US 5,299,288 A · Image-directed robotic system for precise robotic surgery including redundant consistency checking

Abstract

A robotic surgical system includes a multiple degree of freedom manipulator arm having a surgical tool. The arm is coupled to a controller for controllably positioning the surgical tool within a three dimensional coordinate system. The system further includes a safety monitoring processor for determining the position of the surgical tool in the three dimensional coordinate system relative to a volumetric model. The volumetric model may be represented as a constructive solid geometry (CSG) tree data structure. The system further includes an optical tracking camera system disposed for imaging a region of space that includes at least a portion of the manipulator arm. An output of the camera system is coupled to the processor that processes the volumetric model for determining if the surgical tool is positioned outside of the volumetric model. The system further includes a strain gage for detecting slippage in three dimensions between an immobilized tissue, such as bone, and a reference point. The system also includes multiple and redundant safety features for suspending a motion of the surgical tool to prevent the tool from operating outside of the predetermined volume of space.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of surgically removing a quantity of tissue from a patient, the tissue being removed from a region having a predetermined three dimensional shape, the method comprising the steps of:

representing the three dimensional shape as a volumetric model or as a portion of a volumetric model;
determining a location of the volumetric model relative to the tissue that is to be removed;
and
operating a multiple degree of freedom manipulator arm means having a surgical tool coupled thereto such that the tissue is removed, the step of operating including the steps of:
monitoring an output of a force sensor means that is coupled to the surgical tool;
detecting a position of the manipulator arm means;
determining a position of the surgical tool relative to the detected position of the manipulator arm means in accordance with a predetermined transformation function;
processing the volumetric model for determining if the determined position of the surgical tool is outside of the volumetric model;
and
suspending a further movement of the surgical tool if the surgical tool is determined to be positioned outside of the volumetric model or if the step of monitoring the output of the force sensor means indicates that a sensed force has exceeded a first predetermined threshold.

7 more elements

A method of preparing a cavity within a tissue to receive a prosthetic implant, the method comprising the steps of:

representing the prosthetic implant as a volumetric model or as a portion of a volumetric model;
determining a location of the volumetric model relative to the tissue within which the prosthetic implant is to be implanted;
and
operating a multiple degree of freedom manipulator arm means having a surgical tool coupled thereto such that a cavity is prepared within the tissue to receive the prosthetic implant therein, the step of operating including the steps of:
monitoring an output of a force sensor means that is coupled to the surgical tool;
imaging a portion of the manipulator arm means during the operation thereof so as to determine a position of the manipulator arm means within a three-dimensional coordinate system;
determining a position of the surgical tool, relative to the determined position of the manipulator arm means, in accordance with a predetermined transformation function;
processing the volumetric model for determining if the determined position of the surgical tool is outside of the volumetric model;
and
suspending a further movement of the surgical tool if the surgical a tool is determined to be positioned outside of the volumetric model or if the step of monitoring the output of the force sensor means indicates that a sensed force has exceeded a first predetermined threshold.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Image-directed robotic system for precise robotic surgery including redundant consistency checking

Life of this patent

Image-directed robotic system for precise robotic surgery including redundant consistency checking

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16