Back to results
US 12,642,549 B2Granted
Surgical apparatus
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsDaniel H. Kim, Dong Suk Shin, Taeho Jang, Yong Man Park
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosure provides a surgical apparatus comprising: a steerable member that is bendable and comprises a plurality of bending segments with channels therein; and a plurality of bending actuation wires that are arranged to pass through the steerable member and cause the steerable member to bend, the steerable member comprising at least one outwardly opening lumen through which the bending actuation wires pass.
Claims19
A surgical apparatus comprising:
- a steerable member that is bendable and comprises a plurality of bending segments, each of the bending segments including a body and a hollow channel formed within and surrounded by the body, the body also surrounding a central axis thereof, each of the bending segments further comprising:
- at least a first bending segment and a second bending segment;
- the first bending segment and the second bending segment each including a plurality of lumens extending through a portion of the body thereof and in a direction parallel to the central axis, the lumens being circumferentially spaced from one another about the central axis, and the lumens in the body of the first bending segment are located the same distance from the central axis of the body of the first bending segment, and each of the lumens in the body of the second bending segment are located the same distance from the central axis of the body of the second bending segment, and the distance from the central axis of the body of the first bending segment to the lumens in the body of the first bending segment is different than the distance from the central axis of the body of the second bending segment to the lumens in the body of the second bending segment;
- each body of the first and second bending segments including a first connecting part located at a first end of the length of the body and a second connecting part being located at a second end of the body opposed to the first end thereof, the second connecting part of the body of the first bending segment and the first connecting part of the body of the second bending segment contacting one another to provide a double-hinged joint connection configured to provide relative pivoting motion between the body of the first bending segment relative to the second bending segment, the double-hinged joint comprising a first and a second off-axis hinge joint, each of the first and second off-axis hinge joints comprising a first interfacing half comprising a first protrusion end having an engagement surface, a second protrusion end having an engagement surface, and a recess extending inwardly of the off-axis hinge joint at a location between the first protrusion end and the second protrusion end, the first and second protrusion ends on the body of one of the first bending segment and the second bending segment, and a second interfacing half comprising a first recess end having an engagement surface and a second recess end having an engagement surface, the first and second recess ends on the body of the other one of the first bending segment and the second bending segment, a portion of the pivoting motion between the body of the first bending segment relative to the second bending segment occurring during the contact of the engagement surfaces of the first protrusion end and the second protrusion end of the first off-axis hinge joint while the engagement surfaces of the first protrusion end and the second protrusion end of the second off-axis hinge joint are spaced from one another, and the pivoting motion between adjacent bending segments through the first off-axis hinge joint occurs while a fixed portion of the engagement surface of the first protrusion end of the first interfacing half maintain contact with the engagement surface of the first recess end of the second interfacing half throughout the pivoting motion between the body of the first bending segment relative to the second bending segment through the first off-axis hinge joint;
- wherein in a first relative position thereof, the first protrusion end of the first interfacing half is in contact with the first recess end of the second interfacing half, the second protrusion end of the first interfacing half is in contact with the second recess end of the second interfacing half, and the recess of the first interfacing half is spaced from the first recess end and from the second recess end of the second interfacing half, and in a second relative position thereof, the first protrusion end of the first interfacing half is in contact with the first recess end of the second interfacing half and relative motion of the second protrusion end of the first interfacing half is spaced from the second recess end of the second interfacing half, and the recess of the first interfacing half is spaced from the first and the second recess ends of the second interfacing half, and the recess of the first interfacing half is positioned to remain spaced from the second interfacing half as the first interfacing half and the second interfacing half move from the first relative position to the second relative position;
- a plurality of bending actuation wires passing through the plurality of lumens in the first and second bending segments and configured to cause the steerable member to bend;
- wherein the only relative pivoting between the first bending segment and the second bending segment occurs by the relative motion of the first protrusion end of the first interfacing half and the first recess end of the second interfacing half, and the second protrusion end of the first interfacing half and the second recess end of the second interfacing half.
