Articulating mechanism with flex-hinged links

• US 7,678,117 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2004
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• 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 D., Danitz, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Anhtuan T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Severson; Ryan J
• Application Number:
  US10/948,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 403/220, 403/291, 403/52, 403/72, 403/77, 403/82, 600139-142, 600/149, 600/146, 604/95.04, 138/120, 606/1, 606/129, 744/900.1, 744/900.5, 700/245, 414/1, 414/2
• US Class Current: 606/108
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0055 Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0105 Steering means as part of the catheter or advancing means; Markers for positioning systems for detection of markers A61B
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0138 having flexible regions as a result of weakened outer material, e.g. slots, slits, cuts, joints or coils

Abstract

The invention provides articulating mechanisms, and flexible members and flexible segments that can form such articulating mechanisms. The mechanisms are useful, for example, for remote steering, guidance and/or manipulation of various instruments and tools at a targeted location. The mechanisms, members or segments include links connected by flexible hinges. The proximal and distal ends of the mechanisms are connected by at least one set of cables in such a fashion that a proximal active flexible segment forms a discrete pair with a distal active flexible segment. Movement of active flexible segments at the proximal end of the mechanism results in a corresponding, relative movement of segments at the distal end of the mechanism. This configuration allows each flexible segment pair to move independently of one another and also permits the articulating mechanism to undergo complex movements and adopt complex configurations.

Claims

1. A surgical device comprising:

a flexible member having a plurality of flexible segments that each include at least one link, each link being a discrete portion of the flexible segment that is capable of movement relative to another discrete portion of the flexible segment, flexible member or device, wherein each flexible segment includes at least one flexible hinge, each flexible hinge being a discrete section that extends from a link and is capable of flexure, each flexible hinge having a point of minimum width that is narrower than the remainder of the hinge in a direction perpendicular to and offset from a central, longitudinal axis of the flexible segment, the minimum width forming a predetermined articulation location that promotes pivoting about a single axis through the point of minimum width, with adjacent links of the flexible segments joined by flexible hinges which constrain the adjacent links to pivot generally about a single axis relative to one another;

a surgical or diagnostic tool attached to the distal end of the flexible member;

an elongate shaft attached to the proximal end of the flexible member; and

a plurality of cables distally connected to links of more than one of the flexible segments of the flexible member and received proximally through the elongate shaft, such that movement of one or more cables directly causes movement of the connected links of the flexible segments, wherein the cables connected to a first one of the links pass through a second one of the links proximal to the first one of the links in a direction substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the flexible segment.

2. An elongate device having an articulating mechanism, the device comprising:

an end effector;

a plurality of links proximal of the end effector, wherein at least two adjacent links are integrally formed and are separated by a flexible hinge, wherein the two adjacent links articulate relative to one another about one predetermined articulation location formed by a point of minimum width that is narrower than the remainder of the flexible hinge in a direction perpendicular to and offset from a central, longitudinal axis of the plurality of links, the minimum width promoting pivoting of the two adjacent links about a single axis through the point of minimum width;

an elongate member proximal of the plurality of links; and

one or more link-moving cables distally connected to one or more links and received proximally through the elongate member, such that movement of one or more cables directly causes movement of the one or more links, wherein the one or more cables pass through both of the adjacent links and span a gap there between, wherein each of the two adjacent links includes a cable exit point where a cable emerges from the link and into the gap between the links, wherein the single pivot axis is situated in an off-center position longitudinally relative to the cable exit points on the two links on opposite sides of the gap for each of the link-moving cables that span the gap such that cable bias is affected, wherein the cables connected to a first one of the adjacent links pass through a second one of the adjacent links proximal to the first one of the links in a direction substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the flexible segment.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the single pivot axis of the predetermined articulation location is positioned such that it is substantially longitudinally aligned with a cable exit point on one of the links to create a generally neutral cable bias.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the single pivot axis of the predetermined articulation location is positioned such that it is longitudinally between the cable exit points that are on the two adjacent links to create a generally negative cable bias.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the single pivot axis of the predetermined articulation location is positioned such that it is longitudinally to one side of the cable exit points that are on the two adjacent links to create a generally positive cable bias.

6. An elongate device having an articulating mechanism, the device comprising:

a flexible member comprising a plurality of links wherein at least two adjacent links are integrally formed and articulate relative to one another about at least one predetermined flex location, at least a portion of the adjacent links comprising an inner core spanning both of the links and an outer cover spanning both of the links, the inner core and outer cover cooperating to define at least one longitudinal cable channel therebetween, the at least one predetermined flex location being formed by flexible hinges located in both the inner core and outer cover;

an elongate member proximal of the plurality of links; and

one or more cables distally connected to one or more links, at least one of the cables being slidably received through the cable channel formed in the flexible member, the one or more cables being received proximally through the elongate member, such that movement of one or more cables directly causes movement of the one or more links.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the flexible member has two longitudinally spaced predetermined flex locations and a flexible hinge provided at each predetermined flex location such that the two adjacent links articulate relative to one another about each of the flexible hinges.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the flexible member further comprises a wing section disposed between the two adjacent links and that limits a range over which the adjacent links can articulate relative to one another.

9. An elongate device having an articulating mechanism, the device comprising:

an end effector;

a plurality of links proximal of the end effector, wherein at least two adjacent links articulate relative to one another about at least one predetermined articulation location;

an elongate member proximal of the plurality of links; and

one or more cables distally connected to one or more links and received proximally through the elongate member, such that movement of one or more cables directly causes movement of the one or more links, wherein the at least one predetermined articulation location is situated in an off-center position longitudinally relative to adjacent cable exit points on the two links and is substantially longitudinally aligned with one of the adjacent cable exit points to create a generally neutral cable bias.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the two adjacent links articulate relative to one another about a single articulation location.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the two adjacent links articulate relative to one another about exactly two articulation locations.

12. The device of claim 9, further comprising a flexible hinge located between the two adjacent links, the flexible hinge being configured to bend or flex at the predetermined articulation location, the predetermined articulation location being formed by a point of minimum width that is narrower than the remainder of the flexible hinge to promote pivoting about a single axis through the point of minimum width.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the predetermined articulation location is a pivot point about which the two adjacent links pivot relative to one another.