In a master-slave robot system for remote operation of a surgical procedure, a method and system for controlling a slave device within the physical limits of the movement of the slave device

Abstract

A method for controlling a slave device of a robotic system for the remote operation of medical or surgical procedures is described, the robotic system comprising at least one handheld master device adapted to be moved by an operator and at least one slave device adapted to be controlled by the at least one master device. The method comprises: a) when a nominal target posture (180) having each orientation in the rotational space of at least one slave device (170) is outside the operating area (174) belonging to the rotational space of the at least one slave device, and when the nominal target posture (180) and the modified target posture (184) defined to be inside the operating area (174) of the at least one slave device are inside the detachment area (192), the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) is controlled to converge to the modified target posture (184); b) when at least one of the nominal target posture (180) and the modified target posture (184) is outside the detachment area (192), the rotational movement of the at least one slave device is blocked until both the nominal target posture (180) and the modified target posture (184) enter the re-entry area (196); c) after exiting the operating area, when both the nominal target posture (180) and the modified target posture (184) return to the re-entry area (196), the orientation of the at least one slave device is controlled to converge to the modified target posture (184) through a low-speed remote operation phase, and when the orientation of the at least one slave device converges to the modified target posture (184), the low-speed remote operation phase ends, so as to control the movement of the at least one slave device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a system for controlling a robotic system for the remote operation of medical or surgical procedures.

[0002] In particular, the present invention relates to a method for controlling a slave device, which is controlled by a master device movable by an operator, in a robotic system for the remote operation of medical or surgical procedures, particularly at a position close to the physical limits of the movement of the slave device related to the rotational degrees of freedom, and to a related robotic system.

Background Art

[0003] Master devices having mechanically constrained appendages on the operating console are generally known in the field of master-slave robotic systems for the remote operation of medical or surgical procedures. Usually, such appendages comprise an operating motor that operates the master device so as to limit the movement of the master device under certain conditions.

[0004] The operating console usually further comprises a foot switch for sequentially transmitting control signals to the slave device. Instead of, or in addition to, the foot switch, a switch can be included in the master device body.

[0005] Master devices for the remote operation of medical or surgical procedures have also been proposed, which are mechanically directly constrained to one or more slave robotic arms for moving one or more slave robotic arms by master-slave operating kinematics.

[0006] Medical or surgical remote operation master devices that are mechanically constrained to the console by a cardan suspension ("gimbal") are also known.

[0007] In other words, a robotic system for the remote operation of medical or surgical procedures is also known to have a master device that is not mechanically constrained (also referred to as "mechanically ungrounded", "mechanically unrestricted", "mechanically unconstrained") to the operation console of the robotic system, i.e., of the type shown, for example, in WO-2019-020407, WO-2019-020408, WO-2019-020409, WO-2021-161158, WO-2021-161185 and WO-2021-161177 in the name of the applicant.

[0008] Another category of master devices is the non-operating or "ungrounded" type, i.e., there is no feedback system from the slave device that can physically limit the operability of the slave device. Both the mechanically unconstrained type of master device and the master device constrained to the operation console can belong to this category, including, for example, cardan support and stabilizing joints ("gimbals"). In the case of the "ungrounded" type of master device without force feedback and in mono-lateral teleoperation, there is a problem regarding the problem that occurs when the master device maps to a corresponding nominal target pose that is not reachable by the slave device, for example, when the slave device is outside the allowable operating space of the slave device.

[0009] Thus, in order to maintain a high level of teleoperation usability and maintain intuitive operator movement, it is required to provide modified and improved control approaches and algorithms when the slave device is located near the limit of the allowable operating space and / or when the nominal target pose is outside the aforementioned operating space of the slave device.

[0010] Mono-lateral remote operation is provided, for example, between a symmetric N-turn type master device and a slave device (micro-surgical instrument), and has degrees of freedom of translational nature (generally three directions orthogonal to each other), degrees of freedom of rotational nature (a space posture generally describable by three consecutive rotations), and / or additional degrees of freedom for describing the state of a micro-surgical device such as a "closure" (or grip).

[0011] The symmetric N-turn master device is assumed to have at least the same degrees of freedom as the controlled device. In this situation, mono-lateral remote operation can be regarded as the information flow between the master device and the slave device (as shown in FIG. 4, for example).

[0012] Since there are no constraints on the master device, there is no pre-fixed mapping between the position of the master device and the position of the slave device. Such a mapping is created at a specific moment such as the start of remote operation in a remote operation where the movement of the slave device is "linked" to the movement of the master device.

[0013] In the context of microsurgery, especially with respect to the rotational degrees of freedom, a master device without constraints includes the possibility of uniquely associating the orientation of the master device with the orientation of the slave device in advance. Such a mapping is usually one-to-one.

[0014] However, some rotational misalignments between the master device and the irreparable slave device cause a degradation in the performance of the robotic system.

[0015] In this regard, for example, based on the rotational degrees of freedom, the existence of limits requires specific management of remote operations close to such limits.

[0016] For example, the prior art document, European Patent Application Publication No. 3459429, discloses a robotic system for laparoscopic minimally invasive remote surgery comprising a robotic probe insertion control system configured to enable simultaneous insertion of all robotic probes in a coordinated manner based on a single command by a user.

[0017] Therefore, in a master-slave robotic system comprising both a constrained master device and an unconstrained master device, it is felt that when the slave device is in a near-limiting position, it is required to define appropriate remote operation movements so as to optimize the user experience during a change in the remote operation paradigm.

[0018] In the technical field under consideration, the known solutions cannot fully solve the aforementioned problems and drawbacks.

[0019] Therefore, in the technical field under consideration, there is a strong need for a device having a device that solves or at least mitigates the aforementioned problems and drawbacks and controls the subordinate movement of the slave device according to the master device based on a control algorithm.

[0020] In particular, even when approaching the limit of the rotational operating space of the slave device, such as the physical limit of the rotational joint of the slave surgical instrument and / or the slave robotic manipulator, it is felt that a surgeon gripping at least one master control device of a type not constrained by the console and / or a master control device of a type without force feedback can surely perform an intuitive and smooth remote operation session.

[0021] More specifically, depending on the current posture of the slave device, in one or more slave rotary joints that are close to the physical limits of one or more slave rotary joints, even if the commanded posture can exceed the physical limits by a master device without constraints and / or a master device without force feedback, it is required to continue the remote operation without interruption. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0022] An object of the present invention is to provide a control method for a slave device controlled by a master device without constraints that can be moved by an operator, near the physical limits of the movement of the slave device, at least partially eliminating the drawbacks pointed out above with respect to the prior art and being able to meet the aforementioned needs particularly felt in the technical field under consideration.

[0023] Such an object is achieved by the method according to claim 1.

[0024] Further embodiments of such a method are defined by claims 2 to 26.

