US6746443B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Roll-pitch-roll surgical tool
Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations Inc
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Filing: 2000-07-27
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Granted: 2004-06-08
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Expires: 2020-07-27
Abstract
Abstract A robotic surgical tool includes an elongate shaft having a working end and a shaft axis, and a pair of linking arms each having a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end is pivotally mounted on the working end of the shaft to rotate around a first pitch axis to produce rotation in first pitch. A wrist member has a proximal portion pivotally connected to the distal end of the linking arm to rotate around a second pitch axis to produce rotation in second pitch. An end effector is pivotally mounted on a distal portion of the wrist member to rotate around a wrist axis of the wrist member to produce rotation in distal roll. The wrist axis extends between the proximal portion and the distal portion of the wrist member. The elongate shaft is rotatable around the shaft axis to produce rotation in proximal roll. At about 90° pitch, the wrist axis is generally perpendicular to the shaft axis. The proximal roll around the shaft axis and the distal roll around the wrist axis do not overlap. The use of the linking arms allows the end effector to be bent back beyond 90° pitch. The ability to operate the end effector at about 90° pitch and to bend back the end effector renders the wrist mechanism more versatile and adaptable to accessing hard to reach locations, particularly with small entry points such as those involving spinal, neural, or rectal surgical sites.
Inventors
- 👤 Tracey A. Morley
- 👤 Daniel T. Wallace
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 02:59
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/04; A61B17/06; A61B17/062; A61B34/00; A61B34/30; A61B34/70; A61B34/71; A61B17/068; A61B2034/305; A61B90/00; A61B90/50; A61B2090/506
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
A minimally invasive surgical instrument comprising: an elongate shaft having a working end and a shaft axis; a wrist member having a proximal portion connected with the working end of the elongate shaft, the wrist member being movable relative to the elongate shaft in at least one degree of freedom including rotation around the shaft axis; and an end effector coupled to a distal portion of the wrist member to rotate around a wrist axis of the wrist member, the wrist axis extending between the proximal portion and the distal portion of the wrist member, the end effector being movable relative to the wrist member in at least one additional degree of freedom including rotation around a pitch axis nonparallel to the wrist axis.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
124 words
A minimally invasive surgical instrument comprising: an elongate shaft having a working end and a shaft axis; a wrist member having a proximal portion connected with the working end of the elongate shaft, the wrist member being movable relative to the elongate shaft in at least one degree of freedom including rotation around the shaft axis; and an end effector coupled to a distal portion of the wrist member to rotate around a wrist axis of the wrist member, the wrist axis extending between the proximal portion and the distal portion of the wrist member, the end effector being movable relative to the wrist member in at least one additional degree of freedom including rotation around a pitch axis nonparallel to the wrist axis.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The instrument of claim 1 wherein the pitch axis is perpendicular to the shaft axis.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
The instrument of claim 1 wherein the end effector includes an end effector support pivotally mounted on the distal portion of the wrist member to rotate around the wrist axis, and wherein the end effector includes at least one end effector link pivotally mounted on the end effector support to rotate around a pivot axis which is nonparallel to the wrist axis.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The instrument of claim 3 wherein the pivot axis is perpendicular to the wrist axis.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The instrument of claim 3 wherein the end effector includes a pair of end effector links pivotally mounted on the end effector support to rotate around the pivot axis.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The instrument of claim 1 wherein the wrist member has a circular cross-section with a wrist diameter.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
66 words
The instrument of claim 6 wherein the proximal portion of the wrist is connected to the working end of the elongate shaft at a proximal wrist joint, wherein the distal portion of the wrist is connected to the end effector at a distal wrist joint, and wherein a distance between the proximal wrist joint and the distal wrist joint is less than twice the wrist diameter.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
The instrument of claim 7 wherein the distance between the proximal wrist joint and the distal wrist joint is 1.6 times the wrist diameter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
47 words
The instrument of claim 6 wherein the distal portion of the wrist is connected to the end effector at a distal wrist joint, and wherein a distance between the proximal wrist joint and a distal end of the end effector is less than twice the wrist diameter.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The instrument of claim 9 wherein the distance between the proximal wrist joint and the distal end of the end effector is 1.5 times the wrist diameter.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
