A surgical tool drive transmission system and a surgical robot including the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a surgical tool drive transmission system and a surgical robot incorporating the system, comprising: a flexible continuum structure and a drive mechanism; the flexible continuum structure comprising: a proximal continuum comprising a proximal base plate, a proximal stop plate, and a structural bone; a distal continuum comprising a distal base plate, a distal stop plate, and a structural bone; a drive connection portion, one end of the drive connection portion being connected to the proximal base plate, the other end of the drive connection portion passing through the proximal stop plate and connected to the proximal stop plate, the drive connection portion being located at the proximal end portion of the proximal stop plate to form a free end; the proximal ends of multiple structural bones being fixedly connected to the proximal stop plate, the distal ends of the multiple structural bones sequentially passing through the proximal base plate and the distal base plate and fixedly connected to the distal stop plate; and the drive mechanism comprising: a first rotatable member, a second rotatable member, and a sliding member, which are coaxially arranged and rotatable relative to each other. The system has a compact structure, a simple principle, and high reliability. A surgical robot incorporating the system is also provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a surgical tool drive transmission system and a surgical robot comprising the system. Background Art

[0002] Minimally invasive surgery, which causes less trauma to patients and offers higher postoperative outcomes, has become a crucial component of surgical procedures. Surgical instruments, including visual illumination modules and surgical manipulators, are inserted into the human body through incisions or natural cavities to reach the surgical site for surgery. The distal end structure of existing surgical instruments primarily consists of multiple rods articulated in series, driven by wire rope tension to achieve bending and rotation at the articulated joints. Because the wire rope must be kept constantly taut via pulleys, this drive method makes it difficult to further miniaturize the surgical instrument or improve its motion performance.

[0003] Existing continuum structures generally use a driving mechanism to directly push and pull the driving wire in the continuum structure, thereby realizing the bending of the continuum structure in any direction. However, with the more stringent requirements for continuum structures such as high precision, fast response, high bending flexibility, and good stability, the existing drive transmission structure has gradually failed to meet the requirements of existing drive methods. Moreover, the existing drive methods all directly push and pull the driving wire movement. Therefore, when the number of driving wires is large, the number of driving mechanisms will also increase accordingly, making the structure complex. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a surgical tool drive transmission system and a surgical robot comprising the system, which can drive the proximal continuum structure to move, thereby making the distal continuum structure turn in any direction, while avoiding direct pushing and pulling of the drive wire. When driving a large number of drive wires, it is not limited by the number of drive mechanisms and meets the bending performance of the flexible continuum structure. At the same time, it has a compact structure, a simple principle, and is easy to implement, thus having high reliability and flexibility.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides a surgical tool drive transmission system, comprising: a flexible continuum structure and a drive mechanism;

[0007] The flexible continuum structure comprises:

[0008] The proximal continuum includes the proximal base disc, proximal insertion disc, and structural bones;

[0009] The distal continuum comprises a distal base plate, a distal attachment plate and the structural bone;

[0010] a drive connection portion, one end of which is connected to the proximal base plate, the other end of which passes through the proximal stop plate and is connected to the proximal stop plate, and the drive connection portion is located at a proximal end portion of the proximal stop plate to form a free end;

[0011] The proximal ends of the plurality of structural bones are fixedly connected to the proximal stop plate, and the distal ends of the plurality of structural bones sequentially pass through the proximal base plate and the distal base plate and are fixedly connected to the distal stop plate;

[0012] The driving mechanism comprises: a first rotatable member, a second rotatable member and a sliding member which are coaxially arranged and rotatable relative to each other;

[0013] The second rotatable member is provided with a sliding guide portion for guiding the sliding member to slide linearly relative to the second rotatable member. The sliding member is configured to move linearly with the rotation of the first rotatable member, and the distal end of the sliding member is hinged to the free end of the drive connection portion.

[0014] In the surgical tool drive transmission system, preferably, the second rotatable member is arranged to overlap and distally of the first rotatable member;

[0015] The first rotatable member is configured to be rotatable under the drive of a first driving member, and the second rotatable member is configured to be rotatable under the drive of a second driving member;

[0016] The sliding member includes a sliding portion and an engaging portion connected to each other, the sliding portion is slidably arranged to be guided by the sliding guide portion to slide linearly relative to the second rotatable member, and the engaging portion is arranged to engage with the first rotatable member.

[0017] The surgical tool drive transmission system preferably comprises a first rotatable member comprising a pinion and a rotating disk coaxially fixedly connected to each other, the pinion being located on the distal side of the rotating disk, and the meshing portion being a rack that meshes with the pinion.

[0018] The surgical tool driving transmission system is preferably configured such that the sliding portion is a slider, the rack is arranged at the proximal end of the slider, the sliding guide portion is a slide groove on the second rotatable member, and the proximal side of the slider is fixedly connected to the rack through the slide groove, and the slider is movably connected to the proximal stop disk so that the slider and the proximal stop disk can slide and / or rotate relative to each other axially.

