Instrument gripper with an integrated concentric shutter

Abstract

A gripper for holding surgical instruments is provided. The gripper incorporates a concentric and adjustable shutter mechanism that enables the gripper to hold instruments with multiple different circumferences and instruments that do not have a perfect circular circumference. In the context of a robot system that is adjusted uniformly, particularly a surgical robot system, the disclosed gripper enables the robot system to deploy a wide variety of surgical instruments regardless of their circumferences or precise circumferential dimensions. Due to the concentric shutter design, the robot system using the gripper of the present invention can deploy a wide variety of instruments while keeping the instruments always centered within the working area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Related Application) This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 342,363, previously filed and filed on May 16, 2022. (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a gripper with an integrated concentric shutter mechanism for holding instruments of various diameters. The present invention further relates to a gripper that can be opened and closed in a conventional manner and that can grasp instruments of various diameters through the incorporation of a concentric shutter mechanism that positions the instrument at the center within the gripper regardless of the diameter of the instrument. Specifically, the gripper holds a longitudinal instrument (e.g., a screwdriver) around its circumference, and it is desirable in general that the gripper be able to perform this for a plurality of instruments of various diameters, thereby eliminating the requirement that different grippers be specifically tailored to each instrument. Further, not all instruments have a perfect circular shape. Thus, the present invention relates to a gripper with an integrated shutter mechanism that can accommodate different instrument diameters that do not have a perfect circular shape. More specifically, in the context of robotic surgery, a plurality of robotic instruments can be deployed on a robotic arm and controlled by a single control unit, and the plurality of robotic instruments can be used in a coordinated manner to perform robotic surgical procedures, and the relative movement of each robotic element is adjusted by a central control unit. The present invention thus relates to the need for a central control unit of a robotic system to constantly determine the location where the center of a robotic instrument exists regardless of its diameter (the flexibility and concentric nature of the gripper of the present invention with an integrated shutter that enables this functionality). The robotic system could theoretically use many devices of various sizes, but many devices can be supplied by many different manufacturers and have different characteristics and dimensions (e.g., circumferences), which can pose problems for the robotic system. In particular, in the context of robotic surgery, a number of instruments made by different manufacturers with different dimensions can be deployed by an end effector with an advanced gripper with an integrated concentric shutter and used according to the apparatus and method provided by the present invention without the need to change the end effector. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Grippers are useful end effectors used in a wide variety of fields to hold and manipulate instruments or other objects. Grippers are well known in the robotics field, and particularly in the medical robotics field. In medical robots, and in robots in general, grippers are used to grasp and hold various instruments for various applications.

[0003] Shutters using various designs are also known in a plurality of fields. Some shutters are mainly used as gates or valves. The essence in the design of some shutters as applicable to the present disclosure is the ability to open and close concentrically, and thus always have a natural and consistent center regardless of the diameter of the opening of the shutter. In the field of medical robots (not limited to medical robots), in order to be able to hold, grasping is likely to be to hold a random vertical instrument only partially from its side, and to keep the instrument concentric with the gripper and the robot arm. That is, the gripper holds a random instrument with a random diameter and / or a non-circular shape, and regardless of the diameter of the instrument, it is required that the center of the grasped instrument is always in the same place known to the robot controller. In this regard, the robot can hold any random instrument, and regardless of its different diameters, the center of the instrument is always in the same place known to the robot controller. This is essential for the ability of the robot system to perform procedures accurately. If the robot does not know where the center of the robot instrument is, the robot cannot accurately guide the instrument to the target location (or, in the case of robotic surgery, the target anatomical structure). This use case is best served by a gripper that can hold the instrument concentrically using a shutter, which is an excellent mechanism for achieving this goal. Furthermore, standard grippers can hold and firmly grasp the instrument, but the present invention describes a gripper / shutter mechanism that closes the shutter around the instrument and then opens the shutter by the exactly required amount, facilitating the margin required for a certain amount of movement of the instrument inside the shutter. The current inventors are not aware that grippers incorporating a concentric shutter are available in the field of medical robots, robots in general, or any field related to their subject matter.

