Robotic Instrument Jaw Aperture Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic systems, particularly in medical and surgical applications, face challenges in efficiently inserting and retracting instruments without unintended interaction with tissue or adjacent instruments, due to the need for precise control of instrument jaws to avoid collisions and tugging forces.
Innovation Solution
A computer-assisted medical system with a robotic manipulator arm and a controller that tracks the movement of an instrument along its insertion axis, coordinating the size of the jaw aperture defined by the jaws to reach a target aperture, ensuring efficient and controlled insertion and retraction by adjusting the jaws' configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the instrument jaws are kept open during insertion and retraction, then the instrument can be easily inserted and removed, but the instrument may collide with tissue or adjacent instruments
Solution Approach 1:
The jaw aperture is dynamically adjusted during instrument insertion and retraction based on the instrument's position along the insertion axis. The controller coordinates the jaw aperture size to change from an initial aperture to a target aperture as the instrument moves, allowing the system to adapt between ease of operation and collision avoidance
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of jaw aperture size during the insertion/retraction process. By coordinating the aperture size with the instrument position, the system optimizes the balance between operational ease and safety, reducing harmful collisions while maintaining ease of manipulation
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the instrument jaws are closed during insertion and retraction, then collisions with tissue are reduced, but the instrument manipulation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The controller automatically coordinates the jaw aperture with the instrument position along the insertion axis without requiring manual intervention. The system self-regulates the aperture size based on tracked movement, reducing the complexity burden on the operator while maintaining collision avoidance
Solution Approach 2:
The controller tracks the movement of the instrument along the insertion axis and uses this feedback to coordinate the jaw aperture size. This closed-loop control automatically adjusts the aperture based on real-time position information, managing the complexity of coordination through automated feedback mechanisms
3Manufacturing precision
If the jaw aperture is continuously adjusted during instrument movement, then precision and safety are improved, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is pre-configured with coordination between jaw aperture size and instrument position along the insertion axis. This preliminary setup allows the system to achieve precise positioning and safety without requiring complex real-time calculations, as the coordination relationship is established in advance
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-assisted medical system includes a robotic manipulator arm configured to support an instrument. The instrument includes an instrument shaft and jaws disposed at a distal end of the instrument shaft. The computer-assisted medical system further includes a controller coupled to the manipulator arm. The controller includes a computer processor and is configured to track a movement of the instrument along an insertion axis of the instrument, and coordinate a size of a jaw aperture defined by the jaws with the movement of the instrument along the insertion axis to reach a target aperture.