A concentric tube surgical robot based on a gear tube

Abstract

The present application is applicable to the field of medical devices and discloses a gear tube-based concentric tube surgical robot, comprising three drive assemblies and concentric tubes. The concentric tubes include an outer tube, a middle tube, and an inner tube. The three drive assemblies are respectively used to drive the rotation and movement of the outer tube, the middle tube, and the inner tube; each drive assembly includes two rotation drive devices, a first internally rotating gear, a second internally rotating gear, and a gear tube; the first internally rotating gear and the second internally rotating gear are sleeved outside the gear tube, and the internal threads of the first internally rotating gear and the second internally rotating gear rotate in opposite directions. The two rotation drive devices are respectively used to drive the first internally rotating gear and the second internally rotating gear to rotate; the outer tube, the middle tube, and the inner tube are respectively connected to the gear tubes of the three drive assemblies. The internal threads of the first internally rotating gear and the second internally rotating gear rotate in opposite directions and are sleeved outside the gear tube. During their rotation, the gear tube obtains two degrees of freedom, translation and rotation, thereby driving the movement of the concentric tubes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of medical devices, and in particular to a concentric tube surgical robot based on a gear tube. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid advancement of medical technologies, minimally invasive surgery has become a key development in clinical surgical procedures. Surgical robots are increasingly being used for minimally invasive procedures on human cavities and organs. Traditional concentric tube robots are driven by a lead screw. Although some designs use key gears to rotate the concentric tube, these are still derivatives of the lead screw. Wire-driven robots suffer from the drawback of a single shape. The tube radius is generally large, making it difficult to enter small natural human passages, which greatly limits the scope of surgical robots. Traditional lead screw designs make concentric tubes slow to move, and they are also large, occupying a large space and difficult to hold in a hand. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present application proposes a concentric tube surgical robot based on a gear tube.

[0004] A gear tube-based concentric tube surgical robot includes three drive components and concentric tubes, wherein the concentric tubes include an outer tube, a middle tube and an inner tube, and the three drive components are respectively used to drive the rotation and movement of the outer tube, the middle tube and the inner tube; each of the drive components includes two rotation drive devices, a first internal rotating gear, a second internal rotating gear and a gear tube, the first internal rotating gear and the second internal rotating gear are sleeved on the outside of the gear tube, and the internal threads of the first internal rotating gear and the second internal rotating gear rotate in opposite directions, and the two rotation drive devices are respectively used to drive the first internal rotating gear and the second internal rotating gear to rotate; the outer tube, the middle tube and the inner tube are respectively connected to the gear tubes of the three drive components.

[0005] To be more specific, in the above technical solution, the two rotation drive devices each include a rotation drive device, a first synchronous wheel and a second synchronous wheel. The rotation drive device is connected to the first synchronous wheel, the first synchronous wheel and the second synchronous wheel are connected by a synchronous belt, and the two second synchronous wheels are respectively connected to the first internal rotating gear and the second internal rotating gear.

[0006] More specifically, in the above technical solution, the translation amount of the gear tube

[0007] The pitches of the first internally rotating gear and the second internally rotating gear are both P, the rotation angle of the first synchronous wheel is , and the transmission ratio of the first synchronous wheel and the second synchronous wheel is i.

[0008] To be more specific, in the above technical solution, a first connecting groove is provided on the inner ring of each second synchronous wheel, a second connecting groove is provided on the outer side of the first internal rotation gear and the second internal rotation gear, and the first connecting groove and the second connecting groove are connected by a key.

[0009] To be more specific, in the above technical solution, the concentric tube surgical robot also includes a support assembly, which includes a base and a support frame. Lugs are provided on both sides of the base, and the rotating shafts of the two rotating drive devices pass through the two lugs and are connected to the two first synchronous wheels respectively, and the support frame is fixed between the two lugs.

[0010] More specifically, in the above technical solution, the support frame includes a plurality of support parts, a gear cover is fixed above each support part, and the first internal rotation gear and the second internal rotation gear are respectively arranged between each support part and the gear cover through bearings.

[0011] More specifically, in the above technical solution, outward-facing lower convex plates are provided at both ends of the support portion, outward-facing upper convex plates are formed at both ends of the gear cover, and the upper convex plates and the lower convex plates are connected by fixing members.

[0012] To be more specific, in the above technical solution, the concentric tubes are three superelastic nickel-titanium alloy tubes nested with each other, the outer tube is a straight tube, the front ends of the middle tube and the inner tube have pre-bent structures, and the stiffness of the outer tube, the middle tube and the inner tube gradually decreases.

