Assembly for positioning a sterile surgical drape relative to optical position sensors

1. A camera and drape assembly for use with one or more tracking elements of a surgical system, the assembly comprising:

a camera unit including a casing and a plurality of optical sensors supported by the casing for detecting the one or more tracking elements, the casing including a base surface and a post extending from the base surface of the casing, wherein the post supports the plurality of optical sensors;

a drape having a flexible section being configured for draping over the post of the casing to cover the casing and the optical sensors; and

a rigid collar configured to fit over the post to trap the flexible section of the drape between the rigid collar and the post.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the post has a height defined between the base surface and a top of the post and wherein the rigid collar has a height that substantially corresponds to the height of the post.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar pinches the drape between the rigid collar and the post.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar is separate from and movable relative to the drape.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar has rounded edges to prevent tearing of the drape.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the post defines an outer diameter and the rigid collar defines an inner diameter configured to receive the outer diameter of the post.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar is configured to be pressed toward the base surface of the casing to stretch the drape across the optical sensors.

8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar is configured to be retained to the post by a friction fit and by the rigid collar resting on the base surface.

9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drape is formed of a flexible, transparent film.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drape includes sections of different transparency and thickness in an area that covers the camera unit.

11. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drape comprises a plurality of sections having a plurality of transparencies different from one another, and the plurality of sections cover the camera unit.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the rigid collar and the post comprise an engagement feature to retain the rigid collar to the post.

13. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar comprises a snap-lock engagement feature configured to provide acoustic feedback when the rigid collar is engaged to the post.

14. A method of using a camera and drape assembly of a surgical system, the assembly comprising a drape having a flexible section, a camera unit including a casing and a plurality of optical sensors supported by the casing, the casing including a base surface and a post that extends from the base surface of the casing, wherein the post supports the plurality of optical sensors, and a rigid collar configured to fit over the post, the method comprising:

positioning the flexible section of the drape over the post of the casing to cover the casing and the plurality of optical sensors of the camera unit; and

engaging the rigid collar to the post to trap the flexible section of the drape between the rigid collar and the post.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising pinching the drape between the rigid collar and the post.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

placing the rigid collar on the post with the drape positioned between the rigid collar and the post; and

pressing the rigid collar onto the post toward the base surface of the casing to stretch the drape across the plurality of optical sensors.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising retaining the rigid collar to the post by a friction fit and by resting the rigid collar on the base surface.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising providing a snap-lock engagement feature configured to provide acoustic feedback when the rigid collar is engaged with the post.

19. A camera unit for use with a drape and one or more tracking elements of a surgical system, the camera unit comprising:

a casing including a base surface and a post extending from the base surface of the casing;

a plurality of optical sensors supported by the casing, wherein the optical sensors are configured to detect the one or more tracking elements; and

wherein the post supports the plurality of optical sensors and the post is configured to receive a rigid collar to facilitate trapping of the drape between the post and the rigid collar.

20. The camera unit of claim 19 , wherein the post has a height defined between the base surface and a top of the post and wherein the rigid collar has a height that substantially corresponds to the height of the post.