US 12,465,443 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 Apr. 10, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/632,032.
Application 18/632,032 is a continuation of application No. 17/961,459, filed on Oct. 6, 2022, granted, now 11,992,279.
Application 17/961,459 is a continuation of application No. 16/418,693, filed on May 21, 2019, granted, now 11,504,193, issued on Nov. 22, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0341871 A1, Oct. 17, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 34/30 (2016.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 13/08 (2006.01); H03K 17/955 (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); H03K 17/955 (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 surgical robotic system comprising:
a surgical robotic manipulator comprising a plurality of links coupled together by a plurality of joints that are operable to move with respect to one another to move the surgical robotic manipulator, at least one of the plurality of links and an adjacent one of at least one of the plurality of joints having portions that face one another when moving the surgical robotic manipulator; and
a proximity sensor coupled to at least one of the portions of the at least one of the plurality of links or the adjacent one of the at least one of the plurality of joints, the proximity sensor comprises a plurality of capacitive pads arranged in a pattern that are operable to detect an object prior to the surgical robotic manipulator colliding with the object to prevent a collision by detecting a distance of the object to the surgical robotic manipulator based on a change in capacitance at one or more of the plurality of capacitive pads and comparing the distance of the object to a predetermined collision avoidance distance that corresponds to a distance to be maintained between the object and the surgical robotic manipulator to avoid the collision, and the predetermined collision avoidance distance is operable to be dynamically increased or decreased based on a detected speed of movement of the object.