Single-Port Surgical Robot Control Using Virtual Incision Port
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Solution Overview
Problem
Single-port surgical robots are limited in movement and instrument manipulation due to the need for multiple instruments to be inserted through a single incision, restricting their ability to operate within a conical workspace and increasing the risk of collision and damage.
Innovation Solution
A control method for single-port surgical robots that sets a virtual incision port to an arbitrary position, calculates target positions for the elbow and end effector, and adjusts joint movement angles to mimic the movement of a multi-port surgical robot, allowing for intuitive manipulation by positioning the elbow on a straight line connecting the virtual incision port and the end effector's operating position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple surgical instruments are inserted through a single incision to perform surgery, then the incision size is minimized and recovery is accelerated, but the movement freedom of surgical instruments is restricted and collision risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual dimension by defining a Remote Center of Motion (RCM) that acts as a virtual pivot point. The surgical instruments are constrained to move in a conical workspace defined by this RCM, allowing 3D movement freedom while physically passing through a single 2D incision point. This dimensional transformation resolves the contradiction by providing movement freedom in three dimensions despite the single-point entry constraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The RCM serves as an intermediary virtual element that mediates between the single incision point and the multiple instruments. By defining the RCM as a virtual center that instruments orbit around, the system enables complex multi-instrument coordination without direct physical interference, reducing collision risk while maintaining single-port benefits.
2Reliability
If surgical instruments are constrained to move within a conical workspace with RCM at the incision center, then incision damage is prevented, but manipulation intuitiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the incision center (RCM) that exists in the control system but may not physically correspond to the actual incision location. This virtual RCM copy allows instruments to be controlled as if pivoting around a convenient point, improving manipulation intuitiveness while the actual physical incision remains protected by constraining movements to the conical workspace defined by this virtual reference.
3Adaptability or versatility
If robot arms move extensively outside the incision to reach surgical targets, then surgical accessibility is improved, but the risk of incision damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent defines a conical workspace (a curved 3D volume) with the RCM at its apex. Instead of linear movement paths that would require large excursions outside the incision, instruments follow curved trajectories within this conical envelope. This spherical/conical constraint allows instruments to reach various surgical targets by rotating and articulating within the cone, maintaining accessibility while ensuring the incision center remains protected.
Data Source
AI summary
A control method of a single-port surgical robot, the single-port surgical robot comprising a slave device including a surgical instrument provided with an elbow and an end effector, and a master device to control motion of the slave device may comprise setting a virtual incision port to an arbitrary position; setting an operating position of the end effector; calculating a target position of the elbow using the set position of the virtual incision port and the set operating position of the end effector; calculating a movement angle of each joint used to move the elbow using the calculated target position of the elbow; and/or calculating a movement angle of each joint used to move the end effector using the calculated target position of the elbow and the set operating position of the end effector.