The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 24, 2021
Filed:
Mar. 20, 2017
Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Kevin Durant, Alameda, CA (US);
David S. Mintz, Mountain View, CA (US);
Robert M. Ohline, Redwood City, CA (US);
INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
A method for determining a shape of a bendable instrument can include placing the bendable instrument in a neutral position; moving a first control element a first amount until slack is removed from the first control element; moving a second control element a second amount until slack is removed from the second control element; sensing a position of the first control element after moving the first control element the first amount, the sensed position of the first control element being defined as a first control element calibration position; sensing a position of the second control element after moving the second control element the second amount, the sensed position of the second control element being defined as a second control element calibration position. The method can further include bending the instrument by moving one or both of the first control element and the second control element from the respective first control element calibration position and the second control element calibration position; and determining a resulting shape of the bendable instrument based on a distance one or both of the first control element and the second control element respectively moved from the first control element calibration position and second control element calibration.