Surgical manipulator for a telerobotic system

Abstract

The invention is directed to mainpulator assembly (2) for holding and manipulating a surgical instrument (14) in a telerobotic system. The assembly comprises a base (6) fixable by passive or power driven positioning devices to a surface, such as an operating table, and an instrument holder (4) movably mounted on the base. The instrument holder comprises a chassis (6) and an instrument support (70) movably mounted on the body and having an interface engageable with the surgical instrument to releasably mount the instrument to the instrument holder. A drive assembly (7) is operatively coupled to the instrument holder for providing the instrument with at least two degrees of freedom. The instrument holder is separable from the base and the drive assembly so that the holder can be sterilized. The assembly further includes a force sensing element (52) mounted distal to the holder and the drive assembly for detecting forces exerted on the surgical instrument and providing feedback to the surgeon. The assembly is attached to a remote center positioner (300) for constraining the instrument to rotate a point coincident with the entry incision and an inclinometer (350) for preventing gravitational forces acting on the system's mechanisms from being felt by the surgeon.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 104,935, filed Jun. 25, 1998; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 824,977, field Mar. 27, 1997; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 487,020 filed Jun. 7, 1995, the full disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to surgical manipulators and more particularly to robotically-assisted apparatus for use in surgery. [0003] In standard laparoscopic surgery, a patient's abdomen is insufflated with gas, and trocar sleeves are passed through small (approximately 1 / 2 inch) incisions to provide entry ports for laparoscopic surgical instruments. The laparoscopic surgical instruments generally include a laparoscope for viewing the surgical field, and working tools such as clamps, graspers, scissors, staplers, and n...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a surgical manipulator that can hold and manipulate a surgical instrument during open or endoscopic procedures. It includes a support base and an instrument holder with a drive assembly for providing the instrument with at least two degrees of freedom. The instrument holder can be easily sterilized and separated from the rest of the device for disposal. The support base has a force sensing element for detecting lateral forces exerted on the instrument during surgery. The actuator driver includes a coupling that connects to the drive assembly for actuating the end effector of the instrument. The invention avoids frictional coupling with other degrees of freedom such as axial movement and rotation of the instrument. It is particularly useful for holding and manipulating a surgical instrument with an end effector.

Problems solved by technology

Since the force sensing element is mounted distal to the remainder of the apparatus, it is undisturbed by forces that may be exerted on the cannula by the surgical incision or by gravity and inertial forces that act on the instrument holder.

Because of the symmetrical design of the helical actuator, the actuation force applied by the drive motor will not generate any effective side loads on the instrument, which avoids frictional coupling with other degrees of freedom such as axial movement and rotation of the instrument.

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