Vocally actuated surgical control system

Inventors

ATAROT, Gal • FRIMER, Motti • Nir, Tal • ALPERT, Lior

Assignees

Asensus Surgical Europe SARL

Abstract

The following invention is a vocally activated control system for controlling an apparatus in a surgical setting, the system comprises: a. a voice sensor configured to detect vocal commands generated by surgeons during surgery;b. a signal transmitter connected to the voice sensor, the transmitter is configured to convert a vocal command into a transmittable signal and transmit it;c. a processor connected to a signal transmitter configured to receive a transmittable vocal signal, the processor is configured to convert a vocal signal to a predetermined set of operative instructions associated with the apparatus, the predetermined set of operative instructions comprising at least one instruction; andd. control means connected to the processor and apparatus; the control means is configured to receive a predetermined set of operative instructions and to cause the apparatus to operate accordingly; Said voice sensor and said transmitter are integrated within a wearable element.

Core Innovation

The patent describes a vocally activated control system for controlling at least one robotically controlled surgical tool in a surgical setting. A voice sensor detects at least one vocal command generated by at least one surgeon, and a signal transmitter converts the detected vocal command into at least one transmittable vocal signal for transmission. A processor receives the transmittable vocal signal and converts it into at least one predetermined set of operative instructions associated with the apparatus, and the predetermined operative instructions comprise at least one instruction provided to at least one controller to cause the apparatus to operate accordingly.

The conversion of the transmittable vocal signal to the predetermined set of operative instructions is performed according to a predetermined set of rules. The rules include at least one rule selected from most used tool rule, right tool rule, left tool rule, field of view rule, no fly zone rule, route rule, environmental rule, operator input rule, proximity rule, collision prevention rule, history-based rule, tool-dependent allowed and restricted movement rule, preferred volume zone rule, preferred tool rule, movement detection rule, tagged tool rule, go-to rule, and change of speed rule, and any combination thereof.

The system defines allowed movement as movements of the surgical tool permitted by the controller, while restricted movement is movements denied by the controller according to the predetermined set of rules. Embodiments support endoscope guidance and surgical-tool tracking, and a tracking subsystem determines 3D tool positions and enforces constraints such as route, no-fly volumes, proximity, collision prevention, and preferred zones. The system provides alerting and feedback when restricted movement is denied and can update guidance using predetermined rules that include environment-related information and history-based movement data.

Claims Coverage

The provided independent-claim content identifies one inventive combination centered on vocally activated robotic surgical-tool control. It includes two merged inventive features: conversion of surgeon vocal commands into operative instructions under a predetermined ruleset, and the voice-sensor/transmitter/processor/controller chain that implements that conversion.

The claim coverage is directed to a vocally activated control system that converts surgeon vocal commands into predetermined operative instructions using a predetermined ruleset. The ruleset expressly supports both allowed movement and restricted movement of the surgical tool, with named constraint and guidance rule types selectable within the system.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications