Manipulator for an instrument for minimally invasive surgery and such an instrument

Abstract

A manipulator for an instrument for minimally invasive surgery, provided with a first moveable carriage, on which first carriage the instrument can be mounted, wherein the first carriage is positioned on a first arm of a parallelogram construction to provide the instrument with a virtual pivoting point in the plane in which during use the instrument intersects the body of a patient, wherein the proximal end of the manipulator is provided with a handle for operating the instrument with the handle being placed on, or forming part of a second arm of the parallelogram construction opposite the first arm, such that a body axis of the handle always extends parallel to the instrument.

1 . A manipulator for an instrument for minimally invasive surgery, provided with a first moveable carriage, on which first carriage the instrument can be mounted, wherein the first carriage is positioned on a first arm of a parallelogram construction to provide the instrument with a virtual pivoting point in the plane in which during use the instrument intersects the body of a patient, wherein proximal end of the manipulator is provided with a handle for operating the instrument, with the handle being placed on, or forming part of a second arm of the parallelogram construction opposite the first arm, such that a body axis of the handle always extends parallel to the instrument.  
     
     
         2 . A manipulator according to  claim 1 , wherein the handle is positioned on a moveable second carriage coupled with the first carriage such that when moving the second carriage, the first carriage carries out a corresponding movement in a longitudinal direction of the instrument.  
     
     
         3 . A manipulator according to  claim 1 , wherein the instrument is detachable from the first carriage.  
     
     
         4 . A manipulator according to  claim 1 , wherein the first carriage is provided with couplers designed to co-operate with control organs of the instrument, which couplers are coupled with the handle via interpositioned pull wires.  
     
     
         5 . A manipulator according to  claim 1 , wherein the instrument is coupled with the handle in order to be able to conduct in unison a rotation about the respective body axes.  
     
     
         6 . A manipulator according to  claim 1 , additionally comprising adjustable locking facilities for fixing the manipulator in one or several directions.  
     
     
         7 . An instrument for minimally invasive surgery suitable for use with a manipulator in accordance with  claim 1 , comprising a tube provided at its first end with a mouthpiece wherein control means for the mouthpiece pass through the tube, and wherein at a second end of the tube opposite to the first end comprising the mouthpiece control organs are provided that are coupled with the control means for the mouthpiece that are passing through the tube.  
     
     
         8 . An instrument according to  claim 7 , wherein the control organs are flanges mounted on pull tubes passing through the tube and constituting a part of the control means.  
     
     
         9 . An instrument according to  claim 7 , wherein the mouthpiece is a jaw-like gripping organ comprising two cooperating jaw portions, wherein each jaw portion is coupled with one of the pull tubes.  
     
     
         10 . An instrument according to  claim 9 , wherein the gripping organ has two orthogonal directions of rotation, both of which are at right angles in relation to the longitudinal axis of the instrument.  
     
     
         11 . An instrument according to  claim 9 , wherein the jaw portions are spring-activated so as to force the jaw portions apart to open the gripping organ.