Patent Application
20250025167
The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and, in various arrangements, to surgical stapling and cutting instruments and staple cartridges for use therewith that are designed to staple and cut tissue.
The disclosed technology can be for systems, devices, and subsystems for surgical instruments for robotic surgeries. The surgical instruments can have several subsystems that can be independently actuated to provide a specific action, such as closing and opening of an end effector of the stapler, articulation of the end effector, rolling of the end effector, and firing of staples within the end effector.
The disclosed technology describes an end effector, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The end effector includes a jaw. The end effector includes an anvil coupled to the jaw and movable between an open position, a grasping position, and a clamping position. The end effector includes a knife slidably coupled to the anvil to move the anvil between the open position, the grasping position, and the clamping position. The end effector can be combined with one or more of an articulation joint, articulation subsystem, firing subsystem, roll subsystem, and housing for implementation in the surgical instrument.
The disclosed technology describes an articulation joint, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The articulation joint includes a plurality of concentric discs, each of the plurality of concentric discs having a concentric central opening. The articulation joint includes a center beam assembly including a proximal end and a distal end. A portion of the center beam assembly extends through the central opening of each concentric disc. The plurality of concentric discs are nestably stacked on the center beam assembly, and the center beam assembly compresses the plurality of concentric discs. The distal end of the center beam assembly is configured to couple to the plurality of concentric discs to an end effector of the surgical instrument. The proximal end of the center beam assembly is configured to couple the plurality of concentric discs to a shaft of the surgical instrument. The articulation joint can be combined with one or more of an end effector, articulation subsystem, firing subsystem, roll subsystem for implementation in the surgical instrument.
The disclosed technology describes a cable articulation subsystem, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The cable articulation subsystem includes a joint including a distal end. The cable articulation subsystem includes at least three articulation cables. A distal end of each articulation cable is coupled to the joint distal end. A proximal end of each articulation cable is discretely manipulable to cause rotation of the joint about at least one of a pitch axis and a yaw axis. The cable articulation subsystem can be combined with one or more of an end effector, articulation joint, firing subsystem, roll subsystem and housing for implementation in the surgical instrument.
The disclosed technology describes a cable articulation subsystem, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The cable articulation subsystem includes a joint including a distal end. The cable articulation subsystem includes only two continuous articulation cables, with a middle section of each continuous articulation cable being mechanically grounded to the joint distal end so as to functionally divide each continuous articulation cable into a first articulation cable and a second articulation cable. A proximal end of each first articulation cable and each second articulation cable is discretely manipulable to cause rotation of the joint about at least one of a pitch axis and a yaw axis.
The disclosed technology describes a firing subsystem, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The firing subsystem includes a knife. The firing subsystem includes a sled coupled to or integral with the knife and configured to move the knife in an end effector. The firing subsystem includes a firing rod configured to drive the sled. The firing subsystem includes a first push rod that includes a first push rod distal end coupled to the sled and a first push rod proximal end coupled to the firing rod. The firing subsystem includes a second push rod including a second push rod distal end coupled to the sled and a second push rod proximal end coupled to the firing rod. The firing subsystem can be combined with one or more of an end effector, articulation joint, cable articulation subsystem, roll subsystem, and housing for implementation in the surgical instrument.
The disclosed technology describes a control device, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The control device is configured to read a firing force of a knife driven by a motor. The control device is configured to determine whether the firing force exceeds an upper threshold. The control device is configured to, in response to determining that the firing force exceeds the upper threshold, calculate an error. The control device is configured to calculate, using the error, a time modulator. The control device is configured to calculate, using the time modulator, a new time to move the knife (206) from a current position of the knife to a beginning of end of cutline. The control device is configured to transmit the new time to a motor trajectory generator, the motor trajectory generator being configured to accelerate or decelerate the motor based on the transmitted new time.
The disclosed technology describes a roll subsystem, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The roll subsystem includes a shaft assembly including a rotatable outer shaft and an inner shaft. The roll subsystem includes a shaft roll puck assembly configured to engage a housing. The shaft roll puck assembly includes a shaft roll puck rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell. The shaft roll puck assembly includes a first screw gear rotatable with the shaft roll puck. The shaft roll puck assembly includes a second screw gear meshed with the first screw gear and coupled to the rotatable outer shaft. Rotation of the shaft roll puck rotates the first screw gear, which rotates the second screw gear, which rotates the rotatable outer shaft. The roll subsystem can be combined with one or more of an end effector, articulation joint, cable articulation subsystem, firing subsystem, and housing for implementation in the surgical instrument.
The disclosed technology describes a roll subsystem, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The roll subsystem includes a shaft assembly. The shaft assembly includes a rotatable outer shaft, an inner shaft, and a shaft roll puck assembly configured to engage a housing. The shaft roll puck assembly includes a shaft roll puck rotatably mounted on the housing, a first input capstan rotatable with the shaft roll puck, a second input capstan rotatable with the shaft roll puck, an output drum connected to the rotatable outer shaft, a first roll cable connecting the first input capstan and the output drum, and a second roll cable connecting the second input capstan and the output drum. Rotation of the shaft roll puck rotates the first input capstan and the second input capstan, which causes either (i) the first roll cable to wrap around the first input capstan and second roll cable to unwrap from the second input capstan, thereby rotating the output drum in a first direction, or (ii) the first roll cable to unwrap from the first input capstan and second roll cable to wrap around the second input capstan, thereby rotating the output drum in a second direction.
The disclosed technology describes a surgical instrument. The surgical instrument includes a shaft assembly that includes a shaft assembly including a rotatable outer shaft configured to rotate about a roll axis and a maypole tube housed within the outer shaft. The surgical instrument includes a firing rod that extends within the maypole tube and is configured to move a knife in an end effector. The surgical instrument includes one or more articulation cables, each articulation cable being configured (i) to be manipulable to cause rotation of the end effector about at least one of a pitch axis and a yaw axis and (ii) to wrap around the maypole tube when the rotatable outer shaft rotates about the roll axis.
The disclosed technology describes a control device for adjusting a length of cable, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The surgical instrument includes the cable and a shaft. The cable includes (i) a section with an initial length defined between a rotatable point of the cable that is rotatable with the shaft relative to a rotationally restrained proximal point of the cable and (ii) an initial tension at a zero degree roll angle. The control device is configured to receive a non-zero degree roll angle of the rotatable point of the cable that is rotated with the shaft relative to the rotationally restrained proximal point of the cable. The control device is configured to determine a change in length of the section of the cable, relative to the initial length, that maintains the cable at the initial tension. The control device is configured to calculate a cable compensation length by multiplying the determined change in length of the section of the cable by a factor. The control device is configured to deliver a signal to change the length of the section of the cable based on the calculated cable compensation length.
The disclosed technology describes a surgical system. The surgical system includes a surgical instrument including a housing. The surgical instrument includes a shaft assembly extending from the housing and including an outer shaft (configured to rotate about a roll axis and a maypole tube housed within the outer shaft. The surgical instrument includes a cable including a rotationally restrained point proximal the housing and a rotatable point that is rotatable with the outer shaft. The cable includes, at a zero-degree roll angle, a length defined between the rotationally restrained point and the rotatable point. The surgical system includes a control device for adjusting the length of the cable. The control device is configured to receive a non-zero degree roll angle of rotatable point of the cable relative to the rotationally restrained proximal point of the cable. The control device is configured to determine a change in length of the cable, relative to the length of the cable at the zero-degree roll angle, that maintains the cable at a same tension as the tension in the cable when the cable is at the zero-degree roll angle. The control device is configured to calculate a cable compensation length by multiplying the determined change in length of the cable by a factor. The control device is configured to deliver a signal to change the length of the cable based on the calculated cable compensation length.
The disclosed technology describes a housing, which can be one of a number of subsystems and/or subcomponents for a surgical instrument. The housing includes an outer housing shell configured to engage a robotic platform. The housing includes a plurality of articulation puck assemblies rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell. Each articulation puck assembly is configured to windably engage an articulation cable. The housing includes a shaft roll puck assembly rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell and configured to roll a shaft. The housing includes a firing puck assembly rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell and configured to translate a knife firing system.
The following detailed description should be read with reference to the drawings, in which like elements in different drawings are identically numbered. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The detailed description illustrates by way of example, not by way of limitation, the principles of the invention. This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the invention.
Numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the embodiments as described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Well-known operations, components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described in the specification. The reader will understand that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and illustrative. Variations and changes thereto may be made without departing from the scope of the claims.
The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”) and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a surgical system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Likewise, an element of a system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features.
As used herein, the terms “about” or “approximately” for any numerical values or ranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part or collection of components to function for its intended purpose as described herein. More specifically, “about” or “approximately” may refer to the range of values ±20% of the recited value, e.g., “about 90%” may refer to the range of values from 71% to 99%.
The terms “proximal” and “distal” are used herein with reference to a robotic platform manipulating the housing portion of the surgical instrument. The term “proximal” refers to the portion closest to the robotic platform and the term “distal” refers to the portion located away from the robotic platform. It will be further appreciated that, for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, “up”, and “down” may be used herein with respect to the drawings. However, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and/or absolute.
Furthermore, the use of “couple”, “coupled”, or similar phrases should not be construed as being limited to a certain number of components or a particular order of components unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Also, where alternative examples of certain aspects of the surgical instrument arc described, in instances where the same reference numbers as that of previously described examples are used to label components in the alternative example(s), the structure and functionality of those components is the same unless otherwise noted.
Various exemplary devices and methods are provided for performing laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgical procedures. However, the reader will readily appreciate that the various methods and devices disclosed herein can be used in numerous surgical procedures and applications including, for example, in connection with open surgical procedures. As the present Detailed Description proceeds, the reader will further appreciate that the various instruments disclosed herein can be inserted into a body in any way, such as through a natural orifice, through an incision or puncture hole formed in tissue, etc. The working portions or end effector portions of the instruments can be inserted directly into a patient's body or can be inserted through an access device that has a working channel through which the end effector and elongate shaft of a surgical instrument can be advanced.
A surgical stapling system can comprise a shaft and an end effector extending from the shaft. The end effector comprises a first jaw and a second jaw. The first jaw comprises a staple cartridge. The staple cartridge is insertable into and removable from the first jaw; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which a staple cartridge is not removable from, or at least readily replaceable from, the first jaw. The second jaw comprises an anvil configured to deform staples ejected from the staple cartridge. The anvil is pivotable relative to the first jaw about a closure axis; however, other embodiments are envisioned in which the first jaw is pivotable relative to the second jaw. The surgical stapling system further comprises an articulation joint configured to permit the end effector to be rotated, or articulated, relative to the shaft. Other embodiments are envisioned which do not include an articulation joint. In other words, other elements described herein can be employed in embodiments where no articulation joint is provided without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, the articulation joint can be employed in embodiments where other elements described herein are omitted.
A surgical instrument 1000 is illustrated in
The end effector 200 comprises a first jaw 202 and a second jaw 204 movable between an open position and a closed position. For clarity, first jaw 202 is herein also interchangeably used with “jaw 202” (which is also referred to in the art as a “channel”) and second jaw 204 is used interchangeably with “anvil 204”. The jaw 202 and anvil 204 may be elongated in form. The jaw 202 defines an elongated channel 208 for receiving a staple cartridge 210. The anvil 204 has a proximal end 204A, a distal end 204B, and a ramp surface 216 defined at the proximal end 204A, which is described in greater detail below with respect to
The anvil 204 further defines a longitudinally extending upper knife channel 224 (
The surgical instrument 1000 further comprises a knife firing subsystem 500 operable to close the anvil 204 during a closure stroke. After the end effector 200 is closed, the knife firing subsystem 500 (
The knife firing subsystem 500, explained further below in greater detail, includes a knife 206. The knife 206 is coupled to or integral with a knife sled 236. The knife sled 236 is the non-cutting element of the knife 206, and is also referred to as an I-beam. The knife sled 236 includes an upper knife tab 238 and a lower knife tab 246. The upper knife tab 238 includes a centrally disposed cylindrical upper knife tab portion 240 and at least one upper knife tab lateral wing 242 that extends away from the upper knife tab portion 240. While the term ‘cylindrical’ is used, the tab portion need not resemble a perfect cylinder. In some embodiments, the upper knife tab 238 includes a pair of lateral wings 242 configured to slidably ride in the upper knife channel 224 to move the anvil 204 between the open position, the grasping position, and the clamping position. Each lateral wing 242 may include a ramped surface 242A that engages the anvil ramp surface 216. The upper knife tab portion 240 defines an upper knife tab opening 244 that is configured to receive a barrel crimp coupled to a center cable 512, which is described in greater detail below. The lower knife tab 246 includes a centrally disposed cylindrical lower knife tab portion 248 and at least one lower knife tab lateral wing 250 that extends away from the lower knife tab portion 248. While the term ‘cylindrical’ is used, the lower knife tab portion 248 need not resemble a perfect cylinder. In some embodiments, the lower knife tab 246 includes a pair of lateral wings 250. The lower knife tab portion 248 defines a lower knife tab opening 252 that is configured to receive a barrel crimp coupled to a center cable 514, which is described in greater detail below,
The staple cartridge 210 comprises a cartridge body. In use, the staple cartridge is positioned on a first side of the tissue to be stapled, within the channel 208 of the jaw 202, and the anvil 204 is positioned on a second side of the tissue. The anvil 204 is moved toward the staple cartridge 210 to compress and clamp the tissue against the deck of the staple cartridge 210. Thereafter, staples removably stored in the cartridge body can be deployed into the tissue. The cartridge body includes staple cavities defined therein wherein staples are removably stored in the staple cavities. In some embodiments, the staple cavities are arranged in six longitudinal rows. In some embodiments, three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a first side of a lower knife channel 230 and three rows of staple cavities are positioned on a second side of lower knife channel 230.
