Device for grasping an elongated body, such as a needle, and robotized device comprising the same

{
  "publication_number": "US9782224B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Device for grasping an elongated body, such as a needle, and robotized device comprising the same",
  "abstract": "A device for selectively grasping a part of a separate elongated body extending through the device, includes at least three partially mobile jaw members defining between them a through hole of variable diameter depending on their mutual relative positioning, supporting and driving elements to which the jaw members are mounted and which are adapted to provide a coordinated motion to the members around the elongated body situated in the variable through hole, resulting in a closing or opening of the through hole. The jaw members have an elongated shape with two opposed ends and the supporting and driving elements include a circular or annular support body to which a first end of each jaw member is connected and a mobile annular driving body to which a second opposed end of each jaw member is connected.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A device for selectively gripping or grasping a segment or part of a separate elongated body (2) extending through said device, the device (1) comprising: at least three, at least partially mobile jaw or clamping members (3), a through hole or receiving passage (4) defined between the jaw or clamping members (3) the through hole or receiving passage (4) being of variable diameter depending on mutual relative positioning of the jaw or clamping members (3), supporting and driving means (5, 6) to which said jaw or clamping members (3) are mounted and/or connected and which are adapted to provide a coordinated motion to said jaw or clamping members (3) around the elongated body (2) situated in the through hole or receiving passage (4), resulting in a closing or opening of said through hole or receiving passage (4), wherein each of the jaw or clamping members (3) is an elongated jaw or clamping member (3) having an elongated shape with opposed first and second opposed ends (3 ′, 3 ″), wherein the supporting and driving means (5, 6) comprise a circular or annular support body (5) to which the first end (3 ′) of each jaw or clamping member (3) is connected and a driving body (6) to which the second opposed end (3 ″) of each jaw or clamping member (3) is connected, the driving body (6) being a mobile circular or annular driving body (6), wherein a rotational movement of the driving body (6) relative to the support body (5) results in a simultaneous and synchronous displacement of all the connected second ends (3 ″) of the jaw or clamping members (3) and a corresponding variation of a size of the through hole or receiving passage (4), wherein each jaw or clamping member (3) has a gripping portion (8) for contacting to the elongated body (2) passing through the through hole or receiving passage (4), said gripping portion (8) being located centrally between the opposed first and second ends (3 ′, 3 ″) of said each jaw or clamping member (3), and wherein each jaw or clamping member (3) comprises a partly compliant or flexible elongated member comprising two arm portions (7, 7 ′) arranged in an offset manner one towards the other, joined together at abutting ends and hinged respectively with the support body (5) and the driving body (6) at the opposed first and second ends (3 ′, 3 ″).",
    "2. The device according to claim 1, wherein, the support body (5) is a fixed support body (5), the first end (3 ′) of each jaw or clamping member (3) is hinged, around a hinged link (5 ′), with the support body (5), and each jaw or clamping member (3) is hinged at the first end (3 ′) with the support body (5) and at the second end (3 ″) with the driving body (6), a relative rotational movement of said driving body (6) with respect to the support body (5) inducing a rotational displacement of the first end (3 ′), around an axis of the hinged link (5 ′), with the support body (5) and a circular displacement of the second end (3 ″) along a circular arc path supported by an inner circumference of the driving body (6).",
    "3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the driving body (6) comprises a gear, an externally teethed circular ring, or a tubular sleeve, arranged on top of the support body (5) and axially aligned with said support body (5).",
    "4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the second end (3 ″) of each of the at least three jaw or clamping members (3) linked to the driving body (6) moves along a circular arcuate path, of about 120 degrees, along an upper circular edge of the support body (5) when driven by said gear, the first end (3 ′) of said jaw or clamping member (3) experiencing simultaneously a pivotal movement about the hinged link with the support body (5), said jaw or clamping member (3) thus realizing a lateral sweeping motion within a passage through the support body (5) and the driving body (6).",
