# US 2014/0195010 A1 · Mechanical teleoperated device for remote manipulation

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- Number: US 2014/0195010 A1
- Document ID: US20140195010A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/233,184
- Filed: 2012-07-25
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2011-07-27
- Assignees: Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (Epfl)
- Inventors: Ricardo Beira; Lionel Flaction
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195010A1

## CPC

- G16H 40/67: for remote operation
- A61B 17/00234: {for minimally invasive surgery (A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence)}
- A61B 17/29: Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
- A61B 34/25: {User interfaces for surgical systems}
- A61B 34/37: Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence)
- A61B 34/70: {Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery}
- A61B 34/71: {Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms}
- A61B 34/74: {Manipulators with manual electric input means}
- A61B 34/77: {Manipulators with motion or force scaling}
- A61B 90/37: {Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation}
- B25J 3/02: involving a parallelogram coupling of the leader and follower units (pantographic instruments B43L13/00)
- B25J 13/02: Hand grip control means {(handles or pedals for crane control B66C13/56; for measuring the force applied to control members G01L5/22; hand-held casings for switching devices, e.g. joy-sticks H01H9/0214)}
- G05B 15/02: electric
- G16H 20/40: relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
- A61B 2017/291: {the position of the handle being adjustable with respect to the shaft}
- A61B 2034/715: {Cable tensioning mechanisms for removing slack}
- A61B 2090/372: {Details of monitor hardware}
- A61B 2090/506: {using a parallelogram linkage, e.g. panthograph}
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
- 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})
- 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)

