Front-end control device of surgical robot and surgical robot

Abstract

The present invention provides a front-end control device for a surgical robot and a surgical robot. The front-end control device of the surgical robot is installed at the end of the front end of the robotic arm of the surgical robot. The front-end control device includes: an information input module for detecting and identifying externally input control signals; an information transmission module for transmitting the control signals to the main control system of the robot, so that the main control system of the robot can send the control signals to the host computer. The host computer generates a movement instruction based on the current pose information and control signals of the robot and sends the movement instruction to the main control system of the robot to control the movement of the robotic arm of the robot. The technical solution of the present invention enables a doctor to perform position movement adjustment operations on the robotic arm of the robot through the front-end control device on the robot side, increases the operation convenience of surgical process control, and realizes real-time control of the robot during the surgery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly to a front-end control device for a surgical robot and a surgical robot. Background Art

[0002] With the development of medical device technology, more and more advanced medical device equipment uses robots for assistance, which greatly facilitates the operation of doctors.

[0003] For example, the emergence of robots in the orthopedic field can assist doctors in accurately implanting implants such as screws at the diseased part of a patient, effectively improving the accuracy and convenience of implant implantation. In specific use, the robot, the upper computer, and the optical positioning and tracking system cooperate to operate to achieve the positioning of the implantation position. The optical positioning and tracking system includes a first optical sensor installed at the front end of the robotic arm of the robot and an optical tracker. The optical tracker can collect the signal of the first optical sensor in real time and upload the collected signal of the first optical sensor to the upper computer. The upper computer realizes coordinate registration according to the signal of the first optical sensor, the patient image, and the information of the scale, so as to unify the robot and the patient image in the same coordinate system. A guide is installed at the front end of the robotic arm of the robot. The guide is in the shape of a hollow cylinder. When the guide moves to the implantation position of the implant, the straight line where the front end and the end of the guide are located coincides with the straight line where the preset implantation position of the implant is located, and the front end of the guide is close to the nail insertion position on the patient. In this way, the doctor can implant the implant from the end of the guide with the help of the guide. With the positioning of the guide, the implant can be driven from the front end of the guide to the preset implantation position. During specific operation, the display screen on the upper computer side can display the information of the affected part of the patient. Then the doctor can determine the number of implants to be implanted and the implantation position of each implant (including the implantation direction) according to the information of the affected part. When the upper computer determines the implantation of each implant, it determines the target position (including the target direction) of the corresponding guide to move. Finally, the doctor clicks the movement button on the upper computer side, and the upper computer sends a movement instruction carrying the movement information to the robot, and then can control the movement of the robotic arm of the robot, so that the guide can move to the nail insertion position.

[0004] When the existing robot moves, it can only trigger the movement of the robot through the movement button on the upper computer side far away from the surgical area, which is not convenient for controlling the surgical process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a front-end control device for a robot and a robot, so as to perform adjustment operations on the position movement of the robotic arm on the robot side and increase the operation convenience of controlling the surgical process.

[0006] The present invention provides a front-end control device for a robot. The front-end control device is installed at the end of the front end of the robot's robotic arm. The front-end control device includes:

[0007] An information input module for detecting and identifying the externally input control signal;

[0008] An information transmission module for transmitting the control signal to the main control system of the robot, so that the main control system of the robot sends the control signal to the upper computer. The upper computer generates a movement instruction according to the current posture information of the robot and the control signal, and sends the movement instruction to the main control system of the robot to control the movement of the robot's robotic arm.

[0009] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the control signal includes a control signal for increasing or decreasing the displacement offset of a guide installed at the end of the front end of the robotic arm;

[0010] Wherein the displacement offset of the guide is the distance between the front end of the guide and the implantation point in the axial direction of the axis where the front end and the end of the guide are located.

[0011] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the control signal includes a control signal for increasing or decreasing the angular offset of the guide;

[0012] Wherein the angular offset of the guide is the angle by which the second plane of the guide deviates from the first plane of the guide. Among them, the first plane of the guide is the plane where the axis where the front end and the end of the guide are located and the center point of the robot's base are located, and the second plane of the guide is the plane where the axis where the front end and the end of the guide are located and the center point of the front-end control device are located.

[0013] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the information input module is further configured to receive externally input implant selection information;

[0014] The information transmission module is configured to send the implant selection information to the upper computer through the main control system of the robot. The upper computer obtains the target implant information to be implanted this time according to the currently selected implant information and the received implant selection information.

[0015] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the front-end control device further includes a reset module;

[0016] The reset module is configured to detect and receive an externally input reset signal;

[0017] The information transmission module is further configured to send the reset signal to the host computer through the main control system of the robot, and when the host computer simulates the movement of the robotic arm on the simulation interface, close the stuck simulation interface.

[0018] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the information input module is implemented by any one or more of a button, a multi-directional key, a two-axis rocker, a touchpad, and a touch screen.

[0019] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the front-end control device further includes a status prompt module for performing status prompts according to the status prompt information sent by the host computer.

