Catheter Sensor Systems
Granted: October 20, 2016
Application Number:
20160302873
A medical system comprises a catheter having a first section, a second section and a main lumen extending through the first and second sections. The system also includes an imaging probe sized to extend through the main lumen of the catheter. The system also includes a first electromagnetic sensor extending along a longitudinal sensor axis at a proximal end of the first section and a second electromagnetic sensor extending along the longitudinal sensor axis at a distal end of the first…
DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SUPERIMPOSING PATTERNS ON IMAGES IN REAL TIME, PARTICULARLY FOR GUIDANCE BY LOCATION
Granted: October 13, 2016
Application Number:
20160296137
The invention relates to a device for superimposing known patterns, characteristic of a region, on (real) images of said region. The device comprises , a memory in which patterns are stored, which are representative of a selected region, of known position and orientation with relation to a common reference and processing means, for determining a pattern representative of the selected portion in the memory, on receipt of the designation of at least one portion of an observed image of the…
GEOMETRICALLY APPROPRIATE TOOL SELECTION ASSISTANCE FOR DETERMINED WORK SITE DIMENSIONS
Granted: September 29, 2016
Application Number:
20160279801
A robotic system includes a processor that is programmed to determine and cause work site measurements for user specified points in the work site to be graphically displayed in order to provide geometrically appropriate tool selection assistance to the user. The processor is also programmed to determine an optimal one of a plurality of tools of varying geometries for use at the work site and to cause graphical representations of at least the optimal tool to be displayed along with the…
MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM WITH COUPLED CONTROL MODES
Granted: August 25, 2016
Application Number:
20160242860
In a coupled control mode, the surgeon directly controls movement of an associated slave manipulator with an input device while indirectly controlling movement of one or more non-associated slave manipulators, in response to commanded motion of the directly controlled slave manipulator, to achieve a secondary objective. By automatically performing secondary tasks through coupled control modes, the system's usability is enhanced by reducing the surgeon's need to switch to another direct…
TOOL MEMORY-BASED SOFTWARE UPGRADES FOR ROBOTIC SURGERY
Granted: August 25, 2016
Application Number:
20160242859
Robotic devices, systems, and methods for use in robotic surgery and other robotic applications, and/or medical instrument devices, systems, and methods includes both a reusable processor and a limited-use robotic tool or medical treatment probe. A memory the limited-use component includes machine readable code with data and/or programming instructions to be implemented by the processor. Programming of the processor can be updated by shipping of new data once downloaded by the processor…
AUXILIARY IMAGE DISPLAY AND MANIPULATION ON A COMPUTER DISPLAY IN A MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM
Granted: August 18, 2016
Application Number:
20160235496
To assist a surgeon performing a medical procedure, auxiliary images generally indicating internal details of an anatomic structure being treated are displayed and manipulated by the surgeon on a computer display screen to supplement primary images generally of an external view of the anatomic structure. A master input device controlling a robotic arm in a first mode may be switched by the surgeon to a second mode in order to function instead as a mouse-like pointing device to facilitate…
OPTIC FIBER CONNECTION FOR A FORCE SENSING INSTRUMENT
Granted: August 18, 2016
Application Number:
20160235488
In one embodiment, a surgical instrument includes a housing linkable with a manipulator arm of a robotic surgical system, a shaft operably coupled to the housing, a force transducer on a distal end of the shaft, and a plurality of fiber optic strain gauges on the force transducer. In one example, the plurality of strain gauges are operably coupled to a fiber optic splitter or an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) multiplexer. A fiber optic connector is operably coupled to the fiber optic…
PREVENTING INSTRUMENT/TISSUE COLLISIONS
Granted: August 18, 2016
Application Number:
20160235486
Collisions between a minimally invasive surgical instrument and patient tissue are prevented in various ways. In one aspect, a body cavity is mapped by recording positions of a surgical instrument, and the map is used to insert another surgical instrument. In another aspect, a surgical instrument is inserted into a space vacated by a guide tube. In yet another aspect, a volume is defined in which a control system permits an instrument to move, and the volume is a sum of one volume that…
WRIST MECHANISM FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENT
Granted: August 11, 2016
Application Number:
20160228202
A wrist mechanism for a surgical instrument is disclosed. In some implementations, a surgical instrument includes an end effector and a unitary wrist mechanism coupled to the end effector, where the wrist mechanism is formed from a single piece of material. The wrist mechanism provides at least one degree of freedom to the end effector, and includes a plurality of link members linked together as well as one or more flexures, where at least one of the flexures includes a chain of a…
SINGLE-CHIP SENSOR MULTI-FUNCTION IMAGING
Granted: August 4, 2016
Application Number:
20160227129
Mixed mode imaging is implemented using a single-chip image capture sensor with a color filter array. The single-chip image capture sensor captures a frame including a first set of pixel data and a second set of pixel data. The first set of pixel data includes a first combined scene, and the second set of pixel data includes a second combined scene. The first combined scene is a first weighted combination of a fluorescence scene component and a visible scene component due to the leakage…
HERMETICALLY SEALED ENDOSCOPE WITH OPTICAL COMPONENT ATTACHED TO INNER PROTECTIVE WINDOW
Granted: August 4, 2016
Application Number:
20160220107
In one embodiment, an endoscopic camera for a robotic surgical system includes a stereo camera module mounted to a robotic arm of a patient side cart. The optical and electro-optic components of the camera module are hermetically sealed within a first housing. Signals from an electro-optic component travel through traces in a ceramic substrate forming one side of the hermetically sealed first housing. A second housing surrounds the first housing and optical fibers are dispersed between…
RIBBED FORCE SENSOR
Granted: July 28, 2016
Application Number:
20160216167
In one embodiment, a force sensor apparatus is provided including a tube portion having a plurality of radial ribs and a strain gauge positioned over each of the plurality of radial ribs, a proximal end of the tube portion that operably couples to a shaft of a surgical instrument that operably couples to a manipulator arm of a robotic surgical system, and a distal end of the tube portion that proximally couples to a wrist joint coupled to an end effector.
