MEDICAL INSTRUMENT WITH FLEXIBLE JAW MECHANISM
Granted: February 21, 2013
Application Number:
20130046336
A medical instrument includes a unitary jaw structure having: a connector portion, a first jaw portion flexibly integral with the connector portion, a first arm portion integral with the first jaw portion, and an actuator portion flexibly integral with the first arm portion for causing rotating motion of the first jaw portion upon linear motion of the actuator portion.
Surgical Instrument With Commonly Actuated Robotic and Manual Features
Granted: February 21, 2013
Application Number:
20130046318
An instrument including an end effector at a distal end; an actuator mechanism at a proximal end, the actuator mechanism including a first valve, a robotic control coupled to the first valve, and a manual control coupled to the first valve is provided. The instrument may further include a transport shaft between the actuator mechanism and the end effector, the transport shaft including a cavity, coupled to the first valve, facilitating material transport along the transport shaft, the…
IMAGE CAPTURE UNIT AND AN IMAGING PIPELINE WITH ENHANCED COLOR PERFORMANCE IN A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT AND METHOD
Granted: February 14, 2013
Application Number:
20130041221
In a minimally invasive surgical system, an image capture unit includes a prism assembly and sensor assembly. The prism assembly includes a beam splitter, while the sensor assembly includes coplanar image capture sensors. Each of the coplanar image capture sensors has a common front end optical structure, e.g., the optical structure distal to the image capture unit is the same for each of the sensors. A controller enhances images acquired by the coplanar image capture sensors. The…
RIGIDLY-LINKED ARTICULATING WRIST WITH DECOUPLED MOTION TRANSMISSION
Granted: January 31, 2013
Application Number:
20130030449
The present invention is a device having a rigidly linked jaw that is decoupled from an articulating wrist. The device provides for articulating motion as well as actuation that may be used in grasping, cutting, suturing or the like.
OFFSET REMOTE CENTER MANIPULATOR FOR ROBOTIC SURGERY
Granted: January 31, 2013
Application Number:
20130030448
Medical, surgical, and/or robotic devices and systems often including offset remote center parallelogram manipulator linkage assemblies which constrains a position of a surgical instrument during minimally invasive robotic surgery are disclosed. The improved remote center manipulator linkage assembly advantageously enhances the range of instrument motion while at the same time reduces the overall complexity, size, and physical weight of the robotic surgical system.
DUAL OPTICAL PATH PRISM AND CAMERA IN A MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL SYSTEM
Granted: January 31, 2013
Application Number:
20130027533
In a minimally invasive surgical system, a camera includes a prismatic element having a lens within the prismatic element. The lens corrects the resulting image focus for the non-visible light to make it substantially the same as the focus for the visible light. Alternatively, the lens corrects the resulting image focus for the visible light to make it substantially the same as the focus for the non-visible light.
MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL TRAINING USING ROBOTICS AND TELECOLLABORATION
Granted: January 24, 2013
Application Number:
20130023898
A medical system that allows a mentor to teach a pupil how to use a robotically controlled medical instrument. The system may include a first handle that can be controlled by a mentor to move the medical instrument. The system may further have a second handle that can be moved by a pupil to control the same instrument. Deviations between movement of the handles by the mentor and the pupil can be provided as force feedback to the pupil and mentor handles. The force feedback pushes the…
FLEXIBLE WRIST FOR SURGICAL TOOL
Granted: January 10, 2013
Application Number:
20130012928
A tool having a wrist mechanism that provides pitch and yaw rotation in such a way that the tool has no singularity in roll, pitch, and yaw. In one embodiment, a minimally invasive surgical instrument comprises an elongate shaft having a working end, a proximal end, and a shaft axis between the working end and the proximal end; and an end effector. A wrist member has a flexible tube including an axis extending through an interior surrounded by a wall. The wall of the flexible tube…
USER INTERFACE METHODS FOR ALTERNATE TOOL MODES FOR ROBOTIC SURGICAL TOOLS
Granted: January 3, 2013
Application Number:
20130006268
In one implementation, a method is disclosed in which a lock sensing mode is entered for a robotic surgical instrument. In the lock sensing mode, the degrees of freedom of movement in the robotic surgical instrument are switchably reduced. Further in the lock sensing mode, one or more end effectors of the robotic surgical instrument are switchably clamped together in the robotic surgical instrument. An increased level of torque may also be applied to the end effectors to increase a…
METHODS FOR TRACKING AND REPORTING USAGE EVENTS TO DETERMINE WHEN PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE IS DUE FOR A MEDICAL ROBOTIC SYSTEM
Granted: December 27, 2012
Application Number:
20120330613
A medical robotic system comprises a number of components that may be monitored to determine their preventive maintenance needs by recording usage-related information for the monitored components into associated non-volatile memories. When usage of the component exceeds a specified usage threshold, the system displays a warning message on its display screen to have preventive maintenance performed for the component. If the usage continues without such maintenance and exceeds a higher…
Indicator for Tool State and Communication in Multi-Arm Robotic Telesurgery
Granted: December 27, 2012
Application Number:
20120330325
Medical and/or robotic devices, systems and methods provide an indicator associated with a manipulator assembly of a multi-arm telerobotic or telesurgical system. An example of an indicator comprises a multi-color light emitting diode (LED) mounted to a manipulator moving an associated surgical instrument, allowing the indicator to display any of a wide variety of signals. The invention may provide an additional user interface to facilitate communications between the telesurgical system…
Instrument Systems and Methods of Use
Granted: December 20, 2012
Application Number:
20120323070
A sheath useful for remote steering, guidance and/or manipulation of a flexible instrument, including e.g. an endoscope, received through the sheath.