[0025] An object of the present invention is also to provide a robotic system for the remote operation of a medical or surgical procedure configured to be controlled by the aforementioned method. Such an object is achieved by the system according to claim 27.

[0026] Further embodiments of such a system are defined by claims 28 to 51.

[0027] Further functions and advantages of the method according to the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, shown by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028]

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Figure 8

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Figure 9a

[0029] Note that in the figures, equivalent or similar elements are denoted by the same numerical or alphanumerical references.

[0030] A method for controlling a slave device 170 of a robotic system 100 for the remote operation of medical or surgical procedures will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12, 6a, 7a, and 9a. The robotic system 100 is hereinafter also referred to as a robotic system or simply a system.

[0031] The robotic system 100 includes at least one hand-held master device 110 and is adapted to be moved by an operator 150.

[0032] The robotic system 100 further includes at least one slave robot assembly 120 including at least one slave device 170 (or slave surgical instrument 170) adapted to be controlled by at least one master device 110.

[0033] The slave robot assembly 120 can further include at least one non-sterile manipulator 130 that includes one or more electric actuators and is adapted to be controlled by at least one master device 110, and at least one slave device 170 can be operably and removably connected to at least one manipulator 130.

[0034] Preferably, at least one device 170 is sterilized and is connected to the manipulator 130 with a sterilization barrier interposed therebetween (not shown).

[0035] At least one slave device 170 can include a distal articulating end that is moved by a tendon or an actuating cable that can be operably connected to the electric actuators of at least one non-sterile manipulator 130 of the slave robot assembly 120.

[0036] In an embodiment, the slave robot assembly 120 may include two slave devices 170 (or slave surgical instruments 170) that operate in the same shared operating space.

[0037] At least one master device 110 is preferably a "non-grounded" type of master device for mono-lateral teleoperation without force feedback. Thus, for example, at least one master device 110 can be a non-grounded type without force feedback for mono-lateral teleoperation, but is mechanically constrained to the operating console 140 as a master.

[0038] Alternatively, at least one master device 110 can be a type of master device that is not mechanically constrained to the operating console 140, for example, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, the operation console 140 can include a tracking field generator 142, for example, an electromagnetic field emitter, and can detect the position and / or orientation of at least one master device 110 within the generated tracking field 144.

[0040] For example, the origin of the master global reference system (MFO (“master frame origin”)) can coincide with the position of the tracking field generator 142.

[0041] Referring again to the method according to the present invention and FIGS. 5 to 12, 6a, 7a and 9a, the method comprises defining a nominal target posture 180 having each orientation in the rotation space of at least one slave device 170.

[0042] At least one slave device 170 has each operating region 174 belonging to the rotation space of at least one slave device 170.

[0043] The method further comprises defining a modified target posture (“proxy”) 184 defined to be within the operating region 174 of at least one slave device 170 (e.g., shown in FIGS. 6, 6a, 7, 7a, 9 and 9a) in the rotation space of at least one slave device 170.

[0044] The method comprises defining an exit region 192 (e.g., shown in FIGS. 6, 6a, 7, 7a, 8 and 11) and a re-entry region 196 (e.g., shown in FIGS. 8, 9, 9a, 10 and 12) centered on the current posture of at least one slave device 170.

[0045] The exit region 192 is a first subspace of the rotation space of at least one slave device 170.

[0046] The re-entry region 196 is a second subspace of the rotation space of at least one slave device 170.

[0047] Thus, a departure region 192 centered on the current attitude of at least one slave device is defined as a rotational attraction subspace (e.g., roll-pitch-yaw) that evaluates the removal of the nominal target attitude 180 from the actuation region 174 in the step of exiting / removing the nominal target attitude 180 from the actuation region 174.

[0048] A re-entry region 196 centered on the current attitude of at least one slave device is instead of a rotational attraction subspace (e.g., roll-pitch-yaw) defined for approaching the nominal target attitude 180 to the actuation region 174 in the step of bringing the nominal target attitude 180 closer to the actuation region after the nominal target attitude 180 has exited the actuation region.

[0049] The method comprises the step of controlling, and the step of controlling controls the movement of at least one slave device 170 as follows: -a) When the nominal target attitude 180 is outside the actuation region 174 and the nominal target attitude 180 and the modified target attitude 184 are inside the departure region 192 (as schematically shown in FIGS. 6 and 6a, for example), the orientation of at least one slave device 170 is controlled to converge to the modified target attitude 184 (as schematically shown in FIGS. 6 and 6a by arrow A1 indicating the converging movement of at least one slave device 170 to the modified target attitude); -b) When at least one of the nominal target attitude 180 and the modified target attitude 184 is outside the departure region 192 (as schematically shown in FIGS. 7 and 7a, for example, the nominal target attitude 180 is outside the departure region 192), the rotational movement of at least one slave device 170 is blocked until both the nominal target attitude 180 and the modified target attitude 184 enter the re-entry region 196 (as schematically shown in FIGS. 9 and 9a, for example). -c) After exiting the operating area 174, when both the nominal target attitude 180 and the modified target attitude 184 return to the reentry area 196 (as schematically shown in FIGS. 9 and 9a, for example), the orientation of at least one slave device 170 converges to the modified target attitude 184 through a low-speed remote operation phase (as schematically shown in FIGS. 9 and 9a by arrow A1 indicating the converging movement of at least one slave device 170 to the modified target attitude).

[0050] "Low-speed remote operation" means remote operation that slows down the dynamics of the slave device, that is, scaling the speed and rotational acceleration of the slave device.

[0051] It should be noted that the slowdown assumed in "low-speed remote operation" does not refer to scaling the position of the slave device.

[0052] (As schematically shown in FIG. 10, for example, where only at least one slave device 170 is schematically shown to completely overlap with the modified target position 184 of FIGS. 9 and 9a) When the orientation of at least one slave device 170 converges to the modified target attitude 184, the low-speed remote operation phase ends.

[0053] In an embodiment of the method, the controlling step comprises controlling the movement of at least one slave device 170. When the nominal target attitude 180 is within the operating area 174 (as schematically shown in FIG. 5), the orientation of the at least one slave device 170 is controlled to converge towards the nominal target attitude 180 (as schematically shown in FIGS. 9 and 9a by arrow A1 indicating the converging movement of at least one slave device 170 to the modified target attitude).

[0054] In more detail, the orientation of at least one slave device 170 is controlled to converge towards the nominal target attitude 180, for example, through the normal dynamics of the remote operation phase.

[0055] "Nominal dynamics" means that the remote operation of medical and surgical procedures is performed at a "nominal" remote operation speed, i.e., without deceleration or acceleration.

[0056] According to an embodiment, the orientation of at least one slave device 170 is evaluated by evaluating the orientation of a virtual control point 600 related to or integral with the slave surgical instrument 170.

[0057] The virtual control point 600 means the origin of the local reference system SF ("slave frame") of at least one slave device 170, as schematically shown in FIG. 3.

