Medical robot having different end effectors, robot system, and method for controlling a medical robot

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a medical, particularly surgical, collaborative robot (1) for actuating end effectors (2, 4) during an examination or intervention on a patient (P), comprising: a robot base (6) as a local attachment point for the robot (1); a movable and actuable robot arm (8) connected to the robot base (6) by at least one robot arm segment (10); at least two end effectors (2, 4) connected to the robot arm (8), where a first end effector (2) is a visualization unit (12) having a visualization axis (14) and a second end effector (4) is a medical tool unit (16) having an instrument (20) and an associated tool axis (18) (particularly a surgical instrument); and a control unit (22) adapted to control the spatial pose of the visualization unit (12) or the spatial pose of the instrument (20) for the examination or intervention via the actuable robot arm (8). Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to a robotic system (100), a control method, a computer-readable storage medium and a computer program according to the independent claims.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a medical, in particular surgical, collaborative robot for actuating an end effector. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to a medical robot system, a computer-implemented control method for a medical robot, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program according to the preambles of the independent claims. [Background technology]

[0002] Medical robots continue to gain ground in the field of medical technology, and technological advances are making them increasingly important in surgical interventions. However, commercially available robots focus on either surgical instrument guidance (robotic hands) or visualization (robotic eyes). However, surgeons need both better instrument guidance and better visualization guidance. This need is increasing with the trend toward smaller incisions, which limit surgeons' manual dexterity and (eye) vision.

[0003] Using both robot-based solutions typically requires two separate devices mounted on two different medical carts, significantly limiting operating room space and significantly increasing not only initial investment costs but also maintenance costs. Furthermore, the robot visualization and robotic instruments are installed in different locations in the operating room and have different spatial relationships to the patient, meaning the two modules are not synchronized by default. Ensuring proper synchronization requires a certain amount of setup time both before and during surgery, which increases the overall operating time and hinders successful surgical outcomes. It also contributes to surgeon fatigue. Furthermore, accessibility and visibility become more difficult for the surgeon. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is an object of the present disclosure to avoid or at least reduce the drawbacks of the prior art, and in particular to provide a medical robot, a robotic system, a control method, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program that are compact, flexible, effective, precise, and safe to use. Part of the object is space-saving, time-saving, and accurate use of end effectors. In particular, it is a part of the object to be able to flexibly use and switch between different end effectors for examination or intervention during a procedure, i.e., during an intervention. It should also be possible to manufacture and maintain the device cost-effectively.

[0005] The object of the present disclosure is solved for the medical robot of the present invention by the features of claim 1, for the robot system of the present invention by the features of claim 10, for a computer-implemented control method for the robot of the present invention by the features of claim 11, for the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention by the features of claim 12, and for the computer program by the features of claim 13.

[0006] Thus, the basic idea of ​​the present disclosure is to provide two different modalities in a spatially optimized manner with only a single robot, particularly a medical mobile cart, that can move freely within a space (operating room). This includes, on the one hand, a visualization modality via a visualization unit / visualizer (for visual detection by images), and, on the other hand, an instrument / intervention / manipulation modality via an instrument unit with instruments. Similar to a tool turret with a tool holder that houses various tools for various processing steps in general mechanical engineering, in the field of medical technology, two modalities are provided by a single robot. This robot, through two different end effectors, has its (only) local reference point, so to speak, on the robot base, which the surgeon can select and use as needed during the intervention. Due to the special design of the unified robot base, initial synchronization of the visualization unit and the instrument unit is not required. The robot base can be positioned in various locations in the operating room, providing equal access to visualization and instrument manipulation (already synchronized with each other).

[0007] The benefits of the medical robotic combination disclosed herein are seen in reduced operating room space requirements and reduced investment and maintenance costs. This combination may also reduce surgical time and improve surgical outcomes. It also reduces manufacturing costs because multiple end effectors can be controlled via a single robotic base with one robotic arm.

[0008] In other words, a medical robot with (automatic) positioning and alignment of a visualization / imaging unit (as a first end effector) and an instrument unit (as a second end effector) is disclosed. Thus, the medical robot has two end effectors, one for visualization or imaging and the other for instrumentation, e.g., for corresponding manipulation of patient tissue. The end effectors may be attached, (fixedly) supported, or provided on a single robot arm or on two separate robot arms (a visualization robot arm and an instrument robot arm), but with a unified robot base. Preferably, the system further comprises a tracking or sensor unit for determining the exact position and / or orientation, in particular the pose (in particular the instrument tip position), of the two end effectors relative to the (registered) patient and for using different control mechanisms to move the robot for actuation of one or the other end effector.

