Robotics tool bailouts
Various surgical tools with bailout mechanisms are provided that allow direct engagement with one or more actuators to provide rapid and effective bailout (such as release, reversal, and/or retraction) of surgical tools while minimizing the amount of force and/or time to complete the bailout. Robotic surgical tools generally have a housing and an elongate tool shaft extending from the housing and having an end effector on a distal end thereof. The housing has a plurality of actuators for causing various functions of the end effector, such as rotation, articulation, clamping, firing, stapling, etc. The housing attaches to a tool driver on a robotic arm that electromechanically drives the actuators to control the end effector. A bailout mechanism can extend from the housing into the elongate shaft and directly engage the actuators to apply a force thereto to retract an actuator.
1. A surgical tool, comprising:
a housing configured to couple to a plurality of motors on a tool driver of a surgical robot;
an elongate shaft extending distally from the housing and having an end effector coupled to a distal end thereof, the elongate shaft having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and the distal end thereof;
a drive assembly disposed within the housing and configured to be driven by a motor on a tool driver of a surgical robot;
an actuator mechanism extending through the elongate shaft and operatively coupled between the drive assembly and the end effector for actuating the end effector, the actuator mechanism having a plurality of drivers and a plurality of end effector actuators, each one of the plurality of end effector actuators being configured to engage a corresponding one of the plurality of drivers, and each of the plurality of drivers being configured to engage and be rotated by the drive assembly for actuating the end effector; and
a bailout mechanism directly coupled to the actuator mechanism and being configured to rotate around the longitudinal axis to apply a proximal force to the actuator mechanism to retract the actuator mechanism, the bailout mechanism being configured to rotate one of the plurality of drivers, which is configured to rotate one of the plurality of end effector actuators to apply a proximal force to retract the actuator mechanism.
2. The surgical tool of claim 1 , wherein the bailout mechanism includes a rotatable wheel disposed within the housing and configured to be rotated to apply a proximal force to the actuator mechanism.
3. The surgical tool of claim 2 , wherein the bailout mechanism includes a crank arm configured to manually rotate the rotatable wheel.
4. The surgical tool of claim 3 , further comprising a pawl coupled to the crank arm and engageable with the rotatable wheel, the pawl being configured to rotate the wheel in a direction that causes retraction of the actuator mechanism.
5. The surgical tool of claim 2 , further comprising a pawl engaged with the rotatable wheel and configured to limit rotation of the rotatable wheel in only one direction.
6. The surgical tool of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of end effector actuators are configured to engage the plurality of drivers through a groove and tooth engagement.
7. The surgical tool of claim 1 , further comprising an alignment feature formed in the housing and configured to mate with a corresponding alignment feature on the tool driver of the surgical robot.
8. The surgical tool of claim 1 , wherein the bailout mechanism is recessed on an outermost surface of the housing.
9. A surgical tool, comprising:
an elongate shaft having a longitudinal axis;
an end effector coupled to a distal end of the elongate shaft, the end effector including first and second jaws movable between an open position in which the first and second jaws are spaced apart from one another, and a closed position in which the first and second jaws are configured to engage tissue therebetween;
a plurality of actuation members extending distally through the elongate shaft and configured to operate on the end effector;
a plurality of driving members configured to engage and be rotated by a drive assembly, each driving member coupled to a corresponding actuation member, each driving member being configured to cause forward and reverse actuation of the corresponding actuation member for actuating the end effector; and
a bailout mechanism configured to engage the plurality of driving members, the bailout mechanism configured to be manually rotated around the longitudinal axis to rotate one of the plurality of driving members, which is configured to rotate the corresponding actuation member to cause reverse actuation.
10. The surgical tool of claim 9 , wherein the bailout mechanism includes a rotatable wheel.
11. The surgical tool of claim 10 , wherein the bailout mechanism includes a crank arm configured to manually rotate the rotatable wheel and a pawl coupled to the crank arm and engageable with the rotatable wheel, the pawl being configured to rotate the wheel in a direction that causes reverse actuation of the corresponding actuation member.
12. The surgical tool of claim 9 , further comprising a housing with an alignment feature formed thereon, the alignment feature being configured to mate with a corresponding alignment feature on a tool driver of a surgical robot.
13. The surgical tool of claim 12 , wherein the bailout mechanism is recessed on an outermost surface of the housing.
14. The surgical tool of claim 9 , wherein, when the bailout mechanism is manually rotated, the bailout mechanism is configured to cause rotation of the corresponding actuation member with respect to the longitudinal axis to reverse operation of the end effector.