Phantom degrees of freedom for manipulating the movement of surgical systems

US9949799B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC. · US

Inventors

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

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 29, 2016
• Grant date: Apr 24, 2018
• Expiry date: May 15, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B90/361
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and systems for performing minimally invasive surgery through an aperture of a patient. In accordance with a method, parameters are received from an input device associated with a surgeon, the parameters indicating a desired state of an end effector of a surgical instrument oriented through the aperture. The surgical instrument is included in a mechanical assembly having a first set of joints. Instructions are then computed for controlling the mechanical assembly using the received parameters by computing instructions for controlling a second set joints, the second set of joints including the first set of joints and an additional joint, the additional joint being absent from the mechanical assembly. The mechanical assembly is then driven so as to move the end effector toward the desired state based on the computed instructions.