Robotic apparatus

Abstract

A robotic apparatus has eight actuators (M 0 -M 7 ) 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.

1 . A servomechanical system comprising:
 a master unit having a movable master;   a slave unit having a surgical end effector, the slave moving the end effector in response to movement of the master;   a controller coupling the master unit to the slave unit so that an operator manipulating the master can direct the surgical end effector in performing a surgical procedure on a beating heart; and   means for stabilizing an image of a portion of the beating heart, wherein the stabilizing means comprises a sensor, in direct contact with said portion of the heart, for measuring beating movement of said portion of the heart, and wherein the controller calculates a frame of reference of the heart using the measured heart movement.   
     
     
         2 . The servomechanical system of  claim 1 , further comprising a camera arm that moves in response to the heart frame of reference. 
     
     
         3 . The servomechanical system of  claim 1 , wherein the slave moves the end effector in response to the heart frame of reference, such that the end effector appears substantially motionless relative to said beating portion of the heart. 
     
     
         4 . The servomechanical system of  claim 1 , wherein said sensor comprises a mechanical arm with an end that is placed against the beating heart while the end effector performs the surgical procedure. 
     
     
         5 . A robotic surgical system, comprising:
 a slave articulate arm having a plurality of linkages and joints and a distal portion; and   a surgical instrument releasably coupleable to said distal portion of said articulate arm, said instrument comprising a wrist portion, at least a first end effector element, and a proximal portion coupled to an elongate shaft, said elongate shaft having a longitudinal axis and a distal end, said wrist portion of said instrument comprising   a first distal joint coupled to said distal end of said elongate shaft, said first distal joint having a first joint axis substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis,   a first distal link movably coupled to said first distal joint,   a second distal joint coupled to said first distal joint via said first distal link, said second distal joint having a second joint axis substantially parallel to said first joint axis,   a second distal link movably coupled to said second distal joint, and   a third distal joint coupled to said second distal joint via said second distal link, said third distal joint movably coupled to said at least one end effector element; and   a master controller having an input linkage, wherein input commands from an operator to said input linkage cause the controller to control movement of said instrument according to said input commands.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said third distal joint has a third joint axis substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said elongate shaft, said third joint axis further substantially perpendicular to said first and second joint axes. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said wrist portion is coupled to said elongate shaft in such a way that said wrist portion is movable about said longitudinal axis of said elongate shaft of said instrument. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said elongate shaft is movable about its longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , said instrument further comprising a second end effector element movably coupled to said third distal joint, such that said first and second end effector elements are movable relative to, and independently of, one another. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of any of  claims 5  to  9 , wherein said articulate arm comprises a remote center of motion mechanism having macro degrees of freedom of movement that are redundant with the degrees of freedom of movement of the instrument around said first, second and third distal joint axes. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said input commands comprise the operator moving at least one master control handle, wherein movement of said instrument corresponds to a scaled increment of said movement of said master control handle. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the forces experienced by the instrument during a surgical procedure are reproduced at the master control handle to provide the operator with force feedback, wherein the reproduced forces at the master are scaled increments of the forces experienced by the instrument. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the reproduced forces are reproduced in three degrees of freedom of movement of the master, corresponding to three degrees of freedom of movement of the instrument. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the reproduced forces at the master correspond to an amplification of the forces experienced by the instrument. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said slave articulate arm comprises a slave linkage having a number X of DOFs, X being at least 7, and wherein said master input linkage is characterized by a number Y of DOFs where Y is at least one fewer than X. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said slave articulate arm and instrument have a combined X degrees of freedom of movement, and said master input linkage has Y degrees of freedom of movement, wherein Y is at least one fewer than X, wherein said controller is configured to resolve a redundancy in control due to the difference between the X and Y degrees of freedom of movement by applying a cost function to a range of possible joint configurations, each of which provides substantially the same location for the end effector member. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein X comprises 7 slave degrees of freedom of movement and Y comprises 6 master degrees of freedom of movement. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein X comprises 8 slave degrees of freedom of movement and Y comprises 7 master degrees of freedom of movement. 
     
