Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Claims *** are pending. Claims *** are rejected.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 12-16 recites the limitation "[". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6, 17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Niemeyer US 2004/0039485.
1. A method for controlling a slave device during a teleoperation performed by a robotic system for medical or surgical teleoperation, Fig. 1A, 1B
wherein said robotic system comprises at least one master device adapted to be moved by an operator, and at least one slave device comprising a surgical instrument adapted to be controlled by the master device, Fig. 1A, 1B
wherein the method comprises:
defining a nominal target pose in a workspace of the slave device, corresponding to a respective pose of the master device in a workspace of the master device; Fig12 and para 143-144
modifying said nominal target pose to obtain a modified target pose of the slave device; Fig. 143# 812 and 822
controlling motion of the slave device in the slave device workspace so that the slave device is configured to follow said modified target pose during the teleoperation; Fig.14 #848 also para 165-168
wherein said step of modifying the nominal target pose to obtain the modified target pose comprises:
decreasing a translational speed module of the modified target pose, with respect to a speed of the nominal target pose, according to a transfer function dependent on an instantaneous speed of the master device Fig. 15 #834, 838; Also Fig. 16-21 and para 184-185; 195-199
and/or
instantaneous power or energy of the master device Fig. 15#843, 838, Fig. 16-21 and para 184-185; 195-199
and/or
a distance between a current position of the slave device and the nominal target pose of the slave device,
and/or
decreasing the instantaneous power or energy imparted by the master device to the slave device according to a transfer function dependent on the instantaneous speed of the master device
and/or
the instantaneous power or energy of master device
and/or
the distance between a current position of the slave device and the nominal target pose of the slave device.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of modifying the nominal target pose to obtain a modified target pose of the slave device causes a controlled loss of positional coherence between the master device and the slave device and reduces delay of the slave device motion, perceived by the operator during the teleoperation, with respect to master device motion. 174; resultant forces from kinematic mapping 864 may be transmitted to an alternative presentation block 864.1 so as to indicate the applied forces in an alternative format to the surgeon. the resulting forces applied against the slave may be graphically shown as a force vector, either outside the image border on the display [loss of positional coherence between the master device and the slave device], or overlaid over the slave structure in the displayed image. increasing speed or amplitude as forces increase. Such inertial actuators may apply apparent forces to an input device where no linkage supports the input device relative to a fixed frame of reference, [reduces delay of the slave device motion perceived by the operator]. Also, para 175; includes tactile sense information. Also 177; the slave is prevented from actually transgressing a limitation by simulating its movement and velocity and restricting the simulated movement and velocity before instructing the actual slave to respond.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of modifying the nominal target pose comprises decreasing the translational speed module of the modified target pose, 177; the slave is prevented from actually transgressing a limitation by simulating its movement [target pose] and velocity and restricting the simulated movement and velocity [restricting velocity is rejecting speed] before instructing the actual slave to respond.
wherein the translational speed of the modified target pose is expressed with reference to an orthogonal Cartesian coordinate system in the slave workspace. 177 also 189; The relationship between velocity {dot over (x)} in Cartesian space relative to angular velocity {dot over (.theta.)} in joint space. Cartesian coordinate system is always orthogonal …x is orthogonal to y. Also Fig. 19
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of modifying the nominal target pose comprises decreasing the translational speed module of the modified target pose, wherein the translational speed of the modified target pose is expressed with reference to coordinates of a space of 177; the slave is prevented from actually transgressing a limitation by simulating its movement [target pose] and velocity and restricting the simulated movement and velocity [restricting velocity is rejecting speed] before instructing the actual slave to respond. also 189; The relationship between velocity {dot over (x)} in Cartesian space relative to angular velocity {dot over (.theta.)} in joint space. Cartesian coordinate system is always orthogonal …x is orthogonal to y. Also 190; converting joint space coordinates to corresponding Cartesian coordinates.
5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the transfer function that modifies the translational speed of the modified target pose manages each of speed components, into which the speed is decomposed, in a mutually independent manner. 195; The Cartesian space reference velocity is input [modified] as indicated by arrow 833. After conversion to a resulting joint velocity by the controller 870, the resultant joint velocity is output at 874. The resultant joint velocity 874 is then input to a joint velocity limitation step at 876. At this step the resultant joint velocity is limited to remain within a range between a predetermined maximum velocity V.sub.max, and a predetermined minimum velocity V.sub.min. [each velocity is inputted in a mutually independent manner] Also 206; imposition of positional and velocity limits on a single joint [mutually independent]. Also Fig. 19 #914
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the teleoperation is a single-sided or mono-lateral teleoperation from the master device to the slave surgical instrument. Fig.13 No feedback i.e. single-sided or mono-lateral. 667 to 691,
7. A method according to claim 3, wherein the transfer function that modifies the translational speed of the modified target pose is solely dependent on the master device speed and is a continuous and monotonous non-decreasing function, defined as:
a linear function, for speed values below a predetermined threshold speed value, in which the modified target pose speed module of the slave device remains unchanged with respect to the nominal target pose speed module;
a non-linear function for speed values above said threshold speed value, in which the modified target pose speed module of the slave device is reduced with respect to the nominal target pose speed module.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said threshold speed value is between 0.015 m/s and 0.025 m/s.
9. A method according to claim 7, wherein said non-linear section of the speed transfer function has a trend tending to a horizontal asymptote defining a maximum speed of the slave device target.
10. A method according to claim 8, wherein said maximum speed value of the slave device target corresponds to a maximum speed module being reachable by the slave device
11. A method according to claim 8, wherein a maximum speed of the slave device target is tunable.
12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transfer function that modifies the translational speed of the modified target pose is dependent on the nominal target pose speed and on a virtual distance between the position of the nominal target pose and the current position of the slave device.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said transfer function is a virtual distance transfer function, and is a continuous and monotonous non-decreasing function, defined as:
a linear function, for virtual distance values below a predetermined threshold distance value, in which the modified target pose speed module of the slave device remains unchanged with respect to the nominal target pose speed module;
a non-linear function for virtual distance values above said threshold distance value, in which the modified target pose speed module of the slave device is reduced, with respect to the nominal target pose speed module, by an amount given by a transfer function of said virtual distance.
14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said threshold distance value is between 0.5mm and 5mm.
15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the virtual distance transfer function is a continuous, monotonous non-decreasing function, having the value "virtual distance + maximum distance" as an asymptote, where the parameter "maximum distance" is a tunable parameter defining a maximum allowed virtual distance between the modified target pose and the slave device position.
16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said maximum virtual distance value is between 0.5mm and 5mm.
17. A method according to claim 1, wherein said master device is a groundless-type master device;
and/or
wherein said master device is a master device mechanically unconstrained to an operating console. Fig. 1A and 1B
18. is rejected using the same rejections as made to claim 1.
19. (Cancelled)
20. A method according to claim 1, wherein said master device is a groundless-type master device without force feedback;
and/or
wherein said master device is a master device of the type which is mechanically unconstrained to an operating console. Fig.1A and 1B.
Citation of Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yilmaz US 20240033025
Conclusion
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/SIHAR A KARWAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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