Flexible medical instrument
Granted: February 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12220194
A medical system including a flexible instrument such as a lung catheter or bronchoscope provides a control mode in which direct manual control of insertion can be used with computer-assisted control of instrument characteristics such as the orientation or rigidity of a portion of the instrument. To facilitate manual insertion control, a mechanism can provide low inertia and friction for movement along an insertion axis. One implementation employs a manual grip of the instrument for…
Preloaded surgical instrument interface
Granted: February 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12220190
A surgical system includes a surgical instrument that is sensitive to backlash that would adversely affect the transmission of controlled torque and position to the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument is coupled to motors in a surgical instrument manipulator assembly via a mechanical interface. The combination of the mechanical interface and surgical instrument manipulator assembly have low backlash, e.g., less than 0.7 degrees. The backlash is controlled in the surgical…
Camera control systems and methods for a computer-assisted surgical system
Granted: February 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12220181
A camera control system may access surgical session data for a surgical session, the surgical session including performance of one or more operations by a computer-assisted surgical system. The camera control system may identify, based on the surgical session data, an event associated with the surgical session, and may determine, based on the surgical session data, a location associated with the event. In response to the determination of the location of the event, the camera control…
Systems and methods for bifurcated navigation control of a manipulator cart included within a computer-assisted medical system
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12213814
A bifurcated navigation control system defines a path whereby a manipulator cart is to navigate from an initial location to a target location, and identifies a navigation condition associated with a navigation of the manipulator cart along the path. Based on the navigation condition, the bifurcated navigation control system defines a propulsion limitation for the manipulator cart during the navigation of the manipulator cart along the path. The bifurcated navigation control system…
Master/slave registration and control for teleoperation
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12213757
A teleoperated system comprises a display, a master input device, and a control system. The control system is configured to determine an orientation of an end effector reference frame relative to a field of view reference frame, determine an orientation of a master input device reference frame relative to a display reference frame, establish an alignment relationship between the master input device reference frame and the display reference frame, and command, based on the alignment…
Actuated grips for controller
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12213755
Implementations relate to actuated grips for a controller. In some implementations, a controller includes a central member, a grip member coupled to the central member and moveable in a grip degree of freedom, a shaft coupled to the grip member, and an actuator coupled to the shaft and operative to output an actuator force on the shaft. The actuator force causes a grip force to be applied via the shaft to the grip member in the grip degree of freedom.
Indicator mechanism for an actuator controlled surgical instrument
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12213753
A method for providing a visual indication regarding a state of an instrument comprises sensing usage information about the instrument and using a motor to rotate an indicator body from a first position to a second position in response to sensing the usage information meets a predetermined condition. The method further comprises holding the indicator body in the first position or the second position, respectively. In the first position a first portion of the indicator body is visible on…
Electrically weldable suture material, and apparatus and method for forming welded suture loops and other welded structures
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12213662
A device for positioning in the body of an animal, the device comprising a first portion and a second portion that may be positioned in contact with one other, the first portion and the second portion each comprising a biocompatible conductive thermoplastic material, such that when the device is positioned in the body of an animal and electric current flows from the first portion to the second portion, heat is generated by electrical resistance at the point of contact between the first…
Systems and methods for region-based presentation of augmented content
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12211154
A region-based augmentation system is configured to determine that a viewpoint of a user of a display device is directed within an anchor region of a physical world containing the user. In response, the system directs the display device to present augmented content in an evident manner. The evident manner comprises anchoring the augmented content relative to the viewpoint, such that the augmented content follows the viewpoint as the user moves the viewpoint within the anchor region. The…
Apparatuses, systems, and methods for managing auto-exposure of image frames based on signal region size
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12211240
An illustrative apparatus may identify, within an image frame captured by an image capture system, a signal region that includes pixels having auto-exposure values exceeding an auto-exposure value threshold. The apparatus may adjust, based on the auto-exposure values of the pixels included within the signal region, one or more auto-exposure parameters used by the image capture system to capture an additional image frame. Additionally, the apparatus may determine, based on a size of the…