[0020] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the status prompt module is configured to perform status prompts in a visual display manner of flashing, constant lighting, or color alternation according to the status prompt information; and / or perform status prompts with different voice messages according to the status prompt information.

[0021] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the status prompt module is configured to:

[0022] When the host computer does not detect the optical sensor on the robot side and / or the patient side, perform status prompts with light of a first color and / or a first prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information;

[0023] When the robotic arm of the robot is in the process of moving, perform status prompts with light of a second color and / or a second prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information;

[0024] When the robotic arm of the robot moves to the target position, perform status prompts with light of a third color and / or a third prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information;

[0025] When the robotic arm of the robot is driving the guide to retract, perform status prompts with light of a fourth color and / or a fourth prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information.

[0026] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the first color, the second color, the third color, and the fourth color all perform status prompts in a flashing manner or all in a constant lighting manner;

[0027] Or some of the first color, the second color, the third color, and the fourth color perform status prompts in a flashing manner and some in a constant lighting manner.

[0028] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the front-end control device includes a base, and the base is installed at the end of the front end of the robotic arm of the robot;

[0029] In the front-end control device, the information input module, the information transmission module, the status prompt module, and the reset module are all arranged on the base.

[0030] Further optionally, in the front-end control device as described above, the base is in the shape of a column;

[0031] The information input module and the reset module are respectively arranged on the surface of the base; and / or

[0032] When the status prompt module is implemented by using a light strip formed by a plurality of LED lights, the plurality of LED lights are arranged around the surface of the column, and the light strip is parallel to the cross-section of the column of the base.

[0033] The present invention also provides a robot, which includes a robotic arm, and the front-end control device as described above is arranged at the end of the front end of the robotic arm.

[0034] For the front-end control device and the robot of the robot of the present invention, by adopting the above solution, a doctor can, on the robot side, adjust the position movement of the robotic arm of the robot through the front-end control device, increasing the operation convenience of the surgical process control and realizing the real-time control of the robot during the operation.

[0035] Furthermore, for the front-end control device and the robot of the robot of the present invention, a status prompt module is further arranged on the front-end control device to prompt various states in real time, enabling the user to timely understand the real-time state; and when a fault state occurs, the problem can be timely discovered and solved, thereby ensuring the sequential execution of the operation.

[0036] Moreover, for the front-end control device and the robot of the robot of the present invention, a reset module is further arranged on the front-end control device, which can be timely reset when a fault occurs, enriching the operation functions on the robot side and being very convenient to use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] By describing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent. Among them, in the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the same reference numerals generally represent the same components.

[0038] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the front-end control device of the robot provided by the present invention.

[0039] Figure 2 Structural diagram of a front-end control device for a robot provided by the present invention.

[0040] Figure 3 For Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the front-end control device installed at the front end of the robotic arm of the robot.

[0041] Figure 4 For Figure 3 Enlarged schematic diagram of the front-end control device and the guide in

[0042] Figure 5 Schematic structural diagram of a robot embodiment provided by the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0043] Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be more thorough and complete, and can fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0044] A robot applied in orthopedic surgery is a device for assisting orthopedic surgeons in performing minimally invasive surgery. The doctor plans the surgical path on the preoperative or intraoperative images. Through image registration, the coordinates of the robotic arm of the robot and the affected area image are unified. The doctor plans the surgical path on the registered image and registers the planned path to the intraoperative coordinate system. The host computer controls the execution end of the robot to reach the predetermined position of the patient's affected area according to the surgical path. The robot may include a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, and a guide is fixed at the end of the robotic arm. The guide is a hollow cylindrical structure, and an implant to be implanted can be placed in the hollow cylindrical structure to fix the position and direction of the implant during the implant implantation process. The purpose of surgical path planning is to determine the implantation point, direction, depth, etc. of the implant (such as a guide pin, etc.). After the path planning is completed, the path data will be transmitted to the robot, and the main control system of the robot controls the robotic arm to move to the affected area to make the axis of the guide coaxial with the planned path, so that the surgeon can implant the implant through the guide. For example, the implant in this embodiment can be a guide pin, which is used to fix the implantation direction and position of the subsequent implanted hollow screw. During the surgery, for the same implantation point, the guide pin can be implanted at the implantation point in the above manner first, and then the hollow screw is implanted through the guide pin, so that the hollow screw is coaxial with the guide pin and just sleeved outside the guide pin. After the hollow screw is implanted, the guide pin can be withdrawn, and the affected area to be fixed can be fixed with the hollow screw.

[0045] The original control method of the robot is as follows: The operator needs to perform motion simulation on the selected implant, such as a guide pin, on the software interface of the host computer. During the motion simulation, a simulation motion interface will pop up, and an optimal angle offset will be automatically calculated based on the guide device installed at the front end and the selected position offset (the standard is that the change in the target posture and the current posture of the robot is minimized). The posture of the robot when finally reaching the nail-inserting position is calculated based on the position offset and the angle offset. After the simulation is completed, the user needs to click the motion button on the software interface. During the process of pressing the button, the robot will move to the target position. If the button is released during this process, the motion will stop immediately. When the robot reaches the target position, there will be a position-reached prompt on the software interface.

