A flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function and its lung navigation method

Abstract

This invention discloses a flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function and its lung navigation method, belonging to the field of lung disease diagnosis and treatment. The robot includes a movable support, a drive system, and a flexible biopsy needle catheter. The drive system is mounted on the movable support via an electric slide, and the flexible biopsy needle catheter is mounted on the drive system. The movable support is used for coarse adjustment of the pose of the flexible biopsy needle catheter, and the electric slide is used for coarse adjustment of the axial feed motion of the flexible biopsy needle catheter. The drive system includes a deflection drive mechanism and a feed mechanism, used for fine adjustment of the omnidirectional deflection motion and axial feed motion of the flexible biopsy needle catheter, respectively. The drive system integrates a single-axis force sensor with high dynamic response, which can be used to detect the puncture force of the flexible biopsy needle, realizing the puncture force sensing function. This invention has the advantages of compact structure and good flexibility, and can play a significant role in the diagnosis of thoracic surgical diseases.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lung disease diagnosis and treatment, specifically to a flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function and its lung navigation method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, lung diseases have become one of the most serious health problems in the world, with lung cancer being one of the leading causes of death. Early and accurate diagnosis can prevent the further deterioration of lung diseases and improve cure rates. However, due to the inherently complex structure of the lungs, diagnosing lung diseases remains a global challenge.

[0003] Currently, there are two main methods for examining peripulmonary nodules: percutaneous biopsy and bronchoscopic biopsy. Percutaneous biopsy involves inserting a needle through the pleura to collect tissue samples for histopathological analysis. However, small malignant nodules are difficult to diagnose, resulting in a low diagnostic accuracy. Furthermore, percutaneous biopsy carries the risk of intraoperative complications, including pneumothorax or lung collapse. In contrast, bronchoscopic biopsy utilizes a flexible bronchoscope to deliver the biopsy tool to the lesion area. A surgeon operates the bronchoscope through the mouth to enter the lung, using anatomical knowledge and a camera to navigate to the lesion area and collect tissue samples using a biopsy needle and other tools. Bronchoscopic biopsy carries significantly lower risks.

[0004] To expand the capabilities of transbronchial biopsy, a number of controllable biopsy robots have emerged. However, most of these robots still lack flexible movement methods and force sensing capabilities. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing biopsy needle robots, such as insufficient flexibility and lack of force sensing capabilities, this invention provides a flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function and omnidirectional control, along with its lung navigation method. The biopsy puncture force is indirectly measured through the thrust transmitted by the flexible needle shaft, thereby improving the safety and reliability of lung biopsy procedures.

[0006] The present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function has the motion capability of axial feeding and omnidirectional deflection. The robot includes a movable support, a drive system and a flexible biopsy needle cannula.

[0008] The drive system is mounted on a movable support via an electric slide, and the flexible biopsy needle catheter is mounted on the drive system. The movable support is used for coarse adjustment of the position and orientation of the flexible biopsy needle catheter, and the electric slide is used for coarse adjustment of the axial feed motion of the flexible biopsy needle catheter. The drive system includes a deflection drive mechanism and a feed mechanism, which are used for fine adjustment of the omnidirectional deflection motion and axial feed motion of the flexible biopsy needle catheter, respectively.

[0009] Furthermore, the drive system is provided with a protective shell.

[0010] Furthermore, the deflection drive mechanism includes a wire seat, a motor mounting bracket, a linear motor, a motor mounting block, a tendon fixing block, a motor flange, and a sleeve;

[0011] The motor mounting bracket is located inside the protective shell outside the drive system. Its main structure is a hollow column. The lead wire seat is coaxially mounted and fixed inside the motor mounting bracket. The motor mounting block is located at the end of the lead wire seat. Four linear motors are evenly distributed around the lead wire seat through the motor mounting block. The motor shafts of the linear motors are parallel to the central axis of the lead wire seat. The tendon fixing block is fixed to the end of the motor shaft of each linear motor through the motor flange and is used to connect the four tendons leading out from the flexible biopsy needle catheter. The sleeve is installed at the tail of the lead wire seat and has a sliding groove inside.