POSITIVE CONTROL OF ROBOTIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENT END EFFECTOR
Granted: December 13, 2012
Application Number:
20120316573
A method of controlling an operation of a robotically-controlled surgical instrument can include receiving a first input signal at a controller indicative of a user's readiness to actuate the surgical instrument to perform a surgical procedure, outputting an output signal from the controller to provide feedback to the user in response to the received first input signal, receiving a second input signal at the controller confirming the user's readiness to actuate the surgical instrument,…
GRIP FORCE CONTROL IN A ROBOTIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENT
Granted: December 6, 2012
Application Number:
20120310256
Surgical assemblies, instruments, and related methods are disclosed that control tissue gripping force. A surgical assembly includes an end effector including a jaw operable to grip a patient tissue and a spring assembly. The spring assembly includes an output link drivingly coupled with the jaw, an input link drivingly coupled to an articulation source, and a spring coupled with the input and output links to transfer an articulation force from the input link to the output link. The…
SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH SINGLE DRIVE INPUT FOR TWO END EFFECTOR MECHANISMS
Granted: December 6, 2012
Application Number:
20120310255
Methods for treating tissue, and surgical assemblies and related methods are disclosed in which a single input is used to sequentially articulate two members. A surgical assembly includes an end effector, a base supporting the end effector, an input link movable relative to the base through a range of motion between a first configuration and a second configuration, and an actuation mechanism. The end effector includes a first articulated member and a second articulated member. The…
SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH MOTOR
Granted: December 6, 2012
Application Number:
20120310254
A surgical instrument including a shaft having proximal and distal ends, an end effector, a transmission mechanism and a limit switch, and a method of operating the end effector is provided. The end effector is disposed at the distal end of the shaft and has an end effector component configured to move between a first position and a second position. The transmission mechanism includes a motor and a drive system coupled with the end effector component to move the end effector component…
SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH CONTROL FOR DETECTED FAULT CONDITION
Granted: December 6, 2012
Application Number:
20120310221
A method and system of controlling a surgical instrument including an end effector are provided. The method includes detecting a first signal indicating that an end effector component of a surgical instrument is positioned between a first position and a second position, and automatically controlling operation of the end effector component after a second signal is not received within a predetermined time period after detecting the first signal. The second signal indicates that the end…
MEDICAL SYSTEM PROVIDING DYNAMIC REGISTRATION OF A MODEL OF AN ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE FOR IMAGE-GUIDED SURGERY
Granted: November 15, 2012
Application Number:
20120289777
A medical system provides navigation assistance to a surgeon so that the surgeon may navigate a flexible medical device through linked passages of an anatomical structure to a target in or adjacent to the anatomical structure. As the medical device moves through the linked passages, images are captured by an image capturing element at its distal end and pose and shape information for the medical device are received from sensors disposed in the medical device. A 4-D computer model of the…
MEDICAL SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE OPERATING MODES FOR STEERING A MEDICAL INSTRUMENT THROUGH LINKED BODY PASSAGES
Granted: November 15, 2012
Application Number:
20120289783
A controller operates in different operating modes to control movement of a distal tip of a medical instrument when inserting and retracting the medical instrument through linked body passages. When inserting the medical instrument, the controller normally operates in an automatic navigation mode unless manually overridden to operate in a manual mode. When retracting the medical instrument, the controller normally operates in a zero-force mode to allow the distal tip to freely move so…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING INFORMATION OF EXTREMA DURING EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION CYCLES OF AN OBJECT
Granted: November 15, 2012
Application Number:
20120289843
A medical system provides navigation assistance to a surgeon for navigating a flexible medical device through linked passages of an anatomical structure to a target area. For tracking, navigation, and other purposes, information of extrema is determined during expansion and contraction cycles of an object by receiving time sampled information from sensors distributed along a length of a flexible device so as to indicate the shape of the device over time while the device extends through a…
