MICROSURGICAL ROBOT SYSTEM

• US 20080004632A1
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deerfield Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Deerfield Imaging Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Louw, Deon, McBeth, Paul, Fielding, Tim, Gregoris, Dennis, Sutherland, Garnette
• Granted Patent: US 9,220,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00911 for fields applied by a magnetic resonance imaging system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/102 Modelling of surgical devices, implants or prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2059 Mechanical position encoders
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/363 Use of fiducial points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/374 NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/35 for telesurgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/74 Manipulators with manual electric input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/75 Manipulators having means for prevention or compensation of hand tremors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/77 Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/20 Surgical microscopes characterised by non-optical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/25 Supports therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 : Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 : Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers

Abstract

A robot system for use in surgical procedures has two movable arms each carried on a wheeled base with each arm having a six of degrees of freedom of movement and an end effector which can be rolled about its axis and an actuator which can slide along the axis for operating different tools adapted to be supported by the effector. Each end effector including optical force sensors for detecting forces applied to the tool by engagement with the part of the patient. A microscope is located at a position for viewing the part of the patient. The position of the tool tip can be digitized relative to fiducial markers visible in an MRI experiment. The workstation and control system has a pair of hand-controllers simultaneously manipulated by an operator to control movement of a respective one or both of the arms. The image from the microscope is displayed on a monitor in 2D and stereoscopically on a microscope viewer. A second MRI display shows an image of the part of the patient the real-time location of the tool. The robot is MRI compatible and can be configured to operate within a closed magnet bore. The arms are driven about vertical and horizontal axes by piezoelectric motors.

Claims

1. A surgical robotic system end effector comprising:

a first actuator configured to roll a surgical tool about a longitudinal axis;

a collar configured to surround a portion of a surgical tool; and

a second actuator operable to move the collar along the longitudinal axis.

2. The surgical robotic system end effector of claim 1, where the first actuator is configured to roll a surgical tool about a longitudinal axis using a driving gear.

3. The surgical robotic system end effector of claim 1, where:

the second actuator is mounted on a slide; and

the slide is carried in a track.

4. The surgical robotic system end effector of claim 1, further comprising:

a first flexure detection component attached to the first actuator and arranged to detect force along the longitudinal axis; and

a second flexure detection component attached to the second actuator and arranged to detect force in at least two different directions that are perpendicular to the direction of the longitudinal axis.

5. A surgical robotic system comprising:

an end effector comprising;

a tool support mechanism;

an actuator configured to move relative to the tool support mechanism; and

a collar coupled to the actuator.

6. The surgical robotic system of claim 5, the end effector further comprising a flexure detection system configured to detect forces on a surgical tool held by the end effector in X, Y, and Z directions.

7. The surgical robotic system of claim 5, where the actuator is mounted on a slide, and the slide is carried in a track.

8. The surgical robotic system of claim 5, further comprising:

a surgical tool surrounded by the collar.

9. The surgical robotic system of claim 8, where the collar is configured to move along a longitudinal axis of the surgical tool to actuate the surgical tool.

10. The surgical robotic system of claim 8, the end effector further comprising a gear that rotates the surgical tool around a longitudinal axis of the surgical tool.

11. The surgical robotic system of claim 8, where the surgical tool is a pair of forceps.

12. The surgical robotic system of claim 11, where the pair of forceps having tips and ramp surfaces, and movement of the collar along the ramp surfaces determines the spacing of the tips.

13. The surgical robotic system of claim 8, where the surgical tool is a suction tool.

14. The surgical robotic system end effector of claim 13, where the suction tool comprises an opening and the collar is configured to partially or wholly cover the opening depending on the location of the collar.

15. The surgical robotic system of claim 8, where the surgical tool is a micro scissors tool.