System for managing Bowden cables in articulating instruments

A system for managing the transmission of force to articulate an elongate medical device, the system comprising:

• an elongate body comprising a plurality of articulatable segments;
• a plurality of coil pipes, wherein each coil pipe is fixed at a proximal end of each coil pipe relative to an actuator, and at a distal end of each coil pipe relative to a proximal portion of a differing one of said plurality of articulatable segments;
• and
• a plurality of tensioning members each housed in one of said plurality of coil pipes, wherein a proximal end of each of said plurality of tensioning members is coupled to said actuator, wherein a distal end of each of said plurality of tensioning members extends out the distal end of one of said plurality of coil pipes, and wherein the articulatable segments are actuated by the plurality of tensioning members, with the distal ends of at least two of the plurality of tensioning members being connected to differing articulatable segments of the plurality of articulatable segments to respectively actuate the differing articulatable segments in response to tensioning of the tensioning members,
• wherein said plurality of coil pipes extend along each of the differing articulatable segments in a spiral pattern;
• and
• wherein the articulatable segments comprise:
• a proximal vertebra control ring located in a proximal portion of the articulatable segments, a distal vertebra control ring located in a distal portion of the articulatable segments, and at least one intermediate vertebra control ring disposed between the proximal and distal vertebra control rings,
• wherein each of the proximal and distal vertebra control rings includes a plurality of bypass passages respectively arranged to receive and route the coil pipes in the spiral pattern, and
• wherein the at least one intermediate vertebra control ring has a single, centrally disposed passage, the coil pipes passing through the centrally disposed passage as the coil pipes extend in the spiral pattern from the proximal vertebra control ring to the distal vertebra control ring.