System and method for reducing blade exposure

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods for reducing blade exposure. A system and method for reducing blade exposure are disclosed, which include surgical cutting. The surgical cutting instrument includes an end effector located at the distal end of the surgical cutting instrument, one or more drive units, a shaft coupled to the drive unit, an articulated wrist coupling the end effector to the shaft, and one or more drive mechanisms in the shaft for coupling force or torque from the drive unit to the end effector and the articulated wrist. The end effector includes an opposable clamping clamp and a cutting blade. In order to perform a cutting operation, the surgical cutting instrument measures a clamp angle between the clamping clamps, measures an articulation state of the articulated wrist, corrects the clamp angle based on the articulation state of the articulated wrist, determines a constraint on the cutting operation based on the corrected clamp angle, and performs or prevents the cutting operation based on the constraint.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese patent application 2016800280781 (PCT / US2016 / 032324) filed on May 13, 2016 and entitled “System and method for reducing blade exposure”.

[0002] Related Applications

[0003] This patent application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 176,893, filed May 15, 2015, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REDUCING BLADE EXPOSURES,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to the operation of devices having articulated arms and end effectors, and more particularly to the operation of minimally invasive cutting instruments to reduce blade exposure. Background Art

[0005] More and more equipment is being replaced by autonomous and semi-autonomous electronic devices. This is especially true in hospitals today with a large number of autonomous and semi-autonomous electronic devices present in operating rooms, interventional units, intensive care units, emergency rooms, etc. For example, glass and mercury thermometers are being replaced by electronic thermometers, IV drip lines now include electronic monitors and flow regulators, and traditional handheld surgical instruments are being replaced by computer-assisted medical devices.

[0006] Minimally invasive surgical techniques using computer-assisted medical devices generally attempt to perform surgical procedures and / or other procedures while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. Some minimally invasive procedures can be performed remotely by using computer-assisted medical devices with surgical instruments. For many computer-assisted medical devices, surgeons and / or other medical personnel can usually use one or more control devices on the operator console to manipulate input devices. When surgeons and / or other medical personnel operate various control devices at the operator console, commands are transmitted from the operator console to the patient-side device equipped with one or more end effectors and / or surgical instruments. In this way, surgeons and / or other medical personnel can use end effectors and / or surgical instruments to perform one or more procedures on patients. Depending on the desired procedures and / or the surgical instruments being used, the desired procedures can be partially or completely performed under the control of the surgeon and / or medical personnel using remote operation and / or performed under semi-autonomous control, in which the surgical instrument can perform a series of operations based on one or more activation actions of the surgeon and / or other medical personnel.

[0007] Whether actuated manually, remotely, and / or semi-autonomously, minimally invasive surgical instruments can be used for a variety of operations and / or procedures and can have a variety of configurations. Many such instruments include an end effector mounted at the distal end of a shaft that can be mounted to the distal end of an articulated arm. In many operating situations, the shaft can be configured to be inserted through an opening (e.g., a body wall incision, a natural orifice, and / or a similar opening) (e.g., laparoscopically, thoracoscopically, and / or in a similar manner) to reach a remote surgical site. In some instruments, an articulated wrist mechanism can be mounted to the distal end of the shaft of the instrument to support the end effector, wherein the articulated wrist provides the ability to change the orientation of the end effector relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

[0008] End effectors of different designs and / or configurations can be used to perform different tasks, procedures, and functions to allow surgeons and / or other medical personnel to perform any of a variety of surgical procedures. Examples include, but are not limited to, cauterization, ablation, suturing, cutting, stapling, fusion, sealing, etc. and / or combinations thereof. Thus, the end effector can include various components and / or combinations of components to perform these surgical procedures.

[0009] Consistent with the goal of minimally invasive procedures, the size of the end effector is generally kept as small as possible while still allowing it to perform its intended task. One method of maintaining the small size of the end effector is to complete the actuation of the end effector using one or more input devices at the proximal end of the surgical instrument, which is usually located outside the patient. Various gears, levers, pulleys, cables, rods, belts and / or similar mechanisms can then be used to transmit the action from one or more input devices along the axis of the surgical instrument and actuate the end effector. In the case of a computer-assisted medical device with an appropriate surgical instrument, the transmission mechanism at the proximal end of the instrument is engaged with various motors, solenoids, servo mechanisms, active actuators, hydraulic devices, pneumatic devices and / or similar devices arranged on the articulated arm of the patient-side device or the patient-side cart. Motors, solenoids, servomechanisms, active actuators, hydraulic devices, pneumatic devices, and / or the like typically receive control signals through a main controller and provide input in the form of force and / or torque at the proximal end of the transmission mechanism, and various gears, levers, pulleys, cables, rods, belts, and / or the like ultimately transmit the input to actuate an end effector at the distal end of the transmission mechanism.

[0010] Due to the remote nature of the operation of such end effectors, in some cases, it may be difficult for the surgeon and / or other medical personnel to know the position of one or more components of the end effector during actuation to perform a desired procedure. For example, in some cases, other portions of the surgical instrument (including the end effector itself) and / or portions of the patient's anatomy may obscure one or more components of the surgical instrument during actuation of the one or more components. Additionally, when one or more of the components encounter a fault condition while attempting to perform a desired procedure, the surgeon and / or other medical personnel may have difficulty detecting and / or correcting the fault condition due to limited visibility of the end effector, limited space in which the surgical instrument operates, limited access to the surgical instrument, remote location of the end effector relative to the surgeon and / or other medical personnel, and / or similar factors.

[0011] In addition, safety conditions may also be a factor in the design and / or operation of surgical instruments. In some examples, the end effector of a surgical tool (such as a cutting tool) may include a sharp cutting blade. When the cutting blade is not actively used for cutting, the cutting blade may be enclosed and / or parked in a housing or parking area on the end effector so that the cutting blade is generally positioned in a position where it cannot accidentally cut the patient's tissue and / or the medical staff manipulating the surgical tool during non-operation. Similarly, one or more precision components of the end effector may also be enclosed and / or parked to prevent damage to the precision components during non-operation.

[0012] When the cutting blade cannot return to the parking area, an error known as blade exposure may occur. In some cases, blade exposure may occur when tissue and / or other debris interfere with the path of the cutting blade toward the parking area and prevent the cutting blade from retracting to the parking area after the cutting operation. In some cases, blade exposure may occur when the cutting blade comes out of a groove or track in the end effector for guiding the cutting blade and prevents the cutting blade from retracting to the parking area. It is generally a good idea to avoid blade exposure because it is not always possible to correct blade exposure and retract the cutting blade to the parking area without first extracting the cutting tool and end effector from the patient.

