Partial degradation of manipulator for better egress manipulability

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for controlling joint operation. The method may include (i) obtaining operation data indicative of operation of a plurality of joints coupling a plurality of links of a repositionable structure to a base; (ii) detecting, based on the operation data, a malfunction associated with an affected joint of the plurality of joints; (iii) identifying a relative position of the affected joint with respect to the plurality of joints; and (iv) controlling one or more joints of the plurality of joints distal to the affected joint such that the one or more joints operate at a reduced level of functionality.

Description

PARTIAL DEGRADATION OF MANIPULATOR FOR BETTER EGRESS MANIPULABILITYCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 669,946 entitled “PARTIAL DEGRADATION OF MANIPULATOR FOR BETTER EGRESS MANIPULABILITY,” filed on July 11, 2024. The entire contents of the provisional application are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.FIELD

[0002] Disclosed examples relate to guided robotic control manipulator systems. In particular, the disclosed examples relate to systems and methods for degrading joint operation of a manipulator system when detecting a malfunction.BACKGROUND

[0003] Computer-assisted manipulator systems (“manipulator systems”), sometimes referred to as robotically assisted systems or robotic systems, may include one or more manipulators that can be operated with the assistance of an electronic controller (e.g., computer) to move and control functions of one or more instruments coupled to the manipulators. A manipulator generally includes mechanical links connected by joints. An instrument is removably (or permanently) coupled to one of the links, typically a distal link of the plural links.

[0004] In some computer-assisted manipulator systems, the manipulators are attached to a manipulator support structure (e.g., a patient side cart) that is separate from a support structure that supports a patient or workpiece. In other manipulator systems, the manipulators are attached directly to the support structure (herein referred to as a “table assembly”) that supports the patient or workpiece (e.g., to an operating table). Manipulator systems in which the manipulators are mounted to the table assembly can be referred to herein as table-mounted manipulator systems.

[0005] An important aspect of utilizing computer-assisted manipulator systems, is the safety response to malfunctions in the manipulator system. Typically, when a malfunction occurs at the manipulator (e.g., at a joint or link of the manipulator), the system disables any automatic or computer-controlled components and relies entirely on manual manipulation by users. While traditional mechanical structures are able to be manually manipulated by a user, more advancedsystems require increasing care and strength to manipulate, and risk damaging the subjects and / or systems.

[0006] Accordingly, a need exists for improved manipulator systems with an ability to disable and / or degrade portions of the system functionality while maintaining operation for other portions of the system.SUMMARY

[0007] The following presents a simplified summary of various examples described herein and is not intended to identify key or critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claims.

[0008] In some examples, a computer-assisted system for controlling joint operation of an instrument supported by a repositionable structure is provided. The system may include (i) a repositionable structure configured to support the instrument, the repositionable structure comprising a plurality of links coupled to a base via a plurality of joints; and (ii) a control system operably coupled to the repositionable structure, the control system configured to: (1) obtain operation data indicative of operation of the plurality of joints; (2) detect, based on the operation data, a malfunction associated with an affected joint of the plurality of joints; (3) identify a relative position of the affected joint with respect to the plurality of joints; and (4) control one or more joints of the plurality of joints distal to the affected joint such that the one or more joints operate at a reduced level of functionality.

[0009] In further examples, a computer-implemented method for controlling joint operation of an instrument supported by a repositionable structure is provided. The computer-implemented method includes (1) obtaining, by one or more processors of a control system operably coupled to the repositionable structure, operation data indicative of operation of a plurality of joints coupling a plurality of links of the repositionable structure to a base; (2) detecting, by the one or more processors of the control system, based on the operation data, a malfunction associated with an affected joint of the plurality of joints; (3) identifying, by the one or more processors of the control system, a relative position of the affected joint with respect to the plurality of joints; and (4) controlling, by the one or more processors of the control system, one or more joints of the plurality of joints distal to the affected joint such that the one or more joints operate at a reduced level of functionality.

[0010] In still further examples, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions thereon for controlling joint operation of an instrument supported by a rcpositionablc structure is provided. The instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to (1) obtain operation data indicative of operation of a plurality of joints coupling a plurality of links of the repositionable structure to a base; (2) detect, based on the operation data, a malfunction associated with an affected joint of the plurality of joints; (3) identify a relative position of the affected joint with respect to the plurality of joints; and (4) control one or more joints of the plurality of joints distal to the affected joint such that the one or more joints operate at a reduced level of functionality.

[0011] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative and explanatory in nature and are intended to provide an understanding of the present disclosure without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In that regard, additional aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description.BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for a robotically-assisted manipulator system for controlling joint operation of an instrument supported by a repositionable structure according to some examples.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view an embodiment of a manipulator of the manipulator system of FIG. 1 with control boards for each arm assembly.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a side view of a manipulator according with control boards disposed on each link of the manipulator.

[0015] FIG. 4 is an example flow diagram of an example method for controlling joint operation of an instrument supported by a repositionable structure, according to some examples.

[0016] Examples of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating examples of the present disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In the following description, specific details are set forth describing some examples consistent with the present disclosure. Numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that some examples may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. The specific examples disclosed herein are meant to be illustrative but not limiting. One skilled in the art may realize other elements that, although not specifically described here, are within the scope and the spirit of this disclosure. In addition, to avoid unnecessary repetition, one or more features shown and described in association with one example may be incorporated into other examples unless specifically described otherwise or if the one or more features would make an example nonfunctional. In some instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the examples.

[0018] This disclosure describes various instruments and portions of instruments in terms of their state in three-dimensional space. As used herein, the term “position” refers to the location of an object or a portion of an object in a three-dimensional space (e.g., three degrees of translational freedom along Cartesian x-, y-, and z-coordinates). As used herein, the term “orientation” refers to the rotational placement of an object or a portion of an object (e.g., one or more degrees of rotational freedom such as, roll, pitch, and yaw). As used herein, the term “pose” refers to the position of an object or a portion of an object in at least one degree of translational freedom and to the orientation of that object or portion of the object in at least one degree of rotational freedom (e.g., up to six total degrees of freedom). As used herein, the term “shape” refers to a set of poses, positions, and / or orientations measured along an object. As used herein, the term “distal” refers to a position that is closer to a procedural site and the term “proximal” refers to a position that is further from the procedural site. Accordingly, the distal portion or distal end of an instrument is closer to a procedural site than a proximal portion or proximal end of the instrument when the instrument is being used as designed to perform a procedure.

[0019] This disclosure occasionally refers to the disclosed techniques being applied to “patients” undergoing a “medical procedure.” It should be appreciated that these references are not intended to limit the application of the disclosed techniques to applied medicine contexts. For example, the described techniques can be applied to facilitate physician training, equipment testing and / or calibration, and / or other contexts. Accordingly, any reference to the term “patient” is donefor ease of explanation and also envisions the application of the described techniques to a generic “subject” or “target.”

[0020] Aspects of this disclosure herein can be part of a computer-assisted manipulator system, sometimes re I erred to as a robotically-assisted manipulator system or a robotic system. The manipulator system can include one or more manipulators that can be operated manually and / or with the assistance of an electronic controller (e.g., computer) to move and control functions of one or more instruments when coupled to the manipulators. Embodiments where a manipulator system is electronically controlled, at least in part, may be referred to as a teleoperational manipulator system.

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a table-mounted manipulator system 100 (“system 100”) for performing procedures via a control system 1006 that, upon detecting a malfunction in the system 100, can degrade or reduce functionality of one or more control boards operating one or more components of the system 100. The system 100 includes a table assembly 101, at least one rail assembly 120 coupled to the table assembly, and one or more manipulators 140 (also referred to as “repositionable structures”), coupled to each rail assembly 120 and controlled by one or more control boards 170. Each manipulator 140 can support one or more instruments 150, which can be removably or permanently mounted thereon. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 also can include the control system 1006, a user input and feedback system 1004, and / or an auxiliary system 1008. In some embodiments, the system 100 is configured as a computer-assisted, teleoperable medical system, in which case table assembly 101 can be configured to support a patient (not shown) and the instruments 150 can be medical instruments. The system 100 in this configuration can be usable, for example, to perform any of a variety of medical procedures, such as surgical procedures, diagnostic procedures, imaging procedures, therapeutic procedures, etc. Moreover, the system 100, when configured as a teleoperable medical system, need not necessarily be used on a living human patient. For example, a non-human animal, a cadaver, tissue-like materials used for training purposes, and so on, can be supported on the table assembly 101 and worked on by system 100. In other embodiments, the system 100 is configured as a computer-assisted teleoperable system for use in non-medical contexts, in which case the table assembly 101 can be configured to support an inanimate workpiece (something being manufactured, repaired, tested, etc.) and the instruments 150 can be non-medical instruments, such as industrial instruments.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1 , the table assembly 101 includes a platform assembly 1 10 configured to support the patient, inanimate workpiece, or other such target; a support column 102 coupled to and supporting the platform assembly 110; and a base 105 coupled to the support column 102. The base can be configured to contact the ground or other surface upon which the table assembly 101 rests to provide stability for the table assembly 101. In some embodiments, the base 105 is omitted. In some embodiments, the base 105 includes mobility features, such as wheels, tracks, or other such features (not shown), to allow movement of the table assembly 101 along the ground or other surface. In FIG. 1, the support column 102 is illustrated as a single vertical columnar part to simplify the discussion, but the support column 102 could take any desired shape and could include any number of parts. For example, the support column 102 can include horizontal support structures (not illustrated) such as beams, rails, etc. to couple the platform assembly 110 to a vertical portion of the support column 102. Moreover, in various embodiments, the support column 102 can be telescoping and configured to extend and contract in height.

