# US 2025/0152284 A1 · Methods, apparatus and systems for manipulating a medical device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0152284 A1 - Document ID: US20250152284A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/835,305 - Filed: 2023-02-06 - Published: 2025-05-15 - Earliest claimed: 2022-02-07 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon U.S.A., Inc.; Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Brian Ninni; Takahisa Kato; Fumitaro Masaki; Charles George Hwang; HuaLei Shelley Zhang; Kiyoshi Takagi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250152284A1 ## CPC - A61B 34/30: Surgical robots - A61B 34/37: Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence) - A61B 1/00006: {of control signals} - A61B 1/0016: {using motor drive units} - A61B 1/0057: {Constructional details of force transmission elements, e.g. control wires} - A61B 34/71: {Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms} - A61B 90/00: Instruments, implements or accessories specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis and not covered by any of the groups A61B1/00 - A61B50/00, e.g. for luxation treatment or for protecting wound edges - A61B 90/06: {Measuring instruments not otherwise provided for} - B25J 9/06: characterised by multi-articulated arms - B25J 9/104: {with cables, chains or ribbons} - B25J 18/06: flexible - A61B 1/0055: {Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements} - A61B 2017/00314: {Separate linked members} - A61B 2017/00327: {with actuating members moving in opposite directions} - A61B 2034/2059: {Mechanical position encoders} - A61B 2034/2061: {using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings} - A61B 2034/301: {for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes} - A61B 2090/064: {for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension} - 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 A continuum robot having at least two independently manipulatable bendable section for advancing the robot through a passage, without contacting fragile elements within the passage, wherein the robot incorporates a system, method and apparatus including a ‘relax mode’ capable of relaxing at least one of the bendable sections, allowing the bendable section to conform to the surrounding anatomy. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A robotic apparatus comprising: a continuum robot including a plurality of bending sections including a distal bending section and a proximal bending section wherein each of the bending sections are bent by at least one wire; a driver that drives the wire; and an operational console that controls a movement of the driver, based on an input, wherein the operational console includes at least one motor for moving the at least one wire, and at least one sensor in communication with the wire for detecting a force on the at least one wire, and wherein the operational console further comprises a relax mode for reducing tensile or compression forces in the at least one wire for relaxing at least one of the bendable sections by using force feedback control of the at least one motor based on information from the at least one sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein relax mode further comprises reducing tensile or compression forces in the at least one wire for relaxing at least one of the bendable sections. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein reducing both compression and tensile forces is independent of actuator mechanical structure and accomplished by using the force feedback control to release forces on the at least one wire. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relax mode is enacted based on a force measurement data on the at least one wire. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the relax mode may be passively enacted when the at least one sensor reaches a threshold force measurement. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relax mode can be activated or deactivated by an end user. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the end user engages a button to activate and/or deactivate relax mode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the end user engages a button to activate relax mode, and after a predetermined time interval, relax mode is automatically deactivate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operational console does not reflect the end user's bending command for the bendable sections in relax mode. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a base stage to move the continuum robot and driving unit in a longitudinal direction, wherein movement of the base stage is controlled by the operational console by instructions from the end user. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein relax mode is enacted only when the base stage is static. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein relax mode may be enacted for inserting and/or removing the plurality of bending sections. ### Claim 13 A method for controlling a robotic apparatus: the robotic apparatus comprising: a continuum robot including a plurality of bending sections including a distal bending section and a proximal bending section wherein each of the bending sections are bent by at least one wire; a driver that drives the at least one wire; an operational console that controls a movement of the drive, based on an input; and a sensor in communication with the at least one wire for detecting a force on the at least one wire, wherein the method comprises: receiving an input from a user to the operational console; sending a signal from the operational console to the driver to drive the at least one wire to manipulate the continuum robot; monitoring the sensor to detect a force on the sensor; engaging a relax mode for reducing tensile or compression forces in the at least one wire for relaxing at least one of the bendable sections by using force feedback control of the at least one motor based on information from the sensor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The control system of claim 13, wherein relax mode further comprises reducing tensile and compression forces in the at least one wire for relaxing at least one of the bendable sections. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The control system of claim 14, wherein reducing both compression and tensile forces is independent of actuator mechanical structure and accomplished by using the force feedback control to release forces on the at least one wire. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The control system of claim 13, wherein the relax mode is enacted based on a force measurement data on the at least one wire. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The control system of claim 13, wherein the relax mode can be activated or deactived by an end user. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The control system of claim 17, wherein the end user engages a button to activate relax mode, and after a predetermined time interval, relax mode is automatically deactivate. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The control system of claim 13, wherein the controller does not reflect the end user's bending command for the bendable sections in relax mode. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The control system of claim 13, further comprising an insertion stage to move the continuum robot in a longitudinal direction with respect the continuum robot, wherein movement of the insertion stage is controlled by the controller by instructions from the end user. ### Claim 21 (depends on 13) The control system of claim 13, wherein relax mode may be enacted for inserting and/or removing the plurality of bending sections.