Capsule robot

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and provides a capsule robot with a medical treatment function. The capsule robot comprises a shell, an executing assembly and a driving assembly which are installed in the shell, the executing assembly comprises a medical device which is movably connected with the shell and a first magnet which is fixed on the medical device, and the driving assembly comprises a second magnet and a driving device, the driving device is used for driving the second magnet to move so that the second magnet exerts a magnetic force on the first magnet, thereby pushing the medical device to at least partially extend out of the shell.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly provides a capsule robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] The capsule robot can be used for visual diagnosis of gastrointestinal lesions in a patient, that is, images in the human body are collected by an image collection unit such as a camera, and then transmitted to a diagnostic device located outside the human body through a wired or wireless module, and medical personnel analyze the acquired images through the diagnostic device to make a judgment on the patient's condition. It can be seen that the capsule robot can play an auxiliary diagnostic role.

[0003] The existing capsule robot can only collect images and cannot perform medical treatments such as drug administration or biopsy on the lesion site, and has a single function. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to provide a capsule robot to solve the problem of single function of the existing capsule robot.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is as follows: a capsule robot, comprising a shell, an execution assembly and a driving assembly installed in the shell, the execution assembly comprising a medical device movably connected with the shell and a first magnet fixed on the medical device; the driving assembly comprising a second magnet and a driving device, the driving device being used to drive the second magnet to move so as to exert a magnetic force on the first magnet, thereby pushing the medical device to at least partially extend out of the shell.

[0006] As a possible implementation, the number of execution assemblies is multiple, and the medical device in each execution assembly can be provided as any one of a drug administration structure and a biopsy structure.

[0007] As a possible implementation, among the multiple execution assemblies, a part of the medical devices are drug administration structures, and another part of the medical devices are biopsy structures.

[0008] As a possible implementation, the biopsy structure comprises a biopsy needle, and the first magnet is arranged on the biopsy needle.

[0009] As a possible implementation, the drug administration structure comprises a drug carrier movably arranged on the shell, the first magnet is fixed on the drug carrier, a drug loading cavity is formed in the drug carrier, and a drug administration catheter in communication with the drug loading cavity is further arranged on the drug carrier, the drug administration catheter being used to extend out of the shell under the driving of the first magnet.

[0010] As a possible implementation, the drug delivery catheter is provided with an outlet on the side wall of the end away from the drug carrier, the shell is provided with a sealing ring which is sleeved on the drug delivery catheter and seals the outlet, the shell is further provided with a relief hole corresponding to the drug delivery catheter, the drug delivery catheter is used to extend out of the shell through the relief hole under the drive of the first magnet, and the outlet is located outside the shell; and / or,

[0011] The drug carrier cavity is provided with a piston, the piston divides the drug carrier cavity into a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity, the first sub-cavity is communicated with the drug delivery catheter, and the second sub-cavity is provided with a second spring connecting the piston and the drug carrier, the second spring is used to drive the piston to move towards the drug delivery catheter.

[0012] As a possible implementation, the execution assembly further comprises a first spring connecting the medical device and the shell, and the first spring is used to drive the medical device to retreat into the shell.

[0013] As a possible implementation, the drive assembly further comprises a rotating disc, the second magnet is arranged on the rotating disc, and the drive member is arranged on the shell and is used to drive the rotating disc to rotate.

[0014] As a possible implementation, the shell is provided with a support plate, the execution assembly is arranged on the support plate, the drive assembly is located on the side of the support plate away from the execution assembly, the rotating disc is used to drive the second magnet to move so as to align or misalign the second magnet with the first magnet, and the magnetic pole of the end of the second magnet towards the support plate is the same as the magnetic pole of the end of the first magnet towards the support plate.

[0015] As a possible implementation, the drive member comprises a drive motor, a controller and a power supply, the drive motor, the controller and the power supply are electrically connected, and the drive motor is used to drive the rotating disc to rotate; and further comprises a third magnet, and the third magnet is fixed in the shell.

