CUT AND SEAL INSTRUMENT
Granted: September 9, 2010
Application Number:
20100228250
A combined electrical tissue sealing and mechanical tissue cutting instrument. The instrument has two opposing jaw members. A removable cartridge is positioned in one of the jaw members. The cartridge includes a tissue sealing electrode and a tissue cutter. As either the tissue sealing electrode or the cutter deteriorates with use, the cartridge is replaced with a new cartridge. Cartidges are configured with various electrode geometries to accommodate various associated electro-surgical…
Operator Input Device for a Robotic Surgical System
Granted: September 9, 2010
Application Number:
20100228265
A robotic surgical system includes a master controller with an input handle and robotic manipulator assemblies including a surgical end effector and an endoscopic camera. The input handle is translatable to provide a position and rotatable to provide an orientation. A control system couples the master controller to the first and second manipulator assemblies. The control system moves the surgical end effector in response to the position and orientation of the input handle. The control…
Master Controller Having Redundant Degrees of Freedom and Added Forces to Create Internal Motion
Granted: September 9, 2010
Application Number:
20100228266
An input device includes a handle coupled to a base by a linkage. The handle is manually movable relative to the base to provide a position input. The linkage has a plurality of links including a redundant link that permits internal motion of the linkage such that the linkage can move without moving the handle relative to the base. When a distance between the handle and a handle stop position is less than a threshold distance, a handle stop applies a first load to the handle. A drive…
SURGICAL TOOL HAVING POSITIVELY POSITIONABLE TENDON-ACTUATED MULTI-DISK WRIST JOINT
Granted: September 9, 2010
Application Number:
20100228284
The present invention is directed to 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. A positively positionable multi-disk wrist mechanism includes a plurality of disks or vertebrae stacked in series. Each vertebra is configured to rotate in pitch or in yaw with respect to each neighboring vertebra. Actuation cables are used to manipulate and control movement of the vertebrae. In specific…
USER INTERFACES FOR ELECTROSURGICAL TOOLS IN ROBOTIC SURGICAL SYSTEMS
Granted: September 9, 2010
Application Number:
20100228249
A method for a minimally invasive surgical system is disclosed including capturing camera images of a surgical site; generating a graphical user interface (GUI) including a first colored border portion in a first side and a second colored border in a second side opposite the first side; and overlaying the GUI onto the captured camera images of the surgical site for display on a display device of a surgeon console. The GUI provides information to a user regarding the first electrosurgical…
RIGIDLY-LINKED ARTICULATING WRIST WITH DECOUPLED MOTION TRANSMISSION
Granted: August 26, 2010
Application Number:
20100217284
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.
STERILE SURGICAL DRAPE
Granted: August 12, 2010
Application Number:
20100200002
An improved sterile drape, system, and method for draping portions of a telerobotic surgical system are provided. In one embodiment, a sterile drape includes an exterior surface adjacent to a sterile field for performing a surgical procedure, and an interior surface forming a cavity for receiving the non-sterile portion of a robotic surgical system, such as a manipulator. The drape further includes a fastener coupled to the exterior surface for securing the sterile drape to the…
FIBER OPTIC SHAPE SENSOR
Granted: August 12, 2010
Application Number:
20100202727
A shape sensing system to determine the position and orientation of one link with respect to another link in a kinematic chain. An optical fiber is coupled to two or more links in a kinematic chain. A shape sensing segment is defined to start at a proximal link and to end at a distal link, crossing one or more joints. A reference frame is defined at the start of the shape sensing segment. As the joints move, an interrogator senses strain in the shape sensing segment. The sensed strain is…
METHODS FOR REPLACEABLE END-EFFECTOR CARTRIDGES
Granted: August 5, 2010
Application Number:
20100198231
In one embodiment of the invention, a replaceable electrosurgical end effector cartridge is provided to couple to a mechanical wrist of a surgical instrument for a robotic surgical system. The replaceable electrosurgical end effector cartridge includes two end effectors, a fastener to rotatably couple the two end effectors together, and a cam mechanism. At least one of the two end effectors is a moveable end effector having a jaw portion, an off-center portion, and a base portion. The…
MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL SYSTEM
Granted: August 5, 2010
Application Number:
20100198232
A control system for a minimally invasive surgical system. In one aspect the control system is a distributed system. A control and transform processor receives data from a master arm controller, an instrument controller, an imaging system controller, and a guide tube controller and distributes data received from one controller to the other controllers. The other controllers use the received data, along with received optimization goals, to control associated slave arms in a distributed…
REPLACEABLE END-EFFECTOR CARTRIDGES WITH CAM MECHANISMS
Granted: August 5, 2010
Application Number:
20100198218
