Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Robot control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-26
2001-05-22
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 2786)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Robot control
C700S245000, C700S248000, C700S249000, C700S250000, C700S251000, C700S257000, C700S259000, C700S260000, C700S261000, C700S262000, C700S264000, C901S015000, C901S023000, C901S028000, C901S031000, C901S047000, C901S048000, C074S490010, C403S013000, C403S338000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236906
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for guiding in space an instrument arranged at the free end of an articulated arm and to an apparatus for performing the process.
In measuring technology, in material processing, and in particular in medicine, it is frequently the case that three-dimensional free-form surfaces on deformable or inhomogeneous specimens and the like have to be measured or processed. Various processes are as a rule made use of for guiding the measuring or processing instrument along the respective space curves, surfaces, or spatial regions which are to be investigated, in which processes the instrument is arranged at the free end of an articulated arm, and the instrument is moved in a predetermined range of movement by relative pivoting or moving of the individual arm sections.
2. Discussion of Relevant Art
Thus it is known, for example, in the field of microsurgery, and in particular neurosurgery, to cause an instrument which is located at the free end of such an articulated arm to move along a given path curve. The path curve is planned and predetermined before the operation in this case, with reference to the diagnostic results from nuclear spin tomography or computer tomography. The surgeon causes the instrument to travel during the operation by means of an actuating unit, for example a joystick or the like, connected to the control device of the articulated arm drive. The surgeon thus always obtains a mostly optical feedback as to whether or not he is on the predetermined path.
The guiding of the instrument along the predetermined path curve thus takes place here directly by the surgeon. On the one hand, this entails the disadvantage that the travel of the instrument during the whole operation requires a particularly high degree of concentration on the part of the surgeon, or increases the time required for the operation, and small inadvertencies or weakening of concentration can lead to considerable deviations from the predetermined path curve, with possibly serious consequences. On the other hand, control by means of a joystick entails a loss of the surgeon's direct tangible contact with the instrument. A consequence of this is that movements which are not restricted to the two main directions of motion (forward/backward, left/right) of the joystick partially require complex control movements, which require a relatively long working time and high concentration during the operation and therefore provoke operating errors.
In other processes, which are mostly carried out with known industrial robots, the predetermined path curve, etc., is traveled according to a previously programmed course, without this course being influenced by an operator. The instrument is indeed hereby relatively exactly guided along the predetermined path curve, but there is a disadvantage in that deviations in the geometry of the body to be processed or to be investigated with the instrument cannot, or can only at great expense, be sensed and compensated. Thus such processes are not suitable for microsurgery, for example, in which the surgeon must be able to react to any complications due to deviations or changes in the tissue occurring after the planning of the path curve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention therefore has as its object to provide a process and also an apparatus of the kind stated at the beginning, which do not have, or have only to the smallest degree, the above-mentioned disadvantages, and which in particular make possible a simple and exact as possible guiding of the instrument in a predetermined movement region.
The object is attained by a process for guiding in space an instrument arranged at the free end of an articulated arm whose arm sections can be caused to pivot and/or travel with respect to each other by drive units connected to a control device. The instrument is caused by the drive units under the control of the control device to travel at least in a limited movement region. The process comprises the steps of: setting a respective pivot angle or travel position between respective arm sections and sensing the respective position and attitude of the instrument by at least a first measuring device for predetermination of the limited movement region of the instrument for points that are situated in the limited movement region, sensing for hand-controlled guiding of the instrument an actuating force exerted on the instrument and/or the articulated arm by a second measuring device, and pivoting and/or moving the arm sections with respect to each other, under control of the control unit in dependence on the sensed actuating force, the sensed position of the instrument, and the predetermined movement region, such that the instrument moves within the predetermined movement region substantially in the direction of the actuating force.
The object is also attained by an apparatus for guiding an instrument in space, comprising: an articulated arm with arm sections, drive units that drive the arm sections to pivot and/or travel with respect to each other, a control device connected to the drive units, a first memory connected to the control device, a first measuring device connected to the control device that senses the position and attitude of the instrument, wherein the instrument is connected to the free end of the articulated arm, and wherein in order to predetermine a movement region for the instrument the first memory contains respective first data concerning the pivot angle and/or travel position between respective arm sections for points within the predetermined movement region, and for hand-controlled guiding of the instrument, a second measuring device, connected to the control device, for sensing an actuating force exerted on the instrument and/or the articulated arm, wherein the control device is comprised such that, in dependence on the sensed actuating force and the sensed position of the instrument, the control device causes the drive units to drive the instrument to travel within the predetermined movement region substantially in the direction of the sensed actuating force.
The invention includes the technical teaching that a particularly simple to operate and nevertheless exact guiding of the instrument is attained when, for hand-controlled guiding of the instrument, the actuating force exerted on the instrument and/or the articulated arm is sensed by a second measuring device, and the arm sections are then mutually pivoted and/or moved, under the control of the control device in dependence on the sensed actuating force, the sensed position of the instrument, and the predetermined movement region, such that the instrument moves, substantially in the direction of the actuating force, within the predetermined movement region.
By bringing about the movement of the instrument by means of the sensed actuating force on the instrument or the articulated arm, firstly direct contact between the operator and the instrument is attained, markedly facilitating the operation even in complex paths of movement, since the operator does not have to carry out any involved control movements, but only to exert an actuating force on the instrument or on the articulated arm in the desired direction of movement.
In addition, the control according to the invention of the drive units of the individual arm sections insures that the instrument is caused to move in the previously established movement region. Inadvertently leaving the established movement region is reliably avoided, so that the operator does not have to concentrate so hard on guiding the instrument in the predetermined movement region, but can, for example, devote his concentration in an advantageous manner to other problems, etc., during the guiding of the instrument. This template-like guiding of the instrument is of great advantage precisely in neurosurgery, since the surgeon can then direct his attention more to t
Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Marc McDieunel
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