US 12,004,832 B2
Rotatable carriage for an instrument holder
Andrew Cullen Waterbury, Santa Clara, CA (US); Daniel H. Gomez, Los Gatos, CA (US); and John Ryan Steger, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 30, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/444,166.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/063,193, filed on Aug. 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0039892 A1, Feb. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. B25J 9/04 (2006.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/35 (2016.01); B25J 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 34/70 (2016.02) [A61B 34/35 (2016.02); B25J 5/005 (2013.01); B25J 9/04 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a carriage support having an output drive;
a carriage configured to removably couple an instrument thereto, wherein the carriage has a lateral opening extending radially outward from a central axis of the carriage and extending between a proximal end portion and a distal end portion of the carriage, and wherein the lateral opening is configured to receive a portion of the instrument therein; and
a positioning member disposed on an outer surface of the carriage and operably coupled with the output drive such that rotation of the output drive changes an angular position of the carriage relative to the carriage support,
wherein the positioning member is configured to operably couple with the output drive through a range of rotation of the carriage such that a section of the carriage including the lateral opening is rotatable past the output drive, and
wherein the carriage houses one or more drive elements configured to transmit mechanical force to the instrument in a coupled state of the instrument with the carriage, wherein the one or more drive elements are driven in response to electrical signal communication with the one or more drive elements.