Abstract:
Surgical assemblies and related methods are disclosed that provide for decoupling of instrument shaft roll and end effector actuation. A surgical assembly includes a base, an instrument shaft rotationally mounted to the base, an end effector supported at a distal end of the instrument shaft and including an actuation mechanism driven by a rotational motion, a drive shaft rotationally coupled with the actuation mechanism and configured to provide the rotational motion to the actuation mechanism, and a differential rotationally coupled to the drive shaft and receiving a first input motion and a second input motion. The differential combines the first and second input motions to generate an output motion that rotates the drive shaft. The first input motion is rotationally coupleable to an actuation source. The second input motion is coupled to rotation of the instrument shaft relative to the base.
Abstract:
Surgical tools having a two degree-of-freedom wrist (70), wrist articulation by linked tension members (218, 220, 222, 224), mechanisms (372, 390) for transmitting torque through an angle, and minimally invasive surgical tools incorporating these features are disclosed. An elongate intermediate wrist member (80) is pivotally coupled with a distal end of an instrument shaft (74) so as to rotate about a first axis transverse to the shaft, and an end effector body (72) is pivotally coupled with the intermediate member so as to rotate about a second axis that is transverse to the first axis. Linked tension members (218, 220, 222, 224) interact with attachment features (180, 182, 184, 186) to articulate the wrist. A torque-transmitting mechanism (372, 390) includes a coupling member (384, 394), coupling pins (398, 400), a drive shaft (392), and a driven shaft (396). The drive shaft is coupled with the driven shaft so as to control the relative orientations of the drive shaft, the coupling member, and the driven shaft.