[0009] In further words, according to the present disclosure, a medical (particularly surgical) collaborative robot for actuating end effectors during an examination or intervention on a patient is provided, comprising: a robot base as a local attachment point of the robot; a movable and actuable robot arm connected to the robot base by means of at least one robot arm segment; at least two end effectors connected to one robot arm, a first end effector being a (analog or digital) visualization unit ( / device) with a visualization axis and a second end effector being a medical tool unit with a medical tool and associated tool axis, in particular a surgical tool; and a control unit adapted to control the spatial pose of the visualization unit or the spatial pose of the tool for the examination or intervention via the actuable robot arm. In particular, the position of the tool tip of the tool can be adjusted via the pose of the tool unit with the tool. In particular, the tool tip is not located in the field of view of the (optical) visualization unit, and the optical visualization axis and the tool axis are separate from each other. Thus, a single robot arm is used to transport and guide the visualization unit and the tool unit, accommodating two modalities: visualization and tool guidance. In other words, the robot has only one robot arm for the instruments, and the instrument unit for guiding the instruments is provided, in particular fixedly attached, on the same robot arm as the visualization system.

[0010] In particular, the visualization unit and the instrument unit can thus be used separately from each other (i.e. not simultaneously) during a surgical intervention. With two robotic arms, two different modalities are provided.

[0011] The term "position" means a geometric location in three-dimensional space, in particular specified via coordinates in the Cartesian coordinate system. In particular, a position can be specified by three coordinates X, Y, Z.

[0012] The term "orientation" refers to alignment in space (as in its position). Orientation can also be said to refer to alignment or rotation in three-dimensional space. In particular, orientation can be described through three angles.

[0013] The term "pose" includes both position and orientation. In particular, a pose can be described through six coordinates: three position coordinates X, Y, and Z, and three angular coordinates for orientation.

[0014] Advantageous embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims and are particularly described below.

[0015] Preferably, an instrument unit adapter is arranged on the robot arm and / or on the visualization unit, to which the medical instrument unit is coupleably and decoupleably / releasably coupled, in particular without tools, via a predefined complementary counter-adapter, so that the instrument unit with the instrument can be removed and, in particular, exchanged for another instrument. In this way, the instrument unit for the instrument guide can be assembled and disassembled intraoperatively, i.e., during surgery, using a specially adapted and suitable adapter interface with respect to the visualization system. Preferably, no tools are required (tool-less exchange), and simple manual operations are sufficient for the exchange during surgery. This saves time and simplifies the exchange process. In particular, further visualization units, in particular with an endoscope, can also be attached to the instrument unit adapter with a corresponding counter-adapter. In this way, different "units" or "modules" can be exchanged via a "standardized" instrument unit adapter. For example, a surgical microscope can be used as a (first, main) visualization unit, instruments can be initially used connected via the instrument unit, and during the course of the intervention the instrument unit can be disconnected and instead a further second visualization unit in the form of an endoscope can be connected in order to be able to use both the surgical microscope modality and the endoscopic modality in particular separately, e.g. alternately.

[0016] Preferably, instead of or in addition to the tool unit adapter, a special visualization unit adapter is arranged on the robot arm and / or on the (first main) visualization unit and / or on the treatment tool unit, and if the (first) visualization unit is adapted to be connected to said adapter, the first visualization unit can be connected to the robot arm or tool unit, or if a further (second) medical visualization unit is used, can be connected via a predefined complementary counter-adapter, in particular tool-free, dockable and undockable, so that the visualization unit can be detached and, in particular, replaced with a different visualization unit. In particular, the (first) visualization unit can be a surgical microscope and the (second) visualization unit coupled via the visualization unit adapter can be an endoscope, so that in addition to the modality of a surgical microscope, also an endoscope can be used during an intervention controlled by the collaborative robot.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the visualization unit can have a rigid spatial relationship (rigid fixation) with respect to the medical tool unit, and the control unit can be adapted to determine the pose of the tool unit based on the pose of the visualization unit using a predefined static transformation, or to determine the pose of the visualization unit based on the pose of the tool unit in order to control the pose of one end effector, in particular the other end effector, based on the detected pose of the other end effector. Thus, in particular, the visualization unit and the tool unit (relative to the tool guide) have a fixed spatial pose or relationship with respect to each other. In particular, there is only one single (localization) sensor / tracker that spatially tracks / follows either the visualization system or the tool guide. The pose of the other unit can be determined via the fixed relationship.

