Wrist Articulation by Linked Tension Members

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016106510-A1
Application number	US-201514982348-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 29, 2015
Priority date	Nov 13, 2009
Publication date	Apr 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Surgical tools having a two degree-of-freedom wrist, wrist articulation by linked tension members, mechanisms for transmitting torque through an angle, and minimally invasive surgical tools incorporating these features are disclosed. An elongate intermediate wrist member is pivotally coupled with a distal end of an instrument shaft so as to rotate about a first axis transverse to the shaft, and an end effector body is pivotally coupled with the intermediate member so as to rotate about a second axis that is transverse to the first axis. Linked tension members interact with attachment features to articulate the wrist. A torque-transmitting mechanism includes a coupling member, coupling pins, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft. The drive shaft is coupled with the driven shaft so as to control the relative orientations of the drive shaft, the coupling member, and the driven shaft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A surgical tool comprising:
an elongate shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and having a proximal end and a distal end, the longitudinal axis extending through the proximal and distal ends; and an end effector movably coupled to the distal end of the elongate shaft to rotate about a first axis and a second axis, the first axis being orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, the second axis being orthogonal to the first axis and transverse to the longitudinal axis, the second axis being offset from the first axis along the longitudinal axis, the end effector including four attachment features, each of the four attachment features including a curved portion, each of the four curved portions having a center-of-curvature and a curved ordinary centerline, each of the four center-of-curvatures being located in a plane containing the second axis, and each of the four curved ordinary centerlines being tangent to a plane containing the first axis.

2 . The surgical tool of claim 1 , wherein each of the four curved portions comprises a segment of a solid torus having the respective center-of-curvature as the axis of revolution of the solid torus and the respective curved ordinary centerline passes through cross-sectional centers of the respective curved portion.

3 . The surgical tool of claim 1 , further comprising four tension members extending along the elongate shaft, each of the four tension members being interfaced with a respective one of the four curved portions and configured to:
slide along the respective curved portion in conjunction with rotation of the end effector about the second axis; and rotate around the respective curved ordinary centerline in conjunction with rotation of the end effector about the first axis.

4 . The surgical tool of claim 3 , wherein each of the four tension members comprises a lug having an aperture through which the respective curved portion extends.

5 . The surgical tool of claim 3 , wherein the four tension members are arranged around the longitudinal axis in a first diagonally opposed pair and a second diagonally opposed pair, each of the four tension members being under tension induced by a force applied to the tension member and transferred to the respective one of the attachment features by the tension member.

6 . The surgical tool of claim 5 , wherein:
rotation of the end effector about the first axis occurs in conjunction with proximal displacement of one of each of the first and second diagonally opposed pairs of the tension members that the is equal in magnitude to distal displacement of the other of each of the first and second diagonally opposed pairs of the tension members; and rotation of the end effector about the second axis occurs in conjunction with proximal displacement of one of each of the first and second diagonally opposed pairs of the tension members that the is equal in magnitude to distal displacement of the other of each of the first and second diagonally opposed pairs of the tension members.

7 . The surgical tool of claim 1 , wherein the first and second axes are separated by 2 mm or less.

8 . The surgical tool of claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate member pivotally coupled with the elongate shaft to rotate relative to the elongate shaft about the first axis, the intermediate member being pivotally coupled with the end effector so that the end effector rotates relative to the intermediate member about the second axis.

9 . The surgical tool of claim 8 , wherein:
the elongate shaft comprises a support member to which the intermediate member is pivotally coupled to rotate about the first axis; angular rotation of the intermediate member relative to the elongate shaft about the first axis is limited via contact between the intermediate member and the support member; and angular rotation of the end effector about the second axis is limited via contact between the end effector and the intermediate member.

10 . The surgical tool of claim 8 , wherein the intermediate member has internal passages shaped to constrain cross-sectional positions of control cables of an actuation system.

11 . A surgical instrument for use with a robotic manipulator of a minimally invasive surgical system, the robotic manipulator having a holding fixture, the surgical instrument comprising:
an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein a longitudinal axis extends through the proximal and distal ends; a chassis disposed at the proximal end and holding the elongate shaft, the chassis being configured to be mounted to the holding fixture; an end effector movably coupled to the distal end of the elongate shaft to rotate about a first axis and a second axis, the first axis being orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, the second axis being orthogonal to the first axis and transverse to the longitudinal axis, the second axis being offset from the first axis along the longitudinal axis, the end effector including four attachment features, each of the four attachment features including a curved portion, each of the four curved portions having a center-of-curvature and a curved ordinary centerline, each of the four center-of-curvatures being located in a plane containing the second axis, and each of the four curved ordinary centerlines being tangent to a plane containing the first axis; and four tension members extending along the elongate shaft between the chassis and the end effector, each of the four tension members being interfaced with a respective one of the four curved portions and configured to: slide along the respective curved portion in conjunction with rotation of the end effector about the second axis; and rotate around the respective curved ordinary centerline in conjunction with rotation of the end effector about the first axis.

12 . The surgical instrument of claim 11 , wherein each of the four curved portions comprises a segment of a solid torus having the respective center-of-curvature as the axis of revolution of the solid torus and the respective curved ordinary centerline passes through cross-sectional centers of the respective curved portion.

13 . The surgical instrument of claim 11 , wherein each of the four tension members comprises a lug having an aperture through which the respective curved portion extends.

14 . The surgical instrument of claim 11 , wherein the four tension members are arranged around the longitudinal axis in a first diagonally opposed pair and a second diagonally opposed pair, each of the four tension members being under tension induced by a force applied to the tension member and transferred to the respective one of the attachment features by the tension member.

15 . The surgical instrument of claim 14 , wherein:
rotation of the end effector about the first axis occurs in conjunction with proximal displacement of one of each of the first and second diagonally opposed pairs of the tension members that the is equal in magnitude to distal displacement of the other of each of the first and second diagonally opposed pairs of the tension members; and rotation of the end effector about the second axis occurs in conjunction with proximal displacement of one of each of the first and second diagonally opposed pairs of the tension members that the is equal in magnitude to distal displacement of the other of each of the first and second diagonally opposed pairs of the tension members.

16 . The surgical instrument of claim 11 , wherein the first and second axes are separated by 2 mm or less.

17 . The surgical instrument of claim 11 , fur

Assignees

• Intuitive Surgical Operations

Inventors

• Burbank William A

Classifications

• A61B2019/223

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B19/2203 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B2019/2234

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B2019/2215

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B2019/2242

  Human Necessities · mapped topic