Dynamic pulley system
AssigneeAuris Health, Inc.
InventorsAndre J. Castillo, Akira Bryan Ueda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for robotic medical instrument system. The medical system can include an elongated shaft configured for insertion into a patient. The system can also include a pull wire extending along the elongated shaft. The pull wire can be actuatable to articulate the elongated shaft. The medical system can include a dynamic pulley coupled to the pull wire, the dynamic pulley configured to collapse during rotation in a first direction and to expand during rotation in a second direction opposite the first direction.
Claims21
A robotic medical system comprising:
- an elongated shaft configured for insertion into a patient;
- a pull wire extending along the elongated shaft, the pull wire actuatable to articulate the elongated shaft;
- and
- a dynamic pulley coupled to the pull wire, the dynamic pulley configured to collapse during rotation in a first direction and to expand during rotation in a second direction opposite the first direction,
- wherein one end of the pull wire is fixedly coupled to the pulley at a termination point.
A robotic medical pulley system comprising:
- a pulley comprising a hub and a tab extending outward from the hub, the tab being moveable between an expanded position and a collapsed position;
- and
- one end of a wire fixedly coupled to the pulley at a termination point and the wire extending around the tab, wherein the tab is configured to expand radially outward towards the expanded position as the pulley is rotated.
A method for controlling a robotic medical system, the method comprising:
- rotating a pulley in a first rotational direction to pull on a wire coupled to the pulley, one end of the wire fixedly coupled to the pulley at a termination point;
- rotating the pulley in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction;
- and
- expanding the pulley while rotating the pulley in the second rotational direction, wherein expansion of the pulley takes up slack in the wire as the pulley is rotated in the second rotational direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.