Patent · US Expired

Process and apparatus for hand-controlled guiding of an instrument in a predetermined movement region

US6236906A · kind A · utility

107Cited by
6References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 26, 1999
Grant dateMay 22, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 26, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T403/1616
  • WIPO fieldHandling
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A process for guiding an instrument in space, in which the instrument is arranged at the free end of an articulated arm whose arm sections are caused to pivot and/or travel with respect to each other by drive units. The instrument is caused to travel in a limited movement region under the control of a control device. For predetermination of the movement region for points that are situated in the movement region, a respective pivot angle and/or travel position between the respective arm sections is set. The respective position and attitude of the instrument is sensed by at least a first measuring device. For hand-controlled guiding of the instrument, an actuating force exerted on the instrument and/or the articulated arm is sensed by a second measuring device. The arm sections are mutually pivoted and/or moved in dependence on the actuating force, the position of the instrument, and the predetermined movement region, such that the instrument moves within the predetermined movement region substantially in the direction of the actuating force.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.