[0013] Therefore, it is desirable to have improved methods and systems for the operation of surgical instruments, such as cutting instruments.In some examples, it may be desirable to reduce the likelihood of blade exposure. Summary of the invention

[0014] In accordance with some embodiments, a surgical cutting instrument for use with a computer-assisted medical device includes an end effector at a distal end of the surgical cutting instrument, one or more drive units, a shaft coupled to the drive unit, an articulated wrist coupling the end effector to the shaft, and one or more drive mechanisms in the shaft for coupling force or torque from the one or more drive units to the end effector and the articulated wrist. The end effector includes an opposable clamping jaw and a cutting blade. To perform a cutting operation, the surgical cutting instrument is configured to measure a clamp angle between the clamping jaws, measure an articulation state of the articulated wrist, correct the clamp angle based on the articulation state of the articulated wrist, determine a constraint on the cutting operation based on the corrected clamp angle, and perform or prevent the cutting operation based on the constraint.

[0015] Consistent with some embodiments, a method for performing a cutting operation using a surgical cutting instrument for use with a computer-assisted medical device includes measuring, by one or more processors and using one or more first sensors, a clamping angle between clamping jaws of an end effector of the surgical cutting instrument; measuring, by one or more processors and using one or more second sensors, an articulation state of an articulated wrist coupling the end effector to an axis of the surgical cutting instrument; correcting, by one or more processors, the clamping angle based on the articulation state of the articulated wrist; determining, by one or more processors, a constraint on the cutting operation based on the corrected clamping angle; and performing or preventing the cutting operation based on the constraint.

[0016] In accordance with some embodiments, a non-transitory machine-readable medium includes a plurality of machine-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors associated with a computer-assisted medical device, are adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform a method. The method includes measuring a clamp angle between clamping jaws of an end effector of a surgical cutting instrument operated by the computer-assisted medical device; measuring an articulation state of an articulated wrist coupling the end effector to an axis of the surgical cutting instrument; correcting the clamp angle based on the articulation state of the articulated wrist; determining a constraint on a cutting operation based on the corrected clamp angle; and performing or preventing a cutting operation using one or more drive units based on the constraint.

[0017] In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-assisted medical device includes one or more processors, an articulated arm, and a surgical instrument coupled to a distal end of the articulated arm. The surgical instrument includes an end effector located at the distal end of the surgical instrument. The end effector includes an opposable clamping jaw and a cutting blade. The surgical instrument also includes one or more drive units located at the proximal end of the surgical instrument, an axis coupled to the drive unit, an articulated wrist coupling the axis to the end effector, and one or more drive mechanisms in the axis for coupling a force or torque from the one or more drive units to the end effector and the articulated wrist. The computer-assisted medical device is configured to perform a cutting operation using the cutting blade by measuring a clamp angle between the clamping jaws, measuring an articulation state of the articulated wrist, correcting the clamp angle based on the articulation state of the articulated wrist, determining a constraint on the cutting operation based on the corrected clamp angle, and performing or preventing the cutting operation based on the constraint. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of a computer-assisted system according to some embodiments.

[0019] Figure 2 is a simplified diagram illustrating a minimally invasive surgical instrument according to some embodiments.

[0020] Figure 3 According to some embodiments Figure 2 A simplified perspective view of the distal end of a surgical instrument.

[0021] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C According to some embodiments Figure 2 and Figure 3 Simplified cross-sectional view of the end effector.

[0022] Figure 5 is a simplified perspective view of the degrees of freedom of a drive unit according to some embodiments.

[0023] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E are simplified illustrations of various side and front cross-sectional views of end effector and cutting blade configurations according to some embodiments.

[0024] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B is a simplified diagram of a model of blade exposure probability according to some embodiments.

[0025] Figure 8 is a simplified diagram of an exemplary relationship between actual clamp angle and measured clamp angle according to some embodiments.

[0026] Fig. 9 is a simplified diagram of a method for performing a cutting operation according to some embodiments.

[0027] In the drawings, elements with the same name have the same or similar functions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In the following description, the specific details of some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure are set forth. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that some embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. The specific embodiments disclosed herein are meant to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art may realize other elements within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure although not specifically described here. In addition, in order to avoid unnecessary repetition, unless specifically described otherwise, or if one or more features make the embodiments inoperative, one or more features associated with an embodiment shown and described may be incorporated into other embodiments.

[0029] Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of a computer-assisted system 100 according to some embodiments. Figure 1 As shown, the computer-assisted system 100 includes a computer-assisted device 110 having one or more movable arms or articulated arms 120. Each of the one or more articulated arms 120 can support one or more instruments 130. In some examples, the computer-assisted device 110 can be consistent with a computer-assisted surgical device. The one or more articulated arms 120 can each provide support for a medical device 130 (such as a surgical instrument, an imaging device, and / or the like). In some examples, the instrument 130 can include an end effector that can, but is not limited to, perform clamping, retraction, cauterization, ablation, suturing, cutting, stapling, fusion, sealing, etc. and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] The computer-assisted device 110 may also be coupled to an operator workstation (not shown), which may include one or more master controls for operating the computer-assisted device 110, one or more articulated arms 120, and / or the instrument 130. In some examples, the one or more master controls may include master manipulators, levers, pedals, switches, buttons, knobs, triggers, and / or the like. In some embodiments, the computer-assisted device 110 and the operator workstation may correspond to the da Vinci surgical system sold by Intuitive Surgical, Inc. of Sunnyvale, California. In some embodiments, computer-assisted surgical devices having other configurations, fewer or more articulated arms, and / or the like may be used with the computer-assisted system 100.

[0031] The computer-aided device 110 is coupled to the control unit 140 via an interface. The interface may include one or more cables, optical fibers, connectors, and / or buses, and may also include one or more networks having one or more network switches and / or routing devices. The control unit 140 includes a processor 150 coupled to a memory 160. The operation of the control unit 140 is controlled by the processor 150. In addition, although the control unit 140 is shown to have only one processor 150, it should be understood that the processor 150 may represent one or more central processing units, multi-core processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or similar devices in the control unit 140. The control unit 140 may be implemented as an independent subsystem and / or board added to a computing device, or as a virtual machine. In some embodiments, the control unit 140 may be included as part of an operator workstation, and / or may be independent of the operator workstation but operate in conjunction with the operator workstation.

[0032] The memory 160 may be used to store software executed by the control unit 140 and / or one or more data structures used during operation of the control unit 140. The memory 160 may include one or more types of machine-readable media. Some common forms of machine-readable media may include floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, any other magnetic media, CD-ROMs, any other optical media, punch cards, paper tapes, any other physical media with patterns of holes, RAM, PROMs, EPROMs, FLASH-EPROMs, any other memory chips or storage cartridges, and / or any other media from which a processor or computer is adapted to read.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the memory 160 includes a control application 170, which can be used to support autonomous, semi-autonomous and / or teleoperated control of the computer-assisted device 110. The control application 170 may include one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) for receiving position, motion, force, torque and / or other sensor information from the computer-assisted device 110, the articulated arm 120 and / or the instrument 130; exchanging position, motion, force, torque and / or collision avoidance information with other control units associated with other devices; and / or planning and / or assisting in planning the motion of the computer-assisted device 110, the articulated arm 120 and / or the instrument 130. In some examples, the control application 170 can also support autonomous, semi-autonomous and / or teleoperated control of the instrument 130 during a surgical procedure. In addition, although the control application 170 is depicted as a software application, the control application 170 can be implemented using hardware, software and / or a combination of hardware and software.

