FLEXIBLE WRIST FOR SURGICAL TOOL

• US 20070239203A1
• Filed: 04/11/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Incorporated (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Cooper, Thomas, Anderson, S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,862,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/205
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00142 with means for preventing contamination, e.g. by using a sanitary sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00149 using articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0058 using shape-memory elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/008 Articulations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00 Surgical instruments, devices or methods, e.g. tourniquets A61B18/00 takes precedence; contraceptive devices, pessaries, or applicators therefor A61F6/00; eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/062 Needle manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/068 Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clampsstaplers containing only one staple A61B17/10; magazines or containers for staples A61B17/105; for performing anastomosis A61B17/115; staplers in general B25C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1442 Probes having pivoting end effectors, e.g. forceps
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/003 Steerable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00309 Cut-outs or slits
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2901 Details of shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/306 Wrists with multiple vertebrae
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms

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.

Claims

1-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A medical instrument comprising:

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.

39. The instrument of claim 38, wherein said support member is a spring.

40. The instrument of claim 38, each of said at least three actuation cables further passing from the proximal portion of said wrist through said shaft to a proximal portion of said shaft, said instrument further comprising an actuating mechanism coupled to the proximal portion of said shaft, said mechanism comprising at least three rotary actuators coupled to corresponding ones of said at least three actuation cables.

41. The instrument of claim 40, wherein steering of said tube is controlled by coordinating the actuation of said rotary actuators.

42. The instrument of claim 40, said wrist further comprising an end effector lumen, the instrument further comprising:

an end effector coupled to the distal portion of said wrist;

at least one end effector control element coupled to said end effector, said end effector control element extending from said end effector through the end effector lumen of said wrist through said shaft to the proximal portion of said shaft;

an end effector control mechanism coupled to the end effector control element, said end effector control mechanism coupled to the proximal portion of said shaft.

43. The instrument of claim 42, said end effector control element comprising an actuation cable, and said end effector control mechanism comprising a rotary actuator coupled to said actuation cable.

44. The instrument of claim 43, said end effector comprising a gripper, said end effector control element comprising a gripping cable, and said end effector control mechanism comprising a rotary actuator coupled to said gripping cable.

45. The instrument of claim 42, said end effector comprising an electrode, and said end effector control element comprising an electrical conductor.

46. The instrument of claim 38, said actuation cables configured to flex the distal portion of said wrist relative to the proximal portion of said wrist about a yaw axis and a pitch axis, said yaw axis intersecting said pitch axis.

47. The instrument of claim 38, the distal portion of said wrist coupled to a termination element, each of said at least three actuation cables inserted through a corresponding hole in said termination element.

48. The instrument of claim 47, said termination element comprising a rigid disk.

49. The instrument of claim 47, said termination element comprising a ring.

50. The instrument of claim 38, said wrist comprising at least one gap.

51. The instrument of claim 50, said at least one gap comprising a plurality of cutouts alternating in at least two orthogonal directions.

52. The instrument of claim 51, wherein said cutouts are in said flexible support member.

53. The instrument of claim 51, wherein said cutouts are in said outer layer.