Surgical instrument with shiftable transmission
AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
InventorsDavid W. Bailey, Theodore W. Rogers, Rumen Deyanov, Ray Lathrop, Gabriel Brisson
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Abstract
A surgical tool having an elongated shaft having a proximal end and distal end. A surgical end effector is located about the distal end. The surgical end effector has a plurality of effector mechanisms comprising a plurality of degree of freedoms. An effector body is located at the proximal end. The effector body includes a plurality of motor interfaces for driving the plurality of effector mechanisms. A transmission is coupled to the effector body.
Claims26
A surgical tool comprising:
- an elongated shaft having a proximal end and distal end;
- a surgical end effector at the distal end of the shaft, the surgical end effector comprising a plurality of end effector components each associated with a unique mechanical degree of freedom, the plurality of end effector components comprising a first end effector component and a second end effector component;
- and
- a drive mechanism at the proximal end of the shaft, the drive mechanism comprising a first motor interface and a transmission, the transmission comprising a shift mechanism movable between a first state and a second state, in the first state the first motor interface being coupled via the transmission to drive the first end effector component without driving the second end effector component, in the second state the first motor interface being coupled via the transmission to drive the second end effector component without driving the first end effector component.
In a surgical device comprising a first motor interface, a transmission, and a surgical end effector comprising a first and a second component, a method comprising:
- operating the transmission in a first state;
- shifting the transmission from the first state to a second state;
- operating the transmission in the second state;
- and
- shifting the transmission from the second state to the first state;
- the first state being one in which the transmission couples the first motor interface to the first component of the surgical end effector and decouples the first motor interface from the second component of the surgical end effector;
- and
- the second state being one in which the transmission couples the first motor interface with the second component of the surgical end effector and decouples the first motor interface from the first component of the surgical end effector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.