[0023] The platform assembly 110 includes one or more platform sections 103 to support the patient or workpiece. The platform sections 103 each have a support surface configured to contact and support the patient or workpiece. In some embodiments multiple platform sections 103 are used and the platform sections 103 are arranged in series to support different portions of the patient or workpiece. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the platform assembly 110 includes a first end section 103_l, one or more middle sections 103_2, and a second end section 103_3 (which may generally or collectively be referred to herein as “platform sections 103”), with the one or more middle sections 103_2 being arranged between the two end sections 103_l and 103_3. In some embodiments, the first end section 103_l can be configured to support a head of the patient, the second end section 103_3 can be configured to support the feet and / or legs of the patient, and the one or more middle sections 103_2 can be configured to support a torso and / or other portions of the patient. For convenience, the side of the platform assembly 110 that is near the first end section 103_l (e.g., a left side in the orientation shown in FIG. 1) will be referred to herein as a “head” of the platform assembly 110 (or “head side” or “head end”) and the side of the platform assembly 110 that is near the second end section 103_3 (e.g., a right side in the orientation shown in FIG. 1) will be referred to herein as a “foot” of the platform assembly 1 10 (or “foot side” or “foot end”), but this is merely an arbitrary convention chosen herein for convenience of description and is not intended to limit the configuration or usage of the table assembly 101 (e.g.,a head of a patient could be positioned at the “foot” side of the platform assembly 1 10 if desired, and vice versa). The relative positions of two components or of two portions of a single component can also be described using “head” and “foot” (e.g., a “head end” and a “foot end” of a rail 121) with “head” referring to the component or portion that is relatively closer to the head end of the table assembly 101 and “foot” referring to the component or portion that is relative closer to the foot end of the table assembly 101. In other embodiments, different numbers and arrangements of platform sections 103 are used, including one, two, four, or more platform sections 103. In some embodiments, one or more of the platform sections 103 can be movable relative to other platform sections 103 and / or relative to the support column 102. For example, in some embodiments, some or all of the platform sections 103 are coupled to adjacent platform sections 103 and / or to the support column 102 by rotatable joints such that at least some of the platform sections 103 can tilt relative to one another and / or relative to the support column 102. The platform assembly 110 can also be movable as a whole relative to the support column 102, as described in greater detail below.

[0024] The platform assembly 110 has a longitudinal dimension 198 (e.g., parallel to the x-axis in FIG. 1), a lateral dimension orthogonal to the longitudinal dimension (e.g., parallel to the y-axis in FIG. 1), and a thickness or height dimension orthogonal to both the longitudinal dimension 198 and lateral dimension (e.g., parallel to the z-axis in FIG. 1). As used herein, the longitudinal dimension 198 refers to a dimension of greatest extent of the platform assembly 110 when all of the platform sections 103 of the platform assembly are fully extended and all are oriented with their support surfaces roughly aligned in a same plane with one another (or when as close to this state as possible) so as to collectively form a combined support surface that is substantially planar with potentially small gaps between adjacent platform sections 103. In general, the longitudinal and lateral dimensions of the platform assembly 110 and the support surfaces of the platform sections 103 are oriented roughly parallel to the ground or other surface on which the table assembly 101 is supported when the platform assembly 110 is in a neutral configuration. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the platform assembly 110 as a whole and / or individual platform sections 103 thereof do not necessarily have to be parallel to the ground, and that one or both of the longitudinal and / or lateral dimensions can be tilted relative to the ground in various configurations through which the platform assembly 1 10 and / or platform section 103 can be movable, including in a neutral configuration in some cases. The platform assembly 110 and the various platform sections 103 thereof have various sides or faces that extend along thelongitudinal dimension 198 or lateral dimension, and these can be referred to herein as longitudinally extending sides (or faces) and laterally extending sides (or faces), respectively. Specifically, a longitudinally extending side (or face) is a side (or face) of the platform assembly 110 or of a platform section 103 that extends along the longitudinal dimension 198 of the platform assembly 110 (i.e., along an x-direction in FIG. 1). For example, one longitudinally extending side 109b of the platform assembly 1110 is indicated in FIG. 1. Similarly, a laterally extending side (or face) is a side (or face) of the platform assembly 110 or of a platform section 103 that extends along the lateral dimension of the platform assembly 110 (i.e., along a y-direction in FIG. 1). For example, two laterally extending sides 109a of the platform assembly 110 are indicated in FIG. 1. At least one of the platform sections 103 is directly coupled to and supported by the support column 102. The remaining platform sections 103 can be coupled directly to the support column 102 or they can be coupled indirectly to the support column 102 via a chain of one or more intervening platform sections 103. For example, in some embodiments a main platform section 103 (e.g., a middle section 103_2) is coupled to and directly supported by the support column 102 and the others of the platform sections 103 (e.g., end sections 103_l and 103_3) are coupled to the main platform section 103 or to another platform section 103. As another example, in some embodiments multiple platform sections 103 (all in some embodiments) are coupled directly to the support column 102 and not to another platform section 103.

[0025] In various embodiments, some or all of the above-described parts of the table assembly 101 can be movable relative to one another. For example, in some embodiments, the platform assembly 110 as a whole can be moved relative to the support column 102, such as by tilting around a horizontal axis, swiveling around a vertical axis, translating vertically along the support column 102, translating horizontally relative to the support column 102, and so on. In some embodiments, such movement of the platform assembly 110 as a whole can be provided by one or more joints that couple a main platform section 103 (e.g., a middle section 103_2) to the support column 102. Furthermore, as already noted above, individual platform sections 103 can be movable relative to one another and relative to the support column 102 as well, which can be facilitated by joints coupling the platform sections 103 to the support column 102 or to adjacent platform sections 103.

[0026] In some embodiments, the platform assembly 110 also includes one or more accessory rails 104. The accessory rails 104 can be configured to receive accessory devices removablymounted thereon, such as such as leg stirrups, liver retractors, arm boards, and bed extenders. In some embodiments, the accessory rails 104 adhere to industry standard specifications familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art to allow compatibility with accessory devices compliant with the standard. The accessory rails 104 can be attached to longitudinally extending side faces of one or more of the platform sections 103. One or more openings can be defined between an accessory rail 104 and the side face of the platform section 103 to which the accessory rail 104 is attached and portions of accessories mounted to the accessory rail 104 can be inserted through the openings.

[0027] As noted above, the manipulator system 100 also includes one or more manipulators 140, controlled by one or more control boards 170 (e.g., in conjunction with the control system 1006). While FIG. 1 illustrates two manipulators 140, any number of manipulators 140 can be included (such as, for example, one, two, three, or more manipulators mounted to each rail assembly 120, as described in further detail below). A manipulator 140 can include a kinematic structure of links coupled together by one or more joints. Specifically, the manipulators 140 each include a proximal link assembly including a proximal arm 141 movably coupled to the rail assembly 120 via one or more proximal arm joints 130, an intermediate link assembly including an intermediate arm 142 movably coupled to the proximal link assembly via one or more intermediate arm joints 145, and a distal link assembly including a distal arm 143 movably coupled to the intermediate link assembly by one or more distal arm joints 146. The distal link assembly can also include an instrument holding portion 169 coupled to the distal arm 143 and configured to carry the instrument 150.

