Surgical Robot Drive Module Failure Detection via Velocity Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical robotic systems lack effective real-time monitoring capabilities to detect failures in their drive modules, which can lead to operational disruptions during minimally invasive procedures.
Innovation Solution
A surgical robotic system that includes a robotic arm with a motor and sensors, a main controller to output drive commands, and a safety observer that calculates an observed velocity by comparing measured velocity from sensors, including joint and motor torque sensors, to detect failures and output errors when velocity differences exceed a predetermined range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If real-time monitoring of motor velocity is implemented using sensors, then failure detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the safety observer continuously monitors the relationship between commanded velocity and actual motor velocity. When the difference between these velocities exceeds a threshold, the system detects a failure and triggers an alarm. This feedback loop enables real-time failure detection without requiring complex additional hardware beyond standard motor controllers and velocity sensors.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors including torque sensors are added to monitor joint and motor parameters, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety observer is designed as a multi-functional monitoring system that processes data from multiple sensors (velocity sensors and torque sensors) using a unified algorithm. The same observer framework handles both velocity monitoring and torque-based failure detection, eliminating the need for separate monitoring systems for each parameter and reducing overall system complexity despite multiple sensors being used.
Data Source
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AI summary
The surgical robotic system includes a robotic arm having one or more joints, each having a motor and at least one torque sensor and a velocity sensor. The system also includes a main controller, which outputs a drive command to the motor thereby actuating the motor. The system further includes a safety observer, which receives a measured velocity of the motor from the sensor, calculates an observed velocity, and detects a failure in operation of the at least one joint based on the observed velocity and the measured velocity.