Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

Belon Engineering, Inc.

Nitish Swarup

Paul G Griffiths

Paul W Mohr

Arjang M Hourtash

Brandon D Itkowitz

Goran Adrian Lynch

David Q Larkin

Daniel N Miller

Thomas G Cooper

David W Robinson

Michael Lee Hanuschik

Nicola Diolaiti

Niels Smaby

Bruce M Schena

Giuseppe Maria Prisco

Thomas R Nixon

Pushkar Hingwe

Gregory William Dachs, Ii

Scott E Manzo

Michael Turner

Jason W Hemphill

Kamyar Ziaei

Gregory K Toth

Mark W Zimmer

Michael R Costa

John W Zabinski

Steven J Colton

Patrick O'Grady

William C Nowlin

Gunter D Niemeyer

Robert G Younge

Gary S Guthart

S Christopher Anderson

Christopher J Hasser

Alan W Petersen

Julio J Santos-Munne

Thomas Moyer

Eric L Faulring

Alexander Makhlin

David S Mintz

Brian David Hoffman

David W Bailey

Hsin-Chih Chen

Paul Millman

Rajesh Kumar

Paul D Faucher

Dean F Hoornaert

John Harry Magnasco

Salvatore J Brogna

Juan Bautista Belon

Guanghua G Zhang

Tom Nixon

David Meyer

Gary Guthurt

Shu-Hsun Chiang

Ya-Fang Ke

Hsing-Han Tsai

Chia-Wen Chang

Daniel Miller

Gregory Ii Dachs

David Robinson

Christopher S Anderson

Paul Daniel Faucher

Kam Ziaei

A computer-assisted device includes an articulating means configured to support an end effector and a processing means. When coupled to the articulating means and a patient supporting means, the processing means is configured to configure a first joint of the articulating means to a first mode to allow movement of the first joint in response to an external force on the articulating means, detect movement of the first joint, determine a movement of the patient supporting means, and drive a second joint of the articulating means based on the movement of the first joint and the movement of the patient supporting means.

System and method for integrated surgical table motion

User-initiated break-away clutching includes a robotic system having a joint, a brake or drive unit coupled to the joint, and a control system coupled with the brake or drive unit. The control system is configured to determine a first manual effort applied to the joint; inhibit, using the brake or drive unit, manual articulation of the joint in response to the first manual effort being below an articulation threshold; facilitate, using the brake or drive unit, the manual articulation of the joint in response to the first manual effort exceeding the articulation threshold; and inhibit, using the brake or drive unit, further manual articulation of the joint in response to a determination that a speed of the manual articulation of the joint is below a speed threshold.

User initiated break-away clutching of a robotic system

A system and method of breakaway clutching in a device includes a plurality of links coupled by a plurality of joints, a brake coupled to brake a first joint of the plurality of joints, and a control unit operatively coupled to the brake. The control unit includes one or more processors. The control unit switches the first joint from a first state of the first joint to a second state of the first joint in response to a determination that an external stimulus applied to the plurality of links or the plurality of joints meets at least a first criterion and switches the first joint from the second state to the first state in response to a speed associated with the first joint meeting at least a second criterion. The control unit causes more braking with the first brake in the first state than in the second state.

System and method for breakaway clutching in an articulated arm

Integrated table motion includes a computer-assisted device. The computer-assisted device includes articulating means; means for receiving, via a means for communicatively coupling the computer-assisted device with a table means, a table movement request from a table command means, the table means being separate from the computer-assisted device; means for determining whether the table movement request should be allowed; and means for allowing the table means to perform the table movement request based on determining that the table movement request should be allowed.

System and method for integrated surgical table

Techniques for maintaining instrument position and orientation include a computer-assisted device having an articulated structure and a control unit. The articulated structure includes a plurality of joints and is configured to support an instrument. The control unit is configured to determine a reference frame based on a type of a disturbance that causes a movement of a first joint of the plurality of joints; determine, in the reference frame, a first change to the instrument due to the disturbance; and rive at least a second joint of the plurality of joints to reduce the first change. The first change comprises: a change in a position of the instrument, or a change in an orientation of the instrument, or a change in both the position of the instrument and the orientation of the instrument.

System and method for maintaining a tool position and orientation

Disturbance compensation in computer-assisted devices include an articulated arm comprising one or more first joints and one or more second joints and one or more processors coupled to the articulated arm. The articulated arm is configured to support an end effector. The one or more processors when executing instructions are configured to: detect a disturbance to the one or more first joints, the disturbance causing a point of interest associated with the end effector to move; determine a predicted motion of the point of interest based on the detected disturbance; and drive the one or more second joints to move the point of interest based on an error in a position of the point of interest indicated by the predicted motion.

