Systems and Methods for Registration of Multiple Vision Systems
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140051986
A method comprises generating a model of an anatomic region and receiving a true image from an endoscopic image capture probe positioned within the anatomic region. The method further comprises identifying a true fiducial region in the true image and identifying a plurality of virtual tissue structures in the model of the anatomic region. The method further comprises matching one of the plurality of the virtual tissue structures with the true fiducial region and determining a probe pose…
PHANTOM DEGREES OF FREEDOM FOR MANIPULATING THE MOVEMENT OF MECHANICAL BODIES
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140052298
Methods, apparatus, and systems for controlling the movement of a mechanical body. In accordance with a method, desired movement information is received that identifies a desired motion of a mechanical body, the mechanical body having a first number of degrees of freedom. A plurality of instructions are then generated by applying the received desired movement information to a kinematic model, the kinematic model having a second number of degrees of freedom greater than the first number…
ROLL-PITCH-ROLL SURGICAL TOOL
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140052156
A robotic surgical tool includes an elongate shaft having a working end and a shaft axis. The proximal end of a wrist member is pivotally mounted on the working end of the shaft to rotate around a first pitch axis to produce rotation in first pitch. An end effector is pivotally mounted on a distal portion of the wrist member to rotate around a wrist axis of the wrist member to produce rotation in distal roll. The wrist axis extends between the proximal portion and the distal portion of…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CANCELLATION OF JOINT MOTION USING THE NULL-SPACE
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140052155
Devices, systems, and methods for cancelling movement one or more joints of a tele-surgical manipulator to effect manipulation movement of an end effector. Methods include calculating movement of joints within a null-perpendicular space to effect desired end effector movement while calculating movement of one or more locked joints within a null-space to cancel the movement of the locked joints within the null-perpendicular-space. Methods may further include calculating movement of one or…
USER INITIATED BREAK-AWAY CLUTCHING OF A SURGICAL MOUNTING PLATFORM
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140052154
Robotic and/or surgical devices, systems, and methods include kinematic linkage structures and associated control systems configured to facilitate preparation of the system for use. One or more kinematic linkage sub-systems may include joints that are actively driven, passive, or a mix of both. A set-up mode employs an intuitive user interface in which one or more joints are initially held static by a brake or joint drive system. The user may articulate the joint(s) by manually pushing…
MOVABLE SURGICAL MOUNTING PLATFORM CONTROLLED BY MANUAL MOTION OF ROBOTIC ARMS
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140052153
Robotic and/or surgical devices, systems, and methods include kinematic linkage structures and associated control systems configured to facilitate preparation of the system for use. One or more kinematic linkage sub-systems may include joints that are actively driven, passive, or a mix of both, and may employ a set-up mode in which one or more of the joints are actively driven in response to manual articulation of one or more other joints of the kinematic chain. In an exemplary…
PHANTOM DEGREES OF FREEDOM IN JOINT ESTIMATION AND CONTROL
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140052152
Methods, apparatus, and systems for operating a surgical system. In accordance with a method, a position of a surgical instrument is measured, the surgical instrument being included in a mechanical assembly having a plurality of joints and a first number of degrees of freedom, the position of the surgical instrument being measured for each of a second number of degrees of freedom of the surgical instrument. The method further includes estimating a position of each of the joints, where…
PHANTOM DEGREES OF FREEDOM FOR MANIPULATING THE MOVEMENT OF SURGICAL SYSTEMS
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140052151
Methods, apparatus, and systems for performing minimally invasive surgery through an aperture of a patient. In accordance with a method, parameters are received from an input device associated with a surgeon, the parameters indicating a desired state of an end effector of a surgical instrument oriented through the aperture. The surgical instrument is included in a mechanical assembly having a first set of joints. Instructions are then computed for controlling the mechanical assembly…
SPECIMEN REMOVAL BAG AND METHODS OF USING SAME
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140052018
A specimen retrieval system for use with minimally invasive surgical procedures is disclosed. The system permits excised tissue having a dimension, a size, a shape, or a volume larger than a natural orifice or a surgical incision used in a minimally invasive procedure to access the surgical site, to be removed from the body through the natural orifice or surgical incision. The system comprises a specimen retrieval container and a compression structure. The compression structure is…
Systems and Methods for Configuring Components in a Minimally Invasive Instrument
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140051987
A catheter system comprises an elongate flexible catheter and a support structure mounted on the catheter. The support structure comprises a first alignment feature and a second alignment feature. The system further comprises a first sensor component mated with the first alignment feature and a second sensor component mated with the second alignment feature. The first sensor component is fixed relative to the second sensor component in at least one degree of freedom at the support…
REAL-TIME GENERATION OF THREE- DIMENSIONAL ULTRASOUND IMAGE USING A TWO-DIMENSIONAL ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER IN A ROBOTIC SYSTEM
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140051922
Systems and methods for performing robotically-assisted surgical procedures on a patient enable an image display device to provide an operator with auxiliary information related to the surgical procedure, in addition to providing an image of the surgical site itself. The systems and methods allow an operator to selectively access and reference auxiliary information on the image display device during the performance of a surgical procedure.
