US 12,011,242 B2
Computer-assisted tele-operated surgery systems and methods
Ryan Charles Abbott, San Jose, CA (US); Daniel H. Gomez, Los Gatos, CA (US); Amy Kerdok, San Jose, CA (US); Ian E. McDowall, Woodside, 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 Jan. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/151,185.
Application 18/151,185 is a continuation of application No. 17/246,008, filed on Apr. 30, 2021, granted, now 11,589,938.
Application 17/246,008 is a continuation of application No. 16/325,978, granted, now 11,020,192, issued on Jun. 1, 2021, previously published as PCT/US2017/048425, filed on Aug. 24, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/379,114, filed on Aug. 24, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/379,112, filed on Aug. 24, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2023/0149103 A1, May 18, 2023
Int. Cl. A61B 34/35 (2016.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/37 (2016.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 34/35 (2016.02) [A61B 34/00 (2016.02); A61B 34/37 (2016.02); A61B 2017/00477 (2013.01); A61B 2090/064 (2016.02); A61B 2090/371 (2016.02)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A medical system comprising:
a surgical instrument comprising:
a shaft having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion;
an end effector movably coupled to the distal end portion; and
actuator engagement members including paired actuator engagement members, wherein movements of the paired actuator engagement members in opposite directions relative to each other cause motions of the end effector; and
a surgical instrument drive unit configured to be coupled to a manipulator arm of a robotic surgery system, wherein the surgical instrument is releasably coupleable with the surgical instrument drive unit, the surgical instrument drive unit comprising:
a plurality of actuators, each of the actuators being releasably coupled with one of the actuator engagement members while the surgical instrument is coupled with the surgical instrument drive unit, the actuators being controllable to drive the movements of the paired actuator engagement members that cause the motions of the end effector,
wherein the actuator engagement members are controllable by the plurality of actuators to force the shaft of the surgical instrument to proximally retract along the longitudinal axis relative to the surgical instrument drive unit.