US 10,513,031 B2Granted

System and method for managing multiple null-space objectives and constraints

AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

InventorArjang M. Hourtash

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Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for providing commanded movement of an end effector of a manipulator concurrent with a desired movement of one or more joints of the manipulator according to one or more consolidated null-space objectives. The null-space objectives may include a joint state combination, relative joint states, range of joint states, joint state profile, kinetic energy, clutching movements, collision avoidance movements, singularity avoidance movements, pose or pitch preference, desired manipulator configurations, commanded reconfiguration of the manipulator, and anisotropic emphasis of the joints. Methods include calculating multiple null-space movements according to different null-space objectives, determining an attribute for each and consolidating the null-space movements with a null-space manager using various approaches. The approaches may include applying weighting, scaling, saturation levels, priority, master velocity limiting, saturated limited integration and various combinations thereof.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method for moving a manipulator arm, the manipulator arm including a movable distal portion, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a plurality of joints between the distal portion and the base, the plurality of joints having sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states of the plurality of joints for a given state of the distal portion, the method comprising:

calculating a first movement of the plurality of joints in accordance with a first objective of a plurality of objectives, the plurality of objectives being for manipulator arm motions that exclude motion of the distal portion, wherein the first movement corresponds to the distal portion not being in motion, and wherein the first objective is associated with a first attribute;
calculating a second movement of the plurality of joints in accordance with a second objective of the plurality of objectives, wherein the second movement corresponds to the distal portion not being in motion, and wherein the second objective is associated with a second attribute;
determining a combined movement of the plurality of joints by combining the first and second movements using the first and second attributes while limiting at least one movement in relation to a master velocity, wherein the master velocity is associated with a commanded movement to move the distal portion, and wherein the at least one movement selected from the group consisting of:
the first movement, the second movement, and the combined movement;
and
driving the plurality of joints to effect the combined movement of the plurality of joints.

3 more elements

A system comprising:

a manipulator arm including a movable distal portion, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a plurality of joints between the distal portion and the base, the plurality of joints having sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states of the plurality of joints for a given state of the distal portion;
a processor coupled to the manipulator arm, the processor being configured to perform operations including:
calculating a first movement of the plurality of joints in accordance with a first objective of a plurality of objectives, the plurality of objectives being for manipulator arm motions that exclude motion of the distal portion, wherein the first movement corresponds to the distal portion not being in motion, and wherein the first objective is associated with a first attribute;
calculating a second movement of the plurality of joints in accordance with a second objective of the plurality of objectives, wherein the second movement corresponds to the distal portion not being in motion, and wherein the second objective is associated with a second attribute;
determining a combined movement of the plurality of joints by combining the first and second movements using the first and second attributes while limiting at least one movement in relation to a master velocity, wherein the master velocity is associated with a commanded movement to move the distal portion, and wherein the at least one movement selected from the group consisting of:
the first movement, the second movement, and the combined movement;
and
driving the plurality of joints to effect the combined movement of the plurality of joints.

5 more elements

A non-transitory recording unit storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for moving a manipulator arm, the manipulator arm including a movable distal portion, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a plurality of joints between the distal portion and the base, the plurality of joints having sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states of the plurality of joints for a given state of the distal portion, the operations comprising:

calculating a first movement of the plurality of joints in accordance with a first objective of a plurality of objectives, the plurality of objectives being for manipulator arm motions that exclude motion of the distal portion, wherein the first movement corresponds to the distal portion not being in motion, and wherein the first objective is associated with a first attribute;
calculating a second movement of the plurality of joints in accordance with a second objective of the plurality of objectives, wherein the second movement corresponds to the distal portion not being in motion, and wherein the second objective is associated with a second attribute;
determining a combined movement of the plurality of joints by combining the first and second movements using the first and second attributes while limiting at least one movement in relation to a master velocity, wherein the master velocity is associated with a commanded movement to move the distal portion, and wherein the at least one movement selected from the group consisting of:
the first movement, the second movement, and the combined movement;
and
driving the plurality of joints to effect the combined movement of the plurality of joints.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/967,545Filed 30 Apr 2018 · continuation
Priority: 15 Mar 2013
Published: US 2018/0243906 A130 Aug 2018
Granted: 24 Dec 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

B25J 9/1607
Characterised by the control system, structure, architecture: calculation of inertia, jacobian matrixes and inverses
A61B 34/30
Computer-aided surgery; Manipulators or robots specially adapted for use in surgery: surgical robots
A61B 34/37
Surgical robots: leader-follower robots
B25J 9/1689
Characterised by the tasks executed: teleoperation

Family

Application61/800,810Us provisional application · filed 15 Mar 2013
Application14/218,832Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Mar 2014
Application15/359,413Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Nov 2016
US 2018/0243906 A1Pre-grant publication · published 30 Aug 2018
US 10,029,367 B2Parent of this continuation
US 9,510,911 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2014/0316430 A1Published application
US 2017/0136624 A1Published application
US 10,513,031 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.