[0019] In the surgical tool drive transmission system, preferably, the drive connection portion comprises two or more universal joints connected in series, one end of the universal joint being connected to the proximal base plate, the other end of the universal joint passing through the proximal stop plate and being connected to the proximal stop plate, and the portion of the universal joint located proximal to the proximal stop plate forming a free end;

[0020] Alternatively, the drive connection portion is two ball joints or more ball joints connected in series, one end of each ball joint is connected to the proximal base plate, the other end of each ball joint passes through the proximal stop plate and is connected to the proximal stop plate, and the portion of the ball joint located proximal to the proximal stop plate forms a free end;

[0021] Alternatively, the drive connection portion is a hinge joint, one end of the hinge joint is connected to the proximal base plate, the other end of the hinge joint passes through the proximal stop plate and is connected to the proximal stop plate, and the portion of the hinge joint located proximal to the proximal stop plate forms a free end;

[0022] Alternatively, the drive connection part is a universal joint-ball joint, one end of the universal joint-ball joint is connected to the proximal base plate, the other end of the universal joint-ball joint passes through the proximal stop plate and is connected to the proximal stop plate, and the part of the universal joint-ball joint located at the proximal end of the proximal stop plate forms a free end.

[0023] The surgical tool drive transmission system preferably also includes a structural bone guide bundle connected between the proximal base plate and the distal base plate, and the distal ends of multiple structural bones pass through the proximal base plate, the structural bone guide bundle and the distal base plate in sequence and are fixedly connected to the distal stop plate.

[0024] In the surgical tool drive transmission system, preferably, the proximal continuum further comprises at least one proximal retaining disc disposed between the proximal base disc and the proximal stop disc, and each of the structural bones passes through the proximal retaining disc in sequence; and / or,

[0025] The distal continuum further includes at least one distal retaining plate disposed between the distal base plate and the distal stop plate, and each of the structural bones also passes through the distal retaining plate in sequence.

[0026] In the surgical tool drive transmission system, preferably, the plurality of structural bones are a group of elastic rods or tubes arranged along the circumferential direction;

[0027] Preferably, the structural bone is made of nickel-titanium alloy material.

[0028] A second aspect of the present invention provides a surgical robot comprising at least one surgical tool drive transmission system as described in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0029] The surgical robot preferably uses two or more surgical tool drive transmission systems connected in series or in parallel;

[0030] Preferably, the two surgical tool drive transmission systems are arranged side by side on a bracket, the two proximal base plates are fixedly connected to the bracket respectively, one end of the two structural bone guide tube bundles are fixedly connected to the proximal base plates of their respective proximal continua respectively, and the other ends of the two structural bone guide tube bundles are successively passed through the bracket and fixed at the distal stop plate and bundled into a cluster;

[0031] Preferably, the lengths of the distal end continua in two or more surgical tool drive transmission systems are the same or different.

[0032] The present invention has the following advantages due to the adoption of the above technical solution:

[0033] 1. The present invention provides a surgical tool drive transmission system that only needs to be connected to a drive mechanism via a drive connection portion. The drive mechanism drives the drive connection portion to move, driving the proximal stop disk of the proximal continuum to flip, thereby pushing and pulling the structural bone, thereby driving the proximal continuum to bend, and ultimately driving the distal continuum to bend arbitrarily in space, avoiding direct pushing and pulling of the structural bone. Moreover, when driving a large number of structural bones, it is not limited by the number of drive mechanisms. At the same time, it has a compact structure, a simple principle, and is easy to implement, thus having high reliability.

[0034] 2. Compared with the traditional rigid motion chain that realizes bending motion by rotating with each other at the joints, the flexible continuum structure of the device of the present invention realizes bending and deformation of the distal structure by deformation of its proximal structure. Its main body of the structure also becomes the driving transmission structure, so it can achieve extremely high degree of freedom configuration within a small space. Therefore, it can be widely used in the research and development of medical devices such as flexible operating arms, endoscopes, controllable catheters, as well as new special equipment such as industrial deep cavity detection endoscopes and flexible robotic arms. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a surgical tool drive transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the distal continuum in this embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the driving mechanism in this embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the partial structure of the driving mechanism in this embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of the slider and rack in this embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of the second rotatable member, the rack and the slider in this embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of a two-link universal joint in which the driving connection portion is a two-link universal joint in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of a two-link hinge joint in which the driving connection portion is provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of a four-link hinge joint in which the driving connection portion is provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] The marks in the figure are as follows:

