Surgical Robot Instrument Advance with Operator-Defined Virtual Bounds
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The longitudinal movement of surgical instruments in robotic systems can be inadequately controlled, posing a risk of accidental puncture when targeting surfaces on organs, especially without reliable sensor data for determining virtual boundaries.
Innovation Solution
A surgical robotic system with a movable arm part and a processor that adjusts actuation based on positioning commands from a human operator to establish and update virtual boundaries, allowing safer and more accurate control near surgical targets without relying on sensor data for determining these boundaries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the surgical instrument is allowed to move freely towards the surgical target, then the productivity of the surgical procedure is improved, but the safety risk of accidental tissue puncture increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual bound is determined in advance based on positioning commands before the surgical instrument reaches the critical zone. This preliminary establishment of safety boundaries prevents harmful actions by controlling the actuator to stop or slow down the instrument before it can accidentally puncture tissue, while still allowing efficient movement in safe zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the position of the surgical instrument relative to the determined virtual bound and provides real-time feedback control. The processor adjusts the actuator based on whether the instrument is approaching the virtual bound, enabling dynamic safety control that maintains productivity while preventing tissue damage through continuous position monitoring and adaptive actuation control.
2Reliability
If a virtual bound is established to control instrument movement, then the safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines the virtual bound autonomously based on positioning commands from the human operator without requiring additional sensors or complex external input devices. The processor analyzes the positioning commands themselves to identify when the instrument approaches critical zones, allowing the control system to self-regulate safety boundaries using existing operational data, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing device complexity.
3Device complexity
If the processor determines the virtual bound based on positioning commands without sensor data, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual bound acts as an intermediary safety zone determined through positioning commands that translates human operator intent into automated control boundaries. Rather than directly measuring precise distances to tissue, the system uses the positioning commands as a mediator to establish a conservative safety boundary that accounts for uncertainties, achieving adequate measurement precision for safety control without requiring complex sensor systems.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5~8
AI summary
A surgical robotic system is provided for use in a surgical procedure. The surgical robotic system comprises a surgical arm (080) comprising a movable arm part (082) for mounting of a surgical instrument (119), the movable arm part having at least one degree-of-freedom to enable longitudinal movement (109) of the surgical instrument towards a surgical target (123). A human machine interface (020) is provided for receiving positioning commands (022) from a human operator for controlling the longitudinal movement of the surgical instrument, and an actuator (060) is configured and arranged for actuating the movable arm part to effect the longitudinal movement of the surgical instrument. The actuator is controlled by a processor in accordance with the positioning commands and a virtual bound (132-135). The virtual bound establishes a transition in the control of the longitudinal movement of the surgical instrument in a direction towards the surgical target. During use of the surgical robotic system, the virtual bound is established based on the positioning commands and updated or replaced based on the distance to the surgical target as indicated by sensor data.