[0013] More specifically, in the above technical solution, the outer tube is connected to the gear tube of the front drive assembly, the middle tube is connected to the gear tube of the middle drive assembly, and the inner tube is connected to the gear tube of the rear drive assembly.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0015] The internal threads of the first internally rotating gear and the second internally rotating gear rotate in opposite directions and are sleeved on the outside of the gear tube. During the rotation of the two, the gear tube obtains two degrees of freedom, namely translation and rotation, thereby driving the concentric tube to move; the two internally rotating gears increase the contact area with the gear tube, and there is no slipping phenomenon, which improves the stability of the gear tube; compared with traditional concentric tube surgical robots, the structure of the present application is lighter and moves faster. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the concentric tube surgical robot of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the decomposition structure of the driver component of this application;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an assembly structure of the drive component of this application;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a flattened schematic diagram of the first motion state of the driving component of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a flattened schematic diagram of the second motion state of the driving component of the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 It is a flat schematic diagram of the third motion state of the driving component of the present application;

[0023] Figure 7 It is a flat schematic diagram of the fourth motion state of the driving component of the present application;

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the first state of the concentric tube of the present application;

[0025] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the second state of the concentric tube of the present application;

[0026] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the third state of the concentric tube of the present application;

[0027] Figure 11 It is a structural diagram of the base of this application;

[0028] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the support frame and gear cover of the present application;

[0029] Figure 13 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the second synchronous wheel and the first internal rotation gear of the present application.

[0030] In the figure: 1. Drive assembly; 2. Concentric tube; 201. Outer tube; 202. Middle tube; 203. Inner tube; 301. Rotary drive device; 302. First synchronous wheel; 303. Second synchronous wheel; 3031. First connecting groove; 304. Synchronous belt; 4. First inward-rotating gear; 5. Second inward-rotating gear; 6. Gear tube; 7. Second connecting groove; 8. Key; 9. Base; 901. Lug; 10. Support frame; 1001. Support part; 10011. Lower convex plate; 11. Gear cover; 1101. Upper convex plate; 12. Bearing; 13. Fixing part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] In the description of this application, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientations, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on this application.

[0033] In the description of this application, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, and connecting should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0034] In addition, in the description of the present application specification and the appended claims, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used to distinguish the descriptions and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0035] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and "in other embodiments" appearing in various places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more but not all embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "including," "comprising," "having," and variations thereof all mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0036] See also Figure 1-3 , the present application proposes a concentric tube surgical robot based on a gear tube 6, comprising three drive components 1 and a concentric tube 2, wherein the concentric tube 2 comprises an outer tube 201, a middle tube 202 and an inner tube 203, and the three drive components 1 are respectively used to drive the rotation and movement of the outer tube 201, the middle tube 202 and the inner tube 203; each of the drive components 1 comprises two rotation drive devices 301, a first internal rotation gear 4, a second internal rotation gear 5, and a gear tube 6, the first internal rotation gear 4 and the second internal rotation gear 5 are sleeved on the outside of the gear tube 6, and the internal threads of the first internal rotation gear 4 and the second internal rotation gear 5 have opposite rotation directions, and the two rotation drive devices 301 are respectively used to drive the first internal rotation gear 4 and the second internal rotation gear 5 to rotate; the outer tube 201, the middle tube 202 and the inner tube 203 are respectively connected to the gear tubes 6 of the three drive components 1.

[0037] The internal threads of the first internal rotating gear 4 and the second internal rotating gear 5 rotate in opposite directions and are sleeved on the outside of the gear tube 6. During the rotation of the two, the gear tube 6 obtains two degrees of freedom, translation and rotation, thereby driving the concentric tube 2 to move; the two internal rotating gears increase the contact area with the gear tube 6, and there is no slipping phenomenon, which improves the stability and movement accuracy of the gear tube 6; compared with the traditional concentric tube surgical robot, the structure of the present application is lighter and moves faster.

[0038] The first internally rotating gear 4 and the second internally rotating gear 5 with opposite thread rotation directions are integrated into the same gear tube 6, so that the gear tube 6 has two mutually orthogonal helical teeth and has the characteristics of left-hand and right-hand helical gears.

[0039] The application of the concentric tube 2 in the surgical robot is common knowledge to those skilled in the art, so the specific principle of the concentric tube 2 will not be described in detail in this application. This application mainly controls the movement of the concentric tube 2 by driving the gear tube 6.

[0040] Figure 4 The first motion state of the first internally rotating gear 4 and the second internally rotating gear 5 driving the gear tube 6 is shown. The clockwise and counterclockwise directions described later in this application are both motion states observed from the front to the rear. Figure 4 The second internal gear 5 rotates clockwise, which generates a force F in the upper right direction on the gear tube 6. The force F can be decomposed along the X and Y directions to be F x and F y Similarly, the first internal gear 4 rotates counterclockwise, which will generate a force F in the lower right direction on the gear tube 6. The force F can be decomposed along the X and Y directions and decomposed into F x and F ySince the two directions generated by the two are opposite and cancel each other out, the gear tube 6 will not move along the Y direction, and will not rotate from a three-dimensional perspective, leaving two F x They overlap each other and move the gear tube 6 forward.