[0034] In some embodiments, the computer-assisted system 100 may be present in an operating room and / or an interventional ward. Additionally, although the computer-assisted system 100 includes only one computer-assisted device 110 having two articulated arms 120 and corresponding instruments 130, a person of ordinary skill will appreciate that the computer-assisted system 100 may include any number of computer-assisted devices having articulated arms and / or instruments that are similar and / or different in design to the computer-assisted device 110. In some examples, each of the computer-assisted devices may include fewer or more articulated arms and / or instruments.

[0035] Figure 2 2 is a simplified diagram showing a minimally invasive surgical instrument 200 according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the surgical instrument 200 can be used with Figure 1 Any one of the apparatus 130 is consistent. Figure 2 The directions “proximal / proximal” and “distal / distal” depicted and used herein help describe the relative orientation and position of the components of surgical instrument 200. Distal / distal generally refers to an element farther from a base of a computer-assisted device (such as computer-assisted device 110) in a direction along a kinematic chain and / or closest to a surgical work site in the intended operational use of surgical instrument 200. Proximal / proximal generally refers to an element closer to a base of a computer-assisted device and / or one of the articulated arms of a computer-assisted device in a direction along a kinematic chain.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, surgical instrument 200 includes an elongated shaft 210 for coupling an end effector 220 located at the distal end of shaft 210 to a location at the proximal end of shaft 210 for mounting surgical instrument 200 to an articulated arm and / or computer-assisted device. Depending on the specific procedure for which surgical instrument 200 is to be used, shaft 210 may be inserted through an opening (e.g., a body wall incision, a natural orifice, and / or the like) to place end effector 220 proximate a remote surgical site located within the patient's anatomy. Figure 2 As further shown, the end effector 220 is generally consistent with a dual-jaw gripper-type end effector, which in some embodiments may also include a cutting and / or fusing or sealing mechanism, as described below with respect to Figure 3 and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C However, one of ordinary skill will appreciate that different surgical instruments 200 having different end effectors 220 are possible and may be consistent with the embodiments of surgical instruments 200 described elsewhere herein.

[0037] Surgical instruments, such as surgical instrument 200 having end effector 220, often rely on multiple degrees of freedom (DOF) during their operation. Various DOFs that can be used to position, orient, and / or manipulate end effector 220 are possible, depending on the configuration of surgical instrument 200 and the articulated arm and / or computer-aided device to which the surgical instrument 200 is mounted. In some examples, shaft 210 can be inserted in a distal direction and / or retrieved in a proximal direction to provide an insertion DOF that can be used to control how deep end effector 220 is placed within the patient's anatomy. In some examples, shaft 210 can be capable of rotating about its longitudinal axis to provide a rolling DOF that can be used to rotate end effector 220. In some examples, additional flexibility in the position and / or orientation of end effector 220 can be provided by an articulated wrist 230 that is used to couple end effector 220 to the distal end of shaft 210. In some examples, the articulated wrist 230 may include one or more rotational joints, such as one or more roll joints, pitch joints, or yaw joints, which may provide one or more "roll" DOFs, "pitch" DOFs, and "yaw" DOFs, respectively, that may be used to control the orientation of the end effector 220 relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 210. In some examples, the one or more rotational joints may include a pitch and yaw joint; a roll, pitch, and yaw joint; a roll, pitch, and roll joint; and / or the like. In some examples, the end effector 220 may also include a gripping DOF for controlling the opening and closing of the jaws of the end effector 220 and / or an activation DOF for controlling the extension, retraction, and / or operation of the cutting mechanism, as further described below.

[0038] Surgical instrument 200 also includes a drive system 240 located at the proximal end of shaft 210. Drive system 240 includes one or more components for directing forces and / or torques to surgical instrument 200, which can be used to manipulate the various DOFs supported by surgical instrument 200. In some examples, drive system 240 may include a controller based on a control unit such as a Figure 1One or more motors, solenoids, servos, active actuators, hydraulic devices, pneumatic devices, and / or the like that are operated based on signals received by a control unit 140 of the surgical instrument 200. In some examples, the signals may include one or more currents, voltages, pulse width modulated waveforms, and / or the like. In some examples, the drive system 240 may include one or more shafts, gears, pulleys, rods, belts, and / or the like that may be coupled to corresponding motors, solenoids, servos, active actuators, hydraulic devices, pneumatic devices, and / or the like that are part of an articulated arm (such as any of the articulated arms 120 to which the surgical instrument 200 is mounted). In some examples, one or more drive input devices (such as shafts, gears, pulleys, rods, belts, and / or the like) may be used to receive forces and / or torques from motors, solenoids, servos, active actuators, hydraulic devices, pneumatic devices, and / or the like, and apply these forces and / or torques to adjust various DOFs of the surgical instrument 200.

[0039] In some embodiments, one or more drive mechanisms 250 can be used to transmit the force and / or torque generated by the drive system 240 and / or received by the drive system 240 from the drive system 240 and along the shaft 210 to various joints and / or elements of the surgical instrument 200 located distal to the drive system 240. In some examples, the one or more drive mechanisms 250 may include one or more gears, levers, pulleys, cables, rods, belts, and / or similar mechanisms. In some examples, the shaft 210 is hollow, and the drive mechanism 250 passes from the drive system 240 through the interior of the shaft 210 to the corresponding DOF of the end effector 220 and / or the articulated wrist 230. In some examples, each of the drive mechanisms 250 can be a cable disposed in a hollow sheath or lumen in a Bowden cable configuration. In some examples, the interior of the cable and / or lumen can be coated with a low friction coating, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and / or similar materials. In some examples, when the proximal end of each of the cables is pulled and / or pushed within the drive system 240, for example by winding and / or unwinding the cables around a capstan or shaft, the distal end of the cables moves accordingly and applies an appropriate force and / or torque to adjust one of the DOFs of the end effector 220, the articulated wrist 230, and / or the surgical instrument 200.

[0040] Figure 3 is a simplified perspective view of the distal end of surgical instrument 200 according to some embodiments. Figure 3As shown, the distal end of the surgical instrument 200 is depicted so that additional details of the end effector 220, the articulated wrist 230, and the drive mechanism 250 are shown. In more detail, the end effector 220 includes opposing clamps 310 shown in an open position. The clamps 310 are configured to move between an open position and a closed position so that the end effector 220 can be used to clamp and release tissue and / or other structures (such as sutures) located at the surgical site during a procedure. In some examples, the clamps 310 can be operated together as a single unit, with two clamps 310 opened and / or closed at the same time. In some examples, the clamps 310 can be opened and / or closed independently, so that, for example, one clamp 310 can remain stable while the other clamp 310 can be opened and / or closed.

