US 11,864,851 B2
Geared roll drive for medical instrument
Bram Gilbert Antoon Lambrecht, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Thomas G. Cooper, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/223,723.
Application 17/223,723 is a continuation of application No. 16/317,211, abandoned, previously published as PCT/US2017/038805, filed on Jun. 22, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/362,340, filed on Jul. 14, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0220062 A1, Jul. 22, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 34/30 (2016.01); F16H 55/17 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 90/50 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 34/30 (2016.02) [F16H 55/17 (2013.01); A61B 90/50 (2016.02); A61B 2017/00477 (2013.01); A61B 2034/302 (2016.02)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gear roll mechanism for a medical device, comprising:
a first gear, a second gear, and a third gear, wherein:
the first gear is a compressible gear,
the first gear comprises a first contact portion, a second contact portion, and a first rotational axis, the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the first gear are rotatable about the first rotational axis,
the second gear comprises a second gear contact portion and a second rotational axis, the second gear contact portion is rotatable about the second rotational axis,
the third gear comprises a third gear contact portion and a third rotational axis, the third gear contact portion is rotatable about the third rotational axis,
in a first rotational orientation, the first contact portion of the first gear is meshed with the second gear contact portion, the first contact portion of the first gear is compressed towards the first rotational axis and is spaced from the first rotational axis a first radial distance,
in a second rotational orientation, the first contact portion of the first gear is not meshed with the second gear contact portion, the first contact portion of the first gear is spaced from the first rotational axis a second radial distance,
in a third rotational orientation, the second contact portion of the first gear is meshed with the third gear contact portion, the second contact portion of the first gear is compressed towards the first rotational axis and is spaced from the first rotational axis a third radial distance,
in a fourth rotational orientation, the second contact portion of the first gear is not meshed with the third gear contact portion, the second contact portion of the first gear is spaced from the first rotational axis a fourth radial distance,
the second radial distance is greater than the first radial distance, and
the fourth radial distance is greater than the first radial distance.