SURGICAL TOOL WITH A TWO DEGREE OF FREEDOM WRIST
First Claim
1. A minimally invasive surgical tool comprising:
- a tubular instrument shaft having a proximal end and a distal end with a bore there between, the shaft having an instrument shaft axis;
an end effector comprising an end effector body;
an intermediate wrist member pivotally coupled with the distal end of the shaft and pivotally coupled with the end effector body, pivoting of the intermediate member relative to the shaft orienting the intermediate member about a first axis relative to the shaft, and pivoting of the end effector body relative to the intermediate member orienting the end effector about a second axis relative to the intermediate member, the first axis being transverse to the shaft axis, the second axis being transverse to the first axis, the intermediate member having an exterior width along the first axis and an exterior length along the second axis, the length being significantly different than the width so that the intermediate member has an elongate cross section; and
an actuation system extending distally through the bore of the shaft so as to orient the end effector body and actuate the end effector, a portion of the actuation system laterally separated from the elongate cross section of the intermediate member between the shaft and the end effector body.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Surgical tools having a two degree-of-freedom wrist, wrist articulation by linked tension members, mechanisms for transmitting torque through an angle, and minimally invasive surgical tools incorporating these features are disclosed. An elongate intermediate wrist member is pivotally coupled with a distal end of an instrument shaft so as to rotate about a first axis transverse to the shaft, and an end effector body is pivotally coupled with the intermediate member so as to rotate about a second axis that is transverse to the first axis. Linked tension members interact with attachment features to articulate the wrist. A torque-transmitting mechanism includes a coupling member, coupling pins, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft. The drive shaft is coupled with the driven shaft so as to control the relative orientations of the drive shaft, the coupling member, and the driven shaft.
177 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A minimally invasive surgical tool comprising:
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a tubular instrument shaft having a proximal end and a distal end with a bore there between, the shaft having an instrument shaft axis; an end effector comprising an end effector body; an intermediate wrist member pivotally coupled with the distal end of the shaft and pivotally coupled with the end effector body, pivoting of the intermediate member relative to the shaft orienting the intermediate member about a first axis relative to the shaft, and pivoting of the end effector body relative to the intermediate member orienting the end effector about a second axis relative to the intermediate member, the first axis being transverse to the shaft axis, the second axis being transverse to the first axis, the intermediate member having an exterior width along the first axis and an exterior length along the second axis, the length being significantly different than the width so that the intermediate member has an elongate cross section; and an actuation system extending distally through the bore of the shaft so as to orient the end effector body and actuate the end effector, a portion of the actuation system laterally separated from the elongate cross section of the intermediate member between the shaft and the end effector body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for manufacturing a minimally invasive surgical tool, the method comprising:
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pivotally coupling an intermediate member to an instrument shaft for rotation about a first axis oriented non-parallel to an elongate direction of the instrument shaft; pivotally coupling an end effector to the intermediate member for rotation about a second axis oriented non-parallel to the first axis and the elongate direction; and coupling an actuation mechanism with the end effector, the actuation mechanism operable to vary the orientation of the end effector relative to the elongate direction in two dimensions, at least a portion of the actuation mechanism being routed between the end effector and a bore of the instrument shaft so as to pass outside of and separated from at least one side of the intermediate member. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A minimally invasive surgical method comprising:
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inserting a surgical end effector of a tool to an internal surgical site via a minimally invasive aperture or natural orifice; pivoting an intermediate member of the tool relative to a shaft of the tool about a first joint so as to orient the intermediate member about a first axis relative to the shaft of the tool supporting the end effector; pivoting the end effector relative to the intermediate member about a second joint so as to orient the end effector about a second axis relative to the intermediate member, one of the first joint and the second joint comprising a centrally located joint disposed within a central portion of a cross section of the tool; and mechanically actuating the end effector with an actuation-system component that passes between the bore and the end effector laterally offset from the central joint. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A surgical instrument comprising:
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an instrument shaft; a surgical end effector; and a wrist coupling the instrument shaft and the end effector such that the end effector moves relative to the shaft around a first wrist pivot axis and a second wrist pivot axis; wherein the wrist comprises a support member and an intermediate member; wherein the intermediate member comprises a first end, a second end, and a slot in the intermediate member along an axis between the first and second ends; wherein the support member is pivotally coupled to the intermediate member inside the slot to define the first wrist pivot axis; and wherein the second wrist pivot axis is defined between the first and second ends of the intermediate member.
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Specification