[0041] Figure 3 The clamping surface on the inside of each of the clamps 310 is shown to include a corresponding groove 320, which can be used as a guide for the cutting blade 330, but the groove 320 can be omitted from one or more of the clamps 310. When the cutting blade 330 is extended toward the distal end of the end effector 220 and / or retracted toward the proximal end of the end effector 220, each of the grooves 320 can help align and / or position the cutting blade 330 during the cutting operation. The extraction and / or retraction of the cutting blade 330 is accomplished using a drive component 340 to which the cutting blade 330 is attached. In some examples, the drive component 340 pushes the cutting blade 330 to extend the cutting blade 330 and pulls the cutting blade 330 to retract the cutting blade 330. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C The use and positioning of the cutting blade 330 is shown in FIG. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C is a simplified cross-sectional view of end effector 220 according to some embodiments. Figure 4A The relationship between the cutting blade 330 and the driving member 340 is shown.

[0042] The end effector 220 also includes a parking feature 350 located at the proximal end of the jaws 310. The parking feature 350 includes an opening through which both the drive member 340 and the cutting blade 330 can pass. The parking feature 350 is configured to provide a secure storage area for the cutting blade 330 when the cutting blade 330 is not in use. Thus, when the cutting blade 330 is not actively being used as part of a cutting operation, the end effector 220 is configured such that the cutting blade 330 can be retracted into the parking feature 350 in a "garaged" or storage position in which the cutting blade 330 is retracted proximally to the rear of the jaws 310, such as Figure 4B The cutting blade 330 may also extend to a position where the cutting blade 330 is positioned at or near the distal end of one of the grooves 320, such as Figure 4CIn some examples, such as Figure 4C The positioning of the cutting blade 330 shown may correspond to the position of the cutting blade 330 during a cutting operation.

[0043] In some examples, the end effector 220 and the surgical instrument 200 are designed so that the default or home position of the cutting blade 330 is within the parking feature 350. This arrangement of the parking feature 350 can provide several features to the end effector 220. In some examples, when the cutting blade 330 is retracted into the parking feature 350, the sharp cutting edge of the cutting blade 330 is effectively enclosed, so that the cutting blade 330 is unlikely to accidentally cut tissue during the procedure and / or before and / or after the procedure. The medical staff who manipulates the surgical instrument 200 and / or the end effector 220 cannot accidentally cut. In some examples, when the cutting blade 330 is retracted into the parking feature 350, the cutting blade 330 can also be protected from damage, such as accidental blunting, when the cutting blade 330 is not actively used for cutting.

[0044] Return to reference Figure 3 In some embodiments, the clamping surface on the inner side of each of the jaws 310 may also include one or more optional electrodes 360. In some examples, the electrodes 360 may be used to deliver electrosurgical energy to fuse tissue held between the jaws 310. In some examples, the electrodes 360 may provide electrocautery, fusion, and / or sealing features to the end effector 220, such that the same surgical tool 200 may be used to cut and / or fuse / seal tissue.

[0045] In some embodiments, the operation of the jaws 310, the cutting blade 330, and / or the joints of the articulated wrist 230 can be achieved using corresponding drive mechanisms in the drive mechanisms 250. In some examples, when the jaws 310 are operated independently, the distal ends of two drive mechanisms in the drive mechanisms 250 (one for each jaw 310) can be coupled to the corresponding jaws 310, so that when the corresponding drive mechanism 250 applies a pulling force and / or a pushing force (e.g., using a cable, a lead screw, and / or the like), the corresponding jaws 310 can be opened and / or closed. In some examples, when the jaws 310 are operated together, the two jaws 310 can be coupled to the distal end of the same drive mechanism 250. In some examples, the drive component 340 can be coupled to the distal end of the corresponding drive mechanism 250, so that the force and / or torque applied to the corresponding drive mechanism 250 can be transmitted to the pushing motion and / or pulling motion of the drive component 340. In some examples, additional drive mechanisms 350 may be used to manipulate the roll DOF, pitch DOF, and / or yaw DOF of articulated wrist 230 .

[0046] Figure 5 is a simplified perspective view of a drive unit 500 according to some embodiments with respect to degrees of freedom. According to some embodiments, the drive unit 500 may represent Figure 2 Part of the components in the drive system 240. Figure 5 As shown, the drive unit 500 is based on a rotational actuation method of rotating a capstan 510 to actuate the DOF. The capstan 510 is coupled to a drive shaft 520, which can be a drive shaft of a motor, a servo mechanism, an active actuator, a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, and / or the like (not shown). When a torque is applied to the drive shaft 520 and the drive shaft 520 and the capstan 510 rotate, a cable 530 attached to the capstan 510 and / or the drive shaft 520 can be further wound and / or unwound around the capstan 510 and / or the drive shaft 520. When the cable 530 is attached to the proximal end of a corresponding drive mechanism (such as any one of the drive mechanisms 250), the winding and unwinding of the cable can be converted into corresponding tension and thrust and / or torque, which can be applied to the DOF of the end effector located at the distal end of the drive mechanism. In some examples, the rotation of the capstan 510 and the drive shaft 520 and the corresponding winding and / or unwinding of the cable 530 can result in the opening and / or closing of the clamp jaws (such as the clamp 310), the extension and / or retraction of the cutting blade (such as the cutting blade 330), the bending and / or unbending of the articulated wrist joint, and / or the like. In some examples, monitoring the rotation angle and / or rotation speed of the capstan 510 and / or the drive shaft 520 can also provide an indication of the current position and / or speed of the corresponding DOF coupled to the cable 530 through the corresponding drive mechanism. Therefore, when the drive unit 500 is used with the DOF of the surgical instrument 200, the rotation angle and / or rotation speed of the capstan 510 and / or the drive shaft 520 can provide useful feedback about the angle of opening of the clamp 310, the position of the cutting blade 330, and / or the pitch angle and / or yaw angle of the articulated wrist 230, depending on which of the drive mechanism 250 and the cable 530 is coupled.

[0047] Because it is generally desirable that the DOF in the end effector be configured with a default position, a rest position, and / or a home position when the DOF is not actuated, in some embodiments, a drive unit (such as drive unit 500) may include some type of resistance mechanism and / or limiting mechanism to return drive unit 500 to a corresponding home position. In some examples, the use of the home position of the DOF can support the configuration of a surgical instrument (such as surgical instrument 200) in which a clamping jaw is automatically closed and / or mostly closed, a cutting blade is retracted into a parking feature, an articulated wrist joint is straightened, and / or the like. Figure 5As shown, the drive unit 500 includes a limiting mechanism in the form of a torsion spring 540. The torsion spring 540 is shown attached to the capstan 510 at one end 550 and wound around the capstan 510. As the capstan 510 rotates, the second end 560 of the torsion spring 540 can rotate freely until it rotates against a stop 570, which can be part of the body of the drive unit 500. As the capstan 510 continues to rotate after the second end 560 of the torsion spring 540 abuts against the stop 570, the torsion spring 540 will begin to provide a limiting and / or restoring force and / or torque to the capstan 510, as determined by the amount of rotation of the capstan 510 and the spring constant of the torsion spring 540. Therefore, when a larger amount of rotation is applied to the capstan 510, the torsion spring 540 applies an increasing restoring force and / or torque to the capstan 510. For example, this return force and / or torque on the capstan 510 may be used to close a clamping jaw, retract a cutting blade, and / or straighten an articulated arm joint.