97 words
The instrument of claim 1 wherein the elongate shaft includes a proximal end and the shaft axis extends between the proximal end and the working end, and wherein the wrist member is rotatable relative to the working end, from a forward position in which the wrist axis is oriented with the end effector at the distal portion pointing generally away from the proximal end of the elongate shaft, to a backward position in which the wrist axis is oriented with the end effector at the distal portion pointing generally toward the proximal end of the elongate shaft.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
The instrument of claim 11 further comprising at least one linking member rotatably coupled between the wrist member and the working end to permit rotation of the wrist member relative to the working end from the forward position to the backward position.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
The instrument of claim 11 wherein the wrist member is coupled via the at least one linking member to the working end to permit rotation relative to the working end around a pitch axis which is perpendicular to the shaft axis.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
41 words
The instrument of claim 11 wherein the wrist member is coupled via the at least one linking member to the working end to permit rotation relative to the working end around a pitch axis which is perpendicular to the wrist axis.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
61 words
The instrument of claim 11 wherein the linking member includes a proximal end pivotally mounted on the working end to rotate around a first pitch axis which is nonparallel to the shaft axis and a distal end pivotally connected to the proximal portion of the wrist member to rotate around a second pitch axis which is nonparallel to the shaft axis.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The instrument of claim 15 wherein the first pitch axis is perpendicular to the shaft axis.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The instrument of claim 15 wherein the second pitch axis is perpendicular to the shaft axis.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
The instrument of claim 15 wherein the first pitch axis is parallel to the second pitch axis.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
The instrument of claim 15 wherein the wrist axis is perpendicular to the second pitch axis.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The instrument of claim 15 wherein a pair of linking arms are connected between the working end and the wrist member.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
15 words
The instrument of claim 15 wherein the elongate shaft is rotatable around the shaft axis.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
63 words
The instrument of claim 15 wherein the proximal portion of the wrist member is pivotally connected to the distal end of the linking arm at a proximal pivot location and the end effector is pivotally mounted on the distal portion of the wrist member at a distal pivot location, the wrist axis extending between the proximal pivot location and the distal pivot location.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
119 words
The instrument of claim 15 further comprising a pair of elongate element lengths extending from two opposed positions on the end effector support and in a direction toward a proximal end of the elongate shaft opposed from the working member, the elongate element lengths being coupled to a drive member so as to cause angular displacement of the end effector support around the wrist axis in one angular direction in response to the pulling of one of the elongate element lengths by the drive member and to cause angular displacement of the end effector support around the wrist axis in an opposed angular direction in response to the pulling of the other elongate element length by the drive member.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
60 words
The instrument of claim 23 further comprising a plurality of roll pulleys disposed between the working end and the end effector support, the roll pulleys being oriented generally parallel to the wrist axis, the elongate element lengths each riding over at least one roll pulley in extending from the end effector support to the proximal end of the elongate shaft.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
32 words
The instrument of claim 24 wherein the end effector support includes a pair of channels each receiving one of the elongate element lengths, the channels being generally perpendicular to the roll pulleys.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
25 words
The instrument of claim 11 wherein an angle from the shaft axis to the wrist axis is less than about 60° in the backward position.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
25 words
The instrument of claim 26 wherein the angle from the shaft axis to the wrist axis is less than about 45° in the backward position.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
23 words
The instrument of claim 11 wherein an angle from the shaft axis to the wrist axis is about 180° in the forward position.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-06-08 | 2007-12-08 | 2008-06-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-06-08 | 2011-12-08 | 2012-06-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-06-08 | 2015-12-08 | 2016-06-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |