Surgeon feedback sensing and display methods
Various embodiments described herein are directed to surgical instruments with visual feedback. In one embodiment, a surgical instrument with visual feedback comprises an end effector. The end effector has a first jaw member and a second jaw member. At least one sensor is coupled to the end effector. The at least one sensor is configured convert at least one state of the end effector to a feedback signal. The feedback signal is corresponding to the at least one state of the end effector. The feedback signal may be transmitted to a display to render a visual representation of the at least one state of the end effector. The surgical instrument may further comprise an instrument mounting portion to mount to a robotic surgical system. The instrument mounting portion comprises an interface to mechanically and electrically interface to the surgical instrument.
1. A surgical system, comprising:
a surgical instrument for use at a surgical site, the surgical instrument comprising:
an end effector comprising a first jaw member and a second jaw member, the end effector comprising at least one state;
a blade slideably receivable between the first and second jaw members;
at least one sensor coupled to the end effector to generate a first electrical feedback signal corresponding to the at least one state of the end effector, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a position sensor; and
an instrument mounting portion configured to mount to a robotic surgical system and comprising at least one first member coupled to at least one second member, the at least one first member meshed to at least one third member and configured to convert a first motion of the at least one first member into a second motion of the at least one third member to control articulation of an articulation section of a shaft assembly in at least one direction;
a data acquisition circuit electrically coupled to the at least one sensor; and
a display system communicatively coupled to the data acquisition circuit, wherein the display system comprises a display screen;
wherein the data acquisition circuit is configured to transmit a second electrical feedback signal to the display system based on the first electrical feedback signal;
wherein the display system is configured to render visual feedback comprising:
a video image of the surgical site on the display screen; and
one or more than one visual representation corresponding to the second electrical feedback signal, wherein the one or more than one visual representation is rendered at the same time as the video image, wherein the one or more than one visual representation is rendered separate from the video image along at least one periphery of the display screen, and wherein the one or more than one visual representation comprises at least one virtual image of the end effector in a state of the at least one state; and
wherein the state of the at least one state comprises a position of the blade within the first and second jaw members, wherein the first electrical feedback signal corresponds to an actual position of the blade within the first and second jaw members, and wherein the at least one virtual image of the end effector comprises a virtual image of the blade within the first and second jaw members that represents the actual position of the blade within the first and second jaw members.
2. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more than one visual representation further comprises at least one of a graphical representation or an alphanumeric representation corresponding to the at least one state of the end effector.
3. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the display screen comprises a liquid crystal display screen integrated with the robotic surgical system.
4. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the display system further comprises a wearable heads-up display, and wherein the wearable heads-up display is configured to render one or more than one visual representation along the at least one periphery of the display screen.
5. The surgical system of claim 4 , wherein the wearable heads-up display is semi-transparent.
6. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor further comprises a pressure sensor.
7. The surgical system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one state further comprises a force exerted by a tissue section located between the first and second jaw members.
8. The surgical system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one state further comprises a pressure exerted by a tissue section on the blade during a cutting operation.
9. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor further comprises an audio sensor, and wherein the at least one state further comprises a sound wave generated by an application of energy to a target tissue section.
10. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor further comprises a thermal sensor, and wherein the at least one state further comprises a temperature of a target tissue site located between the first and second jaw members.
11. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor further comprises a proximity sensor, and wherein the at least one state further comprises a distance between the end effector and a target tissue site.
12. The surgical system of claim 11 , wherein the proximity sensor is selected from a group consisting of a capacitive sensor, a Doppler effect sensor, a laser rangefinder, a passive optical sensor, a passive thermal infrared sensor, a photocell, a radar sensor, and a sonar sensor.
13. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor further comprises a force sensor selected from a group consisting of a force transducer, a torque cell, a load cell, a strain gauge, and a Wheatstone bridge.
14. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first member comprises at least one pinion gear, the at least one second member comprises at least one rotatable body, and the at least one third member comprises at least one rack gear.
15. The surgical system of claim 14 , wherein the first motion is a rotational motion and the second motion is a linear motion.
16. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first member comprises at least one spiral worm gear, and the at least one second member comprises at least one rotatable body.
17. The surgical system of claim 16 , wherein the first motion is a first rotation about a first axis and the second motion is a second rotation about a second axis.
18. The surgical system of claim 17 , wherein the second axis is orthogonal to the first axis.
19. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first member comprises a first spiral worm gear, a second spiral worm gear, and a third spiral worm gear, wherein the first spiral worm gear is coupled to the second spiral worm gear and the second spiral worm gear is coupled to the third spiral worm gear, wherein the at least one third member comprises a fourth spiral worm gear, and wherein the third spiral worm gear is meshed to the fourth spiral worm gear.
20. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the surgical instrument further comprises at least one articulation band, wherein the at least one third member is attached to the at least one articulation band such that the second motion of the at least one third member in a distal direction causes the articulation section of the shaft assembly to articulate in the at least one direction.
21. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the display system is further configured to:
superimpose the one or more than one visual representation on the video image.
22. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more than one visual representation comprises a summary statistic associated with a surgical procedure.
23. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more than one visual representation comprises an indicator of an ideal state for the at least one state of the end effector.
24. A surgical system, comprising:
a surgical instrument for use at a surgical site, the surgical instrument comprising:
an end effector comprising a first jaw member and a second jaw member, the end effector comprising at least one state;
at least one sensor coupled to the end effector to generate a first electrical feedback signal corresponding to the at least one state of the end effector, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a position sensor; and
an instrument mounting portion configured to mount to a robotic surgical system and comprising at least one first member coupled to at least one second member, the at least one first member meshed to at least one third member and configured to convert a first motion of the at least one first member into a second motion of the at least one third member to control articulation of an articulation section of a shaft assembly in at least one direction;
a data acquisition circuit electrically coupled to the at least one sensor; and
a display system communicatively coupled to the data acquisition circuit, wherein the display system comprises a display screen;
wherein the data acquisition circuit is configured to transmit a second electrical feedback signal to the display system based on the first electrical feedback signal;
wherein the display system is configured to render visual feedback comprising:
a video image of the surgical site on the display screen; and
one or more than one visual representation corresponding to the second electrical feedback signal, wherein the one or more than one visual representation is rendered at the same time as the video image, wherein the one or more than one visual representation is rendered separate from the video image along at least one periphery of the display screen, and wherein the one or more than one visual representation comprises at least one virtual image of the end effector in a state of the at least one state; and
wherein the state of the at least one state comprises a distance between the first and second jaw members, wherein the first electrical feedback signal corresponds to an actual distance between the first and second jaw members, and wherein the at least one virtual image of the end effector comprises a virtual image of the first and second jaw members separated by a distance proportional to the actual distance between the first and second jaw members.
25. The surgical system of claim 24 , wherein the position sensor is selected from a group consisting of a capacitive transducer, a Hall effect sensor, an inductive non-contact position sensor, a potentiometer, a proximity sensor, a rotary encoder, and a string potentiometer.