Guided tool change
US6645196B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 16, 2000 |
| Grant date | Nov 11, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 24, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2034/742
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A guided tool change procedure is employed in minimally invasive robotic surgery to guide a new tool quickly and precisely, after a tool change operation, back into close proximity to the operating position of the original tool prior to its removal from the surgical site. A first robotic surgical tool is placed at an operating position inside the cavity using a slave manipulator disposed outside the cavity, and the operating position is recorded. The first robotic surgical tool is decoupled from the slave manipulator and removed from the cavity. A second robotic surgical tool is introduced into the cavity. Based on the recorded operating position, a target space is derived for placing the distal end of the second robotic surgical tool in close proximity to the location of the distal end of the first robotic surgical tool in the operating position prior to its removal from the cavity. A controller is provided to control the slave manipulator to guide the distal end of the second robotic surgical tool, during insertion of the second tool, to a location within the target space.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.