US 12,409,563 B2
Method of force estimation for a minimally invasive medical system and corresponding system
Emilio Ruiz Morales, Taino (IT); and Carlos Correcher Salvador, Valencia (ES)
Assigned to THE EUROPEAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY (EURATOM), REPRESENTED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Brussels (BE)
Filed by THE EUROPEAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY (EURATOM), REPRESENTED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Brussels (BE)
Filed on Jul. 6, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/858,472.
Application 16/730,903 is a division of application No. 15/860,616, filed on Jan. 2, 2018, granted, now 10,518,419, issued on Dec. 31, 2019.
Application 15/860,616 is a division of application No. 12/447,335, granted, now 9,855,662, issued on Jan. 2, 2018, previously published as PCT/EP2007/061494, filed on Oct. 25, 2007.
Application 17/858,472 is a continuation of application No. 16/730,903, filed on Dec. 30, 2019, granted, now 11,413,768.
Claims priority of application No. 06122937 (EP), filed on Oct. 25, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2022/0410404 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. B25J 13/08 (2006.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/10 (2016.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); A61B 34/35 (2016.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01); B25J 9/04 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 13/085 (2013.01) [A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 34/35 (2016.02); A61B 34/70 (2016.02); A61B 34/76 (2016.02); B25J 9/04 (2013.01); A61B 34/10 (2016.02); A61B 2090/062 (2016.02); A61B 2090/064 (2016.02)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a minimally invasive medical system having a manipulator and a surgical instrument to determine coordinates of an external fulcrum that limits said surgical instrument in motion, said method comprising:
positioning a tip of a surgical instrument through an incision into a body cavity, said surgical instrument having an instrument shaft with a longitudinal instrument axis Z;
mounting the surgical instrument to an effector unit of said-manipulator, the effector unit of said manipulator including a 6 DOF force-torque sensor being mounted in force transmission between a connection interface of the instrument on the effector unit and an extreme member of the manipulator that supports the effector unit;
moving said minimally invasive instrument along a first axis X and a second axis Y, each of said first and second axes perpendicular to the instrument axis Z, until a reaction force along each axis is below a given threshold, and defining X and Y axis coordinates of the external fulcrum at a location where the reaction forces along said both axes are below the given threshold; and
determining a Z axis coordinate position of the external fulcrum along said instrument axis by pivoting the instrument with respect to the instrument tip until a sufficient contact force is reached, and determining the Z axis coordinate position using the lever principle.