Trocar with Multi-Axis Force and Torque Sensing
AssigneeATI Industrial Automation, Inc.
InventorsIan Stern, Joseph Lipsey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A trocar for minimally-invasive and/or robotic surgery includes integrated multi-axis force and/or torque sensing between the outside environment and a surgical tool that will be inserted into it. The multi-axis force/torque sensing is integrated into the cannula. This allows a robotic surgical system to sense exactly how much force and/or torque the tool is applying to the skin of a patient. The multi-axis sensing is an important advance in robotic surgery, as knowing the directions of forces and torques on the trocar enables compensation for angle misalignment – which cannot be done with only single-axis force detection.
Claims11
A trocar for minimally invasive, robotic, or robotic-assisted surgery, comprising:
- a cannula comprising a tube configured to be inserted into the body cavity of a patient;
- and
- a multi-axis force or torque (F/T) sensor comprising
- an annular sleeve in spaced annular relationship to the tube;
- and
- at least two instrumented, deformable members connecting the tube and annular sleeve;
- wherein the multi-axis F/T sensor is configured to sense and resolve forces or torques applied between the annular sleeve and the tube along at least three axes.
A method of performing minimally invasive surgery, comprising:
- inserting a cannula of a trocar into a patient’s body cavity, wherein the cannula comprises a tube configured to be inserted into the body cavity, the cannula including a multi-axis force or torque (F/T) sensor comprising
- an annular sleeve in spaced annular relationship to the tube and
- at least two instrumented, deformable members connecting the tube and annular sleeve,
- wherein the multi-axis F/T sensor is configured to sense and resolve forces or torques applied between the annular sleeve and the tube along at least three axes;
- and
- performing a surgical procedure through the cannula while monitoring forces or torques applied by a surgical tool to the cannula.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.