[0046] The above-mentioned robot is only used to simply receive and execute the movement instructions from the host computer, without any operation interaction with the host computer, resulting in no adjustment operations being possible on the robot side. The operation process requires the cooperation of multiple people and is very inconvenient. Based on the above operation method, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions to solve the problems existing in the above operation method.

[0047] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the front-end control device of the robot provided by the present invention. The front-end control device of this embodiment is installed at the front end of the robotic arm of the robot, and this front-end control device includes:

[0048] The information input module 10 is used to detect and identify the externally input control signal;

[0049] The information transmission module 11 is used to transmit the control signal identified by the information input module 10 to the main control system of the robot, so that the main control system of the robot can send the control signal to the host computer. The host computer generates a movement instruction based on the current posture information and the control signal of the robot, and sends the movement instruction to the main control system of the robot to control the movement of the robotic arm of the robot.

[0050] Specifically, after the information input module 10 detects and recognizes an externally input control signal, the information transmission module 11 transmits the control signal recognized by the information input module 10 to the main control system of the robot, so that the main control system of the robot can send the control signal to the upper computer. On the upper computer side, the upper computer can generate a movement instruction according to the detected current pose information of the robot and the control signal. The current pose information of the robot in this embodiment is specifically obtained by the optical positioning and tracking system by collecting the signals of the first optical sensor installed at the front end of the robot's robotic arm. Specifically, the upper computer can perform coordinate registration according to the signals obtained by the optical positioning and tracking system and the patient's affected area image including scale information, so as to be able to represent the robot and the patient's image in a unified coordinate system. By tracking the signals of the first optical sensor, the current pose information of the robot can be obtained in real time. For example, in this embodiment, when the first optical sensor and the scale are installed on the front-end control device of the robot, the pose information of the robot can specifically be the tool center point (Tool Centre Position; TCP) information of the front-end control device on the robot side, such as including the position and direction of the TCP of the front-end control device, etc.; the position of the TCP is represented by the coordinates x, y, z representing a three-dimensional space point, and the direction of the TCP is represented by the rotation vector rx, ry, rz representing the rotation of a three-dimensional space rigid body. The specific implementation principle can be referred to the relevant existing technologies in detail and will not be elaborated here. Then, the upper computer can determine the target pose information of the movement according to the control signal; and determine the movement amount that the robot needs to move according to the current pose information and the target pose information of the robot. In practical applications, there can be multiple paths and various movement amounts for the robot to move from the current pose information to the target pose information. In this embodiment, the minimum displacement movement amount and the minimum angle movement amount can be taken to generate the movement instruction to minimize the movement operation of the robot's robotic arm. And send this movement instruction to the robot.

[0051] Correspondingly, on the robot side, the main control system of the robot receives this movement instruction and controls the movement of the robot's robotic arm according to the movement instruction.

[0052] By adopting the above technical solution, the front-end control device of the robot in this embodiment can initiate a control signal on the robot side to realize the movement of the robot's robotic arm, making up for the defect that the robot side cannot trigger the movement of the robot in the prior art, enriching the interaction function between the robot and the upper computer, and effectively increasing the operation convenience of the surgical procedure control. Moreover, since both the doctor and the robot are working in the surgical area during the operation, by adopting the technical solution of this embodiment, the movement control of the robotic arm can be realized on the robot side according to the interaction between the robot and the upper computer, simplifying the operation process, greatly facilitating the operation of the doctor, and being very convenient to use.

[0053] Figure 2 Structural diagram of a front-end control device for a robot provided by the present invention. Figure 3 For Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the front-end control device shown installed at the front end of the robotic arm of the robot. Figure 4 For Figure 3 Enlarged schematic diagram of the front-end control device and the guide in Figure 3 And Figure 4 As shown in Figure 3 As shown in Figures 2 - 4 the robotic arm of this embodiment of the robot can include at least six degrees of freedom to facilitate the flexible movement of the robotic arm. As shown in Figure 2 By setting the front-end control device shown in

[0054] Below, in combination with the above Figures 2 - 4 Taking two types of control signals as examples, the technical solution of this embodiment will be described.

[0055] The first type of control signal is a control signal for increasing or decreasing the displacement offset of the guide installed at the front end of the robotic arm of the robot.

[0056] Correspondingly, the information input module 10 is used to detect and identify the externally input control signal for increasing or decreasing the displacement offset of the guide.

[0057] Correspondingly, the information transmission module 11 is used to transmit the control signal identified by the information input module 10 to the main control system of the robot, so that the main control system of the robot can send the control signal to the host computer. The host computer generates a movement instruction based on the current posture information and the control signal of the robot, and sends the movement instruction to the main control system of the robot, so that the main control system of the robot controls the movement of the robotic arm according to the movement instruction.

