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US 8,709,000 B2Granted
Articulated surgical instrument for performing minimally invasive surgery with enhanced dexterity and sensitivity
AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
InventorsAkhil J. Madhani, J. Kenneth Salisbury
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An articulated surgical instrument for enhancing the performance of minimally invasive surgical procedures. The instrument has a high degree of dexterity, low friction, low inertia and good force reflection. A unique cable and pulley drive system operates to reduce friction and enhance force reflection. A unique wrist mechanism operates to enhance surgical dexterity compared to standard laparoscopic instruments. The system is optimized to reduce the number of actuators required and thus produce a fully functional articulated surgical instrument of minimum size.
Claims10
An apparatus comprising:
- an elongate support member having a proximal end and a distal end;
- a wrist member coupled to the distal end of the elongate support by a wrist joint;
- an end effector coupled to the wrist member by at least one joint, the end effector including first and second work members pivotally coupled to the wrist member, wherein the at least one work member can pivot relative to the wrist member;
- and
- a drive system coupled to the proximal end of the elongate support member, the drive system comprising at least one actuator coupled to at least one drive element extending from the at least one actuator to the wrist joint;
- the apparatus further comprising pulleys rotatable about the wrist joint, the at least one actuator comprising four actuators, the at least one drive element comprising four cables extending from the four actuators through the wrist joint to the two work members.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.