US 12,239,380 B2
Control unit, system and method for controlling hybrid robot having rigid proximal portion and flexible distal portion
Aleksandra Popovic, Boston, MA (US); and David Paul Noonan, New York, NY (US)
Assigned to KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Appl. No. 16/084,746
Filed by KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
PCT Filed Mar. 17, 2017, PCT No. PCT/EP2017/056435
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 13, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2017/158180, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 21, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/309,758, filed on Mar. 17, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0069955 A1, Mar. 7, 2019
Int. Cl. G06F 17/00 (2019.01); A61B 34/10 (2016.01); A61B 34/20 (2016.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); A61B 34/32 (2016.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 34/10 (2016.02) [A61B 34/20 (2016.02); A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 34/32 (2016.02); A61B 90/37 (2016.02); A61B 2034/107 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2051 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2055 (2016.02); A61B 2034/252 (2016.02); A61B 2034/301 (2016.02); A61B 2090/374 (2016.02); A61B 2090/3762 (2016.02)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A controller for a robot system, the controller comprising:
a memory configured to store pre-operative image data; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to control a robot having a rigid proximal portion and a flexible distal portion, the rigid proximal portion (i) comprising a portion through which to insert the flexible distal portion and (ii) having a pivot point configured to provide a plurality of degrees of freedom for movement of the rigid proximal portion at a pre-designated position in a surgical procedure, the processor configured to:
receive images from at least one image acquisition device;
receive first tracking information indicating a tracked position of the rigid proximal portion;
generate a first deployment path to follow from an entry location at a body surface to a first target position that is an entry location to a region of interest within the body based on the received images;
generate a second deployment path to follow from the first target position at the entry location to the region of interest to a second target position within the region of interest based on the received images;
generate first guidance information for positioning the rigid proximal portion along the first deployment path based on the first tracking information, the received images, and the pre-operative images;
guide the rigid proximal portion to be positioned at the first target position at the entry location to the region of interest based on the first guidance information, wherein the rigid proximal portion is configured so that, when the rigid proximal portion is positioned at the first target position, the pivot point of the rigid proximal portion is located at the entry location to the region of interest enabling the rigid proximal portion to pivot around the entry location to the region of interest;
deploy the flexible distal portion through the rigid proximal portion into the region of interest;
receive second tracking information for tracking the position of the flexible distal portion;
generate second guidance information for positioning the flexible distal portion along the second deployment path based on the received images, the pre-operative image data, and the second tracking information; and
based on the second guidance information guide the deployed flexible distal portion to the second target position within the region of interest, wherein the processor is configured to independently guide the flexible distal portion relative to the rigid proximal portion.