[0016] The capsule robot provided by the application has the execution assembly and the drive assembly which are arranged in the shell, the execution assembly comprises the medical device and the first magnet fixed on the medical device, the drive assembly comprises the second magnet and the drive member, the drive member drives the second magnet to move so as to exert the magnetic force on the first magnet, thereby the medical device can be pushed to extend out of the shell at least partially, and the movable member can perform certain actions. After the medical device extends out of the shell, the medical device can contact the lesion site of the patient, thereby corresponding medical treatment work can be performed, and the capsule robot has different medical treatment functions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without any creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 A perspective structural schematic diagram of the capsule robot provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0019] Figure 2 A front view structural schematic diagram of the capsule robot provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0020] Figure 3 A perspective structural schematic diagram of the capsule robot provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. Figure 2 A sectional view structural schematic diagram along the A-A sectional line is shown in the figure.

[0021] Figure 4 An exploded structural schematic diagram of the capsule robot provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0022] Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of the execution assembly of the capsule robot provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0023] Figure 6 A perspective structural schematic diagram of the first shell of the capsule robot provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0024] In the figure, the reference numerals are as follows: 100, first shell; 101, avoiding hole; 102, ear plate; 200, second shell; 201, upper shell; 202, lower shell; 300, drug carrier; 301, first magnet; 302, drug delivery catheter; 303, sealing ring; 304, piston; 305, first spring; 306, second spring; 307, support plate; 400, rotating disc; 401, second magnet; 500, driving motor; 600, third magnet; 700, controller; 800, power supply. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below, and the examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present application, and cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0026] In the description of the present application, it is to be understood by the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0027] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0028] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting", "fixing" and the like should be broadly understood, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0029] The existing capsule robot sets an image acquisition unit inside the shell to take pictures or videos of the lesion site in the patient's body (such as the intestinal tract, stomach), and then transmits the collected image information to the diagnostic equipment located outside the patient's body. It can be seen that the existing capsule robot can only perform image acquisition work. When medical treatment of the patient's lesion is needed, such as biopsy or drug administration, it cannot complete the work of performing certain actions such as drug administration or biopsy on the lesion site, and cannot directly perform medical treatment on the patient's lesion site. Therefore, the present application mainly aims to solve the problem of single function of the existing capsule robot.

[0030] Since capsule robots need to enter the human body, they typically move within the body either on their own or by relying on external magnets. To minimize discomfort during movement, the capsule robot's size needs to be as small as possible. This invention requires the capsule robot to perform certain actions to achieve medical procedures. However, existing direct-contact drive mechanisms (such as linkage structures and cam mechanisms) cannot be accommodated within a capsule robot. Therefore, this invention addresses the issue of existing capsule robots' inability to perform certain actions through non-contact actuation. Non-contact actuation refers to a system where there is no physical connection between the active and passive components (actuators), but the active component can drive the passive component (actuator) to perform certain actions.

[0031] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 This invention provides a capsule robot, comprising a shell and an execution component and a drive component installed within the shell. The drive component drives the execution component to perform actions. The execution component includes a medical component movably connected to the shell and a first magnet 301 fixed to the medical component. The drive component includes a second magnet 401 and a drive component, which drives the second magnet 401 to move such that the second magnet 401 applies a magnetic force to the first magnet 301, thereby pushing the medical component at least partially out of the shell.

[0032] Optionally, the housing may include a first housing 100 and a second housing 200. The first housing 100 and the second housing are connected to form a housing. The housing has a receiving cavity. In order to facilitate the assembly of the capsule robot, the second housing 200 may also be divided into an upper housing 201 and a lower housing 202. The upper housing 201 and the lower housing 202 are connected to form the second housing 200. For example, the capsule robot components can be installed in the lower housing 202 before the upper housing 201 is connected to the lower housing 202, so that the installed components are located in the second housing 200.

[0033] A medical component refers to a part that can perform medical treatment on a lesion site. This medical treatment may include, but is not limited to, biopsies and drug administration. Optionally, the medical component can be connected to the housing via a sliding connection or a rotating connection, for example, through... Figure 6 The ear plate 102 shown is connected to the housing and is disposed inside the housing. The medical component is slidably engaged with the hole on the ear plate 102. The medical component can move relative to the housing under the action of external force.