[0048] although Figure 5 The limiting mechanism is shown as a torsion spring wound around the capstan 510, but a person of ordinary skill will recognize other possible limiting mechanisms and / or configurations for limiting mechanisms to achieve similar limiting / returning functions. In some examples, the body of the drive unit 500 may also include a second stop to provide a return force and / or torque to the capstan 510 in a direction opposite to the return force and / or torque generated by the stop 570. In some examples, the second end 560 of the torsion spring 540 may be mounted to the body of the drive unit 500 so that any free movement of the torsion spring 540 is not allowed before the torsion spring 540 begins to apply a return force and / or torque to the capstan 510 and / or before the torsion spring 540 applies at least some return force and / or torque to the capstan 510 even if the capstan 510 is not rotating.

[0049] According to some embodiments, a cutting tool (such as a Figure 3 and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C The cutting operation of a surgical instrument 200 (including a cutting blade 330) typically involves a multi-stage operation. For example, the cutting operation can be achieved by remotely operating the articulated arm to place the end effector 220 near the tissue of interest. The articulated wrist 230 and the clamp 310 can then be used to grasp the tissue of interest. Once the tissue of interest is held, a drive unit (such as drive unit 500) can be used to initiate a cutting action, which involves: quickly extending the cutting blade 330 in the distal direction; maintaining the cutting blade 330 in the extended position; and then retracting the cutting blade 330 in the proximal direction until the cutting blade 330 returns to the parking feature 350. During extension and retraction, the cutting blade 330 can be guided by the groove 320 in the clamp 310 so that the final cutting occurs in a generally straight line along the length of the clamp 310.

[0050] In some cases, the cutting operation may not proceed as planned. In some examples, when the cutting blade 330 cannot return to the original position in the parking feature 350, blade exposure may occur. In some examples, when tissue and / or other debris interfere with the cutting blade 330 towards the path of the parking feature and prevent the cutting blade 330 from retracting into the parking feature 350 during the retraction stage of the cutting operation, blade exposure may occur. In some examples, when the cutting blade 330 is twisted and / or comes out from the groove 320, blade exposure may occur. This may occur due to the twisting force or torsion on the cutting blade 330 caused by tissue, other debris, the torsion force from the drive component 340 and / or the drive mechanism 250 and / or similar factors. In some examples, it is generally a good idea to prevent and / or reduce the exposure of the blade, because it is not always possible to correct the blade exposure and retract the cutting blade into the parking place without first extracting the surgical instrument 200 and the end effector 220 from the patient.

[0051] Careful design and / or operation of the end effector and / or cutting blade may be used to reduce the likelihood of blade exposure. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E are simplified illustrations of various side and front cross-sectional views of end effector and cutting blade configurations according to some embodiments. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B are simplified side and front cross-sectional views of an end effector 600 having a band cutting blade 630 that can be used to reduce blade exposure according to some embodiments. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B As shown, end effector 600 includes jaws 610 that can be opened and closed to grasp tissue and other structures. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B The clamping surface of each of the clamps 610 is shown to include a groove or slot 620 that can be used to guide the band cutting blade 630 during extension and retraction of the band cutting blade 630, however, the groove 620 can be omitted from one or more of the clamping surfaces. The force and / or torque for extending and retracting the band cutting blade 630 is transmitted to the band cutting blade 630 via a drive component 640 that is generally similar to the drive component 340.

[0052] like Figure 6B As shown in the front cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 , the band cutting blade 630 can slide along the length of the groove 620 and can also slide up and down within the groove 620. The band cutting blade 630 includes a long blade that extends sufficiently to the proximal end of the end effector 600. The length of the long blade is selected so that during extension and retraction of the cutting operation, at least a portion of the band cutting blade is designed to remain within the groove 620 at the proximal end of the groove 620 and the clamp 610.

[0053] According to some embodiments, the band cutting blade 630 of the end effector 600 may suffer from several disadvantages that limit its effectiveness as a cutting tool. In some examples, the length of the long blade may interfere with the operation of the clamp 610. In some examples, the length of the long blade may also hinder the use of an articulated wrist (such as the articulated wrist 230) because the long blade may prevent bending of the articulated wrist until the position of the articulated wrist is farther away from the clamp 610 than desired. In some examples, when blade exposure does occur using the band cutting blade 630, the larger size and longer length of the band cutting blade 630 may significantly interfere with the ability to close the clamp 610 and / or clear the blade exposure without first removing the end effector 600 from the patient's body.

[0054] Figure 6C is a simplified front cross-sectional view of an end effector 650 using an I-beam style cutting blade 680 according to some embodiments. Figure 6C As shown, the clamps 660 each include a large slot 670 that includes an opening to the clamping surface of the respective clamp 660, but also includes a widened slot area within the respective clamp 660. The upper and lower ends of the I-beam cutting blade 680 each include a widened end cap 690 that is larger than the size of the opening to the clamping surface. These widened end caps 690 prevent the upper and lower ends of the I-beam cutting blade 680 from coming out of the slot 670.

[0055] According to some embodiments, the I-beam cutting blade 680 of the end effector 650 may suffer from several disadvantages that limit its effectiveness as a cutting tool. In some examples, the height of the slot 670 may unreasonably increase the cross-section of the end effector 650, making it less useful than a portion of a minimally invasive surgical instrument. In some examples, the I-beam cutting blade 680 may not be used as a combined cutting and fusion or sealing end effector part because it is impossible to completely retract the I-beam cutting blade 680 from the slot 670, because it may be difficult to reinsert the end cap 690 into the slot 670 after doing so. In some examples, when blade exposure does occur using the I-beam cutting blade 680 (such as due to tissue and / or other debris), the end cap 690 acts to lock the clamp 660 in a closed and / or partially closed position. In some examples, when the clamp 660 is locked while they are still clamping tissue, the end effector 650 may not be removed from the patient without performing a surgical procedure.

[0056] Fig.6D and Fig. 6E According to some embodiments, Figure 2 , Figure 3 and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C Simplified side and front cross-sectional views of the end effector 220. Figure 3 and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C As described, the end effector 220 includes a clamp 310 that can be opened and closed to grasp tissue and other structures. The gripping surface of each clamp 310 includes a groove or slot 320, which can be used to guide the cutting blade 330 during extension and retraction of the cutting blade 330. The force and / or torque for extending and retracting the cutting blade 330 is transmitted to the cutting blade 330 via the drive component 340.

