TELE-OPERATIVE SURGICAL SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF CONTROL AT JOINT LIMITS USING INVERSE KINEMATICS
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170095301
Devices, systems, and methods for controlling manipulator movements at joint range of motion limits are provided. In one aspect, methods include locking one or more joints of the manipulator when the one or more joints hit a respective joint limit by modifying an input into a Jacobian of the manipulator when calculating joint movement of a master control using inverse kinematics to provide improved, more intuitive force feedback through the master control. In some embodiments, scaling…
MANIPULATOR ARM HAVING CONNECTION INTERFACE, AND RELATED DEVICES AND SYSTEMS
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170095300
A surgical instrument support arm of a teleoperated patient side cart may include a first arm portion including a first connector end and a second a second arm portion including a second connector end. The second arm portion may be removably connectable to the first arm portion via mating engagement of the first and second connector ends. The first and second connector ends may each include complementary mechanical connections and complementary electrical connections. At least one of the…
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TISSUE CONTACT DETECTION AND FOR AUTO-EXPOSURE AND ILLUMINATION CONTROL
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170095297
Scenes captured with an endoscope (201) of a teleoperated surgical system (200) and displayed on a display unit (251) maintain a consistent brightness even though optical output power of an illuminator (210) changes, and working distance (204) between tissue (203) and the distal tip of the endoscope changes. Teleoperated surgical system (200) also automatically detects when endoscope (201) contacts tissue (203) and adjusts the output optical power of illuminator (210) so that tissue…
CANNULA SEAL ASSEMBLY
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170095269
Gas-tight seal assemblies for use during minimally invasive surgery include various aspects. A wiper seal includes a sealing portion and a surrounding flex portion. Upper and lower faces of the sealing portions are angled with reference to an inserted instrument, the upper face's angle being more acute with reference to the instrument's shaft than the lower face's angle. The flex portion is corrugated, support ribs are in one or more corrugation grooves, and the support ribs allow the…
ANGLED ENDOSCOPE TIP IMAGE CAPTURE UNIT
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170095142
A family of endoscopes includes a non-zero degree endoscope (210) and a zero degree endoscope (200). Zero degree endoscope (210) includes a first image capture unit (220A) mounted in a distal portion (270A) of the zero degree endoscope with a lengthwise axis of the first image capture unit substantially parallel to a lengthwise axis of that distal portion. Non-zero degree endoscope (210) includes a second image capture unit (220B) mounted in a distal portion (270B) of the non-zero degree…
WHEELED CART WITH VIBRATION REDUCTION DEVICE, AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Granted: March 30, 2017
Application Number:
20170087730
A patient side cart for a teleoperated surgical system may include a base, a column connected to the base, a boom connected to the column, a manipulator arm connected to the boom, and a vibration reduction member. The manipulator arm may be configured to support a surgical instrument. The vibration reduction member may be configured to be moved between deployed and retracted positions relative to the base. The vibration reduction member may engage a ground surface in the deployed…
SURGICAL DRAPE AND SYSTEMS INCLUDING SURGICAL DRAPE AND ATTACHMENT SENSOR
Granted: March 30, 2017
Application Number:
20170086934
A surgical drape for a patient side cart of a teleoperated surgical system may include a body and an attachment device feature. The body may be sized and shaped to cover at least a portion of an arm or main column of the patient side cart. The attachment device feature may be connected to body. The attachment device feature may be configured to install the surgical drape to the arm or main column so as to cover at least a portion of the arm or main column with the surgical drape. The…
SURGICAL CANNULA MOUNTS AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Granted: March 30, 2017
Application Number:
20170086930
A cannula mount for a surgical system may include a body having an aperture to receive a portion of a cannula. The cannula mount may further include a pivotable clamping arm to engage the portion of the cannula received in the aperture. The clamping arm may include a cam follower surface. The cannula mount may further include a block moveable between a first position and a second position. The block may include a cam surface. The cam surface of the block may engage the cam follower…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR STEERABLE MEDICAL DEVICE PATH DEFINITION AND FOLLOWING DURING INSERTION AND RETRACTION
Granted: March 23, 2017
Application Number:
20170079507
Waypoints for a steerable medical device are stored as the steerable medical device is moved within a patient. The stored waypoints are an ordered sequence of locations. The ordered sequence of locations defines a safe path within the patient for moving an articulatable portion of the steerable medical device. The articulatable portion of the steerable medical device is constrained to follow the safe path as the articulatable portion moves within the patient. For example, the…
ARTICULATABLE MEMBERS HAVING CONSTRAINED MOTION AND RELATED DEVICES AND METHODS
Granted: March 2, 2017
Application Number:
20170056118
An articulatable member includes a distal end, a proximal end, an actuation member, and a constraint member. The actuation member extends from the proximal end to the distal end. The actuation member transmits force to bend the articulatable member from a neutral position. The constraint member extends from the proximal end to the distal end. The constraint member may have opposite ends that are fixed to the distal end and the proximal end. In one embodiment, the constraint member…
