Surgical robot system, external force estimation device, and computer readable storage medium
Inventors
Haraguchi, Daisuke • Tadano, Kotaro • Aizawa, Koki
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12232833-B2
Publication Date
2025-02-25
Expiration Date
Abstract
A surgical robot system includes a surgical instrument including a shaft to be inserted through a trocar placed in a subject, an arm device that holds the surgical instrument and moves the surgical instrument with respect to the subject, a detector arranged at the arm device and configured to detect values of forces and torques acting on the surgical instrument; and a controller that calculates a value of a first external force that the surgical instrument receives from the trocar and a value of a second external force that is received from an object other than the trocar and that is abuttable on the surgical instrument, based on the values of forces and torques, and controls the arm device to move the surgical instrument, based on the value of the first external force and the value of the second external force.
Core Innovation
A surgical robot system includes a surgical instrument including a shaft configured to be inserted through a trocar placed in a subject, and an arm device configured to hold the surgical instrument and to move the surgical instrument with respect to the subject. A detector is arranged at the arm device and is configured to detect values of forces and torques acting on the surgical instrument. A controller calculates a value of a first external force that the surgical instrument receives from the trocar and a value of a second external force that the surgical instrument receives from an object other than the trocar and that is abuttable on the surgical instrument.
The controller performs the external-force calculations based on the values of the forces and torques and based on a value of a resistance force acting between the trocar and the shaft. The controller controls the arm device to move the surgical instrument based on the value of the first external force and the value of the second external force. The system thereby estimates external forces acting on the surgical instrument from a trocar and from an object other than the trocar while compensating for the resistance force between the trocar and the shaft.
The system further supports calculating a shaft external force. The robot system includes a treatment tool provided at a distal end of the shaft, and a drive portion configured to drive the treatment tool. A distal end external force detector is configured to detect a value of a distal end external force acting on the treatment tool at the distal end of the surgical instrument, and the controller calculates a value of a shaft external force based on the value of the second external force and the value of the distal end external force. The controller then controls the arm device to move the surgical instrument based on the value of the first external force, the value of the second external force, and the value of the shaft external force.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims cover detector-based surgical robot control and external force estimation, with six inventive features across the set.
Trocar-based first external force and abuttable-object second external force calculation using measured forces and torques plus trocar-shaft resistance
A detector at an arm device detects values of forces and torques acting on a surgical instrument inserted through a trocar, and a controller calculates a value of a first external force received from the trocar and a value of a second external force received from an object other than the trocar and that is abuttable on the surgical instrument, based on the values of the forces and torques and based on a value of a resistance force acting between the trocar and the shaft.
Arm control based on calculated external forces
The controller is configured to control the arm device to move the surgical instrument based on the value of the first external force and the value of the second external force.
Distal-end external force detector and shaft external force calculation
The controller calculates a value of a shaft external force that is an external force in the shaft received from an object other than the treatment tool and the trocar and that is abuttable on the surgical instrument, based on the value of the second external force and the value of the distal end external force detected at the distal end of the surgical instrument.
Trocar-type resistance force storage and selector-based acquisition for external force calculation
A storage section stores, for each of a plurality of types of trocars, a value of a resistance force acting between the trocar and the shaft in association with the type of the trocar, and a selector selects a type of the trocar; the controller acquires the resistance-force value for the selected trocar type and calculates the first external force and the second external force based on the acquired resistance-force value.
External force estimation device transmitting control signals to an arm device
An external force estimation device receives force and torque values detected by a detector provided at an arm device, calculates the value of the first external force and the value of the second external force based on the values of the forces and torques and based on a value of a resistance force acting between the trocar and the shaft, and transmits control signals to the arm device to control the arm device to move the surgical instrument based on the value of the first external force and the value of the second external force.
Non-transitory computer readable storage medium for calculating external forces and transmitting control signals
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores program code that, when executed, receives values of forces and torques detected by a detector at an arm device, calculates a value of a first external force and a value of a second external force based on the detected values and based on a resistance force acting between the trocar and the shaft, and transmits control signals to the arm device to control the arm device to move the surgical instrument based on the calculated values.
The claims center on estimation of a first external force received from a trocar and a second external force received from an object other than the trocar using detector-detected forces and torques compensated by a resistance force between the trocar and the shaft. Several claims additionally cover deriving a shaft external force using a distal-end external force detector, while others add trocar-type specific resistance-force storage and selector-based acquisition. The computed external-force values are used to control an arm device or are transmitted as control signals via an external force estimation device or software medium.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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