Intuitive Surgical Patent Grants

System and method for extracting multiple feeds from a rolling-shutter sensor

Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number: 11968458
An imaging system and method includes a rolling shutter sensor that captures a plurality of images of a scene, a time-varying illumination source that illuminates the scene, and a processor that receives the plurality of images from the rolling shutter sensor and separates the plurality of images into a plurality of feeds. Each of the plurality of images is captured as a series of lines. The rolling shutter sensor and the time-varying illumination source are operated synchronously to…

Split bridge circuit force sensor

Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number: 11965789
A force sensor comprising a beam having a longitudinal axis and a proximal end portion and a distal end portion; a first Wheatstone bridge disposed on a first face of the beam, including multiple tension gauge resistors and multiple compression gauge resistors; a second Wheatstone bridge disposed on the first face of the beam, including multiple tension gauge resistors and multiple compression gauge resistors; wherein at least one tension gauge resistor and at least one compression gauge…

Structural adjustment systems and methods for a teleoperational medical system

Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number: 11963731
A system comprises a manipulator assembly, one or more sensing elements configured to sense an arrangement of the assembly, and a control system configured to: determine a motion limit of the manipulator assembly based on the sensed arrangement of the assembly by using a position of a joint of a plurality of joints or using a position of a link of a plurality of links; store a plurality of threshold limits, where each of the plurality of threshold limits is associated with a procedure…

Distortion correction of endoscopic images in computer-assisted tele-operated surgery

Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number: 11963658
Systems and methods of presenting an image of a portion of a surgical scene on a display device associated with an endoscope include receiving, from the endoscope, a source image representing a view of the surgical scene as captured using the endoscope. The systems and methods further include devices configured to, by one or more processing devices, apply a distortion correction to at least a portion of the source image to generate a modified image, wherein the modified image includes a…

Systems and methods of steerable elongate device

Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number: 11960665
A drape for an input control console of an elongate device may comprise a main drape section configured to fit over the input control console via a main opening at one end of the main drape section. The drape may also comprise a plurality of pockets. Each of the plurality of pockets may include a pocket opening that is attached to a respective secondary opening in the main drape section. Each of the plurality of pockets may be configured to be anchored, at the pocket opening, to a side…

Systems and methods for a compact remote center manipulator

Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number: 11957427
A manipulator for a surgical instrument may comprise an instrument holder coupled with the surgical instrument and rotatable in a plane that passes through a remote center. The manipulator may also comprise a linkage assembly coupled to the instrument holder to limit motion of the instrument holder to rotation about an axis that intersects the remote center. The linkage assembly may comprise a first linkage arm comprising first and second pulleys. Each pulley may comprise first and…

Systems and methods for planning multiple interventional procedures

Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number: 11957424
A system includes an interventional instrument and a control system. The control system is configured to: generate a graphical user interface (GUI) including an image of a target region for deploying the interventional instrument, wherein the target region includes a plurality of target points and is determined by a probabilistic collection of the plurality of target points, wherein a size of the target region is based at least in part on a location of a target structure within a patient…

Minimally invasive surgical system

Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number: 11957304
A patient-side support system includes a base, a platform movably coupled to the base, manipulator assemblies coupled to the platform, instruments, each of the instruments being coupled to a different one of the manipulator assemblies, each of the instruments including a body and a shaft extending from the body, and a guide tube common to the instruments. A first part of the shaft of each individual one of the instruments extends distally from the guide tube to the body. a second part of…

Multi-cable medical instrument

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11950873
A medical instrument includes cable pairs respectively wound around input spindles and connected to actuate degrees of freedom of an instrument shaft structure. The cables may connect so that rotating the input spindles actuates corresponding degrees of freedom. First pulleys in the instrument may receive first cables from the input spindles and redirect the first cables toward the instrument shaft, and second pulleys may receive second cables from the input spindles and redirect the…

Unified anisotropic volume and surface mesh storage

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11955246
A method is provided to model a 3D structure comprising: producing a surface mesh representation of the 3D structure; producing a volume mesh representation of the 3D structure based upon the surface mesh; sorting vertices of the volume mesh into a first sub-list that includes only surface vertices and a second sub-list that includes only internal vertices; applying shading to the surface mesh by accessing only surface vertices in the first sub-list; determining deformation of the volume…