[0058] In an embodiment of the method, in any combination with the above, the controlling step comprises controlling the movement of at least one slave device 170 such that the orientation of the at least one slave device 170 converges to a target changed orientation 184 from when the controlled remote operation phase ends.

[0059] In more detail, the orientation of at least one slave device 170 is controlled to converge to the target changed orientation 184, for example, through the nominal dynamics described above for the remote operation phase.

[0060] According to an embodiment of the method, in any combination with the above, the release region 192 is defined as the set of all nominal target orientations or target changed orientations for which a first error function F1 is applied between the nominal target orientation 180 or target changed orientation 184 of at least one slave device 170 and the current orientation of the at least one slave device 170. The first error function F1 is lower than a set first threshold value.

[0061] The first error function F1, which will be described in more detail below, is schematically shown by the arrows in FIG. 11.

[0062] According to this embodiment of the method, the re-entry region 196 is defined as the set of all nominal target postures or modified target postures to which each second error function F2 is applied between the nominal target posture 180 or the modified target posture 184 of at least one slave device and the current posture of at least one slave device 170. The second error function F2 is lower than a set second threshold value.

[0063] The second error function F2, which will be described in more detail below, is schematically shown by the arrows in FIG. 12.

[0064] According to an embodiment of the method, in combination with any of the above not shown in the figure, the departure region 192 is a static region that surrounds the operating region 174 of at least one slave device 170 from the outside.

[0065] According to an embodiment of the method, instead of the foregoing, the departure region 192 is a dynamic region that changes as a function of the current posture of at least one slave device 170 and extends at least partially outside the operating region 174 of at least one slave device 170.

[0066] In an embodiment of the method, in combination with any of the above and as schematically shown in FIG. 8, after the nominal target posture 180 exits the operating region 174, in the step of bringing the nominal target posture 180 closer to the operating region 174, the re-entry region 196 is included within the departure region 192 so as to evaluate the approach of the nominal target posture 180 from the operating region 174.

[0067] In more detail, the re-entry region 196 is tightly included within the departure region 192.

[0068] "Tightly included" means that the re-entry region 196 is below the departure region 192 and is completely included within the departure region 192.

[0069] For example, as schematically shown in FIG. 8, the boundary line of the reentry region 196 is completely contained within the departure region 192.

[0070] According to an embodiment of the method, in any combination with the above, the modified target posture 184 is defined from the nominal target posture 180 as follows: - When the nominal target posture 180 is within the operating region 174, the modified target posture 184 coincides with the nominal target posture 180, - When the nominal target posture 180 is outside the operating region 174, the modified target posture 184 is as close as possible to the nominal target posture 180 at the boundary of the operating region 174.

[0071] Furthermore, according to a further embodiment, when there are more positioning conditions for the nominal target posture 180 with respect to the operating region 174, the modified target posture 184 is the one closest to the current posture of at least one slave device 170.

[0072] According to an embodiment of the method, in any combination with the above, the rotation space of at least one slave device 170 is a rotation space restricted in SO(3) parameterizable by the rotation coordinates including "roll" (denoted by reference symbol RL in FIG. 3), "pitch" (denoted by reference symbol PT in FIG. 3), and "yaw" (denoted by reference symbol YW in FIG. 3), which are three Euler coordinates.

[0073] According to an embodiment of the method, in any combination with the above including the first error function F1 and the second error function F2, the low-speed remote operation phase comprises controlling the dynamics of at least one slave device 170 such that the speed of at least one slave device 170 is lower than the speed value of at least one slave device 170 provided in the remote operation with reference to the rotation coordinates and / or is inversely proportional to the first error function F1 and the second error function F2 indicated by the solid angle.

[0074] According to an embodiment of the method, in the above combination, the method comprises a step of notifying the operator that the low-speed remote operation phase is in progress. In the low-speed remote operation phase, the speed of at least one slave device 170 is lower than the speed value of at least one slave device 170 provided in the remote operation of medical treatment, and the dynamics of at least one slave device 170 are controlled so as to be inversely proportional to the first error function F1 and the second error function F2 indicated by the solid angle.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the notification step is continuously executed, for example, by emitting an audio signal ("beep sound") that continues during the low-speed remote operation.

[0076] According to an embodiment of the method, in combination with any of the above, the nominal target posture 180 of at least one slave device 170 comprises a degree of rotational freedom and a further degree of freedom related to the degree of rotational freedom.

[0077] The further degree of freedom is controlled in a manner that does not depend on and is not affected by the determination of the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 of at least one slave device 170 with respect to the operating area 174, based on the rotational coordinates.

[0078] According to an embodiment of the method, in combination with one of the foregoing, the control of the further degree of freedom is also performed when the movement of at least one slave device 170 based on the rotational coordinates is blocked.

[0079] According to an embodiment of the method, in any combination with the above in which the further degree of freedom is included, the further degree of freedom comprises a degree of translational freedom.

[0080] According to this embodiment, when the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 is outside the operation region and outside the detachment region 192, and the rotational coordinates are blocked, the method further comprises the step of blocking and / or suppressing the movement of at least one slave device 170 based on the translational degree of freedom.

[0081] In an embodiment of the method, as an alternative to the above, the additional degree of freedom comprises a translational degree of freedom. When the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 is outside the operation region 174 and outside the detachment region 192, and the rotational coordinates are blocked, the method further comprises the step of restricting the movement of at least one slave device 170 based on the translational degree of freedom.

[0082] According to an embodiment of the method, in any combination with the above including the first error function F1 and the second error function F2, the method comprises the step of calculating the first error function F1 and / or the second error function F2 as a solid angle between the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 of at least one slave device 170 and the orientation of the current posture of at least one slave device 170.

[0083] According to an embodiment of the method, in combination with one of the above, the first error function F1 and / or the second error function F2 are calculated by twist / swing decomposition of the angle between the nominal target posture 180 of the slave device 170 and the current posture of at least one slave device 170.

[0084] (In FIG. 12, schematically indicated by reference symbol SW) The swing angle is the solid angle between the main direction of the nominal target posture 180 of at least one slave device 170 and the main direction of the orientation of the current posture of at least one slave device 170.

[0085] The swing angle indicates a rotation about a swing axis orthogonal to the main direction of the orientation of at least one master device 110 and at least one slave device 170.

[0086] (As schematically shown by reference numeral TW in FIG. 12) The twist angle is a solid angle with respect to the main direction of the orientation of at least one slave device 170 necessary to match the nominal target posture 180, and is adapted to the rotation of the swing angle with respect to the swing axis in the orientation of at least one slave device 170.

[0087] According to an embodiment of the method, in a combination with any one of the above including the first error function and the second error function, the first error function F1 and the second error function F2 are scalar functions, and the first threshold value and the second threshold value are scalar values.