[0018] According to further embodiments, at least two end effectors may be provided with exactly one tracking or navigation / orientation sensor, in particular a tracking sensor, in particular a rigid body with optical markers, attached to the visualization unit or a tracking sensor attached to the tool unit, and the control device is adapted to determine the position, in particular the pose, of both the tool (with the tool tip) and the visualization unit by tracking the single tracking sensor and a predefined rigid body spatial relationship of the visualization unit to the tool unit. With just a single sensor / tracker the position, in particular the pose, of both the visualization unit and the tool guide may be tracked.

[0019] Preferably, as an alternative or addition to a tracker (e.g., in the form of a rigid body with optical markers), the position and / or orientation of a selected one of the at least two end effectors can be determined via the robot kinematics of the robot. Thus, a robot with at least one robot arm has a kinematics-based internal robot tracking system (without requiring an external camera for tracking). For example, the robot can have sensors on the robot arm segments that detect the disposition of the robot arm segments relative to each other (with a control unit adapted therefor) and thereby determine the position and / or orientation of the first and second end effectors relative to the robot base (e.g., via static translations of the end effectors relative to each other and the robot head). In particular, the control unit can be adapted to determine the position and / or orientation via active control (e.g., by a stepper motor) of the robot arm with a known translation from the robot head to the selected end effector. In particular, when the robot base does not have a static spatial pose relative to the patient, i.e., is not rigidly connected to the patient, it can have a tracking device, which can be detected, in particular, by an external navigation camera. In particular, additional detection of the patient allows the patient to be registered relative to the robot via an optically tracked robot base, and together with the robot kinematics, the position and / or orientation of selected end effectors relative to the patient can be controlled.

[0020] In particular, the instrument axis of the instrument may be aligned so that it does not intersect with the visualization axis, in particular so that the instrument axis and visualization axis are spaced apart from each other starting from the two end effectors, so that the instrument does not obstruct the visualization of the visualization unit, in particular so that it is not visible in the field of view of the visualization unit. In other words, the visualization axis of the visualization system and the instrument axis of the instrument guide preferably do not intersect, so that the tip of the instrument is not visible in the field of view of the visualization system and the visualization system (as a modality) can be used in its full range without any disadvantage.

[0021] According to one embodiment, along a visualization axis of (at least 10 cm and / or) at most 60 cm, the visualization axis starting from the end face of the visualization unit can have a distance to the instrument axis of at least 10 cm, preferably at least 30 cm, particularly preferably at least 50 cm, thereby preventing negative effects on visualization even with longer instruments.

[0022] In particular, the visualization unit may be a surgical microscope (in particular an optical surgical microscope), a digital surgical microscope, an endoscope, an ultrasound probe, which generates 2D or 3D images, and / or the tool unit may comprise a drill, a guide sleeve for a trajectory guide, a cutting instrument (in particular forceps, a suction tube or a scalpel), or a cutting block (in particular a knee cutting block). In particular, in addition to the first visualization unit, a second, different visualization unit, such as a microscope or an ultrasound probe, can also be attached to the robot arm. Thus, the visualization unit may preferably be a microscope, an endoscope or an ultrasound probe. The visualization unit may generate 2D two-dimensional images or 3D three-dimensional images. In particular, the visualization unit may be an optical microscope or a digital microscope. The tool unit may then comprise a trajectory guide such as a drill or guide sleeve, a cutting instrument such as forceps, a suction tube, a scalpel, a cutting block such as a knee cutting block (in particular a knee cutting block). The term "3D" defines that the data is spatial, i.e. three-dimensional. Image data in which the patient's body or at least a part of the body is spatially extended is digitally available as image data in a three-dimensional space, for example having a Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, Z).

[0023] According to a further embodiment, the medical robot may further include a navigation system with at least one presentation device, in particular a surgical monitor. The control unit may control the robot with the end effectors based on the navigation system, in particular, navigate to a waypoint for a selected one of the at least two end effectors, and set the pose of the selected end effector accordingly, preferably based on a preoperatively defined surgical plan. The navigation system may allow the robot to automatically navigate to the waypoint and automatically provide visualization of the tissue, or to position instruments in the correct pose and perform an automated surgery on the tissue. For example, the surgery may be performed, and the results of the surgery may be shown to the surgeon using the visualization unit. The surgeon may also approve the intervention steps, for example via a touch display, and allow the robot to proceed further.

[0024] In particular, the control unit may be specially adapted to correspondingly navigate and control the tool unit with the navigational tool and its tool axis as the selected end effector for the intervention, or to correspondingly navigate and control the visualization unit with the navigational visualization axis as the selected end effector for the visualization. Thus, the medical robot provides the option for the user to select either the visualization unit or the tool unit in order to determine the corresponding axis of interest (either the tool axis or the visualization axis) to be tracked and moved by the robot (via the control unit and the tracking system, in particular the navigation system).

