# US 12,178,531 B2 · Robotic surgical assembly

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- Number: US 12,178,531 B2
- Document ID: US12178531B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/096,234
- Filed: 2020-11-12
- Published: 2021-03-04
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2015-10-16
- Assignees: Medical Microinstruments, Inc.
- Applicants: Medical Microinstruments, Inc.
- Inventors: Massimiliano Simi; Giuseppe Maria Prisco
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178531B2

## CPC

- A61B 34/37: Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence)
- A61B 1/3132: {for laparoscopy}
- A61B 10/04: Endoscopic instruments, e.g. catheter-type instruments
- A61B 17/00234: {for minimally invasive surgery (A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence)}
- A61B 17/062: Needle manipulators
- A61B 34/30: Surgical robots
- A61B 34/35: for telesurgery
- A61B 34/71: {Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms}
- A61B 34/72: {Micromanipulators}
- A61B 90/20: Surgical microscopes characterised by non-optical aspects
- A61B 90/25: Supports therefor
- A61B 90/361: {Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras}
- B25J 3/04: involving servo mechanisms (servo-actuated heads B25J15/02)
- B25J 9/1015: {using additional, e.g. microadjustment of the end effector}
- B25J 9/1669: {characterised by special application, e.g. multi-arm co-operation, assembly, grasping}
- B25J 15/0052: {multiple gripper units or multiple end effectors}
- G05B 19/402: characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position (G05B19/19 takes precedence)
- A61B 17/29: Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
- A61B 17/320016: {Endoscopic cutting instruments, e.g. arthroscopes, resectoscopes (A61B10/0233, A61B17/29, A61B17/3207 take precedence)}
- A61B 17/3211: Surgical scalpels, knives; Accessories therefor
- A61B 17/34: Trocars; Puncturing needles
- A61B 2017/00345: {Micromachines, nanomachines, microsystems}
- A61B 2034/2048: {using an accelerometer or inertia sensor}
- A61B 2034/2051: {Electromagnetic tracking systems}
- A61B 2034/301: {for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes}
- A61B 2034/715: {Cable tensioning mechanisms for removing slack}
- A61B 2090/061: {for measuring dimensions, e.g. length}
- A61B 2090/064: {for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension}
- G05B 2219/45117: Medical, radio surgery manipulator
- 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})
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)