Making particular reference to
The staples are supported by staple drivers in the cartridge body. The drivers are movable between a first, or unfired position, and a second, or fired, position to eject the staples from the staple cavities. The drivers are retained in the cartridge body by a retainer which extends around the bottom of the cartridge body and includes resilient members configured to grip the cartridge body and hold the retainer to the cartridge body. The drivers are movable between their unfired positions and their fired positions indirectly by the sled 236. More specifically, the knife sled 236 is movable between a proximal position adjacent the proximal end and a distal position adjacent the distal end. A portion of the knife sled 236 (e.g., see
Further to the above, the sled 236 is moved distally and proximally by a firing rod 502. The firing rod 502 is configured to apply an indirect force to the sled 236, via push coils 508, 510 that directly engage the sled 236 (discussed in greater detail below) and push the sled 236 toward the distal end of the end effector 200. As the firing rod 502 is advanced distally, sled 236 rides in the lower knife channel 230 and the upper knife channel 224. At the onset of travel, the upper knife tab 238 rides along the anvil ramp surface 216. Specifically, as particularly seen in the sequence of
Making reference to
II. 2. End Effector and Hard Stop that Includes a Cleanout Port
Reference is now made to
As seen particularly in
The surgical instrument 1000 further comprises a housing 700 and a shaft assembly 600A extending from the housing 700. The housing is configured to engage a robotic platform 2000. In some embodiments, the housing 700 may be configured as a handle (e.g., it may comprise a grip for a clinician). The shaft assembly 600A comprises a rotatable outer shaft 602 and an inner shaft 604, the outer shaft 602 being rotatably mounted to the housing about a rotation joint 606 (which may include one or more bearings). The inner shaft 604 is rotationally fixed to the outer shaft 602 and is configured such that articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408, discussed in greater detail below, can be partially wound therearound without becoming tangled. As discussed in greater detail below, the housing 700 further comprises (1) a firing puck assembly 712 as part of the knife firing subsystem 500 operable to close the end effector 200, fire staples, and transect tissue, (2) a set of articulation puck assemblies 702, 704, 706, 708 as part of the articulation subsystem 400 operable to articulate the end effector 200 relative to the shaft assembly 600A, and (3) a shaft roll puck assembly 710 as part of the roll subsystem 600 configured to roll the outer shaft 602.
Referring to
As shown particularly in
Each concentric disc 302 further includes a rounded articulation pin proximal end 310A and a semi-spherical pin-receiving opening 316 defined in the articulation socket 308. As shown particularly in
Making particular reference to
The center beam 328 further includes a nitinol core 328A and stainless steel 328B wound over the nitinol core that allows the center beam 328 to resiliently flex in response to pivoting of one, some, or all of the concentric discs 302. The wound stainless steel 328B has clockwise braiding and counterclockwise braiding to prevent unwinding thereof.
The above-described articulation joint 300 forms a portion of the cable articulation subsystem 400 which allows for precise 360-degree movement of the end effector 200 about the articulation joint 300 with at least two degrees of freedom. In some embodiments, and dictated by the roll subsystem 600 as well as a need to limit the amount of wrap of the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408, the articulation joint is permitted about 320 degrees of roll within the overall system. The cable articulation subsystem 400 also includes a plurality of articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 each having a distal end 402A, 404A, 406A, 408A, coupled to the distal end 306B of the center beam assembly 306, and a proximal end 402B, 404B, 406B, 408B. More specifically, each distal end 402A, 404A, 406A, 408A can include a crimp that engages a cable retention opening 334A of the distal end retention disc 334 to maintain its positioning.
In other examples, with reference to
Each articulation cable 402, 404, 406, 408 includes a stainless steel material with clockwise braiding and counterclockwise braiding that prevent unwinding thereof. In other embodiments, other materials may be employed, such as polymer yarns and/or filaments, various metal cables (e.g., tungsten), and combinations thereof. Each articulation cable is discretely manipulable to cause rotation of the articulation joint 300 and end effector 200 about at least one of a pitch axis PA and a yaw axis YA.
In some embodiments, three articulation cables may be provided rather than the four cables 402, 404, 406, 408 depicted herein. However, four articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 circumferentially spaced approximately ninety degrees from one another (as shown) provides load splitting. Additionally, in alternative embodiments, three and fourth articulation cable configurations may be spaced non-symmetrically relative to one another.
The shaft assembly 600A and housing 700 also form portions of the cable articulation subsystem 400. More specifically, each articulation cable 402, 404, 406, 408 extends from the articulation joint 300 and through the shaft assembly 600A to the housing 700. The proximal end 402B, 404B, 406B, 408B of each articulation cable (402, 404, 406) is movably mounted in the housing 700 which causes the above-mentioned rotation of the articulation joint 300 and end effector 200. In some embodiments, the housing 700 includes articulation puck assemblies 702, 704, 706, 708 with rotatable capstans 702B, 704B, 706B, 708B, discussed in greater detail below, about which corresponding proximal ends 402B, 404B, 406B, 408B of the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 are windably mounted thereto. As shown in
The articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 are routed through the shaft assembly 600A such that they are disposed between the outer shaft 602 and the inner shaft 604, with the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 being able to partially wind therearound without becoming tangled. The inner shaft 604 also prevents the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 from interfering with other components running down the center of the instrument 1000 (through the inner shaft 604).
The articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 are routed and coupled to the end effector 200 via the articulation joint 300 such that movement thereof in a proximal direction (via winding about the capstans 702B, 704B, 706B, 708B) causes the end effector 200 to pivot in a predetermined manner about the articulation joint 300. For example, actuation of the first articulation cable 402 in the proximal direction causes rotation of the end effector 200 upwards and to the left, actuation of the second articulation cable 404 in the proximal direction causes rotation of the end effector 200 upwards and to the right, actuation of the third articulation cable 406 in the proximal direction causes rotation of the end effector 200 downwards and to the left, and actuation of the fourth articulation cable 408 in the proximal direction causes rotation of the end effector 200 downwards and to the right. Similarly, movement of two articulation cables simultaneously will result in blended movement of the end effector 200. By way of example, movement of both the first articulation cable 402 and the second articulation cable 404 at the same rate causes only upwards pivoting of the end effector 200 (i.e., there is little to no horizontal component to the rotation). As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this configuration provides for the above-mentioned precise 360-degree movement of the end effector about the articulation joint 300 with at least two degrees of freedom and about 320 degrees of roll.
In further examples, and with reference to
By way of example,
The distal end retention disc 334′ has (1) a disc portion 335′ that includes a plurality (e.g., four) of first cable retention openings 334A′ and a plurality (e.g., four) of second cable retention openings 334C′ and (2) a pin portion 336′ extending form the disc portion 335′. Adjacent first cable retention openings 334A′ and second cable retention openings 334C′ have a first relief 334B′ formed therebetween on a first side of the distal end retention disc 334′. In currently described two-cable articulation system, these openings 334A′, 334C′ are sub-divided into pairs of first cable retention openings 334A′ (e.g., the left side openings 334A′ shown in
With continued reference to
In the above example, all the openings 334A′, 334C′ associated with a respective continuous cable (e.g., cable 400A′) are aligned along a vertical axis. However, alternative configurations of distal end retention discs and/or articulation cable routings may be employed without departing from the spirt and scope of the present disclosure. Some exemplary alternatives are depicted in
For example, as seen in
Referring primarily to
The knife firing subsystem 500 is configured in a manner to enable articulation of the end effector 200 while still enabling proper functionality of the knife 206. To that end, the first push rod 504 includes a first flexible section 508 and the second push rod 506 comprises a second flexible section 510. As particularly shown in
With continued reference to
Further to the above, depending on the manner in which the end effector 200 is pivoted about the articulation joint 300, the bend radius for the first push coil 508 and the second push coil 510 can differ. For example, in the configuration shown in
More specifically, the differential 520 couples the first push rod proximal end 504B and the second push rod proximal end 506B to the firing rod 502, and the differential 520 permits relative axial movement between the first push rod 504 and the second push rod 506 (e.g., as depicted from
Further to the above, as particularly exemplified in
Further, as shown in
In order to permit roll of the shaft outer shaft 602, which is discussed in greater detail below, the differential 520 is mounted in the shaft assembly 600A and is coupled to the firing rod 502 such that it is rotatable about a roll axis RA. As a result, the pinion bar 526 is axially constrained relative to the firing rod 502 and freely rotatable relative thereto.
Turning now to the roll subsystem 600, the roll subsystem includes the above-mentioned shaft assembly 600A, rotation joint 606, shaft roll puck assembly 710, which is discussed in greater detail below. As discussed in the foregoing paragraph, the rotatable nature of the differential 520 is also a feature of the roll subsystem. The shaft assembly 600A includes the previously discussed rotatable outer shaft 602 and the inner shaft 604. As shown in the exploded view of
Turning now to
Therefore, as seen in
A maypole tube 608 is provided (1) between a screw gear 710C (discussed in greater detail below) and the transition section 604A of the inner shaft 604 in the maypoling section of the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 where they are rotationally unconstrained and (2) between the outer shaft 602 and the firing rod 502 in a radial direction (e.g., the outer shaft 602, the maypole tube 608, and firing rod 502 can be concentric with one another, with the maypole tube 608 being housed within the outer shaft 602). Due to the use of cables 402, 404, 406, 408 for articulation, since the housing 700 is connected to a robotic platform 2000, it is important that they have a section that is unconstrained in order to enable the surgical instrument 1000 to roll. The maypole tube 608 entirely surrounds the portion of the firing rod 502 that extends in this section and, as discussed above, decouples the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 from the firing rod 502. Moreover, a proximal end 608A (
As schematically depicted in
When employed, it is desirable that the diameter of the maypole tube 608 be minimized as much as possible. This provides various benefits, such as such as minimizing the number of wraps around the maypole tube 608, which reduces friction. It also limits the amount of axial length consumed during maypoling, which minimizes the among of compensation required by the articulation subsystem 400 (discussed in greater detail in section VIII. 1.).
Besides the aforementioned challenges of the teeth potentially getting caught on the maypole tube 608 as the firing rod 502 translates, the firing rod 502 also experiences subtle radial deflection due to eccentric loading from the pinion 712C (discussed in greater detail below) and compressive/buckling loads.
Therefore, further to the above, and with reference to
One example is depicted in
Another example is depicted in
In addition, the two exemplary maypole tubes 608 shown in
Turning now primarily to
Further to the above, the housing includes four articulation puck assemblies 702, 704, 706, 708, provided that four articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 are employed in the presently described surgical instrument. A first articulation puck assembly 702 is used cooperatively with the first articulation cable 402. Likewise, the second articulation puck assembly 704 is used cooperatively with the second articulation cable 404, the third articulation puck assembly 706 is used cooperatively with the third articulation cable 406, and the fourth articulation puck assembly 708 is used cooperatively with the first articulation cable 408. In use, the first articulation cable 402 winds on and off the first articulation puck assembly 702, the second articulation cable 404 winds on and off the second articulation puck assembly 704, the third articulation cable 406 winds on and off the third articulation puck assembly 706, and the fourth articulation cable 408 winds on and off the first articulation puck assembly 708.
