METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING ENHANCED IMAGING DATA ON A CLINICAL IMAGE
Granted: April 7, 2011
Application Number:
20110082369
In one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus includes a display device. The display device displays a desaturated image of tissue captured in the visible electro-magnetic (EM) spectrum from a body cavity; and a first color enhanced image combined with the desaturated image. The first color enhanced image represents the first data captured from the body cavity outside the visible electromagnetic spectrum. The relative brightness between the desaturated image and the first color…
CANNULA MOUNTING FIXTURE
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110071347
A robotic surgical system is configured with rigid, curved cannulas that extend through the same opening into a patient's body. Surgical instruments with passively flexible shafts extend through the curved cannulas. The cannulas are oriented to direct the instruments towards a surgical site. Various port features that support the curved cannulas within the single opening are disclosed. Cannula support fixtures that support the cannulas during insertion into the single opening and…
SURGICAL PORT FEATURE
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110071473
A robotic surgical system is configured with rigid, curved cannulas that extend through the same opening into a patient's body. Surgical instruments with passively flexible shafts extend through the curved cannulas. The cannulas are oriented to direct the instruments towards a surgical site. Various port features that support the curved cannulas within the single opening are disclosed. In one aspect, surgical instrument channels extend at different angles between top and bottom surfaces…
RETROGRADE INSTRUMENT
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110071508
A minimally invasive surgical instrument includes a U-turn mechanism that transmits actuating forces around a U-turn. The U-turn mechanism is coupled between segments of the instrument and has a bend radius that is smaller than flexible arms having a similar cross section diameter. The actuating forces transmitted by the U-turn mechanism are used to move distal components of the instrument, such as an end effector and a wrist mechanism.
CURVED CANNULA
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110071541
A robotic surgical system is configured with rigid, curved cannulas that extend through the same opening into a patient's body. Surgical instruments with passively flexible shafts extend through the curved cannulas. The cannulas are oriented to direct the instruments towards a surgical site. Various port features that support the curved cannulas within the single opening are disclosed. Cannula support fixtures that support the cannulas during insertion into the single opening and…
CURVED CANNULA SURGICAL SYSTEM
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110071542
A robotic surgical system is configured with rigid, curved cannulas that extend through the same opening into a patient's body. Surgical instruments with passively flexible shafts extend through the curved cannulas. The cannulas are oriented to direct the instruments towards a surgical site. Various port features that support the curved cannulas within the single opening are disclosed. Cannula support fixtures that support the cannulas during insertion into the single opening and…
CURVED CANNULA SURGICAL SYSTEM CONTROL
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110071543
A robotic surgical system is configured with rigid, curved cannulas that extend through the same opening into a patient's body. Surgical instruments with passively flexible shafts extend through the curved cannulas. The cannulas are oriented to direct the instruments towards a surgical site. A teleoperation control system that moves the curved cannulas and their associated instruments in a manner that allows a surgeon to experience intuitive control is disclosed. The flexible shaft…
CURVED CANNULA INSTRUMENT
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110071544
A robotic surgical system is configured with rigid, curved cannulas that extend through the same opening into a patient's body. Surgical instruments with passively flexible shafts extend through the curved cannulas. Force isolation elements within the flexible shafts prevent shaft bending from affecting end effector actuation elements that extends through the shafts. The cannulas are oriented to direct the instruments towards a surgical site. Various port features that support the curved…
Multi-Component Telepresence System and Method
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110066161
The present invention provides systems and methods for performing robotically-assisted surgical procedures on a patient. In particular, a three-component surgical system is provided that includes a non-sterile drive and control component, a sterilizable end effector or surgical tool and an intermediate connector component that includes mechanical elements for coupling the surgical tool with the drive and control component and for transferring motion and electrical signals therebetween.…
Device and Method for Superimposing Patterns on Images in Real-Time, Particularly for Guiding by Localisation
Granted: March 10, 2011
Application Number:
20110060347
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…
STEREO TELESTRATION FOR ROBOTIC SURGERY
Granted: March 3, 2011
Application Number:
20110050852
In one embodiment of the invention, a robotic surgical system includes a master control console having a stereo viewer to view stereo images; a surgical manipulator having a stereo endoscopic camera coupled to a robotic arm to generate the stereo images of a surgical site; a stereo telestration device coupled between the stereo endoscopic camera and the stereo viewer to mix telestration graphics and the stereo images of the surgical site together for viewing by the stereo viewer; and a…
