US 12,082,900 B2
Low-friction, small profile medical tools having easy-to-assemble components
Harsukhdeep Ratia, Foster City, CA (US); Alain Sadaka, San Jose, CA (US); and Zhou Ye, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/971,984
Filed by Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 5, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/020654
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 21, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/173268, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 12, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/639,635, filed on Mar. 7, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0397522 A1, Dec. 24, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/35 (2016.01); B25J 9/02 (2006.01); B25J 15/02 (2006.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 34/71 (2016.02) [A61B 34/35 (2016.02); A61B 34/74 (2016.02); B25J 9/02 (2013.01); B25J 15/022 (2013.01); A61B 2034/302 (2016.02); A61B 2034/305 (2016.02)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
an instrument shaft, a link operably coupled to the instrument shaft, and a tension member;
the link comprising a guide path having a centerline, a connection path having a centerline, an assembly path having a centerline, a retention pocket, and a wall,
the connection path extending through a portion of the link between the guide path and the retention pocket,
the wall of the link surrounding a portion of the connection path,
the centerline of the connection path and the centerline of the guide path defining a first plane such that the connection path and the guide path are coplanar within the link,
the assembly path extending through the portion of the link into the retention pocket, and
the centerline of the assembly path being nonparallel to the centerline of the connection path within a second plane that is nonparallel to the first plane; and
the tension member comprising a first tension member portion, a second tension member portion, and a retention member coupled to the second tension member portion, wherein:
the assembly path is configured to receive the first tension member portion along the centerline of the assembly path on a first condition in which the first tension member portion is in a first position,
the tension member is configured to be rotated to transition the first tension member portion from the assembly path to within the guide path,
the retention member being retained within the retention pocket on a second condition in which the first tension member portion is in a second position within the guide path such that movement of the tension member relative to the link is limited, and
movement of the first tension member portion within the guide path urging the link to rotate relative to the instrument shaft.