[0041] Figure 5 The second motion state of the first internal gear 4 and the second internal gear 5 driving the gear tube 6 is shown. Figure 4 The principle is the same, but the first internal gear 4 rotates in the clockwise direction and the second internal gear 5 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, so that the gear tube 6 moves backward.

[0042] Figure 6 The third motion state of the gear tube 6 driven by the first internal gear 4 and the second internal gear 5 is shown. At this time, the second internal gear 5 and the first internal gear 4 rotate in the clockwise direction at the same time. x The two directions are opposite, and they cancel each other out, so the gear tube 6 will not move along the X direction, and from a three-dimensional perspective, it will not move forward and backward. y Superimpose and rotate the gear tube 6 in the clockwise direction.

[0043] Figure 7 The fourth motion state of the first internal gear 4 and the second internal gear 5 driving the gear tube 6 is shown. Figure 6 The principle is the same as in, at this time the first internal rotation gear 4 and the second internal rotation gear 5 rotate counterclockwise at the same time, causing the gear tube 6 to rotate counterclockwise.

[0044] See also Figure 2-3 In some embodiments, the two rotation driving devices 301 each include a rotation driving device 301, a first synchronous wheel 302 and a second synchronous wheel 303, the rotation driving device 301 is connected to the first synchronous wheel 302, the first synchronous wheel 302 and the second synchronous wheel 303 are connected through a synchronous belt 304, and the two second synchronous wheels 303 are respectively connected to the first internal rotation gear 4 and the second internal rotation gear 5.

[0045] The first synchronous wheel 302 and the second synchronous wheel 303 can also mesh with each other to achieve the function of synchronous rotation; preferably, the rotation drive device 301 adopts a robomaster M2006 DC brushless reduction motor, which is powered by DC 24V and then decelerated by the first synchronous wheel 302 and the second synchronous wheel 303, thereby increasing torque and improving control accuracy. The first synchronous wheel 302 is driven separately by the two rotation drive devices 301, reducing the idle rate of the rotation drive device 301 and reducing the output burden of a single rotation drive device 301; further preferably, the rotation speed and rotation amount of the two rotation drive devices 301 are the same.

[0046] In some embodiments, the translation amount of the gear tube 6 is The pitches of the first internal gear 4 and the second internal gear 5 are both P, the rotation angle of the first synchronous gear 302 is θ, and the transmission ratio between the first synchronous gear 302 and the second synchronous gear 303 is i.

[0047] The larger the rotation pitch P, the larger the translation S of the gear tube 6 will be, the faster the movement speed will be, and the movement accuracy will decrease; the smaller the rotation pitch, the smaller the movement amount of the gear tube 6 will be, the slower the movement speed will be, and the movement accuracy will increase; the pitch size can be changed according to different usage scenarios to meet the requirements of speed and accuracy.

[0048] It can be understood that when the gear tube 6 is in the third and fourth motion states, its translation amount is 0; when the gear tube 6 is in the first and second motion states, the rotation speed and rotation amount of the two first synchronous wheels are the same, and the rotation angle θ only needs to look at one of the first synchronous wheels.

[0049] Figure 13 Only the schematic diagram of the first internally rotating gear 4 is shown in FIG. The second connecting groove 7 on the second internally rotating gear 5 is the same as that thereof, so it is not repeated. Figure 13 As shown, in some embodiments, a first connecting groove 3031 is provided on the inner ring of each second synchronous wheel 303, and a second connecting groove 7 is provided on the outer side of the first internal rotation gear 4 and the second internal rotation gear 5. The first connecting groove 3031 and the second connecting groove 7 are connected by a key 8 to achieve the fixation of the first internal rotation gear 4 and the second internal rotation gear 5 to the second synchronous wheel 303, and the first internal rotation gear 4 and the second internal rotation gear 5 can only rotate.

[0050] like Figure 3 and Figure 11 As shown, in some embodiments, the concentric tube surgical robot also includes a support assembly, which includes a base 9 and a support frame 10. The base 9 supports the weight of the entire device. Lugs 901 are provided on both sides of the base 9. The rotating axes of the two rotating drive devices 301 pass through the two lugs 901 and are connected to the two first synchronous wheels 302 respectively. The support frame 10 is fixed between the two lugs 901.

[0051] The lug 901 is provided with connection holes around the rotating shaft, and the rotation drive device 301 can be fixed to the lug 901 by providing fixing structures such as screws in the connection holes; the base 9 and the support frame 10 can be formed as one piece to improve the stability of the connection between the two and speed up production efficiency.

