Link systems and articulation mechanisms for remote manipulation of surgical or diagnostic tools

• US 7,828,808 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Novare Surgical Systems, Inc. (Péters Surgical SAS)
• Inventors: Hinman, Cameron Dale, Danitz, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Anhtuan T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Severson; Ryan J
• Application Number:
  US10/928,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,266 Days
• Field of Search: 600/141, 600/148, 604/528, 606/1, 606/108, 606/141
• US Class Current: 606/108
• 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 mechanism for remote manipulation of a surgical or diagnostic tool comprising:

multiple pairs of links, each link being a discrete portion of the mechanism that is capable of movement relative to another discrete portion of the mechanism, each of the links being generally aligned along a common central longitudinal axis, each pair having a link in a proximal link set being maintained in a spaced apart relationship relative to the other link of the pair in a distal link set, all of the links in the proximal link set being located proximally from all of the links in the distal link set, a proximal most active link of the proximal link set forming a link pair with the distal most active link of the distal link set, a distal most active link of the proximal link set forming a link pair with the proximal most active link of the distal link set, and any intervening active links following this same link pair ordering, and wherein at least two adjacent links are pivotable relative to one another 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

multiple sets of cables, each set dedicated to connecting the links of a discrete pair to one another such that movement of one link of a pair causes corresponding relative movement of the other link of the pair directly through cable movement.

2. The articulating mechanism of claim 1 wherein the at least two adjacent links have opposed surfaces each having an axially aligned convex protrusion or concave depression, and wherein the at least two adjacent links are separated by a bushing interposed between the at least two adjacent links, the bushing contacting the convex protrusion or concave depression of each of the at least two adjacent links.

3. The articulating mechanism of claim 2 wherein at least one convex protrusion or concave depression of adjacent links is hemispherical.

4. The articulating mechanism of claim 2 wherein the bushing has a concave depression and/or a convex protrusion that receives the convex protrusion or concave depression of each of the at least two adjacent links.

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

6. The articulating mechanism of claim 2 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.

7. The articulating mechanism of claim 6, wherein the convex protrusion or a concave depression of the spacer link is hemispherical.

8. The articulating mechanism of claim 1 wherein the links form proximal and distal ends with links of corresponding pairs being located on the proximal and distal ends respectively and where movement of the proximal end results in corresponding relative movement of the distal end.

9. The articulating mechanism of claim 8 wherein said corresponding relative movement of the distal end is reciprocal to the movement of the proximal end.

10. The articulating mechanism of claim 8 wherein said corresponding relative movement of the distal end mirrors the movement of the proximal end.

11. The articulating mechanism of claim 8 wherein a surgical or diagnostic tool is attached to the distal end.

12. The articulating mechanism of claim 11 wherein the tool is selected from the group consisting of a stapler, clamp, grasper, scissors, cutter, an ablation element, and a cauterizing element.

13. The articulating mechanism of claim 1 further comprising an elongate shaft disposed between the pairs of links that maintain the pairs of links in a spaced apart relationship.

14. The articulating mechanism of claim 13 wherein the elongate shaft accommodates the sets of cables.

15. The articulating mechanism of claim 1, wherein pairs of links include channels for receipt and passage of sets of cables associated with adjacent pairs of links.

16. The articulating mechanism of claim 1 further comprising one or more spacer links that are not connected by discrete sets of cables.

17. The articulating mechanism 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.

18. The articulating mechanism of claim 1 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 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.

19. The articulating mechanism of claim 18 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.

20. The articulating mechanism of claim 1 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.

21. The articulating mechanism of claim 20 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.

22. The articulating mechanism of claim 1 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.

23. The articulating mechanism of claim 22 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.

24. A surgical instrument comprising:

a surgical or diagnostic tool;

a plurality of links proximal of the surgical or diagnostic tool and generally aligned along a longitudinal axis of the instrument, each link being a discrete portion of the instrument that is capable of movement relative to another discrete portion of the instrument, wherein at least two adjacent links are pivotable relative to one another about two distinct pivot points, the two pivot points being longitudinally spaced apart by at least one generally rigid member such that their relative spacing is fixed, the longitudinal axis passing through the two pivot points;

an elongate shaft proximal of the plurality of links; and

one or more cables distally connected to one or more links and received proximally through the elongate shaft, such that movement of one or more cables causes movement of one or more links.

25. The surgical instrument of claim 24 wherein the at least two adjacent links have opposing surfaces each having an axially aligned convex protrusion or concave depression, and wherein the at least two adjacent links are separated by a bushing interposed between the at least two adjacent links, the bushing complementing the convex protrusion or concave depression of each of the at least two adjacent links.

26. The surgical instrument of claim 25 wherein the convex protrusions and/or concave depressions of each of the at least two adjacent links is hemispherical.

27. The surgical instrument of claim 25 wherein the bushing has a concave depression and/or a convex protrusion that receive the convex protrusions and/or concave depressions of each of the adjacent links.

28. The surgical instrument of claim 24, further comprising:

multiple pairs of links, each link being maintained in a spaced apart relationship on an opposite side of the shaft relative to the other link of the pair;

multiple sets of cables, each set connecting the links of a discrete pair to one another such that movement of one link of a pair causes corresponding relative movement of the other link of the pair, and wherein the cables connecting at least one discrete 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.

