US 11,781,857 B2
Force sensing in a distal region of an instrument including single-core or multi-core optical fiber
Dawn K. Gifford, Blacksburg, VA (US); Federico Barbagli, San Francisco, CA (US); Samuel Chang, Mountain View, CA (US); Anoop B. Kowshik, Saratoga, CA (US); Oliver Wagner, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Michael Paris, San Francisco, CA (US); and Mark Froggatt, Blacksburg, VA (US)
Assigned to Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/700,370.
Application 17/700,370 is a continuation of application No. 17/115,694, filed on Dec. 8, 2020, granted, now 11,313,674.
Application 17/115,694 is a continuation of application No. 16/506,997, filed on Jul. 9, 2019, granted, now 10,876,831.
Application 16/506,997 is a continuation of application No. 15/572,135, granted, now 10,378,883, previously published as PCT/US2016/032051, filed on May 12, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/162,062, filed on May 15, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0214158 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01B 11/16 (2006.01); G01L 1/24 (2006.01); G02B 23/26 (2006.01); A61B 1/00 (2006.01); G02B 6/02 (2006.01); G02B 6/34 (2006.01); G02B 6/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01B 11/16 (2013.01) [A61B 1/00096 (2013.01); A61B 1/00165 (2013.01); G01L 1/24 (2013.01); G02B 6/00 (2013.01); G02B 6/02 (2013.01); G02B 6/022 (2013.01); G02B 6/02042 (2013.01); G02B 6/34 (2013.01); G02B 23/26 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical force sensor, comprising:
an optical fiber comprising one or more optical cores surrounded by a cladding, the optical fiber being terminated in a distal region to suppress back reflection; and
a protective tube encasing only the distal region of the fiber, filled with an epoxy that transfers strain from the protective tube to the optical fiber.