The first articulation puck assembly 702 includes a first articulation puck 702A, a first capstan 702B, and a first torsion spring 702C. The first articulation puck 702A is provided on an outer face of the lower frame 700B and directly engages the robotic platform 2000. The first capstan 702B is coupled to the first articulation puck 702A and winds the first articulation cable 402 therearound. The first capstan 702B is rotationally affixed to a first pivot pin 726 (which is integral with the first articulation puck 702A). The first capstan 702B is biased by a first torsion spring 702C in a retracting direction to maintain a minimum level of tension in the first articulation cable 402, such as while decoupled from the robotic platform 2000. As the first articulation puck assembly 702 does not include any gearing, the diameter of the first capstan 702B is what dictates the mechanical advantage achieved.
Making reference to
In use, and for example, rotation of the first capstan 702B by the robotic platform 2000, via the first articulation puck 702A, in a first direction winds the first articulation cable 402 around the first capstan 702B, which results in the end effector 200 pivoting upwards and to the left about the articulation joint 300. As discussed earlier, this upwards movement of the end effector 200 is compensated for in the knife firing subsystem by the differential 520. Rotation in the opposite direction by the first articulation puck 702A unwinds the first articulation cable 402 to return the end effector 200 to a position substantially coaxial with the shaft assembly 600A (e.g., coaxial with the roll axis RA).
The second articulation puck assembly 704 includes a second articulation puck 704A, a second capstan 704B, and a second torsion spring 704C. The second articulation puck 704A is provided on an outer face of the lower frame 700B and directly engages the robotic platform 2000. The second capstan 704B is coupled to the second articulation puck 704A and winds the second articulation cable 404 therearound. The second capstan 704B is rotationally affixed to a second pivot pin 728 (which is integral with the second articulation puck 704A). The second capstan 704B is biased by a second torsion spring 704C in a retracting direction to maintain a minimum level of tension in the second articulation cable 404. As the second articulation puck assembly 704 does not include any gearing, the diameter of the second capstan 704B is what dictates the mechanical advantage achieved.
In use, and for example, rotation of the second capstan 704B by the robotic platform 2000, via the second articulation puck 704A, in a first direction winds the second articulation cable 404 around the second capstan 704B, which results in the end effector 200 pivoting upwards and to the right about the articulation joint 300. As discussed earlier, this upwards movement of the end effector 200 is compensated for in the knife firing subsystem by the differential 520. Rotation in the opposite direction by the second articulation puck 704A unwinds the second articulation cable 404 to return the end effector 200 to a position substantially coaxial with the shaft assembly 600A (e.g., coaxial with the roll axis RA).
The third articulation puck assembly 706 includes a third articulation puck 706A, a third capstan 706B, and a third torsion spring 706C. The third articulation puck 706A is provided on an outer face of the lower frame 700B and directly engages the robotic platform 2000. The third capstan 706B is coupled to the third articulation puck 706A and winds the third articulation cable 406 therearound. The third capstan 706B is rotationally affixed to a third pivot pin 730 (which is integral with the third articulation puck 706A). The third capstan 706B is biased by a third torsion spring 706C in a retracting direction to maintain a minimum level of tension in the third articulation cable 406. As the third articulation puck assembly 706 does not include any gearing, the diameter of the third capstan 706B is what dictates the mechanical advantage achieved.
In use, and for example, rotation of the third capstan 706B by the robotic platform 2000, via the third articulation puck 706A, in a first direction winds the third articulation cable 406 around the third capstan 706B, which results in the end effector 200 pivoting downward and to the left about the articulation joint 300. As discussed earlier, this downwards movement of the end effector 200 is compensated for in the knife firing subsystem by the differential 520. Rotation in the opposite direction by the third articulation puck 706A unwinds the third articulation cable 406 to return the end effector 200 to a position substantially coaxial with the shaft assembly 600A (e.g., coaxial with the roll axis RA).
The fourth articulation puck assembly 708 includes a fourth articulation puck 708A, a fourth capstan 708B, and a fourth torsion spring 708C. The fourth articulation puck 708A is provided on an outer face of the lower frame 700B and directly engages the robotic platform 2000. The fourth capstan 708B is coupled to the fourth articulation puck 708A and winds the third articulation cable 408 therearound. The fourth capstan 708B is rotationally affixed to a fourth pivot pin 732 (which is integral with the fourth articulation puck 708A). The fourth capstan 708B is biased by a fourth torsion spring 708C in a retracting direction to maintain a minimum level of tension in the third articulation cable 408. As the fourth articulation puck assembly 708 does not include any gearing, the diameter of the fourth capstan 708B is what dictates the mechanical advantage achieved.
In use, and for example, rotation of the fourth capstan 708B by the robotic platform 2000, via the fourth articulation puck 708A, in a first direction winds the fourth articulation cable 408 around the fourth capstan 708B, which results in the end effector 200 pivoting downwards and to the right about the articulation joint 300. As discussed earlier, this downwards movement of the end effector 200 is compensated for in the knife firing subsystem by the differential 520. Rotation in the opposite direction by the fourth articulation puck 708A unwinds the fourth articulation cable 408 to return the end effector 200 to a position substantially coaxial with the shaft assembly 600A (e.g., coaxial with the roll axis RA).
Of course, and as discussed above, synchronous movement of various combinations of the puck assemblies 702, 704, 706, 708 enables the clinician (via the robotic platform 2000) to position the end effector 200 at any orientation.
Additionally, as shown particularly in
Further to the above, the shaft roll puck assembly 710 includes a shaft roll puck 710A, a first screw gear 710B, and a second screw gear 710C. The shaft roll puck 710A is provided on an outer face of the lower frame 700B, is integral with a fifth pivot pin 734, and directly engages the robotic platform 2000. The first screw gear 710B is coaxial with and rotatable with the shaft roll puck 710A. The second screw gear 710C is meshed with the first screw gear 710B and coupled with the rotatable outer shaft 602.
In use, and for example, rotation of the first screw gear 710B by the robotic platform 2000, via the shaft roll puck 710A, in a first direction turns the second screw gear 710C to roll the outer shaft 602 (e.g., in a clockwise direction about the roll axis RA), as discussed in greater detail above. Rotation of the first screw gear in an opposite second direction causes the outer shaft 602 to roll in an opposite direction (e.g., a counterclockwise direction about the roll axis RA).
In other examples, and with reference to
With particular reference to
A robotic engaging section 710A1′ of the shaft roll puck 710A′ can be constructed substantially the same as described in other examples of the present application to function with the robotic platform 2000. Extending from the robotic engaging section 710A1′ is a splined shaft 710A2′ that includes a plurality of splines 710A3′ radially disposed about the splined shaft's circumference.
The input capstans 710B′ include a first input capstan 710B1′ and a second input capstan 710B2′. The capstans 710B′ are mounted over the splined shaft 710A2′ and sandwich the roll limiting ring 711A2′ in an axial direction of the splined shaft 710A2′. In some examples, the second input capstan 710B2′ can partially extend beyond a distalmost end of the splined shaft A2′. Additionally, each input capstan 710B′ includes a radial groove 710B3′ defined in an outer circumference of the capstan 710B′ and a pocket 710B4′ associated with (and extending non-parallel to) the groove 710B3′. The roll shaft 711A1′ provides for rotational mounting of the shaft roll puck 710A′, the input capstans 710B′, the roll limiting ring 711A2′, and the positioning pins 711A3′, 711A4′ to the housing 700.
As seen particularly in
Relative to the input capstans 710B′, which are coaxially aligned, the output drum 710C′ is laterally offset and transversely oriented thereto. The output drum 710C′ includes a cylindrical shaft 710C1′ that engages the outer shaft 602 of the roll subsystem 600 via the spring pins 711C′, a pair of radial grooves 710C2′ defined in the cylindrical shaft 710C1′, a pair of pockets 710C3′ each associated with (and extending non-parallel to) a respective groove 710C2′, a pair of roll limiting tabs 710C4′, and a pair of positioning slots 710C5′. The output drum 710C′ drives rotation of the outer shaft 602. The roll limiting tabs 710C4′ limit the output capstan 710C4′ to approximately 320 degrees of rotation in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction by engaging with one or more tabs provided on the roll limiting ring 711A2′ during capstan rotation. The respective tabs are provided on the drums (which have a predetermined ratio of diameters) such that the tabs come in contact with one another after a certain amount of rotation by the roll shaft 711A1′.
Ends of each cable 711B′ are attached to (1) the output capstan 710C as well as (2) the pair of input capstans 710B′ via the pockets 710C3′, 710B4′, which are designed to fit a barrel crimp to allow for the use of pre-crimped cables 711B′. Each input capstan 710B′ has a single cable 711B′ wrapped around it and attached to one end of the output drum 710C′. The first cable 711B1′ and second cable 711B2 are wrapped in opposing directions about (1) the output drum 710C′ and (2) the first input capstan 710B1′ (in the case of the first cable 711B1′) and the second input capstan 710B2′ (in the case of the second cable 711B2′) to drive clockwise and counterclockwise roll of the outer shaft 602.
With this arrangement, rotation of the shaft roll puck 710A′ in a first rotational direction pulls the first cable 711B1′ to drive the output drum 710C′ in a first rotational direction (about a perpendicular axis to that of the shaft roll puck's rotation), which results in (1) the first cable 711B1′ winding about the first input capstan 710B1′ and unwinding from the output drum 710C′ and (2) the second cable 711B′ winding about the output drum 710C′ and unwinding from the second input capstan 710B2′. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, rotation of the shaft roll puck 710A′ in a second, opposite direction pulls the second cable 711B2′ to drive the output drum 710C′ in a second, opposite rotational direction, which results in the opposite winding/unwinding of the cables 711B′ described in the previous sentence. In some examples, the output drum diameter and input capstan diameters have an approximately 2 to 1 ratio such that two revolutions of the input capstans 710B′ are required to rotate the output drum 710C′ a full revolution.
The use of a capstan 710B, cable 711B′, and drum 710C′ arrangement for roll alleviates the challenges of limited space, fixed gear ratio and torque requirements due the flexibility of, e.g., cable length, drum diameter and efficiency of the mechanism. In order to tension the cables 711B′, the pairs of pins 711A3′, 711A4′ in the input capstans 710B′ can be pushed down in two respective pairs of recesses on the splined shaft 710A2′, as exemplified in
Further to the above, the firing puck assembly includes a firing puck 712A, a drive gear 712A1, a geartrain 712B, and a driven gear or pinion 712C. The firing puck 712A is provided on an outer face of the lower frame 700B, is integral with a sixth pivot pin 736, and directly engages the robotic platform 2000. The drive gear 712A1 directly rotates with the firing puck 712A. As particularly shown in
In use, and for example, rotation of the firing puck 712A by the robotic platform 2000 causes rotation of the drive gear 712A1, which in turn drives the geartrain 712B to rotate the pinion 712C. Depending on the direction of rotation of the firing puck 712A, the firing rod 502 is either moved in a distal direction (i.e., towards the end effector 200) to close the anvil 204 and/or fire the knife 206 or a proximal direction (i.e., towards a rear of the housing 700) to retract the knife 206 and/or open the anvil 204.
The control device 1110 can include a peripheral interface, which can include the hardware, firmware, and/or software that enables communication with various peripheral devices, such as media drives (e.g., magnetic disk, solid state, or optical disk drives), other processing devices, or any other input source used in connection with the instant techniques. The peripheral interface can include a serial port, a parallel port, a general-purpose input and output (GPIO) port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB), a micro-USB port, a high definition multimedia (HDMI) port, a video port, an audio port, a Bluetooth™ port, a WiFi port, a near-field communication (NFC) port, another like communication interface, or any combination thereof to communicate with other devices via wired or wireless connections or networks, whether local or wide area, private or public, as known in the art. A power source can be configured to provide an appropriate alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) to power the components.
The processor 1112 can include one or more of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic device, microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, co-processor or the like or combinations thereof capable of executing stored instructions and operating upon stored data. The memory 1116 can include one or more suitable types of memory (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash memory, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), and the like) for storing files including the operating system 1118, application programs 1122 (including, for example, a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, and or other applications, as necessary), executable instructions and data. One, some, or all of the processing techniques described herein can be implemented as a combination of executable instructions and data within the memory 1116.