[0012] Furthermore, the lead frame is composed of a lead block at the head and a coaxial hollow mandrel at the tail. The lead block includes a connecting plate, a sector plate, a conduit connector, and a groove. The conduit connector is installed at the center of the front side of the connecting plate and is used to fix the flexible biopsy needle conduit. Four pairs of sector plates are evenly distributed around the periphery of the conduit connector, and a groove is formed between each pair of sector plates. One end of the four tendons leading out from the flexible biopsy needle conduit passes through the groove and is connected to four tendon fixing blocks respectively. The hollow mandrel is coaxially installed at the center of the rear side of the connecting plate. The flexible needle rod leading out from the flexible biopsy needle conduit passes through the lead block, the hollow mandrel, and the sleeve in sequence and is connected to the feeding mechanism.

[0013] Furthermore, the feeding mechanism includes a servo motor mounting base, a force sensor, a pressure block, a sensor flange, a servo motor, a pulley, and a push rod;

[0014] A pair of servos are mounted facing each other on the rear side of the servo mounting base. Each servo shaft is equipped with a pulley with rollers. The two rollers of the pair of pulleys are installed vertically offset, and a push rod is sandwiched between the two rollers. The push rod is axially forward and backward controlled by the forward and reverse rotation of the pair of servos.

[0015] The servo mounting base has a central hole. A force sensor and a pressure block are mounted on the front end of the push rod through a sensor flange. The force sensor is installed between two sensor flanges, and the pressure block is installed on the front sensor flange. The pressure block passes through the central hole on the servo mounting base and is located on the front side of the servo mounting base. It is used to clamp the flexible needle rod led out from the flexible biopsy needle guide tube.

[0016] Furthermore, the sensor flange located at the front end is installed inside the sleeve at the tail of the wire seat of the deflection drive mechanism, and the sensor flange located at the front end is provided with a slider that matches the slide groove inside the sleeve.

[0017] Furthermore, the push rod surface is provided with teeth to increase friction, and the push rod and the two rollers of a pair of pulleys are transmitted through friction.

[0018] Furthermore, the flexible biopsy needle catheter includes a biopsy needle tip, a flexible needle shaft, a hinge structure, an elastic tube, and a tendon; one end of the elastic tube is fixed to the lead wire seat of the deflection drive mechanism, and the other end of the elastic tube is connected to the hinge structure; the flexible needle shaft passes through the elastic tube and the hinge structure, and the head of the flexible needle shaft is equipped with a biopsy needle tip, while the tail of the flexible needle shaft is connected to the feeding mechanism; one end of the tendon is fixed to the front end of the hinge structure, and the other end of the tendon is fixed to the tendon fixing block of the deflection drive mechanism.

[0019] Furthermore, the number of tendons is 4.

[0020] The lung navigation method for a flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function, as described above, includes the following steps:

[0021] 1) Preparation stage

[0022] The flexible biopsy needle catheter is coarsely adjusted using a movable support to position it in a suitable surgical position. The flexible biopsy needle catheter is then inserted into the working channel of the bronchoscope, just extending out of the bronchoscope head. The linear motor in the deflection drive mechanism is adjusted to reset the hinge structure of the flexible biopsy needle catheter. The operation of the linear motor and force sensor is checked to ensure the normal operation of the bronchoscope robot system.

[0023] 2) Operational phase

[0024] Guided by endoscopic images, the axial feed of the flexible biopsy needle catheter is coarsely adjusted by an electric slide, the omnidirectional deflection of the flexible biopsy needle catheter is finely adjusted by a linear motor, and the axial feed of the flexible biopsy needle catheter is finely adjusted by a feeding mechanism, so that the biopsy needle tip of the flexible biopsy needle catheter enters the desired area for sampling, and the force sensor monitors the change of puncture force in real time.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function provided by this invention solves the problems of poor flexibility and insufficient safety caused by the lack of force sensing in the bronchoscopic catheter, which cannot be achieved by existing technology. It indirectly measures the biopsy puncture force through the thrust transmitted by the flexible needle rod, thereby improving the safety, reliability and omnidirectional controllability of lung biopsy operations. This invention has the advantages of compact structure and good flexibility, and can play a significant role in the diagnosis of thoracic surgical diseases. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing capabilities and omnidirectional controllability.

