Patent ID: 8864652

Claim:
A method for positioning and orienting a distal end of an image capturing device that is controllably movable in response to operator manipulation of an input device by actuating a plurality of joints that is mechanically coupled to a plurality of links which is mechanically coupled to the distal end of the image capturing device, the method comprising: receiving information of positions of the plurality of joints; determining a position and orientation of the distal end of the image capturing-device by using the received information of the positions of the plurality of joints; generating a virtual camera perspective view of a computer model of the distal end of the image capturing device, of at least one of the plurality of links, and of at least one of the plurality of joints by using the determined position and orientation of the distal end of the image capturing device, wherein the virtual camera perspective view is from a perspective of a virtual camera; displaying the virtual camera perspective view of the computer model on a display screen; and controlling the positioning and orienting of the distal end of the image capturing device by actuating the plurality of joints in response to operator manipulation of the input device such that movement of the input device results in corresponding scaled movement of the distal end of the image capturing device relative to a control reference frame so that the positioning and orienting of the distal end of the image capturing device appears to an operator who is manipulating the input device while viewing the display screen to be intuitively correct with respect to the displayed virtual camera perspective view of the computer model.