The processor 1112 can be one or more known processing devices, such as a microprocessor from the Pentium™ family manufactured by Intel™, the Turion™ family manufactured by AMD™, or the Cortex™ family or SecurCore™ manufactured by ARM™ to provide just a few examples. The processor 1112 can constitute a single-core or multiple-core processor that executes parallel processes simultaneously. For example, the processor 1112 can be a single-core processor that is configured with virtual processing technologies. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that other types of processor arrangements could be implemented that provide for the capabilities disclosed herein.
The control device 1110 can include one or more storage devices 1120 configured to store information used by the processor 1112 (or other components) to perform at least some of the functions disclosed herein. As an example, the control device 1110 can include memory 1116 that includes instructions to enable the processor 1112 to execute one or more applications, network communication processes, and any other type of application or software known to be available on computer systems. Alternatively, the instructions, application programs, or other software can be stored in an external storage and/or can be available from a remote memory over a network. The one or more storage devices can be a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor, tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or other type of storage device or tangible computer-readable medium.
The control device 1110 can include memory 1116 that includes instructions that, when executed by the processor 1112, perform one or more processes consistent with the functionalities disclosed herein. Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with disclosed embodiments are not limited to separate programs or computers configured to perform dedicated tasks. For example, the control device 1110 can include memory 1116 that can include one or more programs 1122 to perform one or more functions of the disclosed technology. For example, the control device 1110 can access one or more programs 1122, that, when executed, perform at least one function disclosed herein. One or more programs 1122 can be configured to receive input from a user (e.g., a physician, a technician, etc.) and cause the control device 1110 to output one or more control signals to the robotic arm 1200. The one or more programs 1122 can be configured to cause the user interface 1124 to display images indicative of a function or condition associated with the robotic arm 1200.
The memory 1116 of the control device 1110 can include one or more memory devices that store data and instructions used to perform one or more of the methods and features disclosed herein. The memory 1116 can include software components that, when executed by the processor 1112, perform one or more processes consistent with those disclosed herein. The control device 1110 can include any number of hardware and/or software applications that are executed to facilitate any of the operations. The one or more I/O interfaces 1114 can be utilized to receive or collect data and/or user instructions from a wide variety of input devices. Received data can be processed by one or more computer processors 1112 as desired in various implementations of the disclosed technology and/or stored in one or more memory devices.
While the control device 1110 has been described above for implementing the techniques described herein, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other functionally equivalent techniques can be employed. For example, as known in the art, some or all of the functionality implemented via executable instructions can also be implemented using firmware and/or hardware devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic arrays, state machines, etc. Furthermore, the control device 1110 can include a greater or lesser number of components than those illustrated and/or described above.
As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the control device 1110 described above may be implemented within the robotic platform 2000 or any other structure (e.g., a computing system separate from the robotic platform 2000).
Moreover, the control device 1110 is in communication with one or more sensors 1300 integrated with the surgical instrument 1000 or puck encoders 1300 integrated with the robotic platform 2000. By way of example, the one or more sensors 1300 may include one or more magnetic rotary position encoders which are configured to identify the rotational position of a motor 1202 of the robotic arm 1200, the shaft assembly 600A (e.g., a roll angle of the outer shaft 602), and/or the end effector 200 of the surgical instrument 1000. In some examples, the magnetic rotary position encoders may be coupled to the processor 1112. The sensors 1300 may also include current, velocity, and other forms of position sensors necessary to implement the following processes.
Cable driven medical instruments (such as endocutters, e.g., 2-degree of freedom staplers) require the shaft to roll relative to the cables. In the presently described surgical instrument 1000, the outer shaft 602 rolls relative to the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408. When that happens, and as discussed above, the cables go through a twist and winding motion around a center tube known as maypoling. Some applications, such as the presently described surgical instrument 1000, wind the cables around a center tube that can be either stationary or non-stationary. Such motion causes the cables to stretch because the distance between the fixed surface that the cables leave in the proximal handle (e.g., handle 700) and the surface through which they enter the shaft (e.g., outer shaft 602) which is rotating with roll, changes as a function of roll. When that happens, the cable undergoes unintended stretch, causing an increase in cable tension proportional to cable stiffness. For polymer cables or fishing lines, the stiffness is low such that the increase in cable tension during roll is insignificant. For metal cables, such as tungsten or stainless steel, such increase in cable tension is not insignificant. By way of example, a roll of 320 degrees causes greater than a 1.5 mm stretch in a stainless-steel cable. This equates to 70-90 Newton (N) increase in cable tension, which is roughly one-third of the available tension increase. In other words, when the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 are wrapped around the maypole tube 608, the cables 402, 404, 406, 408, if not compensated, they are pulled on tighter proportionally.
In order to substantially eliminate cable stretch and its equivalent rise in cable tension, the presently disclosed technology includes a control system including the control device 1110 operable to execute the processes described in the following paragraphs to release the cables 402, 404, 406, 408 (via, e.g., cable motors 1202) proportional to the roll angle, thereby compensating for the roll. Compensation, in the context of the present disclosure, means that as the roll subsystem 500 is rolled, the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 are “let out”, even if the current articulation angle at the articulation joint 300 is maintained, so as not to overstress the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408. Furthermore, in order to tune the behavior of the articulation joint 300 during maypoling, a partial compensation factor between approximately 80%-90% of an idealized compensation length can be utilized to adjust the total changed cable compensation length (discussed in greater detail below). This partial compensation factor is adjustable in order to give the articulation joint 300 a “solid” (i.e., higher tension in the cables) versus “soft” (i.e., lower tension in the cables) behavior during roll while also preventing the loss of tension by not fully compensating. The partial compensation factor also simplifies the kinematic model of maypoling by allowing the controller to ignore the effect of friction and cable flattening (i.e., change in cable diameter) during maypoling.
As discussed above in section VI. 1., the presently described surgical instrument 1000 includes configurations that employ a maypoling section that allow the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 to wind around a shaft (e.g., the maypole tube 608) when the surgical instrument 1000 is rolled, such as up to 320 degrees in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. It is noted that, while the foregoing description focuses on maypoling as it relates to the maypole tube 608, the following also applies to scenarios where the articulation cables 402, 404, 406, 408 maypole around another shaft (e.g., the firing rod 502) as well as other various cable driven medical instruments, (which do not currently compensate for cable stretching during maypoling).
In accordance with the present disclosure, and with reference to
For the purpose of concise description, articulation cable 402 is described herein as exemplary to the operation of the control device 1110. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the following concepts are equivalently applicable to any and all cables implemented in the surgical instrument 1000 that maypole in a similar manner.
where Mn is the length of the entrance and exit cones (i.e., the portion of the cable 402 that does not wrap around the maypole tube 608) and Swrap is the length of the cable 402 that does wrap around the maypole tube 608.
The presently described maypoling system is also governed by the following two equations:
where α is the helix radius when the cable 402 maypoles around the maypole tube 608, and γ is the no-contact angle. The two-dimensional projected length (K), in some cases, is the result of the radius (or diameter) of the wrap circle (which is the distance between the center of the maypole tube to the center of one of the cables), multiplied by the sine of the wrap angle B, and is discussed in greater detail below. The no-contact angle is the maximum angle the cable 402 can roll to without coming into contact with the maypole tube 608, since the cable 402 is initially spaced away from the maypole tube 608 (at cable position (R)) prior to maypoling. Consequently, two distinct cases are possible (either the cable 402 contacts the maypole tube 608, which is referred to herein as the “capstan effect”, or it does not), both of which are governed by a different set of equations. The “capstan effect” referred to is known as the effect of an increase in cable tension proportional to the wrap angle of a cable around a sliding surface or a pulley.
A case (referred to herein as Case I) where |B| is less than or equal to γ is represented in
The other case (referred to herein as Case II) where |B| is greater than γ is represented in
where θ is the projected two-dimensional capstan angle, which corresponds to the roll angle of the shaft (e.g., the outer shaft 602) minus the no-contact angle γ. Effectively, it is the angle of wrap around the maypole tube. It is noted that, in the present system, the cables 402, 404, 406, 408 do not start wrapping around the maypole tube 608 immediately. In other words, there is a certain roll of the shaft that has to happen before wrapping commences, and that no-contact zone is defined by the length (L) of the maypoling section, the diameter of the maypole tube 608 and the diameter of the cable 402.
In view of the above, a maypoling transfer function is governed by the three below equations:
where ΔL is an idealized change in length (L) of the articulation cable 402 (or, equivalently stated, a length of the section of the articulation cable 402 in the maypoling region) to account for its maypoling when the outer shaft 602 is rolled such that tension in the cable 402 is kept constant. In the context of the presently described system that utilizes surgical instrument 1000, control device 1110, and robotic platform 2000, using the constants, inputs and equations discussed above, the necessary change in length (ΔL) in the articulation cable 402 can be calculated. Once calculated, this value can be used by the control device 1110 and/or robotic platform 2000 to cause, via the robotic motor 1202 of the robotic arm 1200, the articulation puck assembly 702 to unwind a length of cable from the capstan 702B equal to the change in length (ΔL). As those skilled in the art will appreciate, this unwinding can be dynamically done as the outer shaft 602 rolls and the articulation cable 402 maypoles. In other words, as the roll angle B changes, the length of cable unwound by the articulation puck assembly 702 can be changed to maintain the desired tension in the cable 402.
While the above accounts for an ideal environment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such a maypoling relationship is also a function of friction between the cable and the surface around which it is maypoling. With friction being difficult to measure/predict and being a variable over time, such influence can be eliminated by using a partial compensation approach, where the idealized kinematics can be multiplied by a fixed factor less than 1, or by a relationship of factors as a function of roll making the compensation adaptable for different wrist behaviors, while at the same time preventing the loss of tension in the cable 402 by intentionally under-compensating. For example, experimental testing has shown that such partial compensation approach reduces the non-compensated change in tension from 30-40N to closer to 10N if at 85% compensation while still maintaining sufficient residual tension to offset a friction effect and preventing the cable 402 from going slack. Thus, the presently described process can further calculate a cable compensation length (ΔL′) by multiplying the determined change in length (ΔL) of the cable by a factor between 0 and 1.
VIII. 2. Adaptive Firing with Time Horizon Modulation
Adaptive firing for surgical instruments (e.g., an endocutter) is a process whereby the knife firing speed is altered in real time in order to allow the tissue to relax. When relaxation happens, the firing force drops, allowing the knife to cut through thicker tissue. This firing speed is acted upon either directly or indirectly. In the direct approach, the speed of the motor is the output of the controller that takes an input from the system and calculates an optimal firing speed. In the indirect approach, the change in knife speed is an outcome of changing other parameters in the system, such as the acceleration of the motor or the time to move from point A to point B. In this current embodiment of time horizon modulation, the output of the control system is the time for the motor to move from current position to a target position, whereby such time is calculated proportionally to the torque the firing motor is seeing during transection
Most adaptive firing processes adopt a stop/start approach, otherwise known as pulsation. That is, if the force exceeds a certain threshold, the motor is stopped. The controller waits a certain amount of time, then re-accelerates the motor. If the force exceeds the threshold again, the process is repeated. The problem with such methods is that the knife goes through static friction every time it is stopped, thereby causing a spike in force every time it transitions from static to dynamic motion. The process described below keeps the knife 206 of the surgical instrument 1000 moving when the force exceeds a certain threshold, and only comes to a full stop if no solutions exist to keep advancing the knife 206 at a lower speed.
In summary, the process 800 expands and contracts time to reach end of cut proportional to the firing force once the force exceeds a certain threshold. To do this, a time horizon parameter is calculated as an output to a proportional and integral controller that takes firing force as an input and outputs a time horizon. That time horizon is passed to the firing motor 1202 (e.g., the motor 1202 that controls the firing puck assembly 712) via a trajectory interpolator with a constant speed. The trajectory interpolator therefore calculates a motor acceleration to move from current position to end of cut in the given time frame. The effect of this is exhibited by a modulation of motor acceleration proportional to the firing force. That is, the motor decelerates as the firing force goes up, or otherwise accelerates as the firing force goes down.
If the firing force continues to increase as the firing motor 1202 decelerates, the firing motor 1202 approaches a full stop asymptotically, and waits for tissue relaxation. Once relaxation is achieved, the motor accelerates back to full speed and returns to monitoring firing force. If the force exceeds threshold again, the time modulator activates again to modulate the horizon proportional to the firing force. With this method, the firing motor 1202 does not come to a full stop every time a threshold is exceeded. Instead, the control device 1110 attempts to find intermediate solutions to keep the knife 206 advancing albeit at a slower pace, and only approaches a full stop asymptotically if no solutions can be found. This minimizes the instances through which the knife 206 goes through static friction. It also minimizes the smart firing time by maintaining some velocity on the knife 206 on thick tissue.
