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:
Jun. 11, 2024
Filed:
Jun. 19, 2019
Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Joseph D. Bogusky, San Jose, CA (US);
Randall L. Schlesinger, San Mateo, CA (US);
INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
Stiffening mechanisms or systems that assist or enable holding a pose or shape of a flexible body may be part of a steering mechanism for an end effector. The stiffening mechanisms may be separately actuated and/or may themselves also enable steering of a flexible elongate device. Further, the stiffening mechanisms may use information from sensor systems, such as a shape sensor in the form of an optical fiber, a plurality of EM sensors distributed along the length of a flexible device, and/or navigation systems, such as a sensor system that computes the approximate location of medical instruments (such as a flexible body) within the anatomy of the patient and/or medical tools that are delivered through a main lumen of the flexible body, to inform a control system which then controls formation and holding of a shape of the flexible body.