Robotic End Effector Coordination on a Virtual Rail
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscopic devices suffer from limited ergonomics, requiring awkward hand and arm contortions for navigation, and often necessitate additional support personnel for operation, with issues in curve alignment and muscling, particularly in small lumen navigation.
Innovation Solution
A robotic system with a sheath and flexible endoscope mounted on multiple-degree-of-freedom robotic arms, allowing controlled bending and navigation through the body's lumens, featuring a virtual rail configuration for coordinated movement and improved ergonomics, enabling single-operator control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual actuation of bending sections is used, then the endoscope can be controlled, but the physician experiences poor ergonomics and physical strain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical actuation with a robotic system that uses motors and actuators to control the endoscope. The robotic arm with multiple degrees of freedom mechanically substitutes the physician's hand and arm movements, eliminating the need for manual manipulation of levers and dials while providing precise control of the bending sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system acts as an intermediary between the physician's control inputs and the endoscope's mechanical components. The robot translates control signals into coordinated movements of the endoscope, including bending section articulation, while the force feedback mechanism provides tactile information back to the operator, mediating the interaction between human intent and device response.
2Ease of operation
If multiple support personnel are used to operate endoscopic devices, then device functionality is maintained, but procedural complexity and coordination requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple operational functions into a single robotic system. The robotic arm integrates control of the endoscope's positioning, bending section articulation, and other functionalities that previously required multiple support personnel. This consolidation eliminates the need for coordinated teamwork while maintaining full device capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system is designed with multi-functionality to perform various endoscopic operations through a single interface. The system can handle different endoscope configurations, perform navigation, control bending sections, and adapt to various procedural requirements, replacing the specialized roles of multiple support staff with one universal robotic operator.
3Adaptability or versatility
If pull wires are used for bending control, then articulation is achieved, but curve alignment and muscling issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the pull wire mechanical system with a robotic actuation system. Instead of using tensioned wires that pass through the endoscope shaft to create bending moments, the robotic system uses motors and linkages that directly articulate the bending sections. This substitution eliminates the inherent alignment problems and muscling effects associated with pull wire mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of how bending is achieved - from passive pull wire tension to active robotic articulation. The robotic system can precisely control the angle and position of bending sections through motorized joints, allowing for accurate curve alignment without the mechanical constraints and alignment drift that occur with pull wire systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic system includes control circuitry configured to cause actuation of one or more actuators of each of a first robotic arm and a second robotic arm. The control circuitry is configured to determine a position of a first end effector of the first robotic arm and a position of a second end effector of the second robotic arm, the positions of the first end effector and the second end effector forming a virtual rail, receive manual positioning input for the first robotic arm based at least in part on sensor signals from one or more sensors of the first robotic arm, and in response to the manual positioning input, generate a first movement command to move the first robotic arm in accordance with the manual positioning input and generate a second movement command to move the second robotic arm in a manner as to maintain at least one of a position or orientation of the second end effector relative to a point on the virtual rail.