[0004] Performing a full range of spinal surgical procedures requires robotically adjusted movement of multiple robotic arms and optionally, robotically adjusted navigation (i.e., a package of features not available today). For purposes of illustration, typical procedures require operation of one or more end effectors deployed by the robotic arms, deployment of other instruments, placement of multiple passive or active markers on bone and / or soft tissue, and one or more robotically controlled and operated cameras that can be placed at various distances and angles from the surgical field, and may require one or more end effectors deployed by the robotic arms. This complex dynamic is further complicated by the presence of a large number of surgical instruments and implants on the market made by multiple manufacturers, particularly in the spinal surgery market. A multi-arm robotic adjustment system that can adapt to many different instruments without numerous modifications to the end effectors is not available on the market today. There is a strong and pressing need for such a system, as such a system would enable the performance of a full range of spinal surgical procedures with robotically adjusted control and navigation at levels of accuracy not currently possible. The gripper of the present invention with a concentric shutter mechanism is an important component thereof. This is because the gripper of the present invention can accommodate an essentially unlimited set of instruments, providing accuracy (the robotic system is "grabbing" where the center of the robotic instrument is) and ease of use.

[0005] Generally, in the area of robotic surgery, and specifically spinal robotic surgery, it is widely understood that there are numerous manufacturers of instruments and implants to be used in various surgical techniques. It is also true that there are many companies that design and manufacture robotic systems to be used in surgical techniques. This results in a mismatch and / or lack of synchronization between the robotic system and the robotic instrument set. The robotic device and its specific software may not optimally match the instrument set of a particular manufacturer that designs instruments for a particular type of robotic surgical technique, such as a spinal surgical technique. This mismatch can apply to end effectors such as drilling instruments, and can also apply to surgical instruments, implants, etc.

[0006] In this situation, the robotic devices and robotic software of a company developing an inclusive robotic surgical system will not optimally match any random implant and instrument system that a hospital or surgeon may use. Additionally, there are dozens of implant systems in a continuously evolving and changing market, and thus, it is practically impossible for robotic companies to adapt their robotic systems to the vast number of instrument variants in the market. In addition, health regulatory agencies typically require a business or QA agreement between the robotic system manufacturer and the instrument manufacturer in order to approve the use of the instrument with the robot, which will significantly complicate the situation and ultimately delay advanced treatment for patients.

[0007] All of these barriers drive robot companies away from situations where they are forced to form a certain type of business relationship with one particular implant / instrument company or decide on an inclusive instrument guidance for their robotic systems. This creates a situation where the robots are designed without optimal adaptation to the full range of implants or instruments that can be used with their robotic systems (i.e., the surgeon uses the robotic system only for guidance and instrument positioning or only at the top for drilling holes, but cannot use it for tapping or screwing and guiding implants). All of this, of course, results in a less precise procedure that does not utilize the full capabilities of the robotic system and does not benefit the patient or the surgeon (the robot is used for drilling but not for screw insertion).

[0008] Therefore, there is a strong need for a robotic system that can deploy an essentially infinite range of robotic instruments using an inclusive gripper, which is particularly applicable to spinal surgery. Such a gripper is provided in the context of the present invention. The gripper can open and close and grasp instruments like a conventional gripper, but it incorporates a concentric shutter so that a wide range of instruments with various diameters can be applied.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] A gripper with an integrated concentric shutter mechanism for grasping an essentially infinite range of instruments with various random diameters is provided herein. The novel gripper operates by opening and closing like a conventional gripper, such that the gripper can open and close its "jaws" to hold a longitudinal instrument, for example, around the circumference of an instrument. The gripper of the present invention incorporates a concentric shutter mechanism that provides for the instrument to be centered within the gripper regardless of the diameter or precise dimensions of the instrument and even when the circumference of the instrument is not perfectly circular. Centering the instrument is essential for an instrument that is to be accurately deployed and operated. This is particularly applicable to instruments deployed by a robotic system or, in a specific example, a surgical robotic system. The robotic system can deploy the gripper of the present invention with an end effector whose location is known to the central control unit of the robotic system. The robotic system requires a method for accurately deploying the working end of the instrument towards a target location or anatomical structure, and when the instrument is securely and concentrically centered within the gripper, the instrument can be accurately targeted based on the robotic system's knowledge of the location of the end effector relative to the known location of the center of the instrument.

