Redundant axis and degree of freedom for hardware-constrained remote center robotic manipulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11490977-B2
Application number	US-202016742008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2020
Priority date	Jun 1, 2012
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

A surgical system includes a manipulator, a surgical tool and a control system. The manipulator includes a manipulator mounting base, a pitch mechanism, a roll mechanism and a redundant rotation mechanism. The surgical tool is supported by the manipulator and has a tool shaft axis. The pitch mechanism rotates the surgical tool around a pitch axis. The roll mechanism rotates the surgical tool around a roll axis transverse to the pitch axis. The redundant rotation mechanism rotates the surgical tool around a redundant rotation axis. Each of the tool shaft axis, the pitch axis and the roll axis intersect at a remote center. The control system is configured to electronically communicate with and control operation of the manipulator to articulate the surgical tool during surgery.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical system, comprising:
a manipulator comprising a manipulator mounting base, a pitch mechanism, a roll mechanism and a redundant rotation mechanism; wherein the pitch mechanism comprises a pitch mechanism base joint, a pitch mechanism first link, a pitch mechanism first joint, a pitch mechanism second link, and a pitch mechanism second joint; wherein the pitch mechanism first link is coupled to each of the pitch mechanism base joint and the pitch mechanism first joint, wherein the pitch mechanism second link is coupled to each of the pitch mechanism first joint and the pitch mechanism second joint, wherein the pitch mechanism first joint and the pitch mechanism second joint are rotationally coupled to the pitch mechanism base joint so that actuation of the pitch mechanism base joint actuates the pitch mechanism, wherein the roll mechanism comprises a roll mechanism base link, a roll mechanism joint, and a roll mechanism first link; wherein actuation of the roll mechanism joint rotates the roll mechanism first link around a roll axis, wherein the redundant rotation mechanism comprises a redundant rotation mechanism base link, a redundant rotation mechanism joint, and a redundant rotation mechanism first link; wherein actuation of the redundant rotation mechanism joint rotates the redundant rotation mechanism first link around a redundant rotation axis;
a surgical tool supported by the manipulator and comprising a tool shaft axis, wherein the pitch mechanism rotates the surgical tool around a pitch axis, wherein the roll mechanism rotates the surgical tool around the roll axis, wherein the roll axis is transverse to the pitch axis, wherein the redundant rotation mechanism rotates the surgical tool around the redundant rotation axis, wherein the redundant rotation axis is transverse to each of the pitch axis and the roll axis, and wherein each of the tool shaft axis, the pitch axis and the roll axis intersect at a remote center; and
a control system configured to electronically communicate with and control operation of the manipulator to articulate the surgical tool during surgery.

2. The surgical system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mounting base; and
a set-up structure coupled to the mounting base and configurable to support the manipulator mounting base in a fixed position and orientation relative to a patient.

3. The surgical system of claim 2 , wherein the set-up structure is configurable to position the manipulator mounting base at a selected vertical position relative to the patient.

4. The surgical system of claim 2 , wherein the set-up structure is configurable to position the manipulator mounting base at a selected horizontal position relative to the patient.

5. The surgical system of claim 2 , wherein the set-up structure is operable to reposition the manipulator mounting base relative to the patient in three orthogonal directions and reorient the manipulator mounting base relative to the patient around each of three different axes.

6. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the manipulator mounting base is mountable to a mounting surface that is stationary in a reference plane to support the manipulator mounting base in a fixed position and orientation relative to a patient.

7. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the redundant rotation mechanism is operable to position the roll mechanism below the remote center.

8. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the manipulator mounting base is configured to be mounted to and supported by a set-up linkage of a cart mount, a ceiling mount, a floor mount, or a pedestal mount.

9. The surgical system of claim 1 , further comprising a base link having a distal end connected to the redundant rotation mechanism and a proximal end connected to the manipulator mounting base.

10. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to control operation of each of the pitch mechanism and the roll mechanism.

11. The surgical system of claim 10 , wherein the control system is configured to control operation of the redundant rotation mechanism.

12. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the redundant rotation axis intersects the remote center.

13. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the redundant rotation mechanism is positionable below the remote center.

14. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein a distal end of the redundant rotation mechanism is connected to a proximal end of the roll mechanism.

15. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the roll mechanism is positioned between the pitch mechanism and the redundant rotation mechanism.

16. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein:
the manipulator comprises a second redundant rotation mechanism;
the second redundant rotation mechanism rotates the surgical tool around a second redundant rotation axis.

17. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the redundant rotation mechanism is powered.

18. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the redundant rotation mechanism is unpowered.

19. The surgical system of claim 1 , wherein the redundant rotation axis is angled relative to the roll axis by 15 degrees.

Assignees

• Intuitive Surgical Operations

Inventors

• Schena Bruce Michael
• Devengenzo Roman L
• Ettinger Gary C
• Duval Eugene F
• Diolaiti Nicola
• Gomez Daniel H

Classifications

• A61B2017/00477

  Coupling (A61B2017/0046 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B34/70

  Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery · CPC title

• A61B34/30 Primary

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B2034/305

  Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms · CPC title

• A61B34/37 Primary

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