Systems and methods for facilitating optimization of an imaging device viewpoint during an operating session of a computer-assisted operation system
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12210665
A viewpoint optimization system identifies a condition associated with an operating session during which a computer-assisted operation system performs a plurality of operations with respect to a body while an imaging device included within the computer-assisted operation system provides, for display on a display device during the operating session, imagery of the body from a first viewpoint. The viewpoint optimization system defines, based on the identified condition, a second viewpoint…
Devices, systems and methods for controlling cable drive mechanisms
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12208520
A cable-driven device, such as a joint or instrument of a computer-assisted manipulator system, may comprise a capstan mechanism to wind/unwind cables. The capstan mechanism comprises a capstan that has a groove in an outer surface of the capstan to guide the cables, which are routed from a take-up pulley, to spool onto the capstan as the capstan rotates. A guide element is engaged with the groove. The guide element is held translationally stationary relative to the take-up pulley, while…
Surgical system entry guide
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12207895
A method of operating a manipulator arm comprising a manipulator interface configured to removably couple with and transmit actuation force to a medical instrument includes mounting a cannula to a cannula mount coupled to the manipulator arm; mounting a medical instrument to the manipulator interface; inserting a shaft of the medical instrument through an entry guide mounted to the cannula; rotating the manipulator interface and the medical instrument relative to the cannula mount; and…
Force transmission mechanism for surgical instrument, and related systems and methods
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12207893
A surgical instrument may comprise a chassis, a shaft coupled to the chassis at the proximal end of the shaft, an end effector coupled to the shaft at the distal end of the shaft, a force transmission mechanism coupled to the chassis, and an actuation element connected between a lever arm of the force transmission mechanism and the end effector. The force transmission mechanism includes a worm drive, and the lever arm comprising a first end and a follower member at the first end of the…
Tubular body structure imaging and locating system
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12207885
A system for identifying a location of a lumen of a tubular body structure in a patient's body includes a flexible, longitudinally extending probe configured to be inserted through the lumen in the tubular body structure in the patient. A detection system may include an antenna arranged to receive signals from a longitudinally extending detectable portion of the probe. A processing system may process the received signals and identify a longitudinally extending position of the…
Physical medical element placement systems
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12207884
An exemplary system is configured to obtain anatomical characteristic data representative of a characteristic associated with an anatomical surface to be covered by a physical medical element, the anatomical surface within an internal space of a patient and determine, based on the anatomical characteristic data, a placement guidance parameter set. The placement guidance parameter set may include one or more parameters configured to guide a placement of the physical medical element on the…
Side-looking minimally invasive surgery instrument assembly
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12201264
A surgical instrument assembly comprises a guide tube and a first instrument. The first instrument includes a first elongated shaft and a first proximal arm link coupled by a first shoulder joint, the first proximal arm link and a first distal arm link coupled by a first elbow joint, and the first distal arm link and a first end effector coupled by a first wrist joint. The surgical instrument assembly also comprises a second instrument that includes a second elongated shaft and a second…
Methods and systems for alternate image display
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12201485
An illustrative method may include receiving images of a site captured at a same time by a camera, the images comprising a single visible color component image, a first non-visible image associated with first excitation illumination having a first wavelength outside a visible spectrum, and a second non-visible image associated with second excitation illumination having a second wavelength outside the visible spectrum and different than the first wavelength; generating, based on the…
Systems and methods for presenting augmented reality in a display of a teleoperational system
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12201484
A system comprises a processor and a memory having computer readable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to display an image of a surgical environment. The image includes an information icon corresponding to an instrument in the surgical environment. The instructions further cause the system to display an image of a body part of a user. The image of the body part is used to interact with the information icon. The instructions further cause…
Teleoperated surgical system with surgical instrument wear tracking
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12201390
A surgical method is provided, comprising: providing an information structure in a computer readable storage device that associates an indication of surgeon skill level in at least one surgical activity performed using the surgical instrument with a surgical instrument actuator safety state of the surgical instrument for use during performance of the at least one surgical activity using the surgical instrument by a surgeon having the indicated skill level; tracking surgical instrument…