[0028] Each manipulator 140 further includes control boards 170 disposed along the various links and joints of the manipulator 140 and / or elsewhere in the system 100. For example, the control boards 170 may be disposed along the proximal arm 141, proximal arm joints 130, intermediate arm 142, intermediate joints 145, distal arm 143, distal arm joints, and / or the instrument holding portion 169. Generally, the control boards 170 may be disposed along any portion of the manipulator 140 to control and / or relay instructions to one or more elements of the manipulator 140. However, it will be understood that, in various embodiments, the manipulator 140 may include a single control board 170 located at a single location (e.g., at a proximal end of the manipulator 140, at a distal end of the manipulator 140, near the control system 1006, etc.), a plurality of control boards 170 configured to control components of the manipulator 140 (e.g., as described above) located at a single location (e.g., at a proximal end of the manipulator 140, at adistal end of the manipulator 140, near the control system 1006, etc.), a number of control boards 170 configured to control a greater number of components of the manipulator 140 located along the manipulator 140 (e.g., at some but not all of the relevant components), and / or any other such configuration.

[0029] For example, the control boards 170 may receive instructions from a control system 1006 (e.g., as described in more detail below) and subsequently provide commands to one or more drivers for one or more joints associated with the manipulator 140 (e.g., to move the joints, activate one or more motors associated with the joints, extend one or more links, etc.). Depending on the embodiment, the control boards 170 may comprise one or more control circuits associated with the one or more joints controlled by the control board. For example, in some embodiments, the control boards 170 may each include a plurality of control circuits (e.g., two control circuits, three control circuits, five control circuits, etc.), where each control circuit is associated with and / or controls a single joint. In further embodiments, the control boards 170 may each include a single control circuit that controls a plurality of joints (e.g., two joints, three joints, five joints, etc.). In still further embodiments, the control boards 170 may each include a varying number of control circuits that control varying numbers of joints (e.g., three control circuits, one of which controls a single joint, one of which controls three joints, and one of which controls five joints). In still further embodiments, the control board 170 and / or the control circuit(s) may control joints with a similar purpose (e.g., a proximal arm control board and / or proximal arm control circuits on a control board 170 may control the proximal arm joints 130). Depending on the embodiment, the control board 170 and / or the control circuit(s) may control the joints by controlling one or more drivers associated with operating the respective joints. In some embodiments, each control board 170 may control one or more joints (e.g., one joint, three joints, five joints, etc.) associated with the manipulator 140. Depending on the embodiment, the control board(s) 170 may be located on various links of the manipulator 140, on a proximal end of the manipulator, on a distal end of the manipulator, elsewhere in the system 100, etc.

[0030] The manipulators 140 are movable through various degrees of freedom of motion provided by various joints, including the proximal, intermediate, and distal arm joints 130, 145, and 146, thus allowing an instrument 150 mounted thereon to be moved relative to the worksite. Some of the joints can provide for rotation of links relative to one another, other joints can provide for translation of links relative to one another, and some can provide for both rotation andtranslation. In particular, in some embodiments, the proximal arm 141 is rotatably coupled to the rail 121 via a first proximal arm joint 130a, which provides for rotation of the proximal arm 141 relative to the rail 121 around a first axis 136 that is perpendicular to a longitudinal dimension 197 of the rail 121 (e.g., perpendicular to the x-direction in FIG. 1). In a neutral state of the proximal arm 141, the first axis 136 is also perpendicular to a lateral dimension of the rail 121 (e.g., perpendicular to the y-direction in FIG. 1), and thus in this state the first axis 136 is oriented vertically (i.e., perpendicular to the aforementioned horizontal plane, or in other words oriented in the z-direction in FIG. 1). In addition, in a neutral state of the table assembly 101, in which the platform assembly 110 is parallel to the ground and the rail 121 (i.e., an x-direction in the orientation of FIG. 1), the first axis 136 is also perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension 198 of the platform assembly 110, but this is not necessarily the case in other states (e.g., states in in which the platform assembly 110 is tilted relative to the rail 121, which can be possible in some embodiments).

[0031] In some embodiments, the proximal link assembly of certain manipulators 140 is configured to allow for rotation of the proximal arm 141 about a second axis 137, in addition to allowing for rotation about the first axis 136, with the second axis 137 being orthogonal to the first axis 136. In some embodiments, the rotation about the second axis 137 can be provided by a second proximal arm joint 130b included in the proximal link assembly. In particular, in some embodiments the proximal link assembly of certain of the manipulators 140 further includes a second proximal arm joint 130b, and the first and second proximal arm joints 130a and 130b together couple the proximal arm 141 to the rail 121, with the second proximal arm joint 130b providing for rotation of the proximal arm 141 relative to the rail 121 around a second axis 137 orthogonal to the first axis 136 and parallel to a longitudinal dimension 197 of the rail 121 (e.g., x-direction in FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the second proximal arm joint 130b is coupled between the rail 121 and the first proximal arm joint 130a, while in other embodiments the second proximal arm joint 130b is coupled between the first proximal arm joint 130a and the proximal arm 141 (not shown in FIG. 1). In still other embodiments, the rotation about the second axis 137 is provided by the first proximal arm joint 130a without the addition of a second proximal arm joint (e.g., the first proximal arm joint 130a is configured to provide rotation about multiple axes, such as a ball-and-socket joint). The longitudinal dimension 197 and, hence, the second axis 137 are parallel to the ground in some embodiments. In some embodiments, in the neutral state of thetable assembly 101 , the second axis 137 is also parallel to the longitudinal dimension 198 of the platform assembly 110. In some such embodiments, the second axis 137 is not parallel to the longitudinal dimension 198 of the platform assembly 110 in other states (e.g., states in in which the platform assembly 110 is tilted relative to the rail 121, which can be possible in some embodiments). Rotation of the proximal arm 141 around the second axis 137 (e.g., via the second proximal arm joint 130b) causes the proximal arm 141 to incline or decline relative to the horizontal plane, thus raising or lowering a distal end of the proximal arm 141 relative to the rail 121. In addition, as the proximal arm 141 inclines relative to the horizontal plane, movement of the proximal arm 141 can cause more distal portions of the manipulator 140 to correspondingly both raise and extend further across the table (as opposed to vertical movement alone).

[0032] In some embodiments, the rotation about the second axis 137 (e.g., via second proximal arm joint 130b) allows the proximal arm 141 to be moved between orientations ranging at least between a horizontal orientation and a vertical inclined orientation (e.g., at least 90 degrees of rotation). In some embodiments, rotation about the second axis 137 (e.g., via the second proximal arm joint 130b) can also allow for rotation of the proximal arm 141 to orientations that are declined relative to a horizonal orientation. In some embodiments, certain manipulators 140 are provided with the ability to rotate about the second axis 137 (e.g., via the second proximal arm joint 130b) while others are not. For example, in some embodiments a first manipulator 140 whose proximal arm 141 is positionable under a second manipulator 140 in a nested configuration (e.g., as described in more depth below) can be provided with the second proximal arm joint 130b (e.g., because the lower positioning of the proximal arm 141 makes room for the proximal arm joint 130b), while a second proximal arm joint 130b can be omitted in the second manipulator 140 (e.g., because the higher positioning of the proximal arm 141 of the second manipulator 140 does not leave sufficient room for the second joint). In other embodiments (not illustrated), coupled to a same rail 121 all of the manipulators 140 (or all manipulators 140 in the system 100, in some embodiments) are provided with the ability to rotate about the second axis 137 (e.g., via second proximal arm joints 130b). In still other embodiments (not illustrated), none of the manipulators 140 coupled to a given rail 121 (or none of the manipulators 140 in the entire system 100, in some embodiments) are provided with the ability to rotate about the second axis 137.

[0033] In addition, in some embodiments, the proximal arm 141 is extendable and retractable. For example, the proximal arm 141 can include a plurality of links that are translatable relative toone another in a telescoping fashion to extend or retract the proximal arm 141 . In other words, the plurality of links arc coupled together by, or they themselves form, a prismatic joint. For example, in some embodiments the proximal arm 141 includes an outer link that has a bore (for example an axial bore extending along a longitudinal axis of the proximal arm 141) and an inner link that is nested within the outer link in the bore thereof.

[0034] In addition, in some embodiments, the proximal arm 141 has an asymmetrical shape, meaning that, in extending from a proximal end portion of the proximal arm 141 to a distal end portion of the proximal arm 141, the proximal arm 141 follows a non-straight path (i.e., a path that deviates from a hypothetical straight line extending between (e.g., connecting) the two end portions). More specifically, the proximal arm 141 can extend between the proximal arm joint 130 coupled to the proximal end portion of the proximal arm 141 and an intermediate arm joint 145 (e.g., described in more depth below) coupling the distal end portion of the proximal arm 141 to intermediate arm 142, with a centerline of the proximal arm 141 extending between these joints 130 and 145 deviating from a straight line between respective axes of the joints 130 and 145. For example, in some embodiments the proximal arm 141 has a smoothly curved shape (e.g., a centerline of the proximal arm follows a smoothly curved path), while in other embodiments the proximal arm 141 has a segmented shape including multiple straight and / or curved segments joined together at angles (e.g., an L-shape).

