Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Leland Stanford Junior University

Nicola Diolaiti

Daniel H Gomez

Paul E Lilagan

David Q Larkin

Bruce M Schena

Pushkar Hingwe

Probal Mitra

Tabish Mustufa

Thomas G Cooper

Eugene F Duval

Anthony K McGrogan

Robert E Holop

Craig R Ramstad

Nitish Swarup

Arjang M Hourtash

Jeffrey D Brown

Niels Smaby

Gregory William Dachs, Ii

Thomas R Nixon

Samuel Kwok Wai Au

Michael Turner

Amy E Kerdok

Raymond Arthur Bonneau

Catherine J Mohr

Marc E Tognaccini

Vincent Duindam

Roman L Devengenzo

Todd R Solomon

Gary C Ettinger

Samuel Y Chang

Theodore W Rogers

Federico Barbagli

Benjamin S Flamm

Paul W Mohr

Giuseppe Maria Prisco

David W Weir

Gabriel Francis Brisson

Benjamin L Lee

Shu-Wen Yu

Wanxi Liu

Dimitrios Chatzigeorgiou

Tabish Mustafa

David W Bailey

Neal A Tanner

June Gyu Park

Christopher R Carlson

Günter D Niemeyer

Samuel B Schorr

Salomon J Trujillo

Paul E Liligan

Eugene F F Duval

Thoeodore W Rogers

Kirk A Nichols

Gregory Ii Dachs

Anthony K Mcgrogan

A method of detecting a tool being received in a medical system, the method including receiving, in a tool recognition assembly having a first reader with a first detection zone, the tool having a first target. The method also includes acquiring first sensor data from the first reader for the first detection zone and detecting an indication of an absence of the first target when the first sensor data is within a first pre-determined threshold range and logging the absence indication. The method also includes creating an insertion signature associated with the tool being received in the tool recognition assembly by combining, in a chronological sequence, the absence and presence indications from the first reader. The method further includes comparing the insertion signature to a predetermined set of model insertion signatures and determining a characteristic of the tool being received in the tool recognition assembly based on the comparing.

Systems and methods for tool detection and associated control modes

Systems and methods for a system include a manipulator configured to support an instrument moveable within an instrument workspace, the instrument having an instrument frame of reference; an input device configured to receive a movement command from an operator; and a control system. The control system is configured to determine a difference between an orientation of the instrument and an orientation of a field of view of the instrument workspace; adjust, based on the difference, a mapping to apply to the movement command to generate an implementable movement command for the instrument; further adjust the mapping based on an ergonomic offset to provide for a difference between an orientation of the input device and the orientation of the instrument; map, based on the adjusted mapping, the movement command to a motion of the instrument in the instrument frame of reference; and cause the instrument to move according to the motion.

Secondary instrument control in a computer-assisted teleoperated system

Techniques are described for testing whether an end effector, or component thereof, is correctly or incorrectly installed to a manipulation system. A manipulation system can include a manipulator arm configured to receive an end effector having a first moveable jaw, a transducer configured to provide first effort information of the end effector as the end effector moves, and a processor configured to provide a command signal to effect a first test move of the first moveable jaw, and to provide an installation status of the of the end effector using the first effort information of the first test move.

User-installable part installation detection techniques

Systems and methods for verification and calibration of robotic instruments are provided. A robotic system may include an instrument carriage to receive an elongate device, and the instrument carriage may comprise a set of drive sensors. The system may also include a tracking system configured to receive an indication that the elongate device is installed on the instrument carriage, operate a set of actuators to articulate a distal portion of the elongate device, and generate a set of drive sensor data from the set of drive sensors. The tracking system may also be configured to generate a set of articulation sensor data from a shape sensor of the elongate device, compare the set of drive sensor data to the set of articulation sensor data to generate a test profile, and determine whether the test profile corresponds to a reference profile. Corrective action may be determined.

Systems and methods for device verification and sensor calibration

A method comprises monitoring movement of an elongate device and receiving user input commanding motion of the elongate device. The method also comprises determining a mode of operation based on at least one of the monitored movement or the received user input and adjusting a property of the elongate device based on a profile associated with the mode of operation. Adjusting the property of the elongate device includes maintaining the property of the elongate device substantially the same during a first interval, reducing a rigidity of the elongate device at a first rate during a second interval and reducing the rigidity of the elongate device at a second rate, different from the first rate, during a third interval.

Systems and methods for control of steerable devices

Techniques for retracting an instrument into an entry guide include an entry guide manipulator configured to support an entry guide and an instrument manipulator configured to support an instrument. The robotic system is configured to receive a command indicating a commanded movement of the entry guide in a direction parallel to an insertion axis of the entry guide; in response to the commanded movement of the entry guide being greater than a threshold distance in the direction parallel to the insertion axis, cause a response comprising one or more actions selected from the group consisting of: movement, using the instrument manipulator, of one or more rotational joints of the instrument external to the entry guide toward a distal end of the entry guide; and actuation of the one or more rotational joints to straighten the instrument so that the instrument can be retracted into the entry guide.