[0088] According to an embodiment of the method, in a combination with any one of the above including the first error function and the second error function, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are equal.

[0089] According to an embodiment of the method, in a combination with any one of the above including the first error function and the second error function and in place of the foregoing case, the second threshold value is lower than the first threshold value.

[0090] According to an embodiment of the method, in a combination with any one of the above including the first error function and the second error function, the following conditions are satisfied: - At least one slave device 170 is of the "end effector" type, - At least one master device 110 is of the "two-fold symmetry" type.

[0091] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, at least one slave device 170 of the "end effector" type preferably comprises a pair of terminal grips and / or cut links 173, 175 (the "instrument tip") that are articulated to each other and define an open / close degree of freedom GRIP (shown by reference numeral GP in FIGS. 2 and 3) with respect to each other, and preferably further comprises at least one additional link 177 that forms an articulated end effector that supports the pair of terminal links 173, 175 and is articulatable with respect to the frame 179 of at least one slave device 170.

[0092] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, again by way of example, at least one master device 110 comprises two rigid parts 113, 115 that are constrained to rotate relative to each other about a common axis, and in the form of a clamp or forceps (as shown, for example, in FIG. 2), the two rigid parts 113, 115 are substantially symmetric with respect to the longitudinal axis M-M of the master device 110.

[0093] Unilateral remote operation provides a translational degree of freedom (usually three directions orthogonal to each other), a rotational degree of freedom (a spatial orientation that can usually be represented by three consecutive rotations), and a degree of freedom representing the state of the microsurgical device, such as "closure" (or grip), between at least one master device 110, i.e., at least one master device 110 of the "symmetric N-turn" type, and at least one slave device 170 (a microsurgical instrument) in this embodiment.

[0094] As mentioned above, in this context, unilateral remote operation can be regarded, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, as an information flow between at least one master device 110 and at least one slave device 170 (a surgical instrument).

[0095] In this embodiment, the first error function F1 and the second error function F2 are calculated on both nominal target postures that are mutually separated by an angle equal to 180° around the main direction of at least one master device 110.

[0096] The nominal target posture 180 used in the reentry phase is a posture with a small angular distance with respect to the slave device 170 (known as the "flip active" mode).

[0097] In an embodiment, in combination with the foregoing one, the method comprises the step of blocking the orientation of at least one master device of the "two-fold symmetry" type (known as the "flip freeze" mode).

[0098] In more detail, the property of axial symmetry with respect to the axis of at least one master device 110 necessarily affects the detection and transmission of the rotational freedom of roll RL to at least one slave device 170, that is, there are two substantially equal postures rotated by 180°.

[0099] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, at least one slave device 170 may have a degree of freedom of roll RL centered on a slave roll axis S-S that may extend along the longitudinal axis of a frame 179 of at least one slave device 170, for example, a spindle or a rod.

[0100] According to an embodiment of the method, in any combination with the above including the step of notifying, the step of notifying includes, instead of or in combination, the following steps: - The step of providing an audio signal ("beep sound"); - The step of providing a video signal (change in light); - The step of providing a message to a video terminal.

[0101] According to an embodiment of the method, in combination with any of the above, the step of blocking the rotational movement of at least one slave device 170 and the step of controlling the orientation of at least one slave device 170 to converge to the target posture 184 to be changed through the low-speed remote operation phase are automatically executed without direct intervention of the operator 150 on some buttons and / or pedals.

[0102] According to an embodiment of the method, in combination with any of the above, the step of defining the nominal target posture 180 having each orientation in the rotation space of at least one slave device 170 includes the step of calculating the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 from the orientation of at least one master device 110 within the rotation space of at least one master device 110.

[0103] In an embodiment, alternatively or in combination with one of the foregoing, the step of defining the target posture to be changed (proxy) 184 in the rotation space of at least one slave device 120 includes the step of calculating the target posture to be changed (proxy) from the nominal target posture 180 as a projection on the operating area 174 of at least one slave device 170, the operating area 174 belongs to the rotation space of at least one slave device 170, the target posture to be changed 184 is calculated using a projection function such that the target posture to be changed is within the operating area 174 of at least one slave device 170, and when the nominal target posture 180 belongs to the operating area 174 of at least one slave device 170, the nominal target posture 180 and the target posture to be changed 184 coincide.

[0104] In an embodiment, alternatively or in combination with the above, the step of defining a detachment region 192 and a reentry region 196 centered on the current posture of at least one slave device 170 comprises that the detachment region 192 is a first subspace of the rotation space of at least one slave device 170 and is defined to evaluate the removal of the nominal target posture 180 from the operating region 174 in the step of exiting / removing the nominal target posture 180 from the operating region.

[0105] In an embodiment, alternatively or in combination with the above, the reentry region 196 is defined to evaluate the approach of the nominal target posture 180 to the operating region 174 in the step of the nominal target posture 180 approaching the operating region after the nominal target posture 180 exits the operating region 174.

[0106] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 10, preferably FIGS. 1 to 3, as described above, a robotic system 100 for remote operation of a medical or surgical procedure included in the present invention will be described below.

[0107] The robotic system 100 includes at least one handheld master device 110 adapted to be moved by an operator 150.

[0108] The system 100 includes at least one slave robot assembly 120 including at least one slave device 170 (or slave surgical instrument 170) adapted to be controlled by at least one master device 110.

[0109] The system 100 further includes a control unit configured to control at least one slave device 170 during remote operation based on the movement of at least one master device (110).

[0110] The control unit is configured to perform the following movements: - In the rotation space of at least one slave device 170, a nominal target posture 180 having each orientation is defined, and at least one slave device 170 has each operating region 174 belonging to the rotation space of at least one slave device 170; - In the rotation space of at least one slave device 170, a changed target posture ("proxy") 184 is defined such that the changed target posture ("proxy") is within the operating region 174 of at least one slave device 170 (as shown, for example, in FIGS. 6, 6a, 7, 7a, 9, and 9a); - A departure region 192 (shown, for example, in FIGS. 6, 6a, 7, 7a, 8, and 11) centered on the current posture of at least one slave device 170 and a re-entry region 196 (shown, for example, in FIGS. 8, 9, 9a, 10, and 12) are defined, where the departure region 192 is a first subspace of the rotation space of at least one slave device 170 and the re-entry region 196 is a second subspace of the rotation space of at least one slave device 170.

