US 12,256,911 B2
Operating self-antagonistic drives of medical instruments
Samuel Kwok Wai Au, Mountain View, CA (US); Stephen J. Blumenkranz, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Giuseppe Maria Prisco, Calcinelli di Saltara (IT)
Assigned to INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/532,598.
Application 16/414,690 is a division of application No. 15/913,602, filed on Mar. 6, 2018, granted, now 10,321,900, issued on Jun. 18, 2019.
Application 15/913,602 is a division of application No. 14/068,127, filed on Oct. 31, 2013, granted, now 9,931,106, issued on Apr. 3, 2018.
Application 18/532,598 is a continuation of application No. 17/111,667, filed on Dec. 4, 2020, granted, now 11,871,914.
Application 17/111,667 is a continuation of application No. 16/414,690, filed on May 16, 2019, granted, now 10,888,306, issued on Jan. 12, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/721,988, filed on Nov. 2, 2012.
Prior Publication US 2024/0122587 A1, Apr. 18, 2024
Int. Cl. A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 17/00 (2013.01) [A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 34/71 (2016.02); A61B 2034/715 (2016.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A medical instrument comprising:
an instrument shaft;
an actuated structure at a distal end of the instrument shaft;
a backend mechanism at a proximal end of the instrument shaft, comprising:
a backend shaft rotatable in a first direction and a second direction that is opposite of the first direction;
a first one-way clutch coupled to the backend shaft, the first one-way clutch configured to slip when the backend shaft is rotated in the second direction;
a second one-way clutch coupled to the backend shaft, the second one-way clutch configured to slip when the backend shaft is rotated in the first direction;
a first length of tendon connected to the actuated structure and extending down the instrument shaft, the first length of tendon wound around the first one-way clutch in the first direction; and
a second length of tendon connected to the actuated structure and extending down the instrument shaft, the second length of tendon wound around the second one-way clutch in the second direction; and
a drive element operably coupled to the backend shaft and configured to drive the first length of tendon by rotating the backend shaft in the first direction and drive the second length of tendon by rotating the backend shaft in the second direction to drive the actuated structure.