Pitch-roll-yaw surgical tool

• US 9,173,643 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Morley, Tracey A., Wallace, Daniel T.
• Primary Examiner(s): FOX, JOHN C
• Application Number:
  US13/967,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20140052156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00234 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/062 Needle manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/068 Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clampsstaplers containing only one staple A61B17/10; magazines or containers for staples A61B17/105; for performing anastomosis A61B17/115; staplers in general B25C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/506 using a parallelogram linkage, e.g. panthograph
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20305 Robotic arm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20335 Wrist
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2036 Pair of power elements

Abstract

A robotic surgical tool includes an elongate shaft having a working end and a shaft axis. The proximal end of a wrist member is pivotally mounted on the working end of the shaft to rotate around a first pitch axis to produce rotation in first pitch. An end effector is pivotally mounted on a distal portion of the wrist member to rotate around a wrist axis of the wrist member to produce rotation in distal roll. The wrist axis extends between the proximal portion and the distal portion of the wrist member. The elongate shaft is rotatable around the shaft axis to produce rotation in proximal roll.

Claims

1. A minimally invasive surgical instrument comprising:

an elongate shaft having a working end and a shaft axis;

a wrist member having a proximal portion connected with the working end of the elongate shaft, the wrist member being rotatable relative to the working end of the elongate shaft about a pitch axis perpendicular to the shaft axis;

an end effector coupled to a distal portion of the wrist member, the end effector being rotatable relative to the wrist member about a wrist axis extending between the proximal portion and the distal portion of the wrist member;

a base coupled to the distal portion of the wrist member, the base supporting the end effector, the base further comprising first and second tangent surfaces each rotatable about the wrist axis;

a pitch pulley, a first pulley, and a second pulley, said pulleys coaxially positioned on the pitch axis;

a pitch elongate element engaging the pitch pulley, the pitch elongate element running through the elongate shaft, wherein pulling the pitch elongate element rotates the wrist member about the pitch axis;

a first elongate element engaging the first tangent surface and the first pulley, and a second elongate element engaging the second tangent surface and the second pulley, the first and second elongate elements running through the tool shaft, wherein pulling the first and second elongate elements rotates the end effector relative to the wrist member about the wrist axis; and

the end effector being further movable relative to the wrist member about a yaw axis perpendicular to the wrist axis.

2. The instrument of claim 1, the end effector further comprising first and second parts rotatable about the yaw axis.

3. The instrument of claim 2, the first and second parts each comprising a pulley portion mounted coaxially on a pivotal connection defining the yaw axis, the instrument further comprising third and fourth elongate elements coupled with the pulley portions of the first and second parts, respectively, the third and fourth elongate elements running through the wrist member through the elongate shaft.

4. The instrument of claim 3, the first, second, third, fourth, and pitch elongate elements running through the elongate shaft and coupled to first, second, third, fourth, and pitch actuators, respectively, the actuators disposed adjacent a proximal end of the elongate shaft.

5. The instrument of claim 1, the first and second elongate elements running through the elongate shaft and coupled to first and second actuators, respectively, the actuators disposed adjacent a proximal end of the elongate shaft.

6. The instrument of claim 1, the first, second, and pitch elongate elements running through the elongate shaft and coupled to first, second, and pitch actuators, respectively, the actuators disposed adjacent a proximal end of the elongate shaft.

7. The instrument of claim 1, the first and second tangent surfaces being portions of a single tangent pulley.

8. The instrument of claim 1, the first tangent surface being a first tangent pulley, and the second tangent surface being a second tangent pulley.

9. The instrument of claim 1, the proximal portion of the wrist member comprising a clevis, the working end of the elongate shaft comprising an extension, the pitch axis contacting the clevis and the extension.