[0027] Figure 2 Front and side views of the drive system;

[0028] Figure 3 Here is a structural diagram of the deflection drive mechanism;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a partially enlarged view of the deflection drive mechanism;

[0030] Figure 5 Here is a structural diagram of the wire connector component;

[0031] Figure 6 Structural diagram of the motor mounting block parts;

[0032] Figure 7 Here is a structural diagram of the feed mechanism;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a partial structural diagram of the feed mechanism;

[0034] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the pulley and the push rod;

[0035] Figure 10 Here is a structural diagram of the pulley components;

[0036] Figure 11 Diagram of a flexible biopsy needle catheter structure;

[0037] In the diagram: 1. Support, 2. Drive system, 3. Flexible biopsy needle catheter, 21. Housing, 22. Slide mounting plate, 23. Deflection drive mechanism, 24. Feed mechanism, 25. Electric slide, 231. Wire seat, 2311. Connecting plate, 2312. Sector plate, 2313. Caliper connector, 2314. Wire groove, 2315. Hollow mandrel, 232. Motor mounting bracket, 233. Linear motor, 234. Motor mounting block, 235. Tendon fixing block, 236. Motor flange, 237. Sleeve, 241. Servo mount, 242. Force sensor, 243. Wire clamping block, 244. Sensor flange, 245. Servo, 246. Pulley, 2461. Roller, 247. Push rod, 31. Biopsy needle, 32. Flexible needle bar, 33. Hinge mechanism, 34. Elastic tube, 35. Tendon. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, a flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function and omnidirectional mobility has the motion capability of axial feeding and omnidirectional deflection, and includes three parts: a movable support 1, a drive system 2, and a flexible biopsy needle catheter 3.

[0040] The drive system 2 is mounted on the movable support 1, which can adjust the posture of the flexible biopsy needle catheter in a wide range of spaces, thereby changing the surgical position of the robot.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, the drive system includes a housing 21, a slide mounting plate 22, a deflection drive mechanism 23, a feed mechanism 24, and an electric slide 25. The electric slide 25 is mounted on the bracket 1. The deflection drive mechanism 23 and the feed mechanism 24 are fixed to the slide mounting plate 22 by bolts and are located inside the housing, which serves a protective function. The slide mounting plate 22 is mounted on the electric slide 25 and can slide along the guide rail on the electric slide 25.

[0042] like Figure 3 As shown, the deflection drive mechanism 23 includes a wire seat 231, a motor mounting bracket 232, a linear motor 233, a motor mounting block 234, a tendon fixing block 235, a motor flange 236, and a sleeve 237. The motor mounting bracket is located inside a protective shell outside the drive system 2, and its main structure is a hollow column. The wire seat 231 is coaxially mounted and fixed inside the motor mounting bracket. The motor mounting block 234 is located at the end of the wire seat 231, and four linear motors 233 are evenly distributed around the wire seat 231 through the motor mounting block 234. The motor shafts of the linear motors 233 are parallel to the central axis of the wire seat 231. Figure 4 As shown, the tendon fixing block 235 is fixed to the end of the motor shaft of each linear motor 233 via the motor flange 236, and is used to connect the four tendons led out from the flexible biopsy needle catheter; the sleeve is installed at the tail of the lead wire seat 231, and the sleeve is provided with a sliding groove.

[0043] The aforementioned wire seat, such as Figure 5 As shown, it consists of a lead wire block at the head and a coaxial hollow mandrel 2315 at the tail. The lead wire block includes a connecting plate 2311, a sector plate 2312, a catheter connector 2313, and a wire groove 2314. The catheter connector is installed at the center of the front side of the connecting plate and is used to fix the flexible biopsy needle catheter. Four pairs of sector plates are evenly distributed around the periphery of the catheter connector, and a wire groove is formed between each pair of sector plates. One end of the four tendons leading out from the flexible biopsy needle catheter passes through the wire groove and is connected to four tendon fixing blocks 235 respectively. The hollow mandrel is coaxially installed at the center of the rear side of the connecting plate. The flexible needle rod leading out from the flexible biopsy needle catheter passes through the lead wire block, the hollow mandrel, and the sleeve in sequence and is connected to the feeding mechanism 24.

