Articulated Arm Control-Point Monitoring for Surgical Table Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Articulated arms in electronic medical devices struggle to compensate for movement in body openings during surgical procedures, leading to potential patient injury, device damage, and other undesirable outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A computer-assisted medical device with articulated arms and a control unit that monitors and adjusts to the spatial configuration of control points, tracking surgical table movement by determining expected and actual configurations and calculating differences to ensure precise alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If articulated arms are used to manipulate instruments during surgical procedures, then surgical precision and control are improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to patient injury and device damage when surgical tables move unexpectedly
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the spatial configuration of control points on the surgical table and compares actual positions with expected positions. When deviations are detected (indicating unexpected table movement), the system provides feedback to trigger remedial actions such as alerting operators or disabling table movement, thereby preventing patient injury and device damage while maintaining positioning precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes expected spatial configurations of control points before surgical procedures begin and defines safe operating zones in advance. By pre-configuring these reference parameters and safety thresholds, the system can quickly respond to unexpected table movements without compromising instrument positioning precision or patient safety
2Adaptability or versatility
If the articulated arm is allowed to move freely to track body opening movements, then adaptability to patient motion is improved, but the risk of injury to the patient and damage to the articulated arm increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system tracks the actual spatial configuration of control points against expected configurations in real-time. When the articulated arm moves beyond safe zones or unexpected table movement is detected, feedback mechanisms trigger alerts or disable movements, maintaining adaptability while preventing harmful outcomes
Solution Approach 2:
The system defines safe operating zones and establishes expected spatial configurations before procedures begin. These pre-configured parameters act as protective boundaries that prevent the articulated arm from moving into positions that could cause patient injury or device damage, while still allowing sufficient adaptability for legitimate tracking needs
3Measurement precision
If control points are monitored continuously during surgical table movement, then positioning accuracy is maintained, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and monitors only the critical spatial configuration parameters of control points rather than all possible motion parameters. By focusing computation on essential positional data (x, y, z coordinates of control points) and comparing against pre-defined expected configurations, the system maintains high positioning accuracy while reducing overall system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for monitoring a computer-assisted device include a plurality of manipulators, each manipulator being configured to support an instrument, each manipulator having a control point; and a control unit. The control unit is configured to: determine a first spatial configuration of the plurality of control points, the first spatial configuration being prior to a movement of a table separate from the computer-assisted device, and the movement of the table causing motion of at least one control point; determine the movement of the table; determine, based on the movement of the table and the first spatial configuration, an expected spatial configuration of the plurality of control points; determine, based on a comparison of the expected spatial configuration with an actual spatial configuration of the plurality of control points, whether to perform a remedial action; and perform the remedial action in response to a determination to perform the remedial action.