General Electric Company

University of Michigan

Flexdex, Inc.

Other

Shorya Awtar

Norman Arnold Turnquist

Zachary Zimmerman

Frederick George Baily

Deepak Sharma

William Edward Adis

Peter F Costa

James Geiger

Bruce Johnson

Ryan Brook Rank

James Michael Licht

Christopher K Holmes

Nikhil Kumar Verma

Sean Douglas Feeny

Gregory Brian Bowles

Jens Nielsen

Farshad Ghasripoor

Imdad Imam

Bernard Arthur Couture, Jr

Mark Edward Burnett

Jason Paul Mortzheim

Brian Douglas Larose

Randall Sullivan

Tristan Thomas Trutna

Andrew Mansfield

Rosa Abani

Patrick Quigley

Kripa K Varanasi

Mahmut Faruk Aksit

Biao Fang

Hrishikesh Vishvas Deo

Glenn Herbert Nichols

James C Przytulski

Kurt Neal Laurer

Mark William Kowalczyk

James William Stegmaier

Darrin Glen Kirchhof

Jeffrey Reid Thyssen

Mustafa Gursoy

Mohammad Olfatnia

Matthew P Weber

Joshua Bishop-Moser

Ke Cao

Vineet Ghate

Kartik Mangudi Varadarajan

Kurt Grover Brink

Carl Anthony Flecker, Iii

Timothy Robert Kemp

Siddharth Sood

Grace Xiang Gu

Yang Xu

Yuchen Hua

David Hiemstra

William Charles Below

Gaurav Parmar

Cory Welch

Richard Cohen Lykins

Siddharth Rath

Kwun Sing Roger Ho

James Duncan Geiger

Zachary Zimmermann

A parallel kinematic mechanism apparatus includes a frame, a handle and an input joint that connects having at least two independent and functionally parallel paths for transmission of motion coupling the handle to the frame. A first path includes a first intermediate body connected to the frame by a first connector and to the handle by a third connector while the second path that is independent from the first path includes a second intermediate body that is connected to the frame by a second connector and to the handle by a fourth connector. The first connector and the fourth connector both allow rotation in a first rotational direction and restrict rotation in a second rotational direction and the second and third connectors allow rotation in the second rotational direction and restrict rotation in the first rotational direction.

Parallel kinematic mechanisms with decoupled rotational motions

A method of manufacturing and assembling a sandwich flexure mechanism assembly is set forth herein. The method involves manufacture of a monolithic sandwich flexure module having a multitude of out of plane rigid inter-stage connections between at least some sets of twin stages of the monolithic sandwich flexure module. The method further involves assembling an interconnect subassembly to intermediate bodies of the monolithic sandwich flexure module. The interconnect subassembly furnishing in-plane rigid inter-stage connections between pairs of the intermediate bodies that constitute sister stages of the monolithic sandwich flexure module. The method can further involve assembling a motion body, actuators, and displacement sensors at the monolithic sandwich flexure module.

Method of manufacture and assembly of XY flexure mechanism assembly

An articulating joint comprising a multi-cluster joint where every consecutive pair of links is interfaced by a gimbal, which offers rotation about two orthogonal axes within the same plane. Thus, the articulating joint comprises an alternating sequence of links and gimbals. Furthermore, there may be multiple cables attached to one or more of the links. As these cables are selectively pulled and released, one can achieve any desired articulation of the articulating joint. There may be a transmission member extending through the links and gimbals, parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the joint in its nominal non-articulated condition. This transmission member may be either a tension member that is pulled on (e.g. a cable or flexible pull rod) and that loads the articulating joint in compression, or the transmission member may be a flexible push rod that loads the articulating joint in tension.

Methods of smoothly articulating medical devices having multi-cluster joints

A jaw closure transmission system is presented comprising an input sub-system, output sub-system and a transmission sub-system.

End-effector jaw closure transmission systems for remote access tools

Medical devices having smoothly articulating multi-cluster joints

Slack-compensating pulleys, transmission systems including slack-compensating pulleys, and methods of operating these. In general, slack-compensating pulleys include a pulley body onto which a cable can wind, and one or more (e.g., two) slack take-up surfaces that rotate with the pulley body that are configured to remove slack form an outgoing length of cable by increasing the cable path length and wrap angle. In particular, described herein are minimal access tools having slack-compensating transmissions.

Tension management apparatus for cable-driven transmission

A tissue biopsy device comprising an inner needle loaded by a first spring and held in place by a first trigger; an outer needle loaded by a second spring and held in place by a second trigger; an outer housing that surrounds the first and the second needles; and a handle attached thereto.

Skin tissue biopsy device

Devices having a handle that provides unlimited roll to an end-effector at the distal end of the device. For example, described herein are medical devices that have an elongate tool frame, an end-effector, and a handle that includes: a first portion, a second portion that rolls relative to the first portion, a push rod within the first portion connected to a control input, and a shuttle body within the second portion that rotates with the second portion but is axially driven by the push rod when the user actuates the control input. The device may include a proximal wrist/forearm attachment allowing one or more degrees of freedom in pitch, yaw or roll about the user's arm. The handle may articulate relative to the tool frame, and this articulation may be transmitted to the end-effector. The end-effector may be a jaw assembly.

Handle mechanism providing unlimited roll

An embodiment of an electromagnetic actuator, such as a moving magnet actuator (MMA), includes a back iron, a first coil winding, a second coil winding, a mover, and a permanent magnet. The first and second coil windings are connected to the back iron, and have generally annular shapes. The mover moves relative to the back iron during use of the MMA. The permanent magnet is connected to the mover and moves with the mover during use of the MMA. The permanent magnet has a generally annular shape.

Electromagnetic actuators and component designs therefor

A minimal access tool includes a frame arranged to be attached to an arm of a user, a tool shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, where the tool shaft proximal end is connected to the frame. The tool further includes an input joint having a first end connected to the frame and a second end arranged to receive user input, the input joint including a virtual center-of-rotation (VC) mechanism which provides a center of rotation that generally coincides with a wrist joint of the user. An output joint is connected to the tool shaft distal end, where the output joint is coupled to the input joint via a mechanical transmission connected therebetween to correlate motion of the input joint to motion of the output joint.

Minimal access tool

Apparatuses and methods for attaching a minimal access tool to a user's body (e.g., wrist or forearm) so that movements of the user's forearm, wrist, hand and fingers can control movements at a distal end of the minimal access tool. In particular, described herein are forearm attachment devices (which may be used with or integrated into) a minimal access tool including a cuff configured to secure to the user's forearm and a coupling joint configured to connect the cuff to the frame so that the cuff may move relative to the frame with between 1 and 4 degrees of freedom.

Attachment apparatus for remote access tools

Flexure bearing systems and configurations guide translational motion along a single-axis in micro and macro applications such as micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices including sensors and actuators like electrostatic comb-drive actuators. The flexure bearing systems and configurations described herein provide an improved constraint against movement (i.e., stiffness) of the primary mover in non-motion axes such as a bearing axis.

Single-axis flexure bearing configurations

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Shorya Awtar