Acupuncture Robot

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices and discloses an acupuncture robot. The acupuncture robot includes a base, a workbench, a first driving device, a needle storage device, and a needle grasping device. The workbench is slidably arranged on the base. The workbench has a standby position, a needle taking position, and a working position. The first driving device is used to drive the workbench to slide between the standby position, the needle taking position, and the working position. The needle storage device is arranged on the base and is used for storing acupuncture needles. The needle grasping device is arranged on the workbench and is used for grasping the acupuncture needles on the needle storage device. The movement mode of the workbench is sliding, which can provide a stable and reliable working environment for the needle grasping device, improve the grasping stability of the needle grasping device. By specially storing acupuncture needles through the needle storage device, the efficiency of taking needles can be improved. By grasping acupuncture needles through the needle grasping device, the workbench drives the needle grasping device to realize the treatment operation of acupuncture needles, with good stability, high precision, and small cumulative error.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly to an acupuncture robot. Background Art

[0002] Acupuncture science is a science that is guided by traditional Chinese medicine theory, studies meridians, acupoints, and acupuncture and moxibustion methods, and explores the laws of preventing and treating diseases by acupuncture and moxibustion. Acupuncture refers to inserting a needle (usually a filiform needle) into the patient's body at a certain angle under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine theory, and using acupuncture techniques such as twirling and lifting-thrusting to stimulate specific parts of the human body to achieve the purpose of treating diseases. As a safe therapy with few side effects, acupuncture has been receiving increasing attention. The characteristics of robots in terms of precision and stability can provide a more standardized and regulated operation for the research of acupuncture techniques, which is beneficial to the research of acupuncture science. In addition, the acupuncture robot can achieve precise needle insertion according to parameters such as the acupuncture depth, speed, frequency, and amplitude set by acupuncture doctors, improve the treatment efficiency, and relieve the fatigue of doctors. Therefore, the acupuncture robot is of great significance for both the application and research of acupuncture science.

[0003] Most existing acupuncture robots are completed by using multi-degree-of-freedom serial manipulators. For example, the invention patent application with the application number CN201810913068.7 provides a medical acupuncture robot, which includes a turntable, a serial base, a third serial arm, a fourth serial arm, and a fifth serial arm. A six-degree-of-freedom main body plus a two-degree-of-freedom first chassis and a two-degree-of-freedom working head, with a large working space; the robot is movable and the control is more flexible and intelligent. However, the stability and accuracy of this medical acupuncture robot are both poor, and the cumulative error is large. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an acupuncture robot with good stability, high precision, and small cumulative error.

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

[0006] An acupuncture robot, comprising:

[0007] A base;

[0008] A workbench, slidably arranged on the base, the workbench having a standby position, a needle-taking position, and a working position;

[0009] A first driving device for driving the workbench to slide between the standby position, the needle-taking position, and the working position;

[0010] A needle storage device, arranged on the base, for storing acupuncture needles;

[0011] The needle grasping device is arranged on the workbench and is used to grasp the acupuncture needles on the needle storage device.

[0012] As an alternative of the acupuncture robot of the present invention, the needle storage device includes a needle box and a push rod. The needle box is provided with a limiting groove and a needle outlet which are communicated with each other. The acupuncture needles and the push rod are respectively slidably arranged in the limiting groove, and the push rod can push the acupuncture needles to the needle outlet.

[0013] As an alternative of the acupuncture robot of the present invention, the needle storage device further includes an elastic member, and the elastic member is clamped between the push rod and the inner side wall of the needle box.

[0014] As an alternative of the acupuncture robot of the present invention, the needle grasping device includes a turntable and two clamping arms. The turntable is rotatably arranged on the workbench, and the two clamping arms are respectively rotatably arranged on the turntable. The two clamping arms can be opened or closed to loosen or clamp the acupuncture needles.

[0015] As an alternative of the acupuncture robot of the present invention, the needle grasping device further includes a driving rod. The driving rod is slidably arranged on the turntable, and sliding the driving rod can drive the two clamping arms to open or close.

[0016] As an alternative of the acupuncture robot of the present invention, a rack portion is arranged on the driving rod, and a gear portion meshing with the rack portion is arranged on the clamping arm.

[0017] As an alternative of the acupuncture robot of the present invention, the needle grasping device further includes a driving wheel. The driving wheel is rotatably arranged on the workbench, the turntable is arranged on the driving wheel, and the driving rod is rotationally matched with the driving wheel.

[0018] As an alternative of the acupuncture robot of the present invention, the first driving device includes a lead screw and a nut which are threadedly connected. The lead screw is rotatably arranged on the base, and the nut is connected with the workbench.

[0019] As an alternative of the acupuncture robot of the present invention, a guiding bracket is arranged on the base, and a guiding hole is arranged on the guiding bracket. The acupuncture needles can penetrate through the guiding hole.

