Autonomous Endoscope Control Algorithm with Visibility and Joint Limits Avoidance Constraints for da Vinci Research Kit Robot

This paper presents a novel autonomous endoscope control method for the dVRK's Endoscopic Camera Manipulator (ECM), which allows the camera to track the surgical instruments on the Patient Side Manipulator (PSM). An Image-based Visual Servoing (IBVS) is enforced by the addition of a visibility constraint that ensures the identified surgical tool remains in the camera's Field Of View (FOV) for the continued availability of image feedback and a joint limits avoidance constraint that prevents the ECM from exceeding its joint limits. The work relies on an optimization approach, with constraints performed using the Control Barrier Functions concept (CBFs). The goal is to minimize the surgeon's cognitive and physical workload by removing the time-consuming job of camera reorientation, offering an enforced method compared to the traditional IBVS endoscopic camera controller.