# US 2019/0167079 A1 · Medical manipuplator system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0167079 A1 - Document ID: US20190167079A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/269,253 - Filed: 2019-02-06 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-12-14 - Assignees: Olympus Corporation - Applicants: Olympus Corporation - Inventors: Shintaro Inoue - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190167079A1 ## CPC - A61B 1/00149: {using articulated arms} - A61B 1/00006: {of control signals} - A61B 1/00055: {for alerting the user} - A61B 1/0016: {using motor drive units} - A61B 1/3132: {for laparoscopy} - A61B 5/065: {Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe} - A61B 34/00: Computer-aided surgery; Manipulators or robots specially adapted for use in surgery - A61B 34/20: Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis - A61B 34/30: Surgical robots - B25J 13/088: {with position, velocity or acceleration sensors} - A61B 2034/2059: {Mechanical position encoders} - A61B 2090/067: {for measuring angles} - 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}) ## Abstract The technology disclosed herein is directed to a medical manipulator system having a medical device. The medical device such as endoscope or other surgical instrument includes an elongated insertion portion. A holder assembly includes an articulated arm carrying the medical device that is attached thereto and is actuated following movement of the medical device and holds the medical device in a stationary state at a desired position. A position/attitude detection unit detects positions and attitudes of the elongated insertion portion in plurality states into which the medical device is caused to swing about a constraint point. A constraint point estimation unit estimates a position of the constraint point based on the positions and attitudes of the insertion portion as detected by the position/attitude detection unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A medical manipulator system comprising: a medical device having an elongated insertion portion; a holder assembly having an articulated arm carrying the medical device attached thereto and being actuated following movement of the medical device and holds the medical device in a stationary state at a desired position; a sensor configured to detect positions and attitudes of the elongated insertion portion in plurality states into which the medical device being caused to swing about a constraint point; and a first controller configured to estimate a position of the constraint point based on the positions and attitudes of the insertion portion as detected by the sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The medical manipulator system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an angle sensor positioned at a joint of the arm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The medical manipulator system of claim 1, wherein the constraint point is set at an insertion hole that extends through the body wall of a patient so as to be inserted the elongated insertion portion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The medical manipulator system of claim 1, wherein the medical device includes a bending joint at a tip of the insertion portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The medical manipulator system of claim 4, wherein the first controller is configured to control the bending joint in a state that the bending joint can pass through the insertion hole if a distance between the constraint point estimated by the first controller and the bending joint is equal to or smaller than a first threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The medical manipulator system of claim 5, wherein the first controller is further configured to control the bending joint so that, if the distance is greater than the first threshold, the bending joint having a movable range becomes smaller as the distance decreases. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The medical manipulator system of claim 1, wherein the first controller is configured: to calculate a distance between (i) position coordinates of a predetermined point on the medical device as calculated on the basis of the positions and attitudes of the insertion portion as detected by the sensor and (ii) position coordinates of the predetermined point calculated on the basis of the temporary position coordinates of the constraint point; and to output, as estimated values, temporary position coordinates of the constraint point when the distance converged to a second threshold or smaller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The medical manipulator system of claim 5, wherein the first controller is configured to output an error signal if the distance fails converge to a third threshold or smaller. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The medical manipulator system of claim 8, wherein the first controller is configured to control the bending joint in the state that the bending joint can pass through the insertion hole if the distance is greater than a third threshold. ### Claim 10 The medical manipulator system of 8, wherein the first controller is configured to: register position coordinates of a target point for the medical device, and renew the position coordinates of the registered target point on the basis of position coordinates of the constraint points before and after the output of the error signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The medical manipulator system of claim 1, wherein the holder assembly comprises at least one of an actuator configured to drive the respective joints. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The medical manipulator system of claim 11, wherein the holder assembly comprises a second controller configured to control the actuator so that the medical device is caused to swing about the constraint point estimated by the first controller. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The medical manipulator system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is an endoscope. ### Claim 14 A medical manipulator system comprising: an endoscope having respective proximal end and a free tip end defined by an elongated insertion portion, the elongated insertion portion configured to be inserted into an insertion hole formed through a body of a patient, which the free tip end of the endoscope being disposed inside the body of the patient and the proximal end is disposed outside the body of the patient, respectively; a holder assembly having an articulated arm carrying the endoscope attached thereto and being actuated following movement of the endoscope and holds the endoscope in a stationary state at a desired position; a detection unit detects positions and attitudes of the elongated insertion portion in plurality states into which the endoscope being caused to swing about a constraint point; and a constraint point estimation unit estimates a position of the constraint point based on the positions and attitudes of the insertion portion as detected by the detection unit and wherein the medical manipulator system being capable of correcting movement of the insertion hole relative to reference coordinates of the medical manipulator without using any jig while maintaining an insertion portion of the endoscope in a state of being kept inserted in the insertion hole. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The medical manipulator system of claim 14 further comprising a control unit having a calculation unit, the constraint point estimation unit, an endoscope control unit, and a notification unit all of which electronically communicate with one another to operate the endoscope. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The medical manipulator system of claim 15, wherein the endoscope control unit controls the endoscope based on the position coordinates of the constraint point as estimated by the constraint point estimation unit and the position of the insertion portion as calculated by the calculation unit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The medical manipulator system of claim 14, wherein the holder assembly is configured such that when an operator manually causes the endoscope to move to the desired position, individual joints are actuated following the movement of the endoscope.