[0111] The control unit of the robot system 100 is further configured to control the movement of at least one slave device 170 as follows: - a) When the nominal target posture 180 is outside the operating region 174 and the nominal target posture 180 and the changed target posture 184 are inside the departure region 192 (as schematically shown in FIGS. 6 and 6a, for example), the orientation of at least one slave device 170 is controlled to converge to the changed target posture 184 (as schematically shown by arrow A1 in FIGS. 6 and 6a for the movement of at least one slave device 170 to converge to the changed target posture 184); - b) When at least one nominal target posture 180 and the changed target posture 184 are outside the departure region 192 (as schematically shown in FIGS. 7 and 7a where the nominal target posture 180 is outside the departure region 192), the rotational movement of at least one slave device 170 is blocked until both the nominal target posture 180 and the changed target posture 184 enter the aforementioned re-entry region 196 (as schematically shown in FIGS. 9 and 9a, for example); -c) After exiting the operating area 174, when the nominal target posture 180 and the modified target posture 184 return to the re-entry area 196 (as schematically shown, for example, in FIGS. 9 and 9a), the orientation of at least one slave device 170 is controlled to converge to the modified target posture 184 through the low-speed remote operation phase (as schematically shown by arrow A1 in FIGS. 9 and 9a for the movement of at least one slave device 170 to converge to the modified target posture 184). When the orientation of at least one slave device 170 converges to the modified target posture 184 (as schematically shown in FIG. 10 and as shown in FIGS. 9 and 9a where only at least one slave device 170 completely overlaps with the modified target posture 184), the low-speed remote operation phase ends.

[0112] In some possible embodiments of the robotic system 100, the control unit is configured to execute a method for controlling a slave device according to any one of the embodiments shown in this description.

[0113] As referred to the foregoing FIGS. 1 to 12, 6a, 7a and 9a, the method for controlling the slave device 170 of the robotic system 100 for the remote operation of a medical or surgical procedure, also simply referred to as a system hereinafter, further forms the subject matter of the present invention.

[0114] The robotic system 100 includes at least one handheld master device 110 adapted to be moved by an operator 150.

[0115] At least one master device 110 has already been described above.

[0116] The robotic system 100 further includes at least one slave device 170 (or at least one slave robot assembly 120 comprising a surgical instrument 170 adapted to be controlled by the master device 110).

[0117] The slave robot assembly 120 has been already described above.

[0118] Referring again to the method and FIGS. 5 through 12, 6a, 7a and 9a according to this embodiment, the method comprises the step of defining a nominal target posture 180 having each orientation in the rotational operating space of at least one slave device 170 defined by rotational coordinates indicating a rotational metric, the rotational metric corresponding to each posture of at least one master device 110 having each orientation in the rotational operating space of at least one master device 110 defined by the rotational coordinates indicated by the rotational metric.

[0119] The orientation of the nominal target posture 180 of at least one slave device 170 and the said orientation of the posture of at least one master device 110 are characterized by rotational coordinates in the rotational operating space of at least one slave device 170.

[0120] The method further comprises the step of defining the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 of at least one slave device 170 with respect to at least one operating region (operating space) 174 based on the rotational coordinates.

[0121] The method further comprises the step of controlling the movement of at least one slave device 170 so that, when the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 is within the operating space 174 based on the rotational coordinates (as schematically shown in FIG. 5 by arrow A1 for the movement of convergence of at least one slave device 170 to the nominal target posture 180), the at least one slave device 170 reaches the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 through the normal remote operation phase (already described above).

[0122] The method further performs the step of controlling the movement of at least one slave device 170, and (as shown, for example, in FIGS. 6, 6a, 7, 7a, 9, 9a, and 10) when the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 is outside the operating region (operating space) 174 with reference to the rotational coordinates, between the orientation of the nominal target posture 180 of at least one slave device 170 and the orientation of the current posture of at least one slave device 170, define a first error function F1 and a second error function F2 (both already described above), and perform the following movement: - When the first error function F1 takes a value lower than a set first threshold value, control the movement of at least one slave device 170 so that the rotational coordinates of at least one slave device 170 converge toward the orientation of the posture.

[0123] In an embodiment, in combination with the foregoing one, a comparison between the first error function F1 and the set first threshold value is performed, and (as shown in FIGS. 6, 6a, 7, 7a, 9, 9a, and 10, for example) in the rotational space of at least one slave device 170, the presence or absence of the nominal target posture 180 within a first detachment region 192 defined around the current posture of at least one slave device 170 is confirmed. The first detachment region 192 is defined to evaluate the removal of the nominal target posture 180 from the operating region 174 in a phase of exiting / removing the nominal target posture 180 from the operating region 174.

[0124] In an embodiment, in combination with any of the foregoing two, a comparison between the second error function F2 and the set second threshold value is performed, and in the rotational space of at least one slave device 170, the presence or absence of the nominal target posture 180 within a second reentry region 196 defined around the current posture of at least one slave device 170 is confirmed. The second reentry region 196 is defined to evaluate the approach of the nominal target posture 180 from the operating region 174 in a step of approaching the nominal target posture 180 from the operating region 174 after the nominal target posture 180 has exited the operating region.

[0125] In an embodiment, in combination with the foregoing one, the second reentry region 196 varies as a function of the current posture of the at least one slave device 170 and is a dynamic region that at least partially extends outside the operating region 174 of the at least one slave device 170 (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 9, 9a, and 10).

[0126] As described above, the object of the present invention is fully achieved.

[0127] In fact, the method according to the present invention controls the dependent movement of the slave device according to the master device based on devices and control algorithms such as solving or reducing problems and drawbacks encountered in the state-of-the-art.

[0128] In particular, the method controls a slave device controlled by a master device movable by an operator near the physical limits of the movement of the slave device in an accurate and timely manner.

[0129] By the proposed solution, in the rotational space of the slave device, a nominal target posture 180 having an orientation of the nominal target posture is defined by the movement of the master device not restricted by the user. Since the nominal target posture 180 is outside the rotational space of the slave device and thus not executable (unreachable) by the slave device, the method (and related system) defines a modified target posture 184 that is substantially a projection of the target posture 180 in the rotational space of the slave device, e.g., the orientation closest to the target posture 180 inside the rotational space of the slave device.

[0130] Accordingly, this enables a low-speed ("smooth") remote operation with no temporary interruptions (hiccups) or interruptions even when the posture supported by the master device (i.e., the nominal target posture 180) is outside the rotational space of the slave device or when exceeding the physical limits of one or more rotational joints of the slave surgical instrument.

[0131] Furthermore, in order to enable control of the slave device close to the limits of the rotational space of the slave device, for example, the nominal target pose 180 controlled by the unconstrained master device is outside the rotational space of the slave device, and if the slave device cannot reach it, according to the proposed solution, two rotational attraction subspaces (e.g., roll-pitch-yaw) are defined around the current pose of the slave device, called the departure region 192 and the re-entry region 196.

[0132] Thereby, the method (and related system) selectively blocks or enables the movement of the slave device based on the positions of the nominal target pose 180 and the modified target pose 184 with respect to the rotational attraction subspaces described later.

[0133] In practice, the current pose of the slave device 170 may already be close to the physical limits of rotation, and the definition of such subspaces for departure and re-entry movements enables, if necessary, maintaining an intuitive and low-speed ("smooth") teleoperation that decelerates the rotational dynamics (i.e., speed or acceleration) of the slave device.