[0058] As shown in Figure 3 And Figure 4 Taking the implant as a guide pin as an example, the displacement offset of the guide is the distance between the front end A point of the guide and the implant point in the axial direction of the axis where the front end A point and the end B point of the guide are located. For example, as shown in Figure 4As shown, when the control signal detected by the front-end control device is a control signal for reducing the displacement offset of the guide, when the main control system of the robot controls the movement of the robot's robotic arm according to the movement instruction, the guide can be kept in the same direction and move forward along the axis of the guide, and the guide gradually approaches the implantation point. When the control signal detected by the front-end control device is a control signal for increasing the displacement offset of the guide, when the main control system of the robot controls the movement of the robot's robotic arm according to the movement instruction, the guide can be kept in the same direction and move backward along the axis of the guide, and the guide gradually moves away from the implantation point.

[0059] In practical applications, according to relevant solutions, after moving the guide to the implantation point, if the doctor still wants to disinfect the implantation point or perform other operations that require the guide to move away from the implantation point, etc., at this time, the doctor can control the movement of the robotic arm through the front-end control device to make the guide move away from the implantation point along the axis of the guide. After the implantation point is processed, when preparing to implant the implant, at this time, the front-end control device is used to control the movement of the robotic arm again to make the guide approach the implantation point along the axis of the guide, so as to realize that the doctor adjusts the movement of the robotic arm on the robot side, which is very convenient to operate and use.

[0060] The second type of control signal is a control signal for increasing or decreasing the angular offset of the guide.

[0061] Correspondingly, the information input module 10 is used to detect and identify an externally input control signal for increasing or decreasing the angular offset of the guide.

[0062] As Figure 3 shown, the angular offset of the guide is the angle at which the second plane of the guide deviates from the first plane of the guide. The first plane of the guide is the plane where the axis passing through point A at the front end and point B at the end of the guide and the center point M of the robot's base are located. The second plane of the guide is the plane where the axis passing through point A at the front end and point B at the end of the guide and the TCP of the front-end control device, i.e., point N, are located.

[0063] Correspondingly, the information transmission module 11 is used to transmit the control signal identified by the information input module 10 to the main control system of the robot, so that the main control system of the robot can send the control signal to the upper computer. The upper computer generates a movement instruction according to the current posture information of the robot and the control signal, and sends the movement instruction to the main control system of the robot, so that the main control system of the robot controls the movement of the robot's robotic arm according to the movement instruction to drive the angular offset of the guide to increase or decrease while keeping the direction and position of the guide unchanged. That is to say, during the process of increasing or decreasing the angular offset of the guide, the cylindrical structure of the guide can rotate, but the axis direction remains unchanged.

[0064] For example, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, when the control signal detected by the front-end control device is a control signal for reducing the angular offset of the guide, since the robotic arm of the robot in this embodiment has at least six degrees of freedom, when the main control system of the robot controls the robotic arm to move according to the movement instruction, the robotic arm can be moved to rotate the guide along the axis of the guide, while the position and direction of the guide remain unchanged. However, after the robotic arm moves, it is necessary to make Figure 3 shown the angular offset is reduced. Correspondingly, when the control signal detected by the front-end control device is a control signal for increasing the angular offset of the guide, at this time, the main control system of the robot controls the robotic arm to move according to the movement instruction, so that the guide rotates along the axis of the guide, while the position and direction of the guide remain unchanged. However, after the robotic arm moves, it is necessary to make Figure 3 shown the angular offset is increased.

[0065] In practical applications, according to the solutions of related existing technologies, after moving the guide to the implantation point, if the position of the robotic arm is inappropriate and affects the doctor's implantation operation of the implant in space, at this time, the doctor can adopt the above solutions to move and adjust the moving wall by increasing or decreasing the angular offset, so as to change the position of the robotic arm in space and provide more operating space for the doctor. The operation is very convenient and easy to use.

[0066] Among them, the angular offset of the guide can also have a direction. For example, when controlling the angular offset of the guide to decrease, when the angular offset decreases to 0 and continues to rotate according to the offset direction, at this time, the angular offset continues to increase in the direction opposite to the original offset direction.

[0067] The front-end control device on the robot side detects and identifies the above two types of control signals input externally, and based on the control signals, it can realize the interaction between the robot and the host computer, can make up for the deficiencies of the existing technology, can enrich the interaction function between the robot and the host computer, realize the control of the surgical process on the robot side, and the operation is very convenient. In practical applications, an information input module 10 can also be set to detect and identify other types of control signals input externally to realize the interaction with the host computer, which will not be elaborated one by one here.

[0068] It should be noted that the information input module 10 in this embodiment can be implemented by any one of a button, a multi-directional button, a two-axis rocker, a touchpad, and a touch screen. As Figures 2 - 4As shown in the figure, taking the information input module 10 using a multi-directional button as an example, each direction can represent the input of different control signals. When the information input module 10 is implemented using a two-axis joystick, the principle is similar, and each direction can represent the input of different control signals. If the information input module 10 is a single button, different consecutive pressing times can be set to represent the input of different control signals. When the information input module 10 is implemented using a touchpad, different click times can also be used to implement the input of different control signals. When the information input module 10 is implemented using a touch screen, different information input buttons can be set on the touch screen to implement the input of different control signals. In practical applications, the information input module 10 can also be implemented in other forms, which will not be elaborated here one by one. Since the types of control signals may be numerous, the information input module 10 in this embodiment is used to detect and identify externally input control signals.