     
         19 . A robotic surgical system, comprising:
 a slave articulate arm having a plurality of linkages and joints and a distal portion; and   a surgical instrument releasably coupleable to said distal portion of said articulate arm, said instrument comprising at least a first end effector element coupled to a wrist portion, and a proximal portion coupled to an elongate shaft, said elongate shaft having a longitudinal axis and a distal end coupled to said wrist portion, said wrist portion of said instrument comprising:   at least three distal axes of rotation relative to said distal end of said shaft, each of said axes offset from one another, at least two of said axes of rotation being substantially parallel to one another, said end effector element movable about the most distal of said three distal axes.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said two substantially parallel distal axes do not comprise said distal most distal axis. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said wrist portion comprises a fourth distal axis, two of said four distal axes of rotation being substantially parallel to one another, said other two distal axes of rotation being substantially orthogonal to said parallel axes, said end effector element movable about the most distal of said four axes. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the most proximal of said four distal axes comprises an axis substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of said instrument elongate shaft around which the wrist portion can rotate. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the two substantially parallel distal axes are adjacent one another and are substantially orthogonal to said longitudinal axis of said instrument and said distal most axis. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said articulate arm comprises a remote center of motion mechanism having degrees of freedom of movement that are redundant with the degrees of freedom of movement of the instrument around said first, second and third distal joint axes. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , further comprising a master controller having an input linkage, wherein input commands from an operator to said input linkage cause the controller to control movement of said instrument according to said input commands. 
     
     
         26 . A robotic surgical system comprising:
 an articulate robotic arm; and   a robotic surgical instrument releasably coupleable to a distal portion of said articulate arm, said instrument comprising:   at least a first end effector element movably coupled to a wrist portion, and a proximal portion coupled to an elongate shaft, said proximal portion coupleable to said articulate arm, said elongate shaft having a longitudinal axis and a distal end coupled to said wrist portion,   said wrist portion having at least two segments, each of said segments having a segment axis, said segments movably coupled together in such a way that at least one of said segment axes can be positioned substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said elongate shaft.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the end effector element is capable of traveling along an arcuate path while said at least one of said segment axes remains substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis and without said elongate shaft of said instrument translating along, or rotating about, said longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         28 . The instrument of  claim 26 , wherein said wrist segments and said end effector are operatively coupled to a remote input control device, wherein an operator manipulating the remote input device can cause the wrist segments and end effector to move relative to a surgical site. 
     
     
         29 . An apparatus for performing robotic surgery, comprising:
 an articulate robotic arm;   a robotic surgical instrument releasably coupleable to a distal portion of said articulate arm, said instrument comprising:
 at least a first end effector element movably coupled to a wrist portion, and a proximal portion coupled to an elongate shaft, said proximal portion coupleable to said articulate arm, said elongate shaft having a longitudinal axis and a distal end coupled to said wrist portion, said wrist portion having at least two segments, each of said segments having a segment axis, said segments movably coupled together in such a way that at least one of said segment axes can be positioned substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said elongate shaft; 
 a master input device operatively coupled to a controller, said controller operatively coupled to said robotic surgical instrument; 
 a sensor for sensing the motion of a portion of a beating heart by directly contacting said portion with a motion sensor, said sensor operatively coupled to said controller; 
 wherein said controller controls movement of the instrument based on information provided by the sensor to the controller such that the distance between the end effector and said portion of the beating heart remains substantially constant. 
   
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein an operator is able to control movement of said instrument relative to the beating heart by providing input commands to said master input device, said input commands comprising the operator moving at least one master control handle, wherein movement of said instrument corresponds to a scaled increment of said movement of said master control handle. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein forces experienced by the instrument during a surgical procedure are reproduced at the master control handle to provide the operator with force feedback, wherein the reproduced forces at the master are scaled increments of the forces experienced by the instrument. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 31 , wherein the reproduced forces are reproduced in three degrees of freedom of movement of the master, corresponding to three degrees of freedom of movement of the instrument. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 31 , wherein the reproduced forces at the master correspond to an amplification of the forces experienced by the instrument. 
     
     
         34 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein said slave articulate arm comprises a slave linkage having a number X of DOFs, X being at least 7, and wherein said master input linkage is characterized by a number Y of DOFs where Y is at least one fewer than X. 
     
     
         35 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein said slave articulate arm and instrument have a combined X degrees of freedom of movement, and said master input linkage has Y degrees of freedom of movement, wherein Y is at least one fewer than X, wherein said controller is configured to resolve a redundancy in control due to the difference between the X and Y degrees of freedom of movement by applying a cost function to a range of possible joint configurations, each of which provides substantially the same location for the end effector element. 
     
     
         36 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein X comprises 7 slave degrees of freedom of movement and Y comprises 6 master degrees of freedom of movement. 
     
     
         37 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein X comprises 8 slave degrees of freedom of movement and Y comprises 7 master degrees of freedom of movement.