Surgical system with electro-mechanical interfaces to mount robotic surgical arms

• US 8,066,524 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Luke, Scott, Hoorneart, Dean F., Burbank, William A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ta; Tho D
• Application Number:
  US12/793,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 439/247, 439/248
• US Class Current: 439/247
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/0029 arranged within the different robot elements
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/025 containing a partial oxidation step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/36 using oxygen or mixtures containing oxygen as gasifying agents
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0956 Air or oxygen enriched air
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0959 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0969 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1665 to alcohols, e.g. methanol or ethanol preparation of alcohols in general C07C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1681 with biological plants, e.g. involving bacteria, algae, fungi
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/00 Production of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide from solid carbonaceous fuels destructive distillation processes C10B
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/20 Apparatus; Plants
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/721 Multistage gasification, e.g. plural parallel or serial gasification stages
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 3/005 by partial oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 3/008 by cracking
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/065 with microorganisms other than yeasts
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/08 : produced as by-product or from waste or cellulosic material substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6315 : allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/748 : using one or more screws H01R13/746 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 35/025 : having a flexible conductor wound around a rotation axis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53 : Means to assemble or disassemble

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, a method of mounting a surgical robotic arm to a set-up arm of a robotic surgical system is provided that includes sliding a pair of guide slots of the surgical robotic arm over a pair of guide tabs in the set-up arm; aligning electrical connectors in the set-up arm to electrical connectors of the surgical robotic arm; and coincidentally mating male electrical connectors to female electrical connectors while finally mating the guide tabs in the set-up arm to flanges of a housing of the surgical robotic arm.

Claims

1. A robotic surgical system comprising:

a set-up arm including

a first housing;

a first mounting bracket coupled to the first housing, the first mounting bracket having a left mounting rail with a left guide tab coupled thereto and a right mounting rail with a right guide tab coupled thereto, the first mounting bracket adapted to couple a surgical robotic arm to the set-up arm and support the surgical arm in a suspended position;

a first electrical connector slidingly coupled to the first mounting bracket to float into alignment; and

a second electrical connector slidingly coupled to the first mounting bracket to float into alignment.

2. The robotic surgical system of claim 1, wherein

the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector to float independently of each other and respectively align and mate with a third electrical connector and a fourth electrical connector of the surgical robotic arm.

3. The robotic surgical system of claim 1, wherein

the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector to commonly float together and respectively align and mate with a third electrical connector and a fourth electrical connector of the surgical robotic arm.

4. The robotic surgical system of claim 1, wherein

the first housing, the first mounting bracket and the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are part of a set-up joint of the set-up arm.

5. The robotic surgical system of claim 1, wherein the surgical robotic arm comprises:

a second housing having a left guide slot with a left flange and a right guide with a right flange;

a second mounting bracket coupled to the second housing, the second mounting bracket;

a third electrical connector rigidly coupled to the second mounting bracket;

a fourth electrical connector rigidly coupled to the second mounting bracket; and

a plurality of guide pins coupled to the second mounting bracket, the plurality of guide pins to align the first electrical connector to mate with the third electrical connector and to align the second electrical connector to mate with the fourth electrical connector.

6. The robotic surgical system of claim 5, wherein

the left guide slot and the right guide slot of the second housing to respectively slide along the left mounting rail and the right mounting rail of the first mounting bracket to mate the left flange of the second housing with the left guide tab of the first mounting bracket and the right flange of the second housing with the right guide tab of the first mounting bracket to reduce pivoting of the robotic surgical arm out from the set-up arm.

7. The robotic surgical system of claim 5, further comprising:

a plurality of bolts each having a head coupled to the second housing and a threaded shank inserted into openings in the second housing and screwed into threaded bolt holes of the first housing to rigidly couple the robotic surgical arm to the set-up arm.

8. The robotic surgical system of claim 5, wherein

the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector float independently of each other, and

the plurality of guide pins includes a first pair of guide pins to align the first electrical connector to mate with the third electrical connector and a second pair of guide pins to align the second electrical connector to mate with the fourth electrical connector.

9. The robotic surgical system of claim 5, wherein

the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector commonly float together, and

the plurality of guide pins includes at least one pair of guide pins to commonly align the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector together to respectively mate with the third electrical connector and the fourth electrical connector.