[0044] The motor mounting block is as follows Figure 7As shown, the central hole of the motor mounting block is fitted onto the tail of the hollow mandrel of the conductor seat. Four linear motor mounting holes are arranged along the outside of the central hole for fixing four linear motors. In this embodiment, the motor mounting block is bolted to the hollow mandrel of the conductor seat, and threaded holes are provided on both the motor mounting block and the hollow mandrel.

[0045] like Figure 7 As shown, the feed mechanism 24 includes a servo mount 241, a force sensor 242, a wire clamping block 243, a sensor flange 244, a servo motor 245, a pulley 246, and a push rod 247; a pair of servo motors 245 are mounted facing each other on the rear side of the servo mount 241; as shown Figure 8 As shown, each of the two servo shafts is equipped with a pulley 246 with rollers. The two rollers of the pair of pulleys are installed in a staggered manner, and a push rod 247 is sandwiched between the two rollers. The push rod 247 is axially forward and backward controlled by the forward and reverse rotation of a pair of servo motors 245.

[0046] like Figure 9 As shown, taking one of the servo motors as an example, a pulley 246 is installed on the servo motor shaft, such that the roller 2461 of the pulley 246 is located below the push rod 247 and in frictional contact with the push rod 247; similarly, the roller of the pulley on the other servo motor is located above the push rod and in frictional contact with the push rod. In this way, the two rollers of the pair of pulleys are installed vertically in a staggered manner, and the push rod is sandwiched between the two rollers. By controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the servo motor, the push rod is driven forward and backward by friction. In this embodiment, the surface of the push rod 247 is provided with teeth to increase friction.

[0047] In addition, the servo mount 241 has a central hole, and the front end of the push rod 247 is equipped with a force sensor 242 and a wire clamping block 243 through the sensor flange 244. The force sensor 242 is installed between the two sensor flanges 244, and the wire clamping block 243 is installed on the front sensor flange 244. The wire clamping block 243 passes through the central hole on the servo mount 241 and is located on the front side of the servo mount 241, and is used to clamp the flexible needle rod led out from the flexible biopsy needle guide tube.

[0048] In this embodiment, the sensor flange 244 located at the front end is installed in the sleeve 237 at the tail of the wire seat 231 of the deflection drive mechanism 23, and the sensor flange 244 located at the front end is provided with a slider that matches the slide groove in the sleeve 237.

[0049] The pulleys mentioned above are as follows Figure 10 As shown, the right side of the pulley is used to connect the servo shaft and has a threaded hole; the left side of the pulley has a roller, which is a cylindrical boss that can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise under the drive of the servo.

[0050] like Figure 11As shown, the flexible biopsy needle catheter 3 includes a biopsy needle tip 31, a flexible needle rod 32, a hinge structure 33, an elastic tube 34, and four tendons 35. The biopsy needle tip 31 is mounted on one end of the hinge structure 33 via the flexible needle rod 32, and the other end of the hinge structure 33 is connected to one end of the elastic tube 34. The other end of the elastic tube 34 is fixed in the elastic tube mounting hole at the center of the lead wire seat 231. The flexible needle rod 32 passes sequentially through the hinge structure 33, the elastic tube 34, the lead wire seat 231, and the sleeve 237, and is connected to the feeding mechanism 24 by the clamping of the wire clamping block 243. One end of each tendon is fixed to the front end of the hinge structure 33, and the other end of the tendon is fixed to the tendon fixing block 235 of the deflection drive mechanism 23.

[0051] In this embodiment, the movable support 1 can adjust the posture of the drive system 2 and the flexible biopsy needle catheter 3 in a large range of space with human assistance, thereby changing the surgical position of the robot.