[0034] The second magnet 401 can be one or more. The driving member can be a driving motor 500 (for example, a rotary motor or a linear motor, etc.), which drives the second magnet 401 to move, so that the second magnet 401 can be aligned with the first magnet 301, and by using the principle of repelling the same magnetic poles, the first magnet 301 drives the medical member to move, so that the medical member can at least partially extend out of the shell; the medical member can be a drug delivery structure or a biopsy structure, etc. For example, when the medical member is a drug delivery structure, the drug delivery part of the drug delivery structure can extend out of the shell to more accurately deliver drugs to the lesion site; when the medical member is a resection structure (for example, a blade), the resection part of the resection structure can extend out of the shell to more accurately resect the lesion site by moving the capsule robot to drive the resection structure to move; when the medical member is a biopsy structure, the biopsy needle on the biopsy structure can extend out of the shell to sample the lesion site for pathological examination. As can be seen, medical components such as lesion treatment structures or lesion sampling structures that need to be in direct contact or close contact with the lesion site of the patient can be used as the medical member.

[0035] The capsule robot provided by the application has an execution assembly and a driving assembly installed in the shell, the execution assembly includes a medical member and a first magnet 301 fixed on the medical member, and the driving assembly includes a second magnet 401 and a driving member. The driving member drives the second magnet 401 to move to apply a magnetic force to the first magnet 301, so that the medical member can be pushed to at least partially extend out of the shell, and the medical member can perform certain actions. After the medical member extends out of the shell, it can contact the lesion site of the patient, so as to perform corresponding medical treatment work, so that the capsule robot has different medical treatment functions.

[0036] As a possible implementation, please refer to Figures 3 to 5 The number of execution assemblies is multiple, and the medical member in each execution assembly can be set as any one of a drug delivery structure and a biopsy structure. For example, there are two execution assemblies, the medical member in one execution assembly can be set as a drug delivery structure, and the medical member in the other execution assembly can be set as a biopsy structure. When it is needed to deliver drugs to the lesion site, the driving member drives the second magnet 401 to move, so that the second magnet 401 is aligned with the first magnet 301, so that the drug delivery structure partially extends out of the shell to deliver drugs. When it is needed to biopsy the lesion site, the driving member drives the second magnet 401 to move, so that the second magnet 401 is aligned with the first magnet 301, so that the biopsy structure partially extends out of the shell to sample the lesion site. As another example, there are multiple execution assemblies, and the medical member in each execution assembly is set as a drug delivery structure. As another example, there are multiple execution assemblies, and the medical member in each execution assembly is set as a biopsy structure.

[0037] When the medical piece is a medicine applying structure, the medicine applying structure extending out of the shell can apply medicine to the lesion of the patient, so as to achieve the purpose of precise medicine applying, the medicine directly reaches the lesion for treatment, avoiding the loss of medicine in the stomach and intestines, and improving the accuracy and efficiency of treatment. When the medical piece is a biopsy structure, the biopsy structure extending out of the shell can collect or remove the lesion of the patient, and medical personnel can perform pathological analysis on the collected sample, so as to achieve the purpose of auxiliary treatment.

[0038] When the medical piece in the plurality of execution assemblies is a medicine applying structure and / or a biopsy structure, the plurality of medicine applying structures or the plurality of biopsy structures are aligned with different target points on the lesion, and the driving piece drives the second magnet 401 to move, so that when the second magnet 401 is aligned with the first magnet 301 in the different execution assemblies, the medicine applying structure or the biopsy structure can move towards the different target points of the lesion, and can perform multi-target point medicine applying or multi-target point biopsy on the lesion. The number or type of medical pieces can be configured according to the actual needs of different patients with different conditions.

[0039] For example, when the plurality of medical pieces are all medicine applying structures, the second magnet 401 can drive the medicine applying structures moving towards different target points of the lesion when moving, so as to apply medicine to the different target points of the lesion; when the plurality of medical pieces are all biopsy structures, the second magnet 401 can drive the biopsy structures moving towards different target points of the lesion when moving, so as to biopsy the different target points of the lesion; similarly, when a part of the plurality of medical pieces are medicine applying structures and a part are biopsy structures, the different target points of the lesion can be applied medicine or biopsied.

[0040] As a possible implementation, in the plurality of execution assemblies, a part of the medical pieces are medicine applying structures, and another part of the medical pieces are biopsy structures. In some situations, the biopsy structure can be used to biopsy the lesion first, and then the medicine applying structure can be used to apply medicine to the lesion. Such design makes the capsule robot at least have the functions of biopsy and medicine applying.

[0041] As a possible implementation, the biopsy structure includes a biopsy needle, and the first magnet 301 is arranged on the biopsy needle. Such design makes the capsule robot simple in structure and high in working reliability.

