Abstract:
Movement of an instrument to a target treatment site can be performed easily and quickly, so that the burden imposed on an operator can be reduced. A surgical manipulator system including a stabilizer manipulator having a stabilizer, at the tip, holding an operative site of a patient; one or more operating manipulator having an instrument, at the tip, treating the held operative site; an observation manipulator having a camera, at the tip, for observing the operative site; a display unit displaying an image of the operative site acquired by the camera; an input unit specifying a target site to be treated in association with an image of the stabilizer that holds the operative site, which image is displayed on the display unit; and a control unit controlling these parts, wherein the stabilizer manipulator, the operating manipulator, and the observation manipulator have coordinate systems that are associated with one another; and the control unit controls the operating manipulator so as to dispose the instrument in the vicinity of the target site specified by the input unit.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a surgical manipulator system. 
         [0003]    This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-254638, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    In the related art, there is a known surgical manipulator system that is equipped with a plurality of master-slave manipulators that operate in accordance with the input from an operating unit (for example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,726). 
         [0006]    This surgical manipulator system is equipped with a stabilizer as an end effector of the manipulators, and treatment is carried out using the instrument of another manipulator with viewing an endoscopic image while inhibiting the pulsation of the operative site, in particular, an organ, such as a heart, that involves considerable spontaneous movement, by holding the stabilizer serving as a manipulator against the operative site. 
         [0007]    In such a surgical manipulator system, the operator performs the treatment with visually checking the endoscopic image to identify the positional relationship between a site to be treated and the manipulators and considering the direction and distance; therefore, it sometimes takes much time to move the instrument to the treatment site. In particular, in a case where there are a plurality of treatment sites or in a case where it is necessary to move the instrument back and forth multiple times to a single treatment site, a heavy burden is imposed on the operator. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention provides a surgical manipulator system that can easily and quickly move the instrument to a treatment site of an operative site and that can reduce the burden imposed on the operator. 
         [0009]    One aspect of the present invention is a surgical manipulator system including a stabilizer manipulator having a stabilizer, at the tip, holding an operative site of a patient; one or more operating manipulator having an instrument, at the tip, treating the operative site held by the stabilizer manipulator; an observation manipulator having a camera, at the tip, for observing the operative site; a display unit displaying an image of the operative site acquired by the camera of the observation manipulator; an input unit specifying a target site to be treated in association with an image of the stabilizer that holds the operative site, which image is displayed on the display unit; and a control unit controlling these parts, wherein the stabilizer manipulator, the operating manipulator, and the observation manipulator have coordinate systems that are associated with one another; and the control unit controls the operating manipulator so as to dispose the instrument in the vicinity of the target site specified by the input unit. 
         [0010]    According to the above aspect, the camera is disposed by operating the observation manipulator so that an image of the operative site is displayed on the display unit, and the stabilizer is disposed within the imaging region by the camera by operating the stabilizer manipulator. Then, a target site to be treated is specified via the input unit, with the pulsation of the operative site reduced by bringing the stabilizer into contact with the periphery of the operative site. Since the input unit specifies the target site to be treated in association with the image of the stabilizer, the control unit can back-calculate the operating state of the operating manipulator in order to dispose the instrument in the vicinity of the target site from the positional relationship between the specified target site and the stabilizer. 
         [0011]    Thus, the instrument can be moved easily and quickly by controlling the operating manipulator so that the instrument can be disposed in the vicinity of the target site. As a result, even in the case where there are a plurality of target sites or in the case where it is necessary to move the instrument back and forth multiple times to a single target site, the burden imposed on the operator can be reduced. 
         [0012]    In the above aspect, an indicator display unit displaying an indicator for specifying the target site in the image displayed on the display unit may be provided. 
         [0013]    With this configuration, since the indicator can be displayed on the display unit by the indicator display unit, the operator can easily specify the target site at the treatment site of the operative site using the indicator displayed in the image. 
         [0014]    In the above aspect, the indicator may be a shaped portion provided on the surface of the stabilizer. 
