IP Library › Granted Patent US 12708247

Granted Patent B2

US 12708247 · App. 18/809,672 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Medical manipulator system, controller, and controlling method

Inventors: Tatsuya Horiuchi (Sagamihara, JP); Kosuke Kishi (Mitaka, JP); Takahiro Komuro (Hachioji, JP); Yuji Sakaki (Tachikawa, JP); Michito Matsuoka (Hachioji, JP); Masao Nichogi (Kouza-gun, JP); Shu Kambe (Hachioji, JP); Toshihiro Yoshii (Hachioji, JP); Shota Sawada (Kokubunji, JP); Noriaki Yamanaka (Hachioji, JP); Hiroshi Ashiba (Tokorozawa, JP); Hiroki Jinnai (Musashino, JP); Soichiro Koshika (Koganei, JP); Ryota Yanagawa (Hachioji, JP)

Assignee: OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORP.

A61B1/00006 A61B1/00039 A61B1/00133 A61B1/0016 A61B1/0051 A61B1/0057 A61B34/37 A61B34/71 G16H40/63 A61B2034/301 A61B2090/066 A61M25/0147

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12708247
App. No.: 18/809,672
Granted: Aug 18, 2026
Kind: B2

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

A medical manipulator system includes: a medical manipulator having a bending portion; a drive device connected to the medical manipulator and bending the bending portion; and a controller into which a manipulation input for bending the bending portion is input. The drive device is configured to determine a bending direction in which the bending portion is bent based on a first part of the manipulation input, and determine an amount of bending drive based on an entire input from a start to an end of the manipulation input.

Claims (66)

1 . A medical manipulator system, comprising:

a medical manipulator having a bending portion;

an actuator connected to the medical manipulator and configured to bend the bending portion; and

a controller into which a manipulation input for bending the bending portion is input, the controller including a touch pad,

wherein the controller is configured to:

receive the manipulation input via the touch pad,

determine a bending direction in which the bending portion is bent based on a first part of the manipulation input received via the touch pad,

determine an amount of bending drive based on an entirety of the manipulation input received via the touch pad, the entirety of the manipulation input corresponding to a period from a start to an end of a manipulation operation detected by the controller, and

control the actuator to bend the bending portion by the determined amount of bending drive in the determined bending direction.

2 . The medical manipulator system according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to determine the first part of the manipulation input, based on the manipulation input at a second position of the touch pad that is a predetermined distance away from a first position of the touch pad where the manipulation input has been started.

3 . The medical manipulator system according to claim 2 , wherein

the controller is configured to determine the first part of the manipulation input based on the manipulation input at a second position of the touch pad that is an input position when a predetermined time has elapsed since the manipulation input was initiated at the first position of the touch pad.

4 . The medical manipulator system according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to drive the bending portion by an amount of bending drive in a direction determined based on the first part of the manipulation input, and

the controller is configured to determine the amount of bending drive based on an amount of movement of the manipulation input when it is assumed that the manipulation input continues to be input in the direction.

5 . The medical manipulator system according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to drive the bending portion by an amount of bending drive in the bending direction determined based on the first part of the manipulation input, and

the controller is configured to determine the amount of bending drive based on a length of a period during which the manipulation input is input.

6 . The medical manipulator system according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to limit the bending direction in which the bending portion is bent, determined based on the first part of the manipulation input, to several direction types.

7 . The medical manipulator system according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to switch between

a first input mode in which the bending direction in which the bending portion is bent is determined based on a difference between a start of the manipulation input and an end of the manipulation input, and

a second input mode in which the bending direction in which the bending portion is bent is determined based on the first part of the manipulation input.

8 . The medical manipulator system according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller has a manipulation guide configured to guide the manipulation input to the touch pad in a straight line.

9 . A control device that controls an actuator configured to bend a bending portion of a medical manipulator having the bending portion, wherein

the control device is connected by wire or wirelessly to a controller having a touch pad into which a manipulation input for bending the bending portion is input, the control device being configured to:

receive the manipulation input via the touch pad,

determine a bending direction in which the bending portion is bent based on a first part of the manipulation input received via the touch pad,

control the actuator to bend the bending portion by the determined amount of bending drive in the determined bending direction.

10 . The control device according to claim 9 , wherein

the control device is connected by wire or wirelessly to the controller having the touch pad, and

the control device is configured to determine the first part of the manipulation input, based on the manipulation input at a second position of the touch pad that is a predetermined distance away from a first position of the touch pad where the manipulation input has been started.

11 . The control device according to claim 10 , wherein

the control device is configured to determine the first part of the manipulation input based on the manipulation input when a predetermined time has elapsed from the first position of the touch pad where the manipulation input has been started.

12 . The control device according to claim 9 , wherein

the control device is configured to execute control to cause the actuator to drive the bending portion by an amount of bending drive in the bending direction determined based on the first part of the manipulation input, and

determine the amount of bending drive based on an amount of movement of the manipulation input when it is assumed that the manipulation input continues to be input in the bending direction.

13 . The control device according to claim 9 , wherein

determine the amount of bending drive based on a length of a period during which the manipulation input is input.

14 . The control device according to claim 9 , wherein

the control device is configured to limit the bending direction in which the bending portion is bent, determined based on the first part of the manipulation input, to several direction types.

15 . The control device according to claim 9 , wherein

the control device is configured to switch between

a second input mode in which the bending direction in which the bending portion is bent is determined based on the first part of the manipulation input.

16 . A controlling method of a medical manipulator, comprising:

receiving, by a controller via a touch pad, a manipulation input for bending a bending portion of the medical manipulator;

determining, by the controller, a bending direction in which the bending portion is bent based on a first part of the manipulation input received via the touch pad;

determining, by the controller, an amount of bending drive based on an entirety of the manipulation input received via the touch pad, the entirety of the manipulation input corresponding to a period from a start to an end of a manipulation operation detected by the controller; and

causing an actuator, controlled by the controller, to bend the bending portion by the determined amount of bending drive in the determined bending direction.

17 . The controlling method of the medical manipulator according to claim 16 , further comprising:

inputting the manipulation input via the touch pad; and

determining the first part of the manipulation input, based on the manipulation input at a second position of the touch pad that is a predetermined distance away from a first position of the touch pad where the manipulation input has been started.

18 . The controlling method of the medical manipulator according to claim 17 , further comprising:

determining the first part of the manipulation input based on the manipulation input at a second position of the touch pad that is an input position when a predetermined time has elapsed since the manipulation input was initiated at the first position of the touch pad.

19 . The controlling method of the medical manipulator according to claim 16 , further comprising:

driving the bending portion of the medical manipulator by an amount of bending drive in the bending direction determined based on the first part of the manipulation input; and

determining the amount of bending drive based on an amount of movement of the manipulation input when it is assumed that the manipulation input continues to be input in the bending direction.

20 . The controlling method of the medical manipulator according to claim 16 , further comprising:

driving the bending portion of the medical manipulator by an amount of bending drive in the bending direction determined based on the first part of the manipulation input; and

determining the amount of bending drive based on a length of a period during which the manipulation input is input.