IP Library Granted Patent US 10,807,242
Granted Patent B2
US 10,807,242 · App. 15/840,990 · Granted Oct 20, 2020

Control modes and processes for positioning of a robotic manipulator

Inventors: Renbin Zhou (Wellington, FL); Haoran Yu (Sunnyvale, CA); Sina Nia Kosari (Fremont, CA); Omar J. Vakharia (Palo Alto, CA); Bernard Fai Kin Siu (San Jose, CA); Alex Kiturkes (Belmont, CA)
Assignee: VERB SURGICAL INC.
B25J9/1679A61B34/37A61B90/03B25J9/1689A61B2090/5025A61B2090/571G05B2219/40117
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,807,242
App. No.
15/840,990
Granted
Oct 20, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for controlling a robotic arm in a robotic surgical system includes defining a reference plane at a predetermined reference location for a robotic arm, where the robotic arm includes a plurality of joints, and driving at least one of the plurality of joints to guide the robotic arm through a series of predetermined poses substantially constrained within the reference plane.

Claims (24)

1. A method for controlling a robotic arm in a robotic surgical system, the method comprising:

defining a reference plane at a predetermined reference location for the robotic arm, wherein the robotic arm comprises a plurality of joints; and

driving at least one of the plurality of joints to guide the robotic arm through a series of predetermined poses substantially constrained within the reference plane including enforcing a joint space virtual fixture on the at least one of the plurality of joints, to bias the robotic arm toward the reference plane.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the series of predetermined poses comprises an ordered sequence of progressively unfolded predetermined poses.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the series of predetermined poses comprises an ordered sequence of progressively folded predetermined poses.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising driving at least one of the plurality of joints to guide the robotic arm through the series of predetermined poses to transition from a storage pose.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising driving at least one of the plurality of joints to guide the robotic arm through the series of predetermined poses to transition to the storage pose.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein driving at least one of the plurality of joints comprises enforcing a task space virtual fixture at the reference plane, to bias the robotic arm toward the reference plane.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the joint space virtual fixture is uni-directional.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein driving at least one of the plurality of joints comprises generating a virtual attractive force at the at least one joint in the joint space virtual fixture, to bias the robotic arm toward the reference plane.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the series of predetermined poses comprises an ordered sequence, and wherein driving at least one of the plurality of joints comprises driving at least one of the plurality of joints forward and backward through at least a portion of the ordered sequence.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein driving at least one of the plurality of joints comprises driving the at least one joint in response to an external force on the robotic arm.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein driving at least one of the plurality of joints comprises applying a gravity compensation torque to at least one of the plurality of joints.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein driving at least one of the plurality of joints comprises applying a friction compensation torque to at least one of the plurality of joints.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein driving at least one of the plurality of joints comprises driving the at least one joint according to a predetermined trajectory through the series of predetermined poses which includes folded and unfolded predetermined poses.

14. A robotic surgical system, comprising:

at least one robotic arm comprising a plurality of joints;

a processor configured to control movement of the at least one robotic arm by defining a reference plane at a predetermined reference location and driving at least one of the plurality of joints to guide the at least one robotic arm through a series of predetermined poses substantially constrained within the reference plane in accordance with a joint space virtual fixture, to bias the at least one robotic arm toward the reference plane.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the series of predetermined poses comprises an ordered sequence of progressively unfolded predetermined poses.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the series of predetermined poses comprises an ordered sequence of progressively folded predetermined poses.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to drive at least one of the plurality of joints in accordance with a task space virtual fixture.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the joint space virtual fixture is uni-directional.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to drive the at least one joint in response to an external force on the at least one robotic arm.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to drive the at least one joint according to a predetermined trajectory through the series of predetermined poses.

Assignments (5)
MERGER Recorded Jan 23, 2026
From: VERB SURGICAL INC.
To: AURIS HEALTH, INC.
Reel/Frame 073571/0741 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2020
From: JOHNSON & JOHNSON INNOVATION - JJDC, INC.
To: VERB SURGICAL INC.
Reel/Frame 051983/0028 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2020
From: VERILY LIFE SCIENCES LLC
To: VERB SURGICAL INC.
Reel/Frame 051986/0252 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2019
From: VERB SURGICAL INC.
To: JOHNSON & JOHNSON INNOVATION - JJDC, INC.; VERILY LIFE SCIENCES LLC
Reel/Frame 049474/0591 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 29, 2018
From: ZHOU, RENBIN; YU, HAORAN; NIA KOSARI, SINA; VAKHARIA, OMAR J.; SIU, BERNARD FAI KIN; KITURKES, ALEX
To: VERB SURGICAL INC.
Reel/Frame 046747/0913 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190176334A1 · Jun 13, 2019
Cited By (4)
US 12,232,744 US 12,409,000 US 12,420,417 US 12,472,018