Intuitive Surgical Patent Grants

Systems and methods for cleaning endoscopic instruments

Granted: February 20, 2024
Patent Number: 11903777
A method for controlling fluid delivery to a medical instrument comprises releasing, from a reservoir of a known size and having fluid at a volume and a first fluid pressure, a released fluid volume of the fluid to the medical instrument. The method also comprises measuring a vented fluid volume and determining a discharged fluid volume through the medical instrument based on the released fluid volume and the vented fluid volume.

Determining position of medical device in branched anatomical structure

Granted: February 20, 2024
Patent Number: 11903693
Information extracted from sequential images captured from the perspective of a distal end of a medical device moving through an anatomical structure are compared with corresponding information extracted from a computer model of the anatomical structure. A most likely match between the information extracted from the sequential images and the corresponding information extracted from the computer model is then determined using probabilities associated with a set of potential matches so as…

Systems and methods for offscreen indication of instruments in a teleoperational medical system

Granted: February 20, 2024
Patent Number: 11903665
A medical imaging system comprises a teleoperational assembly which includes a medical instrument including an instrument tip and an imaging instrument including an imaging instrument tip. The medical imaging system also comprises a processing unit including one or more processors. The processing unit may be configured to determine an instrument tip position for the instrument tip, determine an instrument tip position error relative to the imaging instrument, and determine at least one…

Computer-assisted medical systems and methods

Granted: February 20, 2024
Patent Number: 11903664
A computer-assisted medical system includes a manipulator arm and an instrument holder physically coupled to the manipulator arm. The instrument holder is configured to releasably couple to an instrument. The instrument holder includes an adjustable assembly and a cannula clamp physically coupled to the adjustable assembly. A physical adjustment of the adjustable assembly moves the cannula clamp relative to the manipulator arm. The cannula clamp is configured to releasably couple to a…

Stapler cartridge with an integral knife

Granted: February 20, 2024
Patent Number: 11903583
Stapler cartridges and surgical apparatus that include a stapler cartridge can include a knife that retracts into the stapler cartridge after cutting stapled tissue to prevent an operator being cut by the knife during replacement of the used stapler cartridge with a new stapler cartridge. A stapler cartridge includes a staple pushing shuttle, a knife member slidably coupled with the staple pushing shuttle, and a cartridge body. The staple pushing shuttle is slidably coupled to the…

Dynamic illumination for eye-tracking

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11902501
An apparatus includes a controller coupled to a stereoscopic image viewer. The stereoscopic image viewer includes a viewing lens, an image capture unit, and a plurality of light sources. The image capture unit is configured to capture image frames. The controller receives the captured image frames. The controller is configured to switch light output from one of the plurality of light sources to another one of the plurality of light sources if a corneal reflection in a captured image…

Systems and methods for master/tool registration and control for intuitive motion

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11897127
A method is performed by a computing system. The method includes receiving image data from an imaging device, and determining, using the image data, a plurality of image-space tools, each image-space tool associated with a tool of a plurality of tools, each tool controlled by a manipulator of a plurality of manipulators. The method further includes determining a first correspondence between a first image-space tool of the plurality of image-space tools and a first tool of the plurality…

Systems and methods for measuring a distance using a stereoscopic endoscope

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896441
A measurement system accesses first and second images captured respectively from first and second vantage points by first and second cameras included within a stereoscopic endo scope located at a surgical area associated with a patient. The measurement system receives user input designating a user-selected two-dimensional (“2D”) endpoint corresponding to a feature within the surgical area as represented in the first image, and identifies, based on the user-selected 2D endpoint, a…

Systems and methods for registration of multiple vision systems

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896364
A non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions is provided. The instructions cause one or more processors to: define a subregion of a model of an anatomic region of a patient anatomy, the subregion corresponding to an area surrounding a tip of an image capture probe located within the anatomic region, the subregion including a plurality of virtual tissue structures—a set of virtual tissue structures of the plurality of virtual tissue structures is situated distally from…

