Patient-Side Instrument Control for Emergency Grasp Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing teleoperated surgical systems lack a means for a medical person at the patient side to manually control a surgical instrument during emergencies, particularly when the instrument is securely grasping tissue, to avoid causing damage by releasing the grasp before removal.
Innovation Solution
A control algorithm that enables a user to manually control a teleoperated surgical instrument from the patient side by detecting excessive external forces on specific actuators and terminating commands to maintain their positions, allowing manual actuation of the instrument's mechanical degrees of freedom.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the surgical instrument is securely grasping tissue during teleoperated surgery, then the tissue can be held stable for surgical procedures, but in emergency situations the instrument cannot be quickly removed without causing damage to the grasped tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control authority from the surgeon's console and transfers it to the patient-side cart, enabling local personnel to release the instrument's grasp on tissue without requiring surgeon intervention. This allows the instrument to be quickly removed from the patient's body in emergency situations while maintaining secure grasping capability during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-enabling the patient-side cart with the capability to release the instrument's grasp before an emergency occurs. The cart is configured with control algorithms that allow it to terminate the command to maintain the actuator's position, thereby releasing the end effector's grasp on tissue proactively when needed.
2Measurement precision
If the surgeon's console controls the surgical instrument, then precise control is maintained, but the surgeon cannot quickly respond to emergencies at the patient's side
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control system into two independent control points: the surgeon's console for precise control during normal operation, and the patient-side cart for rapid emergency response. This segmentation allows both functions to operate independently without interfering with each other, maintaining precision when needed and enabling quick response when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient-side cart acts as an intermediary between the surgeon's console and the surgical instrument. It receives control commands from either the surgeon or local personnel and translates them into actuator commands, enabling rapid local response while preserving the surgeon's primary control authority for precise manipulation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the teleoperated actuator maintains its position to securely hold tissue, then the tissue can be repositioned or manipulated, but the actuator prevents manual actuation from the patient side
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the actuator's control mode based on the operational situation. During normal operation, the actuator maintains its position to provide stable tissue holding. In emergency situations, the patient-side cart can dynamically switch the actuator to a mode that allows manual actuation, enabling local personnel to release the grasp by applying force to the instrument.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for instrument control include a first actuator for controlling a first mechanical degree of freedom, a second actuator for controlling a second mechanical degree of freedom, and a controller. The controller is configured to command the first actuator to maintain the first actuator at a first position, wherein actuation of the first actuator is subject to a first torque limit; command the second actuator to maintain the second actuator at a second position, wherein actuation of the second actuator is subject to a second torque limit; and in response to detecting that the first actuator cannot be maintained at the first position using actuation subject to the first torque limit and the second actuator can be maintained at the second position using actuation subject to the second torque limit, terminate the command to the first actuator to maintain the first actuator at the first position.