[0045] 1-Proximal continuum; 2-Structural bone guide bundle; 3-Distal continuum; 4-Proximal base plate; 5-Proximal retaining plate; 6-Through hole; 7-Proximal stop plate; 8-Locking hole; 9-Distal base plate; 10-Distal retaining plate; 11-Distal stop plate; 12-Structural bone; 13-Drive connection, 131-Universal joint, 132-Ball joint, 133-Hinge joint, 1331-Connecting rod A, 1332-Connecting rod B, 1333-Connecting rod C, 1334-Connecting rod D; 14-Drive mechanism, 141-First driving gear, 142-Rotating disk, 143-Pinion, 144-Second driving gear, 145-Second rotatable member, 146-Rack, 147-Slider. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the objects, features and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are only intended to illustrate the essential spirit of the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0047] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "proximal", "distal", "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the above components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0049] In this specification, when "distal side or distal end" is mentioned, the term refers to a side or end relatively far from the operator. When "proximal side or proximal end" is mentioned, the term refers to a side or end relatively close to the operator.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, the surgical tool drive transmission system provided in this embodiment includes: a flexible continuum structure and a drive mechanism 14;

[0051] The flexible continuum structure includes:

[0052] The proximal continuum 1 includes a proximal base plate 4, a proximal stop plate 7 and a structural bone 12;

[0053] The distal continuum 3 includes a distal base plate 9, a distal stop plate 11 and a structural bone 12;

[0054] A drive connection portion 13, one end of which is connected to the proximal base plate 4, and the other end of which passes through the proximal stop plate 7 and is connected to the proximal stop plate 7. The drive connection portion 13 is located at the proximal end portion of the proximal stop plate 7 to form a free end;

[0055] The proximal ends of the multiple structural bones 12 are fixedly connected to the proximal stop plate 7, and the distal ends of the multiple structural bones 12 pass through the proximal base plate 4 and the distal base plate 9 in sequence and are fixedly connected to the distal stop plate 11;

[0056] The driving mechanism 14 includes: a first rotatable member and a second rotatable member 145, which are coaxially arranged and can rotate relative to each other; a sliding member, which is slidably arranged on the second rotatable member 145, and is configured to be able to move linearly with the first rotatable member, and the distal end of the sliding member is hinged to the free end of the driving connection part 13.

[0057] The second rotatable member 145 is arranged to overlap and distally of the first rotatable member. The first rotatable member is configured to rotate under the drive of the first driving member, and the second rotatable member 145 is configured to rotate under the drive of the second driving member. More specifically, the first driving member may refer to the first active member, and the second driving member may refer to the second active member. It is understood that the first driving member and the second driving member may also be directly motors or electric motors that directly drive the first and second rotatable members 145 to rotate. However, it should be understood that the first and second rotatable members 145 may also be driven to rotate by other driving mechanisms consistent with the art.

[0058] The sliding member includes a sliding portion and an engaging portion connected to each other, the sliding portion being slidably arranged to be guided by the sliding guide portion to slide linearly relative to the second rotatable member 145, and the engaging portion being arranged to engage with the first rotatable member.

[0059] Thus, by driving the external drive mechanism 14 at the free end of the connecting portion 13, the proximal stop plate 7 is driven to move and flip, thereby pushing and pulling the structural bones 12, thereby achieving bending of the distal continuum 3 in different directions in space. By driving the entire proximal continuum 1 to bend, direct pushing and pulling of the structural bones 12 is avoided, and when driving a large number of structural bones 12, the number of drive mechanisms is not limited.

[0060] In the present invention, preferably, it also includes a structural bone guide bundle 2, which is connected between the proximal base plate 4 and the distal base plate 9; the distal ends of the multiple structural bones 12 pass through the proximal base plate 4, the structural bone guide bundle 2 and the distal base plate 9 in sequence and are fixedly connected to the distal stop plate 11.

[0061] In the present invention, preferably, Figure 1 As shown, the proximal continuum 1 further includes at least one proximal retaining plate 5 disposed between the proximal base plate 4 and the proximal stop plate 7, and each structural bone 12 passes through the proximal retaining plate 5 in sequence;

[0062] Alternatively, the distal continuum 3 also includes at least one distal retaining plate 10 arranged between the distal base plate 9 and the distal stop plate 11, and each structural bone 12 also passes through the distal retaining plate 10 in sequence. The proximal retaining plate 5 and the distal retaining plate 10 are used to support the structural bones 12 from the radial direction of the structural bones 12, so that each structural bone 12 remains parallel during the bending deformation process.

[0063] In the present invention, preferably, the proximal base plate 4, the proximal retaining plate 5, the distal base plate 9 and the distal retaining plate 10 are evenly provided with through holes 6 for the structural bones 12 to slide through, and the proximal stop plate 7 and the distal stop plate 11 are evenly provided with locking holes 8 for fixing the ends of the structural bones 12, and the specific hole positions and numbers of the through holes 6 and locking holes 8 on different plates depend on the number of structural bones 12.

[0064] In the present invention, preferably, an elastic unit (such as a spring, not shown in the figure) can be installed between two adjacent disks of the proximal continuum 1 and / or between two adjacent disks of the distal continuum 3 to separate the disks.

[0065] In the present invention, the structural bones 12 are preferably a group of elastic rods or tubes arranged circumferentially. These rods are preferably made of a superelastic material, typically a high-strength, high-toughness, and elastic metal material such as nickel-titanium alloy. The structural bone guide bundle 2 can be a steel bundle. It should be understood that the structural bones 12 can be distributed circumferentially or in a rectangular pattern.

