US 12,232,840 B2
Surgical instrument steering inputs
Grant M. Kadokura, San Diego, CA (US); and William A. McDonald, II, Sonora, CA (US)
Assigned to INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 22, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/517,288.
Application 18/517,288 is a continuation of application No. 17/322,089, filed on May 17, 2021, granted, now 11,857,284.
Application 17/322,089 is a continuation of application No. 16/845,808, filed on Apr. 10, 2020, granted, now 11,013,568, issued on May 25, 2021.
Application 16/845,808 is a continuation of application No. 15/782,322, filed on Oct. 12, 2017, granted, now 10,617,483, issued on Apr. 14, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/408,365, filed on Oct. 14, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2024/0197424 A1, Jun. 20, 2024
Int. Cl. A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); A61B 17/16 (2006.01); A61B 17/29 (2006.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 34/71 (2016.02) [A61B 17/00234 (2013.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 2017/00367 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00477 (2013.01); A61B 17/1631 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2901 (2013.01); A61B 2034/301 (2016.02); A61B 2034/302 (2016.02); A61B 2034/715 (2016.02); A61B 2090/031 (2016.02)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
an instrument shaft;
an end effector coupled to the instrument shaft; and
a drive assembly coupled to the instrument shaft, the drive assembly comprising:
a drive cable extending along the instrument shaft and operably coupled to the end effector,
a drive shaft receiving a first portion of the drive cable, the drive shaft having a radially tapered outer surface portion; and
a capstan receiving a second portion of the drive cable, the capstan defining an internal bore having a radially tapered inner surface portion configured to receive the radially tapered outer surface portion of the drive shaft,
wherein the capstan and drive shaft are transitionable between an engaged state with each other and a disengaged state with each other,
wherein, in the disengaged state, the capstan is rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the drive shaft, and
wherein, in the engaged state, the radially tapered surface portions of the capstan and the drive shaft create a self-locking coupling of the drive shaft and capstan configured to inhibit relative rotation of the capstan and the drive shaft about the longitudinal axis.