Master workstation for robotic surgery, sterile operatory field, surgical robotic system and method

Abstract

A master workstation for a surgical robotic system suitable for being located within a sterile operatory field includes an ungrounded master input handle, suitable for being hand held by a surgeon during surgery for controlling a slave robotic assembly of the surgical robotic system; a console including at least one convex body; a sterile drape draping at least a portion of the console; at least one sterile holder having at least one cavity; at least one resting element within the cavity suitable for the master input handle to rest thereon; and at least one positioning clip engaged with the at least one convex body of the console across and through the sterile drape while preserving the integrity of the sterile drape. The positioning clip is suitable for positioning the cavity of the sterile holder at a desired location near the console and within the sterile operatory field.

1 . A master workstation for a surgical robotic system suitable for being located within a sterile operatory field, the master workstation comprising:
 a ungrounded master input handle suitable for being hand held by a surgeon during surgery for controlling a slave robotic assembly of said surgical robotic system;   a console comprising at least one positioning body;   a sterile drape draping at least a portion of said console and forming at least partially a sterile barrier; and   at least one sterile holder, wherein said at least one sterile holder comprises:
 at least one cavity; and 
 at least one resting element within said cavity and suitable for the master input handle to rest thereon when said master input handle is not hand held; 
   wherein said at least one sterile holder comprises at least one positioning element, and   wherein said at least one positioning element is engaged with said at least one positioning body of the console through said sterile drape while preserving the integrity of the sterile barrier.   
     
     
         2 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said positioning element is suitable for positioning the cavity of the sterile holder at a desired location near the console and within the sterile operatory field. 
     
     
         3 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said positioning element comprises a positioning clip elastically engaging said positioning body of the console. 
     
     
         4 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said positioning body of the console comprises a convex body. 
     
     
         5 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said sterile holder is integral with the sterile drape. 
     
     
         6 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said positioning element acts as constraining element for locally constraining the surgical drape against said positioning body of the master sterile console. 
     
     
         7 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said console comprises a chair. 
     
     
         8 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said console comprises a tower and wherein said surgical drape covers said tower. 
     
     
         9 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one resting element comprises a resting surface, including a bottom surface of said sterile holder delimiting the cavity; and/or
 wherein said sterile holder comprises an opening for the access to said cavity.   
     
     
         10 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said positioning element is detachably engaged with said positioning body. 
     
     
         11 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said positioning element rigidly determines the relative position and spatial orientation of said resting surface within said cavity and said convex body of the console. 
     
     
         12 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said ungrounded master input handle includes a cabled connection and the positioning element acts as a constraining element for locally constraining said cabled connection against said positioning body of the master sterile console. 
     
     
         13 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said positioning element is detachably engaged with said positioning body of the console. 
     
     
         14 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein said positioning element comprises at least one flap to detach the positioning element from the positioning body of the console. 
     
     
         15 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , comprising a further sterile holder so as to comprise at least two sterile holders, and a further ungrounded master input handle, so as to comprise two master input handles, wherein each sterile holder is for individually housing one master input handle. 
     
     
         16 . The master workstation  claim 15 , wherein said two sterile holders are spaced apart on the same outer surface of the same surgical drape. 
     
     
         17 . Robotic surgery system comprising at least one master workstation according to  claim 1  and a slave robotic assembly controlled by said master workstation. 
     
     
         18 . Sterile operatory field comprising:
 at least one master workstation according to  claim 1 , and   at least one operatory bed providing a support for a patient's anatomy to be treated.   
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The master workstation of  claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the sterile holder forms together with the sterile barrier formed by the sterile drape. 
     
     
         21 . The master workstation of  claim 8 , wherein said chair comprises at least one armrest having said positioning body, for example a connecting element connecting the armrest to a seating surface of said chair, and said positioning element of the sterile holder engages said positioning body of the armrest.