Computer-assisted tele-operated surgery systems and methods

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11950870
Systems and methods for minimally invasive procedures include a computer-assisted system comprising a manipulator assembly configured to couple to a cannula and a controller coupled to the manipulator assembly. The cannula has a lumen configured to receive a shaft of an instrument. The controller is configured to position a remote center of motion for the manipulator assembly at a first location relative to the cannula, and in response to an indication to reposition the remote center of…

System and method for providing on-demand functionality during a medical procedure

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11950869
A system for providing on-demand functionality during a medical procedure includes an instrument, an accessory, and a mounting device attached to one or more of the instrument and the accessory. The instrument includes an instrument body and an end effector. The end effector providing a first functionality. The accessory providing a second functionality. The mounting device removably couples the accessory to the instrument to augment the first functionality with the second functionality.…

Telescoping cannula arm

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11950866
A system includes a manipulator arm and a cannula mount arm. The manipulator arm includes a link and a locking assembly coupled to the link. The cannula mount arm includes a latch. The cannula mount arm is configured to be extended from the link to an extended position. The locking assembly is configured to engage with the latch when the cannula mount arm is extended from the link to the extended position so as to lock the cannula mount arm in the extended position. Activation of an…

Minimally invasive surgical instrument to provide needle-based therapy

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11950864
A device includes a first mechanism having a surface and a helical slot in the surface, a second mechanism having a periphery and an axial slot in the periphery, and an insert comprising a pin. The second mechanism is located within the first mechanism. The insert is located within the second mechanism. The pin extends from the insert through the axial slot of the second mechanism and into the helical slot of the first mechanism. The insert is configured to couple to an instrument. In…

Integral electrode placement and connection systems

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11950838
A tissue treatment assembly comprising an elongate flexible energy delivery device extending along a longitudinal axis and terminating at a distal opening and a circuit assembly including a plurality of conductors wrapped in a spiral configuration around the elongate flexible energy delivery device.

Endoscope control system

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11950756
An endoscope system comprises an endoscope and a display to display image content captured by the endoscope. The endoscope system also comprises one or more sensors located in a headrest and configured to detect an input at the headrest. The endoscope system also comprises a control module configured to receive one or more sensor signals from the one or more sensors. The one or more sensor signals indicate movement of the headrest with respect to a support on which the headrest is…

Medical imaging systems and methods

Granted: April 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11944265
An exemplary medical imaging system includes an imaging device that includes a visible light camera configured to obtain image data representative of a two-dimensional visible light image of a scene and a depth sensor separate from the visible light camera and configured to obtain depth data representative of a depth map of the scene. The medical imaging system further includes a image processing system communicatively coupled to the imaging device and configured to generate, based on…

System and method for providing surgical instrument force feedback

Granted: April 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11944397
Embodiments of an actuated cannula seal are disclosed In some embodiments, a cannula seal includes a base portion that engages with a cannula; and a seal portion integrally formed with the base portion, the sealing portion capable of engaging with an instrument shaft, the sealing portion capable of being actuated by an actuator so that the sealing portion is continually in motion relative to the instrument shaft. The actuation of the sealing portion can be accomplished by rotation or…

Staple cartridge for a surgical instrument

Granted: April 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11944302
The present disclosure provides a staple cartridge for a surgical instrument, such as a tissue sealing instrument. The staple cartridge includes a housing and one or more staple assemblies within the housing. The staple assemblies each include one or more staple pushers and associated staples. The staple pushers and housing include coupling elements configured to cooperate with each other to retain the staple assemblies to the housing prior to use in surgery. The coupling elements, along…

Surgical instruments having a reinforced staple cartridge

Granted: April 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11944301
The present disclosure provides a surgical instrument, such as a tissue sealing instrument, with an elongate shaft and first and second jaws movably coupled to the shaft. The second jaw comprises a cavity for receiving a staple cartridge and a substantially longitudinal reinforcing wall extending through the cavity. The instrument further includes a drive member configured to translate through the end effector to close the jaws and to engage a plurality of staples within the staple…