Variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural lockform

Abstract

This invention discloses a variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on a lock-shaped structure, comprising a drive unit and an access carrier. The drive unit controls the access carrier to switch between a flexible state and a rigid state via a drive rope and a variable stiffness rope. Multiple joints of the access carrier are sequentially hinged together by joint connectors, allowing relative rotation. Each joint connector includes a connecting shaft, a spring, and an engagement end cap. One end of the spring is bonded to a joint ear plate, and the other end is bonded to the inside of the engagement end cap, with the inside of the engagement end cap embedded in a groove on the ear plate. The mating surfaces of the connecting shaft and the engagement end cap have meshing teeth. In the flexible state, the engagement end cap is supported by the spring, and the teeth on the connecting shaft and the engagement end cap are in a separated state, allowing adjacent joints to rotate freely. In the rigid state, the variable stiffness rope engages the teeth on the connecting shaft and the engagement end cap, converting the tension of the variable stiffness rope into a resisting torque between the joints, thus making the access carrier rigid.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical devices, in particular to a variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural lock shape. BACKGROUND

[0002] Compared with traditional surgery, minimally invasive surgery has the advantages of reducing patient discomfort, less postoperative impact, shorter recovery time, etc., and has been widely concerned in recent years. In minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon usually uses an access carrier with a camera, light source and water and gas channel to pass through the natural cavity / incision of the human body, while providing a channel for surgical instruments (such as surgical forceps, electrotome, etc.) to make the surgery proceed smoothly. As a working platform for surgical instruments, on the one hand, the access carrier needs to be flexible so as to be able to pass through the natural cavity / incision to reach the lesion site without damaging the human body tissue; on the other hand, the access carrier needs to be hard enough to resist external load when the surgical instrument is working, so as to avoid unnecessary bending. The stiffness changes greatly in these two cases, and if the access carrier cannot meet these two conflicting requirements, it will limit the performance and use of the surgical robot. Therefore, it is of great significance to design a flexible access carrier with a high stiffness change ratio, which can provide a new choice for endoscopic surgery and promote the development and application of minimally invasive surgery. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the present application is to overcome the technical defects in the prior art and provide a variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural lock shape, which can be placed in the target position in a flexible state and then become rigid, thereby providing a stable working platform for surgical instruments and avoiding physical damage to the human body cavity.

[0004] The technical scheme adopted by the present application to achieve the purpose is as follows:

[0005] A variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural lock shape, comprising a driving device and an access carrier, the access carrier is fixed on the driving device, the state change is driven and controlled by the driving rope and the variable stiffness rope, and the flexible state and the rigid state are switched, characterized in that the access carrier comprises a plurality of joints, a plurality of joints are sequentially hinged together through joint connectors and can rotate relative to each other, the joint connector comprises a connecting shaft, a spring and a meshing end cap; one end of the spring is bonded to the ear plate of the joint, and the other end is bonded to the inner side of the meshing end cap; the boss on the inner side of the meshing end cap is embedded in the groove on the ear plate for variable stiffness; the mating surface of the connecting shaft and the meshing end cap has meshing teeth; in the flexible state, the meshing end cap is supported by the spring, the teeth on the connecting shaft and the meshing end cap are in a separated state, and the adjacent joints are free to rotate; in the rigid state, the variable stiffness rope makes the teeth on the connecting shaft and the meshing end cap mesh, the tension of the variable stiffness rope is converted into an obstacle torque between the joints, and the access carrier becomes a rigid state.

[0006] Among them, a plurality of joints include a proximal joint, a plurality of intermediate joints and a distal joint connected in turn; the other end of the proximal and distal joints is connected with the connecting rod, and the other end of the distal joint is connected with the terminal channel; the intermediate joint includes a first ear plate and a second ear plate vertically distributed at both ends, and both the first ear plate and the second ear plate have concentric circular holes; the second ear plate is provided with a groove for variable stiffness; the proximal joint and the distal joint contain one of the first ear plate or the second ear plate; two adjacent joints are connected by the first ear plate, the second ear plate and the connecting shaft to realize relative rotation.

[0007] Among them, the driving rope and the variable stiffness rope pass through the joint, the number of the driving rope and the variable stiffness rope is two respectively, the driving rope is distributed equidistantly along the axis of the joint, and the variable stiffness rope is distributed symmetrically on both sides of the driving rope along the axis of the joint;

[0008] One end of each driving rope passes through the driving rope hole on the joint and is fixed in the distal joint, and the other end is connected with the corresponding driving wheel and driving guide wheel of the driving device; one end of each variable stiffness rope passes through the variable stiffness rope hole of the joint and is fixed in the corresponding meshing end cap of the rotating joint, and the other end is connected with the corresponding variable stiffness winding wheel and variable stiffness guide wheel of the driving device;

[0009] Two driving ropes in the same direction are wound around one driving wheel, when the driving motor drives the driving wheel to rotate, one driving rope connected with the driving wheel is retracted while the other driving rope is released, so as to realize the bending of the access carrier on the side where the driving rope is retracted;

[0010] The variable stiffness rope winding wheel and the variable stiffness guide wheel can be driven to move along the length direction of the driving device relative to the driving wheel and the driving guide wheel, so as to realize the tension of the variable stiffness rope, thereby realizing the conversion of the access carrier from flexibility to rigidity.