In one embodiment of the invention, a replaceable electrosurgical end effector cartridge is provided to couple to a mechanical wrist of a surgical instrument for a robotic surgical system. The replaceable electrosurgical end effector cartridge includes two end effectors, a fastener to rotatably couple the two end effectors together, and a cam mechanism. At least one of the two end effectors is a moveable end effector having a jaw portion, an off-center portion, and a base portion. The…
IN VIVO ACCESSORIES FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE ROBOTIC SURGERY
Granted: August 5, 2010
Application Number:
20100198215
Surgical accessories are presented in vivo and used by surgical tools in the surgical site to perform additional tasks without the need to remove the tools from the surgical site for tool change or instrument loading. Examples of in vivo accessories include fastening accessories such as surgical clips for use with a clip applier, single working member accessories such as a blade which can be grasped and manipulated by a grasping tool for cutting, sheath accessories that fit over working…
ROBOTIC SURGICAL TOOL FOR PLUGGABLE END-EFFECTORS
Granted: July 29, 2010
Application Number:
20100191250
In one embodiment of the invention, a replaceable electrosurgical end effector cartridge is provided to couple to a mechanical wrist of a surgical instrument for a robotic surgical system. The replaceable electrosurgical end effector cartridge includes two pluggable end effectors and a pair of spring latches. The two end effectors are moveable end effectors having a jaw portion, an off-center portion, and a base portion in one embodiment. The replaceable electrosurgical end effector…
METHODS FOR PLUGGABLE END-EFFECTORS OF ROBOTIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS
Granted: July 29, 2010
Application Number:
20100191251
In one embodiment of the invention, a replaceable electrosurgical end effector cartridge is provided to couple to a mechanical wrist of a surgical instrument for a robotic surgical system. The replaceable electrosurgical end effector cartridge includes two pluggable end effectors and a pair of spring latches. The two end effectors are moveable end effectors having a jaw portion, an off-center portion, and a base portion in one embodiment. The replaceable electrosurgical end effector…
STERILE SURGICAL ADAPTOR
Granted: July 8, 2010
Application Number:
20100174293
A sterile drape with integrated sterile adaptor, a telerobotic surgical system, and method of use are provided for draping portions of a telerobotic surgical system to maintain a sterile barrier between the sterile surgical field and the non-sterile robotic system while also providing an interface for transferring mechanical and electrical energy and signals.
STERILE SURGICAL ADAPTOR
Granted: July 1, 2010
Application Number:
20100163057
A sterile adaptor, a sterile drape with the integrated sterile adaptor, and a telerobotic surgical system including the sterile drape with a drape interface are provided. The adaptor, drape, and system allow for draping portions of a telerobotic surgical system to maintain a sterile barrier between the sterile surgical field and the non-sterile robotic system while also providing an interface for transferring mechanical and electrical energy and signals between a robotic arm and a…
EFFICIENT 3-D TELESTRATION FOR LOCAL ROBOTIC PROCTORING
Granted: July 1, 2010
Application Number:
20100164950
An apparatus is configured to show telestration in 3-D to a surgeon in real time. A proctor is shown one side of a stereo image pair, such that the proctor can draw a telestration line on the one side with an input device. Points of interest are identified for matching to the other side of the stereo image pair. In response to the identified points of interest, regions and features are identified and used to match the points of interest to the other side. Regions can be used to match the…
ROBUST SPARSE IMAGE MATCHING FOR ROBOTIC SURGERY
Granted: July 1, 2010
Application Number:
20100166323
Systems, methods, and devices are used to match images. Points of interest from a first image are identified for matching to a second image. In response to the identified points of interest, regions and features can be identified and used to match the points of interest to a corresponding second image or second series of images. Regions can be used to match the points of interest when regions of the first image are matched to the second image with high confidence scores, for example…
SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH SHEATHED TENDONS
Granted: July 1, 2010
Application Number:
20100168510
A flexible surgical instrument employs sheaths around tendons that actuate an end effector or other mechanisms in a distal tip of the instrument. A liquid lubricant can be introduced in the sheaths to reduce friction, and the sheaths can be porous or non-porous. The lubricant can be confined, for example, with an o-ring or a bellow seal, to keep lubricant from leaking where the tendons extend out of the sheaths. More generally, the distal end of the instrument is sealed to prevent…
FIDUCIAL MARKER DESIGN AND DETECTION FOR LOCATING SURGICAL INSTRUMENT IN IMAGES
Granted: July 1, 2010
Application Number:
20100168562
The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and tools for tool tracking using image-derived data from one or more tool-located reference features. A method includes: capturing a first image of a tool that includes multiple features that define a first marker, where at least one of the features of the first marker includes an identification feature; determining a position for the first marker by processing the first image; determining an identification for the first marker by…
