Wireless communication in a robotic surgical system
AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
InventorsAlan Loh, Roman L. Devengenzo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, a method of wireless communication in a robotic surgical system comprises providing a carriage link of a robotic manipulator including a printed circuit assembly and a link communication device, positioning a sterile drape over the robotic manipulator, mounting a removable surgical instrument on the carriage link, and passing data wirelessly in either or both directions through the sterile drape between the link communication device and the surgical instrument along with power for electrical circuitry on the instrument. A robotic manipulator and robotic surgical system are also provided.
Claims17
A robotic manipulator, comprising:
- an insertion axis including a base link and a carriage link movable relative to the base link along a set of rails movable relative to the base link and carriage link, the carriage link adapted to releasably mount a surgical instrument for movement relative to the base link, wherein the base and carriage links are configured for telescoping motion and have an extended configuration in which a portion of the carriage link extends along the set of rails beyond the base link;
- a sterile drape configured to extend between the carriage link and the releasably mounted surgical instrument, wherein a first surface of the carriage link is coupled to a mounting portion of a non-sterile surface of the sterile drape and a mounting portion of a sterile surface of the sterile drape is adapted to releasably mount the surgical instrument to the carriage link;
- and
- a communication device carried by the carriage link that wirelessly communicates with the surgical instrument by transmitting data through the sterile drape.
A robotic surgical manipulator system, comprising:
- an insertion axis of a robotic manipulator, including:
- a base link operably coupled to a distal end of a manipulator arm;
- and
- a carriage link movable relative to the base link along a set of rails movable relative to the base link and carriage link, the carriage link including a link communication device, wherein the base and carriage links are configured for telescoping motion and have an extended configuration in which a portion of the carriage link extends along the set of rails beyond the base link;
- a sterile drape over the insertion axis;
- and
- a surgical instrument that wirelessly communicates with the link communication device by transmitting data through sterile drape, wherein the surgical instrument is releasably mountable to the carriage link for movement relative to the base link, and wherein the sterile drape extends between the carriage link and the mounted surgical instrument such that a first surface of the carriage link is coupled to a mounting portion of a non-sterile surface of the sterile drape and a mounting portion of a sterile surface of the sterile drape is adapted to releasably mount the surgical instrument to the carriage link.
A method of wireless communication in a robotic surgical system, comprising:
- providing a robotic manipulator including a carriage link, a base link and a link communication device carried by the carriage link, wherein the carriage link is movable relative to the base link along a set of rails movable relative to the base link and carriage link, wherein the base and carriage links are configured for telescoping motion and have an extended configuration in which a portion of the carriage link extends along the set of rails beyond the base link;
- positioning a sterile drape over the robotic manipulator;
- mounting a removable surgical instrument to the carriage link wherein mounting includes positioning the sterile drape between the carriage link and the surgical instrument such that a first surface of the carriage link is coupled to a mounting portion of a non-sterile surface of the sterile drape and a mounting portion of a sterile surface of the sterile drape is adapted to releasably mount the surgical instrument to the carriage link;
- and
- transmitting data wirelessly through the non-sterile and sterile surfaces of the sterile drape between the link communication device and the surgical instrument.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.