US 11,950,873 B2
Multi-cable medical instrument
Bram Gilbert Antoon Lambrecht, Sunnyvale, CA (US); S. Christopher Anderson, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Ladd T. Johnson, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 18, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/529,967.
Application 17/529,967 is a continuation of application No. 16/317,235, granted, now 11,207,145, previously published as PCT/US2017/038674, filed on Jun. 22, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/362,431, filed on Jul. 14, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0071727 A1, Mar. 10, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 17/29 (2006.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 34/71 (2016.02) [A61B 34/00 (2016.02); A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 2017/00477 (2013.01); A61B 17/29 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2903 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2929 (2013.01); A61B 2034/715 (2016.02); A61B 2090/371 (2016.02)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A medical instrument comprising:
a chassis;
a plurality of input spindles mounted in the chassis;
a first cable coupled to a first input spindle of the plurality of input spindles;
a second cable coupled to a second input spindle of the plurality of input spindles;
an instrument shaft having a first end and a second end, the first end of the instrument shaft coupled to the chassis;
a tool coupled to the second end of the instrument shaft, the first cable and the second cable coupled to the tool such that rotations of one or more of the plurality of input spindles actuate the tool;
a first pulley mounted at a first level on the chassis, the first pulley receiving the first cable from the first input spindle and redirecting the first cable into and through the instrument shaft; and
a second pulley mounted at a second level on the chassis different from the first level, the second pulley receiving the second cable from the second input spindle and redirecting the second cable through the first level and into and through the instrument shaft;
the first pulley being spaced from the second pulley such that a vertical separation between the first pulley and the second pulley is less than a diameter of the first pulley and less than a diameter of the second pulley.