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SonyGranted patentHealth & bodyInterest 6/10

Sony patents robotic arm that adjusts its reach to avoid surgeons

Sony has been granted a patent for a robotic arm designed to hold medical instruments like endoscopes during surgery. The device features a base that can change the distance between its two main pivots, allowing it to stretch or shrink to fit tight spaces. At the end of the arm, three joints are connected directly to control the instrument's angle without extra links.

Why it mattersThis design aims to keep the robotic arm out of the surgeon's way by allowing it to adjust its physical footprint in real-time.

In the filing’s own words

Provided is a medical arm device that avoids interference with a surgeon. A medical arm device includes a first arm part including a tip part that supports a medical instrument such as an endoscope, and a second arm part that supports the first arm part, and includes at least two horizontal rotation axes and an inter-axis distance changing unit that changes a distance between the two horizontal rotation axes. The tip part includes a structure in which joint members corresponding to rotation axes of three degrees of freedom that determine an attitude of the medical instrument are directly connected, and a rotation axis around a longitudinal axis of the medical instrument, a yaw axis in a case where the rotation axis around the longitudinal axis is a roll axis, and a pitch axis are disposed in order from a most tip part.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A medical arm device comprising: a first arm part including a tip part that supports a medical instrument; a second arm part that supports the first arm part having at least two rotation axes enabling horizontal planar rotation and an inter-axis distance changing mechanism configured to change a distance between the two rotation axes, wherein the second arm part includes a first link, a first joint part having a degree of freedom around a first rotation axis of the at least two rotation axes at a tip of the first link, a second link horizontally attached to the tip of the first link via the first joint part, and a second joint part having a degree of freedom around a second rotation axis of the at least two rotation axes at a tip of the second link, the second link includes the inter-axis distance changing mechanism, wherein the second link is configured to expand and contract to change the distance between the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis, and the first arm part is supported via the second joint part; and an intermediate part that connects the first arm part and the second arm part, the intermediate part having a rotation axis orthogonal to the at least two rotation axes, wherein the tip part includes a structure in which the rotation axis around a longitudinal axis of the medical instrument, a yaw axis, and a pitch axis are disposed in order from a most distal part and are directly connected via joint members without an interposed link.

Facts

Company
Sony (Sony Group Corporation)
Official title
Medical arm device
Patent number
US12746095B2
Application number
18000823
Filed
May 18, 2021
Granted
Sep 29, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
20

Classified under

A61B 90/50 Human necessitiesA61B 90/361 Human necessities
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.