Capacitive Hover Sensing on Surgical Robotic Arms for Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical robotic arms in endoscopic surgery face challenges in avoiding collisions with objects in the surgical arena, such as patients, assistants, and other robotic arms, due to limited collision detection capabilities, which can lead to pinching or hitting during movement.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of capacitive hover sensors into the surgical robotic arm at strategic locations to detect the presence, position, and orientation of objects using capacitive sensing principles, allowing for real-time collision avoidance by stopping movement or triggering alarms before contact occurs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical robotic arms are equipped with collision detection capabilities, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm is divided into multiple segments (links) with sensors strategically placed at specific locations such as the distal end of the arm and near joints. This segmentation allows collision detection at critical points without requiring sensors throughout the entire structure, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
Capacitive sensors serve as intermediary elements between the robotic arm and the environment, detecting objects indirectly through electrical field changes rather than requiring direct physical contact or complex vision systems. This intermediary approach simplifies the detection mechanism while effectively identifying potential collisions.
2Measurement precision
If capacitive sensors are placed at strategic locations on the robotic arm, then collision detection accuracy is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Capacitive sensors are placed at specific strategic locations where collision risk is highest, such as the distal end of the robotic arm and areas near joints. This localized placement optimizes detection accuracy for critical zones without requiring uniform sensor distribution, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining high measurement precision where it matters most.
3Productivity
If the robotic arm moves quickly to improve surgical efficiency, then productivity increases, but the risk of collision with objects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitive sensors detect objects in advance before the robotic arm makes contact, providing early warning signals that allow the control system to slow down or stop movement. This preliminary detection capability enables the system to maintain high speeds during safe operations while automatically reducing speed when potential collisions are anticipated, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and safety.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The capacitive hover sensors effectively prevent collisions by accurately detecting objects and initiating appropriate avoidance maneuvers, ensuring safe operation of surgical robotic arms during procedures.
Implementation Method 1
the capacitive hover sensors may be sensors which can detect the presence, position and/or orientation of objects with respect to the sensor using capacitive sensing principles
Implementation Method 2
When a pad is excited by a voltage source, the pad creates an electrical field around it. When a conductive object approaches the pad, it interferes with the field and forms/changes the capacitance of the pad.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical robotic system including a surgical table, a surgical robotic manipulator coupled to the surgical table and comprising a plurality of links coupled together by a plurality of joints that are operable to move with respect to one another to move the surgical robotic manipulator, at least one of the plurality of links or the plurality of joints having a portion that faces another of the plurality of links or the plurality of joints, a proximity sensing assembly coupled to the portion of the at least one of the plurality of links or the plurality of joints, the proximity sensing assembly operable to detect an object prior to the surgical robotic manipulator colliding with the object and to output a corresponding detection signal, and a processor operable to receive the corresponding detecting signal and cause the manipulator or the object to engage in a collision avoidance operation.