Making specific reference to
Moreover, the process includes determining 802 that clamping is complete. For example, this may be determined based on feedback by position sensors 1300 and/or puck encoders 1300 measuring a position of the knife 206 as it travels along the anvil ramp surface 216. By way of non-limiting example, clamping can be considered complete when the knife 206 reaches a predetermined position from “home”, where the knife “home” is a bump against the anvil pin during tool homing. The control device 1110 then initiates 804 firing of the knife 206. The firing motor 1202 is accelerated 806 to a target speed and maintained at the target speed. The firing force of the knife 206 is then read 808 and/or calculated. By way of example, the firing force can be determined based on the current of the firing motor 1202 (e.g., measured by a current sensor 1300) or by a torque cell.
At determination block 810, a determination is made whether the knife position is greater than (i.e., beyond) a position associated with the beginning of the end of cut. If the position value is not greater than the beginning of the end of cut value, the process 800 continues to determination block 812, where a determination is made whether the firing force (that is read in block 808) is greater than an upper threshold. By way of non-limiting example, in the force domain, an upper threshold can be approximately 140 pounds, while an upper threshold in the torque domain can be approximately 0.4-0.45 Newton-meters (Nm). These values can be generated through system calibration. If the firing force is not greater than the upper threshold, the process 800 maintains 814 the motor speed, checks for the position of the knife 206, and loops back to determination block 810 to continue the process 800. If/once the knife position value, evaluated at determination block 810, is greater than the beginning of the end of cut value, adaptive firing is exited 816 and a cutline detection process is entered 816. After the end of cut is detected 818, forward movement of the knife 206 is stopped 820 and retraction is started, which concludes the execution of the process 800.
If, at determination block 812, it is determined that the firing force of the knife 206 exceeds the upper threshold, the error is calculated 822 by subtracting the upper threshold from the current firing force that is read. Then, a time modulator is calculated 824 using the following equation:
where dt is the delta time and PID_horizon is the time modulator, and error is the difference between target firing force and current (measured) firing force Using the calculated time modulator, a new move_time is calculated 826 using the following equation:
where firing_speed is targeted at, e.g., 10 millimeters per second. The calculated 826 move_time value corresponds to a time horizon/time frame to move the knife 206 from its current position (the current_knife_position value) to the beginning of the end of cutline (the end_position value).
That time horizon is passed 828 to a motor trajectory generator/interpolator 1202A of the firing motor 1202. The trajectory generator/interpolator 1202A calculates a motor acceleration to move from the current_knife_position to end_position in the given time frame, i.e., the time horizon. The effect of this is exhibited by a modulation of motor acceleration proportional to the firing force. That is, the motor 1202 decelerates as the firing force goes up, or otherwise accelerates as the firing force goes down.
Following modulation of the motor acceleration, at determination block 830, it is determined whether the firing force is less than a lower threshold. The lower threshold is needed in order to eliminate oscillations around the upper threshold. If the presently described system only had the upper threshold, as soon as the firing force exceeds the threshold, the PID controller would slow down the motor, and as soon as the firing force drops below the upper threshold, it would accelerate the motor. The lower threshold creates a “dead zone” below the upper threshold so oscillation can be eliminated around the upper threshold.
If the firing force is less than the lower threshold, the motor 1202 is re-accelerated 832 back to the preset firing_speed (e.g., 9 millimeters/second), and the process 800 loops back to block 808 to continue to monitor the firing force versus the upper threshold until the knife position is greater than the beginning of end of cut (“Yes” to determination block 812), at which point adaptive firing is exited.
If the firing force is greater than or equal to the lower threshold, a determination is made, in determination block 834, whether the current firing speed (measured/calculated after the motor has finished accelerating, as discussed in step 828) is less than a pre-determined minimum speed (e.g., less than half a millimeter/second). It is noted that this value can be tuned over time. From a practical standpoint, in the present example, any speed below the pre-determined minimum speed is considered to be 0.
If the firing speed determined in block 834 is greater than or equal to the pre-determined minimum speed, the current motor speed (following acceleration/deceleration in step 828) is maintained and the process 800 loops back to block 808 to continue to monitor the firing force versus the upper threshold until the knife position is greater than the beginning of end of cut (“Yes” to determination block 812), at which point adaptive firing is exited.
If the firing speed determined in block 834 is less than the pre-determined minimum speed, the motor is stopped 836. The control device 1110 waits 838 for tissue relaxation (e.g., a predetermined amount of time after the motor comes to a full stop, such as about 2 seconds). After tissue relaxation is occurred, the motor 1202 is re-accelerated 832 back to firing_speed, and the process 800 loops back to block 808 to continue to monitor the firing force versus the upper threshold until the knife position is greater than the beginning of end of cut (“Yes” to determination block 812), at which point adaptive firing is exited.
The presently described adaptive firing, in comparison with a firing mode where no adaptive firing is used, enables a significant reduction (e.g., approximately 15 percent or more) in peak firing force. Large peak firing forces can cause the motor 1202 to stall. Thus, the adaptive firing process 800 described herein is capable of enabling more consistent performance of the surgical instrument 1000, with fewer faults, compared with non-adaptive firing.
Turning now to
Turning now to
The disclosed technology described herein can be further understood according to the following clauses:
Clause 1a. An end effector (200) for a surgical instrument (1000) comprising: a jaw (202); an anvil (204) coupled to the jaw (202) and movable between an open position, a grasping position, and a clamping position; and a knife (206) slidably coupled to the anvil (204) to move the anvil (204) between the open position, the grasping position, and the clamping position.
Clause 2a. The end effector (200) of clause 1a, wherein the jaw (202) defines an elongated channel (208) for receiving a staple cartridge (210).
Clause 3a. The end effector (200) of any one of clauses 1a-2a, further comprising a pivot pin (212) spaced from the knife (206) and extending through the anvil (204) and the jaw (202), the pivot pin (212) pivotally coupling the jaw (202) and the anvil (204).
Clause 4a. The end effector (200) of any one of clauses 1a-3a, wherein the anvil (204) has an anvil proximal end (204A) and an anvil distal end (204B), the anvil proximal end (204A) defining an anvil ramp surface (216) that the knife (206) slidably engages to move the anvil between the open position, the grasping position, and the clamping position.
Clause 5a. The end effector (200) of clause 4a, wherein the anvil ramp surface (216) (i) is upwardly sloped at a first angle (218) and (ii) arcuately tapers, in a distal direction, to a substantially horizontal second angle (220).
Clause 6a. The end effector (200) of clause 4a, wherein the ramp surface (216) comprises a single radius curve, a series of multi-radius curves, a series of multi-radius curves with a series of inflection points, and/or a linearly slope.
Clause 7a. The end effector (200) of any one of clauses 4a-6a, wherein the anvil proximal end (204A) further defines a laterally extending kidney bean-shaped opening (222), the anvil ramp surface (216) forming a lower surface of the kidney bean-shaped opening (222).
Clause 8a. The end effector of clause 7a, wherein the kidney bean-shaped opening is open at lateral ends (222A, 222B) thereof.
Clause 9a. The end effector (200) of any one of clauses 1a-8a, wherein the anvil (204) defines a longitudinally extending upper knife channel (224) in which the knife (206) slidably rides to move the anvil (204) between the open position, the grasping position, and the clamping position.
Clause 10a. The end effector (200) of clause 9a, wherein the upper knife channel (224) comprises (i) a centrally disposed cylindrical upper knife channel portion (226) and (ii) at least one lateral upper knife channel wing (228) that extends away from the upper knife channel portion (226).
Clause 11a. The end effector (200) of any one of clauses 1a-10a, wherein the jaw (202) or a staple cartridge (210) defines a longitudinally extending lower knife channel (230) in which the knife slidably rides when the anvil (204) moves between the open position, the grasping position, and the clamping position.
Clause 12a. The end effector (200) of clause 11a, wherein the lower knife channel (230) comprises (i) a centrally disposed cylindrical lower knife channel portion (232) and (ii) at least one lateral lower knife channel wing (234) that extends away from the lower knife channel portion.
Clause 13a. The end effector (200) of any one of clauses 1a-12a, wherein the knife (206) comprises a knife sled (236) that comprises an upper knife tab (238), the upper knife tab (238) further comprising (i) a centrally disposed cylindrical upper knife tab portion (240) and (ii) at least one upper knife tab lateral wing (242) that extends away from the upper knife tab portion (240).
Clause 14a. The end effector (200) of clause 13a, wherein the upper knife tab portion (240) defines an upper knife tab opening (244) configured to receive a first center cable (512).
Clause 15a. The end effector (200) of any one of clauses 13a-14a, wherein the lateral wing (242) comprises an angled surface (242A) that is configured to slidably ride on the anvil ramp surface (216) when the anvil (204) moves between the open position, the grasping position, and the clamping position.
Clause 16a. The end effector (200) of any one of clauses 13a-15a, wherein the upper knife tab portion (240) is configured to slidably ride in the upper knife channel portion (226) and the at least one upper knife tab lateral wing (242) is configured to slidably ride in the at least one lateral upper knife channel wing (228).
Clause 17a. The end effector of any one of clauses 1a-16a, wherein the knife (206) comprises a knife sled (236) that comprises a lower knife tab (246), the lower knife tab (246) further comprising (i) a centrally disposed cylindrical lower knife tab portion (248) and (ii) at least one lower knife tab lateral wing (250) that extends away from the lower knife tab portion (248).
Clause 18a. The end effector of clause 17a, wherein the lower knife tab portion (248) defines a lower knife tab opening (252) configured to receive a second center cable (514).
Clause 19a. The end effector of any one of clauses 17a-18a, wherein the lower knife tab portion (248) is configured to slidably ride in the lower knife channel portion (232) and the at least one lower knife tab lateral wing (248) is configured to slidably ride in the at least one lateral lower knife channel wing (234).
Clause 20a. The end effector of any one of clauses 1a-19a, wherein the jaw (202) comprises: a knife channel (230) defined in a longitudinal direction of the jaw (202); and a cleanout port (202A) defined in a transverse direction of the jaw (202) and proximate a distal end of the jaw (202), the cleanout port (202A) extending through a bottommost surface of the jaw (202) and connecting with the knife channel (230).
Clause 21a. The end effector of clause 20a, wherein the jaw (202) comprises: a hard stop (230A) mounted in the knife channel (230), the hard stop (230A) partially overlapping with the cleanout port (202A) in the longitudinal direction.
Clause 22a. The end effector of any one of clauses 1a-2a and 9a-21a, further comprising a pivot pin (212A) pivotally coupling the jaw (202) and the anvil (204), wherein the anvil (204) has an anvil proximal end (204A) and an anvil distal end (204B), the anvil proximal end (204A) defining an anvil ramp surface (216) that the knife (206) slidably engages to move the anvil between the open position, the grasping position, and the clamping position, and a lowermost point of the anvil ramp surface (216) is spaced a predetermined distance (D1) from the pivot pin 212A along a vertical direction (V) of the end effector (200).
Clause 1b. An articulation joint (300) for a surgical instrument (1000) comprising: a plurality of concentric discs (302), each of the plurality of concentric discs (302) having a concentric central opening (304); a center beam assembly (306) comprising a proximal end (306A) and a distal end (306B), a portion of the center beam assembly (306) extending through the central opening (304) of each concentric disc (302), the plurality of concentric discs (302) being nestably stacked on the center beam assembly (306), the center beam assembly (306) compressing the plurality of concentric discs (302), the distal end (306B) of the center beam assembly (306) being configured to couple to the plurality of concentric discs (302) to an end effector (200) of the surgical instrument (1000), and the proximal end (306A) of the center beam assembly (306) being configured to couple the plurality of concentric discs (302) to a shaft (602) of the surgical instrument (1000).
Clause 2b. The articulation joint (300) of clause 1b, wherein each of the plurality of concentric discs (302) comprises: an articulation socket (308); an articulation pin (310) protruding outwardly from the articulation socket (308); a first push coil opening (312A) defined through the articulation socket (308) and configured to receive a first push coil (508) therethrough; and a first articulation cable opening (314A) defined through the articulation socket (308) and configured to receive a first articulation cable (402) therethrough.
Clause 3b. The articulation joint (300) of clause 2b, wherein each concentric disc (302) further comprises a second push coil opening (312B) defined through the articulation socket (308) and configured to receive a second push coil (510) therethrough.