[0134] Preferably, as described above, "low-speed teleoperation", that is, in the prediction of the deceleration state of the slave device's dynamics, is intended to indicate the scaling of the speed and rotational acceleration of the slave device, and is not intended to indicate the scaling of the position.

[0135] The state of low-speed teleoperation can decelerate the rotational dynamics (speed / acceleration) of the slave device until it approaches the limits of its rotational space (e.g., the limit stroke of the rotational joint of an articulated surgical instrument), can avoid water hammer, and if specific conditions are verified for the defined attraction subspace, intuitive control by the user is possible even when approaching said limits.

[0136] An intuitive sense of use is particularly beneficial from the fact that the method (and related systems) maintains the remote operation state without interruption even when the controlled posture is outside the slave rotation space, and also from the prediction of low-speed dynamics that can minimize situations where the slave device does not move in response to commands given by an unconstrained master control device and / or without force feedback.

[0137] With the proposed solution, a master control device that is not restricted to an operation console, i.e., a master device that potentially has no restrictions or physical limit switches, can finely control the slave device even in an orientation that avoids interruption of remote operation even when the control posture (nominal target posture 180) is outside the rotation space of the slave device.

[0138] The changed target posture 184 is preferably the posture closest to the nominal target posture 180 within the boundary of the gravitational subspace (departure region 192, re-entry region 196) within the slave rotation space.

[0139] Those skilled in the art can make changes and adaptations to the embodiments of the methods and related systems described above, or replace elements with other functionally equivalent elements to meet incidental needs without departing from the scope of the following claims. Each feature described as belonging to a possible embodiment can be implemented regardless of the other embodiments described.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a slave device (170) of a robotic system (100) for remote operation of medical or surgical procedures, The robot system, At least one handheld master device (110) adapted to be operated by an operator (150), At least one slave device (170) adapted to be controlled by the at least one handheld master device (110), Equipped with, The aforementioned method, A step of defining nominal target orientations (180) having each direction in the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), the step of having each operating region (174) belonging to the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), A step of defining a target orientation (184) in the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), wherein the target orientation (184) is defined to be within the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device (170), A step of defining a departure region (192) and a re-entry region (196) centered on the current orientation of the at least one slave device (170), wherein the departure region (192) is a first sub-space of the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), and the re-entry region (196) is a second sub-space of the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), A step of controlling the movement of at least one slave device (170), a) When the nominal target attitude (180) is outside the operating region (174) and the nominal target attitude (180) and the modified target attitude (184) are inside the release region (192), the orientation of at least one slave device (170) is controlled to converge to the modified target attitude (184). b) If at least one of the nominal target posture (180) and the modified target posture (184) is outside the departure region (192), the rotational movement of the at least one slave device (170) is blocked until both the nominal target posture (180) and the modified target posture (184) enter the re-entry region (196). c) After exiting the operating area, when both the nominal target attitude (180) and the modified target attitude (184) return to the re-entry area (196), the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) is controlled to converge to the modified target attitude (184) through a slow remote control phase, and when the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) converges to the modified target attitude (184), the slow remote control phase ends. The steps include controlling the movement of the at least one slave device (170) in such a manner, Equipped with, method.

2. The aforementioned control step is, The movement of the at least one slave device (170) is controlled such that, when the nominal target posture (180) is within the operating region (174), the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) is controlled to converge toward the nominal target posture (180). The method according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned control step is, From the time the low-speed remote control phase ends, the movement of the at least one slave device (170) is controlled so that the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) converges to the changed target attitude (184). The method according to claim 1.

4. The departure region (192) is defined as a set of all nominal target attitudes or modified target attitudes to which each first error function (F1) is applied between the nominal target attitude (180) or modified target attitude (184) of the at least one slave device and the current attitude of the at least one slave device, wherein the first error function is lower than a set first threshold. The re-entry region (196) is defined as the set of all the nominal target attitudes or modified target attitudes to which each second error function (F2) is applied between the nominal target attitude (180) or modified target attitude (184) of the at least one slave device and the current attitude of the at least one slave device (170), wherein the second error function is lower than a set second threshold. The method according to claim 1.

5. The detachment region (192) is a static region that surrounds the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device (170) from the outside. The method according to claim 1.

6. The detachment region (192) is a dynamic region that changes as a function of the current attitude of the at least one slave device (170) and extends at least partially outside the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device. The method according to claim 1.

7. The re-entry area (196) is included within the departure area (192) to evaluate the approach of the nominal target posture (180) from the operating area (174) in the step of bringing the nominal target posture (180) closer to the operating area (174) after the nominal target posture (180) has exited the operating area (174), The method according to claim 1.

8. The aforementioned target posture (184) is, If the nominal target posture (180) is within the operating region (174), the modified target posture (184) coincides with the nominal target posture (180). If the nominal target posture (180) is outside the operating region (174), the modified target posture (184) is as close as possible to the nominal target posture (180) at the boundary of the operating region (174). The nominal target attitude (180) is defined as follows: The method according to claim 1.

9. The rotational space of the at least one slave device (170) is a rotational space limited in SO(3) that can be parameterized by a rotational coordinate having three Euler coordinates: roll (RL), pitch (PT), and yaw (YW). The method according to claim 1.

10. The rotation space of the at least one slave device (170) is a rotation space limited in SO(3) that can be parameterized by rotation coordinates comprising three Euler coordinates: roll (RL), pitch (PT), and yaw (YW), The low-speed remote control phase comprises controlling the dynamics of the at least one slave device (170) such that the speed of the at least one slave device (170) is lower than the speed value of the at least one slave device (170) provided in the remote control with respect to the rotation coordinate, and / or inversely proportional to the first error function (F1) and the second error function (F2) expressed in solid angle. The method according to claim 4.

11. The process includes a step of informing the operator (150) that the low-speed remote operation phase is in progress, wherein the dynamics of the at least one slave device (170) are controlled such that the speed of the at least one slave device (170) is lower than the speed value of the at least one slave device (170) provided in the medical remote operation, and such that the dynamics of the at least one slave device (170) are controlled inversely to the first error function (F1) and the second error function (F2) expressed in solid angle. The method according to claim 10.

12. The nominal target orientation (180) of the at least one slave device (170) comprises a rotational degree of freedom and an additional degree of freedom relative to the rotational degree of freedom, wherein the additional degree of freedom is controlled with respect to the rotational coordinates in a manner that is independent of and unaffected by the determination of the orientation of the nominal target orientation (180) of the at least one slave device (170) with respect to the operating region (174). The method according to claim 9.

13. The aforementioned further control of degrees of freedom is also performed when the movement of the at least one slave device (170) with respect to the rotation coordinates is blocked. The method according to claim 12.

