Surveillance Marker for Robotic Surgery DRB Dislodgment Detection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current robotic-assisted surgical systems face challenges in accurately detecting unintended movement of surgical instruments during procedures, particularly due to the risk of dynamic reference base (DRB) dislodgment, which requires re-registration and can be cumbersome and error-prone, especially when using surveillance markers that require additional incisions and rigid interfaces.

Innovation Solution

A surveillance marker system that does not rigidly interface with the DRB, allowing attachment to bone near the DRB without touching it, enabling detection of DRB dislodgment by tracking relative movement between the surveillance marker and DRB, thus ensuring accurate positioning and movement tracking during surgery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a surveillance marker is rigidly attached to the DRB, then the marker provides stable tracking reference, but the system requires additional incisions and rigid interfaces that increase surgical complexity and patient discomfort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetracking accuracyVSAvoidsurgical procedure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The surveillance marker is extracted from the DRB structure and attached independently to the bone. This separation eliminates the need for rigid interfaces between the marker and DRB, reducing surgical complexity while maintaining tracking reliability through independent attachment to the bone structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The bone serves as an intermediary structure to which both the DRB and surveillance marker are attached. This intermediate attachment point allows the marker to provide stable tracking reference without requiring direct rigid connection to the DRB, thereby reducing procedural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If the surveillance marker is attached near the DRB without rigid interface, then the surgical procedure is simplified, but the detection of DRB dislodgment may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurgical procedure complexityVSAvoiddislodgment detection accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors the relative position between the surveillance marker and DRB through tracking cameras. Any displacement of the DRB creates a detectable change in the spatial relationship between these two independently attached structures, providing real-time feedback on DRB stability without requiring rigid connection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical rigid interface is replaced with an optical detection system. Instead of relying on physical connection between the marker and DRB, the system uses tracking cameras to monitor the spatial relationship between the two independently attached structures, enabling dislodgment detection through optical measurement rather than mechanical coupling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If multiple incisions are made for marker attachment, then the surveillance marker can be properly positioned, but patient discomfort and surgical time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemarker positioning accuracyVSAvoidsurgical time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The attachment of the surveillance marker is combined with the existing DRB placement procedure. Both structures are attached to the bone through the same incision and surgical access point, eliminating the need for separate incisions and reducing surgical time while maintaining proper marker positioning.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3369394B1System for a surveillance marker in robotic-assisted surgery
Publication Date: 2020.06.10 GLOBUS MEDICAL INC
  • EP3369394B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3369394B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3369394B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring registration of a patient to a surgical robot are provided. The system (2000,2100,2200) comprises a dynamic reference base (2004) including at least one array marker (2006), a dynamic reference base post (2008) connected to the dynamic reference base (2004), and a surveillance marker (2002) disposed at a predetermined distance from the dynamic reference base (2004), wherein the surveillance marker (2002) is configured to be secured to a bony structure (2012) of the patient independently from the dynamic reference base (2004). The surveillance marker (2002) is configured to be registered to the dynamic reference base (2004) and the surgical robot is configured to determine that the dynamic reference base (2004) has moved based on a change in the predetermined distance.