[0035] In some embodiments, the intermediate arm 142 can be rotatably coupled to the distal end portion of the proximal arm 141 via one or more intermediate rotary joints 145. For example, the intermediate arm joints 145 can provide for rotation of the intermediate arm 142 relative to the proximal arm 141 about a third axis (not illustrated) perpendicular to the intermediate arm 142 and the proximal arm 141. In addition, in some embodiments, the intermediate arm joints 145 can provide for rotation of a distal end of the intermediate arm 142 relative to the proximal arm 141 about an axis that is parallel to a longitudinal dimension of the intermediate arm 142. In some embodiments, the intermediate arm 142 is also extendable and retractable. For example, the intermediate arm 142 can include a plurality of links that are translatable relative to one another in a telescoping fashion to extend or retract the intermediate arm 142, in a manner similar to that described above in relation to proximal arm 141. In some embodiments, the links of the intermediate arm 142 are both translatable relative to one another along a longitudinal dimension of the intermediate arm 142 and also rotatable relative to one another about an axis parallel to thelongitudinal dimension of the intermediate arm 142, thus providing for the above-described rotation of the distal end of the intermediate arm 142 relative to the proximal arm 141 about the axis that is parallel to a longitudinal dimension of the intermediate arm 142.

[0036] Moreover, in some embodiments, the distal arm 143 is movably coupled to the instrument holding portion 169 via a wrist 147, which includes joints for moving the instrument holding portion 169 relative to the distal arm 143. The joints of the wrist 147 can be referred to herein as wrist joints. In some embodiments, the wrist 147 provides multiple rotational degrees of freedom motion. For example, in some embodiments the wrist 147 has three rotational degrees of freedom of motion for the instrument holding portion 169 relative to the distal arm 143. For example, the wrist 147 can be rotatably coupled to the distal arm 143 to provide a roll degree of freedom of motion including rotation of the wrist 147 as a whole about an axis parallel to the distal arm 143, and the wrist 147 can further include two joints for providing yaw and pitch degrees of freedom of motion including rotation around pitch and yaw axes which are perpendicular to one another. One of the pitch and yaw axes is also perpendicular to the roll axis (the other of the pitch and yaw axes can also be perpendicular to the roll axis in a neutral state of the wrist 147, but not necessarily in other states). In some embodiments, the joints providing some of the degrees of freedom of motion of the wrist 147 (e.g., yaw and pitch, in some embodiments) are driven by actuators disposed remotely from the wrist 147, such as in a more proximal portion of the manipulator 140 with actuation elements (such as cables, filaments, belts, bands, linkages, etc.) extending from the actuators to the wrist 147 to drive the motion of the wrist. For example, in some embodiments, the wrist includes two wrist joints disposed in the wrist that provide rotation about the yaw and pitch axes, and these two wrist joints can be coupled to actuation elements (e.g., cables) that drive the rotation. In some embodiments, the actuators that drive the wrist 147 are positioned in the distal arm 143. Disposing the actuators remotely from the wrist 147 allows the wrist 147 to be more compact. Wrists that are compact, such as the wrists 147, can be positioned more closely to portions of other manipulators 140, in some circumstances, which can allow for greater flexibility in the positioning and posing of the manipulators 140. Moreover, placing the actuators in a more proximal portion of the manipulators 140, such as in the distal arm 143, moves the weight of the actuators closer to a proximal end of the kinematic chain that makes up the manipulator 140, thus reducing the moment arm (leverage) created by the weight of the actuators.

[0037] Some or all of the joints of the system 100 described above (as well as other joints that might be present in the system) can be powered joints, meaning a powered drive clement (also referred to as a “driver” herein) can control movement of the joint through the supply of motive power. Such powered drive elements can include, for example, electric motors, pneumatic or hydraulic actuators, and other types of powered drive elements those having ordinary skill in the art would be familiar with. In some embodiments, the joints of the wrist 147 are powered joints. Additionally, in some embodiments some of the joints of the system 100 can be manually articulable (e.g., unpowered) joints, which can be articulated manually for example by manually moving the links coupled thereto. Joints referred to herein as unpowered can lack powered drive elements to drive articulation of the joint but still can include other powered aspects or devices, such as electronically (or hydraulically / pneumatically, etc.) controlled brakes, sensors (e.g., position, velocity, force, torque sensors), or other powered devices. Additionally, in some embodiments some of the joints of the system 100 can be partially powered and partially manually articulable — for example powered elements such as motors can assist manipulation, such as by compensating for gravity loads, friction, etc., but some manual force input can also be used to cause the articulation. Additionally, some joints (whether powered or not) can also be passively counterbalanced (e.g., via masses or springs). Certain joints can be actively controllable during performance of a procedure, for example, under the control of one or more control boards 170 communicatively coupled to a control system 1006 and in response to inputs recited at a user input and feedback system 1004. Other joints, sometimes referred to as setup joints, can be articulated during a setup phase in preparation for performance of the procedure but can generally remain more-or-less stationary during performance of the procedure. Setup joints can be powered, manually articulable, or partially powered. For example, in some embodiments, the proximal arm joints 130 and the prismatic joint that provides extension of the proximal arm 141 are setup joints.

[0038] As noted above, the instrument holding portion 169 is configured to support an instrument 150, and in some embodiments the instrument holding portion 169 includes a drive interface to removably couple the instrument 150 and to provide driving inputs (e.g., mechanical forces, electrical inputs, etc.) to drive the instrument 150. For example, the drive interface can include output couplers (not illustrated) to engage (directly or indirectly via an intermediary) with input couplers (not illustrated) of the instrument 150 to provide driving forces or other inputs to the mounted instrument 150 to control various degree of freedom movement and / or otherfunctionality of the instrument 150, such as moving an end-effector of the instrument, opcning / closing jaws, driving translation and / or rotation of a variety of components of the instrument, delivery of substances and / or energy from the instrument, and various other functions those of ordinary skill in the art are familiar with. The output couplers can be driven by actuators (e.g., electrical servo-motors, hydraulic actuators, pneumatic actuators) with which those of ordinary skill in the art have familiarity. An instrument sterile adaptor (ISA) can be disposed between the instrument 150 and the instrument manipulator mount interface to maintain sterile separation between the instrument 150 and the manipulator 140. The instrument manipulator mount can also include other interfaces (not illustrated), such as electrical interfaces to provide and / or receive electrical signals to / from the instrument 150. The instruments 150 can include any tool or instrument, including, for example, industrial instruments and medical instruments (e.g., surgical instruments, imaging instruments, diagnostic instruments, therapeutic instruments, etc.). In some embodiments, the system 100 can include flux delivery transmission capability as well, such as, for example, to supply electricity, fluid, vacuum pressure, light, electromagnetic radiation, etc. to the end effector. In other embodiments, such flux delivery transmission can be provided to an instrument through another auxiliary system 1008, described further below and as those of ordinary skill in the ail would be familiar with in the context of computer-assisted, teleoperated medical systems.

[0039] In some embodiments, aspects of the manipulators 140 can be similar to the manipulators described in US Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 336,773, entitled “RAIL ASSEMBLY FOR TABLE MOUNTED MANIPULATOR SYSTEM, AND RELATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” inventor Ryan Abbott, filed April 29, 2022; in US Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 336,778, entitled “NESTING PROXIMAL LINKS FOR TABLE MOUNTED MANIPULATOR SYSTEM, AND RELATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” first named inventor Bram Lambrecht, filed April 29, 2022; or those described in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 9,358,074 (filed May 31, 2013) to Schena et al., entitled “MultiPort Surgical Robotic System Architecture,” U.S. Patent No. 9,295,524 (filed May 31, 2013) to Schena et al., entitled “Redundant Axis and Degree of Freedom for Hardware-Constrained Remote Center Robotic Manipulator,” and U.S. Patent No. 8,852,208 (filed August 12, 2010) to Gomez et al., entitled “Surgical System Instrument Mounting,” WO International Publication Number 2023 / 212344 Al (filed April 28, 2023) entitled “TABLE-MOUNTED MANIPULATORSYSTEM, AND RELATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” first named inventor Steven Manuel, the contents of each of which arc incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Various other embodiments of manipulators can include those as configured as part of the medical systems that are part of various da Vinci® Surgical Systems, such as the da Vinci X®, da Vinci Xi®, and da Vinci SP systems, commercialized by Intuitive Surgical, Inc., of Sunnyvale, California.