[0042] As a possible implementation, please refer to Figures 3 to 5 The medicine applying structure includes a medicine carrying body 300 movably arranged on the shell, the first magnet 301 is fixed on the medicine carrying body 300, the medicine carrying body 300 is provided with a medicine carrying cavity, and the medicine carrying body 300 is further provided with a medicine applying catheter 302 in communication with the medicine carrying cavity, the medicine applying catheter 302 is used to extend out of the shell under the driving of the first magnet 301.

[0043] The drug carrier 300 is used to contain drugs for treating lesions, and the drug delivery catheter 302 is in communication with the drug loading cavity on the drug carrier 300. When the second magnet 401 moves and is aligned with the first magnet 301, the second magnet 401 exerts a magnetic force on the first magnet 301, so that the first magnet 301 moves, and the first magnet 301 drives the drug delivery catheter 302 to extend out of the shell, and the drugs are released from the drug delivery catheter 302 to the lesion site, so that the capsule robot has the function of drug delivery. Such a design is simple in structure and reliable in operation, so that the working reliability of the capsule robot is improved.

[0044] As a possible implementation, please refer to Figures 3 to 5 An outlet is formed in the side wall of the end of the drug delivery catheter 302 away from the drug carrier 300, a sealing ring 303 is arranged in the shell and seals the outlet on the drug delivery catheter 302, and the shell is further provided with an avoidance hole 101 corresponding to the drug delivery catheter 302. The drug delivery catheter 302 is used to extend out of the shell through the avoidance hole 101 under the driving of the first magnet 301, and the outlet is located outside the shell; during the movement of the capsule robot in the human body, the sealing ring 303 can temporarily seal the opening on the drug delivery catheter 302; when the capsule robot reaches the lesion site, the drug delivery catheter 302 extends out of the shell from the avoidance hole 101 under the driving of the first magnet 301, the sealing ring 303 is blocked by the shell and moves relative to the drug delivery catheter 302, and then the opening on the drug delivery catheter 302 is exposed, and the drugs escape through the opening on the drug delivery catheter 302. Such a design can effectively prevent the drugs from escaping from the drug carrier 300 when the capsule robot moves in the human body, avoid wasting of the drugs, save medical resources, reduce the burden on patients, and ensure that the lesion site is treated with sufficient drugs.

[0045] A piston 304 is arranged in the drug loading cavity, the piston 304 divides the drug loading cavity into a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity, the first sub-cavity is in communication with the drug delivery catheter 302, and the second sub-cavity is provided with a first spring 305 connecting the piston 304 and the drug carrier 300. The first spring 305 is used to drive the piston 304 to move towards the drug delivery catheter 302.

[0046] Under the driving of the first spring 305, the piston 304 can quickly move towards the drug delivery catheter 302, and at the same time, the drugs in the drug loading cavity are pushed out of the drug delivery catheter 302, so that the drugs in the drug loading cavity can be released to the lesion site in a short time, the speed of drug delivery is accelerated, and the treatment efficiency is improved.

[0047] As a possible implementation, please refer to Figures 3 to 5The execution assembly further comprises a second spring 306 connecting the medical member and the shell, and the second spring 306 is used to drive the medical member to retreat into the shell. For example, when the medical member is a biopsy structure, after the biopsy structure completes sampling, the biopsy structure can retreat into the shell under the action of the second spring 306, so that the biopsy structure and the human body are isolated by the shell, and secondary damage to the human body caused by the capsule robot moving in the human body is effectively avoided.

[0048] As a possible implementation, refer to Figures 3 to 5 The driving assembly further comprises a rotating disc 400, and the second magnet 401 is arranged on the rotating disc 400. The driving member is arranged on the shell and is used to drive the rotating disc 400 to rotate. In this way, the capsule robot has a simple structure, is less likely to malfunction, and has higher working reliability.