[0052] like Figure 12As shown, in some embodiments, the support frame 10 includes a plurality of support parts 1001, a gear cover 11 is fixed above each support part 1001, and the first internal rotation gear 4 and the second internal rotation gear 5 are respectively arranged between each support part 1001 and the gear cover 11 through bearings 12.

[0053] The bearing 12, the first internal gear 4 and the second internal gear 5 are supported by the support part 1001, and the bearing 12 is stabilized by the gear cover 11, limiting the forward and backward movement of the bearing 12, the first internal gear 4 and the second internal gear 5 so that they can only rotate.

[0054] like Figure 12 As shown, in some embodiments, outward-facing lower convex plates 10011 are provided at both ends of the support portion 1001, and outward-facing upper convex plates 1101 are formed at both ends of the gear cover 11. The upper convex plates 1101 and the lower convex plates 10011 are connected by fixing members 13, which may be bolts or the like.

[0055] like Figure 8-10 As shown, in some embodiments, the concentric tubes 2 are three superelastic nickel-titanium alloy tubes nested with each other, the outer tube 201 is a straight tube, the front ends of the middle tube 202 and the inner tube 203 have pre-bent structures, and the stiffness of the outer tube 201, the middle tube 202 and the inner tube 203 gradually decreases.

[0056] See also Figure 8-10 The three figures show different actions of the concentric tube 2 respectively. The gear tubes 6 of the three drive components 1 respectively drive the rotation and forward movement of the outer tube 201, the middle tube 202 and the inner tube 203, and finally realize the control of the action of the surgical instrument at the front end of the concentric tube 2.

[0057] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the outer tube 201 is connected to the gear tube 6 of the front drive assembly 1, the middle tube 202 is connected to the gear tube 6 of the middle drive assembly 1, and the inner tube 203 is connected to the gear tube 6 of the rear drive assembly 1. The front refers to one end of the concentric tube 2 connected to the medical device.

[0058] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application 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. 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 application, and should all be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A concentric tube surgical robot based on a gear tube, characterized in that: include: Three drive assemblies and concentric tubes, the concentric tubes including an outer tube, a middle tube and an inner tube, the three drive assemblies being used to drive the rotation and movement of the outer tube, the middle tube and the inner tube respectively; Each of the drive assemblies includes a first internally rotating gear, a second internally rotating gear, a gear tube, and two rotation drive devices. The first internally rotating gear and the second internally rotating gear are sleeved outside the gear tube. The internal threads of the first internally rotating gear and the second internally rotating gear rotate in opposite directions. The two rotation drive devices are respectively used to drive the first internally rotating gear and the second internally rotating gear to rotate. The outer tube, middle tube and inner tube are respectively connected to the gear tubes of the three drive assemblies; The gear tube has two mutually orthogonal helical teeth; The two rotation drive devices each include a rotation drive device, a first synchronous wheel, and a second synchronous wheel. The rotation drive device is connected to the first synchronous wheel. The first synchronous wheel and the second synchronous wheel are connected by a synchronous belt. The two second synchronous wheels are respectively connected to the first internal gear and the second internal gear. A first connecting groove is provided on the inner ring of each second synchronous wheel, a second connecting groove is provided on the outer side of each of the first internal rotation gear and the second internal rotation gear, and the first connecting groove and the second connecting groove are connected by a key.

2. The gear tube-based concentric tube surgical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The translation amount S of the gear tube = ; Among them, the pitch of the first internal gear and the second internal gear are both P, and the rotation angle of the first synchronous wheel is , the transmission ratio of the first synchronous wheel and the second synchronous wheel is i.

3. The gear tube-based concentric tube surgical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The concentric tube surgical robot also includes a support assembly, which includes a base and a support frame. Lugs are provided on both sides of the base. The rotating shafts of the two rotary drive devices pass through the two lugs and are connected to the two first synchronous wheels respectively. The support frame is fixed between the two lugs.

4. The gear tube-based concentric tube surgical robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The support frame includes a plurality of support parts, a gear cover is fixed above each support part, and the first internal rotation gear and the second internal rotation gear are respectively arranged between each support part and the gear cover through bearings.

5. The gear tube-based concentric tube surgical robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: Outwardly facing lower convex plates are provided at both ends of the support portion, outwardly facing upper convex plates are formed at both ends of the gear cover, and the upper convex plates and the lower convex plates are connected by fixing members.

6. The gear tube-based concentric tube surgical robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The concentric tubes are three superelastic nickel-titanium alloy tubes nested with each other, the outer tube is a straight tube, the front ends of the middle tube and the inner tube have pre-bent structures, and the stiffness of the outer tube, the middle tube and the inner tube gradually decreases.

7. The gear tube-based concentric tube surgical robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer tube is connected to the gear tube of the front drive assembly, the middle tube is connected to the gear tube of the middle drive assembly, and the inner tube is connected to the gear tube of the rear drive assembly.

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