US 2017/0281287 A1 · SYSTEM WITH GUIDES AND TOOLS OF DIFFERENT FLEXIBILITY

Abstract

A robotic medical system with a flexible guide tube such as a lung catheter can record the shape of the guide tube in a target configuration. If the shape includes a bend that is sharper than a sharpest permitted bend for insertion or removal of a tool such as a biopsy needle, a control system can find any locations of sharp bends and automatically retract the guide tube to a location associated with a sharp bend. With the tip backed up to that location, the needle can be inserted into or removed from the catheter. The control system can automatically move the catheter between the target configuration and the retracted configuration of the guide tube.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a flexible guide tube;
a drive system coupled to the flexible guide tube and configured to move at least a portion of the flexible guide tube;
and
a control logic that operates the drive system, wherein the control logic comprises:
a shape analysis module configured to identify, in a first configuration of the flexible guide tube, one or more sections of the flexible guide tube that a tool configured to be inserted through the flexible guide tube cannot traverse;
and
a movement module configured to command the drive system to move the flexible guide tube to a second configuration, wherein the second configuration does not include the one or more sections of the flexible guide tube that the tool cannot traverse.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

15/509,062Filed 3 Sep 2015

Priority

9 Sep 2014

Published

5 Oct 2017

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

A61B 34/32
Surgical robots: operating autonomously
A61B 10/0233
Instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy: pointed or sharp biopsy instruments
A61B 34/20
Computer-aided surgery; Manipulators or robots specially adapted for use in surgery: surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding…
A61B 34/30
Computer-aided surgery; Manipulators or robots specially adapted for use in surgery: surgical robots

System with guides and tools of different flexibility

Life of this patent

System with guides and tools of different flexibility

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20