[0069] In this embodiment, the information input module 10 in the front-end control device of the robot will initially identify externally input control signals, such as identifying analog signals, 1101, 1011, 0111, etc. Then, the information transmission module 11 will transmit the identified control signals to the main control system of the robot, and the main control system of the robot will further send them to the upper computer. The upper computer will perform logical identification according to the logic to further determine what kind of signal it belongs to, so as to perform corresponding control based on the control signal subsequently. In addition, when the information input module 10 is a multi-directional button, each time a button is pressed, the corresponding control signal is a signal range. After the robot sends it to the upper computer, it will be identified to determine which control signal it corresponds to.

[0070] In addition, the information transmission module 11 in this embodiment is mainly used to implement information transmission. In Figures 2 - 4 the illustrated example diagram, it can be set inside the front-end control device to achieve signal connection with the main control system of the robot. Therefore, it is not shown outside the front-end control device in Figures 2 - 4 the illustration. For example, a communication port for communication connection between the main control system of the robot and the front-end control device is provided at the end of the robot's robotic arm. The information transmission module 11 in the front-end control device is connected to this communication port, and thus the communication connection between the front-end control device of the robot and the main control system of the robot can be achieved.

[0071] Further optionally, the information input module 10 in this embodiment is also used to receive externally input implant selection information; correspondingly, the information transmission module 11 is also used to send the implant selection information to the upper computer through the main control system of the robot. The upper computer will obtain the target implant information to be implanted this time based on the currently selected implant information and the received implant selection information; further, the upper computer can also display the target implant information to be implanted this time on the display screen.

[0072] In practical applications, multiple implants such as guide pins may need to be placed at the affected area of the patient. After the doctor performs surgical path planning on the host computer side, the number of implants to be placed at the affected area, as well as information such as the implantation points, directions, and depths of each implant can be determined.

[0073] During specific operations, the user can operate on one implant at a time. For example, one current implant can be default selected on the host computer side. Then, the doctor on the robot side can input implant selection information through the front-end control tool. For example, the next implant or the previous implant can be selected through buttons. Based on the current implant information and the received implant selection information, the host computer can obtain the information of the target implant to be implanted this time. The information of the target implant in this embodiment may include information such as the implantation point, implantation direction, and depth of the target implant. Finally, the information of the target implant to be implanted this time is displayed on the display screen of the host computer for the doctor to view.

[0074] In the prior art, the selection of implants must be performed by the doctor on the host computer side. After implanting one implant, the doctor must also return to the host computer side for operation, which is very inconvenient to use. Compared with the prior art, the front-end control device of this embodiment can realize the interaction between the control on the robot side and the host computer, which can greatly improve the operation convenience of the doctor.

[0075] In this embodiment, although the movement is triggered by the front-end control device, ultimately, the host computer generates a movement instruction based on the current pose information and control signal of the robot, and sends the movement instruction to the main control system of the robot to control the movement of the robot's robotic arm. In this embodiment, since the front-end control device can implement the above-mentioned first type of control signal, that is, the control signal for increasing or decreasing the displacement offset of the guide, this movement adjustment can be considered as a fine adjustment. For the process of moving to the next target implant to be implanted after the current implant is implanted, the guide needs to move in the axial direction, which can be considered as a relatively large adjustment. However, the technical solution of this embodiment is different from the prior art in that the movement in this embodiment only requires the guide to move to the axial direction of the target implant to be implanted, and then use the above-mentioned first type of control signal to move the guide, and then, with the help of the front-end control device, the displacement offset of the guide can be changed to make a flexible adjustment. When the host computer controls the guide to move from the current position to the axial direction of the next target implant to be implanted, it needs to generate a movement instruction first, and the movement instruction carries the minimum angular offset and the minimum displacement offset. The minimum angular offset and the minimum displacement offset are the minimum displacement offset and the minimum angular offset that the host computer calculates according to the detected current pose information and target implant information of the robot, and are required to move the guide installed at the front end of the robotic arm from the current position to the spatial axis corresponding to the target implant.

[0076] Specifically, there can be many movement methods when the host computer moves the guide from the current position to the spatial axis corresponding to the target implant, and each movement method can include a displacement offset and an angular offset. No matter which movement method is adopted, it can move from the current position to the spatial axis corresponding to the target implant. Among all the movement methods, there is a movement with the minimum displacement offset and the minimum angular offset. Compared with other movement operations, the movement operation with the minimum displacement offset and the minimum angular offset is the simplest, time-saving and space-saving operation.

