ENDOSCOPIC ROBOTIC SURGICAL TOOLS AND METHODS

摘要

The methods and devices of the invention include an encoder (12), an endoscopic robotics instrument, and an encoder/robotics instrument interface. A preferred embodiment of the encoder has a chest/shoulder plate (214) provided with telescoping tubes, and joints. Each joint is provided with a direct drive potentiometer to monitor movement and provide a corresponding signal. The chest plate (214) is preferably adaptable to a large range of human chest sizes and the telescopic segments are strapped to the arms of the practitioner at the elbows. A pistol grip is provided at the wrist end of the telescopic segments. According to the presently preferred embodiment, the encoder (12) encodes flexion and rotation at the shoulder (34), elbow (36) and wrist (38) of each arm in addition to gripping at each hand (42). The encoding device is coupled to a circuit (14) which operates a servo system (16). The servo system (16) includes a series of servo motors. A series of pulleys corresponding to the number of servo motors (60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 86). The robotics instrument preferably comprises two arms (18) mounted at the distal end of a multi-lumen tube (150). Each arm has rotational and flexion joints (22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32) corresponding to the shoulder, elbow and wrist of the practitioner. Tendons are coupled to the pulleys of the servo motors (60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86), and are fed through the multi-lumen tube to the joints (22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32) of the two arms.