         [0015]    In the above aspect, the shaped portion may be a scale drawn on the surface of the stabilizer. 
         [0016]    In the above aspect, the shaped portion may be a characteristic shape formed on the main body of the stabilizer. 
         [0017]    With this configuration, when the stabilizer is moved, the shaped portion (scale, characteristic portion) drawn on the surface of the stabilizer is also moved at the same time, and therefore, a reference for specifying the target site can be provided. 
         [0018]    In the above aspect, the indicator display unit may superimpose an image of the indicator set to the stabilizer on the image of the operative site. 
         [0019]    Additionally, the image of the indicator may be a scale. 
         [0020]    With this configuration, the image of the indicator (scale) superimposed on the image of the operative site displayed on the display unit moves together with the stabilizer, and thus, a reference for specifying the target site can be provided. 
         [0021]    The present invention offers the advantages of easily and quickly moving the instrument to a treatment site of the operative site and reducing the burden imposed on the operator. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a surgical manipulator system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the surgical manipulator system in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing an observation manipulator provided in the surgical manipulator system in 
           [0025]      FIG. 1 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a stabilizer manipulator provided in the surgical manipulator system in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing an operating manipulator provided in the surgical manipulator system in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 6A  is a perspective view showing an example of a stabilizer provided on the stabilizer manipulator in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 6B  is a back view showing an example of the stabilizer provided on the stabilizer manipulator in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6C  is a plan view showing an example of the stabilizer provided on the stabilizer manipulator in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  is a plan view showing an example of an indicator provided on the stabilizers in  FIGS. 6A to 6C ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing the state of treatment of an operative site by the surgical manipulator system in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 9  is a plan view showing a modification of the indicator in  FIG. 7 ; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 10  is a plan view showing another modification of the indicator in  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0035]    A surgical manipulator system  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 8 . 
         [0036]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the surgical manipulator system  1  according to this embodiment is equipped with a plurality of (in the illustrated example, four) manipulators  3 ,  4 , and  5  that are movably disposed, using casters B, around a bed  2  on which a patient A is laid; a control unit  6  connected to the manipulators  3  to  5 ; and an operating unit  7  that inputs operating signals from the manipulators  3  to  5  to the control unit  6 . 
         [0037]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the manipulators  3  to  5  are of an articulated type (for example, a six-axis articulated type) in which the leading-end position can be oriented in any direction and have a plurality of links  3   b  to  5   b  connected together with a plurality of joints  3   a  to  5   a.  As shown in  FIG. 2 , the joints  3   a  to  5   a  are equipped with driving units (motors and reduction gears)  3   c  to  5   c  and sensors  3   d  to  5   d  that detect the rotation angles of the links  3   b  to  5   b.  The example shown in  FIG. 2  collectively shows the driving units  3   c  to  5   c  and the sensors  3   d  to  5   d  provided for the plurality of joints  3   a  to  5   a,  respectively. 
         [0038]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , of the four manipulators  3  to  5 , one manipulator  3  is an observation manipulator (hereinafter also referred to as an observation manipulator  3 ), equipped with a camera  8 , serving as the endmost link. When the observation manipulator  3  is operated, the tip of the camera  8  can be oriented in any three-dimensional direction, thus allowing the imaging region of an operative site of the patient A to be changed freely. 
         [0039]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , one manipulator  4  is a stabilizer manipulator (hereinafter also referred to as a stabilizer manipulator  4 ), equipped with a stabilizer  9 , serving as the endmost link. When the stabilizer manipulator  4  is operated, the stabilizer  9  can be oriented in any three-dimensional direction, thus allowing the position at which the operative site to be held of the patient A is changed freely. 
         [0040]    For example, as shown in  FIG. 6A , the stabilizer  9  is formed of a U-shaped plate member. As shown in  FIG. 6B , one side of the stabilizer  9  has suction holes  9   a  that are sucked under negative pressure to be attached to biological tissue around the operative site. As shown in  FIG. 6C , the other side of the stabilizer  9  has a scale  9   b  drawn at intervals along the inner edge of the U-shape. The scale  9   b  functions as an indicator that makes it easy to specify a target site P disposed inside the stabilizer  9 . 