4 more elements
A surgical apparatus comprising:
- a steerable member that is bendable and comprises a plurality of bending segments, each of the bending segments having a body and a hollow channel extending through the body along a central axis of the body, each of the bending segments further comprising:
- a plurality of lumens extending partially through the body in a direction parallel to the central axis and spaced from one another about the central axis;
- a plurality of bending actuation wires passing through the lumens in the steerable member and configured to cause the steerable member to bend, wherein the bodies of the bending segments have a different shape along the length of the steerable member;
- and
- wherein each bending segment includes a double-hinged joint configured to provide pivoting motion between adjacent bending segments in contact with one another through the double-hinged joint, the double-hinged joint comprising two off-axis hinge joints, each off-axis hinge joint comprising a first interfacing half having comprising a first protrusion end having a first protrusion surface and a second protrusion end having a second protrusion surface, the first and second protrusion ends coupled to a first link portion and spaced from one another by a recess having a recess surface extending between the first protrusion end and the second protrusion end, and a second interfacing half comprising a first recess end having a first recess surface and a second recess end having a second recess surface, the first and second recess ends coupled to a second link portion and correspondingly pivoted to the first interfacing half;
- wherein in a first relative position thereof, the first protrusion surface of the first interfacing half is in contact with the first recess surface of the second interfacing half, and the second protrusion surface of the first interfacing half is simultaneously in contact with the second recess end of the second interfacing half and the recess surface faces, and is spaced away from the second interfacing half, and in a second relative position thereof, the first protrusion end of the first interfacing half is in contact with the first recess end of the second interfacing half, and the second protrusion end of the first interfacing half is spaced from the second recess end of the second interfacing half and the recess surface is spaced away from and faces the second recess end of the second interfacing half and the recess of the first interfacing half is positioned to remain spaced from the second interfacing half as the first interfacing half and the second interfacing half move from the first relative position to the second relative position;
- wherein during the pivoting motion between adjacent bending segments, a fixed portion of the first protrusion surface remains in contact with the first recess surface.
4 more elements
A surgical apparatus comprising:
- a steerable member that is bendable and comprises a plurality of bending segments, each of the bending segments including a body and a hollow channel formed within and surrounded by the body, the body also surrounding a central axis thereof, each of the bending segments further comprising:
- at least a first bending segment and a second bending segment;
- the first bending segment and the second bending segment each including a plurality of lumens extending through a portion of the body thereof and in a direction parallel to the central axis, the lumens being circumferentially spaced from one another about the central axis, and each of the lumens in the body of the first bending segment are located the same distance from the central axis of the body of the first bending segment, and each of the lumens in the body of the second bending segment are located the same distance from the central axis of the body of the second bending segment, and the distance from the central axis of the body of the first bending segment to the lumens in the body of the first bending segment is different than the distance from the central axis of the body of the second bending segment to the lumens in the body of the second bending segment;
- each body of the first and second bending segments including a first connecting part located at a first end of the length of the body and a second connecting part being located at a second end of the body opposed to the first end thereof, the second connecting part of the first body and the first connecting part of the second body contacting one another to provide a joint connection configured to provide relative pivoting motion between the body of the first bending segment relative to the second bending segment comprising at least a first interfacing half comprising a first protrusion end on the first bending segment, the first protrusion end having a first protrusion surface and a recess surface immediately adjacent to the first protrusion surface and facing a portion of the first recess surface, and a second interfacing half comprising at least a first recess on the body of the second bending segment, the first recess end having a first recess surface;
- a plurality of bending actuation wires passing through the plurality of lumens in the first and second bending segments and configured to cause the steerable member to bend;
- wherein relative pivoting between the first bending segment and the second bending segment occurs by the relative motion of the first protrusion end of the first interfacing half and the first recess end of the second interfacing half, while a fixed portion of the first protrusion surface remains in contact with the second recess surface during the relative pivoting between the first bending segment and the second bending segment and the recess surface does not face the first recess end of the second interfacing half or contact the second interfacing half during the relative pivoting between the first bending segment and the second bending segment.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.