[0025] In particular, the robotic arm, and thus the end effector, can be manually controlled, particularly by using force sensors attached to the end effector, preferably integrated into the handle attached to the corresponding end effector. In particular, if a first force sensor is attached to the visualization unit and a second force sensor is attached to the tool unit, the surgeon can select and control the corresponding end effector by manipulating the respective associated force sensors. Alternatively or additionally (e.g., by switching between manual and automatic modes via user input, time control, or step control), the robotic arm can also perform automatic operations with the selected end effector derived from a preoperative (image-based) plan (e.g., based on CT images). Alternatively or additionally, the robotic arm with the end effector can also be controlled by remote control(s), such as voice control, an external joystick, gesture control, head control, and / or eye control. The preoperative, image-based plan can be a predefined trajectory for moving the tool unit or predefined waypoints for moving the visualization unit therein. Furthermore, preferably, the robotic arm for visualization by the visualization unit is controlled by the control unit to follow the surgical instrument, while the surgical instrument is tracked by machine vision by the visualization unit itself or by an external tracking system such as a navigation system.

[0026] In particular, the medical robot has only one robot arm with two end effectors, one for visualization and one for instruments. In particular, the two end effectors are fixedly connected to each other, so that only one stereotactic system (particularly a navigation tracker) is required. Alternatively, the two end effectors are preferably connected by a manual hinge, so that two separate stereotactic systems (particularly navigation trackers) are required. The hinge has one to six degrees of freedom. The hinge can be used, for example, for coarse alignment of the instrument guide, which reduces the robot arm's movement and reduces the need for long-distance movement. After coarse alignment, the hinge is locked or fixed (the spatial relationship between the instrument unit and the visualization unit is statically fixed). Since the instrument guide (i.e., the instrument unit) is positioned separately, the robot arm may be used for fine adjustment of the instrument guide to enable precise alignment of the instrument. In particular, the medical robot can also have a robot arm with interchangeable end effectors for the visualization unit and / or the instrument unit.

[0027] In particular, a medical robotic system can be configured as claimed in the preceding claims, in which the tool unit adapter is located on the robot arm and / or on the visualization unit, and the robotic system further comprises at least two tool units with different instruments, but provided with counter adapters of the same design, for equipping the robot with different instruments via a uniform interface as needed. In this way, a set of tool units can be provided that can be changed intraoperatively. If a surgeon needs a scalpel as the first instrument in the first step and a surgical drilling or cutting instrument later in the procedure, the tool unit with the scalpel can be removed and a new tool unit with the drilling or cutting instrument can be (removably) attached to the robot arm. In particular, tool-free attachment is provided, making the exchange quick, safe, and efficient. Another advantage is that only the tool unit adapter needs to be sterile; the rest of the robot can be covered with sterile material. Therefore, only the interface with the tool unit adapter is important.

[0028] In particular, the medical robotic system may also have additional visualization units with counter adapters of the same design that are dockable and detachable to the tool unit adapter to provide additional visualization modalities. In particular, the dockable visualization unit may have an endoscope to provide endoscopic functionality during an intervention. In this way, the robotic system provides a set of tool units with tools as well as visualization units.

[0029] The object is solved by a computer-implemented control method for a medical robot that operates a medical end effector during an examination or intervention on a patient, particularly for a robot according to the present disclosure, by including the following steps: registering the patient, preferably via a navigation system; selecting as a selected end effector (target end effector) either a visualization unit having a visualization axis or a tool unit having an instrument and an associated tool axis, both of which are connected as end effectors to a robot arm having at least one robot arm segment of the robot, which in turn is connected to a robot base as a local attachment point; tracking by the navigation system the pose (position and orientation) of the selected end effector; and controlling by a control unit via the robot arm the selected end effector so that the selected end effector is moved to a pose, preferably a pose relative to the registered patient, according to specifications. This control method can provide the surgeon with at least two different modalities: visualization and instrument.