         [0041]    For a minimally invasive surgery etc., it is preferable that the stabilizer  9  be formed in a foldable structure (not shown) so as to be inserted into the body through a trocar (not shown) disposed through the skin, and when passing through the trocar, the stabilizer  9  be folded small, and after it is inserted into the body, it be extended into the shape shown in  FIGS. 6A to 6C . 
         [0042]    The other two manipulators  5  are, as shown in  FIG. 5 , operating manipulators (hereinafter, also referred to as operating manipulators  5 ) each equipped with an instrument  10 , such as forceps, serving as the endmost link. When the operating manipulators  5  are operated, the instruments  10  can be disposed in any three-dimensional orientation, thus allowing access to the operative site of the patient A from a desired direction for treatment. 
         [0043]    The four manipulators  3  to  5  are associated with one another using a common coordinate system. 
         [0044]    The operating unit  7  is equipped with an input unit  7   a,  such as a joystick, that an operator X manipulates and a display  7   b  that displays an image acquired by the camera  8 . One input unit  7   a  is provided for each of the manipulators  3  to  5  or is provided so as to manipulate all the manipulators  3  to  5  by switching between them using a switch (not shown). The input unit  7   a  can input the coordinates of the target site P, that is, the treatment site, of the operative site by inputting coordinates with a keyboard. 
         [0045]    The control unit  6  is equipped with a calculating section  6   a  that calculates the rotation angles of the joints  3   a  to  5   a  according to the input from the input unit  7   a,  driving sections  6   b  that calculate and output instruction signals to the driving units  3   c  to  5   c  on the basis of the rotation angles calculated by the calculating section  6   a,  an image processing section  6   c  that processes the image data acquired by the camera  8  to generate image information to be displayed on the display unit  7   b,  and a storage section  6   d  that stores the sizes of the links  3   b  to  5   b  of the respective manipulators  3  to  5 . 
         [0046]    The operator X controls the operating manipulators  5  by manipulating the input unit  7   a  of the operating unit  7  so as to operate the stabilizer manipulator  4  to hold the operative site with the stabilizer  9  and, in this state, to move the tip positions of the instruments  10  of the two operating manipulators  5  toward the vicinity of the target site P set to the stabilizer  9 . Specifically, the operating angles of the joints  3   a  to  5   a  are calculated, and the driving units  3   c  to  5   c  are operated so that the operating angles calculated while detection signals from the sensors  3   d  to  5   d  are monitored can be achieved so that the tip positions of the instruments  10  can be disposed in the vicinity of the target site P set to the stabilizer  9  that holds the operative site. 
         [0047]    The operation of the thus-configured surgical manipulator system  1  according to this embodiment will be described below. 
         [0048]    To treat the operative site of the patient A using the surgical manipulator system  1  according to this embodiment, first, the operator X manipulates the input unit  7   a  to operate the observation manipulator  3  to adjust the orientation and position of the camera  8  so that the operative site falls within the imaging region of the camera  8 . 
         [0049]    Next, the operator X manipulates the input unit  7   a  to operate the stabilizer manipulator  4  to move the stabilizer  9  serving as the endmost link into the imaging region of the camera  8 . The operator X disposes the stabilizer  9  so that the treatment site is enclosed inside the stabilizer  9  and causes the stabilizer  9  to be attached around the treatment site of an organ C by sucking the suction holes  9   a  under negative pressure, with the stabilizer  9  in contact with the organ C so that no load is imposed thereon. Thus, even for an organ C such as the heart, the pulsation, such as the heartbeat, of the organ C, can be inhibited using by the stabilizer  9 . 
