Patent Application
20220151678
The present invention relates to robotic surgical systems used in minimally invasive medical procedures because of their increased accuracy and expediency relative to handheld surgical instruments.
Robotic surgical systems have been used in minimally invasive medical procedures and can include robotic arm assemblies. Some robotic arm assemblies include one or more robot arms to which surgical instruments can be coupled. Such surgical instruments include, for example, electrosurgical forceps, cutting instruments, staplers, graspers, electrocautery devices, or any other endoscopic or open surgical devices. Prior to or during use of the robotic surgical system, various surgical instruments can be selected and connected to the robot arms for selectively actuating end effectors of the connected surgical instruments. Some of these surgical instruments utilize electrical energy, for example, to effectuate electrocautery with the end effector. The challenges associated with safely delivering electrical energy to the end effectors of these surgical instruments can add to the cost, size, and energy output of the robotic surgical system.
In accordance with one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to robotic surgical system. The robotic surgical system includes an energy source, a sterile interface module, and a surgical instrument. The surgical instrument has a housing and an elongated shaft that extends distally from the housing to an end effector. The housing supports a switch. The energy source is coupled to the surgical instrument to transmit electrical energy from the energy source to the switch. The switch is positioned to enable the electrical energy to be transmitted to the end effector of the surgical instrument when the sterile interface module is engaged with the switch. The switch is positioned to prevent the electrical energy from being transmitted to the end effector when the sterile interface module is disengaged from the switch.
In some embodiments, the sterile interface module may include a nub and the housing may define a nub recess. The switch may extend into the nub recess and may be configured to engage the nub. The switch may include a plunger that extends into the nub recess and a button disposed within the housing. The plunger may be positioned to selectively engage the button. The button may be coupled to a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board may flex toward the button when the plunger engages the button.
In embodiments, the switch may include a spring that urges the plunger into the nub recess when the nub is not engaged with the plunger. The switch may include a footing engaged with the housing and a button housing coupled to the footing. The button housing may be movable relative to the footing as the plunger moves relative to the nub recess. The spring may be engaged with the footing. The footing may include a flange that limits movement of the button housing relative to the footing.
In various embodiments, the switch may be a dome switch.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical instrument for selective connection to a sterile interface module of a robotic surgical system is provided. The surgical instrument includes a housing configured for coupling to an electrosurgical energy source, an elongated shaft that extends distally from the housing, an end effector supported on the elongated shaft, and a switch supported by the housing. The switch is positioned to enable the electrical energy from the electrosurgical energy source to be transmitted to the end effector when the housing is coupled to the sterile interface module. The switch is positioned to prevent the electrical energy from being transmitted from the electrosurgical energy source to the end effector when the housing is uncoupled from the sterile interface module.
In embodiments, the housing may define a nub recess that is configured to engage a nub of the sterile interface module.
Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims that follow.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Embodiments of the presently disclosed robotic surgical system are described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views. As commonly known, the term “clinician” refers to a doctor, a nurse, or any other care provider and may include support personnel. Further, as is used in the art, the term “distal” refers to a position, a direction, and/or a structure, which is closer to the patient, and the term “proximal” refers to a position, a direction, and/or a structure, which is farther from to the patient. In addition, directional terms such as front, rear, upper, lower, top, bottom, and the like are used simply for convenience of description and are not intended to limit the disclosure attached hereto.
In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail.
With brief reference to
Robotic surgical system 10 employs various robotic elements to assist the clinician and allow remote operation (or partial remote operation) of surgical instrumentation such as surgical instrument 50. Various robotic arms, gears, cams, pulleys, electric and mechanical motors, etc. may be employed for this purpose and may be designed with robotic surgical system 10 to assist the clinician during the course of an operation or treatment. Such robotic systems may include remotely steerable systems, automatically flexible surgical systems, remotely flexible surgical systems, remotely articulating surgical systems, wireless surgical systems, modular or selectively configurable remotely operated surgical systems, etc.