14. The aforementioned further degrees of freedom include translational degrees of freedom, If the orientation of the nominal target posture (180) is outside the operating region (174) and outside the release region (192), and the rotational coordinates are blocked, the method further comprises the step of blocking and / or velocitatively suppressing the movement of at least one slave device (170) with respect to the translational degrees of freedom. The method according to claim 12.

15. The aforementioned further degrees of freedom include translational degrees of freedom, If the orientation of the nominal target attitude (180) is outside the operating region (174) and outside the release region (192), and the rotational coordinates are blocked, the method further comprises restricting the movement of the at least one slave device (170) velocitatively with respect to the translational degrees of freedom. The method according to claim 12.

16. The steps include calculating the first error function (F1) and / or the second error function (F2) as the solid angle between the azimuth of the nominal target attitude (180) of the at least one slave device and the azimuth of the current attitude of the at least one slave device (170). The method according to claim 4.

17. The first error function and / or the second error function are calculated by the torsion / swing decomposition of the angle between the slave device of the at least one slave device (170) and the current orientation of the at least one slave device (170), The swing angle is the solid angle between the principal direction of the nominal target posture (180) of the at least one slave device and the principal direction of the orientation of the current posture of the at least one slave device (170). The swing angle is centered on a swing axis perpendicular to the principal orientation direction of the at least one handheld master device (110) and the at least one slave device (170), The twist angle is a solid angle about the principal orientation of the at least one slave device (170) required to match the nominal target orientation (180), and the rotation of the swing angle about the swing axis is applied to the orientation of the at least one slave device (170). The method according to claim 16.

18. The first error function (F1) and the second error function (F2) are scalar functions, The first threshold and the second threshold are scalar values. The method according to claim 4.

19. The first threshold and the second threshold are the same. The method according to claim 4.

20. The second threshold is smaller than the first threshold. The method according to claim 4.

21. The at least one slave device (170) comprises two terminal links (173, 175) that define the open / closed degrees of freedom (GP), The at least one handheld master device (110) is of the "two-fold symmetrical" type, The first error function (F1) and the second error function (F2) are calculated on both nominal target orientations that are spaced apart from each other at an angle equal to 180° around the principal orientation of the at least one handheld master device (110). The nominal target attitude (180) used in the re-entry phase has a smaller angular distance from the slave device (170). The method according to claim 4.

22. The step includes blocking the orientation of the at least one handheld master device (110) of the "two-fold symmetrical" type, The method according to claim 21.

23. The aforementioned notification step is, To provide audio signals, To provide a video signal, To provide a message to the video terminal, comprising any or a combination thereof, The method according to claim 11.

24. The switching between the step of blocking the rotational movement of the at least one slave device (170) and the step of controlling the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) to converge to the changed target orientation (184) through the slow remote operation phase is performed automatically without direct intervention by the operator (150) on buttons and / or pedals. The method according to claim 1.

25. The step of defining nominal target orientations (180) having each orientation in the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170) comprises the step of calculating the orientation of the nominal target orientation (180) from the orientation of the at least one handheld master device (110) in the rotation space of the at least one handheld master device (110), and / or The step of defining the changed target posture (184) in the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170) comprises the step of calculating the changed target posture (184) from the nominal target posture (180) as a projection on the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device, wherein the operating region (174) belongs to the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), and the changed target posture (184) is calculated using a projection function such that the changed target posture (184) lies within the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device (170), and if the nominal target posture (180) belongs to the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device (170), then the nominal target posture (180) and the changed target posture (184) coincide, and / or The step of defining the departure region (192) and the re-entry region (196) centered on the current orientation of the at least one slave device (170) comprises defining the departure region (192) as a first subspace of the rotation space of the at least one slave device, and evaluating the removal of the nominal target orientation (180) from the operating region (174) in the step of exiting / removing the nominal target orientation (180) from the operating region (174), and / or The re-entry area (196) is defined such that, when the nominal target posture (180) exits the operating area (174), the approach of the nominal target posture (180) to the operating area (174) is evaluated in the step of bringing the nominal target posture (180) closer to the operating area (174). The method according to claim 1.

26. The at least one handheld master device (110) is of a non-force feedback type for one-sided remote control, and / or The at least one handheld master device (110) is of a type that does not have mechanical constraints on the console (140) of the robot system (100). The method according to claim 1.

27. A robotic system (100) for remote control of medical or surgical procedures, At least one handheld master device (110) adapted to be operated by an operator (150), At least one slave device (170) adapted to be controlled by the at least one handheld master device (110), A control unit configured to control the at least one slave device (170) during remote operation based on the movement of the at least one handheld master device (100), Equipped with, The control unit is In the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), nominal target orientations (180) having each direction are defined, and the at least one slave device (170) has each operating region (174) belonging to the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), In the rotation space of at least one slave device (170), a target orientation (184) is defined, and the target orientation (184) is defined to be within the operating region (174) of the slave device. A departure region (192) and a re-entry region (196) are defined centered on the current orientation of the at least one slave device (170), wherein the departure region (192) is a first sub-space of the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), and the re-entry region (196) is a second sub-space of the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170). Controlling the movement of the at least one slave device (170), a) When the nominal target attitude (180) is outside the operating region (174) and the nominal target attitude (180) and the modified target attitude (184) are inside the release region (192), the orientation of at least one slave device (170) is controlled to converge to the modified target attitude (184). b) If at least one of the nominal target posture (180) and the modified target posture (184) is outside the departure region (192), the rotational movement of the at least one slave device (170) is blocked until both the nominal target posture (180) and the modified target posture (184) enter the re-entry region (196). c) After exiting the operating area, when both the nominal target attitude (180) and the modified target attitude (184) return to the re-entry area (196), the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) is controlled to converge to the modified target attitude (184) through a slow remote control phase, and when the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) converges to the modified target attitude (184), the slow remote control phase ends. The following configurations are further configured to control the movement of the at least one slave device (170): Robot system (100).

