Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

William Jason Culman

Willard Curtis Lomax

Peter M Herzlinger

Jaime G Blackstad

Ian E McDowall

Jeffrey M DiCarlo

Brian David Hoffman

Dominique Brichard

Jeffrey M Dicarlo

Ian E Mcdowall

Dominique D Brichard

A surgical apparatus includes a housing, a test port retainer, a pressure test chamber, and an image capture assembly. The housing includes a pressure test port. The test port retainer includes a test port retainer housing, a probe seal, and a liquid exclusion barrier. In one aspect, the test port retainer also includes a hydrophobic membrane mounted within the test port retainer housing. The pressure test chamber includes a manifold and a central tube. The first end of the central tube is affixed to the image capture assembly to form a pressure seal, and the second end of the central tube is coupled to the test port retainer so that the pressure test port communicates with the interior volume of the central tube through the test port retainer.

Pressure test port contained within a body of surgical instrument

In some embodiments, a controller of a computer-assisted surgical system receives a visible image captured by an image capture unit of a surgical system, receives a plurality of hyperspectral images captured at a same waveband by the image capture unit of the surgical system, generates a composite hyperspectral image from the plurality of hyperspectral images, and spatially registering the composite hyperspectral image with the visible image.

Simultaneous white light and hyperspectral light imaging systems

An illustrative system may include a stereoscopic imaging device comprising: a first image sensor having a first pixel array and configured to provide a first windowed output comprising first image information associated with pixels included within a first window of the first pixel array, the first window having a first position; and a second image sensor having a second pixel array and configured to provide a second windowed output comprising second image information associated with pixels included within a second window of the second pixel array, the second window having a second position; and an imaging control system that may be configured to: determine a working distance between a target surface within a scene and the stereoscopic imaging device; and adjust one or more of the first position of the first window within the first pixel array or the second position of the second window within the second pixel array.

Systems and methods implementing distance-based image sensor windowing

An image sensing apparatus including a pixel array comprising two or more photo-sensor elements, a first optical filter disposed on a first photo-sensor element of the pixel array and a second optical filter disposed on a second photo-sensor element of the pixel array. The first optical filter is configured such that a spectral response of the first optical filter includes a first passband in a first wavelength range and a second passband in a second wavelength range, where the first passband and the second passband are separated by a first stop band. The second optical filter is configured such that a spectral response of the second optical filter includes a third passband in the first wavelength range and a fourth passband in the second wavelength range, where the third passband and the fourth passband are separated by a second stop band.

Multiple band pass Bayer pattern filter

An endoscope includes a first subassembly, a second subassembly, a third subassembly, and a fourth subassembly, which are sequentially assembled and tested in making the endoscope. The first subassembly includes a pressure-sealed electrical cable connected to an image capture unit. The second subassembly includes the first subassembly, a shell, a light pipe, and a lid. The third subassembly includes the second subassembly, a central tube, and a flange. The fourth subassembly includes the third subassembly, a base, a shaft, and optionally an articulating assembly.

Endoscope including a plurality of individually testable subassemblies

A computer-assisted surgical system simultaneously provides visible light and alternate modality images that identify tissue or increase the visual salience of features of clinical interest that a surgeon normally uses when performing a surgical intervention using the computer-assisted surgical system. Hyperspectral light from tissue of interest is used to safely and efficiently image that tissue even though the tissue may be obscured in the normal visible image of the surgical field. The combination of visible and hyperspectral images are analyzed to provide details and information concerning the tissue or other bodily function that were not previously available.

The technology described herein can be embodied in a method that includes obtaining a representation of a first image of a surgical scene using electromagnetic radiation of a first wavelength range outside the visible range of wavelengths, wherein an amount of electromagnetic radiation of the first wavelength range received from a first tissue type is lower than that received for a second tissue type. The method also includes obtaining a representation of a second image using electromagnetic radiation of a second wavelength range outside the visible range of wavelengths, wherein an amount of electromagnetic radiation of the second wavelength range received from the second tissue type is substantially different from that received for the first tissue type. The visual representation of the surgical scene is rendered on the one or more displays using the representation of the first image and the representation of the second image.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America

William Jason Culman