[0020] As an alternative of the acupuncture robot of the present invention, it further includes a second driving device, and the second driving device is used to drive the needle storage device to avoid the needle grasping device.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0022] The acupuncture robot provided by the present invention drives the workbench to slide between a standby position, a needle-taking position, and a working position through a first driving device. The workbench moves in a sliding manner, which can provide a stable and reliable working environment for the needle-gripping device, improve the gripping stability of the needle-gripping device, store acupuncture needles specifically through a needle storage device, improve the efficiency of taking needles, grip acupuncture needles through the needle-gripping device, and drive the needle-gripping device by the workbench to achieve the treatment operation of acupuncture needles, with good stability, high precision, and small cumulative error. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained according to the content of the embodiments of the present invention and these drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the acupuncture robot provided by the specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is an axonometric schematic diagram of the acupuncture robot provided by the specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the needle-gripping device in the acupuncture robot provided by the specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the needle storage device in the acupuncture robot provided by the specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] In the figure:

[0029] 1, base; 2, workbench; 3, first driving device; 4, needle storage device; 5, needle-gripping device; 6, guiding bracket; 7, second driving device; 100, acupuncture needle;

[0030] 11, slide rail; 12, first mounting plate; 13, second mounting plate;

[0031] 21, bottom plate; 211, slider; 22, side plate;

[0032] 31, first driving motor; 32, belt drive mechanism;

[0033] 41, needle box; 42, push rod; 43, elastic member;

[0034] 411, limiting groove; 412, needle outlet;

[0035] 51. Turntable; 52. Clamping arm; 521. Gear part; 53. Driving rod; 531. Rack part; 54. Driving wheel; 55. Third driving motor; 56. Output wheel; 57. Transmission belt; 58. Force sensor;

[0036] 61. Guide hole;

[0037] 71. Second driving motor; 72. Output shaft. Specific embodiments

[0038] To make the technical problems solved by the present invention, the technical solutions adopted, and the achieved technical effects clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is 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 a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. Among them, the terms "first position" and "second position" are two different positions.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0041] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, this embodiment provides an acupuncture robot, which includes a base 1, a workbench 2, a first driving device 3, a needle storage device 4, and a needle grasping device 5. The workbench 2 is slidably arranged on the base 1, and the workbench 2 has a standby position, a needle taking position, and a working position; the first driving device 3 is used to drive the workbench 2 to slide between the standby position, the needle taking position, and the working position; the needle storage device 4 is arranged on the base 1 and is used to store acupuncture needles 100; the needle grasping device 5 is arranged on the workbench 2 and is used to grasp the acupuncture needles 100 on the needle storage device 4.

[0042] The workbench 2 is driven by a first driving device 3 to slide between a standby position, a needle-taking position and a working position. The workbench 2 moves in a sliding manner, which can provide a stable and reliable working environment for the needle-gripping device 5, improve the gripping stability of the needle-gripping device 5. The acupuncture needles 100 are specifically stored by the needle storage device 4, which can improve the efficiency of taking needles. The acupuncture needles 100 are gripped by the needle-gripping device 5, and the workbench 2 drives the needle-gripping device 5 to perform the treatment operation of the acupuncture needles 100, with good stability, high precision and small cumulative error.

[0043] Optionally, the needle storage device 4 includes a needle box 41 and a push rod 42. The needle box 41 is provided with a limiting groove 411 and a needle outlet 412 that are communicated with each other. The acupuncture needles 100 and the push rod 42 are respectively slidably arranged in the limiting groove 411, and the push rod 42 can push the acupuncture needles 100 to the needle outlet 412. The limiting groove 411 can accommodate multiple acupuncture needles 100, and the multiple acupuncture needles 100 are arranged one by one in the limiting groove 411. By simultaneously pushing the multiple acupuncture needles 100 with the push rod 42, the outermost acupuncture needle 100 can be pushed to the needle outlet 412 for the needle-gripping device 5 to grip. There can be two limiting grooves 411, and the two limiting grooves 411 are respectively opened on two opposite side walls of the needle box 41 to ensure the smooth sliding of the acupuncture needles 100 and the push rod 42. The needle outlet 412 can open upward, and the transition between the limiting groove 411 and the needle outlet 412 can be appropriately bent downward.

[0044] Optionally, the needle storage device 4 further includes an elastic member 43, and the elastic member 43 is clamped between the push rod 42 and the inner side wall of the needle box 41. Under the elastic force of the elastic member 43, the push rod 42 always maintains a thrust on the acupuncture needles 100, and the automatic ejection of the acupuncture needles 100 can be realized. The elastic member 43 can be a spring, which is convenient to obtain materials. Multiple elastic members 43 can be arranged side by side to ensure the uniform force of the push rod 42 and prevent the push rod 42 and the acupuncture needles 100 from deviating from the limiting groove 411.

