ARTICULATE AND SWAPPABLE ENDOSCOPE FOR A SURGICAL ROBOT
The present invention is directed to an articulate minimally invasive surgical endoscope with a flexible wrist having at least one degree of freedom. When used with a surgical robot having a plurality of robot arms, the endoscope can be used with any of the plurality of arms thereby allowing the use a universal arm design. The endoscope in accordance to the present invention is made more intuitive to a user by attaching a reference frame used for controlling the at least one degree of freedom motion to the flexible wrist for wrist motion associated with the at least one degree of freedom. The endoscope in accordance to the present invention attenuates undesirable motion at its back/proximal end by acquiring the image of the object in association with the at least one degree of freedom based on a reference frame rotating around a point of rotation located proximal to the flexible wrist.
1 - 16 . (canceled)
17 . A system comprising:
an input device movable in at least one degree of freedom by an operator;
at least one slave movable in at least one degree of freedom in response to movement of the input device, the at least one slave comprising an articulate endoscope having a flexible wrist movable in pitch and yaw, said endoscope further comprising a camera configured to acquire an image, the camera coupled to the distal end of the flexible wrist;
a display configured to show the acquired image; and
a processor coupling the input device to the at least one slave, the processor programmed to maneuver the articulate endoscope to provide an orbital view of a fixed site.
18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the orbital view is based on a point of rotation located proximal to the flexible wrist.
19 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the orbital view is based on a point of rotation located within a maximal working range of the endoscope.
20 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the orbital view is based on a point of rotation located at a surgical entry site of the endoscope.
21 . The system of claim 17 , further comprising a plurality of slave arm assemblies, wherein a standard design is used for each of the plurality of slave arm assemblies such that the endoscope may be releasably swapped among the plurality of slave arm assemblies.
22 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the input device is further used to control at least one function of the camera.
23 . The system of claim 22 , the at least one function comprising focus of the camera.
24 . The system of claim 22 , the at least one function comprising aperture of a lens of the camera.
25 . The system of claim 17 , wherein a master alignment compensation is carried out continuously and incrementally during a movement of the camera to maintain master-slave intuitiveness between the input device and the camera.
26 . The system of claim 17 , wherein at least one degree of freedom of the slave is position or velocity controlled.
27 . The system of claim 17 , wherein a world-reference frame is selected if the flexible wrist is moved by the input device in a first degree of freedom, and wherein a camera-reference frame is selected if the flexible wrist is moved by the input device in a second degree of freedom.
28 . The system of claim 27 , the at least one slave further comprising a manipulator arm coupled to an end effector, the world-reference frame and camera-reference frame each defining a relationship between movement of the input device and movement of the end effector, wherein the relationships defined by the world-reference and camera-reference frames are distinct from each other.
29 . The system of claim 28 , wherein a world-reference frame is selected if the flexible wrist is moved in pitch or yaw, and wherein a camera-reference frame is selected if the flexible wrist is moved in a degree of freedom other than pitch or yaw.
30 . The system of claim 17 , the at least one degree of freedom of the input device comprising a left and right movement of the input device, the at least one degree of freedom of the at least one slave comprising a left and right movement and an up and down movement.
31 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the world-reference frame is defined as being level with a gaze of the operator, and the camera-reference frame is defined as being attached to the camera.