DECOUPLING INSTRUMENT SHAFT ROLL AND END EFFECTOR ACTUATION IN A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT

• US 20120150154A1
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Brisson, Gabriel F., Burbank, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,992,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/1
• 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 17/28 Surgical forceps for holding suture needles or materials A61B17/0483; for removing or smashing calculi A61B17/221; surgical scissors A61B17/3201 ; obstetrical forceps A61B17/44; for inserting intraocular lenses A61F2/1662; hand-held gripping tools in general B25B7/00 ]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00367 Details of actuation of instruments, e.g. relations between pushing buttons, or the like, and activation of the tool, working tip, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00398 using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2901 Details of shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2903 transferring rotary motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2929 with a head rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/293 with means preventing relative rotation between the shaft and the actuating rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2932 Transmission of forces to jaw members
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2936 Pins in guiding slots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2938 Independently actuatable jaw members, e.g. two actuating rods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2943 Toothed members, e.g. rack and pinion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2059 Mechanical position encoders
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/302 specifically adapted for manipulations within body cavities, e.g. within abdominal or thoracic cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/303 specifically adapted for manipulations within body lumens, e.g. within lumen of gut, spine, or blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/715 Cable tensioning mechanisms for removing slack
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/067 for measuring angles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 : Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/32 : operating autonomously
• 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

Abstract

Surgical assemblies and related methods are disclosed that provide for decoupling of instrument shaft roll and end effector actuation. A surgical assembly includes a base, an instrument shaft rotationally mounted to the base, an end effector supported at a distal end of the instrument shaft and including an actuation mechanism driven by a rotational motion, a drive shaft rotationally coupled with the actuation mechanism and configured to provide the rotational motion to the actuation mechanism, and a differential rotationally coupled to the drive shaft and receiving a first input motion and a second input motion. The differential combines the first and second input motions to generate an output motion that rotates the drive shaft. The first input motion is rotationally coupleable to an actuation source. The second input motion is coupled to rotation of the instrument shaft relative to the base.

Claims

1. A surgical assembly comprising:

a base;

an instrument shaft rotationally mounted to the base and extending between a distal end and a proximal end;

an end effector supported at the distal end of the instrument shaft and including an actuation mechanism driven by a rotational motion;

a drive shaft rotationally coupled with the actuation mechanism and configured to provide the rotational motion to the actuation mechanism; and

a differential rotationally coupled to the drive shaft and receiving a first input motion and a second input motion, the differential being configured to combine the first and second input motions to generate an output motion that rotates the drive shaft, the first input motion being rotationally coupleable to an actuation source and the second input motion being coupled to rotation of the instrument shaft relative to the base.

2. The surgical assembly of claim 1, wherein the end effector includes a jaw articulated by the actuation mechanism.

3. The surgical assembly of claim 1, wherein the differential is configured such that rotation of the instrument shaft relative to the base results in substantially zero rotation of the drive shaft relative to the instrument shaft when the first input motion is zero.

4. The surgical assembly of claim 1, wherein the differential includes:

a first cable drivingly coupling rotation of the drive shaft relative to the base to rotation of the instrument shaft relative to the base; and

a second cable drivingly coupled to the actuation source, the second cable being coupled to first and second pulley blocks having first and second pulleys, respectively, the first cable being engaged by the first and second pulleys.

5. The surgical assembly of claim 1, wherein the differential includes:

a first cable drivingly coupling rotation of the drive shaft relative to the base to the actuation source; and

a second cable drivingly coupled to rotation of the instrument shaft relative to the base, the second cable being coupled to first and second pulley blocks having first and second pulleys, respectively, the first cable being engaged by the first and second pulleys.

6. The surgical assembly of claim 1, wherein the differential comprises a planetary gear box including a sun gear, planet gears coupled to a carrier, and a ring gear.

7. The surgical assembly of claim 6, wherein the first input motion rotates the carrier, the second input motion rotates the sun gear, and rotation of the ring gear is transferred to the drive shaft.

10. The surgical assembly of claim 7, further comprising a torsion spring coupled between the base and the carrier to return the drive shaft to a predetermined rotational position relative to the instrument shaft upon a disconnection between the actuation source and the carrier.

8. The surgical assembly of 7, wherein the first input motion is transferred to the carrier through an input shaft, and wherein the sun gear rotates around the input shaft.

9. The surgical assembly of claim 8, wherein the input shaft is oriented transverse to the instrument shaft.

11. A method of decoupling rotation of a surgical instrument shaft from rotation of a drive shaft drivingly coupled with a mechanism of an end effector, the method comprising:

generating a first input motion associated with a desired end effector configuration;

rotating the surgical instrument shaft relative to a base, the surgical instrument shaft extending between a proximal end adjacent to the base and a distal end that supports the end effector;

generating a second input motion in response to the rotation of the surgical instrument shaft relative to the base;

combining the first and second input motions to generate an output motion; and

rotating the drive shaft in response to the output motion.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second input motions are combined such that no substantial rotation of the drive shaft relative to the surgical instrument shaft occurs when the first input motion is zero.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising:

moving a first cable in response to the rotation of the surgical instrument shaft relative to the base;

moving a second cable;

moving a first pulley and a second pulley in response to the movement of the second cable;

engaging the first cable with each of the first and second pulleys; and

rotating the drive shaft in response to movement of the first cable.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising engaging the first cable with each of the first and second pulleys over an approximately 180 degree sector of the respective pulley.

15. The method of claim 11, comprising:

moving a first cable;

moving a second cable in response to the rotation of the surgical instrument shaft relative to the base;

moving a first pulley and a second pulley in response to the movement of the second cable;

engaging the first cable with the first and second pulleys; and

rotating the drive shaft in response to movement of the first cable.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising engaging the first cable with each of the first and second pulleys over an approximately 180 degree sector of the respective pulley.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising:

rotating a first input link of a differential gear assembly in response to the first input motion;

rotating a second input link of the differential gear assembly in response to the second input motion; and

rotating the drive shaft in response to rotation of an output link of the differential gear assembly.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the differential gear assembly includes a planetary gear assembly having a sun gear, planet gears coupled to a carrier, and a ring gear.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first input motion rotates the carrier, the second input motion rotates the sun gear, and the rotation of the drive shaft is generated by rotation of the ring gear.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising:

transferring the first input motion to the carrier through an input shaft; and

rotating the sun gear around the input shaft.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the input shaft is oriented transverse to the instrument shaft.

22. The method of claim 17, comprising returning the end effector mechanism to a predetermined configuration upon a disconnect between an actuation source generating the first input motion and the first input link of the differential gear assembly.