[0030] Preferably, in a (first) step, a preoperative plan may be loaded, including, for example, a CT-image-based trajectory for an instrument or a trajectory for visualization waypoints. In a further step, the patient can then be registered to the preoperative image using the navigation camera of the navigation system. An end effector is selected as the selected end effector (target end effector) by automatic selection based, in particular, on the current step being performed in the surgical plan, or by manual input. If a visualization unit is selected as the target end effector, the position, in particular the pose, of the visualization unit is detected, and in the visualization "mode," the robot moves the visualization unit to the predetermined waypoints, in particular according to the surgical plan (the pose of the end effector is set accordingly). Alternatively, if an instrument unit is selected as the selected end effector (target end effector), the position, in particular the pose of the instrument unit, i.e., the pose of the instrument, is spatially detected and tracked (in particular, the instrument tip is known by a known transformation of the instrument or instrument unit), and then, in the instrument "mode," the robot moves together with the instrument unit according to a predetermined trajectory. Either option leads back to a subsequent step of the option to perform the intervention step. Thus, the surgeon can choose in which mode to operate: either requiring visualization and moving the visualization unit accordingly in visualization mode (or automatically moving based on a pre-operatively defined surgical plan), or requiring an instrument, with the instrument unit being the selected end effector and moving accordingly.

[0031] With regard to a computer-readable storage medium and with regard to a computer program, the object of the present disclosure is solved by comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method steps of the control method according to the present disclosure.

[0032] According to an independent aspect of the present disclosure, which may be claimed in its entirety in a further application, a medical robot may include two robotic arms, a first robotic arm including a visualization unit as an end effector for visualizing a surgical field, and a second robotic arm including an instrument unit as an end effector for guiding a medical, particularly surgical, instrument, which are connected to a single robot base. In this medical robot according to an independent aspect, the two robotic arms are tethered to or mounted on a single (integrated) robotic base, particularly a medical cart. In particular, both arms may further include (localization) sensors, respectively, by which the precise position, particularly the pose, of each end effector may be determined (e.g., via a navigation camera and a tracking tracker as (localization / pose) sensors). The sensors may preferably be integrated into the robotic arms or externally attached to the end effectors using trackers (e.g., optical markers). Preferably, the visualization unit on one robotic arm may also be used as a visual sensor to determine the position of the visualization unit's end effector. Depending on the surgical instructions, the two robotic arms may be used sequentially (e.g., first visualize, then attach instruments), in parallel (e.g., visualize and attach instruments simultaneously), or independently of each other (e.g., only visualize or only attach instruments), and are controlled accordingly by the control unit. In the synchronized mode, the control unit may preferably be adapted to allow the two robotic arms to cooperate. For example, the visualization unit may be adapted to detect critical areas in space and localize corresponding positions in space, and the control unit may be adapted to control the instrument unit based on these detected critical spatial areas (e.g., defining them as "no-go areas" for guidance) so that the instrument robot does not collide with or collide with these areas. The disclosures related to the medical robot according to the present disclosure also apply to the medical robot according to the previous independent aspect. Therefore, features may be interchangeable between these two variants.

[0033] Preferably, the visualization unit may also be used to define a surgical target and identify a position in space so that the tool unit can be guided to the surgical target.

[0034] Any disclosure regarding a medical robot according to the present disclosure also applies to the control method according to the present disclosure, and vice versa. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0035] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments using the drawings.

[0036] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robotic system including a robot having a robotic arm and two end effectors in a rigid spatial relationship to each other in accordance with a preferred embodiment.

[0037] [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a robotic system including a robot and a robotic arm with two end effectors, in which a hinge is provided between the tool unit and the visualization unit that can be manually adjusted to increase the range and speed of target detection and to allow tool unit exchange without tools.

[0038] [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a system with two robotic arms, a visualization arm and a measurement arm, in which a navigation camera is used as a tracking system to localize the pose of the end effector (according to an independently claimed aspect).

[0039] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] The figures are schematic in nature and are intended only to aid in the understanding of the invention. Identical elements are provided with identical reference numerals. Features of the various embodiments may be interchanged. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0041] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a robotic system 100 having a surgical cooperating robot 1 according to a first preferred embodiment for actuating two end effectors 2, 4, which is used during an examination or intervention on a patient P.

[0042] The robot 1 has a robot base 6 as a local mounting point, in this case a medical rolling cart, shown only diagrammatically. A robot arm 8 having at least one robot arm segment 10 is movably and operatively mounted to the robot base 6. Two different end effectors 2, 4 are provided at the free end of the robot arm 8. The first end effector 2 is a visualization unit 12 having a visualization axis 14 for visual (optical) images, and the second end effector 4 is a medical instrument unit 16 having a surgical instrument 20 and an associated instrument axis 18. A control unit 22 of the robot 1 is adapted to control the spatial pose of the visualization unit 12 or the spatial pose of the instrument 20 for intervention via the actuable robot arm 8. Thus, the robot 1 has two end effectors 2, 4: the visualization end effector 2 and the instrument 20 end effector. Both end effectors 2, 4 are in a fixed spatial relationship to each other.