Method and system for retracting an instrument into an entry guide

A system comprises an input device structurally configured to be utilized by an operator to control a medical device. The system further comprises a motion sensor associated with the input device and configured to detect a displacement distance of the input device. The system further comprises a control unit configured to determine a velocity cap defining a maximum velocity of the medical device based on the detected displacement distance. The control system is further configured to control movement of the medical device based on the velocity cap.

Systems and methods of device control with operator and motion sensing

A medical system comprises an entry guide, a display, and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive state information for an articulatable image capture device controllably extendable out of a distal end of the entry guide. The processor may be configured to generate a view including a graphical representation of a distal end portion of the articulatable image capture device as determined from the received state information and a graphical representation of a field of view of the articulatable image capture device extending distally from the distal end portion of the articulatable image capture device. The processor may also cause the view to be displayed on the display.

Medical robotic system providing an auxiliary view including range of motion limitations for articulatable instruments extending out of a distal end of an entry guide

A method of operating a manipulator arm comprising a manipulator interface configured to removably couple with and transmit actuation force to a medical instrument includes mounting a cannula to a cannula mount coupled to the manipulator arm; mounting a medical instrument to the manipulator interface; inserting a shaft of the medical instrument through an entry guide mounted to the cannula; rotating the manipulator interface and the medical instrument relative to the cannula mount; and rotating the entry guide relative to the cannula mount about a longitudinal axis of the cannula.

Surgical system entry guide

A system includes first and second manipulating means, and a means for detecting mounting of an imaging means to the first manipulating means, a means for determining a first reference frame for the imaging means while the imaging means is mounted to the first manipulating means, a means for controlling a tool means relative to the first reference frame by maintaining a position and orientation of a distal portion of the tool means relative to the imaging means in the first reference frame based on a position and orientation of an input means relative to a display means, a means for detecting mounting of the imaging means to the second manipulating means, a means for determining a second reference frame for the imaging means while the imaging means is mounted to the second manipulating means, and a means for controlling the tool means relative to the second reference frame.

Inter-operative switching of tools in a robotic surgical system

Techniques for controlling a moveable component include a moveable component and a controller. The controller is configured to control motion of the moveable component according to a state machine comprising a first and second state. In the first state, the controller holds the moveable component at a current position. The controller transitions the state machine from the first state to the second state in response to detecting a displacement of the moveable component, due to a disturbance, from the current position for longer than a first predetermined duration of time. In the second state, the controller commands the moveable component to perform a motion. The controller remains in the second state until a stop condition is detected, even if the disturbance ends before the stop condition is detected. The controller transitions the state machine from the second state to the first state in response to detecting the stop condition.

Techniques for controlling a moveable component

In a coupled control mode, an operator directly controls movement of an associated manipulator with an input device while indirectly controlling movement of one or more non-associated manipulators, in response to commanded motion of the directly controlled manipulator, to achieve a secondary objective. By automatically performing secondary tasks through coupled control modes, the system's usability is enhanced by reducing the operator's need to switch to another direct mode to manually achieve the desired secondary objective. Thus, coupled control modes allow the operator to better focus on performing tasks and to pay less attention to managing the system.

Medical robotic system with coupled control modes

A medical instrument system includes actuators, a medical instrument, and a control system operably connected to the actuators. The medical instrument includes an end portion and transmission systems, each of which couples the end portion to an actuator of the actuators such that the actuators are operable to drive the transmission systems to move the end portion. The control system is configured to execute operations including determining a difference between a current configuration of the end portion and a desired configuration of the end portion, and operating the actuators to apply tensions to the transmission systems based on the difference and based on constant offset tensions. The constant offset tensions are independent of current tensions experienced by the transmission systems.

Tension control in actuation of jointed instruments

Systems and methods for controlling an elongate device are provided herein. In some embodiments, a robotic system may comprise a manipulator assembly configured to drive an elongate device and a control device configured to receive user input commanding the elongate device. The robotic system may also comprise a control system communicatively coupled to the manipulator assembly and the control device. The control system may be configured to monitor movement of the elongate device during a plurality of intervals, monitor user input received by the control device during the plurality of intervals, and adjust a property of the elongate device based on at least one of the monitored movement or the monitored user input.

A system may comprise a control device configured to receive user inputs and a manipulator system including an actuator configured to receive and drive a steerable device. The system may also comprise a control system communicatively coupled to the manipulator system. The control system may be configured to track a virtual user-instructed position based on a first user input, determine a device position of a portion of the steerable device, and determine a position discrepancy in a first direction between the determined device position and the virtual user-instructed position. The control system may also be configured to receive a second user input commanding motion of the steerable device in a second direction, opposite the first direction. In response to the second user input, the position discrepancy may be reduced based on an aspect of the second user input and a catch-up profile.

Systems and methods for motion control of steerable devices

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Nicola Diolaiti