Disturbance compensation in computer-assisted devices

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

A system and method of breakaway clutching in a device includes an arm having a first joint and a control unit coupled to the arm. The control unit includes one or more processors. The control unit switches the first joint from a first state of the first joint to a second state of the first joint in response to an external stimulus applied to the arm exceeding a first threshold. Movement of the first joint is more restricted in the first state than in the second state. The control unit further switches the first joint from the second state to the first state in response to a speed associated with the first joint falling below a speed threshold. The first threshold is based on at least one first property of the arm. The speed threshold is based on at least one second property of the arm.

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 to allow manual positioning of one or both of a remote center or end effector position within a work space and driving a second set of joints according to an auxiliary movement calculated within a null-space according to a desired state or movement of the manipulator arm during the floating of the joints. Various configurations for devices and systems utilizing such methods are provided herein.

System and methods for positioning a manipulator arm by clutching within a null-perpendicular space concurrent with null-space movement

A computer-assisted device includes an articulated arm configured to support an end effector and a control unit. When coupled to the articulated arm and a table, the control unit is configured to detect movement of the articulated arm caused by movement of the table, determine a movement of the table based on motion data received from the table, and drive one or more first joints of the articulated arm based on the movement of the articulated arm and the determined movement of the table.

Techniques for maintaining instrument position and orientation include a computer-assisted device having a control unit and an articulated structure. The articulated structure includes a plurality of joints and is configured to support an instrument. The control unit is configured to determine an error that is introduced, by movement of a first joint of the plurality of joints, to a position of the instrument, an orientation of the instrument, or both the position of the instrument and the orientation of the instrument; and in response at least to determining that a second joint of the plurality of joints is at a range of motion limit or is about to reach the range of motion limit drive one or more joints of the plurality of joints to partially reduce the error, the one or more joints not comprising the second joint, and provide feedback that not all of the error is reduced.

Techniques for operating a kinematic structure by manual motion of a link coupled to the kinematic structure include a system having a kinematic structure configured to support an instrument and a processor. The processor is configured to place the system in a clutching mode; transition the system from the clutching mode to a set-up mode in response to detecting a joint operation of the kinematic structure; while in the set-up mode, determine an input displacement of a link from an initial positional relationship relative to a portion of the kinematic structure to a displaced positional relationship relative to the portion of the kinematic structure; and while in the set-up mode and in response to the determined input displacement, drive the kinematic structure so that the link returns toward the initial positional relationship relative to the portion of the kinematic structure.

Techniques for operating a kinematic structure by manual motion of link coupled to the kinematic structure

Integrated table motion includes a computer-assisted device. The computer-assisted device includes an articulated arm and a control unit coupled to the articulated arm. To support integrated motion with a table physically separate from and communicatively coupled to the computer-assisted device via a communications connection, the control unit is configured to receive a table movement request from a table command unit of the table, determine whether the table movement request should be allowed, and allow the table to perform the table movement request based on determining that the table movement request should be allowed.

A cart for supporting one or more instruments during a computer-assisted remote procedure can comprise a base; a steering interface having a portion configured to be grasped by a user; a sensor mechanism configured to detect a force applied to the steering interface by a user; and a switch operable between an engaged position and a disengaged position. The cart may further include a drive system comprising a control module operably coupled to receive an input from the sensor mechanism in response to the force applied to the steering interface and, on the condition that the switch is in the engaged position, to output a movement command based on the received input from the sensor mechanism. A driven wheel mounted to the base of the cart may be configured to impart motion to the cart in response to the movement command.

Surgical patient side cart with drive system and method of moving a patient side cart

Techniques for limiting motion of a first structure include a manipulator supported by the first structure, a second structure supporting the first structure, and a processor. The processor is configured to, in response to entering a first mode, determine, relative to the first structure, a first position of a reference location on entry into the first mode, the reference location being associated with a link of the manipulator; and while in the first mode: detect a manual movement of the reference location to a second position relative to the first structure, wherein a difference between the first and second positions comprises a displacement having first and second components in respective different first and second directions; and, in response, command the second structure to move relative to the reference location in the first direction so as to reduce the first component while not changing the second component.

Limited movement of a surgical mounting platform controlled by manual motion of robotic arms

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Nitish Swarup