[0043] The configuration according to the present disclosure allows the two end effectors 2, 4 to be operated independently of each other using only a single robotic arm 8. This configuration is space-saving, safe, efficient, easy to set up and maintain, and intuitive for the surgeon to operate. When operating in the intervention area, the surgeon only needs to have one robotic arm in view and can perform the desired surgical steps, e.g., first set up an optical display of the tissue requiring treatment, then place the instrument 20 in the desired pose (performing an automatic intervention), and after the intervention, switch to the optical display to evaluate the surgical results.

[0044] An instrument unit adapter 24 is arranged on the robot arm 8 and / or on the visualization unit 12, to which an instrument unit 16 is connectably and detachably coupled via a predefined complementary counter adapter 26, so that an instrument unit 16 with an instrument 20 can be removed and replaced with yet another instrument 20'. An instrument unit 16' with a second instrument 20' in the form of a scalpel can be replaced with the first instrument 20. In this way, medical personnel can select the appropriate instruments 20, 20' during the procedure depending on the progress and needs of the surgery and couple them appropriately (detachably and without tools) to the robot 1.

[0045] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , visualization unit 12 has a rigid spatial relationship with tool unit 16. Control unit 22 is adapted to switch between the pose of visualization unit 12 and the pose of tool unit 16 via a static transformation stored in memory, and to calculate the pose of the other in each case. In this way, the pose of one end effector 2 can be controlled based on the detected pose of the other end effector 4. Because of the static spatial relationship, only a single tracker 28 in the form of a rigid body with optical markers is required. This tracker 28 is rigidly attached to tool unit 16. Through tracking of the single tracker 28 and the predefined rigid spatial relationship of visualization unit 12 to tool unit 16, controller 22 determines the pose of both tool 20 and visualization unit 12 and controls robot 1 accordingly via robot arm 8. This allows robot 1 to selectively perform either the visualization modality (control of visualization unit 12 as an end effector) or the instrumentation modality via tracker 28. Because only one tracker 28 is used, the chance of collisions or obstacles is lower than if multiple trackers 28 had to be used.

[0046] In this embodiment, visualization unit 12 is a digital surgical microscope 30, and instrument unit 16 is a guide sleeve 32 into which a minimally invasive tool can be inserted. The instrument axis 18 of instrument 20 is aligned parallel to visualization axis 14, and therefore does not intersect with visualization axis 14. Instrument axis 18 is used to align and position insertable instruments that can be manually manipulated, for example, by the surgeon. In this way, the surgeon is collaboratively supported by the robot during the intervention.

[0047] The medical robot 1 further includes a navigation system 34 having at least one presentation device in the form of a surgical monitor 36, and the control unit 22 controls the robot 1 having two end effectors 2, 4 based on the navigation system 34. In one visualization mode, a waypoint is moved with respect to the visualization unit 12 as the selected end effector 2, and the pose of the visualization unit 12 is appropriately set with respect to the patient P. In the other instrument mode, the instrument unit 16 is defined as the selected end effector 4 based on a preoperatively defined surgical plan, and the pose of the instrument unit 16 is set as the selected end effector 4, and therefore the pose of the instrument 20 is appropriately set according to the specifications of the instrument tip.

[0048] This allows the surgeon to select a mode, for example, via a corresponding user input via a surgical monitor configured as a touch display requesting an end effector mode, and the control unit then controls the tool unit 16 as the selected end effector 4 with the tool 20 and its tool axis 18, to be navigated and controlled accordingly for the intervention, or, if the visualization unit 12 with its visualization axis 14 is selected for navigation, to be navigated and controlled accordingly as the selected end effector 2 for visualization.

[0049] FIG. 2 illustrates a further embodiment of a robotic system 100 and a robot 1 according to the present disclosure. The robotic system 100 and the robot 1 illustrated in FIG. 2 differ from those illustrated in FIG. 1 in that a hinge 38 is provided between the visualization unit 12 and the instrument unit 16 (as a serial connection). The hinge 38, in the form of a ball-and-socket joint, can be manually adjusted, particularly to increase the range and speed of target detection. Thus, the hinge 38 is initially used by the surgeon for rough alignment, and the surgeon can manually adjust the spatial relationship between the visualization unit 12 and the instrument unit 16 via the hinge. Once the hinge 38 is locked, i.e., the ball is friction-locked in the cup, the robotic arm 8 performs fine alignment of the instrument 20 under the control of the control unit 22. In this embodiment of FIG. 2, the visualization unit and the measurement unit have separate (navigational) trackers 28.

