Universal surgical tool exchange and identification system
View Patent ↗The present invention is directed to a device for allowing universal surgical tool exchange. The device of the present invention includes a tool-side adapter and a robot-side adapter that combine the benefits of a robot in the operating room (OR) with a system that has minimal impact on the current surgical workflow. The device of the present invention allows surgeons to preserve their natural grip on the surgical tool, creates a reliable and repeatable connection between the tool and the robot, and allows the user to rapidly swap the tools in and out from the surgical robot using a single-handed motion. A unique RFID tag and receiver is embedded in the tool-side adapter and the robot-side adapter, respectively to allow the robot to identify the tool that has been engaged. The present invention is universally applicable to any robotic system that is intended to hold a set of hand instruments.
1. A device for securing a tool to a robot comprising:
a tool-side adapter comprising a radio-frequency identification (RFID) transmitter;
a robot-side adapter comprising a coupling for mounting the robot-side adapter to an end effector of the robot and the robot-side adapter comprising an RFID receiver,
wherein a geometry of the tool-side adapter and a geometry of the robot-side adapter are configured to couple together to hold the tool at an end effector of the robot and wherein the tool-side adapter and the robot-side adapter comprise a dovetail-type connector; and
a locking mechanism to secure the tool-side adapter to the robot-side adapter.
2. The device of claim 1 further comprising a tool holder coupled to the tool-side adapter.
3. The device of claim 2 wherein the tool holder comprises features to match a shape and a function of the individual tool, such that the individual tool can be secured to the robot.
4. The device of claim 2 wherein the tool-side adapter comprises a coupling for mounting the tool holder to the tool-side adapter.
5. The device of claim 2 wherein the tool holder is configured to be positioned on the tool such that a surgeon's natural grip on the tool is preserved.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the RFID transmitter transmits a number unique to the tool.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein the geometry of the tool-side adapter comprises a male connector.
8. The device of claim 1 wherein the geometry of the robot-side adapter comprises a female connector.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein the robot-side adapter comprises a vertically aligned dovetail groove.
10. The device of claim 9 wherein the tool-side adapter comprises a vertically aligned dovetail protrusion.
11. The device of claim 10 wherein the vertically aligned dovetail groove of the robot-side adapter tapers from larger at a top to smaller at a bottom to ensure that the tool is held securely by the robot.
12. The device of claim 11 wherein the vertically aligned dovetail protrusion of the tool-side adapter is tapered to match the shape of the vertically aligned dovetail groove of the robot-side adapter.
13. The device of claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism comprises a spring-loaded locking mechanism.
14. The device of claim 1 wherein the robot-side adapter includes a pin and the tool-side adapter includes a hole, wherein the pin is configured to engage with the hole to keep the robot-side adapter and the tool-side adapter coupled during use.
15. The device of claim 14 wherein the tool-side adapter comprises a torsional spring.
16. The device of claim 15 wherein the pin is biased to an engaged position and is disengaged by applying a force against the torsional spring.
17. The device of claim 16 further comprising a thumb operated lever for disengaging the pin.
18. The device of claim 1 wherein the RFID receiver reads the RFID transmitter whenever the tool-side adapter is coupled to the robot-side adapter.
19. The device of claim 1 further comprising a receiver for receiving the tool information from the RFID receiver.