Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Hsien-Hsin Liao

Lawton N Verner

Pushkar Hingwe

Brandon D Itkowitz

Julie L Berry

Timothy P Haines

Gregory William Dachs, Ii

Niels Smaby

Jason W Hemphill

Ashwinram Suresh

Amir Hossein Chaghajerdi

Brian Luptak

David F Martin

Clifford N Bargar

Systems and methods for instrument control include a first actuator for controlling a first mechanical degree of freedom, a second actuator for controlling a second mechanical degree of freedom, and a controller. The controller is configured to command the first actuator to maintain the first actuator at a first position, wherein actuation of the first actuator is subject to a first torque limit; command the second actuator to maintain the second actuator at a second position, wherein actuation of the second actuator is subject to a second torque limit; and in response to detecting that the first actuator cannot be maintained at the first position using actuation subject to the first torque limit and the second actuator can be maintained at the second position using actuation subject to the second torque limit, terminate the command to the first actuator to maintain the first actuator at the first position.

System and method for patient-side instrument control

Implementations relate to a counterbalance mechanism including a force transformation mechanism that provides a drive ratio. In some implementations, a counterbalance apparatus includes a spring, a first tension element, a second tension element, a force transformation mechanism coupled to the spring by the first tension element and coupled to the second tension element, and a plurality of counterbalance pulleys coupled to the second tension element. At least one of the counterbalance pulleys is coupled to a load that is moveable with reference to a mechanical ground, and a force provided by the spring is modified in magnitude by the force transformation mechanism and is applied to the load via the second tension element. The force transformation mechanism includes a plurality of elements and the modification of the force is based on a drive ratio of the elements of the force transformation mechanism.

Counterbalance mechanism including drive ratio

Implementations relate to hand presence sensing at a control input device. In some implementations, a control input device includes a base member, a handle coupled to the base member and configured to be manually contacted at a grip portion of the handle and moved by a hand of a user in one or more degrees of freedom, one or more control input sensors configured to detect positions or orientations of the handle in the one or more degrees of freedom, and a presence sensor coupled to the base member. The presence sensor has a sensing field, and at least a portion of the sensing field is located proximate to the handle.

Hand presence sensing at control input device

A system includes an input control, an instrument, a memory storing instructions, and one or more processors coupled to the memory. A first axis of a first coordinate frame is defined along a length of the input control and is associated with an orientation of the input control. A second axis of a second coordinate frame is defined along a length of the instrument and is associated with an orientation of the instrument. When executing the instructions, the one or more processors perform steps including, while in a following state, receiving a first command corresponding to a rotation of the input control about the first axis, in response to the first command, generating a second command to rotate the instrument around the second axis without rotating the instrument around any axis orthogonal to the second axis, and controlling movement of the instrument according to the second command.

Master-to-slave orientation mapping when misaligned

A surgical system is provided comprising: an input device; a first actuator and a second actuator; a controller for controlling the first actuator and the second actuator, the controller configured to apply a first scale factor to a first commanded output and a second commanded output for the first actuator the second actuator, respectively, when the first commanded output would fall outside a first predetermined working range of the first actuator, wherein the first scale factor adjusts the first commanded output to be within the first predetermined working range.

Uniform scaling of haptic actuators

Implementations relate to breakage detection of a tension element for a counterbalance mechanism. In some implementations, a tension element breakage detection mechanism includes a tension element, a moveable detection element contacting the tension element, and an actuator. The moveable detection element is biased by the tension element toward a first configuration in a range of motion of the moveable detection element. The moveable detection element is biased toward a second configuration in the range of motion of the moveable detection element by a force generated by the actuator on the moveable detection element. The breakage detection mechanism includes a sensor of a change of the moveable detection element from the first configuration to the second configuration, the change being in response to breakage of the tension element.

Breakage detection of tension element for counterbalance mechanism

A surgical system is provided comprising: an input device; and a controller for receiving control inputs from the input device and for providing haptic feedback at the input device, the controller configured to apply a staged transition from a first haptic feedback profile at the input device to a second haptic feedback profile at the input device.

Staged force feedback transitioning between control states

Systems and methods for instrument control include first and second actuators and a controller configured to command the first actuator to maintain a first degree of freedom (DOF) of an instrument at a first position; command the second actuator to maintain a second DOF of the instrument at a second position; detect, while the first actuator is maintaining the first DOF at the first position, a first manual actuation of the first actuator that exceeds a first threshold; detect, while the second actuator is maintaining the second DOF at the second position, a second manual actuation of the second actuator that does not exceed a second threshold; and in response to detecting that the first manual actuation exceeds the first threshold and the second manual actuation does not exceed the second threshold, terminate the command to the first actuator to maintain the first DOF at the first position.

A surgical system is provided comprising: an input device: and a controller for receiving control inputs from the input device and for providing haptic feedback at the input device, the controller configured to apply a staged transition from a first haptic feedback profile at the input device to a second haptic feedback profile at the input device.

A system includes a master manipulator and a controller. The controller determines, before the system enters a following mode, a relative orientation between an orientations of an axis of the master manipulator in an eye frame and a corresponding axis of a slave instrument tip in a camera frame. After the system enters the following mode, the controller determines whether an orientation misalignment between the orientations of the axis of the master manipulator and the corresponding axis of the slave instrument tip is less than or equal to a maximum permitted orientation error. When the orientation misalignment is less than or equal to the maximum permitted orientation error, the controller receives a command indicating a desired orientation of the slave instrument tip from the master manipulator and commands the system to orient the slave instrument tip based on the desired orientation of the slave instrument tip and the relative orientation.

A surgical instrument is configured to be installed for use on a teleoperated surgical system. A surgeon or other medical person controls the surgical instrument by manipulating one or more control inputs. Computer-assisted teleoperated actuators of the teleoperated surgical system move one or more surgical instrument mechanical degrees of freedom in response to movements of the one or more control inputs. A teleoperated surgical system is provided to enable a surgeon or medical person to manually control one or more surgical instrument mechanical degrees of freedom, while the surgical instrument is installed for use on the teleoperated surgical system.

A controller stores the orientations of a master tool grip and a slave surgical instrument tip upon completion of a master-slave alignment process, and enters following. During following each commanded movement of the slave surgical instrument tip from the master tool grip is processed by the controller to compensate for any alignment error between the master tool grip and the slave surgical instrument tip before following was entered. The result of this processing is that the motion of the slave surgical instrument tip intuitively corresponds to the motion of the master tool grip despite an initial swooping orientation misalignment between the master tool grip and the slave surgical instrument tip.

A method for torque compensation of a motor associated with a medical instrument includes determining a torque profile for a motor, the torque profile defining torque output as a function of rotor angle and during operation of the motor, compensating for deviations in the torque profile by adjusting an input signal to the motor, the compensating being based on the torque profile and rotor position.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Hsien-Hsin Liao