Robotic surgery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10939970-B2
Application number	US-201916419696-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2019
Priority date	May 22, 2019
Publication date	Mar 9, 2021
Grant date	Mar 9, 2021

Abstract

A robotic surgery system includes a control unit assembly that supports and operates one or more robotic tools and a mechanical arm assembly that movably supports the control unit assembly in space. The mechanical arm assembly includes a boom assembly with one or more boom arms rotatably coupled to each other via one or more joints and having one or more actuators. An elevating linkage assembly is coupled to the boom assembly and has an actuator operable to allow vertical movement of the control unit assembly in a substantially weightless manner. Yaw and pitch control assemblies are interposed between the elevating linkage assembly and the control unit assembly and have actuators operable to allow movement of the control unit assembly in yaw and pitch. The one or more actuators are actuatable to allow movement of the control unit assembly in space upon actuation of one or more user interfaces of the control unit assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robotic surgery system, comprising:
a control unit assembly configured to support and operate one or more robotic tools; and
a mechanical arm assembly configured to movably support the control unit assembly in space, the mechanical arm assembly comprising
a pillar assembly extending along a first axis;
a boom assembly movably coupled to the pillar assembly and extending generally perpendicular to the first axis, the boom assembly comprising a proximal boom arm rotatably coupled to the pillar assembly via a first joint and a distal boom arm rotatably coupled to the proximal boom arm via a second joint, one or more brakes arranged about one or both of the first and second joints;
an elevating linkage assembly coupled to the distal boom arm and extending along a second axis generally parallel to the first axis, the elevating linkage assembly disposed above and operatively coupled to the control unit assembly, the elevating linkage assembly comprising a brake operable to allow vertical movement of the control unit assembly relative to the boom assembly; and
a pitch and yaw assembly disposed between the control unit assembly and the elevating linkage assembly and configured to allow movement of the control unit assembly in one or both of a pitch direction and a yaw direction, the pitch and yaw assembly comprising one or more brakes operable to substantially brake movement of the control unit assembly in one or both of pitch and yaw,

wherein the one or more of brakes in the boom assembly, the brake in the elevating linkage assembly and the one or more brakes in the pitch and yaw assembly are all actuatable between an unlocked position to allow an operator to manually change one or both of a position and an orientation of the control unit assembly in space and a locked position to fix the position and orientation of the control unit assembly in space.

2. The robotic surgery system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more brakes in the boom assembly, the brake in the elevating linkage assembly and the one or more brakes in the pitch and yaw assembly are all electromagnetic brakes.

3. The robotic surgery system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit assembly comprises a plurality of user interfaces configured to unlock the one or more brakes in the boom assembly, the brake in the elevating linkage assembly and the one or more brakes in the pitch and yaw assembly substantially simultaneously when engaged.

4. The robotic surgery system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of user interfaces are depressible buttons.

5. The robotic surgery system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of user interfaces are tactile sensors.

6. The robotic surgery system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more of the brakes in the boom assembly, the brake in the elevating linkage assembly and the one or more brakes in the pitch and yaw assembly all remain in a locked position when fewer than two user interfaces of the plurality of user interfaces are engaged.

7. The robotic surgery system of claim 3 , wherein said plurality of user interfaces are located at or proximate corners of the control unit assembly.

8. The robotic surgery system of claim 1 , wherein the pitch and yaw assembly comprises a yaw control assembly coupled to a distal end of the elevating linkage assembly and a pitch control assembly coupled to a distal end of the yaw control assembly so that the pitch control assembly is interposed between the yaw control assembly and a chassis of the control unit assembly.

9. The robotic surgery system of claim 8 , wherein the pitch control assembly extends along a third axis and the yaw control assembly extends along a fourth axis, the third and fourth axes being generally perpendicular to each other.

10. The robotic surgery system of claim 1 , wherein the elevating linkage assembly comprises a pylon configured to move linearly relative to a frame of the elevating linkage assembly and a cable that extends from the pylon, over a pulley and couples to a compressible spring, wherein the spring exerts a spring force that substantially counteracts a force exerted on the pylon by the control unit assembly to allow movement of the control unit assembly in a substantially weightless manner.

11. The robotic surgery system of claim 10 , wherein the pulley has a varying radius of curvature so that a rate of change of the spring force due to compression of the spring is substantially equal to a rate of change of the radius of the pulley such that the control unit assembly exerts substantially the same torque on the pulley during vertical motion of the control unit assembly.

12. The robotic surgery system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit assembly comprises a counterbalance assembly comprising one or more springs compressible by a slidable shuttle, the shuttle coupled to a cable that extends over a pulley and couples to at least a portion of the pitch and yaw assembly, the cable configured to move the shuttle to compress the one or more springs during a pitch motion of the control unit assembly to counterbalance a weight of the control unit assembly to allow a pitch movement of the control unit assembly in a substantially weightless manner.

13. The robotic surgery system of claim 1 , wherein one or more electrical cables are routed through the boom assembly and to the control unit assembly, at least a portion of the one or more cables routed via a bore in each of the first and second joints to allow rotation of the proximal and distal boom arms without entanglement of the one or more electrical cables.

14. The robotic surgery system of claim 1 , wherein the distal boom arm is longer than the proximal boom arm, allowing the rotation of the distal boom arm over the proximal boom arm to move the control unit assembly into a stowed position.

15. A robotic surgery system, comprising:
a control unit assembly configured to support and operate one or more robotic tools; and
a mechanical arm assembly configured to movably support the control unit assembly in space, the mechanical arm assembly comprising
a boom assembly comprising one or more boom arms rotatably coupled to each other via one or more joints, one or more actuators arranged about the one or more joints and operable to allow movement of the one or more boom arms;
an elevating linkage assembly coupled to the boom assembly and extending along an axis generally perpendicular to the boom assembly, the elevating linkage assembly disposed above the control unit assembly and comprising an actuator operable to allow movement of the control unit assembly along the axis and relative to the boom assembly;
a yaw control assembly disposed below the elevating linkage assembly and above the control unit assembly, the yaw control assembly comprising an actuator operable to allow movement of the control unit assembly in a yaw direction;
a pitch control assembly disposed below the elevating linkage assembly and above the control unit assembly, the pitch control assembly comprising one or more actuators operable to allow movement of the control unit assembly in a pitch direction,

wherein the one or more actuators in the boom assembly, the actuator in the elevating linkage assembly, the actuator in the yaw control assembly and the one or more actuators in the pitch control assembly are all actuatable to allow a change in one or both of a position and an orientation of the control unit assembly in space upon actuation of two or more user interfaces of the control unit assembly and wherein the one or more actuators in the boom assembly, the actuator in the elevating linkage assembly, the actuator in the yaw con

Assignees

• Titan Med Inc

Inventors

• Laakso Aki Hannu Einari
• Pflaumer Hans Christian
• Shipley Abraham Allen
• Ginsberg Nathan Wagner
• Laouar Yahia
• Coad Cara Lee
• Ross Michael James
• Burton Jr John Michael

Classifications

• A61B34/30 Primary

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B2090/5025

  with a counter-balancing mechanism · CPC title

• A61B34/74

  Manipulators with manual electric input means · CPC title

• A61B34/37

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

• A61B34/71

  Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms · CPC title