[0050] Furthermore, the two axes 14, 18 are positioned so that the instrument axis 18 and the visualization axis 14 are spaced apart from each other starting from the two end effectors 2, 4, so that the instrument 20 does not impair the visualization of the visualization unit 12 and is not visible within the field of view of the visualization unit 12.

[0051] Figure 3 shows an example of an independently claimable embodiment that can be claimed in a further application, where two robotic arms are connected to one robotic base, where a first robotic arm carries a first end effector 2 (visualization unit, here in the form of a surgical microscope) and can adjust its pose in space accordingly, and another robotic arm guides a second end effector 4 (tool unit with an instrument, here in the form of a guide bush) and can adjust the pose of the instrument indirectly via the pose of the tool unit as second end effector.

[0052] 4 shows a flowchart illustrating a computer-implemented control method for a medical robot 1 for actuating a medical end effector 2, 4 during an examination or intervention on a patient, according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. This control method can be used specifically with the robot 1 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2.

[0053] In a first (optional) step S0, a pre-operative plan is loaded that provides predefined waypoints and steps.

[0054] Similarly, in a further optional step, registration S1 of the patient P takes place via the navigation system 34.

[0055] In step S2, either the visualization unit 12 with the visualization axis 14 or the tool unit 16 with the tool 20 and associated tool axis 18 are selected as end effectors, both of which are connected as end effectors 2, 4 to a robot arm 8 having at least one robot arm segment 10 of the robot 1, which in turn is connected to the robot base 6 as a local attachment point.

[0056] The control methods are divided according to the selection (i.e., according to the selected end effector).

[0057] If the visualization unit 12 is selected as the end effector 2, then in step S3a the pose visualization unit 12 is tracked by the navigation system 34, in particular by the navigation camera of the navigation system 34 following the tracker.

[0058] Next, in step S4a, the selected end effector 2, i.e., the visualization unit 12, is controlled by the control unit 22 via the robot arm 8 to move to a predetermined pose, i.e., waypoint, for the registered patient P according to the specifications. An optical inspection is then performed at this waypoint.

[0059] In optional step S5, robot-assisted visualization is performed at this set pose of the end effector 2.

[0060] On the other hand, if tool unit 16 is selected as the end effector 4 (as the target end effector), then in step S3b tool unit 16 is tracked together with tool 20, and in step S4b control unit 22 again controls the pose of tool 20. Thereafter, in step S5, a robotic-assisted intervention, such as a robotic-assisted incision, may be performed.

[0061] Thus, in this control method, one of the two end effectors 2, 4 can be selected at will and used (separately). Of course, it is also possible for the two end effectors 2, 4 to interact with each other, for example, if the visualization unit continuously scans the room and an obstacle is detected in the room, the robot arm is controlled together with the instrument so that the instrument does not collide with the detected obstacle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1. Robot 2. First end effector 4 Second end effector 6. Robot Base 8. Robotic Arm 10 robot arm segments 12 Visualization Unit 14 Visualization axis 16,16' fixture unit 18 Instrument axis 20,20' fixture 22 Control Unit 24 Fixture unit adapter 26 Counter adapter 28 Tracker 30 Surgical microscope 32 Guide sleeve 34 Navigation System 36 Surgical Monitor 38 Hinge 100 Medical robotic systems P patient S0 Preoperative plan loading step S1 Registering the patient in the navigation system S2 End effector selection step S3a Visualization unit tracking steps S3b Fixture Unit Tracking Steps S4a Visualization unit pose control step S4b Pose control step of visualization unit S5 Steps in robotic surgery

Claims

1. A medical (in particular surgical) collaborative robot (1) for actuating end effectors (2, 4) during an examination or intervention on a patient (P), comprising: The robot comprises a robot base (6), a movable and actuable robot arm (8), at least two end effectors (2, 4), and a control unit (22); The robot base (6) serves as a local attachment point for the robot (1), The robot arm (8) is connected to the robot base (6) by at least one robot arm segment (10); The at least two end effectors (2, 4) are connected to one of the robot arms (8); wherein the first end effector (2) is a visualization unit (12) having a visualization axis (14); The second end effector (4) comprises a medical tool unit (16) having an instrument (20) and an associated tool shaft (18) (particularly a surgical tool); The control unit (22) is adapted to control the spatial pose of the visualization unit (12) or the spatial pose of the instrument (20) for examination or intervention via the actuatable robotic arm (8).

2. A medical robot (1) according to claim 1, an instrument unit adapter (24) disposed on the robotic arm (8) and / or on the visualization unit (12); the medical tool unit (16) or further visualization unit is coupled to the tool unit adapter (24) via a predetermined complementary counter adapter (26) in a tool-free manner for coupling and decoupling, This allows the tool (20) or the tool unit (16) with the further visualization unit to be removed without tools and in particular replaced with a further tool (20') or a further visualization unit, said robot.