[0077] For example, the process of obtaining the minimum displacement offset can be as follows: project each point on the current position of the guide onto the corresponding spatial axis of the target implant, and then take the shortest distance from each point on the guide to the corresponding projection point on the corresponding spatial axis of the target implant as the minimum displacement offset. In this way, the guide can be translated along the minimum displacement offset to intersect with the corresponding spatial axis of the target implant; then the guide is rotated to be parallel to the corresponding spatial axis of the target implant. At this time, the guide can be rotated by different angles from two directions respectively to be parallel to the corresponding spatial axis of the target implant. In this embodiment, the minimum rotation angle can be taken as the minimum angle offset. In this way, according to the minimum displacement offset and the minimum angle offset, the guide can be moved from the current position to the corresponding spatial axis of the target implant.

[0078] During the above movement process of the guide, the doctor can connect the robot and the upper computer through the control foot pedal set on the path connecting the robot and the upper computer. If the control foot pedal is pressed, that is, when the robot is in the startup state, the upper computer can directly control the movement of the robot; if the control foot pedal is released, the control between the robot and the upper computer is interrupted. For example, if the robot is moving according to the movement instruction of the upper computer and the doctor releases the control foot pedal, the movement of the robot will stop immediately. In this way, the safety of the robot movement can be effectively guaranteed.

[0079] In the technical solution of the above embodiment, the upper computer calculates the minimum angle offset and the minimum displacement offset required to move the robotic arm to the position corresponding to the target implant information according to the target implant information and the current posture information of the robot, and then displays a simulation interface on the display screen to simulate the movement process. If the doctor keeps stepping on the control foot pedal, after the upper computer finishes the simulation, it will automatically close the simulation interface and automatically send a movement instruction carrying the minimum angle offset and the minimum displacement offset to the robot, instructing the robot to control the robotic arm to move according to the movement instruction.

[0080] If the simulation interface freezes before the upper computer closes the simulation interface, and at this time the upper computer has not sent a movement instruction to the robot yet. At this time, further optionally, as Figures 1 - 4 shown, the front-end control device of the robot in this embodiment further includes a reset module 12.

[0081] The reset module 12 is used to detect and receive an externally input reset signal; correspondingly, the information transmission module 11 is further used to send a reset signal to the upper computer through the main control system of the robot. When the upper computer simulates the movement of the robotic arm on the simulation interface, it closes the frozen simulation interface; and further issues a movement instruction to the main control system of the robot to continue controlling the movement of the robotic arm.

[0082] In the prior art, when the simulation interface freezes, the operator needs to operate on the host computer side to close the frozen interface, which is very inconvenient. In this embodiment, through the front-end control device of the robot, the host computer can be reset on the robot side, enriching the interaction function between the robot and the host computer, effectively increasing the operation convenience of the surgical process control, and being very convenient to use.

[0083] Further optionally, as Figure 1 and Figures 2 - 4 shown, the front-end control device of the robot in this embodiment further includes a status prompt module 13;

[0084] The status prompt module 13 is used to perform status prompts according to the status prompt information sent by the host computer.

[0085] For example, in this embodiment, the status prompt module 13 can adopt the method of light prompt and / or the method of voice prompt.

[0086] In the light prompt method, the status prompt module 13 can be used to perform status prompts in a visual display mode of flashing, constant lighting or color alternation according to the status prompt information. For example Figures 2 - 4 shown, the status prompt module 13 of this embodiment uses a light strip formed by multiple LED lights to achieve light prompts.

[0087] In the voice prompt method, the status prompt module 13 can be used to perform status prompts with different voice messages according to the status prompt information. At this time, the status prompt module 13 can be implemented by using a speaker.

[0088] For example, the status prompt module 13 performs status prompts according to the status prompt information sent by the host computer, which can specifically include the following situations:

[0089] The first situation: If the optical tracker does not detect the optical sensors on the robot side and / or the patient side, the robot performs status prompts with light of the first color and / or the first prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information;

[0090] During the specific working process, optical sensors are set on both the robot side and the patient side. The optical tracker can collect the signals of the optical sensors on the robot side and the signals of the optical sensors on the patient side in real time. If the optical tracker fails to detect the optical sensors on the robot side and / or the patient side, it sends a message to the host computer indicating that one side's optical sensor has not been detected. At this time, the host computer can determine that the current state is that the optical tracker has not detected the optical sensors on the robot side and / or the patient side, and generate corresponding status indication information based on this state to indicate the status display method on the robot side in this state. Then, the host computer sends this status indication information to the robot, and the robot performs status prompts according to the corresponding status prompt information, such as using light of the first color and / or the first prompt sound for status prompts.

[0091] In the second case, when the robotic arm of the robot is in the process of moving, the robot performs status prompts using light of the second color and / or the second prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information;

[0092] The optical tracker can collect any dynamic information on the robot side in real time and upload it to the host computer. For example, when the robotic arm of the robot is in the process of moving, the optical tracker can collect relevant information and upload it to the host computer. The host computer can determine that the current state of the robot is that the robotic arm of the robot is in the process of moving; and generate corresponding status indication information based on this state to indicate the status display method on the robot side in this state. Then, the host computer sends this status indication information to the robot, and the robot performs status prompts according to the corresponding status prompt information, such as using light of the second color and / or the second prompt sound for status prompts.

