Phantom degrees of freedom for manipulating the movement of mechanical bodies

US9861447B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC. · US

Inventors

• Arjang M. Hourtash · San Diego, US
• Samuel Kwok Wai Au · Mountain View, US
• Raymond Arthur Bonneau · San Francisco, US
• Nicola Diolaiti · Menlo Park, US
• Pushkar Hingwe · Los Altos, US
• Amy E. Kerdok · San Jose, US
• Michael Turner · Sunnyvale, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 21, 2016
• Grant date: Jan 9, 2018
• Expiry date: Jan 21, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S901/02
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and systems for controlling the movement of a mechanical body. In accordance with a method, desired movement information is received that identifies a desired motion of a mechanical body, the mechanical body having a first number of degrees of freedom. A plurality of instructions are then generated by applying the received desired movement information to a kinematic model, the kinematic model having a second number of degrees of freedom greater than the first number of degrees of freedom, each of the instructions being configured to control a corresponding one of the second number of degrees of freedom. A subset of the plurality of instructions are then transmitted for use in controlling the first number of degrees of freedom of the mechanical body.