3. A medical robot (1) according to any of the preceding claims, the visualization unit (12) has a rigid spatial relationship to the tool unit (16); The control unit (22) determining the pose of the tool unit (16) based on the pose of the visualization unit (12) using a predefined static transformation; or determining a pose of the visualization unit (12) based on the pose of the tool unit (16) in order to control the pose of the other end effector (2, 4) (in particular based on the detected pose of the one end effector (2, 4)); A robot characterized by being adapted.

4. A medical robot (1) according to claim 3, The at least two end effectors (2, 4) are provided with exactly one tracker (28); ((particularly one of the trackers (28)) particularly the tracker (28) which is a rigid body equipped with an optical marker) is fixed to the visualization unit (12) or the tracker (28) is fixed to the tool unit (16), a control unit (22) adapted to determine the pose of both the instrument (20) and the visualization unit (12) by tracking a single tracker (28) and a predefined rigid body spatial relationship of the visualization unit (12) to the instrument unit (16),

5. A medical robot (1) according to any of the preceding claims, the instrument (20) is aligned such that the instrument axis (18) does not intersect with the visualization axis (14) (particularly, the instrument axis (18) and the visualization axis (14) are spaced apart from each other starting from the two end effectors (2, 4)); The robot ensures that the instrument (20) does not obstruct the visualization of the visualization unit (12) (in particular, is not visible within the field of view of the visualization unit (12)).

6. A medical robot (1) according to any of the preceding claims, The visualization axis (14) starts from the end face of the visualization unit (12) at a distance of at most 60 cm along the visualization axis (14) and has a distance of at least 10 cm, preferably at least 30 cm, particularly preferably at least 50 cm from the instrument axis (18).

7. A medical robot (1) according to any of the preceding claims, the visualization unit (12) is a surgical microscope (30) (in particular an optical or digital surgical microscope) generating 2D or 3D images, an endoscope or an ultrasound probe; and / or A robot, wherein the tool unit (16) comprises a drill, a guide sleeve (32) for a trajectory guide, a cutting instrument (in particular forceps, a suction tube or a scalpel), or a cutting block (in particular a knee cutting block).

8. A medical robot (1) according to any of the preceding claims, The medical robot (1) further comprises a navigation system (34); the navigation system (34) comprises at least one presentation device (in particular a surgical monitor (36)); The control unit (22) controls the robot (1) having the end effectors (2, 4) based on the navigation system (34), (in particular, moves to a waypoint for a selected one of the at least two end effectors (2, 4) and sets a pose for the selected end effector), preferably based on a preoperatively defined surgical plan.

9. A medical robot (1) according to claim 8. The control unit (22) correspondingly navigating and controlling said tool unit (16) with said tool (20) and its tool axis (18) for navigation as the end effector (4) selected for the intervention; or correspondingly navigating and controlling a visualization unit (12) having a visualization axis (14) for navigation as the end effector (2) selected for visualization; A robot adapted to do so.

10. A medical robotic system (100) for examination or intervention on a patient (P), comprising: The medical robot system (100) comprises a medical robot (1) according to any of the preceding claims, an instrument unit adapter (24) disposed on the robotic arm (8) and / or on the visualization unit (12); The medical robotic system (100) further comprises at least two different tool units (16, 16') having different tools (20, 20'); The two different tool units (16, 16') are provided with counter adapters (26) of the same design in order to equip the medical robot (1) with different tools (20, 20') via uniform interfaces (24, 26).

11. 10. A computer-implemented control method for a medical robot, in particular a robot (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, for actuating a medical end effector during an examination or intervention on a patient, comprising: It includes the following steps: - registering (S1) a patient (P), preferably via a navigation system (34); - selecting (S2) as a selected end effector either a visualization unit (12) having a visualization axis (14) or an instrument unit (16) having an instrument (20) and an associated instrument axis (18), both of which are connected as end effectors (2, 4) to a robot arm (8) having at least one robot arm segment (10) of said robot (1), said robot arm (8) being in turn connected to a robot base (6) as a local attachment point; - tracking (S3a; S3b) the selected end effector pose by said navigation system (34); - controlling (S4a; S4b) the selected end effector via said robot arm (8) by a control unit (22) so that the selected end effector is moved into a pose according to a predetermined position, preferably a pose relative to a registered patient (P), in order to perform an examination or intervention;

12. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising: A storage medium containing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the control method of claim 11.

13. A computer program comprising: A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the control method according to claim 11.

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