Co-manipulation surgical system for use with surgical instruments for performing laparoscopic surgery while estimating hold force

Inventors

Linard, Nicolas • Basafa, Ehsan • Noonan, David Paul

Assignees

Moon Surgical SAS

Abstract

Co-manipulation robotic systems are described herein that may be used for assisting with laparoscopic surgical procedures. The co-manipulation robotic systems allow a surgeon to use commercially-available surgical tools while providing benefits associated with surgical robotics. Advantageously, the surgical tools may be seamlessly coupled to the robot arms using a disposable coupler while the reusable portions of the robot arm remain in a sterile drape. Further, the co-manipulation robotic system may operate in multiple modes to enhance usability and safety, while allowing the surgeon to position the instrument directly with the instrument handle and further maintain the desired position of the instrument using the robot arm.

Core Innovation

A co-manipulation surgical system operates a robot arm having a plurality of links, a plurality of joints, and a distal end configured to be removably coupled to a surgical instrument. The at least one processor switches the robot arm to a passive mode responsive to determining that movement of the robot arm due to movement at a handle of the surgical instrument is less than a predetermined amount for at least a predetermined dwell time period, and maintains a static position in the passive mode.

While the robot arm maintains a static position in the passive mode, the system applies gravity compensation to compensate for gravity of the surgical instrument. During application of the gravity compensation, the processor calculates a hold force required to maintain the distal end of the robot arm in the static position, establishes a baseline hold force based on the hold force, and applies a breakaway force threshold based on the baseline hold force.

The breakaway force threshold defines a predetermined amount of force required to be applied to the robot arm to cause the robot arm to exit the passive mode. The described platform also includes co-manipulation mode determination, haptic mode determination, and robotic assist mode determination, and further describes haptic virtual boundaries and a virtual map for collision-avoidance behavior in the context of robotic assistance.

Claims Coverage

The independent claim coverage centers on a co-manipulation surgical system with 3 inventive features: passive mode switching based on handle-driven movement and dwell time, gravity compensation with hold-force calculation and baseline hold-force establishment, and a baseline-dependent breakaway force threshold for exiting passive mode. The provided extracts also mention dependent refinements involving motor-current sensing, torque-based gravity compensation, higher breakaway thresholds over a predetermined time period, and GUI-based selection of default thresholds.

Overall claim coverage is directed to switching into passive mode based on handle movement for a dwell time, holding the distal end static with gravity compensation, calculating and baselining hold force, and using a baseline-dependent breakaway force threshold to determine when the robot arm exits passive mode.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications