Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

Acuson Corporation

Other

Thomas G Cooper

S Christopher Anderson

Anthony K McGrogan

Eugene F Duval

David Q Larkin

Robert E Holop

David Joseph Rosa

Todd R Solomon

Daniel H Gomez

Bruce M Schena

Stephen J Blumenkranz

Craig R Ramstad

Gary S Guthart

Matthew Reagan Williams

Roman L Devengenzo

Jeffrey D Brown

Robert G Younge

Paul E Lilagan

Chris A Julian

Nicola Diolaiti

Nitish Swarup

Joseph Orban, Iii

Catherine J Mohr

Paul W Mohr

Daniel T Wallace

Kent M Anderson

Theodore W Rogers

Paul G Griffiths

Bram Gilbert Antoon Lambrecht

Michael R Costa

Michael J Tierney

Stacey Chang

Dustin Williams

William A Burbank

Alan Eton Loh

Michael Lee Hanuschik

William John Park

Scott E Manzo

Dean F Hoornaert

John W Eaton

Thomas W Brown

John Alexander Hossack

William C Nowlin

Gunter D Niemeyer

Craig R Gerbi

Christopher J Hasser

J Kenneth Salisbury, Jr

John W Sliwa, Jr

Lisa W Heaton

Sevig Ayter

Michael Ikeda

David L Martin

Steven J Blumenkranz

Scott Osborne Luke

Michael Prindiville

Giuseppe Maria Prisco

David S Mintz

Margaret M Nixon

S Christoper Anderson

David V Adams

Frederic H Moll

Matthew Aaron Wixey

David C Shafer

Christopher Allen Julian

Tuan Bui

John I Jackson

Patrick Flanagan

Nicholas H Ragosta

Alan W Petersen

Jason W Hemphill

Andris D Ramans

Andrew Cullen Waterbury

Daniel P Saraliev

Arthur E Schulze

Donald Frank Wilson, Jr

Doron Levitas

Emil Steve Macha

Shan Padda

Isabelle Heye

Clint Deckert

Duane W Marion

Michael H Ikeda

Eric J Earnst

Karl Konecny

Douglas M Bruce

Joseph F Rosewarne

Thoeodore W Rogers

James E Phetteplace

Eugene F F Duval

Mathew R Williams

William A McDonald, Iii

Jordan M Klein

Thad Lieb

An instrument includes a tubular shaft, an end effector coupled to a distal end portion of the tubular shaft, and a relief feature extending circumferentially along a wall of the shaft and along at least a portion of a length of the shaft. The relief feature defines flexural members on opposing sides of the relief feature. The flexural members can move relative to one another in response to bending the shaft. The flexural members can engage one another on one or both of tension and compression sides of the shaft on the condition the shaft is bent to an angle within a predetermined range of bend angles. Systems and methods relate to instruments including such shafts.

Instrument shafts with relief features, and related devices, systems, and methods

A surgical system comprises a manipulator arm and a surgical instrument. The surgical instrument includes: a transmission mechanism including a plurality of interface members; and an elongate body extending from the transmission mechanism. The surgical system further includes an instrument mounting structure mounted to the manipulator arm. The transmission mechanism of the surgical instrument is removably couplable to the instrument mounting structure. The instrument mounting structure includes a plurality of actuator members and a passage defined within the instrument mounting structure. When the surgical instrument is coupled to the instrument mounting structure: the plurality of interface members mate with the plurality of actuator members; and the elongate body of the surgical instrument extends between at least some of the plurality of actuator members and through the passage.

Minimally invasive surgical system

A cable tensioning system of a surgical system comprises a base, an arm, and a moveable idler pulley rotatably coupled to a first end of the arm and positioned between a first pulley system and a second pulley system. A closed loop cable drive extends between the first pulley system and the second pulley system, and the closed loop cable drive passes over the moveable idler pulley. The cable tensioning system also comprises a translation mechanism slidably coupling a second end of the arm to the base. The translation mechanism is configured to move the arm relative to the base along a linear path between a first position and a second position such that the moveable idler pulley is moved away from at least one of the first pulley system or the second pulley system to control a tension in the closed loop cable drive.

