Seals and sealing methods for a surgical instrument having an articulated end effector actuated by a drive shaft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10228058-B2
Application number	US-201514943564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2015
Priority date	Feb 15, 2011
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

Sealing assemblies and methods are disclosed for sealing a surgical instrument having an internal drive shaft subject to lateral displacement. A sealing assembly includes a rigid portion shaped to interface with an instrument shaft of the surgical instrument. A laterally oriented slot is open at a radially perimeter location and configured to receive an o-ring seal via the perimeter location. Apertures are disposed on opposing sides of the slot and open to the slot. The apertures are configured to receive the drive shaft there through and are larger than the drive shaft to accommodate lateral displacement of the drive shaft. The slot includes opposing internal sides spaced to interface with opposed axial surfaces of the o-ring seal. The seal inhibits axial transmission of an insufflated gas and/or bodily fluids while accommodating lateral displacement of the drive shaft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for sealing a minimally-invasive surgical instrument including a first internal drive shaft against at least one of an insufflated gas or bodily fluids, the method including:
interfacing a first O-ring seal with an external surface of a first internal drive shaft mounted for rotation within an instrument shaft of a minimally-invasive surgical instrument, the instrument shaft defining a shaft axis;
interfacing opposed axial surfaces of the first O-ring seal with opposing internal sides of a first slot oriented laterally to the shaft axis and formed in a seal assembly coupled to the instrument shaft, the first slot being sized to accommodate lateral sliding of the first O-ring seal in the first slot; and
accommodating the first internal drive shaft within first and second apertures formed in the seal assembly that are disposed on opposing sides of the first slot and are open to the first slot.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second apertures is larger than the first internal drive shaft passing through the first and second apertures so as to accommodate lateral displacement of the first internal drive shaft relative to the instrument shaft while the first internal drive shaft rotates and the first O-ring seal inhibits axial transmission of at least one of an insufflated gas or bodily fluids within the instrument shaft.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first O-ring seal has a cross-sectional radius of sufficient magnitude so as to accommodate a range of lateral displacement of the first internal drive shaft relative to the instrument shaft without having any portion of the opposed axial surfaces of the first O-ring seal move out of contact with the opposing internal sides of the first slot.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first slot is formed in a molded material.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the molded material comprises a fluoropolymer.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the molded material consists essentially of the fluoropolymer.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
interfacing a second O-ring seal with an external surface of a second internal drive shaft mounted for rotation within the instrument shaft;
interfacing opposed axial surfaces of the second O-ring seal with opposing internal sides of a second slot oriented laterally to the shaft axis and formed in the seal assembly, the second slot being sized to accommodate lateral sliding of the second O-ring seal in the second slot; and
accommodating the second internal drive shaft within third and fourth apertures formed in the seal assembly that are disposed on opposing sides of the second slot and are open to the second slot.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein each of the third and fourth apertures is larger than the second internal drive shaft passing through the third and fourth apertures so as to accommodate lateral displacement of the second internal drive shaft relative to the instrument shaft while the second internal drive shaft rotates and the second O-ring seal inhibits axial transmission of at least one of an insufflated gas or bodily fluids within the instrument shaft.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second O-ring seals has a cross-sectional radius of sufficient magnitude so as to accommodate a range of lateral displacement of the corresponding one of the first and second internal drive shafts relative to the instrument shaft without having any portion of the opposed axial surfaces of the O-ring seal move out of contact with the opposing internal sides of the corresponding one of the first and second slots.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein interfacing the opposed axial surfaces of the first O-ring seal with the opposing internal sides of the first slot comprises sliding the first O-ring seal radially inwardly into the first slot so that resilient compression of the first O-ring seal within the first slot induces axial sealing engagement between the first O-ring seal and the opposing internal sides of the first slot.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein interfacing the first O-ring seal with the external surface of the first internal drive shaft comprises sliding the first internal drive shaft axially through an aperture of the first O-ring seal so that resilient expansion of the first O-ring seal around the first internal drive shaft induces radial sealing engagement between the first internal drive shaft and the first O-ring seal such that the first O-ring seal is configured to inhibit axial flow of at least one of bodily fluids or an insufflated gas within the instrument shaft while accommodating rotation of the first internal drive shaft, axial displacement of the first internal drive shaft, and lateral displacement of the first internal drive shaft within the instrument shaft.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the seal assembly comprises a valve seat molded to a metal body so that the aperture of the first O-ring seal and the first slot define molded sealing surfaces, the metal body having a cable aperture for axially receiving an actuation cable there through so as to laterally position the cable within the instrument shaft, the molded valve seat having a cable sealing aperture providing an interference fit seal with the actuation cable.

Assignees

• Intuitive Surgical Operations

Inventors

• Duque Grant
• Murphy Todd E
• Burbank William A
• Dachs Ii Gregory W

Classifications

• F16J15/32 Primary

  with elastic sealings, e.g. O-rings · CPC title

• A61B2034/302

  specifically adapted for manipulations within body cavities, e.g. within abdominal or thoracic cavities · CPC title

• A61B34/30 Primary

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B2017/2948

  Sealing means, e.g. for sealing the interior from fluid entry · CPC title

• A61B34/37

  Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence) · CPC title