Telemanipulated Surgical System Single Port Instrument Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive surgical systems, such as the da Vinci Surgical System, face limitations in accessing surgical sites due to the number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) available, particularly when intermediate tissue structures restrict movement, limiting the ability to perform procedures through a single entry port effectively.
Innovation Solution
The development of a telemanipulated surgical system that allows multiple surgical instruments to be extended through a single guide tube, each with at least six actively controlled DOFs in Cartesian space (surge, heave, sway, roll, pitch, yaw), enabling independent movement and operation past intermediate tissue that restricts lateral movement of rigid instrument bodies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a single entry port is used for minimally invasive surgery, then patient trauma and recovery time are reduced, but instrument maneuverability and access to surgical sites are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical system divides the instrument into multiple independent segments: a guide tube that provides structural support and defines the entry port, and separate surgical instruments that can be independently manipulated within the guide tube. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while maintaining overall system flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tube serves as an intermediary structure that mediates between the external control system and the internal surgical instruments. It provides a stable external framework while allowing flexible internal instrument movement, effectively decoupling the constraints of the single port from the maneuverability requirements of the surgical tools
2Reliability
If intermediate tissue structures are present, then anatomical integrity is maintained, but instrument movement and access to surgical sites are constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic positioning where the guide tube can be repositioned and reoriented during surgery to navigate around intermediate tissue structures. The surgical instruments within the guide tube can also be dynamically adjusted in angle and position to access different surgical sites while maintaining anatomical integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes three-dimensional positioning and orientation of both the guide tube and surgical instruments to access surgical sites that would be inaccessible with traditional two-dimensional plane movement. This allows navigation around intermediate tissue structures by moving through additional spatial dimensions
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple surgical instruments are used through a single port, then surgical versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tube is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple different types of surgical instruments simultaneously. Each instrument maintains its specific function while sharing the common guide tube infrastructure, reducing overall system complexity compared to having separate access paths for each instrument type
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple surgical instruments are nested within the guide tube structure, with each instrument capable of independent manipulation. This nesting arrangement allows multiple functions to be contained within a single external framework, managing complexity by organizing multiple instruments within a unified structural envelope
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for a minimally invasive surgical system. In one aspect the control system is a distributed system. A control and transform processor receives data from a master arm controller, an instrument controller, an imaging system controller, and a guide tube controller and distributes data received from one controller to the other controllers. The other controllers use the received data, along with received optimization goals, to control associated slave arms in a distributed but coordinated way. In another aspect, the control system is centralized, in which a motion coordinator receives master inputs, sensor inputs from the slave arms, and optimization inputs. The motion coordinator uses the received inputs to output control signals to an instrument, an imaging system, and a guide tube controller.