Haptic Control of Surgical Robot Hand Controller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical robot hand controllers are vulnerable to unintentional movement due to their lightweight design, which can lead to unintended motion at the surgical site and disrupt the surgeon's control.
Innovation Solution
A control unit that detects the absence of a surgeon's hand and an external force on the hand controller, responding with a damped motion in the direction of the external force to prevent unintended movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If gravity compensation is applied to hand controllers, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to vulnerability to unintentional movement
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adjusts the damping characteristics based on the detected state. When no external force is detected, the system maintains low damping for easy operation. When external force is detected, the system increases damping to prevent unintentional movement, thus adapting the system behavior to current operational conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the damping parameter of the control system based on detected conditions. By adjusting the damping coefficient dynamically, the system transitions between a lightweight responsive mode (when no external force) and a damped stable mode (when external force detected), resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and control stability.
2Reliability
If dead man's handle braking system is added, then reliability is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical braking system (dead man's handle) with a control system that uses sensors and computational algorithms to detect external forces and apply appropriate damping. This substitution eliminates the need for heavy mechanical brakes while achieving the same reliability goal through electronic control and software-based force compensation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding mechanical mass through braking systems, the patent changes the dynamic parameters of the existing system by implementing software-based damping control. The control system adjusts friction and damping parameters electronically, achieving reliability improvement without increasing physical weight of the hand controller.
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 solution effectively reduces the susceptibility of hand controllers to unintentional movement, maintaining control and stability during surgical procedures while maintaining the lightweight and easy-to-handle design.
Implementation Method 1
a presence sensor configured to sense the presence of a surgeon's hand on the hand controller
Implementation Method 2
controlling the drivers to drive the joints with a damped response in the direction of the external force
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical robotic system comprises a surgeon console, remote surgical robot, and a control unit. The surgeon console comprises a base connected to a hand controller by a linkage, the linkage comprising a plurality of joints whereby the configuration of the linkage can be altered. The surgeon console comprises a driver to drive each joint to move. The surgeon console further comprises a presence sensor to sense the presence of a surgeon's hand on the hand controller. The control unit receives user inputs from the hand controller, converts the received user inputs into command signals for driving manipulation of the surgical robot, receives sensory inputs from sensors including the presence sensor, and responds to, during a surgical operation, concurrently detecting from the received sensory inputs (i) the lack of a surgeon's hand on the hand controller, and (ii) an external force additional to gravity acting on the hand controller, by controlling the drivers to drive the joints with a damped response in the direction of the external force.