FLEXIBLE WRIST FOR SURGICAL TOOL
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a tool having a wrist mechanism that provides pitch and yaw rotation in such a way that the tool has no singularity in roll, pitch, and yaw. In one embodiment, a minimally invasive surgical instrument comprises an elongate shaft having a working end, a proximal end, and a shaft axis between the working end and the proximal end; and an end effector. A wrist member has a flexible tube including an axis extending through an interior surrounded by a wall. The wall of the flexible tube includes a plurality of lumens oriented generally parallel to the axis of the flexible tube. The wrist member has a proximal portion connected to the working end of the elongate shaft and a distal portion connected to the end effector. A plurality of actuation cables have distal portions connected to the end effector and extend from the distal portion through the lumens of the wall of the wrist member toward the elongate shaft to proximal portions which are actuatable to bend the wrist member in pitch rotation and yaw rotation.
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Citations
53 Claims
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1-37. -37. (canceled)
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38. A medical instrument comprising:
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a shaft having a distal portion and a proximal portion;
a wrist having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the proximal portion of said wrist coupled to the distal portion of said shaft, said wrist comprising;
a flexible tubular support member extending from said the proximal portion of said wrist to the distal portion of said wrist; and
an outer layer wrapped around said support member, said outer layer having a stiffness lower than a stiffness of said support member, said outer layer comprising at least three lumens extending from the proximal portion of said wrist to the distal portion of said wrist;
said instrument further comprising at least three actuation cables, each of said cables passing from the distal portion of said wrist through a corresponding one of said at least three lumens to the proximal portion of said wrist. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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Specification