[0066] In the present invention, preferably, the driving mechanism 14 is a rack and pinion mechanism, which will be described below using a specific embodiment.

[0067] In the present invention, preferably, the drive connection part 13 can be one of a universal joint, a ball joint, a hinge joint or a universal joint-ball joint combination. There are six motion relationship connection nodes between the drive connection part 13, the proximal continuum 1 and the drive mechanism 14, specifically as follows: the first connection node refers to the connection relationship between the proximal base plate 4 and the drive connection part 13, the second connection node refers to the first structure of the drive connection part 13 itself, the third connection node refers to the connection relationship between the drive connection part 13 and the proximal stop plate 7, the fourth connection node refers to the second structure of the drive connection part 13 itself, the fifth connection node refers to the connection relationship between the first structure and the second structure of the drive connection part 13 itself, and the sixth connection node refers to the connection relationship between the free end of the drive connection part 13 and the drive mechanism 14. The above six nodes can be combined in several of the following five connection methods: cylindrical pair (can rotate and move), movable pair (can only move), rotary pair (can only rotate), fixed connection, and its own structure (universal joint, ball joint or connecting rod). The minimum degree of freedom required for driving the proximal continuum 1 to bend is met by the combination of six connection nodes. A universal joint 131 may be understood as including two revolving pairs with two rotation axes intersecting with each other, and a ball joint may be understood as including three revolving pairs with three rotation axes intersecting with each other.

[0068] Five specific embodiments are used below to illustrate respectively.

[0069] Example 1

[0070] like Figure 1 、 3 As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the driving mechanism 14 provided in this embodiment is a rack and pinion mechanism, which is located below the proximal continuum 1 and is used to drive the proximal continuum 1.

[0071] The first rotatable member includes a pinion 143 and a rotating disk 142, which are coaxially fixedly connected. The pinion 143 is located distally from the rotating disk 142 and has a meshing portion, a rack 146, which meshes with the pinion 143. The sliding portion is a slider 147, with the rack 146 disposed at its lower end. The slider 147 is positioned within a slot in the second rotatable member 145, with one side of the slider 147 extending through the slot and fixedly connected to the rack 146. The slider 147 is movably connected to the proximal stopper 7, enabling relative axial sliding and / or rotation between the slider 147 and the proximal stopper 7. It is understood that the sliding guide on the second rotatable member 145 may alternatively be a slide rod, along which the slider 147 slides.

[0072] In this embodiment, the first driving member is a first driving gear 141, which meshes with a rotating disk 142. The second driving member is a second driving gear 144, and the second rotatable member 145 is a gear. The second driving gear 144 meshes with the second rotatable member 145. The pinion 143 is fixedly connected to the rotating disk 142 and meshes with the rack 146. It should be understood that the rack 146 can be a spur rack and the pinion 143 can be a spur pinion. In addition, the rack 146 can also be a helical rack and the pinion 143 can be a helical pinion. However, it should be understood that the first and second rotatable members can also be driven to rotate by other driving mechanisms known in the art.

[0073] In this embodiment, preferably, when the first driving gear 141 drives the rotating disk 142 to rotate and the second rotatable member 145 remains stationary, the pinion 143 fixedly connected to the rotating disk 142 also rotates under the drive of the rotating disk 142, and then the pinion 143 drives the rack 146 to move, and the slider 147 fixedly connected to the rack 146 moves in the slide groove of the second rotatable member 145 under the drive of the rack 146, thereby driving the driving connection part 13 to perform translational motion, and the proximal stop plate 7 moves and flips under the drive of the driving connection part 13. This causes the proximal base plate 4 and the proximal stop plate 7 to become misaligned, causing their axes to no longer coincide. This in turn causes the proximal stop plate 7 to rotate in unison. The resulting force pushes and pulls on each structural bone 12, whose ends are fixed to the proximal stop plate 7. This results in tension on one side of each structural bone 12, which is evenly distributed and fixed to the proximal stop plate 7. This increases the length of the structural bone 12 within the proximal continuum 1, while compressive forces are applied on the other side of each structural bone 12, reducing the length of the structural bone 12 within the proximal continuum 1. Since the total length of each structural bone 12 remains unchanged, the length of each structural bone 12 within the distal continuum 3 changes accordingly, causing the distal continuum 3 to bend in the opposite direction from the proximal continuum 1. Adjusting the sliding distance of the slider 147 in the slot adjusts the degree of curvature of the proximal continuum 1, and thus the degree of reverse curvature of the distal continuum 3.

