55662results about "Programme-controlled manipulator" patented technology

A robotic surgical system for performing minimally invasive medical procedures includes a robot manipulator for robotically assisted handling of a laparoscopic instrument having a manipulator arm, a manipulator wrist supported by the arm and an effector unit supported by the wrist, wherein the manipulator arm provides three degrees-of-freedom by means of a first joint, a second joint and a third joint, each having an associated actuator, for robotically positioning the wrist, the wrist providing two degrees-of-freedom by means of a fourth joint and a fifth revolute joint having an associated actuator, for robotically setting the yaw angle and the pitch angle of the effector unit respectively; the effector unit includes a laparoscopic instrument actuator and provides one degree-of-freedom by means of a revolute sixth joint having an associated actuator for robotically setting the roll angle of the LIA which includes a seat, with an associated coupling mechanism for mounting an instrument stem adaptor to the effector unit, and an actuation mechanism cooperating with the instrument stem adaptor for actuating a laparoscopic instrument connected to the adaptor. The effector unit is configured such that the rotation axis of the revolute sixth joint coincides with the longitudinal axis of a laparoscopic instrument mounted to the effector unit and the effector unit includes a sensor assembly having a 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) force / torque sensor and a 6 DOF accelerometer. The sensor assembly connects the LIA to the sixth revolute joint.

A robotic apparatus has eight actuators (M0-M7) and a linkage (LINK 0-LINK 5) that actuates an end effector. Three serial macro freedoms have large ranges of motion and inertias. Four serial micro freedoms have small ranges of motion and inertias. Translation of the end effector in an y direction is actuated by at least one micro joint and at least one macro joint. The apparatus can be part of a master and slave combination, providing force feedback without any explicit force sensors. The slave is controlled with an Inverse Jacobian controller, and the mater with a Jacobian Transpose controller. A slave having more degrees of freedom (DOFs) than the master can be controlled. A removable effector unit actuates its DOFs with cables. Beating heart surgery can be accomplished by commanding the slave to move with a beating heart and cancelling out any such motion in the motions perceived by the master.

The present invention provides a micro-robot for use inside the body during minimally-invasive surgery. The micro-robot includes an imaging devices, a manipulator, and in some embodiments a sensor.

A medical probe and medical system are provided. The medical probe comprises an elongated shaft, a plurality of electromagnetic elements spaced along the elongated shaft, and a plurality of wires extending through the elongated shaft and configured for energizing the electromagnetic elements that actuate a controlled bending of the elongated shaft. The medical system may comprise the medical probe and a controller configured for energizing the electromagnetic elements via the wires to actuate the controlled bending of the elongated shaft. The medical system may optionally comprise a user interface configured for conveying commands to the controller, in which case, the controller will be configured for energizing the electromagnetic elements via the wires to actuate a controlled bending of the elongated shaft in response to the commands.

A power transmission mechanism comprising: a flexible power transmission element; a pair of a drive pulley and a driven pulley on which the flexible power transmission element is wound, each the pulley having a pin-embedding hole formed to extend from the outer circumferential thereof toward the center thereof, and a slit elongated in the circumferential direction of the pulley to extend to opposite sides of the embedding hole and communicating with the embedding hole; and a pair of columnar or tapered anchor pins each having a path hole penetrating the anchor pin across the lengthwise direction thereof to receive the flexible power transmission element inserted therein, wherein each the anchor pin receiving the flexible power transmission element in the path hole thereof is embedded in the embedding hole of the associated pulley under pressure, and the flexible power transmission element is thereby held on the pulley.

A medical robotic system includes a surgical instrument, a robotic arm assembly, an input device, and a processor. The surgical instrument has an end effector and a sensor for sensing a force exerted by the end effector, and is operatively mounted on the robotic arm assembly. The processor is configured to receive commanded movement of the end effector from the input device, receive information of the force from the sensor, determine a reduced velocity of the commanded movement that would inhibit damage causing motion of the end effector, and control robotic manipulation of the surgical instrument in response to the commanded movement of the end effector while restricting the velocity of the commanded movement to the reduced velocity.

A manipulator operative in a master / slave operative mode includes a master unit commanding an operation; a slave unit having a work unit; a detector detecting the orientation of the master unit and the orientation of the slave unit; and a control device controlling the slave unit in response to a command from the master unit. The control device determines a non-master / slave operative mode or a master / slave operative mode, and calculates a difference between the orientation of the master unit and the orientation of the slave unit. The absolute value of the calculated difference is compared with a preset reference value, and depending upon the result of the comparison, a normal master / slave operative mode or a transitional master / slave operative mode is determined, wherein in the master / slave operative mode, the transitional master / slave operative mode is a transitional mode from the non-master / slave operative mode to the master / slave operative mode.

End effectors with closing mechanisms, and related tools and methods to facilitate clamping, are provided. An example surgical tool comprises a first and second jaw movable between a closed grasped or clamped configuration and an open configuration. The tool further comprises a soft grip mode for grasping the tissue at a first force during which a separation parameter between the jaws is measured, and a therapeutic clamping mode in which the jaws clamp on the body tissue at a force greater than the grasping force. The methods comprise grasping the body tissue between jaw members, measuring the separation parameter between jaws, indicating on a user interface the separation parameter for comparison to a desired separation parameter, and then releasing the body tissue for repositioning or therapeutically clamping the body tissue in response to the separation parameter indication.

The invention provides an articulating mechanism useful, for example, for remote manipulation of various surgical instruments and diagnostic tools within, or to, regions of the body. Movement of segments at the proximal end of the mechanism results in a corresponding, relative movement of segments at the distal end of the mechanism. The proximal and distal segments are connected by a set of cables in such a fashion that each proximal segment forms a discrete pair with a distal segment. This configuration allows each segment pair to move independently of one another and also permits the articulating mechanism to undergo complex movements and adopt complex configurations. The articulating mechanisms may also be combined in such a way to remotely mimic finger movements for manipulation of an object or body tissue.

A system and method for controlling tendon-driven manipulators that provide a closed-loop control of joint torques or joint impedances without inducing dynamic coupling between joints. The method includes calculating tendon reference positions or motor commands by projecting a torque error into tendon position space using a single linear operation. The method calculates this torque error using sensed tendon tensions and a reference torque and internal tension. The method can be used to control joint impedance by calculating the reference torque based on a joint position error. The method limits minimum and maximum tendon tensions by projecting the torque error into the tendon tension space and then projecting ii back into joint space.

A medical manipulator includes an actuator block having a motor, a coupler detachably mounted on the actuator block and having a rotor connected to a rotatable shaft of the motor, a distal-end working unit mounted on a distal end of a joint shaft, which extends from the coupler and is operatively connected to the rotor by a wire, an encoder for detecting an angular displacement of the motor, and a controller for reading a signal from the encoder and comparing the read signal with an operation command value for energizing the motor through a feedback loop. The controller outputs a signal having a level greater than the resolution of the encoder and a lower operation limit of the motor within a range in which the distal-end working unit remains still, and monitors the angular displacement of the motor for thereby determining whether the feedback loop is malfunctioning or not.

The present invention provides a surgical manipulator including a manipulator arm, an end-effector held by the robotic arm, surgical tools held by the end-effector and manipulator joints, particularly right-angle drive devices for transmitting rotational motion in one axis to a perpendicular axis.

A method of performing a medical procedure on a patient comprises conveying control signals from a remote controller to a drive unit, intravenously introducing the catheter into a heart of the patient (e.g., via the vena cava into the right atrium), and creating a puncture within a wall between two chambers (e.g., the left and right atria) of the heart. The method further comprises creating a puncture within a wall between two chambers of the heart, and operating the drive unit in accordance with the control signals to advance a working catheter within the guide catheter through the puncture.

A transfer apparatus (20) for a target substrate (W) includes a rotatable rotary base (24). First and second arm mechanisms (26, 28) are attached to the rotary base and configured to bend and stretch. Each of the first and second arm mechanisms has a proximal end arm (26A, 28A), an intermediate arm (26B, 28B), and a pick (26C, 28C) which are pivotally coupled to each other sequentially from the rotary base. The picks are disposed to support the target substrate. A link mechanism (30) is coupled to the proximal end arms of the first and second arm mechanisms to drive the first and second arm mechanisms. A first driving source (32) is disposed to rotatably drive the rotary base. A second driving source (34) is disposed to drive the link mechanism so as to bend or stretch the first and second arm mechanisms.

A manipulator has a working unit including an end effector and a posture axis for changing the orientation of the manipulator, a compound mechanism provided on the working unit, and a controller for actuating a gripper axis, a yaw axis, and a roll axis by respectively controlling movement positions of three motors. The controller includes a torque generation detector for detecting a timing at which torque is generated on the gripper axis. When the controller detects the timing at which a torque τg′ is generated on the gripper axis under operation of a given motor, the movement positions of the plural motors are shifted and set, corresponding to the directions at which interference torques are generated with respect to the yaw axis and the roll axis, and to predetermined positions of the same directions.

A latch mechanism selectively retains a first assembly to a second assembly. The first and second assemblies are configured for sliding engagement along an engagement axis. The latch mechanism includes a latch shaft mounted to the first assembly to rotate about a latch shaft axis, a torsion spring to bias the latch shaft relative to the first assembly, and a transverse latch member coupled with the second assembly. The latch mechanism is configured to automatically latch in response to the first assembly being pushed toward the second assembly. The transverse latch member interacts with the latch shaft to rotate the latch shaft in a first direction in response to movement of the first assembly toward the second assembly. Further motion of the first assembly toward the second assembly results in rotation of the latch shaft opposite to the first direction into a retention configuration that retains the transverse latch member.

The invention has for its object to provide a manipulator and manipulator system in which a dynamic surplus is rapidly removed and a moving assembly actuates rapidly in association with the operation of an operating assembly.The manipulator 1 includes an operating assembly 2 operated by an operator, a moving assembly 3 operated by the operating assembly 2, a transmitting assembly 4 for coupling the operating assembly 2 to the moving assembly 3 to transmit driving force of the operating assembly 2 to the moving assembly 3, and a transmission compensating assembly 6 for making up for a dynamic surplus occurring in the transmitting assembly 4 in association with the operation of the operating assembly 2.

An apparatus and method for controlling a robot may scale a motion of a surgical robot based on a type of object gripped by the surgical robot. In the robot controlling method, by scaling the motion of the surgical robot based on the type of object gripped by the surgical robot, the surgical robot may automatically perform the motion on objects using an optimized force although a user does not control a force minutely based on the type of object gripped by the surgical robot.