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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9295524-B2
Application number	US-201313906888-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2013
Priority date	Jun 1, 2012
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A remote center manipulator for use in minimally invasive robotic surgery includes a base link held stationary relative to a patient, an instrument holder, and a linkage coupling the instrument holder to the base link. First and second links of the linkage are coupled to limit motion of the second link to rotation about a first axis intersecting a remote center of manipulation. A parallelogram linkage portion of the linkage pitches the instrument holder around a second axis that intersects the remote center of manipulation. The second axis is not coincident with the first axis. Third and fourth links of the linkage are coupled to limit motion of the fourth link to rotation about a third axis intersecting the remote center of manipulation. The third axis is not coincident with either of the first and second axes. Various combinations of hardware-constrained remote center of motion robotic manipulators with redundant mechanical degrees of freedom are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A remote center manipulator for constraining a position of a surgical instrument during minimally invasive robotic surgery, the surgical instrument including an elongate shaft, the shaft having a distal working end configured for insertion into a body cavity of a patient through a remote center of manipulation, the remote center manipulator comprising:
a base link configured to be held in a fixed position relative to the patient;
an instrument holder configured to couple with the surgical instrument; and
a linkage coupling the instrument holder to the base link, first and second links of the linkage being coupled to limit motion of the second link relative to the first link to rotation about a first axis intersecting the remote center of manipulation, the linkage further including three rotationally coupled rotary joints configured to generate constrained parallelogram motion of the linkage by which motion of the instrument holder is limited to rotation about a second axis intersecting the remote center of manipulation, the second axis not being coincident to the first axis, and third and fourth links of the linkage being coupled to limit motion of the fourth link relative to the third link to rotation about a third axis intersecting the remote center of manipulation, the third axis not being coincident to either of the first and the second axes.

2. The manipulator of claim 1 , wherein:
the third link is at least one of fixed relative to the base link or is the base link;
the fourth link is at least one of fixed relative to the first link or is the first link.

3. The manipulator of claim 2 , wherein the angle between the first axis and the third axis is between 10 degrees and 30 degrees.

4. The manipulator of claim 3 , wherein the angle between the first axis and the third axis is approximately 15 degrees.

5. The manipulator of claim 2 , wherein the first axis and the third axis are substantially perpendicular.

6. The manipulator of claim 5 , wherein the first axis and the third axis are perpendicular.

7. The manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are substantially perpendicular.

8. The manipulator of claim 7 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are perpendicular.

9. The manipulator of claim 1 , wherein:
the links of the linkage form a serially connected assembly of links; and
the third link is located between the second link and the instrument holder in the serially connected assembly of links.

10. The manipulator of claim 9 , wherein the fourth link is at least one of fixed relative to the instrument holder or is the instrument holder.

11. The manipulator of claim 9 , wherein the linkage is operable to orient the fourth link relative to the third link so that the surgical instrument elongate shaft lies in a plane defined by the first axis and the third axis.

12. The manipulator of claim 1 , further comprising Sine/Cosine links drivingly coupling at least one pair of the three rotationally coupled rotary joints that are configured to generate the constrained parallelogram motion of the linkage.

13. The manipulator of claim 1 , further comprising Sine/Cosine links with oriented flexures, the Sine/Cosine links drivingly coupling at least one pair of the three rotationally coupled rotary joints that are configured to generate the constrained parallelogram motion of the linkage.

14. A remote center manipulator for constraining a position of a surgical instrument during minimally invasive robotic surgery, the surgical instrument including an elongate shaft, the shaft having a distal working end configured for insertion into a body cavity of a patient through a remote center of manipulation, the remote center manipulator comprising:
a mounting base;
a conical sweep link having a conical sweep link proximal end and a conical sweep link distal end, the conical sweep link proximal end being coupled to the mounting base for rotation about a first axis that intersects the remote center of manipulation;
a first link having a first link proximal end and a first link distal end, the first link proximal end being coupled to the conical sweep link distal end for rotation about a second axis that intersects the remote center of manipulation, the second axis not being coincident to the first axis;
a second link having a second link proximal end and a second link distal end, the second link proximal end being rotationally coupled to the first link distal end at a first parallelogram linkage joint;
a third link having a third link proximal end and a third link distal end, the third link proximal end being rotationally coupled to the second link distal end at a second parallelogram linkage joint; and
a fourth link configured to support the surgical instrument, the fourth link being rotationally coupled to the third link distal end by a third parallelogram linkage joint; the first, second, and third parallelogram linkage joints being rotationally coupled such that rotation of the first parallelogram joint generates motion of the fourth link that is limited to rotation about a third axis that intersects the remote center of manipulation, the third axis not being coincident with either of the first axis or the third axis.

15. The manipulator of claim 14 , wherein the angle between the first axis and the second axis is between 10 degrees and 30 degrees.

16. The manipulator of claim 15 , wherein the angle between the first axis and the second axis is approximately 15 degrees.

17. The manipulator of claim 14 , wherein the conical sweep link has a conical sweep link body section connecting the conical sweep link first end to the conical sweep link second end, the conical sweep link body section having enclosed cell cross-sectional configuration.

18. The manipulator of claim 14 , further comprising a conical sweep joint rotationally coupling the fourth link to the third link distal end for rotation about a fourth axis that intersects the remote center of manipulation, the fourth axis not being coincident with any of the first axis, the second axis, or the third axis.

19. The manipulator of claim 18 , wherein the conical sweep joint is operable to orient the fourth link relative to the third link so that the surgical instrument elongate shaft lies in a plane defined by the second axis and the fourth axis.

20. The manipulator of claim 14 , further comprising Sine/Cosine links that drivingly couple at least one pair of the first, second, and third parallelogram linkage joints.

21. The manipulator of claim 14 , further comprising Sine/Cosine links with oriented flexures, the Sine/Cosine links drivingly coupling at least one pair of the first, second, and third parallelogram linkage joints.

22. A remote center manipulator for constraining a position of a surgical instrument during minimally invasive robotic surgery, the surgical instrument including an elongate shaft, the shaft having a distal working end configured for insertion into a body cavity of a patient through a remote center of manipulation, the remote center manipulator comprising:
a mounting base;
a first link coupled with the mounting base so as to be selectively repositionable relative to the mounting base, movement of the first link relative to the mounting base being limited to rotation about a first axis that intersects the remote center of manipulation;
a second link having a second link proximal end and a second link distal end, the second link proximal end being coupled to

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

• A61B34/37 Primary

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

• A61B2034/305

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

• A61B34/70

  Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery · CPC title

• A61B34/30 Primary

  Surgical robots · CPC title