[0011] The driving wheel and the driving guide wheel are located between the driving wheel bottom plate and the driving wheel pressing plate, the variable stiffness rope winding wheel and the variable stiffness guide wheel are installed between the variable stiffness pressing plate and the variable stiffness bottom plate, the variable stiffness pressing plate is located in the first sliding groove inside the driving wheel pressing plate and can slide in the first sliding groove, and the variable stiffness bottom plate is located in the second sliding groove inside the driving wheel bottom plate and can slide in the second sliding groove.

[0012] The bottom of the variable stiffness bottom plate is connected with the lead screw driving mechanism located below, when the lead screw driving mechanism rotates under the driving action of the variable stiffness motor, the variable stiffness bottom plate, the variable stiffness pressing plate and the variable stiffness rope winding wheel are driven to move; the variable stiffness motor drives the lead screw to move, converts the rotary motion into translational motion, drives the variable stiffness bottom plate and the variable stiffness rope winding wheel to move backward, realizes the tension of the variable stiffness rope, thereby realizing the conversion of the access carrier from flexibility to rigidity.

[0013] The lead screw driving mechanism is installed on the bottom plate, the driving wheel bottom plate is located above the vertical direction of the bottom plate, the driving wheel pressing plate is located above the vertical direction of the driving bottom plate, and the driving motor fixing plate is located above the vertical direction of the driving wheel pressing plate.

[0014] The outer surfaces of the variable stiffness rope winding wheel, the variable stiffness guide wheel, the driving wheel and the driving guide wheel are all pre-fabricated with rope winding grooves for facilitating the winding of the driving rope, the variable stiffness rope and the limiting winding.

[0015] The system comprises two drive wheels arranged radially apart, and four sets of drive guide wheels, each set containing four coaxially arranged drive guide wheels located on one side of the drive wheels. Two drive ropes in the same direction are wound around one drive wheel. One drive rope passes through the drive guide wheel and winds counterclockwise upwards around the drive wheel from the center, and is fixed to the upper end of the drive wheel. The other drive rope on the opposite side passes through the drive guide wheel and winds clockwise downwards around the drive wheel from the center, and is fixed to the lower end of the drive wheel. Five sets of variable stiffness winding wheels are arranged, each set containing two coaxially arranged variable stiffness winding wheels. Eight sets of variable stiffness guide wheels are arranged, each set containing four coaxially arranged variable stiffness guide wheels. Two sets of variable stiffness winding wheels are arranged separately as the first part of the variable stiffness winding wheels, located away from the access carrier. One set of variable stiffness winding wheels is located closer to the access carrier. One side serves as the second set of variable stiffness winding sheaves. Two other sets of variable stiffness winding sheaves are arranged separately as the third set, positioned between the first and second sets. Four sets of variable stiffness guide wheels are spaced apart between the first and third sets of variable stiffness winding sheaves. Two sets of variable stiffness guide wheels are spaced apart between the second and third sets of variable stiffness winding sheaves. The second set of variable stiffness winding sheaves... Two sets of variable stiffness guide wheels are arranged separately on the outer side. Two variable stiffness ropes of the same joint are wound around a variable stiffness winding wheel. One variable stiffness rope passes through the variable stiffness guide wheel and winds clockwise downwards around the variable stiffness winding wheel, and is fixed in the middle of the variable stiffness winding wheel. The other variable stiffness rope on the opposite side passes through the variable stiffness guide wheel and winds counterclockwise upwards around the variable stiffness winding wheel, and is fixed in the middle of the variable stiffness winding wheel.

[0016] The access carrier is connected to the driving device via the connecting rod.

[0017] The drive device is provided with a connecting rod fixing lower plate and a connecting piece fixing lower plate at one end. The connecting rod fixing lower plate and the connecting piece fixing lower plate are fastened and fixed by screws.

[0018] The flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention adopts a structural locking method to achieve variable stiffness, which can generate a large resisting torque and achieve a large stiffness change ratio. When subjected to bending force, it can withstand a large external force, thus meeting the requirements of natural cavity endoscopic surgery for flexibility and stability of the access carrier during surgical operation.