[0074] In this embodiment, preferably, when the second driving gear 144 drives the second rotatable member 145 to rotate, and the first driving gear 141 drives the rotating disk 142 to rotate, and the second rotatable member 145 and the rotating disk 142 rotate simultaneously in the same direction and at a constant speed, the position of the slider 147 on the second rotatable member 145 does not change, but the slider 147 performs a circular motion within a plane, thereby changing the azimuth angle of the slider 147's translational direction, thereby driving the proximal continuum 1 to bend in different planes. After the proximal continuum 1 bends, it generates push-pull forces on the structural bone 12. These push-pull forces are transmitted to the distal continuum 3 through the structural bone guide bundle 2, thereby causing the distal continuum 3 to bend in different directions in space. By driving the second rotatable member 145 and the rotating disk 142, the degree of curvature of the proximal continuum 1 and the bending in different planes can be adjusted. The bending ratios of the proximal continuum 1 and the distal continuum 3 are inversely proportional to the distribution radius of the corresponding structural bones 12 in each of the two continuums (in this embodiment, the structural bones 12 in the proximal continuum 1 and the distal continuum 3 are distributed circumferentially. They can be distributed along the circumference of the proximal continuum 1 and the distal continuum 3, or distributed along a rectangular circumference, and can be uniform or non-uniform, without limitation here). Thus, by driving the movement of the proximal stop plate 7, the distal continuum 3 can be bent in different directions in space. In practice, the distribution radius of the structural bones 12 in the proximal continuum 1 and the distal continuum 3 can be adjusted to meet actual bending ratio requirements.

[0075] In this embodiment, the two situations in which the first driving gear 141 drives the rotating disk 142 to rotate while the second rotatable member 145 remains stationary, and the second rotatable member 145 and the rotating disk 142 rotate simultaneously in the same direction and at a constant speed are two extreme conditions of the movement of the device of the present invention. Under normal circumstances, through the coordinated control of the second rotatable member 145 and the rotating disk 142, it is possible to drive the proximal continuum 1 to bend in any direction, thereby driving the distal continuum 3 to bend in the opposite direction.

[0076] Example 2

[0077] like Figure 1 、 3As shown in Figures 8 and 8, this example takes the drive connection part 13 using a universal joint 131 as an example. Preferably, a double-section telescopic universal joint is adopted, and the double-section telescopic universal joint is composed of two universal joints 131. Preferably, the six connection nodes can be combined as follows: the first connection node adopts a fixed connection, the second connection node adopts a universal joint 131, the third connection node adopts a cylindrical pair connection, the fourth connection node adopts a universal joint 131, the fifth connection node adopts a cylindrical pair connection, and the sixth connection node adopts a fixed connection, that is, the first structure and the second structure of the drive connection part 13 itself are both a universal joint 131, that is, the second connection node and the fourth connection node are both universal joints 131, and the fifth connection node refers to the two universal joints 131 being connected by a cylindrical pair, so that the two universal joints 131 can approach or move away along the axis of the cylindrical pair, and can rotate towards each other around the axis. The first connection node refers to the fixed connection between one end of the universal joint 131 and the proximal base plate 4. The third connection node refers to the cylindrical pairing between the outer surface of the universal joint 131 and the proximal stop plate 7. The other end of the universal joint 131 is a free end. The sixth connection node refers to the fixed connection between the free end and the slider 147, which is free to move under the drive of the slider 147. The combination of six connection nodes satisfies the minimum degrees of freedom required to drive the proximal continuum 1. The drive connection 13 and the proximal base plate 4 are connected by at least two rotational pairs. This can be understood as the drive connection 13 itself including a rotational pair and / or a rotational pair at the connection between the drive connection 13 and the proximal base plate 4. A universal joint 131 can be understood as comprising two rotational pairs with two intersecting rotational axes. Due to the scalability of the universal joint 131, the free end of the universal joint 131 can maintain a constant height distance from the proximal base plate 4 during movement, making it easy to drive it using a planar mechanism. When the axis of universal joint 131 is at an angle to the vertical, it drives the proximal stop plate 7 of proximal continuum 1 to rotate in a coordinated manner, pushing and pulling the structural bones 12 whose ends are fixed to the proximal stop plate 7. This causes the length of each structural bone 12 within distal continuum 3 to change accordingly, thereby driving distal continuum 3 to bend in the opposite direction to proximal continuum 1. The bending ratio of distal continuum 3 to proximal continuum 1 is inversely proportional to the distribution radius of the corresponding structural bones 12 in each continuum (in this embodiment, the distribution radius refers to the radius of the circle on which the proximal and distal structural bones 12 are distributed). During application, the distribution radius of the structural bones 12 in the two continuums can be adjusted to meet the actual bending ratio requirements.

[0078] By cooperating with each other through the above six connection nodes, the proximal stop disc 7 can slide up and down or rotate relative to the drive connection part 13 or the drive connection part 13 can slide up and down or rotate relative to the drive mechanism 14, thereby satisfying the parasitic motion (up and down sliding) of the proximal continuum 1 along the axial direction during the bending process, as well as the bending motion (rotation) in any direction. The parasitic motion can prevent the distal continuum 3 from generating axial telescopic motion during the bending process, causing the cover (not shown in the figure) covering the outer periphery of the distal continuum 3 to wrinkle or over-stretch, affecting the service life of the cover.

