Inter-Operative Switching of Tools in a Robotic Surgical System

A telesurgical system for performing minimally invasive surgery on a patient, comprising:

• a plurality of robotic manipulators each operable to receive one of a plurality of tools including an imaging device and a surgical instrument;
• and
• a controller operable to:
• control an imaging device connected to a first manipulator of the robotic manipulators and a surgical instrument connected to a second manipulator of the robotic manipulators;
• detect a swap of the imaging device and the surgical instrument such that the imaging device is connected to the second manipulator and the surgical instrument is connected to the first manipulator;
• and
• control the imaging device connected to the second manipulator and the surgical instrument connected to the first manipulator.

A method for controlling a telesurgical system, the method comprising:

• determining whether a tool is connected to a manipulator of the system;
• acquiring a mapping for the tool when it is determined that the tool is connected to the manipulator;
• controlling the tool using the acquired mapping;
• determining whether the tool is removed from the manipulator and a new tool is connected to the manipulator;
• acquiring a new mapping for the new tool when it is determined that the tool is removed from the manipulator and a new tool is connected to the manipulator;
• and
• controlling the new tool using the acquired new mapping.