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR OPTIMIZING VIDEO STREAMING
Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140051921
A method for performing a surgical procedure includes adjusting an encoding configuration of a video encoder in response to receiving an input associated with a change of state of a surgical system performing the surgical procedure, and encoding image data of the surgical procedure captured after the change of state based on the adjusted encoding configuration.
APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING TREATMENT OF TISSUE VIA IMPROVED DELIVERY OF ENERGY BASED AND NON-ENERGY BASED MODALITIES
Granted: February 13, 2014
Application Number:
20140046324
A tunable ablation delivery device is disclosed. The tunable ablation delivery device includes a housing and a detection element on the housing for detecting a physiological indication. The tunable ablation delivery device further includes an ablation element disposed within the housing. An opening in the housing is positioned relative to the ablation element to facilitate a treatment using the ablation element modality.
METHOD FOR GRAPHICALLY PROVIDING CONTINUOUS CHANGE OF STATE DIRECTIONS TO A USER OF A MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM
Granted: February 6, 2014
Application Number:
20140039521
Continuous change of state directions are graphically provided on a display screen to assist a user in performing necessary action(s) for transitioning between operating modes in a medical robotic system or performing corrective action. A graphical representation of a target state of an element of the medical robotic system is displayed on a display screen viewable by the user. Current states of the element and indications directing the user to manipulate the element towards the target…
EFFICIENT AND INTERACTIVE BLEEDING DETECTION IN A SURGICAL SYSTEM
Granted: January 30, 2014
Application Number:
20140031659
A bleeding detection unit in a surgical system processes information in an acquired scene before that scene is presented on a display unit in the operating room. For example, the bleeding detection unit analyzes the pixel data in the acquired scene and determines whether there are one or more initial sites of blood in the scene. Upon detection of an initial site of blood, the region is identified by an initial site icon in the scene displayed on the display unit. In one aspect, the…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR STEERABLE MEDICAL DEVICE PATH DEFINITION AND FOLLOWING DURING INSERTION AND RETRACTION
Granted: January 30, 2014
Application Number:
20140031625
Waypoints for a steerable medical device are stored as the steerable medical device is moved within a patient. The stored waypoints are an ordered sequence of locations. The ordered sequence of locations defines a safe path within the patient for moving an articulatable portion of the steerable medical device. The articulatable portion of the steerable medical device is constrained to follow the safe path as the articulatable portion moves within the patient. For example, the…
HERMETICALLY SEALED ENDOSCOPE
Granted: January 16, 2014
Application Number:
20140018613
In one embodiment, an endoscopic camera for a robotic surgical system includes a stereo camera module mounted to a robotic arm of a patient side cart. The optical and electro-optic components of the camera module are hermetically sealed within a first housing. Signals from an electro-optic component travel through traces in a ceramic substrate forming one side of the hermetically sealed first housing. A second housing surrounds the first housing and optical fibers are dispersed between…
PATIENT-SIDE SURGEON INTERFACE FOR A MINIMALLY INVASIVE, TELEOPERATED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT
Granted: January 16, 2014
Application Number:
20140018960
A patient-side surgeon interface provides enhanced capabilities in using a minimally invasive, teleoperated surgical system. The patient-side surgeon interface has components within the sterile surgical field of the surgery. The components allow a surgeon to control teleoperated slave surgical instruments from within the sterile surgical field. The patient-side surgeon interface permits a surgeon to be in the sterile surgical field adjacent a patient undergoing surgery. Controlling…
In Vivo Accessories for Minimally Invasive Surgery
Granted: January 16, 2014
Application Number:
20140018824
Surgical accessories are presented in vivo and used by surgical tools in the surgical site to perform additional tasks without the need to remove the tools from the surgical site for tool change or instrument loading. The accessories can be introduced into the surgical site by a dedicated accessory introducer, or can be supported on the body of a surgical tool inserted into the surgical site and be manipulated using another surgical tool in the surgical site. The accessory introducer can…
CURVED CANNULA INSTRUMENT
Granted: January 16, 2014
Application Number:
20140018823
A robotic surgical system is configured with rigid, curved cannulas that extend through the same opening into a patient's body. Surgical instruments with passively flexible shafts extend through the curved cannulas. Force isolation elements within the flexible shafts prevent shaft bending from affecting end effector actuation elements that extends through the shafts. The cannulas are oriented to direct the instruments towards a surgical site. Various port features that support the curved…
