Intuitive Surgical Patent Grants

Minimally invasive surgical system

Granted: May 30, 2023
Patent Number: 11659978
A surgical system comprises a manipulator arm, configured to secure to a base, and an actuator assembly. The actuator assembly includes an instrument mounting bracket and a plurality of actuator disks supported on a first end of the instrument mounting bracket. The surgical system also includes a surgical instrument including a plurality of interface disks supported on a face of the surgical instrument. The plurality of interface disks is configured to mate with the plurality of actuator…

Systems and methods for segmentation of anatomical structures for image-guided surgery

Granted: May 23, 2023
Patent Number: 11657502
A method for image segmentation comprises receiving volumetric image data for an anatomical region and generating a first volumetric patch from the volumetric image data. The method also comprises generating a second volumetric patch from the first volumetric patch by weighting a plurality of volumetric units in the first volumetric patch and receiving the second volumetric patch as an input to a convolutional neural network. The method also comprises conducting a down-sampling filter…

Systems and methods for controlling a robotic manipulator or associated tool

Granted: May 23, 2023
Patent Number: 11653987
A system comprises a robotic manipulator for control of motion of a medical tool. The robotic manipulator including a joint and a link connected to the joint. The link is configured to connect to the medical tool. A processing unit of the system is configured to receive first data from an encoder of the joint. A first tool tip estimate of a first parameter of a tool tip coupled at a distal end of the medical tool is generated using the first data. The first parameter of the tool tip is a…

Needle driver devices and related systems and methods

Granted: May 23, 2023
Patent Number: 11653912
A needle driver device includes an arc-shaped track and an arc-shaped needle configured to be received in the arc-shaped track. The arc-shaped needle is moveable along a curved path including the arc-shaped track. The needle driver device further includes a rotary drive mechanism and a needle driver link. The needle driver link has a distal end portion configured to removably engage the arc-shaped needle and a proximal end portion coupled to the rotary drive mechanism. The needle driver…

Ribbed force sensor

Granted: May 16, 2023
Patent Number: 11650111
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.

System and method for image detection during instrument grasping and stapling

Granted: May 16, 2023
Patent Number: 11648081
Systems and methods for image detection during grasping and stapling include an end effector having a first jaw and a second jaw, an imaging sensor mounted to the end effector and configured to capture images of a material graspable by the end effector, and one or more processors coupled to the end effector and the imaging sensor. The one or more processors are configured to receive the images from the imaging sensor, determine one or more properties of the material based on the images,…

Input control system console drape

Granted: May 16, 2023
Patent Number: 11648076
Systems and methods for controlling an elongate device include a console. The console includes a first recess and a removable first input control for controlling motion of the medical device. The console also may include one or more first sensors located about the first recess that detect motion of the first input control and detect operator contact with the first input control. The console also may include an integrated display screen arranged to display status information for the…

System and method for patient-side instrument control

Granted: May 16, 2023
Patent Number: 11648072
Systems and methods for instrument control include first and second actuators and a controller configured to command the first actuator to maintain a first degree of freedom (DOF) of an instrument at a first position; command the second actuator to maintain a second DOF of the instrument at a second position; detect, while the first actuator is maintaining the first DOF at the first position, a first manual actuation of the first actuator that exceeds a first threshold; detect, while the…

Enhancing visible differences between different tissues in computer-assisted tele-operated surgery

Granted: May 16, 2023
Patent Number: 11648059
The technology described herein can be embodied in a method that includes obtaining a representation of a first image of a surgical scene using electromagnetic radiation of a first wavelength range outside the visible range of wavelengths, wherein an amount of electromagnetic radiation of the first wavelength range received from a first tissue type is lower than that received for a second tissue type. The method also includes obtaining a representation of a second image using…

System and method for extracting multiple feeds from a rolling-shutter sensor

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11647295
An imaging system and method includes a rolling shutter sensor that captures a plurality of images of a scene, a time-varying illumination source that illuminates the scene, and a processor that receives the plurality of images from the rolling shutter sensor and separates the plurality of images into a plurality of feeds. Each of the plurality of images is captured as a series of lines. The rolling shutter sensor and the time-varying illumination source are operated synchronously to…

