# US 12,213,814 B2 · Systems and methods for bifurcated navigation control of a manipulator cart included within a computer-assisted medical system

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- Number: US 12,213,814 B2
- Document ID: US12213814B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/610,376
- Filed: 2020-05-29
- Published: 2022-07-14
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-05-31
- Assignees: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
- Applicants: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
- Inventors: Sophia R. Hannaford; Marisa C. Babb; Simon P. DiMaio; Craig Gotsill; Brandon D. Itkowitz; Omid Mohareri; Dinesh Rabindran
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12213814B2

## CPC

- A61B 34/00: Computer-aided surgery; Manipulators or robots specially adapted for use in surgery
- A61B 50/13: Trolleys{, e.g. carts}
- B25J 9/162: {Mobile manipulator, movable base with manipulator arm mounted on it}
- B25J 9/1676: {Avoiding collision or forbidden zones}
- G05D 1/622: Obstacle avoidance (predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision of road vehicles B60W30/08)
- G05D 1/82: Limited authority control, e.g. enforcing a flight envelope (limitation of acceleration or structural stress G05D1/83)
- 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})
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

A bifurcated navigation control system defines a path whereby a manipulator cart is to navigate from an initial location to a target location, and identifies a navigation condition associated with a navigation of the manipulator cart along the path. Based on the navigation condition, the bifurcated navigation control system defines a propulsion limitation for the manipulator cart during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path. The bifurcated navigation control system directs the manipulator cart to navigate along at least part of the path in a bifurcated navigation control mode in which the bifurcated navigation control system is configured to autonomously control a steering of the manipulator cart while allowing operator control of a propulsion of the manipulator cart in accordance with the propulsion limitation. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-assisted medical system comprising:
a manipulator cart;
a memory storing instructions; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the manipulator cart, the processor configured to execute the instructions to:
define a path whereby the manipulator cart is to navigate from an initial location to a target location;
identify a navigation condition associated with a navigation of the manipulator cart along the path from the initial location to the target location;
define, based on the navigation condition, a propulsion limitation configured to be imposed on operator-provided commands related to a propulsion of the manipulator cart during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path; and
direct the manipulator cart to navigate, in a bifurcated navigation control mode, along at least part of the path from the initial location to the target location;
wherein, in the bifurcated navigation control mode, the processor is configured to execute the instructions to autonomously control a steering of the manipulator cart while allowing operator control of the propulsion of the manipulator cart based on the operator-provided commands as limited by the propulsion limitation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein:
the initial location is associated with an initial orientation of the manipulator cart;
the target location is associated with a target orientation of the manipulator cart; and
the defining of the path whereby the manipulator cart is to navigate from the initial location to the target location further includes defining, with respect to the path, an orientation plan whereby the manipulator cart is reoriented from the initial orientation to the target orientation.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein the propulsion limitation includes a maximum speed limit for the manipulator cart.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to define the maximum speed limit based on:
a proximity of the manipulator cart to an obstacle to be avoided by the manipulator cart during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path, and
a predetermined deceleration rate of the manipulator cart.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 3, wherein:
the manipulator cart comprises a movable component; and
the processor is configured to define the maximum speed limit based on:
a proximity of the manipulator cart to an obstacle to be avoided by the movable component during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path,
an orientation of the movable component with respect to the obstacle, and
a movement rate of the movable component.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein the propulsion limitation includes a maximum acceleration rate for the manipulator cart.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein:
the propulsion limitation includes a designated speed gain associated with a speed control interface of the manipulator cart; and
in the bifurcated navigation control mode, the processor is configured to allow the operator control of the propulsion in accordance with the propulsion limitation by directing the propulsion of the manipulator cart to be performed at a speed determined by:
an operator-selected speed setting for the speed control interface, and
the designated speed gain associated with the speed control interface.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein:
the identified navigation condition is that the manipulator cart is navigating or approaching a turn along the path; and
the propulsion limitation includes a maximum speed limit for when the manipulator cart is navigating the turn, the maximum speed limit lower than a full speed achievable by the propulsion of the manipulator cart.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein the identified navigation condition is that the manipulator cart is approaching an obstacle to be avoided by the manipulator cart during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 9, wherein the defining of the propulsion limitation for the manipulator cart comprises:
determining a movability status or a risk factor of the obstacle; and
accounting for the movability status or the risk factor of the obstacle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein the identified navigation condition comprises at least one condition selected from the group consisting of:
a battery level of a battery used to power the propulsion of the manipulator cart is below a predetermined battery level threshold;
an attention measurement indicative of attention paid to the navigation of the manipulator cart by a person in a vicinity of the manipulator cart; and
an entropy associated with the path is detected to satisfy a predetermined entropy criterion.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, further comprising an additional equipment component, wherein
the defining of the path is performed to account for an additional path whereby the additional equipment component is to navigate from an additional initial location to an additional target location, and wherein
the defining of the path accounts for the additional path based on:
locations of the manipulator cart and the additional equipment component, and
roles that the manipulator cart and the additional equipment component are to have in performing an operation.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein:
the initial location is associated with an initial configuration of a moveable component of the manipulator cart;
the target location is associated with a target configuration of the moveable component of the manipulator cart; and
the defining of the path whereby the manipulator cart is to navigate from the initial location to the target location further includes defining, with respect to the path, a configuration plan whereby the moveable component of the manipulator cart is to transform from the initial configuration to the target configuration.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:
switch to a standard navigation control mode from the bifurcated navigation control mode, the standard navigation control mode allowing operator control of both the steering and the propulsion of the manipulator cart.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 14, wherein the switching to the standard navigation control mode from the bifurcated navigation control mode comprises:
transitioning, in response to operator input resisting autonomous steering of the manipulator cart or an identified navigation condition, from directing the navigation along the path in the bifurcated navigation control mode to allowing navigation along the path in the standard navigation control mode.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The computer-assisted medical system of claim 1, wherein the path is defined to include at least one portion in which the manipulator cart uses backward propulsion in order to progress along the path from the initial location to the target location.

