Apparatus for pitch and yaw rotation

• US 10,105,128 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2017
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• 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: Cooper, Thomas G., Wallace, Daniel T., Chang, Stacey, Anderson, S. Christopher, Williams, Dustin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Victor
• Application Number:
  US15/624,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20170281296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0055 Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0057 Constructional details of force transmission elements, e.g. control wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/008 Articulations
• 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 2017/00314 Separate linked members
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0069 with universal joint, cardan joint
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2908 Multiple segments connected by articulations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2929 with a head rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2936 Pins in guiding slots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/304 including a freely orientable platform, e.g. so called 'Stewart platforms'
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/72 Micromanipulators

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. A positively positionable multi-disk wrist mechanism includes a plurality of disks or vertebrae stacked in series. Each vertebra is configured to rotate in pitch or in yaw with respect to each neighboring vertebra. Actuation cables are used to manipulate and control movement of the vertebrae. In specific embodiments, some of the cables are distal cables that extend from a proximal vertebra through one or more intermediate vertebrae to a distal vertebra, while the remaining cables are medial cables that extend from the proximal vertebra to one or more of the intermediate vertebrae. The cables are actuated by a pivoted plate cable actuator mechanism.

Claims

1. A medical apparatus comprising:

a tool shaft having a distal end, a proximal end, and a longitudinal axis extending from the distal end to the proximal end;

a wrist having a distal end and a proximal end, the wrist coupled at its proximal end to the distal end of the tool shaft, the wrist being articulable in pitch and in yaw;

an end effector coupled to the distal end of the wrist;

a frame coupled to the proximal end of the tool shaft;

a cable actuator mechanism coupled to the frame, the cable actuator mechanism configured to be movable relative to the frame; and

a plurality of transmission cables extending through the tool shaft from the cable actuator mechanism to the wrist, the plurality of transmission cables transmitting motion of the cable actuator mechanism to orient the end effector relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool shaft;

wherein the cable actuator mechanism comprises a gimbal assembly, the gimbal assembly configured to be pivotable relative to the frame about at least one axis.

2. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein rotating the cable actuator mechanism about the longitudinal axis of the tool shaft rotates the tool shaft around the longitudinal axis of the tool shaft.

3. The medical apparatus of claim 1, the plurality of transmission cables comprising a first cable coupled to a pitch axis pulley and a second cable coupled to a yaw axis pulley.

4. The medical apparatus of claim 1, the wrist comprising a plurality of discrete disks.

5. The medical apparatus of claim 1, the wrist comprising at least three disks in series between the distal end of the tool shaft and the end effector, the disks including a proximal disk coupled to the distal end of the tool shaft and a distal disk coupled to the end effector, each disk being pivotable relative to an adjacent disk, at least one of the disks being pivotable relative to an adjacent disk around a first axis that is nonparallel to the longitudinal axis, at least one of the disks being pivotable relative to an adjacent disk about a second axis that is nonparallel to the shaft axis and nonparallel to the first axis.

6. The medical apparatus of claim 1, the wrist comprising a continuous flexible member having a plurality of segments with linkages positioned between adjacent segments.

7. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wrist defines a plurality of lumens through which the plurality of transmission cables can movably pass.

8. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wrist defines a central lumen configured to receive a drive element used to actuate the end effector.

9. The medical apparatus of claim 1, the end effector comprising two elements movable between an open configuration and an approximated configuration, the medical apparatus further comprising at least one cable extending through the tool shaft to the end effector to actuate the end effector.

10. The medical apparatus of claim 9, the end effector comprising scissors, shears, a needle driver, a dissector, a grasper, or a retractor.

11. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tool shaft is insertable into a minimally invasive aperture on a human patient.

12. A medical apparatus comprising:

a tool shaft having a distal end, a proximal end, and a longitudinal axis extending from the distal end to the proximal end;

a wrist having a distal end and a proximal end, the wrist coupled at its proximal end to the distal end of the tool shaft, the wrist being articulable in pitch and in yaw;

an end effector coupled to the distal end of the wrist;

a frame coupled to the proximal end of the tool shaft;

a cable actuator mechanism coupled to the frame, the cable actuator mechanism configured to be movable relative to the frame; and

a plurality of transmission cables extending through the tool shaft from the cable actuator mechanism to the wrist, the plurality of transmission cables transmitting motion of the cable actuator mechanism to orient the end effector relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool shaft;

the cable actuator mechanism comprising;

a gimbal ring assembly; and

an actuating mechanism coupled to the gimbal ring assembly, wherein movement of the actuating mechanism moves the gimbal ring assembly relative to the frame.

13. A medical apparatus comprising:

a tool shaft having a distal end, a proximal end, and a longitudinal axis extending from the distal end to the proximal end;

a wrist having a distal end and a proximal end, the wrist coupled at its proximal end to the distal end of the tool shaft, the wrist being articulable in pitch and in yaw;

an end effector coupled to the distal end of the wrist;

a frame coupled to the proximal end of the tool shaft;

a cable actuator mechanism coupled to the frame, the cable actuator mechanism configured to be movable relative to the frame; and

a plurality of transmission cables extending through the tool shaft from the cable actuator mechanism to the wrist, the plurality of transmission cables transmitting motion of the cable actuator mechanism to orient the end effector relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool shaft;

the cable actuator mechanism comprising;

a mount;

an actuating plate coupled to the mount by linkages, wherein the actuating plate is movable relative to the mount; and

an actuating mechanism coupled to the actuating plate, wherein movement of the actuating mechanism moves the actuating plate relative to the frame.

14. The medical apparatus of claim 13, the plurality of transmission cables being coupled to the actuating plate.

15. The medical apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of actuator links coupled to the actuating plate via respective joints.

16. The medical apparatus of claim 15, the joints comprising ball-and-socket joints.