Direct pull surgical gripper
Inventors
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-9339341-B2
Publication Date
2016-05-17
Expiration Date
Abstract
A surgical end effector includes a clevis and two jaws pivotally coupled to the clevis. A wire is coupled to each jaw and extended through a guide way in the other jaw and through an end of the clevis. The jaws may be opened and closed by pushing and pulling on the two cables. Pulling on each wire creates a closing force in both jaws. A rocking pin may be pivotally supported by the clevis and pivotally coupled to the jaws to constrain the jaws to have opposite motions. The clevis may be coupled to an elongate shaft and the wires extended through the shaft to provide an endoscopic instrument. A wire guide may support the wires in the shaft such that they are able to transmit a compressive force without buckling. The wires may carry electricity to the jaws for electrocautery.
Core Innovation
A clevis is coupled to a first jaw and a second jaw through a first pivot and a second pivot, respectively, so that controller motion is transmitted to the jaws using two wires. The first wire is coupled to the first jaw to transmit controller motion to the first jaw and to the second jaw, and the second wire is coupled to the second jaw to transmit controller motion to the second jaw and to the first jaw. The two-wire cross-coupling drives motion of both jaws in response to controller motion transmitted through the respective wires.
The wires are routed through curved guide ways that extend between the jaws and the clevis and change direction by roughly ninety degrees. Each guide way includes a continuous surface that extends along the inside of the curved path, and the guide-way structure is defined by a first guide way in the first jaw and a second guide way in the second jaw, so each wire has a defined curved internal route connecting the jaws and the clevis.
In a minimally invasive surgical instrument version, the clevis is coupled to the distal end of an elongate shaft having a longitudinal axis, and the wires extend through the elongate shaft between the distal and proximal ends. A wire guide supports the first and second wires along the longitudinal axis so the wires can transmit a compressive force without buckling. A compression spring coupled compression section reduces the wire guide length when a compression force is applied, while maintaining the curved cross-routing to actuate both jaws.
The disclosed instrument/end effector further supports bipolar electrocautery by providing electrically conductive wires and/or jaws while isolating other structural components. Electrically non-conductive clevis and/or pivots and electrically non-conductive liners isolate the jaws except through tissue conduction when grasping. The mechanically driven cross-routing and electrically isolated structure are arranged so that the two jaw-wire channels can provide electrical connection while maintaining electrical isolation through non-conductive components.
Claims Coverage
The provided independent claims cover wire-actuated jaws coupled to a clevis using cross-routed wires through curved guide ways that change direction by roughly ninety degrees, defining continuous internal surfaces along the inside of the curved paths. Additional claim features refine the core with elongate-shaft routing, buckling prevention via a wire guide with a spring-based compression section, and electrical conductivity/isolation relationships for bipolar electrocautery.
Surgical end effector with crossed wires and curved ninety-degree guide ways
A clevis; a first jaw and a first pivot that couples the first jaw to the clevis; a second jaw and a second pivot that couples the second jaw to the clevis; a first wire coupled to the first jaw to transmit controller motion to the first jaw and to the second jaw; a second wire coupled to the second jaw to transmit the controller motion to the second jaw and to the first jaw; a first guide way in the first jaw that is a first curved path extending from the second jaw to the clevis, changing direction by roughly ninety degrees, and including a continuous first surface extending along the inside of the first curved path, the second wire extending in the first guide way along the first surface to the second jaw; and a second guide way in the second jaw that is a second curved path extending from the first jaw to the clevis, changing direction by roughly ninety degrees, and including a continuous second surface extending along the inside of the second curved path, the first wire extending in the second guide way along the second surface to the first jaw.
Minimally invasive surgical instrument with elongate shaft and paired curved ninety-degree guide ways
An elongate shaft having a distal end, a proximal end, and a longitudinal axis; an end effector having a clevis coupled to the distal end of the elongate shaft, a first jaw pivotally coupled to the clevis, and a second jaw pivotally coupled to the clevis; a first wire coupled to the first jaw to transmit a controller motion to the first jaw and to the second jaw, the first wire extending through a second guide way in the second jaw and through the elongate shaft between the distal end and the proximal end; and a second wire coupled to the second jaw to transmit the controller motion to the second jaw and to the first jaw, the second wire extending through a first guide way in the first jaw and through the elongate shaft between the distal end and the proximal end.
Surgical end effector with rotatable jaws, perpendicular faces, and crossed wires through ninety-degree guide ways
A clevis; a first jaw rotatably coupled to the clevis by a first pivot, the first jaw having a first face perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the first pivot and a first guide way, the first guide way being a first curved path in the first face extending from the clevis, changing direction by roughly ninety degrees, and including a continuous first surface extending along the inside of the first curved path; a second jaw rotatably coupled to the clevis by a second pivot, the second jaw having a second face perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the second pivot and a second guide way, the second guide way being a second curved path in the second face extending from the clevis, changing direction by roughly ninety degrees, and including a continuous second surface extending along the inside of the second curved path; a first wire coupled to the first jaw to transmit a controller motion to the first jaw and to the second jaw and extending through the second guide way to the clevis; and a second wire coupled to the second jaw to transmit the controller motion to the second jaw and to the first jaw and extending through the first guide way to the clevis.
Across the independent claims, the core inventive coverage centers on clevis-coupled first and second jaws driven by first and second wires that cross-couple motion to both jaws and are routed through curved guide ways that change direction by roughly ninety degrees and include continuous internal surfaces. The minimally invasive instrument embodiment further routes the wires through an elongate shaft and relates the wire-guided routing to compressive-force transmission and buckling prevention, while dependent claim refinements also address opposite-motion constraints and electrical conductivity/isolation using non-conductive clevis/pivots and electrically non-conductive liners.
Stated Advantages
Enables wires to transmit compressive force without buckling.
Provides bipolar electrocautery by arranging electrically conductive wires/jaws while isolating other components and supporting tissue conduction when grasping.
Documented Applications
Minimally invasive surgical instruments with an end effector that includes cross-routed wires and curved guide ways for grasping and electrocautery use.
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