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EP-4741960-A2 - SYSTEM FOR MANAGING MULTIPLE NULL-SPACE OBJECTIVES AND SLI BEHAVIORS

EP4741960A2EP 4741960 A2EP4741960 A2EP 4741960A2EP-4741960-A2

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for providing commanded movement of an end effector of a manipulator concurrent with a desired movement of one or more joints of the manipulator according to one or more consolidated null-space objectives. The null-space objectives may include a joint state combination, relative joint states, range of joint states, joint state profile, kinetic energy, clutching movements, collision avoidance movements, singularity avoidance movements, pose or pitch preference, desired manipulator configurations, commanded reconfiguration of the manipulator, and anisotropic emphasis of the joints. Methods include calculating multiple null-space movements according to different null-space objectives, determining an attribute for each and consolidating the null-space movements with a null-space manager using various approaches. The approaches may include applying weighting, scaling, saturation levels, priority, master velocity limiting, saturated limited integration and various combinations thereof.

Inventors

  • HOURTASH, ARJANG

Assignees

  • Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20140318

Claims (15)

  1. A system comprising: a manipulator arm (500) including a movable distal portion, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a plurality of joints between the distal portion and the base, the plurality of joints having sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states of the plurality of joints for a given joint state of the distal portion; and a processor coupled to the manipulator arm (500), the processor configured to perform operations comprising: calculating a first movement of a first set of joints of the plurality of joints within a null-space of a Jacobian according to a first objective for arm-to-patient collision avoidance, calculating a second movement of a second set of the plurality of joints within the null-space according to a second objective for arm-to-arm-collision avoidance; combining the first and second movements into a combined movement in a manner allowing the first objective to overpower the second objective; and driving the plurality of joints to effect the combined movement.
  2. The system of claim 1, wherein combining the first and second movements into the combined movement in a manner allowing the first objective to overpower the second objective comprises: combining the first and second movements based on a first attribute associated with the first objective and a second attribute associated with the second objective, wherein the first and second attributes allow the first objective to overpower the second objective.
  3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first attribute comprises a first saturation limit, wherein the second attribute comprises a second saturation limit, and wherein the first saturation limit is higher than the second saturation limit.
  4. The system of claim 2, wherein combining the first and second movements into the combined movement comprises: when the first and second movements conflict, applying the first and second attributes.
  5. The system of claim 2, wherein the first attribute comprises a first weight, and wherein the second attribute comprises a second weight, and wherein the first weight is greater than the second weight.
  6. The system of claim 2, wherein the first attribute comprises a first priority, wherein the second attribute comprises a second priority, and wherein the first priority is higher than the second priority.
  7. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise: calculating a third movement of the plurality of joints in the null-space, the third movement being calculated in accordance with a third objective associated with a third attribute; the first attribute comprises a first saturation limit and a first priority; the second attribute comprises a second saturation limit and a second priority, the second priority equal to the first priority; the third attribute comprises a third priority, the third priority being a next highest priority after the first and second priorities; and combining the first and second movements into the combined movement, comprising combining the first and second movements in accordance with the first and second saturation limits, determining a remaining null-space after mapping the combined first and second movement into the null-space, and mapping the third movement to the remaining null-space.
  8. The system of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein combining the first and second movements into the combined movement comprises: combining the first and second movements while limiting an overall magnitude of the combined movement without changing a direction of the combined movement; or combining the first and second movements while limiting a magnitude of the combined movement degree-of- freedom by degree-of-freedom.
  9. The system of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein combining at least the first and second movements into the combined movement comprises: limiting at least one movement in relation to a master velocity, wherein the master velocity is associated with a commanded movement to move the distal portion, and wherein the at least one movement is selected from a group consisting of: the first movement, the second movement, and the combined movement.
  10. The system of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a manipulation command to move the distal portion; calculating a distal-portion movement of the plurality of joints to move the distal portion; and driving the plurality of joints to effect the distal-portion movement of the plurality of joints in combination with the combined movement of the plurality of joints.
  11. A machine-readable medium storing instructions for a processor system to operate a manipulator arm (500) including a movable distal portion, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a plurality of joints between the distal portion and the base, the plurality of joints having sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states of the plurality of joints for a given joint state of the distal portion, the instructions causing the processor system to perform operations comprising: calculating a first movement of a first set of joints of the plurality of joints within a null-space of a Jacobian according to a first objective for arm-to-patient collision avoidance, calculating a second movement of a second set of the plurality of joints within the null-space according to a second objective for arm-to-arm-collision avoidance; combining the first and second movements into a combined movement in a manner allowing the first objective to overpower the second objective; and driving the plurality of joints to effect the combined movement.