[0010] The gripper with the integrated concentric shutter mechanism of the present invention has several essential advantages over the current state of the art in the field that does not provide an integrated device capable of concentrically centering a wide variety of instruments. That is, the device of the present invention can open and close like a conventional gripper. In other words, it can open and close its "jaw-like parts" to hold and release a wide variety of longitudinal instruments around their circumferences. Regarding the gripper of the present invention for holding instruments in this way, the instruments do not necessarily have to have a completely circumferential dimension, but the inventors refer to the "circumference" of the instruments for ease of understanding. Another important advantage is that the device of the present invention has a shutter mechanism. Thus, the instrument or tool can always be concentrically centered within the end effector, and in this way, the robotic system can always grasp the location of the center of the instrument being grasped, regardless of the precise identification, design, or dimensions of the instrument. Furthermore, advantageously, the integrated shutter mechanism generates a perfect circle around the instrument being grasped even when the dimensions of the instrument are not completely circumferential. Therefore, the instrument can be rotated about its own longitudinal axis, which can be important for many applications including robotic surgical applications. However, the gripper available for use has a smooth and consistent circumferential surface that contacts the instrument enabling easy electric rotation. Finally, the device of the present invention, which is the ability to add to the basic shutter design and an additional gripper design (opening and closing, "jaw-like parts"), has a relatively simple external design and can therefore be easily cleaned and sterilized, which is an important feature regarding end effector compatibility in the context of surgical robots.

[0011] The gripper of the present invention with an integrated concentric shutter mechanism is composed of three main parts. The compartment houses electronic components such as motors and controllers. In the context of robotic surgery applications, this compartment would be non-sterile and would be covered by a sterile cover. Needless to say, this compartment could, of course, be completely sealed and thereby designed to be sterilized, but this would result in a more expensive design and manufacturing. The proposed design results in a simple and cost-effective unit. Next, a shaft for transmitting motion from the motor to the gripper is provided. The shaft would typically be sterilized (e.g., autoclave sterilization) in the context of robotic surgery. Finally, the gripper unit itself is provided and would, of course, be in a sterile state in the context of robotic surgery. The concentric shutter incorporated into the gripper unit comprises two opposing pairs of curved cylinders that, when deployed in combination, generate circular engagement points for gripping tools of various diameters and dimensions.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Figure 1

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[0018] Here, with reference to the figures of the present invention and some representative embodiments, the following detailed description is provided.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, an instrument gripper with an integrated concentric shutter has three main components. A non-sterile compartment 101 houses electronic components such as a motor and a controller. This non-sterile compartment 101 is designed to be placed outside the sterile field during surgery. The non-sterile compartment is configured to be removable from the rest of the device at the point where an adjacent component of the device (sterile shaft 102) fits into the non-sterile compartment 101. The sterile shaft 102 is designed to transmit motion from the motor in the non-sterile compartment to an adjacent component of the device (gripper mechanism 103). The gripper mechanism has two main components and corresponding functions. The gripper itself opens and closes, like a standard gripper or a glass gripper. A pair of opposing concentric shutters 104a, 104b are included within two gripper elements, and the shutters 104a, 104b can form concentric larger or smaller openings by rotating to accommodate instruments of various sizes and / or diameters.

[0020] The jaw-like portion of the gripper opens and closes through an operation of horizontal movement along a horizontal sterilization shaft, and the operation of horizontal movement is transmitted to a lever element on the gripper mechanism element. Those skilled in the art will understand that this is only one modality for transmitting the energy generated by the motor to the jaw-like portion of the gripper, and that other similar possibilities exist. The gripper element itself houses a vertical shaft, and the vertical shaft can engage in rotational movement from the energy provided by a motor in a non-sterile compartment. The rotational movement of this horizontal shaft then engages with a gear, which in turn rotates a pair of concentric shutter elements inwardly or outwardly, making the concentric openings in the gripper mechanism larger or smaller to accommodate instruments of different sizes.

[0021] In another embodiment of the invention shown in two alternative figures in FIGS. 2a and 2b, an instrument gripper with an integrated concentric shutter is shown holding an instrument. Both FIGS. 2a and 2b show an instrument 201 being held by the device, and the jaw-like portion 202 of the gripper is closed, and the pair of concentric shutters 203 are rotated to form concentric openings that match the diameter of the instrument. FIG. 2a emphasizes a limiting edge 204 at the left distal end of the gripper element, and the limiting edge 204 serves as a stop, whereby the instrument cannot slide horizontally out of the gripper. FIG. 2b shows a partial perspective view of the sterilization shaft to clarify the method of its engagement with the rotating shaft 205 and the gripper mechanism through the lever element 206.

[0022] In another embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, a partial perspective top view of the gripper mechanism shows a lever element 301 that opens and closes the jaw-like portion 302 of the gripper by transmitting linear movement from a sterilization shaft 303 in addition to a gear 304 engaged by a vertical shaft 305 of the gripper mechanism. The gear 304 rotates a cylindrical object 306 inwardly or outwardly to form larger or smaller openings by the concentric shutter.

