Auxiliary View for Robotic Instrument Range of Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
In medical robotic systems, the restricted view provided by a bundled camera and surgical tools extending out of an entry guide limits the operator's ability to determine well-positioned placements of the instruments, leading to potential collisions and suboptimal tool orientations.
Innovation Solution
A method is implemented to provide an auxiliary view for the operator, which includes a visual indication of when the controllable joints of the articulatable instruments are nearing their range of motion limitations, helping to avoid collisions and optimize instrument positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the camera is bundled with surgical tools through a single entry guide, then the number of incisions is reduced and tissue injury is minimized, but the camera's positioning relative to the surgical tools is limited and its view is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the visual information into multiple perspectives: the primary camera view through the entry guide and auxiliary views from external cameras positioned around the patient's body. This segmentation allows the surgical team to see both the internal surgical site and the external instrument positions simultaneously, resolving the positioning limitation while maintaining the single-incision benefit
Solution Approach 2:
External cameras positioned around the patient's body serve as intermediaries to provide additional viewing angles. These cameras capture images of the surgical site from outside the patient's body and transmit them to the display system, enabling the operator to see instrument positions and potential collision risks without requiring the bundled camera to have an extended field of view
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the entry guide has a relatively small diameter to fit through a minimally invasive incision, then tissue injury is reduced, but the articulatable instruments have limited range of motion and are prone to collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a spatial dimension to the operator's awareness by displaying auxiliary views from multiple external camera angles. This allows the operator to mentally construct the three-dimensional positions of instruments within the constrained entry guide, enabling better planning of instrument movements to avoid collisions while maintaining the small diameter benefit
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary views provide continuous visual feedback about instrument positions and orientations relative to each other and to the surgical site. This feedback loop enables the operator to adjust instrument positions in real-time to maintain optimal range of motion and avoid collisions, compensating for the physical constraints of the small entry guide diameter
3Ease of operation
If the camera is bundled with surgical tools, then the instruments can be kept bundled together through a single entry aperture, but the controllable linkages are not visible and may inadvertently collide
Solution Approach 1:
External cameras positioned around the patient's body act as intermediaries to capture and display images of the surgical site and instruments from outside the patient's body. This allows the operator to see the controllable linkages and their positions relative to each other, preventing inadvertent collisions while maintaining the instrument bundling advantage
Solution Approach 2:
The system can highlight or color-code specific instruments or linkages in the auxiliary views to draw the operator's attention to potential collision risks. This visual enhancement compensates for the limited visibility of linkages within the bundled configuration, allowing the operator to maintain safe instrument spacing
Data Source
AI summary
A medical system comprises an entry guide, a display, and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive state information for an articulatable image capture device controllably extendable out of a distal end of the entry guide. The processor may be configured to generate a view including a graphical representation of a distal end portion of the articulatable image capture device as determined from the received state information and a graphical representation of a field of view of the articulatable image capture device extending distally from the distal end portion of the articulatable image capture device. The processor may also cause the view to be displayed on the display.