Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

Petrophysical Services, Inc.

Stephen J Blumenkranz

Thomas G Cooper

Gary S Guthart

Christopher J Hasser

David Q Larkin

Robert G Younge

Giuseppe Maria Prisco

Brian David Hoffman

David Joseph Rosa

David W Bailey

Tao Zhao

Frederic H Moll

Gregory William Dachs, Ii

William C Nowlin

Ian E McDowall

Gunter D Niemeyer

J Kenneth Salisbury, Jr

Samuel Kwok Wai Au

Yulun Wang

Vincent Duindam

Darrin R Uecker

Randall L Schlesinger

James W Wright

Christopher R Carlson

Amante A Mangaser

Carolyn M Fenech

Bruce M Schena

Federico Barbagli

Randal P Goldberg

Mark Earl Froggatt

Caitlin Q Donhowe

Jeffrey M DiCarlo

Timothy D Soper

Steven M Zuniga

Manoocher Birang

Brandon D Itkowitz

Paul W Mohr

David S Mintz

Robert B Hubler

Craig R Gerbi

Simon Peter DiMaio

Simon P Dimaio

Chris A Julian

Lawton N Verner

Michael J Tierney

Matthew D Rohr Daniel

Rajesh Kumar

Anoop B Kowshik

Modjtaba Ghodoussi

Brett J Lockyer

Matthew David Inouye

Geoff Richmond

Ranjan Mauherjee

Christopher B Allenby

Timothy D Boucher

Scott L Cassell

Eric E Sanborn

Andris D Ramans

Sen-Hou Ko

Edward P Donlon

Howard E Grunes

Dean F Hoornaert

Timothy B Hulford

John H Prince

Brian Edward Miller

Ranjan Mukherjee

Matthew Rohr Daniel

Jeffrey M Dicarlo

William S Kennedy

Troy K Adebar

Richard K Reber

James C Nystrom

Alfred Abraham Goldspiel

Tabish Mustafa

Steven L Stenberg

Richard V Rafloski

Eric C Williams

Christopher M Major

Guiseppe M Prisco

Hanifa Dostmohamed

Gregory W Dachs Ii

Ian M Mcdowall

Gregory W Dachs Iii

Gary S Guthar

An apparatus may configure an illuminator to illuminate a scene with non-white light. The illuminator includes a plurality of color component illumination sources. The non-white light is light other than white light and is generated by a combination of light output by the plurality of color component illumination sources. The apparatus may also control a camera to capture, in a plurality of color channels of the camera, a frame of the scene illuminated with the non-white light and adjust pixel values of a color channel of the camera in the frame of the scene to decrease noise of the color channel in the frame of the scene.

Surgical system including a non-white light general illuminator

An apparatus for movably coupling a robotic medical instrument system to an anatomic orifice device comprises a hollow medial portion including a first end, a second end, and a passageway therebetween. The apparatus further comprises a coupling member coupled to the medial portion along a longitudinal axis of the medial portion. The passageway extends through the coupling member, and the coupling member comprises a curved surface configured to rotatably connect the anatomic orifice device to the robotic medical instrument system.

Systems and methods for coupling components of a medical system

A support structure comprises a base joint coupling a proximal link of the support structure to a base. The proximal link is configured to rotate about a first axis associated with the base joint. The support structure further comprises a linkage mechanism. The linkage mechanism maintains an orientation of an instrument support relative to the base as the support structure is moved from a first configuration to a second configuration. In the second configuration, the support structure is rotated relative to the base about the first axis.

Systems and methods for using a robotic medical system

A medical instrument including a shaft and an actuated structure mounted at a distal end of the shaft can employ a pair of tendons connected to the actuated structure, extending down the shaft, and respectively wound around a capstan in opposite directions. A passive preload system may maintain minimum tensions in the tendons.

Operating self-antagonistic drives of medical instruments

A medical system includes an outer catheter comprising one or more first lumens, a sealing device coupled to the outer catheter, an inner instrument configured to be slideably deployed through one of the one or more first lumens and comprising one or more first sensors configured to detect one or more anatomical features below a surface of the anatomic passageway, one or more second sensors, and a processor. The processor is configured to detect bleeding into the anatomic passageway from outside the anatomic passageway using the one or more second sensors and disable advancement of the inner instrument when the one or more first sensors detect the one or more anatomical features. The one or more second sensors are configured to be positioned distal to the sealing device and mounted on the inner instrument near a distal end of the inner instrument.

Systems and methods of accessing encapsulated targets

Embodiments of a cannula seal are disclosed. In some embodiments, a cannula seal can include a base portion that engages with a cannula; and a seal portion integrally formed with the base portion that slidebly engages with an instrument shaft such that an insertion frictional force between the seal portion and the instrument shaft for insertion of the instrument shaft is symmetrical and substantially equal with a retraction frictional force.