Fixture for Shape-Sensing Optical Fiber in a Kinematic Chain
Granted: February 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110044578
Localized strain is effectively eliminated in a shape sensing optical fiber where the fiber exits a link in a kinematic chain. In one aspect, the fiber is positioned in a channel within a fiber fixture portion of the link, and a surface of a lip of the channel is curved. The curved surface of the lip begins tangent to a wall of the channel and has a maximum radius of curvature that is less than the minimum bend radius that the fiber will experience during shape sensing. In another…
CONTROLLER ASSISTED RECONFIGURATION OF AN ARTICULATED INSTRUMENT DURING MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF AN ENTRY GUIDE
Granted: February 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110040305
To perform a tool exchange in a medical robotic system, tool is retracted back into an entry guide from a deployed position and pose so that an assistant in the operating room may replace it with a different tool. While the tool is being retracted back towards the entry guide by user action, its configuration is changed to an entry pose while avoiding collisions with other objects so that it may fit in the entry guide. After the tool exchange is completed, a new tool is inserted in the…
Medical Robotic System Adapted to Inhibit Motions Resulting in Excessive End Effector Forces
Granted: February 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110040306
A medical robotic system includes a surgical instrument, a robotic arm assembly, an input device, and a processor. The surgical instrument has an end effector and a sensor for sensing a force exerted by the end effector, and is operatively mounted on the robotic arm assembly. The processor is configured to receive commanded movement of the end effector from the input device, receive information of the force from the sensor, determine a reduced velocity of the commanded movement that…
SMOOTH CONTROL OF AN ARTICULATED INSTRUMENT ACROSS AREAS WITH DIFFERENT WORK SPACE CONDITIONS
Granted: February 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110040404
An articulated instrument is controllably movable between areas of different work space limits, such as when it is extendable out of and retractable into a guide tube. To avoid abrupt transitions in joint actuations as the joint moves between areas of different work space limits, a controller limits error feedback used to control its movement. To provide smooth joint control as the instrument moves between areas of different work space limits, the controller imposes barrier and…
METHODS FOR COMPACT COUNTER BALANCE ARMS
Granted: February 3, 2011
Application Number:
20110023285
In one embodiment of the invention, a method for a set-up arm of a robotic surgical system is disclosed. The method includes balancing a linkage structure with a balancing mechanism to support a load; moving the linkage structure varying a moment at a pivot point due to the load at the end of a link of the linkage structure; and changing a path length of one or more cables over a plurality of pulleys in the balancing mechanism to compress or decompress a spring to respectively increase…
APPARATUS FOR COMPACT COUNTER BALANCE ARMS
Granted: February 3, 2011
Application Number:
20110023651
In one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus is provided including a linkage and a balancing mechanism coupled to the linkage around a pivotal joint. The linkage couples to a support structure at a first end and support a weight applied to a second end. The balancing mechanism counter balances the weight applied to the second end of the linkage. As the linkage is deformed to vertically adjust the height of the weight with a different moment arm length, the balancing mechanism varies…
Multi-Component Telepresence System and Method
Granted: February 3, 2011
Application Number:
20110028990
The present invention provides systems and methods for performing robotically-assisted surgical procedures on a patient. In particular, a three-component surgical system is provided that includes a non-sterile drive and control component, a sterilizable end effector or surgical tool and an intermediate connector component that includes mechanical elements for coupling the surgical tool with the drive and control component and for transferring motion and electrical signals therebetween.…
Cardiac Tissue Ablation Instrument with Flexible Wrist
Granted: February 3, 2011
Application Number:
20110028991
An articulate minimally invasive surgical instrument with a flexible wrist to facilitate the safe placement and provide visual verification of the ablation catheter or other devices in Cardiac Tissue Ablation (CTA) treatments is described. In one embodiment, the instrument is an endoscope which has an elongate shaft, a flexible wrist at the working end of the shaft, and a vision scope lens at the tip of the flexible wrist. The flexible wrist has at least one degree of freedom to provide…
Control System for Reducing Internally Generated Frictional and Inertial Resistance to Manual Positioning of a Surgical Manipulator
Granted: January 13, 2011
Application Number:
20110009880
A robotic control system is placed in clutch mode so that a slave manipulator holding a surgical instrument is temporarily disengaged from control by a master manipulator in order to allow manual positioning of the surgical instrument at a surgical site within a patient. Control systems implemented in a processor compensate for internally generated frictional and inertial resistance experienced during the positioning, thereby making movement more comfortable to the mover, and stabler…
