Surgical puncture device insertion systems and related methods
Granted: December 27, 2022
Patent Number:
11534079
A medical puncture device system includes a puncture device, a sensor, and an indicator system. The puncture device is configured to create a puncture through patient tissue and into an internal patient cavity to enable a medical tool to be inserted through the puncture into the cavity. The sensor is configured to generate a signal indicative of motion of the puncture device through the tissue into the cavity. The indicator system is operable by a controller to produce human-perceptible…
Manual release for medical device drive system
Granted: December 20, 2022
Patent Number:
11529206
A medical device drive system can include a rotational input, a coupling member engaged with the rotational input, a first gear having an engagement feature sized and shaped to engage with the coupling member, and a second gear coupled with the first gear, the second gear coupled to a movable element. The system can have a first system state and a second system state. In the first system state the coupling member is not engaged with the engagement feature and the first gear rotates…
Systems and methods for grasp adjustment based on grasp properties
Granted: December 13, 2022
Patent Number:
11523839
Systems and methods for grasp adjustment based on grasp properties include a computer-assisted device. The device includes a two-jawed end effector located at a distal end of the device, a drive unit for operating the two-jawed end effector, and an image processing unit. The image processing unit is configured to receive imaging data of the end effector and recognize the end effector and a material grasped by the end effector in the received imaging data. The device is configured to…
Surgical device actuated using asymmetric spring system
Granted: December 13, 2022
Patent Number:
11523732
A compliant surgical device such as a flexible entry guide employs tendons to operate or steer the device and attaches asymmetric or constant force spring systems to control tension in the tendons. As a result, the surgical device can be compliant and respond to external forces during a surgical procedure without rapidly springing back or otherwise causing a reaction that damages tissue. The compliance also permits manual positioning or shaping of the device during or before insertion…
Processing images from annular receptor arrays
Granted: December 6, 2022
Patent Number:
11517200
Vision systems on catheters, cannulas, or similar devices with guiding lumens include receptors distributed in annular areas around respective lumens. Each of the receptors has a field of view covering only a portion of an object environment, and the field of view of each of the receptors overlaps with at least one of the fields of view of the other receptors. A processing system can receive image data from the receptors of the vision systems and combine the image data to construct a…
Mechanical wrist joints with enhanced range of motion, and related devices and methods
Granted: December 6, 2022
Patent Number:
11518048
A wrist joint, such as for a surgical instrument, may include a first disc, a second disc adjacent the first disc, a drive tendon connecting the first disc and the second disc. The first disc and the second disc may include respective opposing gear features that intermesh with one another. The first disc and the second disc may further include opposing load bearing surfaces. In response to tensioning the drive tendon, the first and second discs rotate relative to each other. The first…
Instrument flushing system
Granted: December 6, 2022
Patent Number:
11517397
A medical instrument includes an instrument shaft with exit holes near a distal end of the shaft, a tool coupled to the distal end of the shaft, and a backend. The backend may include a mechanism that manipulates a drive element that extends through the shaft and couples to the tool, a fluid inlet, and a fluid channel assembly providing fluid communication between the fluid inlet and the proximal end of the shaft. Cleaning fluid is directed into the fluid inlet, through the fluid channel…
Computer-assisted tele-operated surgery systems and methods
Granted: December 6, 2022
Patent Number:
11517383
Manipulator devices are used for computer-assisted tele-operated surgery. In some embodiments, the manipulator devices described herein include an arm with a proximal end that is configured to releasably couple with a set-up structure of a computer-assisted tele-operated surgery system. A first ring is rotatably coupled to a distal end portion the arm and is rotatably driven by a first gear motor within the arm. A second ring that is concentric with the first ring is also rotatably…
Surgical instrument with robotic and manual actuation features
Granted: December 6, 2022
Patent Number:
11517379
A surgical instrument comprises a housing and a valve mounted in the housing. The valve is configured to control a flow of a fluid into or out of a surgical site in response to either a robotic actuation of the valve or a manual actuation of the valve. The valve comprises a valve shaft, a receiving member structurally coupled to the valve shaft, and a manual actuation component structurally coupled to the valve shaft and extending from the housing. The receiving member is configured to…
Surgical instrument with lockout mechanism
Granted: December 6, 2022
Patent Number:
11517312
Locking assemblies for surgical clamping and cutting instruments include a locking member and a switch. A drive member may be configured to releasably engage a knife and/or a shuttle of the surgical instrument for translating the knife and/or shuttle in a distal direction through a firing stroke. The locking member is movable from a first position permitting distal translation of the drive member through the firing stroke, and a second position inhibiting distal translation of the drive…