[0040] The number, locations, and types of links, joints, and control boards of the manipulators, as well as the various degrees of freedom of motion thereof, are not limited to those described above. In some embodiments, manipulators include additional links, joints, control boards, and / or degrees of freedom beyond those described above. In other embodiments, manipulators can omit certain of the links, joints, control boards, and / or degrees of freedom described above. Embodiments contemplated herein include embodiments including various combinations of one or more of the links, joints, and degrees of freedom of motion described above.

[0041] In further embodiments, the manipulator 140 performs one or more operations in one or more operation modes and / or by utilizing one or more operation functionalities. For example, the manipulator 140 may operate in a following mode, in which the manipulator follows one or more instructions from a user (e.g., via the control system 1006 and / or user input and feedback system 1004). Similarly, the manipulator 140 may operate in a clutch mode, in which a user may freely physically manipulate the components of the manipulator 140. In some embodiments, the manipulator 140 may utilize a weight-holding functionality, in which the manipulator 140 (e.g., via the control system 1006) determines a weight of various components of the manipulator 140 (e.g., the links of the manipulator 140, a tool associated with the distal end of the manipulator 140, etc.), a center of mass of the manipulator 140 as a whole, one or more safe movements and / or configurations for the manipulator 140 to use, etc. In further embodiments, the manipulator 140 may utilize a friction compensation functionality to determine a force of friction (e.g., via the control system 1006) at one or more joints of the manipulator 140 and provide sufficient force to compensate for the friction (e.g., to add to force needed to move the joints in a following mode, to allow a user to more easily move components of the manipulator 140 in a clutch mode, etc.). In still further embodiments, the manipulator 140 may utilize a remote center movement functionality to move and / or otherwise manipulate a remote center on a target. Depending on the embodiment,the remote center may be an insertion point for a tool into or on a target, as described in more detail below.

[0042] In some embodiments, the rail assembly 120 can be similar to the rail assemblies described in US Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 336,773, entitled “RAIL ASSEMBLY FOR TABLE MOUNTED MANIPULATOR SYSTEM, AND RELATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” in US Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 336,778, entitled “NESTING PROXIMAL LINKS FOR TABLE MOUNTED MANIPULATOR SYSTEM, AND RELATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” and in WO International Publication Number 2023 / 212344 Al (filed April 28, 2023) entitled “TABLE-MOUNTED MANIPULATOR SYSTEM, AND RELATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” first named inventor Steven Manuel, each incorporated by reference above.

[0043] The user input and feedback system 1004, control system 1006, and auxiliary system 1008 will be further described. Some or all of these components can be provided at a location remote from the table assembly 101. The user input and feedback system 1004 is operably coupled to the control system 1006 and includes one or more input devices to receive input control commands to control operations of the manipulators 140, instruments 150, rails assembly 120, and / or table assembly 101. Such input devices can include but are not limited to, for example, telepresence input devices, triggers, grip input devices, buttons, switches, pedals, joysticks, trackballs, data gloves, trigger-guns, gaze detection devices, voice recognition devices, body motion or presence sensors, touchscreen technology, or any other type of device for registering user input. In some cases, an input device can be provided with the same degrees of freedom as the associated instrument that they control, and as the input device is actuated, the instrument, through drive inputs from the manipulator assembly, is controlled to follow or mimic the movement of the input device, which can provide the user a sense of directly controlling the instrument. Telepresence input devices can provide the operator with telepresence, meaning the perception that the input devices are integral with the instrument. The user input and feedback system 1004 can also include feedback devices, such as a display device (not shown) to display images (e.g., images of the workspace as captured by one of the instruments 150), haptic feedback devices, audio feedback devices, other graphical user interface forms of feedback, etc.

[0044] The control system 1006 can control operations of the system 100. In particular, the control system 1006 can send control signals (c.g., electrical signals) to the table assembly 101, rail assembly 120, manipulators 140, control boards 170, and / or instruments 150 to control movements, provide status indications, and / or perform other operations of the various parts. In some embodiments, the control system 1006 can also control some or all operations of the user input and feedback system 1004, the auxiliary system 1008, or other parts of the system 100. In some embodiments, the control system 1006 sends signals to the control boards, which in turn generate and / or transmit signals to send to the relevant components of the system 100 (e.g., the manipulators 140). The control system 1006 can include an electronic controller to control and / or assist a user in controlling operations of the manipulators 140, and other components of the system 100. The electronic controller includes processing circuitry configured with logic for performing the various operations. The logic of the processing circuitry can include dedicated hardware to perform various operations, software (machine readable and / or processor executable instructions) to perform various operations, or any combination thereof. In examples in which the logic includes software, the processing circuitry can include a processor to execute the software instructions and a memory device that stores the software. The processor can include one or more processing devices capable of executing machine readable instructions, such as, for example, a processor, a processor core, a central processing unit (CPU), a controller, a microcontroller, a system-on-chip (SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), etc. In cases in which the processing circuitry includes dedicated hardware, in addition to or in lieu of the processor, the dedicated hardware can include any electronic device that is configured to perform specific operations, such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), discrete logic circuits, a hardware accelerator, a hardware encoder, etc. The processing circuitry can also include any combination of dedicated hardware and processor plus software.

[0045] Differing degrees of user control versus autonomous control can be utilized in the system 100, and embodiments disclosed herein can encompass fully user-controlled systems, fully autonomously-controlled systems, and systems having any combination of user and autonomous control. For operations that are user-controlled, the control system 1006 generates control signals in response to receiving a corresponding user input command via the user input and feedback system 1004. For operations that are autonomously controlled, the control system 1006 can executepre-programmed logic (e.g., a software program) and can determine and send control commands based on the programming (c.g., in response to a detected state or stimulus specified in the programming). In some systems, some operations can be user controlled and others autonomously controlled. Moreover, some operations can be partially user controlled and partially autonomously controlled — for example, a user input command can initiate performance of a sequence of events, and then the control system 1006 can perform various operations associated with that sequence without needing further user input. Additionally, the control system 1006 may function to control one or more control boards 170 associated with a component of the system 100 (e.g., the manipulator(s) 140). In some such embodiments, the control system 1006 transmits command signals to the control board 170 associated with a component and / or portion of a component (e.g., a joint of the manipulator 140) based on stored association information (e.g., a lookup table, a mapping using a component ID, a generated identifier responsive to a registration request from the component, etc.). The control board 170 may then generate command signals for the relevant component and cause the component, a driver associated with the component, a motor associated with the component, etc. to carry out an action in accordance with the received command signal.

[0046] Additionally, the control system 1006 may analyze kinematic data associated with the manipulator system 100 and / or the components thereof (e.g., gathered from one or more kinematic data sensors (not shown)) to determine a pose of the various components with respect to forces such as gravity, friction, etc. For example, in some embodiments, the control system 1006 may register the manipulators 140 and / or the portions thereof with respect to a coordinate system (such as those described elsewhere herein). The control system 1006 may determine a metric based on the kinematic data (e.g., friction, gravitational force, torque, etc.) for performing various operations as described herein.

[0047] As illustrated in FIG. 1, some or all of the manipulators 140 may be in various deployed states. The deployed states include states in which one or more of the manipulators 140 are not stowed, which in some embodiments means at least that the one or more manipulators 140 are at least partially unfolded / uncompacted while remaining coupled to the rail 121 and removed from a stowed location (e.g., removed out from under the platform assembly 110). The manipulators 140 can be positioned in a variety of deployed states. In some deployed states, the manipulators 140 are deployed and have a distal link assembly controlled by one or more control boards 170.

[0048] During operation, the control system 1006 monitors kinematic data associated with manipulators 140, for example, to detect the presence of a malfunction. Depending on the embodiment, the control system 1006 may obtain the kinematic data from one or more kinematic sensors (e.g., motion sensors, acceleration sensors, force sensors, etc.) associated with one or more components of the manipulators 140 (e.g., links, joints, etc.). If the control system 1006 determines that the kinematic data indicates that one or more components of the manipulator 140 are malfunctioning, the control system 1006 may cause at least some of the control boards 170 to degrade functionality (e.g., operate at a reduced level of functionality), as described below with regard to FIG. 4.

[0049] In further embodiments, the control system 1006 may determine a degree by which the control board(s) 170 should be degraded based on the kinematic data. For example, if the control system 1006 determines that a weight-holding function of a control board 170 is able to be maintained even with a malfunction (e.g., the control system 1006 is able to determine a weight, center of mass, etc. of the various components of the manipulator 140), then the control system 1006 may disable an autonomous control functionality while still permitting the weight-holding functionality implemented by the control boards 170 and associated components of the manipulator 140. As will be described below, the control system 1006 may also monitor other types of operation data to detect the presence and / or extent of a malfunction.