29. The surgical instrument of claim 24, further comprising:

a plurality of reciprocal links proximal of the shaft, each reciprocal link connected by at least one set of cables to one of the plurality of links distal of the shaft to form a link pair, such that movement of one link of the pair causes corresponding relative movement of the other link of the pair, wherein a proximal most active link of the links proximal of the shaft forms a link pair with the distal most active link of the links distal of the shaft, a distal most active link of the links proximal of the shaft forming a link pair with the proximal most active link of the of the links distal of the shaft, and any intervening active links following this same link pair ordering.

30. The surgical instrument of claim 29 further comprising an actuation handle proximal of the elongate shaft and operably connected to the surgical or distal tool.

31. The surgical instrument of claim 30 wherein the actuation handle is proximal of the plurality of reciprocal links.

32. The surgical instrument of claim 30 further comprising a cable locking mechanism configured to impede movement of one or more cables, thereby impeding movement of the links.

33. The surgical instrument of claim 30 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.

34. A surgical instrument comprising:

a surgical or diagnostic tool;

a plurality of links proximal of the surgical or diagnostic tool and generally aligned along a longitudinal axis of the instrument, each link being a discrete portion of the instrument that is capable of movement relative to another discrete portion of the instrument, wherein at least two adjacent links are pivotable relative to one another about two distinct pivot points, the two pivot points being longitudinally spaced apart by at least one generally rigid member such that their relative spacing is fixed, each pivot point having a pivot axis that generally passes through the longitudinal axis;

an elongate shaft proximal of the plurality of links;

one or more cables distally connected to one or more links and received proximally through the elongate shaft, such that movement of one or more cables causes movement of one or more links; and

a plurality of reciprocal links proximal of the shaft, each reciprocal link connected by at least one set of cables to one of the plurality of links distal of the shaft to form a link pair, such that movement of one link of the pair causes corresponding relative movement of the other link of the pair, wherein a proximal most active link of the links proximal of the shaft forms a link pair with the distal most active link of the links distal of the shaft, a distal most active link of the links proximal of the shaft forming a link pair with the proximal most active link of the of the links distal of the shaft, and any intervening active links following this same link pair ordering.

35. The surgical instrument of claim 34 further comprising an actuation handle proximal of the elongate shaft and operably connected to the surgical or distal tool.

36. The surgical instrument of claim 35 wherein the actuation handle is proximal of the plurality of reciprocal links.

37. The surgical instrument of claim 35 further comprising a cable locking mechanism configured to impede movement of one or more cables, thereby impeding movement of the links.

38. The surgical instrument of claim 35 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.

39. An articulating mechanism for remote manipulation of a surgical or diagnostic tool comprising:

multiple pairs of links, each link being a discrete portion of the mechanism that is capable of movement relative to another discrete portion of the mechanism, each link being generally aligned along a common central longitudinal axis, each link being maintained in a spaced apart relationship relative to the other link of the pair, each pair having one link in a proximal link set and one link in a distal link set, a proximal most active link of the proximal link set forming a link pair with the distal most active link of the distal link set, a distal most active link of the proximal link set forming a link pair with the proximal most active link of the distal link set, and any intervening active links following this same link pair ordering, and wherein at least two adjacent links are pivotable relative to one another about two distinct pivot points, the two pivot points being longitudinally spaced apart by at least one generally rigid member, each of the pivot points having a pivot axis that generally passes through the central longitudinal axis; and

multiple sets of cables, each set connecting the links of a discrete pair to one another such that movement of one link of a pair causes corresponding relative movement of the other link of the pair.

40. The articulating mechanism of claim 39 wherein the at least two adjacent links have opposed surfaces each having an axially aligned convex protrusion or concave depression, and wherein the at least one generally rigid member comprises a bushing interposed between the at least two adjacent links, the bushing contacting the convex protrusion or concave depression of each of the at least two adjacent links.

41. The articulating mechanism of claim 40 wherein at least one convex protrusion or concave depression of adjacent links is hemispherical.

42. The articulating mechanism of claim 40 wherein the bushing has a concave depression and/or a convex protrusion that receives the convex protrusion or concave depression of each of the at least two adjacent links.

43. The articulating mechanism of claim 42 wherein the bushing has two convex protrusions on opposite sides.

44. The articulating mechanism of claim 40 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.

45. The articulating mechanism of claim 44, wherein the convex protrusion or a concave depression of the spacer link is hemispherical.

46. The articulating mechanism of claim 39 wherein the links form proximal and distal ends with links of corresponding pairs being located on the proximal and distal ends respectively and where movement of the proximal end results in corresponding relative movement of the distal end.

47. The articulating mechanism of claim 46 wherein said corresponding relative movement of the distal end is reciprocal to the movement of the proximal end.

48. The articulating mechanism of claim 46 wherein said corresponding relative movement of the distal end mirrors the movement of the proximal end.

49. The articulating mechanism of claim 46 wherein a surgical or diagnostic tool is attached to the distal end.

50. The articulating mechanism of claim 49 wherein the tool is selected from the group consisting of a stapler, clamp, grasper, scissors, cutter, an ablation element, and a cauterizing element.

51. The articulating mechanism of claim 39 further comprising an elongate shaft disposed between the pairs of links that maintain the pairs of links in a spaced apart relationship.

52. The articulating mechanism of claim 51 wherein the elongate shaft accommodates the sets of cables.

53. The articulating mechanism of claim 39, wherein pairs of links include channels for receipt and passage of sets of cables associated with adjacent pairs of links.

54. The articulating mechanism of claim 39 further comprising one or more spacer links that are not connected by discrete sets of cables.

55. The articulating mechanism of claim 39 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.