Robotic Surgical Arm Control for Interference Avoidance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic surgical systems face complex controls to avoid interference between manipulator arms, necessitating the calculation of virtual displacement forces between virtual collision objects, which complicates the interference avoidance process.
Innovation Solution
A robotic surgical system with a controller that sets an approach prohibited range and a reference line orthogonal to the surgical instrument's direction, allowing the manipulator arms to move along the outer edge of this range to avoid interference, simplifying the control by eliminating the need for calculating virtual displacement forces between approach prohibited ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If virtual collision objects are set for both manipulator arms and virtual displacement forces are calculated, then interference between manipulator arms is avoided, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the interference avoidance function from a bidirectional calculation system (between both arms) to a unidirectional system (one arm relative to another). By designating one manipulator arm as the reference and only calculating the approach prohibited range for the other arm relative to it, the system eliminates redundant calculations while maintaining effective interference avoidance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having both manipulator arms actively calculate and enforce their own approach prohibited ranges and mutual virtual displacement forces, the patent inverts the approach by having one arm serve as a static reference and only the other arm perform the avoidance calculation. This inversion reduces computational complexity from O(n²) to O(n) where n is the number of manipulator arms.
2Reliability
If approach prohibited ranges are set for both manipulator arms, then interference is avoided, but control calculations become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the approach prohibited range concept from a symmetric application (both arms having active prohibited ranges) to an asymmetric application (one arm as reference, the other as moving arm). This extraction maintains the essential safety function while removing redundant computational elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic surgical system includes a controller configured or programmed to perform an arm interference avoidance control to move a second manipulator arm relative to a first manipulator arm such that a reference line moves along an outer edge of an approach prohibited range of a first manipulator arm when a second manipulator arm approaches within the approach prohibited range.