Clause 4b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 2b-3b, wherein each concentric disc (302) further comprises: a second articulation cable opening (314B) defined through the articulation socket (308) and configured to receive a second articulation cable (404) therethrough; a third articulation cable opening (314C) defined through the articulation socket (308) and configured to receive a third articulation cable (406) therethrough.
Clause 5b. The articulation joint (300) of clause 4b, wherein each concentric disc (302) further comprises: a fourth articulation cable opening (314D) defined through the articulation socket (308) and configured to receive a fourth articulation cable (408) therethrough.
Clause 6b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 2b-5b, wherein each concentric disc (302) further comprises: a rounded articulation pin proximal end (310A); and a semi-spherical pin-receiving opening (316) defined in the articulation socket (308).
Clause 7b. The articulation joint (300) of clause 6b, wherein each rounded articulation pin proximal end (310A) is pivotally engaged in an adjacent pin-receiving opening (316) of an adjacent concentric disc (302).
Clause 8b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 2b-7b, wherein the concentric disc opening (304) is defined in the articulation pin (310) of each concentric disc (302).
Clause 9b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 2b-8b, wherein the articulation socket (308) comprises a socket disc (318) and a pin retention socket (320).
Clause 10b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 1b-9b, further comprising a fastener (322) configured to couple the distal end (306B) of the center beam assembly (306) to the end effector (200).
Clause 11b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 1b-10b, wherein the distal end (306B) of the center beam assembly (306) comprises distal end retention disc (334) that defines a first articulation cable retention opening (334A) configured to retain a first articulation cable distal end (402A).
Clause 12b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 1b-11b, wherein the articulation joint (300) has at least two degrees of freedom.
Clause 13b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 1b-12b, wherein the center beam assembly further comprises a center beam (328) extending through each of the concentric discs (302), a jack screw (330), and a second disc retention bearing (332), the jack screw (330) being threadably coupled with the second disc retention bearing (332) to adjust a compressive force of the center beam (328).
Clause 14b. The articulation joint of any one of clauses 1b-12b, wherein the center beam assembly further comprises a center beam (328), the center beam (328) further comprising a nitinol core (328A) and stainless steel (328B) wound over the nitinol core, the center beam (328) resiliently flexing in response to pivoting of at least one of the concentric discs.
Clause 15b. The articulation joint of clause 14b, wherein the stainless steel comprises clockwise braiding and counterclockwise braiding over the nitinol core.
Clause 16b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 1b-15b, the distal end (306B) of the center beam assembly (306) being configured to abut a knife sled (236).
Clause 17b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 1b-16b, further comprising a plurality of pins (336) that constrain a rotational degree of freedom between adjacent concentric discs (302) about a roll axis (RA).
Clause 18b. The articulation joint (300′) of any one of clauses 1b-10b and 12b-17b, wherein the distal end (306B) of the center beam assembly (306) comprises an integrally formed distal channel retainer (340′) that (1) defines at least one articulation cable retention opening (342′) configured to retain a first articulation cable distal end and (2) is configured to directly connect to an end effector (200) of the surgical instrument (1000).
Clause 19b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 1b-10b and 12b-17b, wherein the distal end (306B) of the center beam assembly (306) comprises distal end retention disc (334′) that defines a pair of first articulation cable retention openings (334A′) configured to retain and reroute a continuous articulation cable (400A′) so as to functionally divide the continuous articulation cable into a first articulation cable (404′) and a second articulation cable (408′).
Clause 20b. The articulation joint (300) of clause 19b, wherein the distal end retention disc (334′) further defines a pair of second articulation cable retention openings (334C′) configured to reroute the continuous articulation cable (400A′).
Clause 21b. The articulation joint of clause 20b, wherein each second articulation cable retention opening (334C′) is disposed between the pair of first cable retention openings 334A′.
Clause 22b. The articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 20b-21b, wherein one of the first articulation cable retention openings (334A′) and one of the second cable retention openings (334C′) are adjacent one another, and a first relief (334B′) is formed between the one of the first articulation cable retention openings (334A′) and the one of the second cable retention openings (334C′) on a first side of the distal end retention disc 334′.
Clause 23b. The articulation joint (300) of clause 22b, wherein the other of the first articulation cable retention openings (334A′) and the other of the second cable retention openings (334C′) are adjacent one another, and another first relief (334B′) is formed between the other of the first articulation cable retention openings (334A′) and the other of the second cable retention openings (334C′) on the first side of the distal end retention disc 334′.
Clause 24b. The articulation joint of any one of claims 20b-23b, wherein a second relief (334D′) is formed between the pair of second articulation cable retention openings (334C′).
Clause 25b. An articulation joint assembly (200, 300) comprising: the end effector (200) of any one of clauses 1a-22a; and the articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 1b-24b coupled to the end effector (200).
Clause 1c. A cable articulation subsystem (400) for a surgical instrument comprising: a joint (300) comprising a distal end (306B); and at least three articulation cables (402, 404, 406), a distal end (402A, 404A, 406A) of each articulation cable (402, 404, 406) being coupled to the joint distal end (306B), and a proximal end (402B, 404B, 406B) of each articulation cable (402, 404, 406) being discretely manipulable to cause rotation of the joint (300) about at least one of a pitch axis (PA) and a yaw axis (YA).
Clause 2c. The cable articulation subsystem (400) of clause 1c, the joint comprising the articulation joint (300) of any one of clauses 1b-15b.
Clause 3c. The cable articulation system (400) of any one of clauses 1c-2c, wherein each articulation cable distal end (402A, 404A, 406A) comprises a crimp (402A, 404A, 406A), each crimp (402A, 404A, 406A) engaging a respective articulation cable retention opening (326) defined in the joint (300).
Clause 4c. The cable articulation subsystem (400) of any one of clauses 1c-3c, further comprising: a shaft assembly (600A); and a housing (700) coupled to the shaft assembly (600A), each articulation cable (402, 404, 406) extending from the joint and through the shaft assembly (600A), the proximal end (402B, 404B, 406B) of each articulation cable (402, 404, 406) being movably mounted in the housing (700).
Clause 5c. The cable articulation subsystem (400) of clause 4c, where the shaft assembly (600A) further comprises: a rotatable outer shaft (602); and a fixed inner shaft (604) nested within the outer shaft (602), each articulation cable (402, 404, 406) extending between the outer shaft (602) and the inner shaft (604) and configured to wrap around the inner shaft (604) upon rotation of the outer shaft (602).
Clause 6c. The cable articulation subsystem of any one of clauses 4c-5c, the housing (700) further comprising: at least three capstans (702B, 704B, 706B, 708B), the proximal end (402B, 404B, 406B, 408B) of each articulation cable being windably mounted to a respective capstan of the at least three capstans.
Clause 7c. The cable articulation subsystem of any one of clauses 1c-6c, wherein each of the at least three articulation cables comprise stainless steel with a clockwise braid and with a counterclockwise braid.
Clause 8c. The cable articulation subsystem of any one of clauses 1c-7c, wherein the at least three articulation cables (402, 404, 406) comprises at least four articulation cables (402, 404, 406, 408).
Clause 9c. The cable articulation subsystem of clause 8c, wherein the at least four articulation cables (402, 404, 406, 408) are circumferentially spaced approximately ninety degrees from one another.
Clause 10c. A cable articulation subsystem (400′) for a surgical instrument comprising: a joint (300, 300′) comprising a distal end (306B); and only two continuous articulation cables (400A′, 400B′), a middle section of each continuous articulation cable being mechanically grounded to the joint distal end (306B) so as to functionally divide each continuous articulation cable into a first articulation cable (402′, 404′) and a second articulation cable (406′, 408′), and a proximal end (402B, 404B, 406B, 408B) of each first articulation cable (402, 404) and each second articulation cable (406, 408) being discretely manipulable to cause rotation of the joint (300, 300′) about at least one of a pitch axis (PA) and a yaw axis (YA).
Clause 11c. The cable articulation subsystem (400′) of clause 10c, wherein the joint distal end 306B comprises a distal end retention disc (334′) comprising a disc portion (335′) and a pin portion (336′) extending from the disc portion (335′), the disc portion (335′) comprises a plurality of articulation cable retention openings (334A′, 334B′), and each continuous articulation cable (400A′, 400B′) extends through at least four articulation cable retention openings of the plurality of articulation cable retention openings (334A′, 334B′).
Clause 12c. The cable articulation subsystem (400′) of clause 11c, wherein the disc portion (335′) comprises at least twelve articulation cable retention openings (334A′, 334B′) each continuous articulation cable (400A′, 400B′) extends through six articulation cable retention openings of the at least twelve articulation cable retention openings (334A′, 334B′), and each continuous articulation cable (400A′, 400B′) wraps partially around the pin portion (336′).
Clause 13c. The cable articulation subsystem (400′) of clause 11c, wherein one (400A′) of the exactly two continuous articulation cables extends only on a first lateral side of the disc portion (335′) and the other (400B′) of the exactly two continuous articulation cables extends only on a second lateral side of the disc portion (335′).
Clause 14c. The cable articulation subsystem (400′) of clause 11c, wherein each continuous articulation cable (400A′, 400B′) wraps entirely around the pin portion 336′.
Clause 15c. The cable articulation subsystem (400′) of any one of clauses 11c-14c, further comprising one or more frictional pads (460A), each frictional pad being sandwiched between one of the exactly two continuous articulation cables (400A′, 400B′) and the disc portion (335′).
Clause 16c. The cable articulation subsystem (400′) of any one of clauses 11c-14c, further comprising one or more leaf springs (460B′), each leaf spring (460B′) applying a compression force to one of the exactly two continuous articulation cables (400A′, 400B′) to increase a frictional force between the one of the exactly two continuous articulation cables and the disc portion (335′).
Clause 1d. A knife firing subsystem (500) for a surgical instrument comprising: a knife (206); a sled (236) coupled to or integral with the knife (206) and configured to move the knife (206) in an end effector (200); a firing rod (502) configured to drive the sled (236); a first push rod (504) comprising: a first push rod distal end (504A) coupled to the sled (236); and a first push rod proximal end (504B) coupled to the firing rod (502); and a second push rod (506) comprising: a second push rod distal end (506A) coupled to the sled (236); and a second push rod proximal end (506B) coupled to the firing rod (502).
Clause 2d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of clause 1d, wherein the first push rod (504) comprises a first flexible section (508) and the second push rod (504) comprises a second flexible section (510).
Clause 3d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of clause 2d, wherein the first flexible section (508) comprises a first push coil (508) and the second flexible section (510) comprises a second push coil (510).
Clause 4d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of clause 3d, further comprising: a first center cable (512) extending through the first push coil (508); and a second center cable (514) extending through the second push coil (510).
Clause 5d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of any one of clauses 2d-3d, wherein the first push rod (504) further comprises a first rigid rod (516) axially aligned with and coupled to the first flexible section (508), and the second push rod (506) further comprises a second rigid rod (518) axially aligned with and coupled to the second flexible section (510).
Clause 6d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of any one of clauses 1d-5d, further comprising: a differential (520) that couples the first push rod proximal end (504B) and the second push rod proximal end (506B) to the firing rod (502), the differential (520) permitting relative axial movement between the first push rod (504) and the second push rod (506).
Clause 7d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of clause 6d, the differential further comprising: a first rack (522) coupled to the first push rod (504); a second rack (524) coupled to the second push rod (506); a pinion bar (526) coupled to the firing rod (502); and a pinion (528) rotatably mounted on the pinion bar (526) and meshed with the first rack (522) and the second rack (524).
Clause 8d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of clause 7d, the first rack (522) and the second rack (524) are movable in opposing axial directions relative to one another in response to rotation of the sled (240) about a pitch axis (PA).
Clause 9d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of any one of clauses 7d-8d, wherein the first rack (522) and the second rack (524) are each movable in a first axial direction in response to movement of the firing rod (502) in the first axial direction.
Clause 10d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of any one of clauses 6d-9d, further comprising: a shaft assembly (600A), the differential (520) being mounted in the shaft assembly (600A).
Clause 11d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of any one of clauses 6d-10d, wherein the differential (520) is rotatably coupled to the firing rod (502).
Clause 12d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of any one of clauses 7d-10d, wherein the pinion bar (526) is axially constrained relative to the firing rod (502) and freely rotatable relative thereto.
Clause 13d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of any one of clauses 1d-12d, wherein the first push rod (504) coupled to an upper end of the sled (236) and the second push rod (506) coupled to a lower end of the sled (236).
