Insertion-Coupled Surgical Instruments With Differential Wrist Articulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic surgical systems face challenges in providing enhanced control and ease of use during minimally invasive procedures, particularly in maintaining natural hand-like articulation and reducing the need for awkward arm motions.
Innovation Solution
A robotic surgical tool with an insertion architecture that couples insertion motion with wrist motions, utilizing a decoupler and differential gear train to enhance the articulation of end effectors, allowing for improved control and ease of use through a computer-processed user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a robotic surgical system uses a traditional separate control architecture for insertion and wrist motions, then the system structure is simpler, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to awkward arm motions and less natural hand-like articulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the insertion motion control and wrist motion control into a single integrated architecture. The drive shaft serves dual purposes: it transmits insertion motion while also driving the differential gear train that controls wrist articulation. This merging of functions allows the surgeon to control both insertion and wrist motions through a single intuitive interface, improving ease of operation without requiring separate complex control systems for each degree of freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive shaft is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously performs insertion (advancing the instrument into the patient) and articulation control (rotating the wrist joint). The differential gear train mechanism allows a single rotational input from the drive shaft to be distributed to control both insertion depth and wrist orientation, making the system more versatile and easier to operate compared to separate control architectures.
2Ease of operation
If a robotic surgical system uses an integrated insertion architecture coupling insertion motion with wrist motions, then the ease of operation improves with more natural hand-like articulation, but the device complexity increases due to additional components like decoupler and differential gear train
Solution Approach 1:
The differential gear train acts as an intermediary mechanism between the drive shaft and the wrist articulation components. It mediates the conversion of single-axis rotational motion from the drive shaft into coupled insertion and wrist rotation motions. This intermediary mechanism enables natural hand-like articulation by translating simple rotational input into complex coordinated movements, while the modular design of the differential gear train allows it to be integrated without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic coupling where the relationship between insertion motion and wrist motion is not fixed but can be adjusted in real-time. The differential gear train allows the surgeon to dynamically control the distribution of drive shaft rotation between insertion advancement and wrist articulation, enabling natural hand-like movements where the ratio of insertion to rotation can change continuously based on surgical needs, rather than being constrained by rigid mechanical linkages.
3Productivity
If the robotic system uses separate control mechanisms for insertion and end effector articulation, then the device complexity is lower, but the productivity deteriorates due to less efficient control during surgical procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of insertion and articulation control into a single drive shaft interface improves surgical productivity by allowing simultaneous and coordinated control of both degrees of freedom. The surgeon can perform insertion and wrist articulation through one unified motion input, reducing the time and cognitive load required to manage separate control mechanisms, thereby increasing procedural efficiency despite the added complexity of the integrated mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic surgical tool includes a handle providing drive inputs and a shaft drive input, an instrument driver providing drive outputs and a shaft drive output, an elongate shaft extendable through the handle and the instrument driver, an end effector and a wrist arranged at a distal end of the shaft, a decoupler interposing the handle and the instrument driver, an insertion assembly mounted to the decoupler housing, and a differential gear train extending between the insertion assembly and each differential assembly included in the decoupler such that actuation of the insertion assembly correspondingly actuates each differential assembly as the shaft moves.