28. The control unit is When the nominal target attitude (180) is within the operating region (174), the orientation of at least one slave device (170) is controlled to converge toward the nominal target attitude (180). The device is configured to control the movement of the at least one slave device (170) in such a way. The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

29. The control unit is From the time the low-speed remote control phase ends, the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) is controlled to converge to the changed target orientation (184). The device is configured to control the movement of the at least one slave device (170) in such a way. The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

30. The departure region (192) is defined as a set of all nominal target attitudes or modified target attitudes to which each first error function (F1) is applied between the nominal target attitude (180) or modified target attitude (184) of the at least one slave device and the current attitude of the at least one slave device, wherein the first error function is lower than a set first threshold. The re-entry region (196) is defined as a set of all nominal target attitudes or modified target attitudes to which each second error function (F2) is applied between the nominal target attitude (180) or modified target attitude (184) of the at least one slave device and the current attitude of the at least one slave device (170), wherein the second error function is lower than a set second threshold. The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

31. The detachment region (192) is a static region that surrounds the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device (170) from the outside. The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

32. The detachment region (192) is a dynamic region that changes as a function of the current attitude of the at least one slave device (170) and extends at least partially outside the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device. The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

33. The re-entry area (196) is included within the departure area (192) to evaluate the approach of the nominal target posture (180) from the operating area (174) in the step of bringing the nominal target posture (180) closer to the operating area (174) after the nominal target posture (180) has exited the operating area (174), The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

34. The aforementioned target posture (184) is, If the nominal target posture (180) is within the operating region (174), the modified target posture (184) coincides with the nominal target posture (180). If the nominal target posture (180) is outside the operating region (174), the modified target posture (184) is as close as possible to the nominal target posture (180) at the boundary of the operating region (174). Thus, defined from the nominal target attitude (180), The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

35. The rotational space of the at least one slave device (170) is a rotational space limited in SO(3) that can be parameterized by a rotational coordinate having three Euler coordinates: roll (RL), pitch (PT), and yaw (YW). The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

36. The rotation space of the at least one slave device (170) is a rotation space limited in SO(3) that can be parameterized by rotation coordinates comprising three Euler coordinates: roll (RL), pitch (PT), and yaw (YW), The low-speed remote control phase comprises controlling the dynamics of the at least one slave device (170) such that the speed of the at least one slave device (170) is lower than the speed value of the at least one slave device (170) provided in the remote control with respect to the rotation coordinate, and / or inversely proportional to the first error function (F1) and the second error function (F2) expressed in solid angle. The robot system (100) according to claim 30.

37. The control unit is The system is configured to inform the operator (150) that the low-speed remote operation phase is in progress, and in the low-speed remote operation phase, the speed of the at least one slave device (170) is lower than the speed value of the at least one slave device (170) provided in the medical remote operation, and the dynamics of the at least one slave device (170) are controlled to be inversely proportional to the first error function (F1) and the second error function (F2) expressed in solid angle. The robot system (100) according to claim 36.

38. The nominal target orientation (180) of the at least one slave device (170) comprises a rotational degree of freedom and an additional degree of freedom relative to the rotational degree of freedom, wherein the additional degree of freedom is controlled with respect to the rotational coordinates in a manner that is independent of and unaffected by the determination of the orientation of the nominal target orientation (180) of the at least one slave device (170) with respect to the operating region (174). The robot system (100) according to claim 35.

39. The aforementioned further control of degrees of freedom is also performed when the movement of the at least one slave device (170) with respect to the rotation coordinates is blocked. The robot system (100) according to claim 38.

40. The aforementioned further degrees of freedom include translational degrees of freedom, If the orientation of the nominal target attitude (180) is outside the operating region (174) and outside the release region (192), and the rotational coordinates are blocked, the control unit is further configured to block and / or velocitically suppress the movement of the at least one slave device (170) with respect to the translational degrees of freedom. The robot system (100) according to claim 38.

41. The aforementioned further degrees of freedom include translational degrees of freedom, If the orientation of the nominal target attitude (180) is outside the operating region (174) and outside the release region (192), and the rotational coordinates are blocked, the movement of at least one slave device (170) is further configured to be velocity-restricted with respect to the translational degrees of freedom. The robot system (100) according to claim 38.

42. The control unit is configured to calculate the first error function (F1) and / or the second error function (F2) as the solid angle between the azimuth of the nominal target attitude (180) of the at least one slave device and the azimuth of the current attitude of the at least one slave device (170). The robot system (100) according to claim 30.

43. The first error function and / or the second error function are calculated by the torsion / swing decomposition of the angle between the slave device and the current orientation of the at least one slave device (170), The swing angle is the solid angle between the principal direction of the nominal target posture (180) of the at least one slave device and the principal direction of the orientation of the current posture of the at least one slave device (170). The swing angle is centered on a swing axis perpendicular to the principal orientation direction of the at least one handheld master device (100) and the at least one slave device (170), The twist angle is a solid angle about the principal orientation of the at least one slave device (170) required to match the nominal target orientation (180), and the rotation of the swing angle about the swing axis is applied to the orientation of the at least one slave device (170). The robot system (100) according to claim 42.

44. The first error function (F1) and the second error function (F2) are scalar functions, The first threshold and the second threshold are scalar values. The robot system (100) according to claim 30.

45. The first threshold and the second threshold are the same. The robot system (100) according to claim 30.

46. The second threshold is smaller than the first threshold. The robot system (100) according to claim 30.

47. The at least one slave device (170) comprises two terminal links (173, 175) that define the open / closed degrees of freedom (GP), The at least one handheld master device (110) is of the "two-fold symmetrical" type, The first error function (F1) and the second error function (F2) are calculated on both nominal target orientations that are spaced apart from each other at an angle equal to 180° around the principal orientation of the at least one handheld master device (110). The nominal target attitude (180) used in the re-entry phase has a smaller angular distance from the slave device (170). The robot system (100) according to claim 30.

48. The orientation of the at least one handheld master device (110) of the "two-fold symmetric" type is configured to block the orientation. The robot system (100) according to claim 47.

49. The control unit informs the operator (150) that it is in the low-speed remote control phase. To provide an audio signal, To provide a video signal, To provide a message to the video terminal, Configured to perform one or a combination thereof, The robot system (100) according to claim 37.

50. The switching between the step of blocking the rotational movement of the at least one slave device (170) and the step of controlling the orientation of the at least one slave device (170) to converge to the changed target orientation (184) through the slow remote operation phase is performed automatically without direct intervention by the operator (150) on buttons and / or pedals. The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

51. The control unit is configured to calculate the orientation of the nominal target orientation (180) from the orientation of the at least one handheld master device (110) in the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170) in order to define the nominal target orientation (180) having each orientation, and / or The control unit is configured to calculate the changed target posture (184) from the nominal target posture (180) as a projection on the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device (170) in order to define the changed target posture (184) in the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170), and the changed target posture (184) is calculated using a projection function such that the operating region (174) belongs to the rotation space of the at least one slave device (170) and the changed target posture (184) lies within the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device (170), and if the nominal target posture (180) belongs to the operating region (174) of the at least one slave device (170), then the nominal target posture (180) and the changed target posture (184) coincide and / or The control unit is defined in defining the departure region (192) and the re-entry region (194) centered on the current attitude of the at least one slave device (170), wherein the departure region (192) is a first sub-space of the rotation space of the at least one slave device, and in the step of exiting / removing the nominal target attitude (180) from the operating region (174), the removal of the nominal target attitude (180) from the operating region (174) is defined to evaluate, and / or The re-entry area (196) is defined such that, when the nominal target posture (180) exits the operating area (174), the approach of the nominal target posture (180) to the operating area (174) is evaluated in the step of bringing the nominal target posture (180) closer to the operating area (174). The robot system (100) according to claim 27.

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