Optical force sensor for robotic surgical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10660714-B2
Application number	US-201615768342-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2016
Priority date	Nov 19, 2015
Publication date	May 26, 2020
Grant date	May 26, 2020

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical instrument is provided and includes a housing; an elongate shaft extending from the housing; and a tool assembly supported by a distal portion of the elongate shaft, the tool assembly including first and second jaw member. The at least one of the first and second jaw members is moveable relative to the other jaw member between a neutral configuration in which the first and second jaw members are spaced apart relative to one another; and a clamping configuration in which the first and second jaw members are approximated relative to one another with tissue grasped therebetween, the first jaw member defining a cavity.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A surgical instrument comprising:
a housing;
an elongate shaft extending from the housing;
a tool assembly supported by a distal portion of the elongate shaft, the tool assembly including first and second jaw member, at least one of the first and second jaw members moveable relative to the other jaw member between:
a neutral configuration in which the first and second jaw members are spaced apart relative to one another; and
a clamping configuration in which the first and second jaw members are approximated relative to one another with tissue grasped therebetween, the first jaw member defining a cavity; and

an optical force sensor configured to determine a force exerted to tissue, the optical force sensor including:
a light source;
a reflector disposed within the cavity of the first jaw member and configured to reflect light emitted from the light source;
a light receiver configured to sense an amount of light reflected from the light source; and
a processor in communication with the light receiver and configured to determine deflection of the first jaw member from the amount of sensed light, the deflection of the first jaw member correlated to a force exerted by the first jaw member to tissue.

2. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the light source is disposed within the housing.

3. The surgical instrument according to claim 2 , wherein the optical force sensor includes a light guide extending between the light source and the cavity.

4. The surgical instrument according to claim 3 , wherein the light receiver is disposed within the housing and in communication with the light guide such that light reflected from the reflector passes through the light guide.

5. The surgical instrument according to claim 4 , wherein light reflected from the reflector has at least one property different than light emitted towards the reflector, the at least one property is at least one of a phase or a wavelength.

6. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the light receiver is disposed within the cavity.

7. The surgical instrument according to claim 6 , wherein the first jaw member has a tissue contacting surface opposing the second jaw member and an outer surface opposite the tissue contacting surface, the first and second jaw members have a distracting configuration in which the outer surface of the first jaw member is engaged with tissue.

8. The surgical instrument according to claim 7 , wherein in the clamping configuration the first jaw member is deflected in a first direction and in the distracting configuration the first jaw member is deflected in a second direction opposite the first direction, the processor being configured to determine a direction of deflection of the first jaw member from the amount of light received by the light receiver.

9. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the reflector is disposed orthogonal to an axis of transmittance of light emitted from the light emitter.

10. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the reflector is disposed at an angle relative to an axis of transmittance of the light emitted from the light emitter in a range of about 5° to about 85°.

11. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the reflector is concave.

12. The surgical instrument according to claim 11 , wherein the concavity of the reflector is configured to direct the entire amount of light emitted from the light source towards the light detector when the first jaw member is in the neutral configuration.

13. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the light source is at least one of a microLED or a laser diode.

14. A tool assembly comprising:
a jaw member defining a cavity;
an optical force sensor configured to determine a force exerted to tissue by a jaw tool assembly, the tool assembly defining a cavity, the optical force sensor including:
a first light source;
a reflector disposed within a cavity of the tool assembly and configured to reflect light emitted from the first light source;
a light receiver configured to sense an amount of emitted by the first light source and reflected by the reflector; and
a processor in communication with the light receiver and configured to determine deflection of the first jaw member from the amount of sensed light, the deflection of the first jaw member correlated to a force exerted by the first jaw member to tissue.

15. The tool assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the optical force sensor includes a second light source, the reflector configured to reflect light emitted from the second light source, the light receiver configured to sense an amount of light emitted by the second light source and reflected by the reflector.

16. The tool assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the cavity is defined by a first sidewall and a second sidewall perpendicular to the first sidewall, the first light source configured to emit light through an opening in the first sidewall and the second light source configured to emit light through an opening in the second sidewall.

17. The tool assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the first light source is configured to emit light having a first property and the second light source is configured to emit light having a second property different from the first property, the light detector differentiating between sensed light from the first light source and sensed light from the second light source.

18. A method of determining a force applied to tissue by a jaw member of a tool assembly, the method comprising:
engaging tissue with a jaw member of a tool assembly such that the jaw member is deflected;
emitting light from a light source towards a reflector disposed within a cavity defined in within the jaw member;
sensing an amount of light from the first light source reflected by the reflector with a light detector; and
determining the force applied to the tissue by the jaw member from the amount of sensed light.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein engaging tissue with the jaw member includes at least one of engaging tissue with a tissue contacting surface of the jaw member in a clamping configuration or engaging tissue with an outside surface of the jaw member opposite the tissue contacting surface in a distracting configuration.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein determining the force applied to tissue by the jaw member includes a configuration of the jaw member based on the amount of sensed light.

Assignees

• Covidien Lp

Inventors

• Meglan Dwight

Classifications

• A61B1/00137

  End pieces at either end of the endoscope, e.g. caps, seals or forceps plugs · CPC title

• A61B34/37

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

• A61B34/30 Primary

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B2090/065

  for measuring contact or contact pressure · CPC title

• A61B34/70

  Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery · CPC title