Impedance controller for a remote ultrasound diagnostic system

A master-slave type remote ultrasound diagnostic system was developed. This paper presents its controller. The controller has impedance control capability for the master and slave manipulators´ positions. And it has also continuous path (CP) control capability for the slave manipulator´s orientation. The impedance control allows the master and slave manipulators to move according to the motion control law, and allows the medical doctor to feel feedback force. Manipulability changes according to the impedance parameters. This paper makes clear the relationship of impedance parameters with manipulability and response speed, and proposes a method to determine appropriate impedance parameters. Experimental results demonstrate that the medical doctor can perform diagnosis successfully using the proposed system.