# US 12,214,501 B2 · Robotic surgical system with recovery alignment

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- Number: US 12,214,501 B2
- Document ID: US12214501B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/513,368
- Filed: 2021-10-28
- Published: 2022-05-05
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2020-10-30
- Assignees: MAKO Surgical Corp.
- Applicants: MAKO Surgical Corp.
- Inventors: Abdullah Abbasi; Amar Bhatt; Andrei Danilchenko
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214501B2

## CPC

- B25J 9/1664: {characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning}
- A61B 17/142: {with reciprocating saw blades, e.g. with cutting edges at the distal end of the saw blades}
- A61B 34/20: Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
- A61B 34/25: {User interfaces for surgical systems}
- A61B 34/30: Surgical robots
- A61B 34/32: operating autonomously
- B25J 9/1689: {Teleoperation}
- B25J 9/1692: {Calibration of manipulator}
- G05B 15/02: electric
- G16H 20/40: relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
- G16H 40/67: for remote operation
- A61B 2034/107: {Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions}
- A61B 2034/108: {Computer aided selection or customisation of medical implants or cutting guides}
- A61B 2034/2055: {Optical tracking systems}
- A61B 2034/2059: {Mechanical position encoders}
- A61B 2034/2068: {using pointers, e.g. pointers having reference marks for determining coordinates of body points}
- A61B 2034/252: {indicating steps of a surgical procedure}
- 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})
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA

## Abstract

A method of operation of a robotically-assisted surgical system includes defining a virtual geometry associated with a planned resection, determining a first pose of a surgical tool, defining a target orientation for the surgical tool based on the first pose, controlling a robotic device to automatically move the surgical tool to both the virtual geometry and the target orientation

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of operation of a robotically-assisted surgical system, comprising:
defining a virtual geometry associated with a planned resection;
determining a first pose of a surgical tool in response to an interruption of performance of the planned resection;
intraoperatively defining a target orientation for the surgical tool on using the first pose such that the target orientation corresponds to an angle of the surgical tool in the virtual geometry at the interruption;
controlling a robotic device to automatically move the surgical tool to both the virtual geometry and the target orientation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first pose of the surgical tool comprises:
detecting the interruption of performance of the planned resection; and
determining the first pose the surgical tool in the virtual geometry in response to detecting the interruption using data from an optical tracking system.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein controlling the robotic device to automatically move the surgical tool into both the virtual geometry and the target orientation causes return of the surgical tool to the angle of the surgical tool in the virtual geometry at the interruption.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first pose of the surgical tool comprises:
detecting a user request to initiate automated alignment of the surgical tool to the virtual geometry;
initiating the controlling the robotic device when the user request is detected.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein defining the target orientation for the surgical tool based on the first pose, comprises:
determining whether the first pose is in a first category or a second category;
defining the target orientation as a first orientation if the first pose is in the first category and defining the target orientation as a second orientation if the first pose is in the second category.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein:
the first category corresponds to poses in which the surgical tool points at least partially in a medial-to-lateral direction with respect to a joint of a patient; and
the second category corresponds to poses in which the surgical tool points at least partially in a lateral-to-medial direction with respect to the joint of the patient.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein:
the first orientation is dynamically defined to comprise an angle of the first pose; and
the second orientation is static and predefined.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the second orientation is perpendicular to a medial-to-lateral direction with respect to the joint of a patient.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the robotic device to automatically move the surgical tool to both the virtual geometry and the target orientation comprises causing the robotic device to automatically move for a duration greater than a preset lower bound on the duration and less than a preset upper bound on the duration.

### Claim 10

A surgical system comprising:
a robotic device;
a surgical tool coupled to the robotic device;
a controller configured to:
define a plane for performing a cut of a bone;
control the robotic device to allow manual movement of the surgical tool in the plane while the surgical tool is used to perform the cut of the bone;
detect an interruption of performance of the cut;
determine a last angular orientation of the surgical tool in the plane before occurrence of the interruption; and
control the robotic device to automatically realign the surgical tool to both the plane and the last angular orientation of the surgical tool.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The surgical system of claim 10, wherein the interruption is caused by a deviation from the plane, and wherein the controller is configured to:
determine whether the deviation exceeds a threshold;
in response to determining that the deviation exceeds the threshold, control the robotic device to move the surgical tool to a first distance from the bone while automatically realigning the surgical tool to both the plane and the last angular orientation of the surgical tool;
in response to determining that the deviation does not exceed the threshold, control the robotic device to move the surgical tool to a second distance from the bone while automatically realigning the surgical tool to both the plane and the last angular orientation of the surgical tool.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The surgical system of claim 11, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The surgical system of claim 10, wherein the interruption comprises an occlusion of a tracking system.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The surgical system of claim 10, wherein the interruption comprises a deviation of the surgical tool from the plane.

### Claim 15

Non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
defining a virtual geometry relative to an anatomical feature;
controlling a robotic device coupled to a tool to guide the tool with the virtual geometry;
detecting a deviation of the tool from the virtual geometry;
controlling the robotic device to automatically move the tool to a first position having a first distance from the anatomical feature if the deviation exceeds a threshold; and
controlling the robotic device to automatically move the tool to a second position having a second distance from the anatomical feature if the deviation is less than the threshold.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the first position and the second position are aligned with the virtual geometry.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, the operations further comprising determining a last angular orientation of the tool in the virtual geometry before occurrence of the deviation;
wherein controlling the robotic device to automatically move the tool to the second position further comprises automatically aligning the tool to the last angular orientation of the tool.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein controlling the robotic device to automatically move the tool to the first position further comprises automatically aligning the tool to the last angular orientation of the tool.