Remote Current Controller for Medical Robotic Systems
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Summary
Problems
Medical robotic systems face space and heating challenges when trying to co-locate current controllers with motors and sensors in small housings, particularly in distal locations where motors actuate degrees of freedom of slave manipulators and medical devices.
Innovation solutions
Implementing a remote current controller system where current controllers are housed in a different location than the motors, using a daisy chain or hybrid networked motor control system to manage pulse-width modulated current signals and sensor information, allowing for efficient control of motors while minimizing space and heat issues.
TRIZ Analysis
Specific contradictions:
General conflict description:
Principle concept:
If current controllers are co-located with motors and sensors in small housings, then control precision and response time are improved, but space availability and heat dissipation are worsened
Why choose this principle:
The system segments the control architecture by separating current controllers from motors and sensors. Motors and sensors remain co-located in distal housings for precise control, while current controllers are distributed to separate locations (proximal housings or base) that provide adequate space and heat dissipation. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing each component type to be optimally positioned independently.
Principle concept:
If current controllers are co-located with motors and sensors in small housings, then control precision and response time are improved, but space availability and heat dissipation are worsened
Why choose this principle:
A networked communication system acts as an intermediary between the distal motors/sensors and proximal current controllers. This intermediary enables precise control signals and sensor feedback to be transmitted across the physical separation, maintaining control precision while allowing spatial distribution for heat management and space availability.
Application Domain
Data Source
AI summary:
Implementing a remote current controller system where current controllers are housed in a different location than the motors, using a daisy chain or hybrid networked motor control system to manage pulse-width modulated current signals and sensor information, allowing for efficient control of motors while minimizing space and heat issues.
Abstract
A medical robotic system includes a manipulator having links that form housings which are movable by motor actuated joints. Motors for actuating the joints and sensors for sensing states of the motors are housed in one or more distal housings formed from corresponding links or other structure(s) of the manipulator. A position controller is housed in a proximal housing and provides current commands for the motors to a remote current controller that is housed in an intermediate housing and generates drive signals for the motors by using the provided current commands and sensed states of the motors.