LINK SYSTEMS AND ARTICULATION MECHANISMS FOR REMOTE MANIPULATION OF SURGICAL OF DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS

• US 20100249759A1
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Danitz, David J., Hinman, Cameron Dale
• Granted Patent: US 8,419,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0051 with controlled bending of insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/008 Articulations
• 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 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/003 Steerable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00323 Cables or rods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00327 with actuating members moving in opposite directions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2902 characterized by features of the actuating rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/291 the position of the handle being adjustable with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/292 connection of actuating rod to handle, e.g. ball end in recess
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2927 the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/294 Connection of actuating rod to jaw, e.g. releasable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/11 with guides for needles or instruments, e.g. arcuate slides or ball joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0138 having flexible regions as a result of weakened outer material, e.g. slots, slits, cuts, joints or coils
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0147 with movable mechanical means, e.g. pull wires

Abstract

Articulating mechanisms, link systems, and components thereof, useful for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, the remote manipulation of instruments such as surgical or diagnostic instruments or tools are provided. The link systems include links wherein at least two adjacent links are pivotable relative to one another around two distinct pivot points. Mechanisms for locking the links are also provided.

Claims

1. An articulating surgical or diagnostic tool comprising:

a handle located at a proximal end of the tool;

an end effector located at a distal end of the tool;

a shaft located between the handle and the end effector;

at least one pair of links, each link being a discrete portion of the tool that is capable of movement relative to another discrete portion of the tool, each of the links being generally aligned along a common central longitudinal axis, each pair having one link located between the handle and the shaft and the other link located between the shaft and the end effector;

at least one bushing adjacent and pivotably coupled to at least one of the links and located between the link and the shaft, wherein the bushing and the link cooperate to allow the link to pivot relative to an adjacent portion of the tool about two distinct, independently pivotable, longitudinally spaced pivot points, wherein each of the pivot points has a pivot axis that generally passes through the central longitudinal axis; and

at least one set of interconnecting cables, each cable set dedicated to connecting the links of one of the at least one pair of links to one another such that movement of one link of the pair causes corresponding relative movement of the other link of the pair directly through cable movement,

wherein the links include cable channels offset from the central longitudinal axis that allow the passage of the at least one set of cables, and wherein the cables do not pass through the bushings.

2. The articulating tool of claim 1 wherein the at least one bushing and adjacent link have opposed mating surfaces, wherein one surface comprises a convex protrusion and the other surface comprises a concave depression.

3. The articulating tool of claim 2 wherein the convex protrusion and concave depression are hemispherical.

4. The articulating tool of claim 2 wherein the tool comprises at least two pairs of links and at least two sets of interconnecting cables, wherein the at least one bushing is located adjacent to a link from one of the pairs and adjacent to a link from another of the pairs of links;

wherein the at least one bushing has a concave depression and/or a convex protrusion that receives the convex protrusion or concave depression of each of the adjacent links.

5. The articulating tool of claim 4 wherein the at least one bushing has two convex protrusions on opposite sides.

6. The articulating tool of claim 1 wherein the end effector is selected from the group consisting of a stapler, clamp, grasper, scissors, cutter, an ablation element, and a cauterizing element.

7. The articulating tool of claim 1 further comprising one or more spacer links that are not connected by discrete sets of cables and wherein each spacer link includes an axially aligned convex protrusion or a concave depression, and is separated from an adjacent link by a bushing interposed between the spacer link and adjacent link.

8. The articulating tool of claim 7, wherein the convex protrusion or concave depression of the spacer link is hemispherical.

9. The articulating tool of claim 1 wherein the cables connecting a pair of links are at a different radial distance from the center of the first link of the pair as compared to the second link of the pair.

10. The articulating tool of claim 4 wherein the at least one set of the cables passes at least partially through both of the adjacent links and spans a gap there between, wherein each of the two adjacent links includes a cable exit point where one of the cables emerges from the link and into the gap between the links, wherein at least one of the two distinct pivot points is situated such that it is substantially longitudinally aligned with one of the cable exit points that is on one of the two adjacent links to create a generally neutral bias in the cable.

11. The articulating mechanism of claim 10 wherein one of the two distinct pivot points is situated such that it is substantially longitudinally aligned with the cable exit point that is on one of the two adjacent links, and the other of the two distinct pivot points is situated such that it is substantially longitudinally aligned with the cable exit point that is on the other of the two adjacent links to create a generally neutral bias in the cable.

12. The articulating tool of claim 4 wherein at least one set of the cables passes at least partially through both of the adjacent links and spans a gap there between, wherein each of the two adjacent links includes a cable exit point where one of the cables emerges from the link and into the gap between the links, wherein at least one of the two distinct pivot points is situated such that it is substantially longitudinally between the cable exit points that are on the two adjacent links to create a generally negative bias in the cable.

13. The articulating tool of claim 12 wherein both of the two distinct pivot points are situated such that they are substantially longitudinally between the cable exit points that are on the two adjacent links to create a generally negative bias in the cable.

14. The articulating tool of claim 4 wherein at least one set of the cables passes at least partially through both of the adjacent links and spans a gap there between, wherein each of the two adjacent links includes a cable exit point where one of the cables emerges from the link and into the gap between the links, wherein at least one of the two distinct pivot points is situated such that it is substantially longitudinally on an opposite side of one of the cable exit points from the gap between the links to create a generally positive bias in the cable.

15. The articulating tool of claim 14 wherein one of the two distinct pivot points is situated such that it is substantially longitudinally on an opposite side of one of the cable exit points from the gap, and the other of the two distinct pivot points is situated such that it is substantially longitudinally on an opposite side of the other cable exit point from the gap to create a generally positive bias in the cable.

16. The articulating tool of claim 1 further comprising a cable locking mechanism configured to impede movement of one or more cables, thereby impeding movement of the links.