Low friction cannula seals for minimally invasive robotic surgery

A control system for an elongate member actuated via a pull wire comprises a chassis fixable in place relative to the elongate member during use and a pulley carried by the chassis, the pulley having a first pull wire-supporting surface structurally configured to support the pull wire, the pulley being rotatable about a first axis. The system further comprises a wall carried by the chassis and a capstan carried by the chassis and rotatable about a second axis aligned at an orthogonal angle relative to the first axis, the capstan having a second pull wire-supporting surface that permits the pull wire to wrap around the capstan, wherein the wall extends circumferentially around the capstan and includes a slit through which the pull wire extends.

Backend mechanism of a catheter control system

A minimally invasive medical instrument comprises an elongate flexible body comprising a proximal portion, a distal portion, a transition portion between the proximal portion and the distal portion, and an inner sheath extending at least within the proximal portion. The inner sheath comprises a plurality of conduits extending through a wall of the inner sheath. A distal end of each conduit terminates at the transition portion. The flexible body further comprises a steerable tube extending within the distal portion. The steerable tube comprises a plurality of grooves in a wall of the steerable tube. The medical instrument further comprises at least one tendon extending from the proximal portion into the distal portion of the flexible body. In the proximal portion, the tendon extends through at least one conduit of the plurality of conduits. In the distal portion, the tendon extends within at least one groove of the plurality of grooves.

Flexible instrument with grooved steerable tube

An elongate flexible instrument includes an elongate flexible instrument, an image capture instrument, and at least one heat transfer element. The elongate flexible instrument defines an internal channel. The internal channel is configured to receive a fluid from a fluid source. The image capture instrument is disposed within the internal channel in a distal portion of the elongate flexible instrument. The at least one heat transfer element is configured to transfer heat from the image capture instrument to the fluid.

Systems and methods for cleaning a minimally invasive instrument

Embodiments of an actuated cannula seal are disclosed In some embodiments, a cannula seal includes a base portion that engages with a cannula; and a seal portion integrally formed with the base portion, the sealing portion capable of engaging with an instrument shaft, the sealing portion capable of being actuated by an actuator so that the sealing portion is continually in motion relative to the instrument shaft. The actuation of the sealing portion can be accomplished by rotation or vibration of the sealing portion relative to the instrument shaft.

System and method for providing surgical instrument force feedback

An apparatus for guiding an elongated flexible instrument comprises a variable-length support assembly. The variable-length support assembly includes a first end, a second end, a plurality of support member pairs, and a plurality of eyelets configured to receive the elongated flexible instrument. Each support member pair comprises a first support member linked to a second support member, and each of the plurality of eyelets is movably coupled to at least one of the plurality of support member pairs along a longitudinal central axis between the first end and the second end. The variable-length support assembly is configured to selectively transition from a compressed configuration to an expanded configuration along the longitudinal central axis, and the plurality of eyelets are adapted to support the elongated flexible instrument as the elongated flexible instrument is advanced along the longitudinal central axis. Each of the plurality of eyelets includes a tapered alignment member configured to contact a tapered alignment member of an adjacent eyelet to move the plurality of eyelets into alignment along the longitudinal axis as the variable length assembly transitions from the expanded configuration to the compressed configuration.

Guide apparatus for delivery of an elongate device and methods of use

An optical fiber cleaning assembly includes a cleaning tape, a first spool having the cleaning tape wound thereon, a second spool onto which the cleaning tape is drawn, a drive mechanism configured to move the cleaning tape from the first spool to the second spool, and one or more first connectors configured to mate with one or more connectors of a system, the system including a first optical fiber. The optical fiber cleaning assembly further includes one or more second connectors configured to mate with one or more optical fiber connectors of a device while the optical fiber cleaning assembly is attached to the system by the one or more first connectors, the device including a second optical fiber. The drive mechanism is configured to move the cleaning tape from the first spool to the second spool to wipe the face of the first or second optical fiber.

Systems and methods for optical fiber cleaning and interface particle reduction

A support structure for supporting an instrument manipulator comprises a proximal link and a distal link configured to extend from the proximal link. The support structure further comprises a base joint coupling the proximal link of the support structure to a base, and the proximal link is configured to rotate about a first axis associated with the base joint. The support structure further comprises a counterbalance mechanism comprising a counterweight block configured to move linearly within the support structure. The counterweight block has a counterweight mass to counterbalance a combined mass of the support structure and the instrument manipulator as the distal link extends from the proximal link.

An apparatus may configure an illuminator to illuminate a scene with non-white light and control a camera to capture, in a plurality of color channels of the camera, a frame of the scene illuminated with the non-white light. The apparatus may adjust a signal of a color channel of the camera in the frame of the scene based on the non-white light.

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos Hills, CA, United States of America

Stephen J Blumenkranz