Teleoperated Surgical Instrument Control Within Camera Field of View
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic teleoperation systems face challenges in controlling surgical instruments that move outside the field of view, leading to potential patient damage due to lack of visibility and inadequate control mechanisms, particularly in systems without force feedback or mechanical constraints.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that control the movement of a slave device based on its position relative to a defined viewing space, allowing movements only within the viewing space or a spatial tolerance, and adjusting movements to stay within the viewing space by modifying trajectories or freezing degrees of freedom when exiting the field of view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the slave device workspace is enlarged to provide greater surgical access, then the workspace volume increases, but the instrument may move outside the field of view causing safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors the position of the surgical instrument relative to the field of view and provides feedback control. When the instrument approaches or exits the field of view boundaries, the system automatically adjusts the camera position or restricts slave device movements to keep the instrument visible, creating a closed-loop safety mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-defines the field of view boundaries and workspace limits before surgery begins. The control unit uses these pre-established spatial parameters to predict and prevent instrument movements that would exit the visible area, taking preliminary protective action before harm can occur
2Stability of the object's composition
If the camera position is fixed to maintain stable viewing, then the viewing stability improves, but the instrument cannot be tracked when it moves outside the field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The camera positioning is made dynamic rather than fixed. The control unit automatically adjusts the camera position based on the real-time location of the surgical instrument, allowing the viewing system to adapt and track the instrument while maintaining optimal visualization conditions throughout the procedure
3Reliability
If force feedback or mechanical constraints are added to the master device to prevent instrument movement outside FOV, then the safety control improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Physical mechanical constraints and force feedback mechanisms are replaced with a software-based control system. The control unit uses computational algorithms to monitor instrument position and enforce field of view boundaries through virtual constraints, eliminating the need for complex mechanical safety systems
Data Source
AI summary
A method controls a slave device of a robotic system for medical or surgical teleoperation. The robotic system includes a master device movable by an operator, a slave device having a surgical instrument controllable by the master device, and a viewer configured to display to the operator images and/or videos of a viewing space associated with a teleoperation area in which the surgical instrument operates. Position of the surgical instrument is determined with respect to the viewing space, to determine whether the surgical instrument is located inside or outside an allowed space correlated to the viewing space. Movement of the slave device is dependent on the determined position of the surgical instrument with respect to the allowed space correlated to the viewing space, and so that movement of the surgical instrument is allowed only if located inside the viewing space. A robotic system is controllable by the control method.