Clause 14d. The knife firing subsystem (500) of any one of clauses 1d-13d, wherein the firing rod (502) is configured to indirectly drive the sled (236).
Clause 15d. A control device (1100) configured to: read (808) a firing force of a knife (206) driven by a motor (1202); determine (812) whether the firing force exceeds an upper threshold; in response to determining that the firing force exceeds the upper threshold, calculate an error; calculate (824), using the error, a time modulator; calculate (826), using the time modulator, a new time to move the knife (206) from a current position of the knife (206) to a beginning of end of cutline; and transmit the new time to a motor trajectory generator (1202A), the motor trajectory generator (1202A) being configured to accelerate or decelerate the motor (1202) based on the transmitted new time.
Clause 16d. The control device of clause 15d, wherein the error is calculated by subtracting the upper threshold from the read firing force.
Clause 17d. The control device of any one of clauses 15d-16d, wherein the time modulator is calculated using the equation: Time Modulator=kp*error+ki§error*dt, where kp is the proportional gain, ki is the integral gain, error is the calculated error, and dt is the delta time.
Clause 18d. The control device of any one of clauses 15d-17d, wherein the new time is calculated using the equation:
where firing_speed is a target knife speed, end_position is the beginning of end of cutline, and current_knife_position is the current position of the knife (206).
Clause 19d. A surgical instrument comprising: an end effector comprising a channel (202) and an anvil (204) coupled to the channel (202); and a knife firing subsystem (500) comprising: a knife (206); a sled (236) coupled to or integral with the knife (206) and configured to move the knife (206) in the end effector (200); a firing rod (502) configured to drive the sled (236); a first push rod (504) comprising: a first push rod distal end (504A) coupled to the sled (236); and a first push rod proximal end (504B) coupled to the firing rod (502); and a second push rod (506) comprising: a second push rod distal end (506A) coupled to the sled (236); and a second push rod proximal end (506B) coupled to the firing rod (502).
20d. The surgical instrument of claim 19d, wherein the sled (236) is configured to pivot the anvil (204) relative to the channel (204) in response to the sled (236) moving the knife (206).
Clause 1e. A shaft roll subsystem (600) comprising: a shaft assembly (600A) comprising: a rotatable outer shaft (602); and an inner shaft (604); and a shaft roll puck assembly (710) configured to engage a housing (700) and comprising: a shaft roll puck (710A) rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell (700A, 700B); a first screw gear (710B) rotatable with the shaft roll puck (710A); and a second screw gear (710C) meshed with the first screw gear (710B) and coupled to the rotatable outer shaft (602), wherein rotation of the shaft roll puck (710A) rotates the first screw gear, which rotates the second screw gear (710C), which rotates the rotatable outer shaft (602).
Clause 2e. The shaft roll subsystem of clause le, further comprising: one or more bearings (606) configured engage the housing (700) and to permit rotation of the rotatable outer shaft (602) relative to the housing (700).
Clause 3c. The shaft roll subsystem of any one of clauses 1e-2e, wherein the inner shaft (604) is rotationally fixed to the outer shaft (602).
Clause 4c. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of any one of clauses 1e-3e, wherein the inner shaft (604) comprises a plurality of support channels (605), each support channel (605) being configured to rotationally constrain an articulation cable (402, 404, 406, 408).
Clause 5e. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of any one of clauses le-4c, wherein the shaft roll puck (710A) is configured to rotate the rotatable outer shaft (602) approximately 320 degrees.
Clause 6c. A shaft roll subsystem (600) comprising: a shaft assembly (600A) comprising: a rotatable outer shaft (602); and an inner shaft (604); and a shaft roll puck assembly (710′) configured to engage a housing (700) and comprising: a shaft roll puck (710A′) rotatably mounted on the housing (700); a first input capstan (710B1′) rotatable with the shaft roll puck (710A′); a second input capstan (710B2′) rotatable with the shaft roll puck (710′); an output drum (710C′) connected to the rotatable outer shaft (602); a first roll cable (711B1′) connecting the first input capstan (710B1′) and the output drum (710C′); and a second roll cable (711B2′) connecting the second input capstan (710B2′) and the output drum (710C′), wherein rotation of the shaft roll puck (710A) rotates the first input capstan (710B1′) and the second input capstan (710B2′), which causes either: (i) the first roll cable (711B1′) to wrap around the first input capstan (710B1′) and second roll cable (711B2′) to unwrap from the second input capstan (710B2′), thereby rotating the output drum (710C′) in a first direction, or (ii) the first roll cable (711B1′) to unwrap from the first input capstan (710B1′) and second roll cable (711B2′) to wrap around the second input capstan (710B2′), thereby rotating the output drum (710C′) in a second direction.
Clause 7e. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of clause 6e, wherein the first roll cable (711B1′) and the second roll cable (711B2′) wrap (i) around the output drum (710C′) in opposite directions and (ii) around their respective input capstan (710B1′, 710B2′) in opposite directions.
Clause 8c. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of any one of clauses 6e-7e, further comprising a roll limiting ring 711A2′ sandwiched between the first input capstan (710B1′) and the second input capstan (710B2′).
Clause 9e. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of any one of clauses 6e-8c, further comprising: a first pair of positioning pins (711A3′); and a second pair of positioning pins (711A4′), wherein the shaft roll puck (710A′) comprises a splined shaft (710A2′), the first pair of positioning pins (711A3′) are sandwiched between the first input capstan (710B1′), and the second pair of positioning pins (711A4′) are sandwiched between the second input capstan (710B2′).
Clause 10c. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of any one of clauses 6e-9e, further comprising: a first pocket (710B4′) defined the first input capstan (710B3′) that receives a first crimped end of the first roll cable (711B1′); and a second pocket (710C3′) defined in the output drum (710C′) that receives a second crimped end of the first roll cable (711B1′).
Clause 11e. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of any one of clauses 6e-10e, further comprising: one or more spring pins (711C′) that connect the output drum (710C′) and the outer shaft (602) together.
Clause 12e. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of any one of clauses 6e-1le, wherein the inner shaft (604) is rotationally fixed to the outer shaft (602).
Clause 13e. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of any one of clauses 6e-12e, wherein the inner shaft (604) comprises a plurality of support channels (605), each support channel (605) being configured to rotationally constrain an articulation cable (402, 404, 406, 408).
Clause 14c. The shaft roll subsystem (600) of any one of clauses 6e-13c, wherein the shaft roll puck (710A) is configured to rotate the rotatable outer shaft (602) approximately 320 degrees.
Clause 15e. A surgical instrument comprising: a housing (700); an end effector (200); a joint (300) coupled to the end effector (200); a shaft assembly (600A) coupling the housing (700) and the joint (300) and comprising: a rotatable outer shaft (602); and an inner shaft (604); and a shaft roll puck assembly (710) engaging the housing (700) and comprising: a shaft roll puck (710A) rotatably mounted on an outer housing shell (700A, 700B) of the housing (700); a first screw gear (710B) rotatable with the shaft roll puck (710A); and a second screw gear (710C) meshed with the first screw gear (710B) and coupled to the rotatable outer shaft (602), wherein rotation of the shaft roll puck (710A) rotates the first screw gear, which rotates the second screw gear (710C), which rotates the rotatable outer shaft (602), which rotates the joint (300) and end effector (200) about a roll axis.
Clause 16e. The surgical instrument of clause 15e, wherein the inner shaft (604) is rotationally fixed to the outer shaft (602).
Clause 17e. The surgical instrument of any one of clauses 15e-16e, further comprising a plurality of articulation cables (402, 404, 406, 408), wherein the inner shaft (604) comprises a plurality of support channels (605), each support channel (605) rotationally constraining one articulation cable (402, 404, 406, 408) of the plurality of articulation cables (402, 404, 406, 408).
Clause 18e. The surgical instrument of any one of clauses 15e-17e, wherein the inner shaft (604) comprises a reduced diameter transition section (604A) configured for the articulation cables (402, 404, 406, 408) to partially wind therearound.
Clause 19e. The surgical instrument of any one of clauses 15e-18e, further comprising a firing rod that extends through the outer shaft (602) and the inner shaft (604).
Clause 20c. The surgical instrument of any one of clauses 15e-19e, wherein the shaft roll puck (710A) is configured to rotate the end effector (200) approximately 320 degrees.
Clause 21c. A surgical instrument (1000) comprising: a shaft assembly (600A) comprising: a rotatable outer shaft (602) configured to rotate about a roll axis (RA); and a maypole tube (608) housed within the outer shaft; a firing rod (502) that extends within the maypole tube (608) and is configured to move a knife (206) in an end effector (200); one or more articulation cables (402, 404, 406, 408), each articulation cable (402, 404, 406, 408) being configured (i) to be manipulable to cause rotation of the end effector (200) about at least one of a pitch axis (PA) and a yaw axis (YA) and (ii) to wrap around the maypole tube (608) when the rotatable outer shaft (602) rotates about the roll axis (RA).
Clause 22e. The surgical instrument (1000) of clause 21e, further comprising: a shaft roll puck assembly (710) comprising: a rotatable shaft roll puck (710A); a first screw gear (710B) rotatable with the shaft roll puck (710A); and a second screw gear (710C) meshed with the first screw gear (710B) and coupled to the outer shaft (602), wherein rotation of the shaft roll puck (710A) rotates the first screw gear (710B), which rotates the second screw gear (710C), which rotates the outer shaft (602) about the roll axis (RA).
Clause 23c. The surgical instrument (1000) of clause 21e, further comprising: a shaft roll puck assembly (710′) comprising: a rotatable shaft roll puck (710A′); a first input capstan (710B1′) rotatable with the shaft roll puck (710A′); a second input capstan (710B2′) rotatable with the shaft roll puck (710A′); an output drum (710C′) connected to the outer shaft (602); a first roll cable (711B1′) connecting the first input capstan (710B1′) and the output drum (710C′); and a second roll cable (711B2′) connecting the second input capstan (710B2′) and the output drum (710C′), wherein rotation of the shaft roll puck (710A) rotates the first input capstan (710B1′) and the second input capstan (710B2′), which causes either: (i) the first roll cable (711B1′) to wrap around the first input capstan (710B1′) and second roll cable (711B2′) to unwrap from the second input capstan (710B2′), thereby rotating the output drum (710C′) and the outer shaft (602) in a first direction about the roll axis (RA), or (ii) the first roll cable (711B1′) to unwrap from the first input capstan (710B1′) and second roll cable (711B2′) to wrap around the second input capstan (710B2′), thereby rotating the output drum (710C′) and the outer shaft (602) in a second direction about the roll axis (RA).
Clause 24c. The surgical instrument (1000) of any one of clauses 21e-23e, wherein the maypole tube (608) entirely surrounds at least a portion of the firing rod (502).
Clause 25e. The surgical instrument (1000) of any one of clauses 21e-24c, further comprising a housing (700) configured to engage a robotic platform (2000), a proximal end (608A) of the maypole tube (608) being disposed in the housing (700).
Clause 26e. The surgical instrument (1000) of clause 25e, the proximal end (608A) being flared.
Clause 27e. The surgical instrument (1000) of any one of clauses 25e-26e, further comprising an inner shaft (604) rotationally fixed to the outer shaft (602), the maypole tube (608) extending from the housing (700) to the inner shaft (604).
Clause 28e. The surgical instrument (1000) of clause 27e, the inner shaft (604) comprising one or more support channels (605) that rotationally constrain the one or more articulation cables (402, 404, 406, 408).
Clause 29e. The surgical instrument (1000) of any one of clauses 27e-28e, the one or articulation cables (402, 404, 406, 408) being rotationally unconstrained in a region of the surgical instrument (1000) that (i) surrounds the maypole tube (608) and (ii) extends approximately an entire length of the maypole tube (608).
Clause 30e. The surgical instrument (1000) of any one of clauses 21e-29e, the maypole tube (608) comprising a rigid material.
Clause 3le. The surgical instrument (1000) of any one of clauses 21e-29e, the maypole tube (608) comprising a bendable material.
Clause 32e. The surgical instrument (1000) of any one of clauses 30e-3le, the maypole tube (608) comprising a lubricious additive material.
