WIRELESS FORCE SENSOR ON A DISTAL PORTION OF A SURGICLA INSTRUMENT AND METHOD

• US 20140107627A1
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: BLUMENKRANZ, STEPHEN J., Lockyer, Brett J.
• Application Number:
  US14/107,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20140107627A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2929 with a head rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft
• 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 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• 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 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/10 for stereotaxic surgery, e.g. frame-based stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders

Abstract

A surgical instrument includes a distal portion. A force sensor is operatively mounted on the distal portion. The force sensor includes a wireless package, which wirelessly provides (1) identification information of the surgical instrument and (2) strain data related to the distal portion. A surgical end effector includes a jaw and the distal portion is on a non-contact portion of the jaw. The wireless package includes a surface acoustic wave strain sensor with identification information. The wireless package also includes a small folded antenna electrically coupled to the surface acoustic wave strain sensor with identification information. The identification information includes an identification of a type of surgical instrument and unique identification of the specific surgical instrument in the type of surgical instrument.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method comprising:

receiving a wireless interrogation signal in a wireless package mounted on a distal portion of a surgical instrument; and

wirelessly transmitting from said wireless package, in response to said interrogation signal, identification information of said surgical instrument and strain data from said distal portion.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said receiving further comprises:

receiving said wireless interrogation signal by a folded antenna included in said wireless package, wherein said folded antenna is coupled to a surface acoustic wave strain sensor included in said wireless package.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said surface acoustic wave strain sensor includes identification information of said surgical instrument.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

transmitting said interrogation signal from an antenna external to a patient undergoing surgery.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

transmitting said interrogation signal from an antenna internal to a patient undergoing surgery.

25. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

shielding the wireless package from the wireless interrogation signal, the shielding being by a radio-frequency shield pocket mounted on said distal portion of said surgical instrument.