[0049] As a possible implementation, refer to Figures 3 to 5 The shell is provided with a support plate 307, and the execution assembly is arranged on the support plate 307. The driving assembly is located on a side of the support plate 307 away from the execution assembly. The rotating disc 400 is used to drive the second magnet 401 to move so as to align or misalign the second magnet 401 with the first magnet 301. When the second magnet 401 is aligned with the first magnet 301, the second magnet 401 can exert a magnetic force on the first magnet 301. When the second magnet 401 is misaligned with the first magnet 301, the second magnet 401 does not exert a magnetic force on the first magnet 301. The magnetic poles of an end of the second magnet 401 facing the support plate 307 and an end of the first magnet 301 facing the support plate 307 are the same. The support plate 307 supports the second spring 306 and isolates the driving assembly and the execution assembly, so as to prevent body fluid in the human body from entering the side of the driving assembly from the side of the execution assembly, thereby preventing the body fluid from damaging the driving assembly and improving the working reliability of the capsule robot.

[0050] As a possible implementation, refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The driving member comprises a driving motor 500, a controller 700 and a power supply 800. The driving motor 500, the controller 700 and the power supply 800 are electrically connected, and the driving motor 500 is used to drive the rotating disc 400 to rotate. The controller 700 is used to control the rotating direction and the rotating speed of the driving motor 500, and can control the driving motor 500 to rotate at which time and at which place, so as to facilitate the control of the driving assembly driving the execution assembly. The capsule robot further comprises a third magnet 600 fixed in the shell. In this way, the capsule robot can exert a magnetic force on the third magnet through a magnet located outside the human body, so as to control the movement of the capsule robot in the human body. The capsule robot has a simple and reliable structure, and the working reliability of the capsule robot is improved.

[0051] The above merely preferred embodiments of the present application are not used to limit the present application, any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A capsule robot, characterized by, The capsule robot comprises a shell and a plurality of execution assemblies and a driving assembly installed in the shell, the execution assembly comprises a medical member movably connected with the shell and a first magnet fixed on the medical member, the medical member of one of the execution assemblies is a medicine applying structure, the driving assembly comprises a second magnet and a driving member, the driving member is used to drive the second magnet to move so as to apply a magnetic force to the first magnet, thereby pushing the medical member to at least partially extend out of the shell, the medicine applying structure comprises a medicine carrying body movably arranged on the shell, the first magnet is fixed on the medicine carrying body, a medicine carrying cavity is formed in the medicine carrying body, a medicine applying conduit in communication with the medicine carrying cavity is further arranged on the medicine carrying body, the medicine applying conduit is used to extend out of the shell under the driving of the first magnet, an outlet is formed in the sidewall of the end of the medicine applying conduit away from the medicine carrying body, a sealing ring is arranged in the shell and seals the outlet of the medicine applying conduit, the sealing ring can temporarily seal the outlet of the medicine applying conduit during the movement of the capsule robot, the shell is further provided with an avoiding hole corresponding to the medicine applying conduit, the medicine applying conduit is used to extend out of the shell through the avoiding hole under the driving of the first magnet, and the outlet is located outside the shell, a piston is arranged in the medicine carrying cavity, the piston divides the medicine carrying cavity into a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity, the first sub-cavity is in communication with the medicine applying conduit, a first spring connecting the piston and the medicine carrying body is arranged in the second sub-cavity, the first spring is used to drive the piston to move towards the medicine applying conduit, the driving assembly further comprises a rotating disc, the second magnet is arranged on the rotating disc, and the driving member is arranged on the shell and is used to drive the rotating disc to rotate.

2. The capsule robot of claim 1, wherein, The medical member in each execution assembly can be any one of a medicine applying structure and a biopsy structure.

3. The capsule robot of claim 2, wherein, In the plurality of execution assemblies, another part of the medical members are biopsy structures.

4. The capsule robot of claim 2 or 3, wherein, The biopsy structure comprises a biopsy needle, and the first magnet is arranged on the biopsy needle.

5. The capsule robot of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The execution assembly further comprises a second spring connecting the medical member and the shell, and the second spring is used to drive the medical member to retreat into the shell.

6. The capsule robot of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The shell is provided with a support plate, the execution assemblies are arranged on the support plate, the driving assembly is located on the side of the support plate away from the execution assemblies, the rotating disc is used to drive the second magnet to move so as to align or misalign the second magnet with the first magnet, and the magnetic pole of the end of the second magnet towards the support plate is the same as the magnetic pole of the end of the first magnet towards the support plate.

7. The capsule robot of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The driving member comprises a driving motor, a controller and a power supply, the driving motor, the controller and the power supply are electrically connected, the driving motor is used to drive the rotating disc to rotate, and the driving member further comprises a third magnet fixed in the shell.

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