[0093] In the third case, when the robotic arm of the robot moves to the target position, the robot performs status prompts using light of the third color and / or the third prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information.

[0094] Similarly, the optical tracker can collect any dynamic information on the robot side in real time and upload it to the host computer. For example, when the robotic arm of the robot moves to the target position, the optical tracker can collect relevant information and upload it to the host computer. The host computer can determine that the current state of the robot is that the robotic arm of the robot has moved to the target position; and generate corresponding status indication information based on this state to indicate the status display method on the robot side in this state. Then, the host computer sends this status indication information to the robot, and the robot performs status prompts according to the corresponding status prompt information, such as using light of the third color and / or the third prompt sound for status prompts.

[0095] In the fourth case, when the robotic arm of the robot drives the guide to retract, the robot uses light of the fourth color and / or a fourth prompt sound for status prompting according to the corresponding status prompt information.

[0096] Among them, the first color, the second color, the third color, and the fourth color all use a flashing method or a constant-on method for status prompting; at this time, the first color, the second color, the third color, and the fourth color are all different. Or among the first color, the second color, the third color, and the fourth color, some use a flashing method and some use a constant-on method for status prompting. At this time, different colors using the same method must be different. The first color, the second color, the third color, and the fourth color in this embodiment can be any color among various colors such as red, yellow, blue, green, purple, etc.

[0097] When using the voice prompt method for prompting, the first prompt sound, the second prompt sound, the third prompt sound, and the fourth prompt sound can directly broadcast the current status through voice. Such as directly broadcasting "The upper computer did not detect the optical sensors on the robot side and / or the patient side", "The robotic arm of the robot is in the process of moving", or "The robotic arm of the robot has moved to the target position", or "The robotic arm is driving the guide to retract". Or different music can also be used to identify different states. Different voice alarm prompts can also be used to identify different states. For example, "beep - beep - beep", "beep beep - beep beep - beep beep", and "beep beep beep - beep beep beep - beep beep beep" can respectively identify different states.

[0098] The front-end control device of this embodiment can perform status prompting on the robot side through the status prompting module, so as to be able to display various states in real time, so that when problems occur, the problems can be solved in time, reducing the time for fault finding, and it is very convenient to use.

[0099] As Figures 2 - 4 shown, in the front-end control device of the robot in this embodiment, the information input module 10, the information transmission module 11, the status prompting module 13, and the reset module 12 are arranged on the same base, and the base is installed at the front end of the robotic arm of the robot; for example, the base of this embodiment can adopt a columnar body, and the information input module 10 and the reset module 12 are respectively arranged on the surface of the columnar base.

[0100] When the status prompting module 13 is implemented by using a light strip formed by a plurality of LED lights, it is arranged around the surface of the columnar body in the direction parallel to the cross-section of the columnar body of the base.

[0101] The front-end control device of the robot in this embodiment can, by adopting the above technical solution, realize the control of operations on the robot side, effectively increase the operation convenience of surgical control, and is very convenient to use.

[0102] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of a robot embodiment provided by the present invention. As Figure 5 shown, the robot of this embodiment includes a robotic arm. Further, a front-end control device as described above is provided at the end of the front end of the robotic arm. Figures 2 - 4 The front-end control device as described above.

[0103] For example, Figure 5 the robot shown in includes a robot base 20, a main control system 21, and a robotic arm 22. The main control system 21 can be provided inside the robot base 20, so it is not shown in the figure. The robotic arm 22 is provided on the robot base 20; a guide 23 for positioning an implant nail is installed at the end of the front end of the robotic arm 22, and a front-end control device 24 is further provided at the end of the front end of the robotic arm. As Figure 2 shown, it can be an example schematic diagram of a partial structure of the robot of the present invention.

[0104] Further optionally, as Figure 5 shown, two foot pedals are provided on the robot of this embodiment: a teaching foot pedal 25 and a control foot pedal 26. When the main control system 21 detects that the teaching foot pedal 25 is not depressed, the robotic arm 22 is locked. If the main control system 11 detects that the teaching foot pedal 15 is depressed, the main control system 11 can open the robotic arm. At this time, the robotic arm 22 can be triggered to move by an external force and move freely to achieve the teaching function. The control foot pedal 26 is provided on the communication path between the robot and the host computer. If the main control system 21 detects that the control foot pedal 26 is depressed, the control path between the robot and the host computer is connected. At this time, if the main control system 21 of the robot receives a movement instruction sent by the host computer, it continues to control the movement of the robotic arm 22 according to the movement instruction; if the main control system 21 detects that the control foot pedal 26 is released, the control between the robot and the host computer is interrupted. At this time, the main control system 21 of the robot stops controlling the movement of the robotic arm 22. Figure 5 In, the dotted line represents a physical installation connection, and the solid line represents a communication connection.