[0057] like Fig. 6E As shown in the front cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the present invention, the cutting blade 330 can slide along the length of the groove 320 and can also slide up and down in the groove 320. As shown, the cutting blade 330 includes a blade that is much shorter than the band cutting blade 630, so that the end effector 220 can maintain a small cross-section and can also be used with the articulated wrist 230. In addition, even if the shorter blade of the cutting blade 330 may increase the possibility of blade exposure relative to the band blade 630 or the I-beam blade 680, the shorter blade can also increase the possibility of clearing the blade exposure without removing the end effector 220 from the patient's body. In some examples, this is possible because even if the cutting blade 330 is not aligned with the groove 320, the shorter blade can also be more easily retracted in the parking feature 350.

[0058] According to some embodiments, when the cutting blade 330 is used by proper operation of the cutting blade 330 and the end effector 220, the possibility of blade exposure can be reduced. In some examples, the blade exposure can be reduced by preventing and / or limiting the operation of the cutting blade 330 based on the clamp angle of the clamp 310. Fig. 7A and Figure 7B is a simplified diagram of a model of blade exposure probability according to some embodiments. Fig. 7A An example model 700 of blade exposure probability versus clamp angle for two possible cutting blade extension lengths is depicted. Curves 710 and 720 both show a relatively low blade exposure probability for narrow clamp angles, a region where the blade exposure probability increases rapidly as the clamp angle widens, and a saturation region where the probability of blade exposure reaches a maximum probability. Curve 710 corresponds to a case where the cutting blade is extended a longer distance than curve 720.

[0059] Figure 7BAn example model 750 of cutting blade extension length versus clamp angle for two possible blade exposure probabilities is depicted. Curves 760 and 770 both show a region where full length cutting blade extension is possible at low clamp angles, a region where the length of the cutting blade extension must decrease rapidly as the clamp angle increases to maintain a constant blade exposure probability, and a region where little or no cutting blade extension is possible due to the width of the clamp angle without an unacceptable blade exposure probability. Curve 760 corresponds to a higher tolerance (i.e., higher probability) for blade exposure relative to curve 770.

[0060] Anecdotal evidence suggests that surgeons are willing to tolerate some likelihood of blade exposure in order to be able to cut thicker tissue held within the clamping jaws of the cutting tool. Consistent with this observation and in accordance with some embodiments, Fig. 7A and / or Figure 7B The models and curves can be used in one of two ways to manage the likelihood of blade exposure during cutting operations.

[0061] In some examples, Fig. 7A The model 700 can be used to determine a maximum clamp angle that allows a predetermined distance of cutting length. During operation of the cutting tool, when the clamp angle exceeds the maximum clamp angle, the predetermined distance of cutting can be prohibited. In some examples, when the cutting length is 18 mm, the cutting blade 330 is 2.54 mm high, and the tolerance of the blade exposure is 10%, the maximum clamp angle can be about 7 degrees.

[0062] In some examples, Figure 7B Model 750 can be used to limit the maximum cutting length based on the current clamp angle. During operation of the cutting tool, the clamp angle can be measured, and based on the tolerance of the blade exposure, the measured clamp angle can be limited to the maximum cutting length.

[0063] Whether using model 700 to prevent a cutting operation or using model 750 to limit the cut length of a cutting operation, a control application (such as control application 170) that monitors and / or implements the cutting operation uses the measurements of the current clamp angle to make cut / no-cut decisions and / or cut length determinations. According to some embodiments, the measurements of the clamp angle may not always be as accurate as desired to support these cutting determinations. As previously described with respect to Figure 5 As described above, the clamp angle of an end effector (such as end effector 220) can be measured indirectly like the other DOFs of the end effector. Figure 5In examples of, the clamp angle can be measured based on the rotation angle of the corresponding capstan 510 and / or drive shaft 520 from one (joint clamp control) or two (independent clamp control) corresponding drive units 500 of the clamp clamp for the end effector. In some examples, when the articulated wrist is bent, the (multiple) drive mechanisms used to operate the clamp clamp may be subject to bending and / or movement within the hollow shaft (e.g., shaft 210) of the surgical instrument. When the (multiple) drive mechanisms are bent and / or moved, the effective distance as seen by the drive mechanisms can vary between the distal end at the cutting blade and the proximal end at the drive unit. Therefore, in order to obtain sufficient accuracy in determining the clamp angle, it may be necessary to correct the clamp angle based on the (multiple) bending angles of the articulated wrist and / or the rolling of the input shaft.

[0064] Figure 8 is a simplified diagram of an exemplary relationship between actual clamp angle and measured clamp angle according to some embodiments. Figure 8 A scatter plot 800 of data collected using a surgical instrument consistent with surgical instrument 200 is included. An end effector consistent with end effector 220 is used to grasp material while an articulated wrist consistent with articulated wrist 230 is bent to various combinations of pitch angles and yaw angles. At each of the combinations of pitch angles and yaw angles, an actual clamp angle between clamping jaws is measured, as represented by the lighter upper points in scatter plot 800. At each of the combinations of pitch angles and yaw angles, a clamp angle measured at a drive unit for clamping jaws is recorded, as represented by the darker lower points in scatter plot 800. As shown in scatter plot 800, due to the deviation of both the pitch angle and the yaw angle of the articulated wrist from zero angle (zero angle corresponds to the articulated wrist not being bent and the end effector being aligned with the axis of the surgical instrument), a large deviation occurs between the actual clamp angle and the measured clamp angle.

[0065] The data of scatter plot 800 is then fitted to various models to determine an appropriate model for the relationship and / or function between the actual clamp angle and the measured clamp angle as the pitch and yaw angles vary. Experiments have shown that a linear correction model consistent with Equation 1 can be used to model the relationship between the actual clamp angle and the measured clamp angle, where the coefficient of determination or R 2 The value exceeds 0.95.

[0066] Actual clamp angle = measured clamp angle + C0 + C1*|Roll| + C2*|Pitch| + C3*|Pitch|

[0067] Equation 1

[0068] In some examples, the C0, C1, C2, and C3 coefficients may be modeled across a collection of surgical instruments or individually for each surgical instrument, with the coefficient values ​​recorded so that they can be accessed at run time based on an identifier (such as a serial number) of the corresponding surgical instrument. For one example of a surgical instrument consistent with surgical instrument 200, C0 is found to be 0.000, C1 is found to be 0.000, C2 is found to be 0.062, and C3 is found to be 0.069. The difference between C2 and C3 is due to differences in the design of the pitch joint and the yaw joint and the location of the yaw joint further away from the pitch joint.

