# US 11,998,288 B2 · Surgical robotic systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,998,288 B2 - Document ID: US11998288B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/273,441 - Filed: 2019-09-10 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-17 - Assignees: Covidien LP - Applicants: Covidien LP - Inventors: Jaimeen Kapadia; Ranjan Mishra - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11998288B2 ## CPC - A61B 34/30: Surgical robots - A61B 34/70: {Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery} - B25J 9/12: electric - A61B 34/37: Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence) - A61B 2017/00017: {Electrical control of surgical instruments} - A61B 2017/00477: {Coupling (A61B2017/0046 takes precedence)} - A61B 2034/302: {specifically adapted for manipulations within body cavities, e.g. within abdominal or thoracic cavities} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract An instrument drive unit for use in a robotic surgical system includes a carriage configured to be coupled to a robotic arm, a hub rotationally coupled to the carriage and configured to be non-rotatably coupled to an electromechanical surgical instrument, a plurality of electric motors disposed within the carriage, a plurality of drive shafts rotationally supported in the hub, and a plurality of drive gears. Each electric motor includes a stator and a rotor disposed within the stator. Each drive gear is fixed to a corresponding drive shaft and is configured for interfacing with a corresponding driven member of the electromechanical surgical instrument. Each rotor is configured to rotate a corresponding drive gear in response to an activation of a respective electric motor to actuate a function of the electromechanical surgical instrument. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An instrument drive unit for use in a robotic surgical system, the instrument drive unit comprising: a carriage configured to be coupled to a robotic arm; a hub rotationally coupled to the carriage and configured to be non-rotatably coupled to an electromechanical surgical instrument; a plurality of electric motors disposed within the carriage, each electric motor of the plurality of electric motors including a stator and a rotor disposed within the stator, wherein each stator is fixed relative to the carriage, and each rotor is rotatable relative to and within a corresponding stator, and wherein the plurality of electrical motors are vertically stacked within the carriage; a plurality of drive shafts rotationally supported in the hub; and a plurality of drive gears, each drive gear of the plurality of drive gears fixed to a corresponding drive shaft of the plurality of drive shafts and configured for interfacing with a corresponding driven member of the electromechanical surgical instrument, wherein each rotor is configured to rotate a corresponding drive gear of the plurality of drive gears in response to an activation of a respective electric motor of the plurality of electric motors to actuate a function of the electromechanical surgical instrument. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The instrument drive unit according to claim 1, further comprising a sleeve rotatably coupled to a distal end portion of the carriage and non-rotatably coupled to the hub, wherein the sleeve is configured to non-rotatably receive the electromechanical surgical instrument, such that a rotation of the hub results in a rotation of the electromechanical surgical instrument. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The instrument drive unit according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of ring gears, each ring gear of the plurality of ring gears fixed to a corresponding rotor and operably coupled to a corresponding drive gear of the plurality of drive gears. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The instrument drive unit according to claim 3, wherein each ring gear of the plurality of ring gears is concentrically disposed within the corresponding rotor, such that rotation of the rotor results in a rotation of the corresponding ring gear of the plurality of ring gears. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The instrument drive unit according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of ring gears are vertically stacked within the hub. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The instrument drive unit according to claim 3, wherein a first electric motor of the plurality of electric motors, a first ring gear of the plurality of ring gears, and a first drive gear of the plurality of drive gears are operably coupled to one another and aligned along a first horizontal plane, and wherein a second electric motor of the plurality of electric motors, a second ring gear of the plurality of ring gears, and a second drive gear of the plurality of drive gears are operably coupled to one another and aligned along a second horizontal plane, vertically displaced from the first horizontal plane. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The instrument drive unit according to claim 3, wherein at least a first ring gear of the plurality of ring gears has gear teeth on an inner periphery thereof, wherein the gear teeth on the inner periphery of the first ring gear interface with the corresponding drive gear of the plurality of drive gears, and an outer periphery of the first ring gear is attached to an inner periphery of the corresponding rotor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The instrument drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of drive shafts are circumferentially spaced from one another. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The instrument drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of drive gears are vertically offset from one another. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The instrument drive unit according to claim 1, wherein each drive shaft of the plurality of drive shafts has a distal end portion configured for interfacing with a corresponding driven member of the electromechanical surgical instrument. ### Claim 11 An instrument drive unit for use in a robotic surgical system, the instrument drive unit comprising: a carriage configured to be coupled to a robotic arm; a hub rotationally coupled to the carriage and configured to be non-rotatably coupled to an electromechanical surgical instrument; a plurality of electric motors disposed within the carriage, each electric motor of the plurality of electric motors including a stator and a rotor disposed within the stator; a plurality of drive shafts rotationally supported in the hub; a plurality of drive gears, each drive gear of the plurality of drive gears fixed to a corresponding drive shaft of the plurality of drive shafts and configured for interfacing with a corresponding driven member of the electromechanical surgical instrument, wherein each rotor is configured to rotate a corresponding drive gear of the plurality of drive gears in response to an activation of a respective electric motor of the plurality of electric motors to actuate a function of the electromechanical surgical instrument; and a drive motor including: a stator fixed within the carriage; and a rotor disposed within the stator of the drive motor and non-rotatably coupled to the hub, wherein the rotor of the drive motor is configured to rotate the hub about a central longitudinal axis defined by the hub. ### Claim 12 An instrument drive unit for use in a robotic surgical system, the instrument drive unit comprising: a carriage configured to be coupled to a robotic arm; a hub rotationally coupled to the carriage and configured to be non-rotatably coupled to an electromechanical surgical instrument; a plurality of electric motors disposed within the carriage, each electric motor of the plurality of electric motors including a stator and a rotor disposed within the stator; a plurality of drive shafts rotationally supported in the hub; a plurality of drive gears, each drive gear of the plurality of drive gears fixed to a corresponding drive shaft of the plurality of drive shafts and configured for interfacing with a corresponding driven member of the electromechanical surgical instrument, wherein each rotor is configured to rotate a corresponding drive gear of the plurality of drive gears in response to an activation of a respective electric motor of the plurality of electric motors to actuate a function of the electromechanical surgical instrument; and a plurality of ring gears, each ring gear of the plurality of ring gears fixed to a corresponding rotor and operably coupled to a corresponding drive gear of the plurality of drive gears, wherein the plurality of ring gears are independently rotatable relative to one another. ### Claim 13 An instrument drive unit for use in a robotic surgical system, the instrument drive unit comprising: a carriage configured to be coupled to a robotic arm; a plurality of electric motors supported in the carriage, each electric motor of the plurality of electric motors including a stator and a rotor disposed within the stator; a plurality of drive shafts circumferentially spaced from one another and configured for interfacing with a corresponding driven member of an electromechanical surgical instrument, each drive shaft of the plurality of drive shafts having a drive gear fixed thereabout, each drive gear being disposed at a discrete vertical location relative to one another, wherein each rotor is configured to rotate a corresponding drive gear in response to an activation of a respective electric motor of the plurality of electric motors to actuate a function of the electromechanical surgical instrument; a hub rotationally coupled to the carriage and configured to be non-rotatably coupled to the electromechanical surgical instrument, the plurality of drive shafts being rotationally supported in the hub; and a drive motor operably coupled to the hub and configured to rotate the hub about a central longitudinal axis defined by the hub. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The instrument drive unit according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of vertically stacked ring gears, each ring gear of the plurality of ring gears fixed to a corresponding rotor and operably coupled to the corresponding drive gear, such that each rotor is configured to rotate the corresponding drive gear in response to an activation of a respective electric motor of the plurality of electric motors to actuate a function of the electromechanical surgical instrument. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The instrument drive unit according to claim 14, wherein a first electric motor of the plurality of electric motors, a first ring gear of the plurality of ring gears, and a first drive gear attached to a first drive shaft of the plurality of drive shafts are operably coupled to one another and aligned along a first horizontal plane, and wherein a second electric motor of the plurality of electric motors, a second ring gear of the plurality of ring gears, and a second drive gear attached to a second drive shaft of the plurality of drive shafts are operably coupled to one another and aligned along a second horizontal plane, vertically displaced from the first horizontal plane. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The instrument drive unit according to claim 14, wherein each ring gear of the plurality of ring gears is concentrically disposed within the corresponding rotor, such that rotation of the rotor results in a rotation of a corresponding ring gear of the plurality of ring gears. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The instrument drive unit according to claim 13, wherein the drive motor includes: a stator fixed within the carriage; and a rotor disposed within the stator of the drive motor and non-rotatably coupled to the hub, wherein the rotor of the drive motor is configured to rotate the hub about the central longitudinal axis defined by the hub.