## Abstract

A mechanical teleoperated device for remote manipulation includes a slave unit having a number of slave links interconnected by a plurality of slave joints; an end-effector connected to the slave unit; a master unit having a corresponding number of master links interconnected by a plurality of master joints; and a handle connected to a distal end of the master unit. The device further includes first device arranged to kinematically connect the slave unit with the master unit, second device arranged to kinematically connect the end-effector with the handle, and a mechanical constraint device configured to ensure that one master link of the master unit is guided along its longitudinal axis so that the corresponding slave link of the slave unit always translates along a virtual axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the guided master link in the vicinity of the remote manipulation when the mechanical teleoperated device is operated.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A mechanical teleoperated device for remote manipulation comprising:
a slave unit having a number of slave links interconnected by a plurality of slave joints;
an end-effector connected to the distal end of the slave unit;
a master unit having a corresponding number of master links interconnected by a plurality of master joints;
a handle connected to the distal end of the master unit for operating the mechanical teleoperated device;
at least one first mechanical transmission device arranged to kinematically connect the slave unit with the master unit such that the movement applied on each of the plurality of master joints of the master unit is reproduced by a corresponding respective one of the plurality of slave joints of the slave unit;
at least one second mechanical transmission device arranged to kinematically connect the end-effector with the handle such that the movements applied on the handle are reproduced by the end-effector, and
mechanical constraint device configured to ensure that one master link of said master unit is guided along its longitudinal axis so that the corresponding slave link of the slave unit always translates along a virtual axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said guided master link in the vicinity of the remote manipulation when the mechanical teleoperated device is operated,
wherein the mechanical teleoperated device is configured to enable the guided master link of the master unit to rotate about its longitudinal axis, and about a second and a third axis, which longitudinal axis of the guided master link and which second and third axes always intersect each other at a stationary single point independently of the orientation of said guided master link to enable the corresponding slave link of the slave unit to rotate about its longitudinal axis, and about a fifth and a sixth virtual axis which are parallel respectively to said second and third axes,
wherein the longitudinal axis of said corresponding slave link and the fifth and sixth virtual axes always intersect each other at a remote-center-of-motion in the vicinity of the remote manipulation, and
wherein the kinematic model of the chain formed by the plurality of articulated slave links and corresponding respective slave joints of the slave unit is identical to the kinematic model of the chain formed by the plurality of articulated master links and corresponding respective master joints of the master unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 1, wherein the end-effector comprises a plurality of at least two articulated end-effector links interconnected by end-effector joints and wherein the handle comprises a corresponding plurality of at least two corresponding articulated handle links interconnected by handle joints.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 2, wherein the kinematic model of the chain formed by the plurality of articulated end-effector links and the corresponding end-effector joints of the end-effector is identical to the kinematic model of the chain formed by the plurality of the articulated handle links and corresponding handle joints of the handle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 2, wherein the amplitude of the movement applied on each handle link of the handle is reproduced by the corresponding end-effector link of the end-effector at a first predetermined scale ratio which corresponds to the ratio between the length of each end-effector link and the length of the corresponding handle link.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 1, wherein the amplitude of the movement of each master link of the master unit, when the mechanical teleoperated device is operated, is reproduced by the corresponding slave link of the slave unit at a second predetermined scale ratio which corresponds to the ratio between the length of each slave link and the length of the corresponding master link.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 1, wherein the slave and master units are connected together by a connecting link adapted to rotate about its longitudinal axis which is aligned with said stationary point and said remote-center-of-motion independently of the orientation of the connecting link.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 6, wherein said master unit comprises at least three links arranged to form substantially a polygon construction of at least four sides with said connecting link, wherein one of said second and third axes is substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the polygon construction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 6, wherein the master unit comprises a first master link connected to a first master joint at one extremity and extending upwardly and substantially perpendicularly with reference to the connecting link, when the mechanical teleoperated device is in a neutral position, to be connected to a second master joint at its other extremity, a second master link connected to the second master joint at one extremity and extending to be connected to a third master joint at its other extremity, a third master link connected to the third master joint at one extremity and to a fourth master joint at its other extremity, wherein one extremity of the guided master link is connected to the fourth master joint such that said guided master link is axially rotatable about its longitudinal axis and extends downwardly across the connecting link through said mechanical constraint means the other extremity of said guided master link being connected to the handle of the mechanical teleoperated device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 8, wherein the handle of said device comprises a first handle link which is connected to one extremity of said guided master link through a first handle joint, wherein the axis of rotation of the first handle link is substantially perpendicular and intersecting to the longitudinal axis of said guided master link said handle further comprising a second and a third handle link connected to the first handle link trough respectively a second and a third handle joint coaxially mounted to each other.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 9, wherein the slave unit comprises a first slave joint connected to one extremity of the connecting link, a first slave link connected to the first slave joint at one extremity and extending upwardly and substantially perpendicularly with reference to the connecting link, when the teleoperated device is in a neutral position, to be connected to a second slave joint at its other extremity, a second slave link connected to the second slave joint at one extremity and extending to be connected to a third slave joint at its other extremity, a third slave link connected to the third slave joint at one extremity and to a fourth slave joint at its other extremity, wherein said fourth slave joint is coupled with a fourth slave link so that said fourth slave link is axially rotatable about its longitudinal axis and extends substantially downwardly.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 10, wherein the end-effector comprises a first end-effector link which is connected at one extremity of said fourth slave link through a first end-effector joint, the axis of rotation of the first end-effector link being substantially perpendicular to and intersecting the longitudinal axis of said fourth slave link, wherein said end-effector further comprises a second and a third end-effector link or blade connected to the first end-effector link trough respectively a second and a third end-effector joint coaxially mounted to each other.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

A mechanical manipulator comprising at least two mechanical teleoperated devices mounted on a station, wherein each mechanical teleoperated device is defined according to claim 1, and is configured to be operated independently from the other.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The mechanical manipulator according to claim 12, that wherein each of the two mechanical teleoperated devices is rotatably mounted on said station to be inclined along a side thereof to form preferably an angle between 60° and 90° with reference to a ground surface to enable said mechanical manipulator to be transported and compactly stored.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The mechanical manipulator according to claim 12, wherein said station is provided with a screen or with any other visual display configured to monitor the vicinity of the remote manipulation.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A mechanical teleoperated surgical device, for minimally invasive surgical procedures, comprising the mechanical teleoperated device according to claim 1, wherein said surgical device comprises at least one adjustment device to position said remote-center-of-motion in correspondence with a surgical incision realized on a patient.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

A mechanical teleoperated surgical device, for minimally invasive surgical procedures, comprising the mechanical manipulator according to claim 12, wherein said surgical device comprises at least one adjustment device to position said remote-center-of-motion in correspondence with a surgical incision realized on a patient.