[0069] Fig. 9 is a simplified diagram of method 900 for performing a cutting operation according to some embodiments. One or more of processes 910-970 of method 900 may be implemented at least in part in the form of executable code stored on a non-transitory tangible machine-readable medium, which, when executed by one or more processors (e.g., processor 150 in control unit 140), may cause the one or more processors to perform one or more of processes 910-970. In some embodiments, method 900 may be performed by an application (such as control application 170). In some embodiments, method 900 may be used to constrain and / or limit the movement of a cutting blade (such as cutting blade 330) based on an angle between gripper jaws (such as jaws 310) and a bend of an articulated wrist (such as articulated wrist 230) of a surgical instrument (such as surgical instrument 200). In some embodiments, the cutting operation of method 900 may be performed according to Fig. 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 8 In some embodiments, a driver component (such as in Figure 2 , Figure 3 , FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C , Figure 5 , Fig.6D and / or the drive components described in 6E) to determine the angle between the clamp jaws so as to constrain and / or limit the movement of the cutting blade.

[0070] At process 910, the clamps of the surgical instrument are operated. In some examples, the surgeon and / or other medical staff can use one or more control devices of the operator console to position and / or operate the clamps of the surgical instrument (such as clamp 310). In some examples, the surgeon and / or other medical staff can manipulate one or more master control devices (such as one or more master manipulators, levers, pedals, switches, buttons, knobs, triggers and / or similar devices) to remotely operate the clamps to position the clamps around appropriate tissues and / or other structures to prepare for the cutting operation. In some examples, the clamps can be operated to control their position and / or orientation and adjust the angle between the clamps. In some examples, the operation can include adjusting the bending level of the articulated wrist (such as articulated wrist 230) to orient the clamps as needed.

[0071] At process 920, a cutting command is received. In some examples, a surgeon and / or other personnel may request a cutting operation. In some examples, a cutting operation may be requested using one or more master control devices (such as one or more master manipulators, levers, pedals, switches, buttons, knobs, triggers, and / or the like) located on an operator console. In some examples, the requested cutting operation may be received by a control application (such as control application 170) via an interrupt, an input polling operation, an API call, and / or the like.

[0072] At process 930, the clamp angle is measured. In some examples, the clamp angle may be measured using one or more position sensors and / or rotation sensors. In some examples, the sensor may be located proximal to the clamp and may be configured to indirectly measure the clamp angle. In some examples, the sensor may be associated with one or more drive units (such as drive unit 500) that may be used to manipulate the (multiple) DOFs of the clamp. In some examples, the sensor may measure the rotation angle of a capstan (e.g., capstan 510) and / or the rotation angle of a drive shaft (e.g., drive shaft 520). In some examples, when the clamps are controlled together, the clamp angle may be measured using a single drive unit for the clamp. In some examples, when the clamps are controlled independently, the clamp angle of each of the clamps may be measured separately and then combined to determine a composite measured clamp angle.

[0073] At process 940, wrist articulation is measured. In some examples, the wrist articulation state can be measured using one or more position sensors and / or rotation sensors. In some examples, the sensor can be located proximal to the articulated wrist and can be configured to indirectly measure each of the articulation angles (such as pitch and / or yaw) of the articulated wrist. In some examples, the sensor can be associated with one or more drive units (such as drive unit 500), which can be used to manipulate the corresponding DOF of each of the joints of the articulated wrist. In some examples, the sensor can measure the rotation angle of a capstan (such as capstan 510) and / or the rotation angle of a drive shaft (such as drive shaft 520).

[0074] At process 950, the clamp angle is corrected based on the wrist articulation state. Using the clamp angle measured during process 930 and the wrist articulation state measured during process 940, a correction value for the clamp angle may be determined by the control application. In some examples, a clamp angle correction model (such as Figure 8 and / or the clamp angle correction model of Equation 1) to correct the clamp angle. In some examples, the clamp angle correction model can be determined based on the type of surgical instrument and / or can be determined based on an identifier associated with the surgical instrument (such as a serial number).

[0075] At process 960, the cutting operation is constrained based on the corrected clamp angle. In some examples, the corrected clamp angle determined during process 950 can be combined with a configurable tolerance for blade exposure to determine whether the cutting operation is constrained. Depending on whether partial length cutting is allowed, the cutting operation can be prevented from occurring and / or constrained to a maximum cutting length. In some examples, when partial length cutting is not allowed, the corrected clamp angle, the tolerance for blade exposure, and the desired cutting length are applied to the model (such as Fig. 7A The model 700 of the embodiment of the present invention is used to determine whether the corrected clamp angle is greater than the maximum allowed clamp angle. When the corrected clamp angle is greater than the maximum allowed clamp angle or the clamp angle threshold, the cutting operation is constrained to prevent it from occurring and / or the maximum allowable cutting length is set to zero. When the corrected clamp angle is equal to or less than the maximum allowable clamp angle, the cutting operation is not constrained and / or the maximum allowable cutting length is set to a full-length cut. In some examples, when partial-length cuts are allowed, tolerances for the corrected clamp angle and blade exposure are applied to the model (such as Figure 7B The cutting operation is then constrained so that the cutting blade does not extend beyond the maximum allowable cutting length.

[0076] In some examples, when the cut length is constrained, an audible, visual, and / or text alert can be provided to the surgeon and / or other medical personnel to indicate that the maximum allowable clamp angle for the cutting operation has been exceeded when a partial cut is not permitted and / or when the cut length is reduced to less than a full cut.

[0077] At process 970, a cutting operation is performed based on a cutting constraint. In some examples, a cutting operation can be performed by extending the cutting blade and then retracting the cutting blade back to the parking area. In some examples, the cutting operation can include driving the cutting blade according to a position distribution diagram, and the position distribution diagram can be adjusted to include the maximum extension based on the maximum cutting length (if any) determined during process 960. In some examples, the cutting blade can be extended and / or retracted based on the force and / or torque applied to the cutting blade by a drive component, a drive mechanism, a drive unit and / or an actuator (such as a motor, a solenoid, a servo mechanism, an active actuator, a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator and / or the like). In some examples, when the maximum allowable cutting length is zero or the cutting operation is not allowed, process 970 can be skipped.

[0078] In some examples, the cutting operation can be monitored during process 970. In some examples, the actual position of the cutting blade and / or the drive unit for the cutting blade can be monitored using one or more sensors to determine whether the cutting blade and / or the drive unit can extend and / or retract the cutting blade as required during the cutting operation. In some examples, when the cutting blade and / or the drive unit cannot follow the extension and / or retraction within the predetermined tolerance of the position distribution diagram, a sound, visual and / or text alarm can be provided to the surgeon and / or other medical staff to indicate that the cutting operation may not be successful. In some examples, when the cutting blade cannot be extended to the maximum allowable cutting length, the cutting operation may be unsuccessful. In some examples, when the cutting blade is exposed and cannot be returned to the parking area, the cutting operation may be unsuccessful. In some examples, when any one of the extraction operation and / or the retraction operation reaches the corresponding force and / or torque limit, one or more sound, visual and / or text alarms can also be used to issue a warning and / or alarm.

[0079] After the cutting operation is completed during process 970 , another cut may be performed by returning to process 920 , and / or the clamps may be repositioned before another cutting operation is performed by returning to process 910 .