[0052] The electric slide 25 is used to drive the system 2 and the flexible biopsy needle catheter 3 to feed; the deflection drive mechanism 23 is used to drive the hinge structure 33 to deflect in all directions; and the feed mechanism 24 is used to drive the flexible needle bar 32 to feed.

[0053] The elastic tube 34 is made of polyetheretherketone material and has high rigidity; the hinge structure 33 is composed of multiple hinged joints and has low rigidity; under the drive of the tendon, the hinge structure 33 actively deflects and the elastic tube 34 passively compliant.

[0054] The process of finely adjusting the omnidirectional deflection of the flexible biopsy needle catheter by the deflection drive mechanism 23 is as follows: Since one end of the four tendons is fixed to the front end of the hinge structure 33 and the other end is fixed to the tendon fixing block 235 of the deflection drive mechanism 23, the four tendons are relaxed in the natural state. When it is necessary to adjust the deflection of the flexible biopsy needle catheter, the four linear motors are controlled to move, and the four tendons are tightened / relaxed so that the tendons are actively deflected under the drive.

[0055] The process of finely adjusting the axial feed motion of the flexible biopsy needle catheter by the aforementioned feed mechanism 24 is as follows: Since the flexible needle bar 32 is clamped on the pressure block 243 of the feed mechanism 24, when it is necessary to adjust the axial feed of the flexible biopsy needle, the pulley located above the push rod is controlled to rotate clockwise, and the pulley located below the push rod is controlled to rotate counterclockwise. Then the push rod is axially fed under the rolling friction of the two pulleys. When it is necessary to withdraw axially, the two pulleys are controlled in the opposite direction.

[0056] Example 1

[0057] This biopsy needle robot enables the biopsy sampling of lung lesions, with real-time measurement of the puncture force, as detailed below:

[0058] Based on CT images to determine the location of the patient's lesion, a commercial bronchoscopy system is manipulated to penetrate the bronchus through the mouth. When the flexible biopsy needle catheter reaches the vicinity of the lesion, it is inserted into the working channel of the bronchoscope and extends out of the bronchoscope head. The biopsy needle catheter is remotely controlled to reach the appropriate position to prepare for the subsequent biopsy procedure. The flexible needle shaft is pushed axially to insert the biopsy needle into the lesion tissue, and the insertion and withdrawal are repeated several times to ensure that a large number of lesion cells are obtained. During the puncture, the changes in puncture force monitored by the force sensor are observed in real time to ensure the safety and stability of the biopsy. After the biopsy is completed, the biopsy needle catheter is gradually withdrawn from the working channel of the bronchoscope, and the sampled cells and tissues are subjected to pathological analysis.

[0059] Example 2

[0060] By connecting different remote control devices, a semi-automated human-in-the-loop biopsy operation can be achieved, as detailed below:

[0061] Remote control devices, such as multi-degree-of-freedom teleoperators or remote control handles, are integrated into the biopsy needle robot system, and their drive control code is integrated into the robot software system. A mapping relationship is established between the operating space of the remote control device and the motion space of the biopsy needle catheter. Based on the kinematic model of the biopsy needle catheter, the operating posture of the remote control device is converted into the robot's drive information. On a bronchoscopic biopsy teaching aid, doctors can use the remote control device to control the biopsy needle robot to practice simulated puncture until they achieve relatively smooth robot control.

[0062] Those skilled in the art can readily make various changes and modifications based on the provided textual description, drawings, and claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Any modifications or equivalent variations made to the above embodiments based on the technical concept and essence of the invention fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of this invention.