[0045] Optionally, the needle-gripping device 5 includes a turntable 51 and two clamping arms 52. The turntable 51 is rotatably arranged on the workbench 2, and the two clamping arms 52 are respectively rotatably arranged on the turntable 51. The two clamping arms 52 can be opened or closed to release or clamp the acupuncture needles 100. The acupuncture manipulation of lifting, twisting and rotating is realized through the sliding of the workbench 2 and the rotation of the turntable 51, which is stable and reliable with small cumulative error. Compared with the moving method, the clamping arms 52 adopting the rotating method can reduce the occupied space of the clamping arms 52. A force sensor 58 can be arranged at the end of the clamping arm 52 to conveniently sense whether the acupuncture needles 100 are clamped and the clamping force.

[0046] The rotation of the clamping arms 52 can be independently driven by a motor or achieved through linkage with other components. Optionally, the needle grasping device 5 further includes a driving rod 53. The driving rod 53 is slidably disposed on the turntable 51. Sliding the driving rod 53 can drive the two clamping arms 52 to open or close. The sliding of the driving rod 53 can be achieved by being independently driven by a linear motor. Since the driving rod 53 itself also rotates with the turntable 51, a slip ring is needed to supply power to avoid coil winding.

[0047] To facilitate the driving rod 53 to drive the two clamping arms 52 to open or close, optionally, a rack portion 531 is provided on the driving rod 53, and a gear portion 521 meshing with the rack portion 531 is provided on the clamping arm 52. Using a rack and pinion mechanism to achieve the motion transmission between the driving rod 53 and the clamping arm 52 can more accurately control the closing force of the two clamping arms 52 and avoid damaging the acupuncture needle 100 and affecting the acupuncture effect.

[0048] Optionally, the needle grasping device 5 further includes a driving wheel 54. The driving wheel 54 is rotatably disposed on the workbench 2, the turntable 51 is disposed on the driving wheel 54, and the driving rod 53 is rotationally matched with the driving wheel 54. The drive source is not directly connected to the turntable 51, but drives the turntable 51 to rotate through the driving wheel 54, which can reduce the rotational speed requirement of the drive source. The driving rod 53 can pass through the central hole of the driving wheel 54, and the driving rod 53 can be rotationally matched with the driving wheel 54 through a bearing. The rotational matching between the driving rod 53 and the driving wheel 54 makes the rotation of the driving rod 53 and the driving wheel 54 independent of each other and will not interfere.

[0049] The needle grasping device 5 may further include a third driving motor 55, an output wheel 56 and a transmission belt 57. The third driving motor 55 is installed on the side plate 22. The third driving motor 55 drives the output wheel 56 to rotate and transmits the motion to the driving wheel 54 through the transmission belt 57. A second mounting plate 13 is provided on the base 1, and the second driving motor 71 is installed on the second mounting plate 13.

[0050] Optionally, the first driving device 3 includes a screw rod and a nut connected by threads. The screw rod is rotatably disposed on the base 1, and the nut is connected to the workbench 2. The screw rod and the nut form a screw-nut pair, which is an ideal transmission device for converting rotary motion and linear motion. It has sensitive transmission and high operating precision. The screw rod may also have balls to improve the transmission efficiency.

[0051] The workbench 2 may include a bottom plate 21 and side plates 22. The bottom plate 21 is slidably arranged on the base 1, and the needle grasping device 5 is installed on the side plates 22. A slide rail 11 may be provided on the base 1, and a slider 211 slidably connected to the slide rail 11 is provided on the bottom plate 21. The smooth sliding of the workbench 2 on the base 1 is achieved through the cooperation of the slider 211 and the slide rail 11. The first driving device 3 may include a first driving motor 31 and a belt drive mechanism 32. The first driving motor 31 drives the lead screw to rotate through the belt drive mechanism 32. A first mounting plate 12 may be provided on the base 1, and the first driving motor 31 is installed on the first mounting plate 12.

[0052] To further improve the acupuncture accuracy of the acupuncture needle 100, optionally, a guiding bracket 6 is provided on the base 1, and a guiding hole 61 is provided on the guiding bracket 6. The acupuncture needle 100 can penetrate through the guiding hole 61. Since the base 1 is stationary, the guiding bracket 6 will also be stationary, and the guiding hole 61 plays a role of positioning and guiding, improving the acupuncture accuracy of the acupuncture needle 100.

[0053] To prevent the needle grasping device 5 from interfering with the needle storage device 4 during operation, optionally, the acupuncture robot further includes a second driving device 7. The second driving device 7 is used to drive the needle storage device 4 to avoid the needle grasping device 5. The second driving device 7 may include a second driving motor 71 and an output shaft 72. The second driving motor 71 drives the needle box 41 to rotate through the output shaft 72 to avoid the workbench 2 and the needle grasping device 5.

