COOLING A SURGICAL ROBOTIC ARM

• US 20170360516A1
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Published: 12/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CMR Surgical Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Medical Robotics Limited
• Inventors: HARES, Luke David Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 10,639,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00023 closed, i.e. without wound contact by the fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/10 specially adapted for instruments, e.g. microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/0218 Flexible soft ducts, e.g. ducts made of permeable textiles

Abstract

A surgical robotic arm drape for enveloping a portion of a robotic arm, the drape comprising: an exterior sheet defining an elongate cavity for housing a portion of a robotic arm; and a duct defined at least in part by material integral with the exterior sheet, the duct defining a fluid path along the longitudinal extent of the cavity to channel fluid to or from a robotic arm housed within the cavity.

Claims

1. A surgical robotic arm drape for enveloping a portion of a robotic arm, the drape comprising:

an exterior sheet defining an elongate cavity for housing a portion of a robotic arm; and

a duct defined at least in part by material integral with the exterior sheet, the duct defining a fluid path along the longitudinal extent of the cavity to channel fluid to or from a robotic arm housed within the cavity and comprising first and second terminal openings and at least one port situated between the first and second terminal openings, the at least one port arranged to channel fluid to and from a respective at least one location on a robotic arm housed within the cavity.

2. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 1, wherein the duct is defined substantially wholly by material of the exterior sheet.

3. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 1 wherein the duct is attached to the exterior sheet and is defined substantially wholly by material integral with the exterior sheet.

4. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first opening is configured so as to be positioned in the vicinity of a robotic arm housed within the cavity, and the second opening configured so as to be in the vicinity of an opening in the cavity, wherein the first opening extends away from the exterior sheet towards the interior of the cavity for connecting to a robotic arm housed within the cavity.

5. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 4, wherein the duct is sufficiently rigid so as to maintain an open fluid path when there exists a negative pressure in the duct relative to the exterior of the drape during use caused by the second opening being under suction.

6. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 1, wherein the duct is tubular.

16. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 1, wherein the duct extends along the longitudinal extent of the cavity in a linear arrangement or in a helical arrangement.

7. (canceled)

8. A surgical robotic arm drape for enveloping a portion of a robotic arm, the drape comprising:

an exterior sheet defining an elongate cavity for housing a portion of a robotic arm; and

a duct defined in part by material integral with the exterior sheet and in part by the exterior sheet, the duct defining a fluid path along the longitudinal extent of the cavity to channel fluid to or from a robotic arm housed within the cavity

9. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 8, wherein said material is in a nested arrangement with the exterior sheet along the longitudinal extent of the cavity.

10. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 9, wherein said material is in a concentric arrangement with the exterior sheet along the longitudinal extent of the cavity.

11. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 8, wherein the duct comprises a first opening configured so as to be positioned in the vicinity of a robotic arm housed within the cavity, and a second opening configured so as to be in the vicinity of an opening in the cavity, and wherein the drape comprises spacing elements positioned within the duct so as to maintain an open fluid path when there exists a negative pressure in the duct relative to the exterior of the drape during use caused by the second opening being under suction.

12. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 11, wherein the spacing elements comprise a plurality of projections extending at least partly between the said material and the exterior sheet.

14. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 8, wherein the duct is defined by a plurality of ribs integral with the exterior sheet.

15. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 14, wherein the ribs are configured so as to connect to an exterior surface of a robotic arm housed within the cavity during use.

13. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. A surgical robotic arm drape as claimed in claim 8, wherein the duct comprises first and second terminal openings and at least one port situated between the first and second terminal openings, the at least one port arranged to channel fluid to and from a respective at least one location on a robotic aim housed within the cavity. 19-22. (canceled)

23. A surgical robotic apparatus, comprising:

a surgical robotic arm; and

a surgical robotic arm drape for enveloping a portion of the robotic arm, the drape comprising an exterior sheet defining an elongate cavity for housing a portion of the robotic arm; and

longitudinal features operable to space the exterior sheet of the drape from an outer surface of the robotic arm when there is a negative pressure within the cavity relative to an adjacent region exterior of the cavity to define a fluid path to channel fluid to or from the robotic arm housed within the cavity.

25. A surgical robotic apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the surgical robotic arm comprises surface features extending along a longitudinal extent thereof, wherein the surface features are configured to cooperate with the surgical robotic arm drape enveloping a portion of the robotic arm to define a duct for channelling fluid to or from the robotic arm.

27. A surgical robotic apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the surface features comprise a channel extending along a longitudinal extent of the robotic arm.

28. A surgical robotic apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the robotic arm further comprises a grating covering the channel for engaging a surgical robotic arm drape when the drape envelopes a portion of the robotic arm.

29. A surgical robotic apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the surface features comprise a plurality of ribs projecting substantially radially outward from the robotic arm for engaging a surgical robotic arm drape when the drape envelopes a portion of the robotic arm.

24. (canceled)

26. (canceled)