[0079] In this embodiment, preferably, when the driving connection part 13 adopts two universal joints 131, the six connection nodes can also adopt the following combination: the first connection node adopts a fixed connection, the second connection node adopts a universal joint 131, the third connection node adopts a moving pair connection, the fourth connection node adopts a universal joint 131, the fifth connection node adopts a moving pair connection, and the sixth connection node adopts a rotating pair. At this time, the free movement of the free end can be achieved under the drive of the slider 147, so as to achieve the purpose of bending the distal continuum 3.

[0080] In this embodiment, preferably, when the driving connection part 13 adopts two universal joints 131, the six connection nodes can also adopt the following combination: the first connection node adopts a moving pair connection, the second connection node adopts a universal joint 131, the third connection node adopts a moving pair connection, the fourth connection node adopts a universal joint 131, the fifth connection node adopts a fixed connection, and the sixth connection node adopts a rotating pair, which can also achieve the purpose of the present invention.

[0081] In addition, one of the two universal joints 131 can be replaced with a ball joint. In summary, in addition to the above implementations, the six connection nodes can also be combined in other forms using several of the above connection methods. Under the premise of achieving the same function, the more degrees of freedom, the better the compliance and flexibility.

[0082] Example 3

[0083] like Figure 8As shown, the two universal joints 131 in the drive connection part 13 provided in this embodiment can be replaced by two ball joints 132. The ball joint 132 can be understood as a revolute pair including three intersecting axes. At this time, the six connection nodes can be combined as follows: the first connection node adopts a fixed connection, the second connection node adopts a ball joint, the third connection node adopts a cylindrical pair connection, the fourth connection node adopts a ball joint, the fifth connection node adopts a cylindrical pair connection, and the sixth connection node adopts a fixed connection. That is, the proximal base plate 4 is fixed to the base of one ball joint 132, and the base of the other ball joint 132 serves as a free end. The two ball joints 132 are matched with a cylindrical pair, so that the two ball joints 132 can move closer or farther away along the axis of the cylindrical pair. The outer surface of the cylindrical pair between the two ball joints 132 mates with the proximal stop plate 7 via a cylindrical pair, with the free end fixedly connected to the slider 147. When the free end is driven to move, the two ball joints 132 can move closer or further away along the axis of the cylindrical pair, ensuring that the height distance between the free end of the ball joint 132 and the proximal base plate 4 remains constant during movement, thus facilitating drive by a planar mechanism. When the axis between the two ball joints 132 forms an angle with the vertical, the proximal stop plate 7 of the proximal continuum 1 is driven to rotate in a coordinated manner, pushing and pulling the structural bones 12 whose ends are fixed to the proximal stop plate 7, thereby driving the distal continuum 3 to bend in the opposite direction of the portion of the proximal continuum 1 near the proximal base plate 4, thereby achieving bending of the distal continuum 3 in different directions in space.

[0084] By cooperating with each other through the above six connection nodes, the proximal stop disc 7 can slide up and down or rotate relative to the drive connection part 13 or the drive connection part 13 can slide up and down or rotate relative to the drive mechanism 14, thereby satisfying the parasitic motion (up and down sliding) of the proximal continuum 1 along the axial direction during the bending process, as well as the bending motion (rotation) in any direction. The parasitic motion can prevent the distal continuum 3 from generating axial telescopic motion during the bending process, causing the cover (not shown in the figure) covering the outer periphery of the distal continuum 3 to wrinkle or over-stretch, affecting the service life of the cover.

[0085] In this embodiment, preferably, when the driving connection part 13 adopts two ball joints 132, the six connection nodes can also adopt the following combination: the first connection node adopts a fixed connection, the second connection node adopts a ball joint 132, the third connection node adopts a cylindrical pair connection, the fourth connection node adopts a ball joint 132, the fifth connection node adopts a fixed connection, and the sixth connection node adopts a moving pair. At this time, the free movement of the free end can be achieved under the drive of the slider 147, so as to achieve the purpose of bending the distal continuum 3.

[0086] In this embodiment, preferably, when the driving connection part 13 adopts two ball joints 132, the six connection nodes can also adopt the following combination: the first connection node adopts a fixed connection, the second connection node adopts a ball joint 132, the third connection node adopts a moving pair connection, the fourth connection node adopts a ball joint 132, the fifth connection node adopts a rotating pair, and the sixth connection node adopts a moving pair, which can also achieve the purpose of the present invention.

[0087] In summary, in addition to the above implementation methods, the above six connection nodes can also adopt other forms of combination of several of the above connection methods. On the premise of achieving the same function, the more degrees of freedom, the better the flexibility and compliance.

