Surgical patient side cart with steering interface

#Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a steering interface for a user to maneuver a cart, such as, for example, a teleoperated (robotic) surgical system patient side cart. Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to a replaceable steering interface for a cart.

#Some minimally invasive surgical techniques are performed remotely through the use of teleoperated (robotically-controlled) surgical instruments. In teleoperated (robotically-controlled) surgical systems, surgeons manipulate input devices at a surgeon console, and those inputs are passed to a patient side cart that interfaces with one or more teleoperated surgical instruments. Based on the surgeon's inputs at the surgeon console, the one or more teleoperated surgical instruments are actuated at the patient side cart to operate on the patient, thereby creating a master-slave control relationship between the surgeon console and the surgical instrument(s) at the patient side cart.

#A patient side cart need not remain stationary in a particular location, such as within one operating room, but instead may be moved from one location to another. For example, a patient side cart may be moved from one location to another, such as from one location in an operating room to another location in the same operating room. In another example, a patient side cart may be moved from one operating room to another operating room.

#The present disclosure can be understood from the following detailed description, either alone or together with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one or more exemplary embodiments of the present teachings and together with the description serve to explain certain principles and operation. In the drawings,

#FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary teleoperated surgical system in accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment;

#FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a patient side cart that includes a steering interface;

#This description and the accompanying drawings that illustrate exemplary embodiments should not be taken as limiting. Various mechanical, compositional, structural, electrical, and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of this description and the invention as claimed, including equivalents. In some instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown or described in detail so as not to obscure the disclosure. Like numbers in two or more figures represent the same or similar elements. Furthermore, elements and their associated features that are described in detail with reference to one embodiment may, whenever practical, be included in other embodiments in which they are not specifically shown or described. For example, if an element is described in detail with reference to one embodiment and is not described with reference to a second embodiment, the element may nevertheless be claimed as included in the second embodiment.

#For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, percentages, or proportions, and other numerical values used in the specification and claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about,” to the extent they are not already so modified. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

#It is noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” and any singular use of any word, include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent. As used herein, the term “include” and its grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that can be substituted or added to the listed items.