EP-4223206-B1 - ROBOTIC ARMS

Inventors

• KOENIG, KAREN SHAKESPEAR
• GARCIA KILROY, Pablo E.

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20170915

Claims (15)

1. A robotic surgical system, comprising: a robotic arm (100, 500) comprising a roll link (154, 454, 554), a first link (156a, 456a, 556a) rotatable within a first plane and having a proximal end coupled to a distal end of the roll link, and a second link (156b, 456b, 556b) rotatable within a second plane and having a proximal end coupled to a distal end of the first link; and an instrument driver (180, 480, 580) configured to hold a surgical instrument, wherein the instrument driver is coupled to a distal end of the second link such that the instrument driver is not parallel to any of the first and second planes.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the robotic arm is foldable into a compact configuration in which the instrument driver is positioned between the roll link and at least one of the first and second links.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the roll link is oriented along a roll axis and at least a portion of the instrument driver is angularly offset from the roll axis.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the instrument driver is configured to rotate the surgical instrument around a remote center of motion.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the robotic arm is configured to rotate the instrument driver around a roll axis and a pitch axis
6. The system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the roll axis and the pitch axis does not intersect with the remote center of motion.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the roll axis and the pitch axis do not intersect with the remote center of motion.
8. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the roll axis and the pitch axis is offset by about 2 centimeters or less from the remote center of motion.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the robotic arm is coupled to a table.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the roll link comprises a proximal end and a distal end that are angularly offset relative to one another.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the proximal end and the distal end are angularly offset relative to one another in a first direction and a second direction.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the proximal end and the distal end of the first link are fixed relative to one another.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the roll link defines a longitudinal axis about which the roll link is aligned and operable to rotate.
14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first arm segment (110, 510) comprising a plurality of links providing the robotic arm with at least five degrees of freedom, and wherein the roll link, first link and second link are part of a second arm segment (150, 550) providing the robotic arm with at least two degrees of freedom.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second arm segment is configured to move the surgical instrument within a generally spherical workspace, and wherein the first arm segment is configured to move the location of the spherical workspace.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates generally to robotic or robotic-assisted systems and, more particularly, to robotic arms for robotic or robotic-assisted surgical systems. BACKGROUND Minimally-invasive surgery (MIS), such as laparoscopic surgery, involves techniques intended to reduce tissue damage during a surgical procedure. For instance, laparoscopic procedures typically involve creating a number of small incisions in the patient (e.g., in the abdomen), and introducing one or more tools and at least one camera through the incisions into the patient. The surgical procedures are then performed by using the introduced instruments, with the visualization aid provided by the camera. Generally, MIS provides multiple benefits, such as reduced patient scarring, less patient pain, shorter patient recovery periods, and lower medical treatment costs associated with patient recovery. However, standard MIS systems have a number of drawbacks. For example, non-robotic MIS systems place higher demands on the surgeon, in part because they require surgeons to indirectly manipulate tissue via tools in a manner that may not be natural. Conventional robotic systems, which may include robotic arms for manipulating tools based on commands from an operator, may provide many benefits of MIS while reducing demands on the surgeon. However, such robotic arms tend to be large and difficult to set up and manage. Additionally, many conventional robotic arms have a significantly limited number of arm configurations such that they restrict accessibility to internal organs in the body. For instance, in US 2011/0023651 A1, a robotic surgical system including a ceiling mounted robotic arm is disclosed including a linkage and a balancing mechanism. In detail, the robotic surgical system comprises a first arm segment having a plurality of joints, a second arm segment having two links rotatable within one plane, and an instrument driver which is parallel to the one plane. Thus, it is desirable to have robotic arms for robotic-assisted surgical systems that are easier to use and present more clinical options for a greater variety of procedures and patient types. SUMMARY The invention is as defined in claim 1. Generally, a robotic surgical system includes a robotic arm and an instrument driver configured to hold a surgical instrument. The robotic arm includes a roll link, a first link rotatable within a first plane and having a proximal end coupled to a distal end of the base link, and a second link rotatable within a second plane and having a proximal end coupled to a distal end of the first link. The instrument driver is coupled to a distal end of the second link such that the instrument driver is not parallel to at least one of the first and second planes. In some variations, the robotic arm may be foldable into a compact configuration in which the instrument driver is positioned between the roll link and the first link and/or second link. For example, at least a portion of the roll link may be oriented along a roll axis and at least a portion of the instrument driver may be angularly offset from the roll axis. The first and second links in the robotic arm may be different lengths. For example, the first link may be shorter than the second link. The first and second links may be operatively coupled with a pulley arrangement (e.g., to operate a parallelogram or other suitable four-bar linkage, as described herein). In some variations, the robotic arm may include a first arm segment including a first plurality of actuated links providing the robotic arm with at least five degrees of freedom. The robotic arm may include a second arm segment including a second plurality of actuated links providing the robotic arm with at least two degrees of freedom. In some variations, the second plurality of actuated links may include a roll link, a first link, and a second link (e.g., the roll link, the first link, and the second link described above). In some variations, the second arm segment may be configured to move the surgical instrument within a generally spherical workspace, and the first arm segment may be configured to move the location of the spherical workspace. For example, a degree of freedom of the robotic arm (e.g., in the second arm segment) may be provided by rotation of the roll link relative to the first arm segment. Rotation of the roll link relative to the first arm segment may, for example, cause movement of the instrument driver in a roll direction. As another example, a degree of freedom of the robotic arm (e.g., in the second arm segment) may be provided by synchronous rotation of the first and second links relative to the roll link. Synchronous rotation of the first and second links may, for example, cause movement of the instrument driver in a pitch direction. In some variations, the instrument driver may be configured to rotate the surgical instrument around a remote center of motion. In some of these variations, the second