Medical robotic system providing an auxilary view including range of motion limitations for articulatable instruments extending out of a distal end of an entry guide

1. A medical system comprising:

an entry guide;

a first articulatable instrument controllably extending out of a distal end of the entry guide, the first articulatable instrument having a most proximal joint and a most distal joint, the most distal joint disposed beyond the distal end the entry guide;

a display screen; and

a processor programmed to receive information of states of the entry guide and the first articulatable instrument, generate a view by including a graphical representation of the most distal joint of the first articulatable instrument and a graphical representation of a spatial boundary for the first articulatable instrument, the spatial boundary being a function of a position of the most distal joint relative to the distal end of the entry guide, and the graphical representation being positioned in the view by using the received information and by using forward kinematics of the entry guide and the first articulatable instrument, and display the view on the display screen.

2. The medical system according to claim 1 , wherein the view is generated from a perspective looking in a distal direction from the distal end of the entry guide.

3. The medical system according to claim 2 , wherein the first articulated instrument comprises:

first, second and third links; and

a second joint;

wherein the most proximal joint couples a distal end of the first link to a proximal end of the second link so that the second link is rotatable relative to the first link at the most proximal joint; and

wherein the second joint couples a distal end of the second link to a proximal end of the third link so that the third link rotates relative to the second link at the second joint in tandem with rotation of the most proximal joint in such a fashion that longitudinal axes of the first and third links are parallel to each other;

wherein the distal end of the entry guide has a first lumen;

wherein the first articulatable instrument extends through the first lumen;

wherein the generated view includes at least one of an outline of the distal end of the entry guide and a graphical representation of the most proximal joint of the first articulatable instrument; and

wherein the graphical representation of the most proximal joint of the first articulatable instrument appears in the generated view as a first object that is positioned in the generated view where the first lumen would be relative to the outline of the distal end of the entry guide when the generated view includes the graphical representation of the most proximal joint of the first articulatable instrument.

4. The medical system according to claim 3 , wherein the first articulatable instrument comprises:

a first device having a proximal end and a distal tip;

wherein the most distal joint of the first articulatable instrument couples a distal end of the third link of the first articulatable instrument to the proximal end of the first device so that the first device is rotatable relative to the third link at the most distal joint;

wherein the graphical representation of the most distal joint of the first articulatable instrument appears as a second object that is positioned in the generated view so as to reflect at least one angle of rotation of the first link about a central axis of the first link, and a length of the second link.

5. The medical system according to claim 4 , wherein the generated view includes a graphical representation of the distal tip of the first device as a third object that is positioned in the generated view so as to reflect at least one angle of rotation of the first device about the most proximal joint of the first articulatable instrument, an angle of rotation of the first link about the central axis of the first link, and a length that the distal tip of the first device extends from the most proximal joint of the first articulatable instrument.

6. The medical system according to claim 5 , wherein the graphical representation of the spatial boundary comprises a boundary circle sharing a common center with the first object when the generated view includes the graphical representation of the most proximal joint of the first articulatable instrument.

7. The medical system according to claim 6 , wherein the second object is depicted in the generated view as changing color as the second object approaches the boundary circle.

8. The medical system according to claim 6 , wherein at least a portion of the boundary circle is depicted in the generated view as changing color as the second object approaches the boundary circle.

9. The medical system according to claim 5 , wherein the first link of the first articulatable instrument instruments is extendable out of the distal end of the entry guide, and wherein a length of extension of the first link is indicated in the generated view by lengths of rays emanating away from at least one of the first, second, and third objects.

10. The medical system according to claim 5 , wherein the first link of the first articulatable instrument is extendable out of the distal end of the entry guide, and wherein a length of extension of the first link is indicated by a change in color of at least one of the first, second, and third objects.

11. The medical system according to claim 5 , wherein the first link of the first articulatable instrument is extendable out of the distal end of the entry guide, and wherein a length of extension of the first link is indicated by a change in relative sizes between at least two of the first, second, and third objects.

12. The medical system according to claim 5 , wherein the generated view further comprises graphical representations of a first segment connecting the first and second objects and a second segment connecting the second and third objects, wherein the first link of the first articulatable instrument is extendable out of the distal end of the entry guide, and wherein a length of extension of the first link is indicated by a change in color of at least one of the first and second segments.

13. The medical system according to claim 5 , wherein the generated view further comprises graphical representations of a first segment connecting the first and second objects and a second segment connecting the second and third objects, wherein the first link of the first articulatable instrument is extendable out of the distal end of the entry guide, and wherein a length of extension of the first link is indicated by a change in size of at least one of the first and second segments.

14. The medical system according to claim 5 , wherein the generated view further comprises graphical representations of a first segment connecting the first and second objects and a second segment connecting the second and third objects, wherein the first link of the first articulatable instrument is extendable out of the distal end of the entry guide, and wherein a length of extension of the first link is indicated by a change in shape of at least one of their corresponding first and second segments.

15. The medical system according to claim 5 , wherein the first device of the first articulatable instrument includes a first element hinged to a second element so that the first and second elements are controllably opened and closed so as to result in an angle between the first and second elements, and wherein the third object corresponding to the first device has two jaws displayed so as to indicate the angle between the first and second elements.

16. The medical system according to claim 5 , wherein the first device of the first articulatable instrument includes an image capturing element of an articulatable camera instrument, and wherein the displayed generated view supplements an image displayed on the display screen which is derived from an image captured by the articulatable camera instrument.

17. The medical system according to claim 16 , wherein the third object corresponding to the image capturing element of the articulatable camera instrument has an area displayed on the display screen so as to indicate a field-of-view of the articulatable camera instrument.

18. A method for repositioning an entry guide to increase an available range of motion of at least one of a plurality of articulatable instruments extending out of a distal end of the entry guide, wherein each of the plurality of articulatable instruments has a plurality of joints including a most distal joint, and wherein an available range of motion of each of the plurality of articulatable instruments is a function of a relative position of the most distal joint of the articulatable instrument to the distal end of the entry guide, the method comprising:

determining positions of the entry guide, the most distal joint of each of the plurality of articulatable instruments, and the available range of motion of each of the plurality of articulatable instruments;

displaying graphical representations of the most distal joint and the available range of motion for each of the plurality of articulatable instruments according to their respectively determined positions on a display screen; and

moving the entry guide according to operator manipulation of an input device so as to increase the available range of motion of at least one of the plurality of articulatable instruments while the operator is viewing the display screen and while the most distal joints of the plurality of articulatable instruments are being controllably held in place.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

displaying an indication on the display screen that the at least one of the plurality of articulatable instruments is nearing a range of motion limit prior to moving the entry guide according to operator manipulation of the input device.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the graphical representation of the available range of motion of each of the plurality of articulatable instruments is either displayed on the display screen by a first line style if the articulatable instrument is an operator manipulatable articulatable instrument or displayed on the display screen in a different manner than the first line style if the articulatable instrument is not an operator manipulatable articulatable instrument.