GRIP FORCE CONTROL FOR ROBOTIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENT END EFFECTOR
Granted: July 28, 2016
Application Number:
20160213437
A method of controlling an end effector of a robotically-controlled surgical instrument may include receiving a first input signal indicative of a high grip level input at a master grip input mechanism that controls a slave gripping force of the end effector; receiving a second input signal indicative of a user's readiness to operate the surgical instrument to perform a first surgical procedure; and outputting a locking signal in response to receiving the first input signal and the…
CONSTRAINT BASED CONTROL IN A MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL APPARATUS
Granted: July 21, 2016
Application Number:
20160206389
A medical robotic system that includes a robotically controlled surgical instrument. The system includes a constraint controller that constrains the movement of the instrument based on a predetermined parameter. The parameter may be a surgical space, wherein the instrument cannot be moved into, or alternatively cannot be moved out of, the space. The surgically constrained spaced may be defined through a telestrator screen that allows a surgeon to point and click the boundaries of the…
SURGICAL PATIENT SIDE CART WITH STEERING INTERFACE
Granted: July 14, 2016
Application Number:
20160199143
A patient side cart for a teleoperated surgical system includes at least one manipulator portion for holding a surgical instrument and a steering interface. The steering interface may include at least one sensor positioned to sense turning, fore, and aft forces exerted by a user to move the cart. The steering interface may further include a coupling mechanism to removably couple the steering interface with the patient side cart. The at least one sensor may be placed in signal…
INSTRUMENT STERILE ADAPTER DRIVE FEATURES
Granted: July 14, 2016
Application Number:
20160199138
A surgical system (200) includes a surgical instrument (260) that is sensitive to backlash that would adversely affect the transmission of controlled torque and position to the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument (260) is coupled to motors in a surgical instrument manipulator assembly (240) via a mechanical interface. The combination of the mechanical interface and surgical instrument manipulator assembly (240) have low backlash, e.g., less than 0.7 degrees. The backlash is…
SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF CLEANING SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS
Granted: July 7, 2016
Application Number:
20160193012
In accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment, a surgical instrument comprises a shaft comprising a distal end a proximal end, a wall extending from the distal end to the proximal end and having an exterior surface and an interior surface. At least a first portion of the shaft may include openings that penetrate the interior and exterior surfaces of the wall and provide flow communication from an exterior of the shaft to an interior of the shaft. At least one transverse…
INSTRUMENT SHAFT FOR COMPUTER-ASSISTED SURGICAL SYSTEM
Granted: July 7, 2016
Application Number:
20160193001
A shaft for a surgical instrument comprises an outer tube having a proximal end and a distal end, a central lumen extending through the outer tube, and a plurality of stiffening rods positioned around the central lumen. The plurality of stiffening rods may comprise a nonconductive material. The shaft may form part of an electrosurgical instrument. In another embodiment, a surgical instrument may comprise an end effector and a shaft having an outer tube having a proximal end and a distal…
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ASSIGNING INPUT DEVICES TO TELEOPERATED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT FUNCTIONS
Granted: July 7, 2016
Application Number:
20160192998
A method of assigning an auxiliary input device to control a surgical instrument in a robotic surgical system may include detecting a first surgical instrument coupled to a first manipulator interface assembly of a teleoperated surgical system, the manipulator interface assembly being controlled by a first input device; detecting which one of a user's left and right hands operates the first input device; and assigning control of an auxiliary function of the first surgical instrument to a…
ACTUATOR INTERFACE TO INSTRUMENT STERILE ADAPTER
Granted: June 30, 2016
Application Number:
20160184035
A surgical system (200) includes a surgical instrument (260) that is sensitive to backlash that would adversely affect the transmission of controlled torque and position to the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument (260) is coupled to motors in a surgical instrument manipulator assembly (240) via a mechanical interface. The combination of the mechanical interface and surgical instrument manipulator assembly (240) have low backlash, e.g., less than 0.7 degrees. The backlash is…