## Abstract

A robotic surgical assembly (100) includes a support (104), one macro-positioning arm (30), connected to the support (104) and having a plurality of degrees of freedom. The macro-positioning arm (30) includes a support member (38), at least two micro-positioning devices (41, 141, 241, 341), each having a plurality of motorized degrees of freedom, connected in cascade to the support member (38) of the macro-positioning arm (30), and at least two medical instruments (60, 160, 260, 360). Each instrument is connected in cascade to each of the micro-positioning device and includes a jointed device (70, 170, 270) having a plurality of motorized degrees of freedom including a plurality of rotational joints. Each of the at least two medical instruments (60, 160, 260, 360) has a shaft (65), suitable for distancing the jointed device from the micro-positioning devices by a predetermined distance in a shaft direction (X-X).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A robotic surgical assembly comprising:
a macro-positioning arm with a plurality of joints and a support member;
a first micro-positioning device and a second micro-positioning device, said first and second micro-positioning devices being both connected in cascade to said support member;
a first medical instrument connected in cascade to said first micro-positioning device, comprising a shaft and a first jointed device; and
a second medical instrument connected in cascade to said second micro-positioning device, comprising a shaft and a second jointed device;
wherein:
said first micro-positioning device provides a plurality of motorized degrees of freedom to said shaft of said first medical instrument, and said second micro-positioning device provides a plurality of motorized degrees of freedom to said shaft of said second medical instrument,
each of said first and second jointed devices having at least two rotational degrees of freedom, and
at least one video camera connected to said support member.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgical assembly according to claim 1, wherein the robotic surgical assembly rigidly couples a first shaft direction of the shaft of said first medical instrument and a second shaft direction of the shaft of said second medical instrument.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgical assembly according to claim 1, wherein a shaft angle between the first shaft direction of the shaft of said first medical instrument and the second shaft direction of the shaft of said second medical instrument is constant during any motion of any of said at least three motorized, mutually orthogonal degrees of freedom of said first and second micro-positioning devices.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgical assembly according to claim 1, wherein said first micro-positioning device and said second micro-positioning device are placed in such a way that respective terminal portions of each jointed device reach respective, at least partially overlapping work volumes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The robotic surgical assembly according to claim 4, wherein the respective work volumes coincide.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgical assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second micro-positioning devices further comprises a motorized rotary joint to respectively move the first and second medical instruments around a longitudinal axis of rotation, the longitudinal axis of rotation being substantially coincident with said direction of the shaft of the respective first or second medical instrument.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgical assembly according to claim 1, wherein said first and second micro-positioning devices are rigidly attached to said support member.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgical assembly according to claim 1, wherein said first medical instrument, said second medical instrument and said support member are disposed to form a triangle to reproduce a same triangulation existing between eyes and arms of a surgeon by said robotic assembly.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one video camera is configured for framing a terminal portion of each said first medical instrument and said second medical instrument.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 1, wherein said first and second micro-positioning devices are connected to two extremities of said support member,
wherein said at least one video camera is in a middle section of said support member, and said at least one video camera is configured to display enlarged images of a work volume in which a microsurgery is performed.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the macro-positioning arm is a passive mechanism, configured to be manually moved by an operator.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the macro-positioning arm comprises a plurality of arm members and rotational joints.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The robotic surgery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the macro-positioning arm comprises a braking system with a release button that is switchable between a brake position and a release position, and wherein, when in the release position, the release button of the braking system allows an operator to move, by carrying it around at least one of the degrees of freedom of the macro-positioning arm.

### Claim 14

A robotic surgery system comprising a support member and two micro-positioning devices, both micro-positioning devices being connected to said support member, said support member being part of a macro-positioning arm having a plurality of rotational joints with parallel axes of rotation;
wherein:
each of said two micro-positioning devices provides a plurality of degrees of freedom of translational motion;
the robotic surgery system further comprises two medical instruments, each of said two medical instruments comprising a jointed device;
each of said two medical instruments is connected in cascade to a respective micro-positioning device;
each jointed device of a respective medical instrument has at least two rotational joints; and
said support member comprises a vision system seat for receiving a vision system.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 14, wherein each jointed device has two degrees of freedom of rotation orthogonal to each other.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 14, wherein each jointed device has a further degree of freedom in its terminal portion, said further degree of freedom allowing opening and/or closing movement of said terminal portion.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 14, wherein each micro-positioning device comprises a motorized rotary joint configured to move a respective medical instrument around a longitudinal axis of rotation providing a further rotational degree of freedom, wherein said longitudinal axis of rotation substantially coincides with a longitudinal direction in which one of the medical instruments extends.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 14, wherein the vision system seat has spatial orientation that is rigidly locked with respect to the spatial orientation of said at least two micro-positioning devices.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 14, further comprising a vision system attached to the support member, wherein the vision system comprises at least one of: a digital camera, a digital microscope, 3D digital microscope, an endoscope.

### Claim 20 (depends on 14)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 14, wherein the support member is connected to the macro-positioning arm via a rotational joint that is manually activatable.

### Claim 21 (depends on 14)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 14, wherein the macro-positioning arm is a passive mechanism, configured to be manually moved by an operator.

### Claim 22 (depends on 14)

The robotic surgery system according to claim 14, wherein the macro-positioning arm comprises a braking system with a release button that is switchable between a brake position and a release position, and wherein, when in the release position, the release button of the braking system allows an operator to move, by carrying it around at least one of the degrees of freedom of the macro-positioning arm.