Patent ID: 9296104
Filing Date: 2016-03-29
CPC Classification: A61B,B25J,G05B

Claim Text:
1. A robotic method for a manipulator arm that includes a movable distal end effector, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a plurality of joints between a distal portion and the base, the plurality of joints together having sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states for an individual state of the distal end effector, and the method comprising: defining a position-based constraint of one or more joints of the plurality of joints within a joint space of the plurality of joints, the position-based constraint including one or more paths corresponding to a desired movement of the one or more joints within the joint space of the plurality of joints; receiving a manipulation command to move the end effector with a desired end effector movement; calculating an end effector displacing movement of the plurality of joints to effect the desired end effector movement, wherein calculating the end effector displacing movement of the plurality of joints comprises calculating joint velocities within a null-perpendicular-space of a Jacobian; calculating a tracking movement of the plurality of joints so as to move a position of the one or more joints towards at least one of the one or more paths, wherein calculating the tracking movement comprises calculating joint velocities of the one or more joints within a null-space of the Jacobian in a direction towards the at least one of the one or more paths, the null-perpendicular space being orthogonal to the null-space; and driving the plurality of joints according to the calculated movements so as to effect the desired end effector movement concurrently with the desired movement of the one or more joints.