Virtual reality surgical device
Inventors
Sachs, Adam • KHALIFA, Sammy • Greene, Barry Stuart
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10842576-B2
Publication Date
2020-11-24
Expiration Date
Abstract
A system for use in surgery includes a central body, a visualization system operably connected to the central body, a video rendering system, a head-mounted display for displaying images from the video rendering system, a sensor system, and a robotic device operably connected to the central body. The visualization system includes at least one camera and a pan system and/or a tilt system. The sensor system tracks the position and/or orientation in space of the head-mounted display relative to a reference point. The pan system and/or the tilt system are configured to adjust the field of view of the camera in response to information from the sensor system about changes in at least one of position and orientation in space of the head-mounted display relative to the reference point.
Core Innovation
The document describes a virtual reality surgical device that includes a central body, a visualization system, and a camera assembly having a pan system and a tilt system. Position and orientation of a head-mounted display (HMD) are tracked by a sensor system, and the camera pan/tilt visualization is controlled responsively to the HMD tracking. A video rendering system renders images including stereoscopic images and multi-camera image processing to support field of view adjustment.
The document also describes robotic device concepts integrated with surgical use, including a human-like multi-DOF cable-driven structure with joint actuation for trocar insertion. The mechanical design provides decoupling for miniaturized cable routing through features such as a contoured profile forming a single contoured pathway, pulleys and capstans, bearing constraints, and a rotary actuator with a through-hole for nearly constant cable length. These arrangements enable at least two additional cables to be routed through the single contoured pathway to different distal systems while preventing actuation of the distal systems over an entire range of motion.
An additional human-machine interface uses wearable motion sensors to control robotic joints with scaling, and an augmented-reality overlay includes a magnifying loupe, a virtual computer monitor, and color cues. The document further describes a general-purpose grasper with variable force using non-linear pulley/linkage actuation, strain-gauge force estimation, and optional haptic feedback. System integrations described include illumination and cooling components (LED illumination, saline cooling, and optical fiber illumination), and optional multi-arm configurations with center connection and cable routing.
Claims Coverage
The partial content provides one independent claim (clm-00001). The independent-claim coverage is centered on a robotic actuator architecture that routes at least two additional cables through a single contoured pathway while using pulley or capstan actuation for moving first and second bodies connected to respective distal systems. Refinements in dependent claims add sensing, motion constraint details, quantitative cable-length-change limits, and framing as part of a dual-arm surgical robotic system with a human-like interface.
Robotic actuator with first and second bodies coupled via pulley/capstan and contoured pathway routing
A robotic actuator has a first body with a proximal connection component and a second body with a distal connection component, with at least one of a pulley or a capstan coupled to at least one of the first body or the second body. An actuator cable actuates the pulley or capstan to move at least one of the first body or the second body, while a first contoured surface and a second contoured surface together form a single contoured pathway through which pass at least two additional cables. The pathway routes one additional cable to actuate the first distal system and another additional cable to actuate a second distal system from the proximal system, and a shape and position of the single contoured pathway are such that the additional cables do not actuate either distal system for an entire range of motion for which the robotic actuator is used.
Encoder sensing of relative positions during pulley/capstan actuation
The robotic actuator includes an encoder configured to measure the relative positions of the first and second bodies when the actuator cable actuates at least one of the pulley or the capstan.
Strain-gauge force sensing during pulley/capstan actuation
The robotic actuator includes a strain gauge configured to measure the force experienced by the actuator when its cable actuates at least one of the pulley or the capstan.
Bearing constraining degrees of freedom between bodies
The robotic actuator includes a bearing that constrains motion between the first body and the second body in all degrees of freedom except rotation about one axis perpendicular to a distal-proximal axis.
Quantitative cable-length-change limit over a defined motion range
The robotic actuator has at least two additional cables such that the length of one additional cable changes by less than 5% while the actuator moves through a range of motion of 110 degrees.
Integration into a dual-arm surgical robotic system with human-like interaction
The robotic actuator is part of a single robotic arm in a dual-arm surgical robotic system, controlled through a human interface providing human-like surgical interaction.
Across the provided claim set, the core coverage is the actuator architecture that uses a contoured pathway and pulley/capstan actuation to route at least two additional cables to different distal systems while preventing unwanted actuation over an entire range of motion. Dependent refinements add encoder and strain-gauge sensing, constrain degrees of freedom via a bearing, include quantitative limits on cable length change over 110 degrees, and frame the actuator as part of a dual-arm surgical robotic system with a human-like interface.
Stated Advantages
Prevents at least two additional cables from actuating the first distal system nor the second distal system for an entire range of motion for which the robotic actuator is used.
Maintains a quantitative limitation by changing the length of one additional cable by less than 5% while moving through a range of motion of 110 degrees.
Documented Applications
Use within a dual-arm surgical robotic system as part of a single robotic arm with human-like surgical interaction.
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