Surgical manipulator for a telerobotic system

An apparatus for manipulating a surgical instrument in a sterile surgical field comprising:

• a support base fixable to a surface;
• a sterilizable instrument holder movably mounted on said support base and adapted to releasably hold the surgical instrument, the instrument holder comprising:
• a body;
• and
• an instrument support movably mounted on said body and having an interface engageable with the surgical instrument to releasably mount the instrument to said instrument holder;
• a drive assembly operatively coupled to said instrument holder for providing said instrument with at least two degrees of freedom, said drive assembly comprising:
• a first controllable motor operatively connected to move said instrument support;
• and
• a second controllable motor operatively connected to move said instrument holder body relative to said support base;
• a coupling mechanism for removably attaching said instrument holder to said support base and said drive assembly, wherein said instrument holder is separable from said support base and said drive assembly for sterilization of said instrument holder between surgical procedures;
• wherein said support base comprises first and second spaced support shafts and said instrument holder comprises first. and second mounts slidably mounted to the first and second support shafts;
• wherein said instrument holder body further includes an arm removably coupled to said second controllable motor for axial movement of said first and second mounts along said first and second support shafts thereby moving said instrument in an axial, direction;
• wherein said support base comprises a frame having distal and proximal elongate support members, said first and second shafts each having first and second ends rotatably supported within said distal and proximal support members;
• wherein said coupling mechanism comprises a disconnecting means for separating said spaced support shafts from said support base to allow said instrument holder to be removed from said support base and said drive assembly;
• and
• wherein said disconnecting means comprises an annular groove in each of the spaced support shafts and an internal grove in each of said mounts in communication with said annular groove, said disconnecting means further including a spring clip positioned within said annular and internal grooves so to prevent axial movement of said shafts relative to said mounts, said spring clip having an opening for allowing release of said shafts from said mounts when a threshold axial forces is applied to said shafts.