[0050] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a manipulator 240_l (such as a manipulator 140 of FIG. 1), having control boards 270 (such as the control boards 170 of FIG. 1) positioned along one or more links of the manipulator 240_l. It will be understood that, although the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 illustrates the manipulator 240_l with a control board 270 placed on each link, other configurations are envisioned for various manipulators 240. For example, in some embodiments, a manipulator 240 may include a single control board 270 that controls all of the joints associated with the manipulator 240. In other embodiments, a manipulator may include a control board 270 for every 3 joints (e.g., a manipulator with 6 joints has 2 control boards).

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2, the manipulator 240_l includes a proximal link assembly 261 including a proximal arm 241 coupled to the rail assembly 220 via one or more proximal arm joints 230 and a carriage 226, an intermediate link assembly 262 including an intermediate arm 242 coupled to a distal end portion of the proximal link assembly 261 via one or more intermediate arm joints 245, and a distal link assembly 263 including a distal arm 243 coupled to the intermediate link assembly 262 via one ormore distal arm joints 246 (e.g., joints 246a and 246b). The distal link assembly 263 also includes an instrument holding portion 269 coupled to the distal arm 243 and configured to support an instrument, such as the instruments 150 illustrated in FIG. 1. Each of the proximal link assembly 261, intermediate link assembly 262, and distal link assembly 263 include a control board 270 disposed thereon. In some embodiments, some of the proximal link assembly 261, intermediate link assembly 262, and distal link assembly 263 include multiple control boards 270 disposed thereon. For example, the distal link assembly 263 may include two control boards 270, one to control the distal link assembly and one to include an instrument attached to and / or associated with the distal link assembly. In further embodiments, only one of the proximal link assembly 261, intermediate link assembly 262, and distal link assembly 263 includes a control board 270 that functions to control components of each of the proximal link assembly 261, intermediate link assembly 262, and distal link assembly 263. In still further embodiments, the control board 270 is located off of the manipulator 240_l (e.g., on another component of the system).

[0052] FIG. 3 is a side view of a manipulator 240_2 according to a similar configuration of that of FIG. 2 with the control boards 270 disposed along one or more links or joints of the manipulator 240_2, but in which each individual link includes a control board rather than one control board per link assembly, as in FIG. 2. It will be understood that the control boards in either of FIGs. 2 or 3 may be disposed on one or more links, a plurality of links, and further be disposed on one or more joints, or a plurality of joints of the manipulators 240. Each of the manipulators 240 of FIGs. 2 and 3 includes two proximal arm joints 230 and associated joint housings 264 and 265. In some embodiments, the manipulators 240 may have a single proximal arm joint.

[0053] FIG. 4 is an example flow diagram of an example method 400 for controlling joint operation of an instrument supported by a repositionable structure, such as, for example, performed by a system with manipulators according to any of FIGs. 1-3. The method 400 may be used to control joint operation of one or more elements of a manipulator, such as the manipulators 140 or 240. An example system for performing the method 400 may include a repositionable structure such as the manipulators 240, having a plurality of links, such as the proximal link assembly 261 , intermediate link assembly 262, and / or distal link assembly 263, coupled via one or more joints, such as by the proximal arm joints 230, intermediate arm joints 245, and / or distal arm joints 246. Each link of the plurality of links may include a respective indication system with one or more control boards 270. The system further includes a controller, such as the control system 1006 ofFIG. 1 , operatively coupled to the repositionable structure to control the various links, joins, and status indication systems to control positions and movement of the parts of the rcpositionablc structure, as well as monitor and / or interface with the control boards 270 to modify and / or otherwise configure operation of the respective links.

[0054] At block 402, a controller (e.g., the control system 1006) associated with a repositionable structure (e.g., the manipulators 240) obtains operation data indicative of operation of two or more (e.g., a plurality of) joints. In some embodiments, the plurality of joints couple a plurality of links of the repositionable structure to a base (e.g., as described with regard to FIG. 1). Depending on the embodiment, the operation data may include current-voltage monitoring (IVMon) safety check data. In some such embodiments, the controller may obtain such operation data from a driver controlling the affected joint. For example, the driver may cause the controller to detect, measure, calculate, and / or otherwise determine an input current received at the joint and an output voltage at the joint (e.g., via a predetermined current- voltage algorithm). In further embodiments, the driver may determine an expected output voltage based on the input current and / or otherwise calculate one or more metrics associated with the joint as described herein.

[0055] At block 404, the controller detects, based on the operation data, a malfunction associated with an affected joint of the plurality of joints. In some embodiments, the controller detects the malfunction based on a safety check (e.g., based on the current-voltage monitoring safety check data obtained at block 402). For example, the controller may calculate, based on a software kinematic kernel associated with the manipulators 140, a metric representative of an expected response to a control command. Accordingly, the metric may be based on one or more of an expected voltage output from a driver, an expected current input to a driver, a metric based on movement and / or pose of a manipulator and / or a component thereof. To this end, an increase in power required to drive an instrument from an expected or current kinematic state of the manipulator may indicate a malfunction. Similarly, if the expected amount of power resultant in less movement of the component than expected, then manipulator may be associated with a malfunction. In either case, the controller may determine the expected metric value based on the software kinematic kernel of the manipulator system.

[0056] The controller may then compare the determined metric with the actual metric at the joint or other component (e.g., measuring an actual voltage output via a driver associated with thejoint, measuring a movement of a component via one or more sensors associated with the component, etc.). In some embodiments, if the determined metric (c.g., an expected voltage output, expected movement, etc.) differs from the actual measured metric, then the controller determines that the joint is malfunctioning. In further embodiments, the controller may determine that the joint is malfunctioning if the expected metric differs from the actual metric by more than a predetermined threshold quantity (e.g., if the actual voltage output is within a predetermined range of error). In still further embodiments, the controller may calculate the actual metric according to an algorithm stored at the controller. In some such embodiments, algorithm stored at the controller is a copy of the algorithm used by the driver to generate the output voltage.

[0057] In further embodiments, the controller may detect the malfunction responsive to a determination that one or more joints are not operating to position the links of the manipulator properly. For example, the controller may determine, based on a torque and / or other kinematic data sensed via one or more sensors associated with the joints and / or links of the manipulator, that a joint and / or link is moving in a direction contrary to one or more commands received from the controller, moving more than the commands received from the controller indicate, and / or failing to move as far as the commands received from the controller indicate. In still further embodiments, the controller transmits one or more messages to the control boards and / or drivers associated with the control boards and fails to receive a response. After a predetermined period of time without a response, the controller may determine that a malfunction has occurred with the respective control board, joint, and / or link.

[0058] In some embodiments, the controller may determine that the malfunction is a hardware malfunction with the respective control board, joint, and / or link. In further embodiments, the controller may determine that the malfunction is a software malfunction with a driver, controller, and / or other such component associated with the respective control board, joint, and / or link. In still further embodiments, the controller may determine that the malfunction is a firmware malfunction for one or more components associated with the respective control board, joint, and / or link. In these embodiments, the malfunction may manifest as the software and / or firmware generating inappropriate control commands (to which the robotic systems properly implement) or the software and / or firmware may generate malformed control commands causing the robotic systems to fail to respond to issued control commands. In yet still further embodiments, the controller may determine that the malfunction is a combination of any of a hardware malfunction,a software malfunction, a firmware malfunction, and / or any other such malfunction as described herein.

[0059] At block 406, the controller identifies a relative position of the affected joint with respect to the plurality of joints. For example, the controller may identify whether there are any joints distal to and / or proximal to the affected joint. Depending on the embodiment, the controller may identify the relative position of the affected joint by using a stored mapping of joints and a joint ID, by querying the control board and / or a driver associated with the joint, by using kinematic data associated with the manipulator to detect whether additional components of the manipulator are distal to and / or proximal to the affected joint, etc.

[0060] At block 408, the controller controls one or more joints of the plurality of joints distal to the affected joint such that the one or more joints operate at a reduced level of functionality. In some implementations, the controller controls the one or more joints by configuring control boards of a plurality of control boards (e.g., control boards 170, 270) to control one or more joints of the plurality of joints distal to the affected joint such that the one or more joints operate at a reduced level of functionality. In some embodiments, controlling the one or more joints to operate at reduced functionality includes restricting an available number of operation mode functionalities (e.g., by being configured to restrict the available number of operation mode functionalities by the controller).