    "5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the driving body (6) has outside peripheral grooves (14), said driving body (6) being arranged on top of the support body (5) and axially aligned with said support body (5).",
    "6. The device according to claim 2, wherein the support body (5) and/or the driving body (6) comprise a cylindrical wall and cutouts and/or recesses (5 ″, 6 ″) in the cylindrical wall, able and adapted to receive and lodge, at least partly, the jaw or clamping members (3) when the through hole or receiving passage (4) is open at a maximum.",
    "7. The device according to claim 1, wherein each arm portion (7, 7 ′) is connected to the gripping portion (8) and provided at the opposed first and second ends (3, 3 ″) with sites of hinged or pivotal links (5 ′, 6 ′) provided respectively on the support body (5) and on the driving body (6).",
    "8. The device according to claim 7, wherein each elongated clamping member (3) has a staggered structure, the two arm portions (7, 7 ′) being shifted one towards the other in an axial direction of the elongated body (2) when said elongated body is gripped by said jaw or clamping member clamping members (3) cooperating with each other.",
    "9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the shifted arrangement of the two arm portions (7, 7 ′) of the jaw or clamping members (3), as well as relative positioning and guided displacement of the two arm portions (7, 7 ′) of the jaw or clamping members (3) are such that, when moving the driving body (6) to close the through hole or receiving passage (4), the two arm portions (7, 7 ′) engage each other so that an upper one of the two arm portions (7 ′) of a given one of the jaw or clamping members (3) rests slidingly on a lower one of the two arm portions (7) of another one of the jaw or clamping members (3), thus providing through mutual cooperation the gripping portions (8) arranged on a tubular surface whose diameter depends on a closure ratio of the through hole or receiving passage (4).",
    "10. The device according to claim 7, wherein each gripping portion (8) is comprised of two axially aligned clamping pads (8 ′, 8 ″) formed on a junction region (7 ″) of mutually connected abutting ends of the two arm portions (7, 7 ′), the two axially aligned clamping pads (8 ′, 8 ″) arranged in a staggered and rotationally shifted arrangement, so as to constitute a solid body of twice a height of each clamping pad (8 ′, 8 ″) when said through hole or receiving passage (4) is substantially totally closed.",
    "11. The device according to claim 7, wherein the two arm portions (7, 7 ′) have a flexible constitution and a flat rectangular section, able to bend transversally or radially to a direction of the elongated body (2) to be grasped.",
    "12. The device according to claim 7, wherein the support body (5), the driving body (6) and the jaw or clamping members (3) constitute a single-unit, monolithic or single block piece of a thermoplastic material, the hinged or pivotal links (5 ′, 6 ′) being formed by film hinges or restricted material sections at the opposed first and second ends (3 ′, 3 ″) of the jaw or clamping members (3).",
    "13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the driving body (6) is kinematically connected to an actuating means (9), the device (1) being thus motorized and able to be actuated in an automatic and controlled manner, either through a ball worm (10) and a gear link or through two cables (10 ′) wound around the driving body (6) in opposite directions and arranged in grooves (14).",
    "14. The device according to claim 13, further comprising a casing (11) inside which the support body (5) and the driving body (6) form a chuck unit (13) with the jaw or clamping members (3), the driving body (6) being arranged with an ability of free rotation and said casing (11) also supporting the actuating means (9) of the driving body (6).",
    "15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the support body (5) and the casing (11) are in rotational engagement by asymmetric projections of two intermeshing teethed rings (12, 12 ′), formed by cooperation of a ratchet mechanism, the support body (5) being able to rotate with respect to the casing (11) when torque applied to said support body (5) by a closing movement of the driving body (6) is sufficient to disengage the two intermeshing teethed rings and said support body (5); and said casing (11) being rotationally secured when said support body (5) is urged in a direction of an opening movement of the driving body (6).",
