# US 12,004,827 B2 · System and method for providing feedback during manual joint positioning > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,004,827 B2 - Document ID: US12004827B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/159,052 - Filed: 2021-01-26 - Published: 2021-05-20 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-17 - Assignees: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. - Applicants: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. - Inventors: Paul G. Griffiths - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004827B2 ## CPC - A61B 34/30: Surgical robots - A61B 34/76: {Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback} - A61B 34/77: {Manipulators with motion or force scaling} - B25J 1/02: articulated or flexible - B25J 3/04: involving servo mechanisms (servo-actuated heads B25J15/02) - B25J 9/1689: {Teleoperation} - B25J 13/025: {comprising haptic means} - B25J 19/0004: {Braking devices (brakes in general F16D)} - A61B 34/35: for telesurgery - A61B 34/37: Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence) - A61B 2090/508: {with releasable brake mechanisms} - B25J 9/06: characterised by multi-articulated arms - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract A system and method of providing feedback during manual joint positioning includes a computer-assisted device having an articulated structure including a joint and a control unit coupled to the articulated structure. To provide feedback to a user during manual positioning of the joint by the user, the control unit is configured to provide first haptic feedback indicating that the joint is moving in a correct direction when the joint is moving toward a first target position, provide second haptic feedback indicating that the joint is not moving in the correct direction when the joint is moving away from the first target position, and provide third haptic feedback indicating that motion of the joint should stop when the joint is at the first target position. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-assisted device comprising: an articulated structure comprising a joint; and a control unit coupled to the articulated structure; wherein, to provide feedback to a user during manual positioning of the joint by the user, the control unit is configured to: determine a velocity of the joint relative to a first target position for the joint; provide first haptic feedback indicating that the joint is moving in a correct direction when the velocity indicates that the joint is moving toward the first target position; provide second haptic feedback indicating that the joint is not moving in the correct direction when the velocity indicates that the joint is moving away from the first target position; and provide third haptic feedback indicating that motion of the joint should stop when the joint is at the first target position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein to provide the first haptic feedback, the control unit is configured to release a brake associated with the joint. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein to provide the second haptic feedback, the control unit is configured to apply a brake associated with the joint. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to provide fourth haptic feedback indicating that movement of the joint should slow down and continue moving toward the first target position when the joint is close to and approaching the first target position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein the second haptic feedback further indicates that a direction of movement of the joint should be reversed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein to provide the second haptic feedback, the control unit is configured to apply a brake with a braking force that is proportional to the velocity of the joint, the brake associated with the joint. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein when the joint is at the first target position, the control unit is further configured to change the first target position to a second target position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein: the first target position includes a range of allowable positions; or the first target position is a fixed position; or the first target position is a dynamic position determined based on kinematics of one or more other joints of the articulated structure. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein the first target position is a target position in a sequence of predetermined configurations of the computer-assisted device. ### Claim 10 A method of operating a computer-assisted device comprising a joint, the method comprising: determining a velocity of the joint relative to a target position for the joint; providing, by a control unit, first haptic feedback indicating that the joint is moving in a correct direction when the velocity indicates that the joint is moving toward the target position; providing, by the control unit, second haptic feedback indicating that the joint is not moving in the correct direction when the velocity indicates that the joint is moving away from the target position; and providing, by the control unit, third haptic feedback indicating that motion of the joint should stop when the joint is at the target position. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein providing the first haptic feedback comprises releasing a brake associated with the joint. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein providing the second haptic feedback comprises applying a brake associated with the joint. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the second haptic feedback further indicates that a direction of the joint should be reversed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein providing the second haptic feedback comprises applying a brake with a braking force that is proportional to the velocity of the joint, the brake associated with the joint. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein: the target position includes a range of allowable positions; or the target position is a fixed position; or the target position is a dynamic position determined based on kinematics of one or more other joints of the computer-assisted device. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions which when executed by one or more processors associated with a computer-assisted medical device are adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising: determining a velocity of a joint relative to a target position for the joint; providing first haptic indicating that the joint is moving in a correct direction when the velocity indicates that the joint is moving toward the target position; providing second haptic feedback indicating that the joint is not moving in the correct direction when the velocity indicates that the joint is moving away from the target position; and providing third haptic feedback indicating that motion of the joint should stop when the joint is at the target position. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein providing the second haptic feedback comprises applying a brake with a braking force that is proportional to the velocity of the joint, the brake associated with the joint. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second haptic feedback further indicates that a direction of movement of the joint should be reversed.