         [0050]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , the operator X inputs the coordinate position of the target site P to be treated, for example, (X, Y, Z)=(3, 1, 2), with a keyboard using the scale  9   b  provided on the stabilizer  9  as a reference. As an alternative, the coordinates may be (X, Y)=(3, 1), using a predetermined value for the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis is defined as an axis orthogonal to the X-axis and the Y-axis. 
         [0051]    Thus, the control unit  6  controls the operating manipulators  5  on the basis of the input coordinates of the target site P so that the tips of the instruments  10  are disposed in the vicinity of the target site P. 
         [0052]    That is, in the surgical manipulator system  1  according to this embodiment, because the coordinate systems of the manipulators  3  to  5  are associated with one another, and the sizes etc. of the links  3   b  to  5   b  that constitute the manipulators  3  to  5  are known, when the target site P is specified, the operating angles of the joints  5   a  of the operating manipulators  5  can be calculated backward so that the tips of the instruments  10  are disposed in the vicinity of the target site P, as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0053]    As a result, in a case where there are a plurality of the target sites P to be treated at given coordinates or in a case where the same target site P must be treated a plurality of times, for example, for an anastomosis treatment, the treatment can be performed automatically without the operator X visually moving the instruments  10  to the XYZ-coordinates as the need arises. Accordingly, this has the advantage that the operating manipulators  5  can be operated easily and quickly, thus reducing the burden imposed on the operator X. 
         [0054]    In this embodiment, the indicator that is used as a reference to specify the target site P to be treated is formed of the scale  9   b  drawn on the surface of the stabilizer  9 . As an alternative, it may be any kind of scale provided that it is formed on the surface of the stabilizer  9  (the surface that can be imaged) that comes into contact with the operative site so as to allow image recognition, and that it can show the coordinates of the operative site. As a shaped portion that substitutes for the scale, a characteristic portion of the shape of the stabilizer  9  main body (for example, a region including the tip and/or the near end of the stabilizer  9  that comes into contact with the operative site) may be set as an indicator region; and an indicator display unit (not shown) may be provided which calculates the target site P from the shape of the stabilizer  9  and which superimposes the calculated target site P itself or an image that shows an indicator for indirectly indicating the target site P on the image of the stabilizer  9  by comparing the indicator region with an image serving as an indicator, stored in advance, among images of the stabilizer  9  taken by the camera  8  and by performing image processing while recognizing the indicator region. 
         [0055]    In this case, a characteristic design (protrusion, notch, etc.) that makes it easy to recognize an image of the indicator region may be provided around the outer edge of the stabilizer  9 . As an indicator that indicates the target site P itself, a cross-shaped indicator  9   b ′ or a circular or rectangular image  9   b ″ , as shown in  FIG. 9 , may be used. Alternatively, the target site P may be indicated indirectly by the scale  9   b  or ruled lines  9   c  that can be superimposed on the inner edge of the stabilizer  9 , as shown in  FIGS. 6C and 10 , respectively. Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a scale that indicates a coordinate system having the same scale as coordinates set for the image of the stabilizer  9 . In addition to the above-described various indicators, a registration indicator that indicates a reference position for aligning an indicator image with the image of the stabilizer  9  may be drawn on the surface of the stabilizer  9 . 
         [0056]    In this embodiment, the coordinates of the target site P on an image are input via the keyboard using the scale  9   b  provided on the stabilizer  9  as a reference. Instead of this, the coordinates of the target site P on the image may be directly input with a cursor manipulated using a touch display or a mouse. In this case, the above-described indicators are not necessary. 
         [0057]    By directly specifying the coordinates of the target site P on the image, the specified coordinates on the image can be associated with the coordinates of the camera  8  or the coordinates of the stabilizer  9 . This allows the operating angles of the individual joints  5   a  of the operating manipulators  5  to be calculated backward so that the tips of the instruments  10  can be disposed in the vicinity of the target site P, as in the above. 
         [0058]    In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to the surgical manipulator system  1  having two operating manipulators  5 . However, instead of this, the present invention may be applied to a surgical manipulator system  1  having one or three or more operating manipulators  5 .