# US 10,307,212 B2 · Medical manipulator and control method of medical manipulator

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- Number: US 10,307,212 B2
- Document ID: US10307212B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/721,447
- Filed: 2015-05-26
- Published: 2015-11-19
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-28
- Assignees: Olympus Corporation
- Applicants: Olympus Corporation
- Inventors: Shintaro Inoue; Kosuke Kishi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10307212B2

## CPC

- A61B 34/30: Surgical robots
- A61B 1/00087: {Tools (A61B17/00234 takes precedence)}
- A61B 1/00131: {Accessories for endoscopes}
- A61B 1/00133: {Drive units for endoscopic tools inserted through or with the endoscope}
- A61B 1/00148: {using anchoring means}
- A61B 1/0016: {using motor drive units}
- A61B 1/018: for receiving instruments
- A61B 1/31: for the rectum, e.g. proctoscopes or sigmoidoscopes
- A61B 34/37: Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence)
- A61B 90/37: {Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation}
- A61B 1/0008: {characterised by distal tip features}
- A61B 18/1492: {having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation (A61B18/1477 takes precedence)}
- A61B 90/361: {Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras}
- A61B 2018/1412: {Blade}
- A61B 2018/1435: {Spiral}
- A61B 2034/301: {for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

A medical manipulator includes: an insertion section having a main movable section and a distal end rigid section; a manipulator at which a treatment section is provided; an auxiliary movable section configured to move the treatment section; an imaging section configured to acquire an image in a field-of-vision range; a manipulation unit configured to output an instruction that specifies a position to which the treatment section is moved; a display configured to display the image; a determination unit configured to determine whether a condition is a partial movement condition or an entire movement condition when the determination unit receives the instruction; and a driving unit configured to drive the auxiliary movable section, the main movable section, and the imaging section based on determination of the determination unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A medical manipulator comprising:
an insertion section configured to be inserted into a body, the insertion section comprising:
a main movable mechanism configured to be controlled to move a distal end of the insertion section;
a first manipulator comprising:
a treatment device; and
a first joint configured to be controlled to move the treatment device with respect to the distal end of the insertion section with at least one degree of freedom;
a second manipulator comprising:
an image sensor configured to acquire an image in a field-of-vision range; and
a second joint configured to be controlled to move the image sensor with respect to the distal end of the insertion section;
an input device configured to receive a user input and to output an instruction that specifies a position to which the treatment device is to be moved; and
a controller configured to:
determine whether a movement control to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction is:
a first type of movement control in which only controlling the first joint to move the treatment device without controlling the main movable mechanism to move the distal end of the insertion section is sufficient to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction; or
a second type of movement control in which both of controlling the first joint and controlling the main movable mechanism is required, to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction; and
when the controller determines that the first type of movement control is sufficient, the controller is configured to control only the first joint to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction; and
when the controller determines that the second type of movement control is required, the controller is configured to:
control the first joint and the main movable mechanism to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction; and
control the second joint to move the image sensor such that a target area of a test object is projected in a predetermined reference area that forms a portion of the image.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The medical manipulator according to claim 1,
wherein a proximal end of the of the first manipulator is attached to the distal end of the insertion section, and
wherein the first joint is arranged to be closer to the proximal end of the first manipulator than the treatment device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The medical manipulator according to claim 1,
wherein the insertion section defines a channel that has an opening at the distal end of the insertion section, and
wherein the first manipulator is configured to be advanced through the channel and past the opening, and retracted past the opening and through the channel.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The medical manipulator according to claim 1,
wherein when the controller determines that the second type of movement control is required, the controller is configured to:
determine a movement amount of the first joint; and
control the second joint to move the image sensor according to the movement amount of the first joint determined.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The medical manipulator according to claim 1,
wherein the controller is configured to set one or more of a size and a shape of the predetermined reference area.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The medical manipulator according to claim 1,
wherein the input device is configured to receive an instruction specifying the target area, and
wherein the controller is configured to set the target area of the test object based on the instruction specifying the target area received by the input device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The medical manipulator according to claim 1,
wherein the input device is configured to receive a confirmation input and to output a confirmation instruction, and
wherein the controller is configured to set a portion of the test object projected to a center of the image as the target area in response to the confirmation instruction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The medical manipulator according to claim 1,
wherein the input device is configured to receive a changeover user input and to output a changeover instruction, and
wherein when the controller determines that the second type of movement control is required, the controller is configured to:
control the first joint and the main movable mechanism to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction;
determine whether a changeover instruction has been output by the input device; and
when the controller determines that the changeover instruction has been output by the input device, control the second joint to move the image sensor such that the target area of the test object is projected in to the predetermined reference area that forms a portion of the image.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The medical manipulator according to claim 1,
wherein when the controller determines that the second type of movement control is required, the controller is configured to control the second joint to move the image sensor according to the image in the field-of-vision range.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The medical manipulator according to claim 1,
wherein the input device is configured to output the instruction that specifies the position to which the treatment device is to be moved and an orientation to which the treatment device is to be oriented, and
wherein when the controller determines that the second type of movement control is required, the controller is configured to:
control the first joint and the main movable mechanism to move the treatment device to the position and the orientation specified in the instruction; and
control the second joint to move the image sensor such that the target area of the test object is projected in the predetermined reference area that forms a portion of the image.

### Claim 11

A method for controlling a medical manipulator, the medical manipulator comprising:
an insertion section configured to be inserted into a body, the insertion section comprising:
a main movable mechanism configured to be controlled to move a distal end of the insertion section;
a first manipulator comprising:
a treatment device; and
a first joint configured to be controlled to move the treatment device with respect to the distal end of the insertion section with at least one degree of freedom;
a second manipulator comprising:
an image sensor configured to acquire an image in a field-of-vision range; and
a second joint configured to be controlled to move the image sensor with respect to the distal end of the insertion section; and
an input device configured to receive a user input and to output an instruction that specifies a position to which the treatment device is to be moved,
wherein the method comprises:
determining, by a controller, whether a movement control to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction is:
a first type of movement control in which only controlling the first joint to move the treatment device without controlling the main movable mechanism to move the distal end of the insertion section is sufficient to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction; or
a second type of movement control in which both of controlling the first joint and controlling the main movable mechanism is required, to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction; and
when the first type of movement control is determined to be sufficient, controlling, by the controller, only the first joint to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction; and
when the second type of movement control is determined to be required:
controlling, by the controller, the first joint and the main movable mechanism to move the treatment device to the position specified in the instruction; and
controlling, by the controller, the second joint to move the image sensor such that a target area of a test object is projected in a predetermined reference area that forms a portion of the image.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, further comprising:
when the second type of movement control is determined to be required:
determining, by the controller, a movement amount of the first joint; and
controlling, by the controller, the second joint to move the image sensor according to the movement amount of the first joint determined.