Claims

1. A flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function, characterized in that, The robot has the motion capability of axial feed and omnidirectional deflection. The robot includes a movable support (1), a drive system (2), and a flexible biopsy needle catheter (3). The drive system (2) is mounted on the movable bracket (1) via an electric slide, and the flexible biopsy needle catheter (3) is mounted on the drive system (2). The movable bracket (1) is used for coarse adjustment of the position of the flexible biopsy needle catheter (3), and the electric slide is used for coarse adjustment of the axial feed motion of the flexible biopsy needle catheter (3). The drive system (2) includes a deflection drive mechanism (23) and a feed mechanism (24), which are used for fine adjustment of the omnidirectional deflection motion and axial feed motion of the flexible biopsy needle catheter, respectively. The flexible biopsy needle catheter (3) includes a biopsy needle (31), a flexible needle rod (32), a hinge structure (33), an elastic tube (34), and a tendon; one end of the elastic tube (34) is fixed to the lead wire seat (231) of the deflection drive mechanism (23), and the other end of the elastic tube (34) is connected to the hinge structure (33); the flexible needle rod (32) passes through the elastic tube (34) and the hinge structure (33), and the head of the flexible needle rod (32) is equipped with a biopsy needle (31), and the tail of the flexible needle rod (32) is connected to the feeding mechanism (24); one end of the tendon is fixed to the front end of the hinge structure (33), and the other end of the tendon is fixed to the tendon fixing block (235) of the deflection drive mechanism (23); The deflection drive mechanism (23) includes a wire seat (231), a motor mounting bracket (232), a linear motor (233), a motor mounting block (234), a tendon fixing block (235), a motor flange (236), and a sleeve (237). The motor mounting bracket is located inside the protective shell outside the drive system (2). Its main structure is a hollow column. The wire seat (231) is coaxially mounted and fixed inside the motor mounting bracket. The motor mounting block (234) is located at the end of the wire seat (231). Four linear motors (233) are evenly distributed around the wire seat (231) through the motor mounting block (234). The motor shafts of the linear motors (233) are parallel to the central axis of the wire seat (231). The tendon fixing block (235) is fixed to the end of the motor shaft of each linear motor (233) through the motor flange (236) and is used to connect the four tendons led out from the flexible biopsy needle catheter. The sleeve is installed at the tail of the wire seat (231) and has a sliding groove inside. The lead frame consists of a lead block at the head and a coaxial hollow mandrel at the tail. The lead block includes a connecting plate, a sector plate, a conduit connector, and a wire groove. The conduit connector is installed at the center of the front side of the connecting plate to fix the flexible biopsy needle conduit. Four pairs of sector plates are evenly distributed around the conduit connector, and a wire groove is formed between each pair of sector plates. One end of the four tendons leading out from the flexible biopsy needle conduit passes through the wire groove and is connected to four tendon fixing blocks (235) respectively. The hollow mandrel is coaxially installed at the center of the rear side of the connecting plate. The flexible needle rod leading out from the flexible biopsy needle conduit passes through the lead block, the hollow mandrel, and the sleeve in sequence and is connected to the feeding mechanism (24). The feed mechanism (24) includes a servo mount (241), a force sensor (242), a wire clamp (243), a sensor flange (244), a servo motor (245), a pulley (246), and a push rod (247). A pair of servo motors (245) are mounted facing each other on the rear side of the servo mount (241). Each of the two servo motor shafts is equipped with a pulley (246) with rollers. The two rollers of the pair of pulleys are staggered vertically, and a push rod (247) is sandwiched between the two rollers. The push rod (247) shaft is controlled by the forward and reverse rotation of the pair of servo motors (245). Forward and backward movement; the servo mount (241) has a central hole, and the front end of the push rod (247) is equipped with a force sensor (242) and a pressure block (243) through the sensor flange (244). The force sensor (242) is installed between the two sensor flanges (244), and the pressure block (243) is installed on the front sensor flange (244). The pressure block (243) passes through the central hole on the servo mount (241) and is located on the front side of the servo mount (241) to clamp the flexible needle rod led out from the flexible biopsy needle guide.

2. The flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive system (2) is provided with a protective shell.

3. The flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor flange (244) located at the front end is installed in the sleeve (237) at the tail of the wire seat (231) of the deflection drive mechanism (23), and the sensor flange (244) located at the front end is provided with a slider that matches the groove in the sleeve (237).

4. The flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The push rod (247) has teeth on its surface to increase friction, and the push rod (247) is connected to the two rollers of a pair of pulleys by friction.

5. A flexible biopsy needle robot with force sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of tendons mentioned is 4.

Images