  12. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein combining the first and second movements into the combined movement in a manner allowing the first objective to overpower the second objective comprises: combining the first and second movements based on a first attribute associated with the first objective and a second attribute associated with the second objective, wherein the first and second attributes allow the first objective to overpower the second objective.
  13. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise: calculating a third movement of the plurality of joints in the null-space, the third movement being calculated in accordance with a third objective associated with a third attribute; the first attribute comprises a first saturation limit and a first priority; the second attribute comprises a second saturation limit and a second priority, the second priority equal to the first priority; the third attribute comprises a third priority, the third priority being a next highest priority after the first and second priorities; and combining the first and second movements into the combined movement, comprising combining the first and second movements in accordance with the first and second saturation limits, determining a remaining null-space after mapping the combined first and second movement into the null-space, and mapping the third movement to the remaining null-space.
  14. The machine-readable medium of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein combining the first and second movements into the combined movement comprises: combining the first and second movements while limiting an overall magnitude of the combined movement without changing a direction of the combined movement; or combining the first and second movements while limiting a magnitude of the combined movement degree-of- freedom by degree-of-freedom.
  15. The machine-readable medium of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein combining at least the first and second movements into the combined movement comprises: limiting at least one movement in relation to a master velocity, wherein the master velocity is associated with a commanded movement to move the distal portion, and wherein the at least one movement is selected from a group consisting of: the first movement, the second movement, and the combined movement.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a Non-Provisional of and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/800,810 filed on March 15, 2013 and entitled " Systems and Methods for Managing Multiple Null-Space Objectives and SLI Behaviors" (Attorney Docket No. ISRG03790PROV/US), the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The present application is generally related to the following commonly-owned applications: U.S. Application No. 12/494,695 filed June 30, 2009, entitled "Control of Medical Robotic System Manipulator About Kinematic Singularities;" U.S. Application No. 12/406,004 filed March 17, 2009, entitled "Master Controller Having Redundant Degrees of Freedom and Added Forces to Create Internal Motion;" U.S. Application No. 11/133,423 filed May 19, 2005 (U.S. Patent No. 8,004,229), entitled "Software Center and Highly Configurable Robotic Systems for Surgery and Other Uses;" U.S. Application No. 10/957,077 filed September 30, 2004 (U.S. Patent No., 7,594,912), entitled "Offset Remote Center Manipulator For Robotic Surgery;" and U.S. Application No. 09/398,507 filed September, 17, 1999 (U.S. Patent No. 6,714,839), entitled "Master Having Redundant Degrees of Freedom;" U.S. Application No. 12/494,695 filed June 30, 2009, entitled "Control of Medical Robotic System Manipulators About Kinematic Singularities;" U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/654,755 filed June 1, 2012, entitled "Manipulator Arm-to-Patient Collision Avoidance Using a Null-Space;" U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/654,773 filed June 1, 2012, entitled "System and Methods for Avoiding Collisions Between Manipulator Arms Using a Null-Space," and the following U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61/800,381 (Atty Docket No. ISRG 03800); 61/800,924 (Atty Docket No. ISRG 03870) and 61/799,920 (Atty Docket No. ISRG 03900) filed March 15, 2013, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally provides improved surgical and/or robotic devices, systems, and methods. Minimally invasive medical techniques are aimed at reducing the amount of tissue which is damaged during diagnostic or surgical procedures, thereby reducing patient recovery time, discomfort, and deleterious side effects. Millions of "open" or traditional surgeries are performed each year in the United States; many of these surgeries can potentially be performed in a minimally invasive manner. However, only a relatively small number of surgeries currently use minimally invasive techniques due to limitations in surgical instruments, and techniques, and the additional surgical training required to master them. Minimally invasive telesurgical systems for use in surgery are being developed to increase a surgeon's dexterity as well as to allow a surgeon to operate on a patient from a remote location. Telesurgery is a general term for surgical systems where the surgeon uses some form of remote control, e.g., a servomechanism, or the like, to manipulate surgical instrument movements rather than directly holding and moving the instruments by hand. In such a telesurgery system, the surgeon is provided with an image of the surgical site at the remote location. While viewing typically a three-dimensional image of the surgical site on a suitable viewer or display, the surgeon performs the surgical procedures on the patient by manipulating master control input devices, which in turn controls the motion of robotic instruments. The robotic surgical instruments can be inserted through small, minimally invasive surgical apertures to treat tissues at surgical sites within the patient, often avoiding the trauma associated with accessing for open surgery. These robotic systems can move the working ends of the surgical instruments with sufficient dexterity to perform quite intricate surgical tasks, such as by pivoting shafts of the instruments at the minimally invasive aperture, sliding of the shaft axially through the aperture, rotating of the shaft within the aperture, and/or the like. The servomechanism used for telesurgery will often accept input from two master controllers (one for each of the surgeon's hands) and may include two or more robotic arms or manipulators. Mapping of the hand movements to the image of the robotic instruments displayed by the image capture device can help provide the surgeon with accurate control over the instruments associated with each hand. In many surgical robotic systems, one or more additional robotic manipulator arms are included for moving an endoscope or other image capture device, additional surgical instruments, or the like. A variety of structural arrangements can be used to support the surgical instrument at the surgical site during robotic surgery. The driven linkage or "slave" is often called a robotic surgical manipulator, and example as a robotic surgical manipulator during minimally invasi