Cable tensioning in a robotic surgical system

A method includes receiving at a controller of a teleoperated surgical system a first signal indicating that a surgical instrument is in an installed position at a patient side cart of the teleoperated surgical system, receiving at the controller a second signal indicating that the surgical instrument is in a flux connection state, and outputting a signal via the controller to provide feedback indicating that the surgical instrument is in the flux connection state.

Flux disambiguation for teleoperated surgical systems

A drape includes a first drape portion configured to receive a manipulator arm of a surgical system and a pocket coupled to a distal portion of the first drape portion. The pocket is configured to receive a manipulator of the surgical system. The pocket includes a flexible membrane positionable between an output of the manipulator and an input of a surgical instrument mountable to the manipulator. In some embodiments, the flexible membrane is located at a distal end of the pocket. In some embodiments, the flexible membrane is configured to allow an actuating force to be transmitted from the output of the manipulator to the input of the surgical instrument. In some embodiments, the pocket provides a sterile barrier between the manipulator and the surgical instrument. In some embodiments, the drape further includes a rotatable seal configured to couple a proximal opening of the pocket to the first drape portion.

Surgical system sterile drape

A medical instrument includes an instrument shaft with exit holes near a distal end of the shaft, a tool coupled to the distal end of the shaft, and a backend. The backend may include a mechanism that manipulates a drive element that extends through the shaft and couples to the tool, a fluid inlet, and a fluid channel assembly providing fluid communication between the fluid inlet and the proximal end of the shaft. Cleaning fluid is directed into the fluid inlet, through the fluid channel assembly, and into the shaft. A chassis or other structural piece of the backend may form part of the fluid channel assembly.

Instrument flushing system

A surgical system includes a surgical instrument that is sensitive to backlash that would adversely affect the transmission of controlled torque and position to the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument is coupled to motors in a surgical instrument manipulator assembly via a mechanical interface. The combination of the mechanical interface and surgical instrument manipulator assembly have low backlash, e.g., less than 0.7 degrees. The backlash is controlled in the surgical instrument manipulator assembly. From the drive output disk in the surgical instrument manipulator assembly to the driven disk of the surgical instrument, the mechanical interface has zero backlash for torque levels used in surgical procedures.

Preloaded surgical instrument interface

A cable-driven device, such as a joint or instrument of a computer-assisted manipulator system, may comprise a capstan mechanism to wind/unwind cables. The capstan mechanism comprises a capstan that has a groove in an outer surface of the capstan to guide the cables, which are routed from a take-up pulley, to spool onto the capstan as the capstan rotates. A guide element is engaged with the groove. The guide element is held translationally stationary relative to the take-up pulley, while there is relative translation between the capstan and both the guide element and the take-up pulley. Thus, as the capstan rotates, the guide element engages with the groove and forces the capstan and the take-up pulley to translate relative to one another. This relative translation of the capstan and the take-up pulley may prevent deviation of a take-up angle of the cable as the cable spools onto the capstan.

Devices, systems and methods for controlling cable drive mechanisms

A method of operating a manipulator arm comprising a manipulator interface configured to removably couple with and transmit actuation force to a medical instrument includes mounting a cannula to a cannula mount coupled to the manipulator arm; mounting a medical instrument to the manipulator interface; inserting a shaft of the medical instrument through an entry guide mounted to the cannula; rotating the manipulator interface and the medical instrument relative to the cannula mount; and rotating the entry guide relative to the cannula mount about a longitudinal axis of the cannula.

Surgical system entry guide

A surgical instrument assembly comprises a guide tube and a first instrument. The first instrument includes a first elongated shaft and a first proximal arm link coupled by a first shoulder joint, the first proximal arm link and a first distal arm link coupled by a first elbow joint, and the first distal arm link and a first end effector coupled by a first wrist joint. The surgical instrument assembly also comprises a second instrument that includes a second elongated shaft and a second proximal arm link coupled by a second shoulder joint, the second proximal arm link and a second distal arm link coupled by a second elbow joint, and the second distal arm link and a second end effector coupled by a second wrist joint. The surgical instrument assembly also includes an imaging assembly. The first and second end effectors are within the imaging assembly's field of view.

Side-looking minimally invasive surgery instrument assembly

A surgical end effector includes a clevis and two jaws rotatably coupled to the clevis. A rocking pin in the form of a solid of revolution is pivotally supported by the clevis. The rocking pin may be pivotally supported by the clevis at the midpoint between the first and second ends. The opposite ends of the rocking pin engage the jaws to constrain the jaws to have opposite motions around the axes of rotation of the jaws. The clevis may be coupled to an elongate shaft to provide an endoscopic instrument. The first and second jaws may be electrically isolated from one another for electrocautery and the rocking pin may be formed from a non-conductive material or electrically isolated from the first and second jaws by electrically non-conductive liners. The jaws may be opened and closed by pushing and pulling on wires coupled to the jaws.

Direct pull surgical gripper

A surgical system comprises a base, an arm assembly operably coupled to the base, and an instrument manipulator assembly coupled to a distal link of the arm assembly. The instrument manipulator assembly comprises an instrument manipulator interface to removably couple with a medical instrument and transfer actuation forces to the medical instrument. The instrument manipulator interface comprises a mounting surface and a plurality of actuator outputs to operably engage with respectively corresponding inputs of the medical instrument. The actuator outputs extend from the mounting surface along directions substantially parallel to a shaft of the medical instrument in a mounted state of the medical instrument to the instrument manipulator interface. In the mounted state of the medical instrument, the instrument manipulator interface and medical instrument are rotatable together about a roll axis of rotation relative to the distal link of the arm assembly.

Surgical system instrument mounting

A surgical instrument manipulator comprises a manipulator arm and an instrument mounting structure rotatably mounted to the manipulator arm. The instrument mounting structure comprises: an attachment interface configured to removably couple to a surgical instrument; and a passage within the instrument mounting structure. When the surgical instrument is coupled to the attachment interface, the surgical instrument is fixed to the instrument mounting structure. An elongate body of the surgical instrument extends through the passage when the surgical instrument is coupled to the attachment interface. The instrument mounting structure is rotatable relative to the manipulator arm, and when the surgical instrument is coupled to the attachment interface, rotation of the instrument mounting structure with respect to the manipulator arm causes rotation of the surgical instrument.

A medical device includes a lever with an applied force position, a load position, and a fulcrum position. A first cable extends from the applied force position of the lever to a first capstan, the first cable wrapping around the first capstan. A second cable extends from the applied force position of the lever to a second capstan, the second cable wrapping around the second capstan. A rod couples the load position of the lever and a surgical end effector. The first and second capstans may be fixed to an axle. The axle may receive a rotational input from a rotary actuator. A hand wheel may be coupled to the axle. There may be a spring between a support structure and the lever to bias the lever to rotate about the fulcrum position of the lever.

Rotary input for lever actuation

A surgical system uses a single entry port in a wide variety of surgeries. To insert multiple surgical instruments into a patient through a single entry port requires that the shaft of at least one of the surgical instruments be bent between the base of the surgical instrument and the point where the shaft contacts a channel in an entry guide. Each surgical instrument is positioned by an instrument manipulator positioning system so that when the shaft is inserted in a channel of the entry guide, any bending of the shaft does not damage the surgical instrument and does not inhibit proper operation of the surgical instrument.

Surgical system with variable entry guide configurations

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Thomas G Cooper