Automated insertion device

Inventors

ARNOLD, Ofer • BORODETS, Eduard

Assignees

Xact Robotics Ltd

Abstract

A device for insertion of a medical tool held in an end effector, the device comprising moveable platforms providing motion in two generally orthogonal directions, and two piston mechanisms operating within cylinders, coupled to the moveable platforms, and being attached at their distal end to the end effector by means of a common joint. The pistons may be linear actuators. The end effector is manipulated by driving mechanisms propelling the pistons linearly. The proximal ends of the cylinders may be coupled to a common shaft. The axes of the cylinders and the pistons, the line connecting the pistons axes through the common joint and the axis of the cylinders' common shaft may all be located substantially in a single plane. Coordinated motion of the moveable platforms and the piston mechanisms enables the maintenance of a virtual remote center of motion of the medical tool as its orientation changes.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to an automated device for inserting a medical tool into a body of a subject. The device includes a first movable platform and a second movable platform operatively coupled to the first movable platform, with respective driving mechanisms moving the movable platforms in first and second linear directions that are substantially perpendicular to each other.

The second movable platform is coupled to first and second piston mechanisms, and distal ends of the first and second piston mechanisms are coupled to a common joint. An end effector is provided, with kinematic coupling to the piston mechanisms and to the second movable platform using gimbals, and an insertion mechanism is coupled to the end effector to impart movement to the medical tool in the direction of the body of the subject.

The invention further specifies structural and kinematic relationships intended to maintain a remote center of motion at the needle entry point while enlarging angular workspace. Axes of the cylinders/pistons, the joint-to-piston axis line, and a shaft axis lie substantially in a single plane to support a low-profile device, and coordinated motion maintains the (virtual) remote center of motion at the needle entry point for imaging-guided closed-loop control.

Claims Coverage

Two independent claims are present. Each independent claim covers an automated insertion device with two coupled movable platforms driven along perpendicular linear directions, piston mechanisms, an end effector, and an insertion mechanism configured to impart movement of the medical tool toward the subject, with gimbal-based kinematic coupling in claim 14 and common-joint piston coupling in claim 1.

Across the independent claims, the core coverage is an automated medical-tool insertion device built from two orthogonally driven movable platforms, piston mechanisms coupled at an end-effector interface, gimbal-based kinematic coupling, and an insertion mechanism configured to impart movement of the medical tool toward the body.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications