Ratcheting for master alignment of a teleoperated minimally invasive surgical instrument

摘要

A minimally-invasive surgical system includes a slave surgical instrument having a slave surgical instrument tip and a master grip. The slave surgical instrument tip has an alignment in a common frame of reference and the master grip, which is coupled to the slave surgical instrument, has an alignment in the common frame of reference. An alignment error, in the common frame of reference, is a difference in alignment between the alignment of the slave surgical instrument tip and the alignment of the master grip. A ratcheting system (i) coupled to the master grip to receive the alignment of the master grip and (ii) coupled to the slave surgical instrument, to control motion of the slave by continuously reducing the alignment error, as the master grip moves, without autonomous motion of the slave surgical instrument tip and without autonomous motion of the master grip.

主权项

1. A surgical system comprising:
a slave surgical instrument having a slave instrument tip; a master control; and an alignment system coupled between the slave surgical instrument and the master control; the alignment system having stored therein information characterizing a first alignment error, the first alignment error being a difference between an alignment of the slave instrument tip and a first alignment of the master control, the alignment of the slave instrument tip and the first alignment of the master control both being in a common frame of reference; the alignment system being configured to determine a second alignment error, the second alignment error being a difference between the alignment of the slave instrument tip and a second alignment of the master control after movement of the master control from the first alignment of the master control to the second alignment of the master control, the second alignment of the master control being in the common frame of reference; and the alignment system being configured to store information characterizing the second alignment error in place of the stored information characterizing the first alignment error only if the second alignment error is less than the first alignment error.