Mounting an endoscope to a surgical robot
AssigneeCmr Surgical Limited
InventorsLuke David Ronald Hares, James Oliver Grant
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A surgical endoscope for manipulation by a surgical robot arm. The surgical endoscope comprises a shaft having a distal end for insertion into a patient and a proximal end. An endoscope interface is attached to the proximal end of the shaft. The endoscope interface is configured to engage a robot arm interface of the surgical robot arm. The endoscope interface comprises an endoscope wedge mechanism moveable between an unlocked position and a locked position. The endoscope wedge mechanism comprises endoscope wedge elements which are displaceable such that collective displacement of the endoscope wedge elements actuates the endoscope wedge mechanism between the unlocked position and the locked position.
Claims16
A surgical robot for manipulating a surgical endoscope, the surgical robot comprising:
- a robot base connected to a distal robot arm link via a series of intermediate articulated robot arm links;
- a robot arm interface attached to the distal robot arm link;
- and
- a surgical endoscope comprising:
- a shaft having a distal end for insertion into a patient and a proximal end;
- and
- an endoscope interface attached to the proximal end of the shaft;
- wherein the robot arm interface is configured to receive and engage the endoscope interface such that the longitudinal axis of the distal robot arm link is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the surgical endoscope, wherein the robot arm interface is shaped so as to only receive and engage the endoscope interface when the endoscope interface and robot arm interface are brought into engagement in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the distal robot arm link, and wherein the robot arm interface is shaped so as to only disengage the endoscope interface when the endoscope interface and robot arm interface are moved out of engagement in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the distal robot arm link;
- wherein the robot arm interface primarily extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the distal robot arm link and transverse to the longitudinal axis of the distal robot arm link;
- wherein the robot arm interface comprises a rim transverse to the longitudinal axis of the distal robot arm link, the rim acting to constrain the robot arm interface to only being able to receive and engage the endoscope interface when the endoscope interface is brought into engagement with the robot arm interface in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the distal robot arm link;
- and
- wherein the rim limits the length of the robot arm interface which can receive and retain the endoscope interface in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the distal robot arm link to be the length of the endoscope interface in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the endoscope.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.