Robotic surgical system 10 includes a medical work station (not shown) that may be employed with one or more consoles positioned next to the operating theater or located in a remote location. In this instance, one team of clinicians may prep the patient for surgery and configure robotic surgical system 10 with surgical instrument 50 while another clinician (or group of clinicians) remotely controls surgical instrument 50 via the one or more consoles. As can be appreciated, a highly skilled clinician may perform multiple operations in multiple locations without leaving his/her remote console. This can be economically advantageous and a benefit to the patient or a series of patients. For a detailed description of exemplary medical work stations and/or components thereof, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 8,828,023 and PCT Application Publication No. WO2016/025132, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated by reference herein.
With continued reference to
With reference to
In general, sterile interface module or (“SIM”) 40 supports a plurality of drive couplers 40a and electrical connectors 40b. SIM 40 further includes a semi-annular coupling cuff 40c that defines a U-shaped channel 40d for receiving surgical instrument 50 in a side-loading manner. SIM 40 also includes electrical nubs 42 that depend therefrom. For a more detailed description of similar sterile interface modules and components thereof, reference can be made to WO2017205308 by Zemlock et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
With reference to
As seen in
Button assembly 106 of electrical switch assembly 100 includes a button housing 106a and legs 106b secured to button housing 106a. Legs 106b extend from button housing 106a and are receivable within button leg apertures 102b of printed circuit board 102 to secure button housing 106a to printed circuit board 102. Legs 106b and/or button housing 106a can be secured to printed circuit board 102 using any known securement technique such as welding, soldering, crimping, etc. Each leg 106b includes an elbow 106x that engages a top surface of printed circuit board 102 to prevent legs 106b and button housing 106a from moving relative to printed circuit board 102. Button assembly 106 further includes a footing 106c supported in button housing 106a and engaged with shelf 55a of housing 54, a button 106d secured to button housing 106a and engaged with base 108a of plunger 108, and a spring 106e supported in button housing 106 between button 106d and footing 106c. Spring 106e is configured to spring bias button housing 106a toward plunger 108 for selectively extending rod 108b of plunger 108 into a nub recess 56 of cover 54c of housing 54. Footing 106c includes a nipple 106f that extends from footing 106c and engages spring 106e. Footing 106c further includes an annular flange 106g that extends radially outward from footing 106c and limits axial movement of button housing 106a relative to footing 106c.
As seen in
With reference to
Delivery of electrosurgical energy through surgical instrument 50 enables end effector 52 of surgical instrument 50 to effectuate an electrosurgical and/or an electrocautery procedure. For instance, surgical instrument 50 may be an electrosurgical forceps configured to deliver bipolar and/or monopolar energy through end effector 52 of surgical instrument 50. For a more detailed description of an exemplary electrosurgical forceps, reference can be made to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0209206 by Kerr et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
To deactivate electrical switch assembly 100, paddles 59 of housing 54 are actuated to separate housing 54 of surgical instrument 50 from SIM 40 via side unloading. As housing 54 of surgical instrument 50 is unloaded from SIM 40, nubs 42 of SIM 40 separate from nub recesses 56 of housing 54 so that springs 106e of button assemblies 106 of electrical switch assembly 100 cause plungers 108 of switches 104 to spring back from a depressed position (
As can be appreciated, securement of any of the components of the presently disclosed apparatus can be effectuated using known securement techniques such welding, crimping, gluing, fastening, etc.
Persons skilled in the art will understand that the structures and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying figures are non-limiting exemplary embodiments, and that the description, disclosure, and figures should be construed merely as exemplary of particular embodiments. It is to be understood, therefore, that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise embodiments described, and that various other changes and modifications may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. Additionally, it is envisioned that the elements and features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the elements and features of another without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and that such modifications and variations are also intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Indeed, any combination of any of the presently disclosed elements and features is within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the subject matter of the present disclosure is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2020/022036 | 3/11/2020 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62823036 | Mar 2019 | US |