Staple cartridge for a surgical instrument

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896224
The present disclosure provides a staple cartridge for a surgical instrument having a staple and a staple pusher. The staple pusher has a recess forming a pocket in its top surface for receiving at least the backspan of the staple. The pocket is at least partially surrounded by a circumferential supporting element in the staple pusher body to support the backspan. The pocket provides additional vertical space and support for the staple such that a smaller staple cartridge may provide a…

Staple cartridge for a surgical instrument

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896224
The present disclosure provides a staple cartridge for a surgical instrument having a staple and a staple pusher. The staple pusher has a recess forming a pocket in its top surface for receiving at least the backspan of the staple. The pocket is at least partially surrounded by a circumferential supporting element in the staple pusher body to support the backspan. The pocket provides additional vertical space and support for the staple such that a smaller staple cartridge may provide a…

Systems and methods for optical fiber cleaning and interface particle reduction

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11899248
An optical fiber cleaning assembly includes a cleaning tape, a first spool having the cleaning tape wound thereon, a second spool onto which the cleaning tape is drawn, a drive mechanism configured to move the cleaning tape from the first spool to the second spool, and one or more first connectors configured to mate with one or more connectors of a system, the system including a first optical fiber. The optical fiber cleaning assembly further includes one or more second connectors…

Systems and methods for master/tool registration and control for intuitive motion

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11897127
A method is performed by a computing system. The method includes receiving image data from an imaging device, and determining, using the image data, a plurality of image-space tools, each image-space tool associated with a tool of a plurality of tools, each tool controlled by a manipulator of a plurality of manipulators. The method further includes determining a first correspondence between a first image-space tool of the plurality of image-space tools and a first tool of the plurality…

Systems and methods for measuring a distance using a stereoscopic endoscope

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896441
A measurement system accesses first and second images captured respectively from first and second vantage points by first and second cameras included within a stereoscopic endo scope located at a surgical area associated with a patient. The measurement system receives user input designating a user-selected two-dimensional (“2D”) endpoint corresponding to a feature within the surgical area as represented in the first image, and identifies, based on the user-selected 2D endpoint, a…

Systems and methods for registration of multiple vision systems

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896364
A non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions is provided. The instructions cause one or more processors to: define a subregion of a model of an anatomic region of a patient anatomy, the subregion corresponding to an area surrounding a tip of an image capture probe located within the anatomic region, the subregion including a plurality of virtual tissue structures—a set of virtual tissue structures of the plurality of virtual tissue structures is situated distally from…

Manual release for medical device drive system

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896338
A medical device drive system can include a rotational input, a coupling member engaged with the rotational input, a first gear having an engagement feature sized and shaped to engage with the coupling member, and a second gear coupled with the first gear, the second gear coupled to a movable element. The system can have a first system state and a second system state. In the first system state the coupling member is not engaged with the engagement feature and the first gear rotates…

Computer-assisted teleoperated surgery systems and methods

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896334
Systems and methods for minimally invasive computer-assisted telesurgery are described. For example, this disclosure describes computer-assisted teleoperated surgery instruments with cable-actuated joint mechanisms Some such joint mechanisms include linkages that maintain the joints in operable configurations without relying on cable tension to do so.

Detection of user touch on controller handle

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896331
Implementations relate to detecting user touch on a controller handle. In some implementations, a non-controlling mode of a control system is activated, and in the non-controlling mode, one or more actuators are controlled to cause a vibration to be provided on a handle of a controller. The vibration is sensed with one or more sensors, and a difference in the vibration is determined to have occurred relative to a reference vibration using the one or more sensors, where the difference…

System and method for integrated surgical table

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896326
Integrated table motion includes a computer-assisted device. The computer-assisted device includes an articulated arm and a control unit coupled to the articulated arm. To support integrated motion with a table physically separate from and communicatively coupled to the computer-assisted device via a communications connection, the control unit is configured to receive a table movement request from a table command unit of the table, determine whether the table movement request should be…

Systems and methods for generating anatomic tree structures using backward pathway growth

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896316
A method includes receiving anatomic image data comprising a plurality of graphical units; generating an initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units associated with an anatomic tree structure; receiving an indication of a first user selected graphical unit, the first user selected graphical unit being outside the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units; applying a cost function to determine a first sequence of graphical units from the first user selected…