US 11,992,279 B2
Proximity sensors for surgical robotic arm manipulation
Xin Liu, Milpitas, CA (US); Berk Gonenc, Cupertino, CA (US); Bernhard A. Fuerst, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Jose Luis Cordoba, Malaga (ES); and Pablo E. Garcia Kilroy, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Assigned to Verb Surgical Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Verb Surgical Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 6, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/961,459.
Application 17/961,459 is a continuation of application No. 16/418,693, filed on May 21, 2019, granted, now 11,504,193.
Prior Publication US 2023/0107307 A1, Apr. 6, 2023
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); B25J 13/08 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 34/20 (2016.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 34/30 (2016.02) [B25J 9/1676 (2013.01); B25J 9/1694 (2013.01); B25J 13/086 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00119 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00199 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00398 (2013.01); A61B 2034/2051 (2016.02); A61B 2090/061 (2016.02); A61B 2562/0257 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A collision avoidance method for a surgical robotic manipulator, the method comprising:
detecting a distance of an object to the surgical robotic manipulator using a proximity sensing assembly coupled to at least one of a plurality of links or a plurality of joints of the surgical robotic manipulator;
determining whether a collision between the object and the surgical robotic manipulator is imminent by comparing the detected distance of the object to a predetermined collision avoidance distance;
determining whether the object is a human obstacle based on a capacitance value change detected by the proximity sensing assembly that is lower than a capacitance value change detected by the proximity sensing assembly when the object is a non-human obstacle; and
based on the determining of an imminent collision and the object is a human obstacle, causing the surgical robotic manipulator to engage in a collision avoidance operation that prevents the surgical robotic manipulator from colliding with the human obstacle.