Clause 33c. A control device (1110) for adjusting a length of a cable (402) of a surgical instrument (1000), the surgical instrument comprising the cable and a shaft (602), the cable comprising (i) a section with an initial length (L) defined between a rotatable point (P2) of the cable that is rotatable with the shaft relative to a rotationally restrained proximal point (P1) of the cable and (ii) an initial tension at a zero degree roll angle, the control device being configured to: receive a non-zero degree roll angle (B) of the rotatable point (P2) of the cable that is rotated with the shaft relative to the rotationally restrained proximal point (P1) of the cable; determine a change in length (ΔL) of the section of the cable (402), relative to the initial length (L), that maintains the cable (402) at the initial tension; calculate a cable compensation length by multiplying the determined change in length (ΔL) of the section of the cable (402) by a factor; and deliver a signal to change the length of the section of the cable based on the calculated cable compensation length.
Clause 34c. The control device (1110) of clause 33e, wherein the factor is between 0 and 1.
Clause 35c. The control device (1110) of clause 34c, wherein the factor is between approximately 0.5 and 0.85.
Clause 36c. A surgical system comprising: a surgical instrument (1000) comprising: a housing (700); a shaft assembly (600A) extending from the housing (700) and comprising: an outer shaft (602) configured to rotate about a roll axis (RA); and a maypole tube (608) housed within the outer shaft; and a cable (402) comprising a rotationally restrained point (P1) proximal the housing (700) and a rotatable point (P2) that is rotatable with the outer shaft (602), the cable (402) comprising, at a zero-degree roll angle, a length (L) defined between the rotationally restrained point (P1) and the rotatable point (P2); and a control device (1110) for adjusting the length of the cable, the control device (111) being configured to: receive a non-zero degree roll angle (B) of rotatable point (P2) of the cable (402) relative to the rotationally restrained proximal point (P1) of the cable; determine a change in length (ΔL) of the cable (402), relative to the length (L) of the cable (402) at the zero-degree roll angle, that maintains the cable (402) at a same tension as the tension in the cable (402) when the cable (402) is at the zero-degree roll angle; calculate a cable compensation length by multiplying the determined change in length (ΔL) of the cable by a factor; and deliver a signal to change the length of the cable based on the calculated cable compensation length.
Clause 37e. The surgical system of clause 36e, wherein the control system comprises a robotic platform (2000), the housing (700) comprises a puck assembly (702) that connects with the robotic platform (2000), and the puck assembly (702) is configured to receive the signal to change the length of the cable (402) by unwinding the cable (402) from the puck assembly (702).
Clause 38e. The surgical system of any one of clauses 36e-37e, wherein the factor is between 0 and 1.
Clause 39e. The surgical system of clause 38e, wherein the factor is between approximately 0.5 and 0.85.
Clause 40e. The surgical system of any one of clauses 36e-39e, wherein the surgical instrument (1000) comprises firing rod (502), and the maypole tube (608) entirely surrounds at least a portion of the firing rod (502).
Clause If. A housing (700) for a surgical instrument comprising: an outer housing shell (700A, 700B) configured to engage a robotic platform (2000); a plurality of articulation puck assemblies (702, 704, 706, 708) rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell (700A, 700B), each articulation puck assembly (702, 704, 706, 708) being configured to windably engage an articulation cable (402, 404, 406, 408); a shaft roll puck assembly (710) rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell (700A, 700B) and configured to roll a shaft (602); and a firing puck assembly (712) rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell (700A, 700B) and configured to translate a knife firing subsystem (500).
Clause 2f. The housing (700) of clause 1f, wherein each articulation puck assembly (702, 704, 706, 708) comprises: an articulation puck (702A, 704A, 706A, 708A); and a capstan (702B, 704B, 706B, 708B) mounted within the housing shell (700A, 700B) and coupled to a respective articulation puck (702A, 704A, 706A, 708A), each capstan (702B, 704B, 706B, 708B) configured to wind a respective articulation cable (402, 404, 406, 408) directly thereabout.
Clause 3f. The housing (700) of any one of clauses 1f-2f, wherein each articulation puck assembly comprises a torsion spring (702C, 704C, 706C, 708C), each torsion spring (702C, 704C, 706C, 708C) configured to tension a respective articulation cable (402, 404, 406, 408).
Clause 4f. The housing (700) of clause 3f, further comprising a pair of torsion spring retainers (703, 705) that respectively capture two (702C, 704C) of the torsion springs in an axial direction.
Clause 5f. The housing (700) of any one of clauses 1f-4f, further comprising: a plurality of static redirects (714, 716, 718, 720), each static redirect comprising a surface configured to engage a respective articulation cable (402, 404, 406, 408).
Clause 6f. The housing (700) of any one of clauses 1f-5f, the shaft roll puck assembly (710) further comprising: a shaft roll puck (710A) rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell (700A, 700B); a first screw gear (710B) rotatable with the shaft roll puck (710A); and a second screw gear (710C) meshed with the first screw gear (710B) and configured to be coupled to a shaft (602).
Clause 7f. The housing (700) of any one of clauses 1f-6f, further comprising a rack (530) coupled to or integral with a firing rod (502), and the firing puck assembly (712) further comprising: a firing puck (712A) rotatably mounted on the outer housing shell (700A, 700B); a geartrain (712B) rotatable with the firing puck (712A); and a pinion (712C) coupled to the geartrain (712B) and meshed with the rack (530).
Clause 8f. The housing (700) of any one of clauses 1f-8f, further comprising: a near field radio-frequency identification board (724) mounted in the outer housing shell (700A, 700B).
Clause 9f. The housing (700) of any one of clauses 1f-8f, the outer housing shell (700A, 700B) being configured as a handle.
Clause 1g. A method of operating an articulation subsystem (400) of a surgical instrument (1000), the method comprising: engaging a first articulation puck (702A) of a first articulation puck assembly (702) with a robotic platform (2000); and rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), the first articulation puck in a first puck direction, wherein rotation of the first articulation puck (702A) in the first puck direction causes a first articulation cable (402) to wind around a first capstan (702B) of the first articulation puck assembly (702), and wherein winding of the first articulation cable around the first capstan (702B) causes an end effector (200) to pivot about an articulation joint (300) in a first articulation direction.
Clause 2g. The method of clause 1g, further comprising: engaging a second articulation puck (704A) of a second articulation puck assembly (704) with the robotic platform; and rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), the second articulation puck (704A) in the first puck direction, wherein rotation of the second articulation puck (704A) in the first puck direction causes a second articulation cable (404) to wind around a second capstan (704B) of the second articulation puck assembly (704), and wherein winding of the second articulation cable (404) around the second capstan (704B) causes the end effector (200) to pivot about the articulation joint (300) in a second articulation direction that is different from the first articulation direction.
Clause 3g. The method of clause 2g, further comprising: rotating, via the robotic platform, the first articulation puck (702A) and the second articulation puck (704A) simultaneously in the first puck direction, wherein rotation of the first articulation puck (702A) and the second articulation puck (704A) simultaneously in the first puck direction causes the end effector (200) to pivot about the articulation joint in a blended articulation direction that is different from the first articulation direction and the second articulation direction.
Clause 4g. The method of any one of clauses 2g-3g, further comprising: engaging a third articulation puck (706A) of a third articulation puck assembly (706) with the robotic platform (2000); and rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), the third articulation puck in the first puck direction, wherein rotation of the third articulation puck (706A) in the first puck direction causes a third articulation cable (406) to wind around a third capstan (706B) of the third articulation puck assembly (706), and wherein winding of the third articulation cable (406) around the third capstan (706B) causes the end effector (200) to pivot about the articulation joint (300) in a third articulation direction that is different from the first articulation direction and the second articulation direction.
Clause 5g. The method of clause 4g, further comprising: engaging a fourth articulation puck (708A) of a fourth articulation puck assembly (708) with the robotic platform (2000); and rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), the fourth articulation puck (708A) in the first direction, wherein rotation of the fourth articulation puck (708A) in the first puck direction causes a fourth articulation cable (408) to wind around a fourth capstan (708B) of the fourth articulation puck assembly (708), and wherein winding of the fourth articulation cable (408) around the fourth capstan (708B) causes the end effector (200) to pivot about the articulation joint (300) in a fourth articulation direction that is different from the first articulation direction, the second articulation direction, and the third articulation direction.
Clause 6g. The method of clause 5g, wherein the first capstan (702A) and the second capstan (704A) are vertically offset from the third capstan (706A) and the fourth capstan (708A).
Clause 7g. The method of any one of clauses 5g-6g, wherein the first articulation cable (402) and the third articulation cable (406) form a first single continuous cable and the second articulation cable (404) and the fourth articulation cable (408) form a second single continuous cable.
Clause 8g. The method of any one of clause 1g-7g, further comprising: rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), the first articulation puck (702A) in a second puck direction that is opposite the first puck direction, wherein rotation of the first articulation puck (702A) in the second puck direction causes the first articulation cable (402) to unwind from the first capstan (702B) of the first articulation puck assembly (702), and wherein unwinding of the first articulation cable (402) from the first capstan (702B) causes the end effector (200) to pivot about the articulation joint (300) to a position substantially coaxial with a shaft assembly (600A) of the surgical instrument (1000).
Clause 9g. The method of any one of clauses 1g-8g, wherein the end effector (200) has at least two degrees of freedom.
Clause 10g. The method of any one of clauses 1g-9g, wherein the first articulation puck (702A) is biased in the first puck direction by a first torsion spring (702C).
Clause 11g. The method of any one of clauses 1g-10g, wherein the first articulation cable (702A) is redirected by a static redirect (714) disposed in a housing that houses the first articulation puck assembly (702).
Clause 12g. The method of any one of clauses 1g-11g, further comprising: engaging a shaft roll puck (710A) of a shaft roll puck assembly (710) with the robotic platform (2000); and rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), the shaft roll puck (710A) in the first puck direction, wherein rotation of the shaft roll puck (710A) in the first puck direction causes a first screw gear (710B) to rotate, wherein rotation of the first screw gear (710B) causes a second screw gear (710C) that is meshed with the first screw gear (710B) to rotate, and wherein rotation of the second screw gear (710B) causes the articulation joint (300) and the end effector (200) to rotate about a roll axis.
Clause 13g. The method of clause 12g, wherein the rotation about the roll axis is approximately 320 degrees.
Clause 14g. The method of any one of clauses 1g-13g, wherein a first push rod (504) of a firing subsystem (500) extends through the articulation joint (300).
Clause 15g. The method of clause 14g, further comprising: while the end effector (200) is pivoted in the first articulation direction, rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), a firing puck (712A) of a firing puck assembly (712) in the first puck direction, wherein rotation of the firing puck (712A) in the first puck direction causes a firing rod (502) to translate, and wherein translation of the firing rod causes the first push rod (504) to move through the articulation joint (300).
Clause 16g. A method of operating a firing subsystem (500) of a surgical instrument (1000), the method comprising: engaging a firing puck (712A) of a firing puck assembly (712) with a robotic platform (2000); and rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), the firing puck (712A) in a first puck direction, wherein rotation of the firing puck (712A) in the first puck direction causes a geartrain (712B) to rotate, wherein rotation of the geartrain rotates a driven gear (712C), wherein rotation of the driven gear (712C) causes translational movement of a firing rod (502).
Clause 17g. The method of clause 16g, wherein the translational movement of the firing rod (502) causes movement of a knife (206) in an end effector (200).
Clause 18g. The method of clause 17g, wherein the movement of the knife (206) causes an anvil (204) of the end effector (200) to close.
Clause 19g. The method of any one of clauses 16g-18g, wherein the geartrain (712B) comprises a first idler gear (712B1) meshed with a drive gear (712A1), a second idler gear (712B2) coaxial with and rotationally affixed to the first idler gear (712B1), and a third idler gear (712B3) meshed with the second idler gear (712B2) and rotationally affixed to the driven gear (712C).
Clause 20g. The method of any one of clauses 16g-19g, wherein, prior to rotating the firing puck (712A) in the first puck direction, the method comprises at least one of: rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), a first articulation puck (702A) in a first puck direction to cause an end effector (200) to rotate about at least one of a pitch axis or a yaw axis; or rotating, via the robotic platform (2000), a shaft roll puck (710A) in the first puck direction to cause the end effector (200) to rotate about a roll axis.
The embodiments described above are cited by way of example, and the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather, the scope of the invention includes both combinations and sub combinations of the various features described and illustrated hereinabove, as well as variations and modifications thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not disclosed in the prior art.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/515,020 filed Jul. 21, 2023 (Attorney Docket END9566USPSP1) and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/640,289 filed Apr. 30, 2024 (Attorney Docket END9566USPSP2), the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63515020 | Jul 2023 | US | |
| 63640289 | Apr 2024 | US |