[0105] In this embodiment, the process of realizing the control of moving on the robot side by the front-end control device 24 can refer to the description of the above Figures 1 - 4 shown embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0106] The robot of this embodiment can realize the control of operations on the robot side by setting a front-end control device, which can effectively increase the operation convenience of surgical control and is very convenient to use.

[0107] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems and methods according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a segment of a program, or a portion of code, which contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur in a different order than that noted in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may in fact be executed substantially in parallel, or they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It should also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified functions or operations, or by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0108] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. The above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The choice of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or improvements made to the technology in the market, or to enable other ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A front-end control device for a surgical robot, characterized in that The front-end control device is installed on the end of the front end of the robotic arm of the robot. The front-end control device includes: An information input module for detecting and identifying externally input control signals, where the control signals include control signals for increasing or decreasing the displacement offset of a guide installed on the end of the front end of the robotic arm, and the control signals include control signals for increasing or decreasing the angular offset of the guide; An information transmission module for transmitting the control signals to the main control system of the robot, so that the main control system of the robot can send the control signals to the upper computer. The upper computer generates a movement instruction based on the current posture information of the robot and the control signals, and sends the movement instruction to the main control system of the robot to control the movement of the robotic arm of the robot; the current posture information is obtained by the optical positioning and tracking system by collecting the signals of a first optical sensor installed at the front end of the robotic arm of the robot; Wherein, the information input module is implemented by any one or more of a button, a multi-directional key, a two-axis rocker, a touchpad, and a touch screen; The movement instruction carries a minimum angular offset and a minimum displacement offset; The process of obtaining the minimum displacement offset is as follows: project each point on the guide at the current position onto the spatial axis corresponding to the target implant, and then take the shortest distance from each point on the guide to the corresponding projection point on the spatial axis corresponding to the target implant as the minimum displacement offset; The process of obtaining the minimum angular offset is as follows: the guide rotates by different angles from two directions respectively until it is parallel to the spatial axis corresponding to the target implant, and the minimum rotation angle is taken as the minimum angular offset; 2. The front-end control device according to claim 1, wherein The displacement offset of the guide is the distance between the front end of the guide and the implantation point in the axial direction where the front end and the end of the guide are located; 3. The front-end control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The angular offset of the guide is the angle by which the second plane of the guide deviates from the first plane of the guide. Wherein, the first plane of the guide is the plane where the axis between the front end and the end of the guide and the center point of the robot base is located, and the second plane of the guide is the plane where the axis between the front end and the end of the guide and the center point of the front-end control device is located; 4. The front-end control device according to claim 1, wherein: The information input module is further configured to receive externally input implant selection information; The information transmission module is further configured to send the implant selection information to the upper computer through the main control system of the robot, and the upper computer obtains the target implant information to be implanted this time based on the currently selected implant information and the received implant selection information; 5. The front-end control device according to claim 4, characterized in that A reset module is further included in the front-end control device; The reset module is configured to detect and receive an externally input reset signal; The information transmission module is further configured to send the reset signal to the host computer through the main control system of the robot, and when the host computer simulates the movement of the robotic arm on the simulation interface, close the stuck simulation interface.

6. The front-end control device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The front-end control device further includes a status prompt module for performing status prompts according to the status prompt information sent by the host computer.

7. The front-end control device according to claim 6, wherein the status prompt module is configured to perform status prompts in a visual display manner of flashing, constant lighting, or color alternation according to the status prompt information; and / or perform status prompts with different voice messages according to the status prompt information.

8. The front-end control device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The status prompt module is configured to: when the host computer does not detect the optical sensors on the robot side and / or the patient side, perform status prompts with light of a first color and / or a first prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information; when the robotic arm of the robot is in the process of moving, perform status prompts with light of a second color and / or a second prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information; when the robotic arm of the robot moves to the target position, perform status prompts with light of a third color and / or a third prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information; when the robotic arm of the robot is driving the guide to retract, perform status prompts with light of a fourth color and / or a fourth prompt sound according to the corresponding status prompt information.

9. The front-end control device according to claim 8, wherein The first color, the second color, the third color, and the fourth color all perform status prompts in a flashing manner or all perform status prompts in a constant lighting manner; or some of the first color, the second color, the third color, and the fourth color perform status prompts in a flashing manner and some perform status prompts in a constant lighting manner.

10. The front-end control device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The front-end control device includes a base, and the base is installed at the front end of the robotic arm of the robot; the information input module, the information transmission module, the status prompt module, and the reset module in the front-end control device are all arranged on the base.

11. The front-end control device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The base is in a columnar shape; the information input module and the reset module are respectively arranged on the surface of the base; and / or when the status prompt module is implemented by a light strip formed by a plurality of LED lights, the plurality of LED lights are arranged around the surface of the columnar body, and the light strip is parallel to the cross-section of the columnar body of the base.

12. A surgical robot, the surgical robot comprising a robotic arm, characterized in that, The front-end control device as described in any one of claims 1-11 above is provided at the front end of the robotic arm.

Images