  Minimally Invasive Surgeries (MIS) are challenging for surgeons due to the
limited field of view and constrained range of motion imposed by narrow access
ports. These challenges can be addressed by robot-assisted endoscope systems
which provide precise and stabilized positioning, as well as constrained and
smooth motion control of the endoscope. In this work, we propose an online
hierarchical optimization framework for visual servoing control of the
endoscope in MIS. The framework prioritizes maintaining a
remote-center-of-motion (RCM) constraint to prevent tissue damage, while a
visual tracking task is defined as a secondary task to enable autonomous
tracking of visual features of interest. We validated our approach using a
6-DOF Denso VS050 manipulator and achieved optimization solving times under 0.4
ms and maximum RCM deviation of approximately 0.4 mm. Our results demonstrate
the effectiveness of the proposed approach in addressing the constrained motion
planning challenges of MIS, enabling precise and autonomous endoscope
positioning and visual tracking.