[0023] In additional embodiments of the invention shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b, a partial perspective view of an instrument gripper with an integrated concentric shutter is shown. FIG. 4a shows a device for grasping a larger instrument 401, and FIG. 4b shows a device for grasping a relatively smaller instrument 402. Both figures show the elements of the gripper and shutter mechanism. In FIG. 4a, a pair of concentric shutter elements are rotated outwardly to accommodate a larger diameter instrument, while in FIG. 4b, a pair of concentric shutter elements are rotated inwardly so that the device can grip an instrument of relatively smaller diameter.

[0024] Similarly, FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the gripper elements of an embodiment of a device of the invention for grasping a small diameter instrument 501. In FIG. 5, a pair of concentric shutter elements 502 can be seen to be rotated almost completely inwardly to form a small diameter concentric opening for holding a small diameter instrument.

[0025] FIG. 6 shows an enlarged partial cutaway view of the glassper end of an embodiment of the invention. The vertical shaft 601 of the gripper element shown is configured to transmit a rotational motion to a gear 602, which in turn functions to rotate a pair of concentric shutter elements 603 inwardly or outwardly to form a smaller or larger concentric opening within the gripper.

[0026] Those skilled in the art will understand that several variations on the disclosed embodiments are possible while remaining within the bounds of the invention. By way of example only, different variations in the precise dimensions and contours of the gripper and integrated shutter can be used without departing from the invention. As another example, additional pairs of opposing curved cylinders can be integrated into embodiments of the gripper of the invention to accommodate larger and / or longer instruments. As a further example, the electric components and control functions of the gripper of the invention can be operably integrated with the control functions of a surgical robotic system, or they can operate independently. The embodiments provided are exemplary in nature.

Claims

1. A gripper for holding an instrument, the gripper for holding the instrument comprising: A compartment storing a motor; A shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of which is mechanically connected to the compartment; A gripper mechanism comprising two opposing gripper elements, the gripper mechanism being mechanically connected to the distal end of the shaft; At least two pairs of concentric shutter elements integral with the gripper mechanism; Comprising; The at least two pairs of concentric shutter elements are configured to selectively rotate inwardly or outwardly to vary the circumference of an opening within the gripper mechanism; The shaft is configured to transmit motion from the motor to the gripper mechanism and the concentric shutter elements, a gripper for holding an instrument.

2. The shaft is configured to transmit horizontal motion generated by the motor along the length of the shaft from its proximal end to its distal end to selectively open and close the gripper elements, the gripper for holding an instrument according to claim 1.

3. The shaft is configured to transmit rotational motion generated by the motor to engage the concentric shutter elements and selectively rotate them inwardly or outwardly, the gripper for holding an instrument according to claim 1.

4. The shaft is configured to transmit horizontal motion generated by the motor along the length of the shaft from its proximal end to its distal end to selectively open and close the gripper elements, and the shaft is further configured to transmit rotational motion generated by the motor to engage the concentric shutter elements and selectively rotate them inwardly or outwardly, the gripper for holding an instrument according to claim 1.

5. Further comprising a vertical shaft storing a gear engaged with the concentric shutter elements, the rotational motion causing rotation of the gear, the rotation of the gear in turn selectively rotating the concentric shutter elements inwardly or outwardly, the gripper for holding an instrument according to claim 3.

6. The circumference of the opening in the gripper mechanism is varied so as to match the circumference of the instrument held by the gripper mechanism. A gripper for holding the instrument according to claim 1.

7. The instrument is placed at the center of the circumference within the gripper mechanism. A gripper for holding the instrument according to claim 6.

8. The instrument has a non-uniform circumferential radius but is still placed at the center of the circumference within the gripper mechanism. A gripper for holding the instrument according to claim 7.

9. The shaft is selectively removable from the compartment that houses the motor. A gripper for holding the instrument according to claim 1.

10. The instrument can be rotated while being held by the gripper mechanism. A gripper for holding the instrument according to any one of claims 6 - 9.

11. The gripper for holding the instrument is an end effector of a robotic system. A gripper for holding the instrument according to any one of the preceding claims.

12. The robotic system is a robotic system for surgical procedures. A gripper for holding the instrument according to claim 11.

13. The compartment that houses the motor is configured to be positioned within a non-sterile field during a surgical procedure. A gripper for holding the instrument according to claim 12.

14. The shaft and the gripper mechanism are configured to be positioned within a sterile field during a surgical procedure. A gripper for holding the instrument according to claim 12.

15. The shaft and the gripper mechanism are configured to be sterilizable after being removed from the compartment that houses the motor. A gripper for holding the instrument according to claim 14.

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