System and method for surgical tool insertion using multiaxis force and moment feedback
Inventors
Crawford, Neil R. • Johnson, Norbert
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12446981-B2
Publication Date
2025-10-21
Expiration Date
Abstract
Devices, systems, and methods for detecting unexpected movement of a surgical instrument during a robot-assisted surgical procedure are provided. The surgical robot system may be configured to measure forces and torques experienced by the surgical instrument during the surgical procedure and determine if the forces and torques are within an acceptable range. The robot system is further configured to notify the user of the presence of the unexpected movement.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to detecting expected movement of a surgical instrument of a surgical robot system during insertion into bone. Insertion force is applied to drive the instrument into a bone of a patient, and one or more forces associated with the insertion force are monitored by at least one strain gauge positioned on the surgical instrument.
The monitored forces are compared to a predetermined range or threshold expected for the surgical procedure. When the monitored forces fall outside of the predetermined range or threshold, a notification is provided via the robot system to alert a user.
The approach includes monitoring bone movement caused by a force on the surgical instrument using a dynamic reference array attached to the patient. Based on monitoring of the bone movement, the method automatically adjusts a guide tube of the robot system to offset the bone movement.
The disclosed system also describes distinguishing skiving from bottoming-out behavior using force and moment patterns, including lateral forces and longitudinal forces, and monitoring unexpected movement events during instrument insertion.
Claims Coverage
Independent claim clm-00001 covers detecting expected movement during surgical robot instrument insertion by combining strain-gauge force monitoring, threshold comparison with robot-system notifications, dynamic reference array-based bone movement monitoring, and automatic guide-tube adjustment to offset bone movement. It includes five inventive features in a single workflow and is further narrowed by dependent claims that specify monitored force components, strain-gauge determinations, instrument/tip types, and event detection such as skiving.
Force monitoring using strain gauges on the surgical instrument
Monitoring one or more forces associated with the insertion force, wherein the monitored forces are measured by at least one strain gauge positioned on the surgical instrument.
Comparing monitored forces to a predetermined expected range or threshold
Comparing the monitored forces to a predetermined range or threshold expected for the surgical procedure.
Notification when monitored forces fall outside the predetermined range or threshold
Providing a notification, via the robot system, upon detecting that the monitored forces fall outside of the predetermined range or threshold.
Bone movement monitoring using a dynamic reference array attached to the patient
Monitoring bone movement of the patient caused by a force on the surgical instrument through a dynamic reference array attached to the patient.
Automatically adjusting the guide tube to offset bone movement
Automatically adjusting a guide tube of the robot system to offset the bone movement based on the monitoring of the bone movement.
Across the independent claim, the core inventive coverage is the combined use of strain-gauge-measured insertion-associated forces with predetermined range or threshold comparison and robot-system notification, together with dynamic reference array-based bone movement monitoring and automatic guide tube adjustment to offset that movement. Dependent claims further specify force component directions, strain-gauge output for forces and/or deflection during contact with bone, and event detection for skiving based on applied forces.
Stated Advantages
Prevents or addresses unintended movement during robot-assisted surgical instrument insertion by detecting that monitored forces fall outside a predetermined expected range or threshold and providing a notification.
Offsets bone movement by automatically adjusting a guide tube based on bone movement monitored through a dynamic reference array attached to the patient.
Enables detection of unexpected movement events, including skiving, based on measured forces and comparison to expected patterns.
Documented Applications
Robot-assisted surgical instrument insertion into bone of a patient, including detecting expected movement and handling unexpected movement events such as skiving during insertion.
Use in a surgical robot system that includes monitoring bone movement with a dynamic reference array attached to the patient and adjusting a guide tube to offset bone movement during instrument insertion.
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