[0054] It can be understood that the acupuncture robot can be used as the end effector of a robot, and the working space of the acupuncture robot can be expanded through some robotic arms. For example, the acupuncture robot is moved to the target area by the robotic arm, and then more precise position adjustment, needle picking, needle insertion, and needle withdrawal operations are achieved through the acupuncture robot.

[0055] The acupuncture robot provided in this embodiment generally includes three operation steps in the working process: needle picking, needle insertion, and needle withdrawal. In the needle picking step, the first driving motor 31 drives the lead screw to rotate through the belt pulley transmission mechanism 32, and the nut drives the workbench 2 to slide from the standby position to the needle picking position. At the same time, the linear motor drives the driving rod 53 to extend. The driving rod 53 drives two clamping arms 52 to open through the cooperation of the rack portion 531 and the gear portion 521. When the workbench 2 reaches the needle picking position, the linear motor drives the driving rod 53 to retract, and the driving rod 53 drives the two clamping arms 52 to close and grasp the acupuncture needle 100. The needle insertion process can be further divided into skin puncturing and needle manipulation. First, the workbench 2 is moved to a position 5 mm near the target acupoint of the acupuncture needle 100. The first driving motor 31 rotates rapidly, so that the acupuncture needle 100 on the turntable 51 accelerates to 200 mm / s within 0.05 seconds and punctures the human skin. The relatively fast acceleration will reduce the pain of insertion. After the acupuncture needle 100 enters the human body, the needle manipulation operation starts. The third driving motor 55 rotates, and through the movement transmission of the output wheel 56, the transmission belt 57, and the driving wheel 54, the acupuncture needle 100 on the turntable 51 rotates to achieve the twirling action. At the same time, the acupuncture needle 100 travels slowly at a constant speed to the specified depth. The guiding hole 61 can prevent the deformation of the acupuncture needle 100 during the needle insertion process. When withdrawing the needle, the two clamping arms 52 release the used acupuncture needle 100. After sliding the workbench 2 to the needle picking position, it is ready to grasp the unused acupuncture needle 100 again for the second acupuncture operation.

[0056] Note that the above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention and the applied technical principle. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments here. Various obvious changes, re-adjustments, and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments only. Without departing from the concept of the present invention, it can also include more other equivalent embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. Acupuncture robot, characterized in that, comprising: a base (1); a workbench (2), slidably arranged on the base (1), the workbench (2) having a standby position, a needle-taking position and a working position; a first driving device (3) for driving the workbench (2) to slide between the standby position, the needle-taking position and the working position; a needle storage device (4) arranged on the base (1) for storing acupuncture needles (100); a needle-grabbing device (5) arranged on the workbench (2) for grabbing the acupuncture needles (100) on the needle storage device (4); the needle-grabbing device (5) includes a turntable (51) and two clamping arms (52), the turntable (51) is rotatably arranged on the workbench (2), the two clamping arms (52) are respectively rotatably arranged on the turntable (51), and the two clamping arms (52) can be opened or closed to loosen or clamp the acupuncture needles (100); the needle-grabbing device (5) further includes a driving rod (53), the driving rod (53) is slidably arranged on the turntable (51), and sliding the driving rod (53) can drive the two clamping arms (52) to open or close; a rack portion (531) is arranged on the driving rod (53), and a gear portion (521) meshing with the rack portion (531) is arranged on the clamping arm (52); the needle-grabbing device (5) further includes a driving wheel (54), the driving wheel (54) is rotatably arranged on the workbench (2), the turntable (51) is arranged on the driving wheel (54), and the driving rod (53) is rotationally matched with the driving wheel (54).

2. The acupuncture robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, the needle storage device (4) includes a needle box (41) and a push rod (42), a limiting groove (411) and a needle outlet (412) which are communicated are arranged on the needle box (41), the acupuncture needles (100) and the push rod (42) are respectively slidably arranged in the limiting groove (411), and the push rod (42) can push the acupuncture needles (100) to the needle outlet (412).

3. The acupuncture robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, the needle storage device (4) further includes an elastic member (43), and the elastic member (43) is clamped between the push rod (42) and the inner side wall of the needle box (41).

4. The acupuncture robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, the first driving device (3) includes a screw rod and a nut connected by thread, the screw rod is rotatably arranged on the base (1), and the nut is connected with the workbench (2).

5. The acupuncture robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, a guiding bracket (6) is arranged on the base (1), a guiding hole (61) is arranged on the guiding bracket (6), and the acupuncture needles (100) can penetrate through the guiding hole (61).

6. The acupuncture robot according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, It further includes a second driving device (7), and the second driving device (7) is used to drive the needle storage device (4) to avoid the needle grasping device (5).

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