### Claim 17

A method comprising:
defining, by a bifurcated navigation control system, a path whereby a manipulator cart included within a computer-assisted medical system is to navigate from an initial location to a target location;
identifying, by the bifurcated navigation control system, a navigation condition associated with a navigation of the manipulator cart along the path from the initial location to the target location;
defining, by the bifurcated navigation control system based on the navigation condition, a propulsion limitation configured to be imposed on operator-provided commands related to a propulsion of the manipulator cart during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path; and
directing, by the bifurcated navigation control system, the manipulator cart to navigate, in a bifurcated navigation control mode, along at least part of the path from the initial location to the target location;
wherein, in the bifurcated navigation control mode, the bifurcated navigation control system autonomously controls a steering of the manipulator cart while allowing operator control of the propulsion of the manipulator cart based on the operator-provided commands as limited by the propulsion limitation.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the propulsion limitation includes a maximum speed limit or a maximum acceleration rate for the manipulator cart.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein:
the identified navigation condition is that the manipulator cart is navigating or approaching a turn along the path; and
the propulsion limitation includes a maximum speed limit for when the manipulator cart is navigating the turn, the maximum speed limit lower than a full speed achievable by the propulsion of the manipulator cart.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the identified navigation condition comprises at least one condition selected from the group consisting of:
the manipulator cart is approaching an obstacle to be avoided by the manipulator cart during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path;
a battery level of a battery used to power the propulsion of the manipulator cart is below a predetermined battery level threshold;
an attention measurement indicative of attention paid to the navigation of the manipulator cart by a person in a vicinity of the manipulator cart;
the manipulator cart is navigating along a particular portion of the path; and
an entropy associated with the path is detected to satisfy a predetermined entropy criterion.

### Claim 21 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising:
switching, by the bifurcated navigation control system, to a standard navigation control mode from the bifurcated navigation control mode, the standard navigation control mode allowing operator control of both the steering and the propulsion of the manipulator cart.

### Claim 22

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, direct a processor of a computing device to:
define a path whereby a manipulator cart included within a computer-assisted medical system is to navigate from an initial location to a target location;
identify a navigation condition associated with a navigation of the manipulator cart along the path from the initial location to the target location;
define, based on the navigation condition, a propulsion limitation configured to be imposed on operator-provided commands related to a propulsion of for the manipulator cart during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path; and
direct the manipulator cart to navigate, in a bifurcated navigation control mode, along at least part of the path from the initial location to the target location;
wherein, in the bifurcated navigation control mode, the instructions direct the processor to autonomously control a steering of the manipulator cart while allowing operator control of the propulsion of the manipulator cart based on the operator-provided commands as limited by the propulsion limitation.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the propulsion limitation includes a maximum speed limit or a maximum acceleration rate for the manipulator cart, and wherein the identified navigation condition is that the manipulator cart is approaching an obstacle to be avoided by the manipulator cart during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path.