[0061] In some embodiments, the controller controls the respective joints by controlling one or more respective joint drivers associated with the joint via a control board. For example, the controller may transmit one or more commands to the one or more respective joint drivers via the control board associated with the respective joint drivers. In further embodiments, the controller transmits one or more commands to the control board, which generates and / or transmits commands to be transmitted to the respective joint drivers in accordance with the received commands. Depending on the embodiment, each control board may control a driver associated with single joint, each control board controls a plurality of drivers associated with one or more joints (e.g., 2 joints per control board, 3 joints per control board, all of the joints from a single control board, etc.), the control boards associated with the manipulator may control varying quantities of drivers for varying quantities of joints (e.g., a single joint and / or varying quantities of a plurality of joints), etc. In some embodiments, each control board includes one or more circuits, each circuit dedicatedto controlling a driver associated with a joint of the plurality of joints associated with the manipulator.

[0062] Depending on the embodiment, the operation mode functionalities include at least: (i) a weight-holding functionality, (ii) a friction compensation functionality, (iii) a remote center movement functionality, (iv) a following mode functionality, (v) a clutch mode functionality, and / or (vi) any other such functionality to perform one or more operations as described herein.

[0063] The weight-holding functionality may include a functionality of the respective joint and / or control board associated with the respective joint to determine and balance a weight associated with other joints distal to the respective joint and / or an object (e.g., tools) held at the distal end of the respective manipulator. When the weight-holding functionality is disabled, the respective control board may refrain from gathering, transmitting, and / or analyzing weight data for the respective link, and may therefore refrain from adjusting links and / or other components of the manipulator to hold a particular weight. In some embodiments, the controller is able to provide weight-holding functionality because the controller (e.g., via the control boards) is able to track the joints, links, and / or tools associated with the manipulator. However, if an error occurs, the controller may not be able to accurately track the components of the manipulator. As such, the controller may not be able to compensate for the weight and position of the elements distal to the malfunctioning joint. Uncareful movement may, therefore, lead to damage to the manipulator, target, user, and / or other such component of the system. In some embodiments, the controller is able to consider the known portions and utilize partial weight-holding functionality (e.g., to return to a default position for some of the components).

[0064] Similarly, the friction compensation functionality may include a functionality of the respective joint and / or control board associated with the respective joint to determine and compensate for the force of friction present in moving the links. For example, the friction compensation functionality may detect that components of the manipulator (e.g., links, joints, etc.) should move (e.g., in response to a command from a user, in response to physical force, etc.) and compensates for expected friction (e.g., in the joints) in moving the components of the manipulator to ensure that the desired amount of movement is realized.

[0065] The remote center movement functionality may include a functionality of the respective joint and / or control board associated with the respective joint to move a remote center associatedwith a distal end of the manipulator. For example, a manipulator may include a surgical tool held by, moved by, attached to, and / or otherwise associated with the distal end of the manipulator for use on a target (e.g., a patient, an organic object, a non-organic object, etc.). The remote center may be the center of the entry point (planned or actual) to the target. As such, the remote center movement functionality may allow the joints of the manipulator to move such that the manipulator and / or a tool associated with the distal end of the manipulator moves the remote center along the surface of the target. In some embodiments, when the remote center movement functionality, the respective joint and / or control board may refrain from moving such that the remote center would be affected. In some such embodiments, the respective joint and / or control board may only allow movement of the remote center away from the target (e.g., to remove the tool from the target).

[0066] The following mode functionality may include a functionality of the respective joint and / or control board associated with the respective joint to directly follow one or more commands input by a user (e.g., via one or more controls communicatively coupled to and / or associated with the controller). For example, the user may manipulate one or more controls to cause the manipulator and / or various links / joints of the manipulator to move in accordance with the user inputs. When the following mode functionality is disabled, the user may be barred from inputting further commands, or the manipulator may refrain from responding to the commands.

[0067] The clutch mode functionality may include a functionality of the respective joint and / or control board associated with the respective joint to be moved in accordance with manual positioning from a user. As such, the user may be able to manipulate the one or more components of the manipulator by physically grabbing and / or otherwise handling the respective components. In the clutch mode, the manipulator may detect kinematic force (e.g., from a user applying a force to one or more components of the manipulator) and move in accordance with the force and / or counteract friction between the components to allow the user to manually manipulate the manipulator.

[0068] In some embodiments, the control board(s) may operate the associated joints at different levels of functionality based on positioning relative to the joint affected by a malfunction. For example, if a joint is malfunctioning, then the controller may cause control boards associated with joints located distal to the affected joint to function according to a first reduced level of functionality. Similarly, the controller may cause control boards associated with joints locatedproximal to the affected joint and / or may control the joints located proximal to the affected joint to function according to a second reduced level of functionality. Depending on the embodiment, the respective control boards and / or joints may operate at the first reduced level of functionality and second reduced level of functionality by restricting various functionalities (e.g., by being configured by the controller to restrict the respective operations and / or functionalities).

[0069] For example, while operating at the first reduced level of functionality, a respective control board and / or respective joint(s) may be restricted to prevent (i) the weight-holding functionality, (ii) the remote-center movement functionality, and (iii) the following mode functionality. Similarly, while operating at the second reduced level of functionality, a respective control board and / or the respective joint(s) may be restricted to prevent (i) the remote center movement functionality and (ii) the following mode functionality. In alternative examples, the first reduced level of functionality may include preventing (i) the weight-holding functionality and (ii) the remote-center movement functionality, while the second reduced level of functionality may include preventing only the remote-center movement functionality. In still alternative examples, the first reduced level of functionality may include preventing (i) the weight-holding functionality and (ii) the remote-center movement functionality and partially preventing (iii) the following mode functionality (e.g., preventing all operations to move the manipulator within a predetermined distance of the target and / or preventing operations only while the target is within a predetermined distance of the manipulator), while the second reduced level of functionality may include preventing (i) the remote-center movement functionality and partially preventing (ii) the following mode functionality. It will be understood that such configurations are exemplary, and that other combinations of functionalities (e.g., (i) the weight-holding functionality, (ii) the friction compensation functionality, (iii) the remote center movement functionality, (iv) the following mode functionality, (v) the clutch mode functionality, and / or (vi) any other such functionality to perform one or more operations as described herein) are also possible.

[0070] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to detect, using the operation data, a torque associated with the one or more joints (e.g., from other elements of the manipulator and / or associated components) and control the one or more joints to move to a rest position based on the torque prior to causing the joints and / or control boards associated with the joints distal or proximal to the affected joint to operate at the first or second reduced level of functionality. In further embodiments, the controller is configured to calculate a position and / or weight of one or morecomponents of the manipulator (e.g., links of the manipulator, joints of the manipulator, tools associated with the manipulator, etc.) based on a measured torque present on the joints, links, etc. that are not malfunctioning. In some such embodiments, the controller then determines the reduced functionality based on the calculation (e.g., if the controller successfully calculates the position and / or weight, the controller may maintain the weight-holding functionality for joints distal to the malfunctioning joint).

[0071] It should be appreciated that maintaining the weight-holding functionality and / or friction compensation functionality when degrading operation of the joint enables the operator to manually move the manipulators more easily (and / or components thereof) when recovering from the malfunction. To this end, manually supporting the weight of the manipulator may make certain manual maneuvers difficult. Accordingly, the instant techniques enable the operator to more efficiently return the manipulator system to a safe state through manual manipulation than conventional techniques that fully degrade components.

[0072] It should further be appreciated that refraining from degrading operation or partially degrading operation of joints proximal to the malfunctioning joints enables the operator to utilize some functionality of the manipulators while maintaining safe movement and operation of the manipulators. To this end, by maintaining additional or all operation of the proximal joints compared to the malfunctioning joint, the instant techniques enable the operator to more efficiently move the manipulator system (e.g., to a safe state) through automatic manipulation without compromising safety. Conventional techniques instead would fully degrade all components, requiring fully manual operation of every component rather than partial automatic manipulation.

[0073] At optional block 410, the controller may deactivate a respective control board associated with the affected joint. In some embodiments, the controller may deactivate the respective control board by preventing one or more functionalities (e.g., (i) the weight-holding functionality, (ii) the friction compensation functionality, (iii) the remote center movement functionality, (iv) the following mode functionality, (v) the clutch mode functionality, and / or (vi) any other such functionality to perform one or more operations as described herein). In further embodiments, the controller may deactivate the respective control board by preventing all but one or two functionalities (e.g., the clutch mode functionality and / or friction mode functionality) to allow a user to manually move the manipulator. In still further embodiments, the controller mayautomatically cause the manipulator to move away from the target and / or to a default position before deactivating the respective control board by preventing further functionality.

