Flexible wrist for surgical tool

• US 9,585,641 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2002
• 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: Anderson, S Christopher, Cooper, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Victor
• Application Number:
  US14/792,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20150320501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00142 with means for preventing contamination, e.g. by using a sanitary sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00149 using articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0058 using shape-memory elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/008 Articulations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• 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 17/062 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 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1442 Probes having pivoting end effectors, e.g. forceps
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/003 Steerable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00309 Cut-outs or slits
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2901 Details of shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/306 Wrists with multiple vertebrae
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a tool having a wrist mechanism that provides pitch and yaw rotation in such a way that the tool has no singularity in roll, pitch, and yaw. In one embodiment, a minimally invasive surgical instrument includes an elongate shaft haying a working end, a proximal end, and a shaft axis between the working end and the proximal end; and an end effector. A wrist member has a flexible tube including an axis extending through an interior surrounded by a wall. The wall f the flexible tube includes a plurality of lumens oriented generally parallel to the axis of the flexible tube. The wrist member has a proximal portion connected to the working end of the elongate shaft and a distal portion connected to the end effector. A plurality of actuation cables have distal portions connected to the end effector and extend from the distal portion through the lumens of the all of the wrist member toward the elongate shaft to proximal portions which are actuatable to bend the wrist member in pitch rotation and yaw rotation.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a tube having a distal end, a proximal end, a hollow center, and holes distributed around a circumference of the tube;

a distal termination disk coupled to the distal end of the tube;

a plurality of actuation cables fittingly received by said holes and coupled to the distal termination disk and to the proximal end, wherein the tube is bendable in pitch and yaw in response to selective pulling of the plurality of actuation cables at the proximal end;

an end effector coupled to the distal termination disk; and

at least one end effector cable extending from the proximal end through the hollow center to the end effector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the plurality of actuation cables comprising nitinol.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the distal termination disk being more rigid than the tube.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the east one end effector cable comprising gripping cables.

5. The apparatus claim 1, the holes comprising at least four lumens.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the plurality of actuation cables each comprising a distal U-turn end loop bearing on the distal termination disk, wherein each of the plurality of actuation cables is fittingly received by two corresponding holes of the holes distributed around the circumference.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an inner spring provided in the hollow center from the proximal end to the distal end.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the tube comprising an outer boot wrapped around the inner spring, the outer boot comprising a plurality of interior slots forming the holes for fittingly receiving the plurality of actuation cables.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, each of the plurality of actuation cables comprising a distal anchor set in a corresponding countersunk bore in the distal termination disk.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, each distal anchor comprising a swage bead.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, the plurality of actuation cables extending distally beyond the distal termination disk to terminate by connection to the end effector.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, the tube including a plurality of cutouts on two sides.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the plurality of cutouts alternating in two orthogonal directions.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, the tube including a plurality of cutouts.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an outer cover placed around the tube, the outer cover comprising a high modulus material with wrinkles fitting into the plurality of cutouts.