Artificial intelligence guidance system for robotic surgery

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11642179
This invention is a system and method for utilizing artificial intelligence to operate a surgical robot (e.g., to perform a laminectomy), including a surgical robot, an artificial intelligence guidance system, an image recognition system, an image recognition database, and a database of past procedures with sensor data, electronic medical records, and imaging data. The image recognition system may identify the tissue type present in the patient and if it is the desired tissue type, the…

Staple cartridge and drive member for surgical instrument

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11642129
The present disclosure provides a surgical instrument, such as a tissue sealing instrument, having a staple cartridge with a staple pusher and a staple; and a drive member configured to translate distally through the instrument. The drive member includes a lateral projection configured to engage the staple pusher and drive the staple into tissue. The lateral projection of the drive member has a height substantially less than the height of the staple cartridge, thereby requiring less…

Systems and methods for end effector position set point correction

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11642127
End effector position set point correction includes an instrument having an end effector and a control unit. In some embodiments, the control unit actuates the end effector to a first position, determines an actuation level, determines an offset based on the actuation level, adjusts a position set point based on the offset, and actuates the end effector to the adjusted position set point. In some embodiments, the control unit actuates the end effector, determines an actuation level, and…

System and method for extracting multiple feeds from a rolling-shutter sensor

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11647295
An imaging system and method includes a rolling shutter sensor that captures a plurality of images of a scene, a time-varying illumination source that illuminates the scene, and a processor that receives the plurality of images from the rolling shutter sensor and separates the plurality of images into a plurality of feeds. Each of the plurality of images is captured as a series of lines. The rolling shutter sensor and the time-varying illumination source are operated synchronously to…

Artificial intelligence guidance system for robotic surgery

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11642179
This invention is a system and method for utilizing artificial intelligence to operate a surgical robot (e.g., to perform a laminectomy), including a surgical robot, an artificial intelligence guidance system, an image recognition system, an image recognition database, and a database of past procedures with sensor data, electronic medical records, and imaging data. The image recognition system may identify the tissue type present in the patient and if it is the desired tissue type, the…

Staple cartridge and drive member for surgical instrument

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11642129
The present disclosure provides a surgical instrument, such as a tissue sealing instrument, having a staple cartridge with a staple pusher and a staple; and a drive member configured to translate distally through the instrument. The drive member includes a lateral projection configured to engage the staple pusher and drive the staple into tissue. The lateral projection of the drive member has a height substantially less than the height of the staple cartridge, thereby requiring less…

Systems and methods for end effector position set point correction

Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number: 11642127
End effector position set point correction includes an instrument having an end effector and a control unit. In some embodiments, the control unit actuates the end effector to a first position, determines an actuation level, determines an offset based on the actuation level, adjusts a position set point based on the offset, and actuates the end effector to the adjusted position set point. In some embodiments, the control unit actuates the end effector, determines an actuation level, and…

Articulating mechanisms and link systems with torque transmission in remote manipulation of instruments and tools

Granted: May 2, 2023
Patent Number: 11638590
An articulating mechanism capable of transmitting torque for remote manipulation of a surgical or diagnostic tool comprises at least two adjacent links. A first adjacent link of the adjacent links has a ball and a second adjacent link of the adjacent links has a socket for receiving the ball to form a ball and socket joint. The ball and socket joint includes at least one engaging pin and reciprocal slot that provides for torque transmission between the adjacent links while also allowing…

Medical robotic system providing an auxiliary view of articulatable instruments extending out of a distal end of an entry guide

Granted: May 2, 2023
Patent Number: 11638622
A medical system may comprise a display and a processor configured to determine an optimal position for an image capturing instrument to view working ends of a plurality of medical instruments when the plurality of medical instruments and the image capturing instrument are each extending out of a distal end of an entry guide. The processor may also be configured to cause the optimal position to be displayed on the display along with an image captured by the image capturing instrument of…

System and methods for positioning a manipulator arm by clutching within a null-perpendicular space concurrent with null-space movement

Granted: May 2, 2023
Patent Number: 11638619
A system includes a manipulator arm configured to support an instrument having an end effector, the manipulator arm including a distal portion, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and a multitude of joints between the distal portion and the base, the multitude of joints providing sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of differing joint states of the multitude of joints for a state of the distal portion. The system also includes a processor coupled to the manipulator arm. The…