[0080] Some examples of control units (such as control unit 140) may include a non-transitory tangible machine-readable medium that includes executable code that, when executed by one or more processors (e.g., processor 150), may cause the one or more processors to perform the processes of method 900. Some common forms of machine-readable media that may include the processes of method 900 are, for example, floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, magnetic tapes, any other magnetic media, CD-ROMs, any other optical media, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical media with patterns of holes, RAM, PROMs, EPROMs, FLASH-EPROMs, any other memory chips or cartridges, and / or any other media suitable for being read by a processor or computer.

[0081] Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modifications, changes and substitutions are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure, and in some cases, some features of the embodiments may be employed without the corresponding use of other features. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize many variations, substitutions and modifications. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be limited only by the appended claims, and it is appropriate that the claims be interpreted broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A computer-aided device comprising: one or more processors; Articulated arms; and an instrument coupled to the distal end of the articulated arm, the instrument comprising: an end effector located at a distal end of the instrument, the end effector comprising an opposable clamping jaw and a cutting blade; one or more drive units located at the proximal end of the instrument; a shaft coupled to the one or more drive units; an articulated wrist coupling the axis to the end effector; and one or more drive mechanisms in the shaft for coupling force or torque from the one or more drive units to the end effector and the articulated wrist; It is characterized in that the computer-aided device is configured to perform a cutting operation using the cutting blade by: measuring a clamp angle between the clamping clamps; measuring an articulation state of the articulated wrist; correcting the clamp angle based on the articulated state of the articulated wrist; determining a cut length based on the corrected clamp angle; and The cutting operation is performed according to the cutting length.

2. The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein the cutting operation comprises extension and retraction of the cutting blade.

3. The computer-aided device according to claim 1, wherein: The clamping angle is measured at the one or more drive units.

4. The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein the articulation state of the articulated wrist is measured at the one or more drive units.

5. The computer-assisted device of claim 1, wherein the cut length is less than a full-length cut length.

6. The computer-assisted device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein to correct the clamp angle, the computer-assisted device is configured to adjust the measured clamp angle based on a correction model.

7. The computer-assisted apparatus of claim 6, wherein the correction model is linear.

8. The computer-assisted device of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the articulation state of the articulated wrist comprises one or more of a pitch angle or a yaw angle.

9. The computer-assisted device of claim 8, wherein to correct the clamp angle, the computer-assisted device is configured to adjust the measured clamp angle in proportion to one or more of the absolute value of the pitch angle or the absolute value of the yaw angle.

10. The computer-assisted device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the computer-assisted device is further configured to: determining constraints on the cutting operation based on the corrected clamp angle; and The cutting operation is performed or prevented based on the constraint.

11. The computer-assisted device of claim 10, wherein the constraint on the cutting operation is to prevent the cutting operation when the corrected clamp angle is greater than a clamp angle threshold.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors associated with a computer-assisted device are adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform a method, characterized in that: The method comprises: measuring a clamp angle between clamping jaws of an end effector of a cutting instrument; measuring an articulation state of an articulated wrist coupling the end effector to a shaft of the cutting instrument; correcting the clamp angle based on the articulated state of the articulated wrist; determining a cut length based on the corrected clamp angle; and A cutting operation is performed according to the cutting length using one or more drive units coupled to the cutting instrument.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the cut length is less than a full-length cut length.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12 or 13, wherein: The articulation state of the articulated wrist includes one or more of a pitch angle or a yaw angle; and To correct the clamp angle, the computer-aided device is configured to adjust the measured clamp angle in proportion to one or more of an absolute value of the pitch angle or an absolute value of the yaw angle.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12 or 13, further comprising: measuring the clamp angle at the one or more drive units; and The articulation state of the articulated wrist is measured at the one or more drive units.

16. A computer-aided device comprising: one or more processors; Articulated arms; and an instrument coupled to the distal end of the articulated arm, the instrument comprising: an end effector located at a distal end of the instrument, the end effector comprising an opposable clamping jaw and a cutting blade; one or more drive units located at the proximal end of the instrument; an axis coupled to the one or more drive units and the end effector; and one or more drive mechanisms in the shaft for coupling force or torque from the one or more drive units to the end effector; It is characterized in that the computer-aided device is configured to perform a cutting operation using the cutting blade by: measuring a clamp angle between the clamping clamps; measuring the roll of the shaft; correcting the clamp angle based on the roll of the shaft; determining a cut length based on the corrected clamp angle; and A cutting operation is performed according to the cutting length.

17. The computer-assisted device of claim 16, wherein the cut length is less than the full-length cut length.

18. The computer-assisted device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein to correct the clamp angle, the computer-assisted device is configured to adjust the measured clamp angle based on a correction model.

19. A computer-assisted device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein to correct the clamp angle, the computer-assisted device is further configured to adjust the measured clamp angle proportionally to one or more of the absolute value of the pitch angle of the articulated wrist coupling the axis to the end effector or the absolute value of the deflection angle of the articulated wrist.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors associated with a computer-assisted medical device are adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform a method, characterized in that: The method comprises: measuring a clamp angle between clamping jaws of an end effector of a cutting instrument; measuring a roll of an axis coupling the end effector to one or more drive units; correcting the clamp angle based on the roll of the shaft; determining a cut length based on the corrected clamp angle; and A cutting operation is performed according to the cutting length using the one or more drive units.

21. A computer-aided device comprising: one or more processors; Articulated arms; and an instrument coupled to the distal end of the articulated arm, the instrument comprising: an end effector at a distal end of the instrument, the end effector comprising an opposable clamping jaw and a cutting blade; one or more drive units located at the proximal end of the instrument; an axis coupled to the one or more drive units and the end effector; and one or more drive mechanisms in the shaft for coupling force or torque from the one or more drive units to the end effector; It is characterized in that the computer-aided device is configured to perform a cutting operation using the cutting blade by: measuring a clamp angle between the clamping clamps; measuring the roll of the shaft; correcting the clamp angle based on the roll of the shaft; determining constraints on the cutting operation based on the corrected clamp angle; and The cutting operation is performed or prevented based on the constraint.

22. The computer-assisted device of claim 21, wherein the computer-assisted device determines the constraints on the cutting operation based on tolerances of blade exposure.

23. The computer-assisted device of claim 21, wherein to correct the clamp angle, the computer-assisted device is configured to adjust the measured clamp angle based on a correction model.

24. A computer-assisted apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the constraints on the cutting operation are: preventing the cutting operation when the corrected clamp angle is greater than a clamp angle threshold: or The cutting operation is limited to a cutting length that is less than the full-length cutting length.

25. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors associated with a computer-assisted medical device are adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform a method, characterized in that: The method comprises: measuring a clamp angle between clamping jaws of an end effector of a cutting instrument; measuring a roll of an axis coupling the end effector to one or more drive units; correcting the clamp angle based on the roll of the shaft; determining a constraint on the cutting operation based on the corrected clamp angle; and The cutting operation is performed or prevented based on the constraint.

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