[0088] Example 4

[0089] like Figure 9 As shown, the drive connection 13 can be a hinge joint 133 instead of the double-joint universal joint 131 or the ball joint 132. In this case, the six connection nodes can be arranged in the following combination: the first connection node is connected by a revolute joint, the second connection node is connected by a revolute joint, the third connection node is connected by a cylindrical joint, the fourth connection node is connected by a revolute joint, the fifth connection node is connected by a cylindrical joint, and the sixth connection node is fixedly connected. Specifically, connecting rod A 1331 is rotatable about its own long axis within the proximal base plate 4 and is hinged at its other end to connecting rod B 1332. Connecting rod B 1332 is hinged at its other end to connecting rod C 1333 by a cylindrical joint. Connecting rod C 1333 is hinged at its other end to connecting rod D 1334, with the other end of connecting rod D 1334 serving as a free end, which is fixedly connected to the slider 147. The outer surface of connecting rod C 1333 is hinged to the proximal stop plate 7 by a cylindrical joint. By driving the free end of connecting rod D1334, because connecting rod C1333 can move toward or away from the cylinder's secondary axis, the free end of connecting rod D1334 maintains a constant height distance from the proximal base plate 4 during movement, facilitating drive by a planar mechanism. When the axis between the connecting rods forms an angle with the vertical, this drives the proximal stop plate 7 of the proximal continuum 1 to undergo a coordinated flip, pushing and pulling the structural bones 12 whose ends are fixed to the proximal stop plate 7. This causes the length of each structural bone 12 within the distal continuum 3 to change accordingly, thereby driving the distal continuum 3 to bend in the opposite direction of the portion of the proximal continuum 1 near the proximal base plate 4, thereby achieving bending of the distal continuum 3 in different directions in space.

[0090] By cooperating with each other at these six connection nodes, the proximal stop plate 7 can slide up and down or rotate relative to the drive connection 13, or vice versa, relative to the drive connection 13 and the drive mechanism 14. This allows the proximal continuum 1 to generate parasitic motion along the axis (up and down sliding) during bending, as well as bending motion in any direction (rotation). This parasitic motion prevents the distal continuum 3 from generating axial expansion and contraction during bending, which could cause wrinkling or excessive stretching of the outer cover (not shown) surrounding the distal continuum 3, thereby shortening the cover's service life.

[0091] In this embodiment, preferably, when the drive connection portion 13 adopts a hinge joint 133, the six connection nodes can also adopt the following combination: the first connection node adopts a revolute joint, the second connection node adopts a revolute joint, the third connection node adopts a translation joint, the fourth connection node adopts a revolute joint, the fifth connection node adopts a cylindrical joint, and the sixth connection node adopts a revolute joint, which can also achieve the purpose of the present invention. In summary, in addition to the above implementation methods, the above six connection nodes can also adopt other forms of combination of several of the above connection methods. Under the premise of achieving the same function, the more degrees of freedom, the better the flexibility and flexibility.

[0092] The above embodiments are not intended to limit the conditions under which the present invention can be implemented. The essence of the present invention is to drive the proximal stop disc 7 to flip, thereby driving the proximal continuum 1 to bend, and ultimately driving the distal continuum 3 to bend arbitrarily in space.

[0093] Example 5

[0094] Based on the flexible continuum structure provided in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 4, the present invention also provides a surgical robot comprising at least one of the above-mentioned surgical tool drive transmission systems.

[0095] Preferably, the surgical robot utilizes two of the aforementioned surgical tool drive transmission systems, connected in series or in parallel, thereby increasing the flexibility of the arm. For example, the two surgical tool drive transmission systems are arranged side by side on a support, with two proximal base plates 4 fixedly connected to the support. One end of the structural bone guide bundles 2 of the two surgical tool drive transmission systems is fixedly connected to the proximal base plates 7 of their respective proximal continua 1. The other ends of the two structural bone guide bundles 2 are sequentially passed through the support and fixed at the distal stop plate 9, forming a cluster (preferably in a ring shape, but it should be understood that any other shape, such as a rectangle, is also possible). The distal continua 3 in the two or more surgical tool drive transmission systems can be the same or different in length. Preferably, the distal continua 3 of the two or more surgical tool drive transmission systems have different lengths. The drive connection 13 is driven by the drive mechanisms 14 on both sides, which in turn drive the proximal continua 1 on both sides, thereby achieving bending of the distal continuum 3, thereby increasing the degree of freedom of the distal end and thus the flexibility of the surgical robot.

[0096] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A surgical tool drive transmission system, characterized in that: include: Flexible continuum structure and drive mechanism (14); The flexible continuum structure comprises: The proximal continuum (1), including the proximal base plate (4), the proximal insertion plate (7), and the structural bone (12); A distal continuum (3) comprising a distal base plate (9), a distal stop plate (11) and the structural bone (12); a drive connection portion (13), one end of the drive connection portion (13) being connected to the proximal base plate (4), the other end of the drive connection portion (13) passing through the proximal stop plate (7) and being connected to the proximal stop plate (7), the drive connection portion (13) being located at the proximal end portion of the proximal stop plate (7) to form a free end; The proximal ends of the plurality of structural bones (12) are fixedly connected to the proximal stop disk (7), and the distal ends of the plurality of structural bones (12) sequentially pass through the proximal base disk (4) and the distal base disk (9) and are fixedly connected to the distal stop disk (11); The driving mechanism (14) comprises: a first rotatable member, a second rotatable member (145), and a sliding member that are coaxially arranged and rotatable relative to each other; The second rotatable member (145) is provided with a sliding guide portion for guiding the sliding member to slide linearly relative to the second rotatable member (145). The sliding member is configured to move linearly with the rotation of the first rotatable member. The distal end of the sliding member is hinged to the free end of the drive connection portion (13).