Systems and methods of registration for image-guided procedures
Granted: December 6, 2022
Patent Number:
11517184
A medical device includes an elongate device and one or more processors coupled to the elongate device. The elongate device includes a steerable distal end and a shape sensor located along a length of the elongate device. While the elongate device is being traversed through one or more passageways of a patient, the one or more processors are configured to, based on information from a sensor, monitor an insertion motion of the elongate device, detect a data collection event, and capture,…
Systems and methods related to registration for image guided surgery
Granted: November 29, 2022
Patent Number:
11514591
A system is configured to perform operations includes accessing a set of model points of a model of an anatomic structure of a patient, the model points being associated with a model space. A set of measured points of the anatomic structure of the patient are collected, the measured points being associated with a patient space. The set of model points are registered to the set of measured points using a first set of initial parameters to generate a first transformation. One or more sets…
Medical apparatus with optical sensing, and related devices and methods
Granted: November 29, 2022
Patent Number:
11510694
A medical apparatus can include an instrument comprising a shaft and a jaw assembly coupled to an end of the shaft; an image capture device; and a controller operably coupled to the image capture device to receive image data from the image capture device. The image data is from images of material gripped between jaw members of the jaw assembly and captured by the image capture device, with the controller programmed to process the received image data using at least one of optical flow and…
Overlapping fiber gratings
Granted: November 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11506519
Described are optical fibers, e.g., for use in stress-sensing or shape-sensing applications, that use overlapping grating configurations with chirped gratings to facilitate strain delay registration. In accordance with various embodiments, a fiber core may, for instance, have two overlapping sets of chirped gratings that differ in the direction of the chirp between the first and second sets, or a set of chirped gratings overlapping with a single-frequency grating. Also described are…
Surgical port feature
Granted: November 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11504156
A surgical port feature may include a funnel portion, a tongue, a waist portion, and surgical instrument channels. The waist portion may be located between the funnel portion and the tongue. The surgical instrument channels may extend from the funnel portion through the waist portion. The surgical port feature may further include a second tongue, with the wait portion being located between the funnel portion, the tongue, and the second tongue.
Surgical instrument with lockout mechanism
Granted: November 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11504124
Drive assemblies for surgical clamping and cutting instruments, as well as surgical clamping and cutting instruments using these drive assemblies, are disclosed. The drive assemblies may include a drive member, a locking member mounted to the drive member, and a spring. The drive member may be configured to releasably engage at least one of a knife or a shuttle of a surgical clamping and cutting instrument for translating the knife and/or shuttle in a distal direction through a firing…
Plenoptic endoscope with fiber bundle
Granted: November 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11503987
A plenoptic endoscope includes a fiber bundle with a distal end configured to receive light from a target imaging region, a sensor end disposed opposite the distal end, and a plurality of fiber optic strands each extending from the distal end to the sensor end. The plenoptic endoscope also includes an image sensor coupled to the sensor end of the fiber bundle, and a plurality of microlenses disposed between the image sensor and the sensor end of the fiber bundle, the plurality of…
Jointed control platform
Granted: November 15, 2022
Patent Number:
11497567
A medical device having a force transmission mechanism that includes a chassis having a pivotal support that defines a first axis. An axle is supported by the pivotal support and is free to rotate around the first axis of rotation. The axle defines a second axis of rotation perpendicular to the first axis of rotation. A first control arm is coupled to a first end of the axle and is free to rotate around the second axis of rotation. A second control arm is coupled to an opposite second…
System and method for assisting operator engagement with input devices
Granted: November 15, 2022
Patent Number:
11500472
A system and method of assisting operator engagement with input devices includes a repositionable structure configured to support a physical input device, a hand detection system, and a control unit. The repositionable structure includes one or more actuators. The physical input device is configured to be operated by a hand of an operator. The control unit is configured to detect the hand of the operator using the hand detection system and in response to a trigger condition, command the…
Touchscreen user interface for interacting with a virtual model
Granted: November 15, 2022
Patent Number:
11497569
A method comprises accessing a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object with a visualization tool, including a touchscreen; displaying, via the touchscreen, an image of the 3D model; detecting a first pressure based input at a first location on the touchscreen; selecting a first component of the 3D model as a result of the first pressure based input at the first location; detecting movement of the first pressure based input from the first location on the touchscreen to a second location…
