Tool torque limiter
AssigneeZimmer Biomet Spine, Inc.
InventorSamuel James Farmer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A torque limiter can include a housing and a shaft. The housing can include a housing magnet enclosed within the housing. The shaft can be at least partially surrounded by the housing and can be rotatable within the housing. The shaft can include a shaft magnet integrated with the shaft to magnetically couple with the housing magnet to transmit a torque between the housing and the shaft and configured to uncouple from the housing magnet allowing the shaft to rotate within the housing when a threshold torque is reached.
Claims20
A robotic surgical system including a torque limiter, the system comprising:
- a robotic arm including an end effector, the end effector comprising:
- a housing couplable including a housing magnet enclosed within the housing;
- and
- a shaft couplable at a distal end to a driver, the shaft including a shaft magnet that is magnetically coupleable with the housing magnet to transmit a torque between the housing and the shaft and configured to uncouple from the housing magnet allowing the shaft and the shaft magnet to rotate relative to the housing when a threshold torque is transgressed;
- a tracking system operable to determine a location of the end effector;
- and
- a control system in communication with the robot arm and the tracking system, the control system configured to operate the end effector of the robotic arm based on the location of the end effector.
A robotic surgical system including a torque limiter, the system comprising:
- a robotic arm including an end effector, the end effector comprising:
- a housing couplable including a housing magnet enclosed within the housing;
- and
- a shaft couplable at a distal end to a driver, the shaft including a shaft magnet that is magnetically coupleable with the housing magnet to transmit a torque between the housing and the shaft and configured to uncouple from the housing magnet allowing the shaft and the shaft magnet to rotate within the housing when a threshold torque is transgressed;
- a tracking system operable to determine a location of the end effector;
- and
- a control system in communication with the robot arm and the tracking system, the control system configured to:
- operate the end effector of the robotic arm based on the location of the end effector;
- and
- transmit instructions to operate the robotic arm to rotate the shaft to drive a fastener into a patient when the rotation provided by the robotic arm generates an arm torque that is lower than the threshold torque.
A robotic surgical system including a torque limiter, the system comprising:
- a robotic arm including an end effector;
- a torque limiter comprising:
- a housing securable to the end effector, the housing including a housing magnet enclosed within the housing;
- and
- a shaft couplable at a distal end to a driver, the shaft including a shaft magnet that is magnetically coupleable with the housing magnet to transmit a torque between the housing and the shall and configured to uncouple from the housing magnet allowing the shaft and the shaft magnet to rotate relative to the housing when a threshold torque is reached;
- a tracking system operable to determine a location of the torque limiter;
- and
- a control system in communication with the robot arm and the tracking system, the control system configured to:
- operate the of the robotic arm based on the location of the torque limiter;
- and
- transmit instructions to operate the robotic arm to drive a fastener into a patient when the rotation provided by the robotic arm generates an arm torque on the fastener limited by an interaction between the housing magnet and the shaft magnet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.