SURGICAL INSTRUMENT DRIVE ELEMENT, AND RELATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS
Granted: March 2, 2017
Application Number:
20170056098
A surgical instrument includes a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end and end effector coupled to the distal end of the shaft. An electrical transmission conduit extends along the shaft from the proximal end to the distal end and is configured to deliver electrical energy to energize the end effector. A connector assembly electrically couples the electrical transmission conduit to the end effector, and the end effector is pivotably coupled to the connector assembly. In another…
APPLICATION OF FORCE FEEDBACK OF AN INPUT DEVICE TO URGE ITS OPERATOR TO COMMAND AN ARTICULATED INSTRUMENT TO A PREFERRED POSE
Granted: February 9, 2017
Application Number:
20170035521
A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with articulated instruments extending out of its distal end. A controller is configured to command manipulation an articulated instrument in response to operator manipulation of an associated input device while generating a force command to the input device that nudges the operator to command the instrument to a preferred pose. When a transition is to occur between first and second preferred poses, one is phased in while the other is…
APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING TREATMENT OF TISSUE VIA IMPROVED DELIVERY OF ENERGY BASED AND NON-ENERGY BASED MODALITIES
Granted: February 2, 2017
Application Number:
20170027419
Methods and apparatus for accessing and treating regions of the body are disclosed herein. Using an endoscopic device having an automatically controllable proximal portion and a selectively steerable distal portion, the device generally may be advanced into the body through an opening. The distal portion is selectively steered to assume a selected curve along a desired path within the body which avoids contact with tissue while the proximal portion is automatically controlled to assume…
ACTUATION ELEMENT GUIDE WITH TWISTING CHANNELS
Granted: January 26, 2017
Application Number:
20170020616
An actuation element guide for a surgical instrument comprises a first piece, a second piece, at least one guide channel defining a twisted path about a longitudinal axis of the guide. The guide channel may be between the inner piece and the outer piece. A cross-section of the at least one guide channel, at a location along an axial length of the guide, may be defined by a surface portion of the first piece and by a surface portion of the second piece. Exemplary embodiments further…
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SPECULAR REFLECTION DETECTION AND REDUCTION
Granted: January 19, 2017
Application Number:
20170014029
A system and method of specular reflection detection and reduction includes a processing unit including one or more processors and an imaging unit coupled to the processing unit. The imaging unit includes one or more first illuminators for providing illumination of a region of interest, one or more first detectors for detecting reflections of the illumination, one or more second illuminators for triggering fluorescing of one or more fluorescent materials in the region of interest, and…
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECENTERING IMAGING DEVICES AND INPUT CONTROLS
Granted: January 5, 2017
Application Number:
20170000574
A system and method of recentering imaging devices and input controls includes a medical device having one or more end effectors, an imaging device, one or more input controls for teleoperating the one or more end effectors, and a control unit including one or more processors coupled to the end effectors, the imaging device, and the input controls. The control unit suspends teleoperated control of the end effectors by the input controls in response to a recentering request, determines a…
ROBOTIC LINKAGE
Granted: January 5, 2017
Application Number:
20170000315
A method may include articulating a first link and a second link relative to each other about a pair of outer hinge portions on a first end of a first link and in mating engagement with a pair of inner hinge portions on a second end of a second link. Each outer hinge portion comprises an outer ear extending in a first axial direction away from the first end of the first link, and an inner bearing surface substantially oriented in the first axial direction, and each inner hinge portion…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MOVING A PLURALITY OF ARTICULATED INSTRUMENTS IN TANDEM BACK TOWARDS AN ENTRY GUIDE
Granted: December 29, 2016
Application Number:
20160374767
A medical robotic system includes articulated instruments extending out of a distal end of an entry guide. Prior to pivoting the entry guide to re-orient it and the instruments, the instruments are moved in tandem back towards the entry guide after a delay. Haptic cues and velocity limits are provided to assist the operator in the retraction of the instruments. After retraction, the entry guide may then be pivoted without concern that the instruments will harm patient anatomy. The…
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETECTING STAPLE CARTRIDGE MISFIRE OR FAILURE
Granted: December 29, 2016
Application Number:
20160374676
A method of controlling a surgical stapler system includes transmitting an actuation force to a staple cartridge to actuate a staple firing procedure, the staple cartridge being removably received by a portion of an end effector of a surgical instrument, measuring the transmitted actuation force, and controlling continued transmission of the actuation force based on a comparison of the measured actuation force to a range defined from a minimum threshold actuation force to a maximum…
Method for Engaging Surgical Instrument with Teleoperated Actuator
Granted: December 15, 2016
Application Number:
20160361126
A teleoperated surgical system has an instrument manipulator that includes a first carriage driver and a second carriage driver that each provide independent rotary motion. Each carriage driver includes a first engagement feature. A surgical instrument includes two instrument drivers that each receive the rotary motion from one of the two carriage drivers. Each instrument driver includes a second engagement feature that engages the first engagement feature to positively couple the…
