Surgical Robot Control Handover Using Heartbeat Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotically-assisted surgical systems require manual repositioning of the patient and robotic arms during procedures, which can be cumbersome and may lead to hazardous situations if communication failures occur, causing robotic arms to be frozen in place.
Innovation Solution
A surgical robotic system with a primary controller, a secondary controller, and a backup controller that transitions control in case of communication failures, using heartbeat messages to detect failures and activate hibernated processes to ensure continuous operation of the robotic arms, allowing for repositioning of the patient without undocking instruments and maintaining safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual repositioning of patient and robotic arms is performed during surgery, then the patient can be repositioned, but the procedure is interrupted and hazardous situations may occur if communication failures happen
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary controller is pre-configured with hibernated copies of the control processes before any failure occurs. When the primary controller fails, these pre-prepared processes can immediately take over without requiring time-consuming setup or configuration, thus maintaining control continuity while enabling repositioning operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary controller acts as an intermediary backup system between the primary controller and the robotic arms. It monitors the primary controller's health and can intervene to maintain control when communication failures occur, preventing hazardous situations while allowing necessary repositioning maneuvers.
2Reliability
If robotic arms are frozen in place due to communication failure, then control safety is maintained, but the surgical procedure cannot continue
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses heartbeat messages as a rapid detection mechanism to immediately identify controller failures. This accelerated failure detection allows the secondary controller to take over promptly, maintaining safety while preventing procedure interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The hibernated control processes in the secondary controller are prepared in advance and can be activated immediately upon detecting primary controller failure. This eliminates the delay that would otherwise occur during failover, maintaining both safety and procedure continuity.
3Device complexity
If a single primary controller is used, then the system is simpler, but communication failures can cause robotic arms to be frozen
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary controller contains copied versions of the control processes needed to operate the robotic arms. These copies are maintained in a hibernated state and can be activated immediately if the primary controller fails, providing redundancy without significantly increasing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary controller is designed to perform the same control functions as the primary controller, making it a universal backup. It can take over completely when the primary controller fails, ensuring control availability while adding minimal complexity to the overall system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic surgical system and method are disclosed for transitioning control to a secondary robotic arm controller. In one embodiment, a robotic surgical system comprises a user console comprising a display device and a user input device; a robotic arm configured to be coupled to an operating table; a primary robotic arm controller configured to move the robotic arm in response to a signal received from the user input device at the user console; and a secondary robotic arm controller configured to move the robotic arm in response to a signal received from a user input device remote from the user console. Control over movement of the robotic arm is transitioned from the primary robotic arm controller to the secondary robotic arm controller in response to a failure in the primary robotic arm controller. Other embodiments are provided.