    "16. The device according to claim 1, wherein the arm portions (7, 7 ′) are at least partly compliant in a radial direction and substantially rigid in an axial direction, when considered in relation to the elongated body (2), located and grasped within said device (1).",
    "17. The device according to claim 1, wherein the jaw or clamping members (3) are made of a thermoplastic material, the gripping portions (8) being provided with high grip pads or coatings (8 ′, 8 ″).",
    "18. A device for selectively gripping or grasping a segment or part of a separate elongated body (2) extending through said device, the device (1) comprising: at least three, at least partially mobile jaw or clamping members (3), a through hole or receiving passage (4) defined between the jaw or clamping members (3) the through hole or receiving passage (4) being of variable diameter depending on mutual relative positioning of the jaw or clamping members (3); and supporting and driving means (5, 6) to which said jaw or clamping members (3) are mounted and/or connected and which are adapted to provide a coordinated motion to said jaw or clamping members (3) around the elongated body (2) situated in the through hole or receiving passage (4), resulting in a closing or opening of said through hole or receiving passage (4) device (1), wherein each of the jaw or clamping members (3) is an elongated jaw or clamping member (3) having an elongated shape with opposed first and second opposed ends (3 ′, 3 ″), wherein the supporting and driving means (5, 6) comprise a circular or annular support body (5) to which the first end (3 ′) of each jaw or clamping member (3) is connected and a driving body (6) to which the second opposed end (3 ″) of each jaw or clamping member (3) is connected, the driving body (6) being a mobile circular or annular driving body (6), wherein a rotational movement of the driving body (6) relative to the support body (5) results in a simultaneous and synchronous displacement of all the connected second ends (3 ″) of the jaw or clamping members (3) and a corresponding variation of a size of the through hole or receiving passage (4), wherein each jaw or clamping member (3) has a gripping portion (8) for contacting to the elongated body (2) passing through the through hole or receiving passage (4), said gripping portion (8) being located centrally between the opposed first and second ends (3 ′, 3 ″) of said each jaw or clamping member (3), wherein the elongated jaw or clamping members (3) are mutually arranged and connected by the opposed first and second ends (3 ′ and 3 ″) respectively to the support body (5) that the driving body (6) respectively in such a way that said elongated jaw or clamping members (3) always extend continually around the through hole or receiving passage (4), thus defining a peripherally closed hole or passage (4) whatever a state of opening or closure of the device (1), and wherein each jaw or clamping member (3) comprises a partly compliant or flexible elongated member comprising two arm portions (7, 7 ′) arranged in an offset manner one towards the other, joined together at abutting ends and hinged respectively with the support body (5) and the and driving body (6) at the opposed first and second ends (3 ′, 3 ″), at least a part.",
    "19. A surgical device for selectively gripping or grasping a segment or part of a separate elongated body (2) extending through said device, the surgical device (1) comprising: at least three, at least partially mobile jaw or clamping members (3), a through hole or receiving passage (4) defined between the jaw or clamping members (3) the through hole or receiving passage (4) being of variable diameter depending on mutual relative positioning of the jaw or clamping members (3); and supporting and driving means (5, 6) to which said jaw or clamping members (3) are mounted and/or connected and which are adapted to provide a coordinated motion to said jaw or clamping members (3) around the elongated body (2) situated in the through hole or receiving passage (4), resulting in a closing or opening of said through hole or receiving passage (4) device (1), wherein each of the jaw or clamping members (3) is an elongated jaw or clamping member (3) having an elongated shape with opposed first and second opposed ends (3 ′, 3 ″), wherein the supporting and driving means (5, 6) comprise a circular or annular support body (5) to which the first end (3 ′) of each jaw or clamping member (3) is connected and a driving body (6) to which the second opposed end (3 ″) of each jaw or clamping member (3) is connected, the driving body (6) being a mobile circular