2. The surgical tool drive transmission system according to claim 1, wherein: The second rotatable member (145) is arranged to overlap on the far side of the first rotatable member; The first rotatable member is configured to be rotatable under the drive of a first driving member, and the second rotatable member (145) is configured to be rotatable under the drive of a second driving member; The sliding member includes a sliding portion and an engaging portion connected to each other, the sliding portion is slidably arranged to be guided by the sliding guide portion to slide linearly relative to the second rotatable member (145), and the engaging portion is arranged to engage with the first rotatable member.

3. The surgical tool drive transmission system according to claim 2, wherein: The first rotatable member comprises a pinion (143) and a rotating disk (142) coaxially fixedly connected to each other, the pinion (143) is located on the far side of the rotating disk (142), and the meshing portion is a rack (146) that meshes with the pinion (143).

4. The surgical tool drive transmission system according to claim 3, wherein: The sliding portion is a slider (147), the rack (146) is arranged at the proximal end of the slider (147), the sliding guide portion is a slide groove on the second rotatable member (145), and the proximal side of the slider (147) is fixedly connected to the rack (146) through the slide groove, and the slider (147) is movably connected to the proximal stop disk (7) so that the slider (147) and the proximal stop disk (7) can slide and / or rotate relative to each other axially.

5. The surgical tool drive transmission system according to claim 1, wherein: The driving connection portion (13) is composed of two universal joints (131) or more than two universal joints (131) connected in series, one end of the universal joint (131) is connected to the proximal base plate (4), the other end of the universal joint (131) passes through the proximal stop plate (7) and is connected to the proximal stop plate (7), and the portion of the universal joint (131) located at the proximal end of the proximal stop plate (7) forms a free end; Alternatively, the drive connection portion (13) is two ball joints (132) or more than two ball joints (132) connected in series, one end of the ball joint (132) is connected to the proximal base plate (4), the other end of the ball joint (132) passes through the proximal stop plate (7) and is connected to the proximal stop plate (7), and the portion of the ball joint (132) located proximal to the proximal stop plate (7) forms a free end; Alternatively, the drive connection portion (13) is a hinge joint, one end of the hinge joint is connected to the proximal base plate (4), the other end of the hinge joint passes through the proximal stop plate (7) and is connected to the proximal stop plate (7), and the portion of the hinge joint located proximal to the proximal stop plate (7) forms a free end; Alternatively, the drive connection portion (13) is a universal joint-ball joint, one end of the universal joint-ball joint is connected to the proximal base plate (4), the other end of the universal joint-ball joint passes through the proximal stop plate (7) and is connected to the proximal stop plate (7), and the portion of the universal joint-ball joint located at the proximal end of the proximal stop plate (7) forms a free end.

6. The surgical tool drive transmission system according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a structural bone guide bundle (2) connected between the proximal base plate (4) and the distal base plate (9), and the distal ends of the plurality of structural bones (12) sequentially pass through the proximal base plate (4), the structural bone guide bundle (2) and the distal base plate (9) and are fixedly connected to the distal stop plate (11).

7. The surgical tool drive transmission system according to claim 1, wherein: The proximal continuum (1) further comprises at least one proximal retaining disc (5) arranged between the proximal base disc (4) and the proximal stop disc (7), and each of the structural bones (12) passes through the proximal retaining disc (5) in sequence; and / or, The distal continuum (3) further comprises at least one distal retaining disc (10) arranged between the distal base disc (9) and the distal stop disc (11), and each of the structural bones (12) also passes through the distal retaining disc (10) in sequence.

8. The surgical tool drive transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The plurality of structural bones (12) are a group of elastic rods or tubes arranged along the circumference.

9. The surgical tool drive transmission system according to claim 8, wherein: The structural bone (12) is made of nickel-titanium alloy material.

10. A surgical robot, characterized in that: A surgical tool drive transmission system comprising at least one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The surgical robot according to claim 10, characterized in that: The surgical robot uses two or more of the surgical tool drive transmission systems connected in series or in parallel.

12. The surgical robot according to claim 11, characterized in that: The two surgical tool drive transmission systems are arranged side by side on the bracket, the two proximal base plates (4) are fixedly connected to the bracket respectively, one end of the two structural bone guide tube bundles (2) is fixedly connected to the proximal base plates (4) of their respective proximal continua (1), and the other ends of the two structural bone guide tube bundles (2) pass through the bracket in sequence and are fixed at the distal base plate (9) and are bundled into a cluster.

13. The surgical robot according to claim 11, characterized in that: The lengths of the distal end continua (3) in the two or more surgical tool drive transmission systems are the same or different.

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