[0074] In some embodiments, the controller deactivates the control board by deactivating the entire control board. In further embodiments, the controller deactivates the control board by deactivating a control circuit associated with the malfunctioning joint rather than the entirety of the control board. For example, a control board may include one or more control circuits, each control circuit. Depending on the embodiment, the controller deactivates a particular control circuit associated with the malfunctioning joint responsive to detecting that the malfunction is associated with the hardware (e.g., with the individual circuits, with a joint controlled by the control circuit, etc.). In further embodiments, the controller deactivates the entire control board even when the control board includes a control circuit associated with a particular malfunctioning joint. In some such embodiments, the controller deactivates the control board when the controller is unable to determine whether a particular control circuit is malfunctioning, in response to detecting a software error associated with the control board and / or one or more corresponding joints, etc.

[0075] One or more components of the embodiments discussed in this disclosure, such as control system 1006, may be implemented in software for execution on one or more processors of a computer system. The software may include code that when executed by the one or more processors, configures the one or more processors to perform various functionalities as discussed herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium (e.g., a memory, magnetic storage, optical storage, solid-state storage, etc.). The computer readable storage medium may be part of a computer readable storage device, such as an electronic circuit, a semiconductor device, a semiconductor memory device, a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM); a floppy diskette, a CD-ROM, an optical disk, a hard disk, or other storage device. The code may be downloaded via computer networks such as the Internet, Intranet, etc. for storage on the computer readable storage medium. The code may be executed by any of a wide variety of centralized or distributed data processing architectures. The programmed instructions of the code may be implemented as a number of separate programs or subroutines, or they may be integrated into a number of other aspects of the systems described herein. The components of the computing systems discussed herein may be connected using wired and / or wireless connections. In some examples, the wireless connections may use wireless communication protocols such as Bluetooth, near-field communication (NFC),Infrared Data Association (IrDA), home radio frequency (HomeRF), IEEE 802.11 , Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), and wireless medical telemetry service (WMTS).

[0076] Various general-purpose computer systems may be used to perform one or more processes, methods, or functionalities described herein. Additionally or alternatively, various specialized computer systems may be used to perform one or more processes, methods, or functionalities described herein. In addition, a variety of programming languages may be used to implement one or more of the processes, methods, or functionalities described herein.

[0077] While certain embodiments and examples have been described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments and examples are merely illustrative and are not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other alternatives, modifications, and equivalents will be appreciated by those with ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. WHAT IS CLAIMED:

1. A computer-assisted system for controlling joint operation, the computer-assisted system comprising: a repositionable structure configured to support an instrument, the repositionable structure comprising a plurality of links coupled to a base via a plurality of joints; and a control system operably coupled to the repositionable structure, the control system configured to: obtain operation data indicative of operation of the plurality of joints; detect, based on the operation data, a malfunction associated with an affected joint of the plurality of joints; identify a relative position of the affected joint with respect to the plurality of joints; and control one or more joints of the plurality of joints distal to the affected joint such that the one or more joints operate at a reduced level of functionality.

2. The computer-assisted system of claim 1, wherein controlling the one or more joints such that the one or more joints operate at the reduced level of functionality includes: restricting an available number of operation mode functionalities.

3. The computer-assisted system of claim 2, wherein the operation mode functionalities include at least: (i) a weight-holding functionality, (ii) a friction compensation functionality, (iii) a remote center movement functionality, (iv) a following mode functionality, and (v) a clutch mode functionality.

4. The computer-assisted system of claim 3, wherein the reduced level of functionality is a first reduced level of functionality, and the control system is further configured to: control one or more proximal joints located proximal to the affected joint such that the one or more proximal joints operate at a second reduced level of functionality.

5. The computer-assisted system of claim 4, wherein operating at the first reduced level of functionality includes:restricting the operation mode functionalities to prevent (i) the weight-holding functionality, (ii) the remote center movement functionality, and (iii) the following mode functionality.

6. The computer-assisted system of claim 4, wherein operating at the second reduced level of functionality includes: restricting the operation mode functionalities to prevent (i) the remote center movement functionality and (ii) the following mode functionality.

7. The computer-assisted system of claim 1, wherein the operation data includes at least an input current to or an output voltage from a driver controlling the affected joint.

8. The computer-assisted system of claim 1, wherein detecting the malfunction associated with the affected joint includes: calculating an expected voltage output at the control system; and comparing the expected voltage output to voltage output data of a driver associated with the affected joint.

9. The computer-assisted system of claim 1, wherein each joint is controlled via a respective control board of a plurality of control boards, and controlling a joint of the plurality of joints includes: controlling one or more respective joint drivers associated with the joint via a control board of a plurality of control boards controlling the plurality of joints.

10. The computer-assisted system of claim 9, wherein the control board of the plurality of control boards controls a single joint of the plurality of joints by controlling the one or more respective joint drivers associated with the single joint.

11. The computer-assisted system of claim 9, wherein the control board of the plurality of control boards controls the plurality of joints by controlling the one or more respective joint drivers associated with the plurality of joints.

12. The computer-assisted system of claim 9, wherein the control board of the plurality of control boards includes at least one control circuit that controls a respective one of the one or more respective joint drivers.

13. The computer-assisted system of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control system is further configured to: deactivate a control board associated with the affected joint.

14. The computer-assisted system of claim 13, wherein deactivating the respective control board includes: deactivating a control circuit of the respective control board associated with the affected joint.

15. The computer-assisted system of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control system is further configured to: detect, using the operation data, a torque associated with the one or more joints; and control the one or more joints to move to a rest position based on the torque prior to operating the one or more joints distal to the affected joint at the reduced level of functionality.

16. A computer-implemented method for controlling joint operation, the computer- implemented method comprising: obtaining, by one or more processors of a control system operably coupled to a repositionable structure, operation data indicative of operation of a plurality of joints coupling a plurality of links of the repositionable structure to a base; detecting, by the one or more processors of the control system, based on the operation data, a malfunction associated with an affected joint of the plurality of joints; identifying, by the one or more processors of the control system, a relative position of the affected joint with respect to the plurality of joints; andcontrolling, by the one or more processors of the control system, one or more joints of the plurality of joints distal to the affected joint such that the one or more joints operate at a reduced level of functionality.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein controlling the one or more joints such that the one or more joints operate at the reduced level of functionality includes: restricting, by the one or more processors, an available number of operation mode functionalities.

18. The computer- implemented method of claim 17, wherein the operation mode functionalities include at least: (i) a weight-holding functionality, (ii) a friction compensation functionality, (iii) a remote center movement functionality, (iv) a following mode functionality, and (v) a clutch mode functionality.

19. The computer- implemented method of claim 18, wherein the reduced level of functionality is a first reduced level of functionality, with the computer-implemented method further comprises: controlling one or more proximal joints located proximal to the affected joint such that the one or more proximal joints operate at a second reduced level of functionality.

20. The computer- implemented method of claim 19, wherein operating at the first reduced level of functionality includes: restricting the operation mode functionalities to prevent (i) the weight-holding functionality, (ii) the remote center movement functionality, and (iii) the following mode functionality.

21. The computer- implemented method of claim 19, wherein operating at the second reduced level of functionality includes: restricting the operation mode functionalities to prevent (i) the remote center movement functionality and (ii) the following mode functionality.

22. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 16 to 21 , wherein the operation data includes at least an input current to or an output voltage from a driver controlling the affected joint.

23. The computer- implemented method of any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the detecting the malfunction associated with the affected joint includes: calculating an expected voltage output at the control system; and comparing the expected voltage output to a voltage output data of a driver associated with the affected joint.

24. The computer- implemented method of any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein each joint is controlled via a respective control board of a plurality of control boards and controlling a joint of the plurality of joints includes: controlling one or more respective joint drivers associated with the joint via a control board of a plurality of control boards controlling the plurality of joints.

25. The computer- implemented method of claim 24, wherein the control board of the plurality of control boards controls a single joint of the plurality of joints by controlling the one or more respective joint drivers associated with the single joint.

26. The computer- implemented method of claim 24, wherein the control board of the plurality of control boards controls the plurality of joints by controlling the one or more respective joint drivers associated with the plurality of joints.

27. The computer- implemented method of claim 24, wherein the control board of the plurality of control boards includes at least one control circuit that controls a respective one of the one or more respective joint drivers.

28. The computer- implemented method of any one of claims 16 to 21, further comprising: deactivating, by the one or more processors, a control board associated with the affected joint.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 28, wherein the deactivating the respective control board includes: deactivating a control circuit of the respective control board associated with the affected joint.

30. The computer- implemented method of any one of claims 16 to 21, further comprising: detecting, by the one or more processors and using the operation data, a torque associated with the one or more joints; and controlling, by the one or more processors, the one or more joints to move to a rest position based on the torque prior to operating the one or more joints distal to the affected joint at the reduced level of functionality.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing instructions for controlling joint operation, that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a control system operably coupled to a repositionable structure to perform the method of any one of claims 16-30.

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