or annular driving body (6), the support body (5) being a fixed support body (5), wherein a rotational movement of the driving body (6) relative to the support body (5) results in a simultaneous and synchronous displacement of all the connected second ends (3 ″) of the jaw or clamping members (3) and a corresponding variation of a size of the through hole or receiving passage (4), wherein each jaw or clamping member (3) has a gripping portion (8) for contacting to the elongated body (2) passing through the through hole or receiving passage (4), said gripping portion (8) being located centrally between the opposed first and second ends (3 ′, 3 ″) of said each jaw or clamping member (3), wherein the elongated jaw or clamping members (3) are mutually arranged and connected by the opposed first and second ends (3 ′ and 3 ″) respectively to the support body (5) that the driving body (6) respectively in such a way that said elongated jaw or clamping members (3) always extend continually around the through hole or receiving passage (4), thus defining a peripherally closed hole or passage (4) whatever a state of opening or closure of the surgical device (1), and wherein each jaw or clamping member (3) comprises a partly compliant or flexible elongated member comprising two arm portions (7, 7 ′) arranged in an offset manner one towards the other, joined together at abutting ends and hinged respectively with the support body (5) and the and driving body (6) at the opposed first and second ends (3 ′, 3 ″), at least a part."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Field of the Invention\n\nThe present invention concerns an actuated device for grasping in a controlled manner an elongated body, as well as a robotized device comprising at least one such grasping device and using it to handle said elongated body.\n\nA preferred application context of the invention is the grasping and manipulation of surgical needles which represent a very common concern in many medical specialties involving image guided needle insertions, in particular in the context of interventional radiology.\n\nIn this medical specialty, minimally invasive procedures are performed to diagnose or treat pathologies under image guidance.\n\nThe medical interventions mainly targeted here encompass the wide class of procedures that necessitate needle insertion such as biopsies, radiofrequency ablations or cancer local delivery treatments.\n\nTo ensure a proper safety level in the procedures, visual feedback is usually mandatory to monitor the instrument insertion.\n\nAmong the various imaging modalities available, computed tomography (CT) and fluoroscopy provide a fast and accurate visual feedback to the radiologist and are now very widely used in medical routine.\n\nHowever, repeated CT and fluoroscopy endanger physicians with potentially harmful ionizing radiations.\n\nThat is one of the main motivation for developing teleoperated robotic assistant devices to remotely insert needles or similar elongated bodies under CT guidance.\n\nDescription of the Related Art\n\nA possible layout of teleoperated percutaneous procedures was presented in Piccin, O., Barbé L., Bayle, B., de Mathelin, M.",
  "cpc": [
    "A61B 90/11",
    "A61B 17/3403",
    "A61B 19/2203",
    "A61B 2017/00862",
    "A61B 2017/00955",
    "A61B 2017/3407",
    "A61B 2017/3409",
    "A61B 2017/347",
    "A61B 2034/305",
    "A61B 2034/715",
    "A61B 34/30",
    "B23B 31/1261",
    "B25J 15/086",
    "B25J 15/10",
    "B25J 15/12"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A61B 17/00",
    "A61B 17/34",
    "A61B 34/00",
    "A61B 34/30",
    "A61B 90/11",
    "B23B 31/12",
    "B25J 15/08",
    "B25J 15/10",
    "B25J 15/12"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire De Chirurgie Mini-Invasive (guidee Par L'image)",
    "Institut National Des Sciences Appliquees (establissement Public National A Caractere Scientifique Culturel Et Professionnel)",
    "Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS",
    "Universite de Strasbourg"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Olivier Piccin",
    "Nitish Kumar",
    "Laurence Meylheuc",
    "Laurent Barbe",
    "Bernard Bayle",
    "Francois Schmitt"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2013-08-09",
  "publication_date": "2017-10-10",
  "grant_date": "2017-10-10",
  "priority_date": "2012-08-09",
  "application_number": "US-201314420064-A",
  "family_id": "49546594",
  "cited_by_count": 10,
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    "US2890888A",
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    "US4765669A",
    "US20030024357A1",
    "WO2006035143A1",
    "WO2006092496A1",
    "US20080167663A1",
    "US20090014907A1",
    "WO2011152520A1"
  ]
}