US 12,741,369 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for controlling continuum robot

AssigneeCanon U.S.A., Inc.

InventorKiyoshi Takagi

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Abstract

An apparatus includes a bendable body including at least a distal bending portion and a proximal bending portion, a first driving mechanism for bending the distal bending portion, a second driving mechanism for bending the proximal bending portion, a controller that controls the first driving mechanism to bend the distal bending portion and controls the second driving mechanism to bend the proximal bending portion, and a receiving unit that receives a command on an amount of bending of part or all of the bending portions. The controller is configured to switch between first control for bending only the distal bending portion according to the command received by the receiving unit and second control for bending the distal bending portion and the proximal bending portion so that the distal bending portion and the proximal bending portion have constant curvature according to the command received by the receiving unit.

Claims7

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a bendable body including at least a first bending portion and a second bending portion;
a first driving mechanism for bending the first bending portion;
a second driving mechanism for bending the second bending portion;
a controller that controls the first driving mechanism to bend the first bending portion and controls the second driving mechanism to bend the second bending portion;
a receiver that receives a command on an amount of bending of part or all of the bending portions,
an advance controller that performs control for advancing the bendable body, and
a storage that stores a maximum amount of bending of the first bending portion in a case where a distal end of the first bending portion is advanced for a certain section by the follow-the-leader control,
wherein the controller is configured to switch between first control for bending the first bending portion according to the command received by the receiver and second control for bending the first bending portion and the second bending portion so that the first bending portion and the second bending portion have constant curvature according to the command received by the receiver,
wherein, when the controller performs first control for bending the first bending portion according to the command and the bendable body is advanced by the advance controller, the controller performs follow-the-leader control for automatically bending a bending portion following the first bending portion based on the amount of bending of the first bending portion bent according to the command, and
wherein, when the maximum amount stored by the storage exceeds a predetermined value, the controller starts the follow-the-leader control after performing the second control, and in a case where the maximum amount stored by the storage is the predetermined value or less, the controller performs control for starting the follow-the-leader control without performing the second control.

7 more elements

A system comprising:

a continuum robot including a plurality of bending sections driven with a wire;
a driver that drives the wire;
a base-stage controller on which the continuum robot is mounted and which is configured to move the continuum robot in a longitudinal direction;
and
a robot controller including a first controller that controls a driving amount of the wire based on a kinematics operator that associates an angle of a distal end of the continuum robot and the driving amount of the wire, a second controller that determines an angle of a distal end of a following bending section from an angle of a distal end of a leading bending section and a displacement of the base stage, and a first operator that gives an angle command to the leading bending section and a displacement command to the base stage, wherein the robot controller further includes a third controller that receives the angle command output from the first operator and operates an angle command for the following bending section using a parameter group;
and
a storage that stores the parameter group, wherein the parameter group is selected by a second operator and is sent from the storage to the third controller,
wherein the angle command for the following bending section can be selected by switching between an output from the second controller and an output from the third controller.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/841,309Filed 23 Feb 2023 · us provisional application
Priority: 25 Feb 2022
Published: US 2025/0162134 A122 May 2025
Granted: 22 Sep 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

A61B 34/71
Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery: manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
B25J 9/065
Characterised by multi-articulated arms: snake robots
A61B 1/00006
Characterised by electronic signal processing: of control signals
A61B 1/00148
Holding or positioning arrangements: using anchoring means