US 11,957,301 B2
Device and method for assisting laparoscopic surgery—rule based approach
Motti Frimer, Zichron Yaakov (IL); Mordehai Sholev, Amikam (IL); and Yehuda Pfeffer, Moshav Dvorah (IL)
Assigned to Asensus Surgical Europe S.à.R.L., Lugano (CH)
Filed by Asensus Surgical Europe S.à.R.L., Lugano (CH)
Filed on Aug. 25, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/002,725.
Application 16/176,854 is a division of application No. 15/289,324, filed on Oct. 10, 2016, granted, now 10,201,392, issued on Feb. 12, 2019.
Application 14/752,947 is a division of application No. 14/150,939, filed on Jan. 9, 2014, granted, now 9,204,939, issued on Dec. 8, 2015.
Application 17/002,725 is a continuation of application No. 16/176,854, filed on Oct. 31, 2018, granted, now 10,751,139.
Application 15/289,324 is a continuation of application No. 14/752,947, filed on Jun. 28, 2015, granted, now 9,504,456, issued on Nov. 29, 2016.
Application 14/150,939 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/IL2012/000310, filed on Aug. 21, 2012.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/750,856, filed on Jan. 10, 2013.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/525,789, filed on Aug. 21, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/525,779, filed on Aug. 21, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/525,787, filed on Aug. 21, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2020/0383736 A1, Dec. 10, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 34/20 (2016.01); A61B 1/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/313 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 34/32 (2016.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01); A61B 90/50 (2016.01); A61B 90/98 (2016.01); G05B 15/02 (2006.01); A61B 1/04 (2006.01); A61B 1/06 (2006.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 1/000096 (2022.02) [A61B 1/00006 (2013.01); A61B 1/00147 (2013.01); A61B 1/00149 (2013.01); A61B 1/3132 (2013.01); A61B 17/00234 (2013.01); A61B 34/20 (2016.02); A61B 34/32 (2016.02); A61B 90/361 (2016.02); A61B 90/50 (2016.02); A61B 90/98 (2016.02); G05B 15/02 (2013.01); A61B 1/04 (2013.01); A61B 1/06 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00075 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00132 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00225 (2013.01); A61B 2034/2048 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2051 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2055 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2057 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2059 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2065 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2074 (2016.02); A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 2090/365 (2016.02); A61B 2090/367 (2016.02); A61B 2090/371 (2016.02); A61B 2090/3945 (2016.02); A61B 2090/3983 (2016.02)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of assisting an operator to perform a surgical procedure, comprising:
inserting at least one surgical tool into a surgical environment of a human body;
real-time estimating a 3D spatial position of said at least one surgical tool within the surgical environment;
detecting if there is movement of said at least one surgical tool within the surgical environment by determining whether the 3D spatial position of said at least one surgical tool at time tf is different than the 3D spatial position of said at least one surgical tool at time t0;
controlling the spatial position of said at least one surgical tool using a controller, wherein said controlling step includes determining whether each of said detected movements is an ALLOWED movement or a RESTRICTED movement based on a predetermined environmental rule stored in a database in communication with the controller, wherein said determining step comprises
receiving at least one real-time image of said surgical environment,
performing real-time image processing of said image to determine the 3D spatial position of hazards or obstacles in said surgical environment wherein said hazards or obstacles are selected from a group consisting of tissue, a surgical tool, an organ, an endoscope and any combination thereof;
determining that said movement is a RESTRICTED movement if the movement is one in which said at least one surgical tool is located substantially in at least one of said 3D spatial positions, and
determining that said movement is an ALLOWED movement if the movement is one in which the location of said at least one surgical tool is substantially different from said 3D spatial positions.