Two-part endoscope surgical device

Abstract

The present invention provides a two-part robotic device for positioning of a hand tool, comprising: a. a fixed base unit constantly fix to its position; b. a detachable body unit reversibly coupled to said fixed base unit, coupled to said current medical instrument; wherein said fixed base unit is adapted to provide independent movement to said hand tool, said independent movement selected from the group consisting of rotation and translation, and further wherein said detachable body unit is removable and replaceable from said fixed base unit such that upon exchange of said hand tool for a second hand tool, said second hand tool is placed in substantially the same location as the location of said hand tool prior to said exchange.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for laparoscopic surgery using a two-part device composed of a base unit and a detachable body unit. The invention furthermore relates to the guiding of such laparoscopic instruments and procedures, and in particular to interfaces that allow identification of the spatial position of a laparoscope during endoscopic surgery.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon performs the operation through one or more small incisions using long instruments, while observing the internal anatomy with an endoscope camera. The laparoscope is often provided with some form of gantry or holding unit to hold the external portion of the device in place. This gantry is often a somewhat cumbersome apparatus and is in general associated with a particular laparoscopic device. Each form of surgical laparoscope will have its own gantry which must be installed before use.[0003]For example U.S. Pat. No...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0054]It is an object of the invention to provide a laparoscope composed of a set of detachable parts. A base unit attaches to a fixed location such as the floor, the side of an operating table, or the like. A body unit attaches to this base unit and is provided with a laparoscope and associated devices, such as surgical tools, camera, fiber optics, light sources, and the like. The body unit attaches easily to the base unit and is supported by it during surgery. It may be detached and replaced with another body unit suitable for different procedures. The device utilizes a novel torque-transmitting joint that allows a large number of degrees of freedom to be transmitted while allowing the several sections of the device to be rotated and translated through additional degrees of freedom. In this way a simple and modular means for performing a wide variety of surgical procedures is attained.

[0125]The device of the present invention has many technological advantages, among them simplification of the communication interface between surgeon and automated assistants; seamless interaction with conventional computerized automated endoscope systems; simplicity of construction; reliability; and user-friendliness. Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following drawings and description.

Problems solved by technology

This gantry is often a somewhat cumbersome apparatus and is in general associated with a particular laparoscopic device.

The main disadvantage of the above interfaces is that they are based on cumbersome operations for starting and stopping movement directions that requires the surgeon's constant attention.

Arshak states in the article that other methods such as time of arrival, time differences of arrival and angle of arrival are not feasible in dense, multipath environments.

If, however, the transmission power is unknown, unstable or inaccurate, or if the propagation factor is unknown, then Arshak's method cannot be used.

These technologies still fail to address another complicating interface aspect of laparoscopic surgery, however, as they do not allow the surgeon to signal both to the automated assistant and to surgical colleagues on which surgical instrument his attention is focused.

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