly. The connector input elements are operable to couple to only one manipulator assembly at a time. The…
Inter-Operative Switching of Tools in a Robotic Surgical System
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140276950
Methods, apparatus, and systems for controlling a telesurgical system are disclosed. In accordance with a method, a first tool connected to a first manipulator of the system, and a second tool connected to a second manipulator of the system, are controlled. A swap of the tools such that the first tool is connected to the second manipulator and the second tool is connected to the first manipulator is then detected. The first tool connected to the second manipulator and the second tool…
SHAPE SENSOR SYSTEMS FOR TRACKING INTERVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS AND MEHODS OF USE
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140275997
A medical tracking system comprises a fiducial apparatus that includes a sensor docking feature configured to mate with a mating portion of a sensor device. The sensor docking feature retains the mating portion in a known configuration. The fiducial apparatus also includes at least one imageable fiducial marker and a surface configured for attachment to an anatomy of a patient.
DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SUPERIMPOSING PATTERNS ON IMAGES IN REAL TIME, PARTICULARLY FOR GUIDANCE BY LOCATION
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140275975
The invention relates to a device for superimposing known patterns, characteristic of a region, on (real) images of said region. The device comprises , a memory in which patterns are stored, which are representative of a selected region, of known position and orientation with relation to a common reference and processing means, for determining a pattern representative of the selected portion in the memory, on receipt of the designation of at least one portion of an observed image of the…
INTELLIGENT MANUAL ADJUSTMENT OF AN IMAGE CONTROL ELEMENT
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140267626
An imaging system comprises an image capturing device, a viewer, a control element, and a processor. The control element controls or adjusts an image characteristic of one of the image capturing device and the viewer. The processor is programmed to determine a depth value relative to the image capturing device, determine a desirable adjustment to the control element by using the determined depth value, and control adjustment of the control element to assist manual adjustment of the…
DEPTH BASED MODIFICATION OF CAPTURED IMAGES
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140267603
An imaging system processes images of a plurality of objects which have been captured by an image capture device for display. Normal processing of the images is modified as either a function of a depth corresponding to one or more of the plurality of objects appearing in the captured images relative to the image capture device or as a function of the depth and one or more image characteristics extracted from the captured images. A depth threshold may be used to avoid inadvertent…
HYBRID MANUAL AND ROBOTIC INTERVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF USE
Granted: September 11, 2014
Application Number:
20140257333
A system comprises a handpiece body configured to couple to a proximal end of a medical instrument and a manual actuator mounted in the handpiece body. The system further includes a plurality of drive inputs mounted in the handpiece body. The drive inputs are configured for removable engagement with a motorized drive mechanism. A first drive component is operably coupled to the manual actuator and also operably coupled to one of the plurality of drive inputs. The first drive component…
