Surgical Robot Arm Synchronization During Bed Posture Changes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for controlling a mechanical arm of a surgical robot require disassembly and reassembly when adjusting the patient's body posture, leading to complex and time-consuming operations, increased anesthesia time, and potential patient danger.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that synchronize the mechanical arms of a surgical robot with the movement of a surgical bed by real-time detection and calculation of offsets and joint readings, ensuring continuous operation without disassembly, maintaining trocar connection, and avoiding tissue injury.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the mechanical arm and trocar are disassembled and reassembled when adjusting patient posture, then the surgical bed can be repositioned, but the operation becomes complicated and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurgical bed repositioning capabilityVSAvoidmechanical arm assembly operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the mechanical arm's position and orientation in real-time as the surgical bed moves, rather than requiring static reassembly. The controller continuously receives bed position data and automatically recalculates and executes the mechanical arm's new configuration, making the system adaptive to continuous movement rather than discrete repositioning steps

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical disassembly and reassembly operations with an automated control system that uses sensors, controllers, and algorithms to manage the mechanical arm's repositioning. The system substitutes human-operated mechanical coupling/decoupling with electronic control signals that automatically adjust joint angles and arm positions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the mechanical arm and trocar are disassembled and reassembled when adjusting patient posture, then the surgical bed can be repositioned, but the anesthesia time increases which brings danger to the patient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurgical bed repositioning capabilityVSAvoidanesthesia time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system maintains continuous surgical operation without interruption during bed repositioning. The mechanical arm remains connected to the trocar throughout the movement, and the controller ensures continuous tracking and adjustment, eliminating the need to stop the surgical procedure for disassembly and reassembly operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary calculations of the mechanical arm's target position and orientation before the bed actually moves to the new position. The controller pre-computes the required joint angle adjustments based on anticipated bed movement, allowing the mechanical arm to be ready for immediate repositioning without delay when the bed reaches its new configuration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If the mechanical arm and trocar are disassembled and reassembled when adjusting patient posture, then the surgical bed can be repositioned, but the visual field offset occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurgical bed repositioning capabilityVSAvoidvisual field alignment
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses a feedback mechanism where sensors continuously monitor the surgical bed's actual position and orientation, and this information is fed back to the controller. The controller compares the actual bed position with the target position and automatically adjusts the mechanical arm's configuration to compensate for any deviations, maintaining precise visual field alignment throughout the repositioning process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent addresses visual field alignment by introducing computational and control system dimensions to the problem. Rather than relying solely on physical mechanical alignment, the system uses software algorithms to calculate and compensate for positional offsets in three-dimensional space, maintaining visual field accuracy through mathematical transformation and coordinate system adjustment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4231955B1A device for controlling a mechanical arm of a surgical robot following the movement of a surgical bed
Publication Date: 2025.12.10 CHENGDU BORNS MEDICAL ROBOTICS INC
  • EP4231955B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4231955B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4231955B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The method includes: synchronously calculating offsets of a first mechanical arm, a second mechanical arm and an endoscopy mechanical arm corresponding to a change of posture of the surgical bed when the change of posture of the surgical bed is detected in real time; calculating target joint readings of each of the first mechanical arm, the second mechanical arm and the endoscopy mechanical arm based on the offsets; adjusting in real time the first mechanical arm, the second mechanical arm and the endoscopy mechanical arm, based on the calculated target joint readings. The present application acquires the joint readings of the mechanical arm of the surgical robot with information about a change of posture of the surgical bed so as to achieve the purpose of synchronizing the mechanical arm with the change of posture of the surgical bed.