[0019] The flexible surgical robot platform of this invention achieves variable stiffness by using rope tensioning. Mechanical components are moved to the locked position via the tensioning rope, resulting in fast response and low energy consumption. Compared to surgical robot platforms that utilize blocking principles and phase change materials, it offers advantages such as higher safety and lower noise. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the wheel and axle distribution of the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a front view of the drive device of the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the disassembled access carrier of the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the joints of the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a top view schematic diagram of the joints of the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention;

[0026] Figures 7-8 These are schematic diagrams showing the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention in a rigid state and a flexible state, respectively.

[0027] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the steel wire rope distribution of the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the variable stiffness rope winding of the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the winding of the drive rope of the flexible surgical robot platform of the present invention.

[0030] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0031] 1-Variable stiffness motor; 2-First hexagonal copper column; 3-Motor mounting plate; 4-First motor; 5-Second motor; 6-Connecting rod fixing upper plate; 7-Connecting rod fixing lower plate; 8-Second hexagonal copper column; 9-Third hexagonal copper column; 10-Coupling; 11-Base plate; 12-Drive wheel base plate; 13-Drive wheel pressure plate; 14-Variable stiffness pressure plate; 15-Connecting rod; 16-Variable stiffness winding rope; 17-Drive wheel; 18-Drive guide wheel; 19-Shim; 20-Screw support seat support end; 21-Guide rail; 22-Slider; 23-Screw nut bracket; 24-Screw nut; 25-Screw; 26-Screw 27-Fixed end of support base; 28-Variable stiffness motor coupling; 29-Variable stiffness motor bracket; 30-Variable stiffness base plate; 31-Rope winding wheel axle; 32-Rope winding wheel bearing; 33-Drive wheel bearing; 34-Bearing; 35-Drive guide wheel axle; 36-Proximal joint; 37-Meshing end cover; 38-Spring; 39-Connecting shaft; 40-Intermediate joint; 41-Distal joint; 42-End channel; 40-1-Second ear plate; 40-2-Variable stiffness groove; 40-3-First ear plate; 40-4-Drive rope hole; 40-5-Variable stiffness rope hole; 43-Variable stiffness rope; 44-Drive rope. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0033] The flexible surgical robot platform of this invention achieves interlocking of mechanical components under the tension of steel wire rope, has a fast response speed, can generate a large resisting torque, and achieve a large stiffness change ratio, so as to meet the requirements of minimally invasive surgery for the flexibility of robot movement during the approach process and the stability of the surgical operation process.

[0034] Reference Figures 1-3 and Figure 9 The variable stiffness surgical robot platform based on structural locking in this embodiment includes a drive device and an access carrier. The access carrier is fixed on the drive device and is driven and controlled by the drive device through a drive rope 44 and a variable stiffness rope 43 to change its state, switching between a flexible state and a rigid state.

[0035] Reference Figures 4-6For example, the access carrier includes multiple joints that are sequentially hinged together and rotatable relative to each other. The multiple joints include a proximal joint 36, multiple intermediate joints 40, and a distal joint 41. For example, each of the joints has an ear plate that is connected to another joint via a joint connector, the joint connector cooperating with the ear plate to connect the multiple joints in series in the order of a proximal joint 36, multiple intermediate joints 40, and a distal joint 41, forming a hinged connection.

[0036] For example, the intermediate joint includes a first ear plate 40-3 and a second ear plate 40-1 vertically distributed at both ends. The first ear plate 40-3 and the second ear plate 40-1 have concentric circular holes for corresponding connection with adjacent joints on both sides (including intermediate joints, end joints, and proximal joints) via joint connectors. The second ear plate 40-1 is also provided with grooves 40-2 for varying stiffness. The proximal joint 36 includes the first ear plate 40-3, and the distal joint 41 includes the second ear plate 40-1. For example, the joint connector includes a connecting shaft 39, a spring 38, and an engagement end cap 37. One end of the spring 38 is bonded to the second ear plate 40-1 of the joint, and the other end is bonded to the inner side of the engagement end cap 37. The boss on the inner side of the engagement end cap 37 is embedded in the groove 40-2 on the second ear plate 40-1. The mating surfaces of the connecting shaft 39 and the meshing end cap 37 have meshing teeth. In the flexible state, since the meshing end cap 37 is supported by the spring 38, the teeth on the connecting shaft 39 and the meshing end cap 37 are in a separated state, and adjacent joints can rotate freely. In the rigid state, the connecting shaft 39 and the teeth on the meshing end cap 37 can mesh, and the tension of the variable stiffness rope 43 is converted into a resisting torque between the joints, and the access carrier becomes rigid.

[0037] For example, two adjacent joints in the access carrier are connected by a first ear plate 40-3, a second ear plate 40-1, and a connecting shaft 39 of the joint connector. The connecting shaft 39 of the joint connector is interference-fitted with the round hole on the first ear plate 40-3 of the previous joint and clearance-fitted with the round hole on the second ear plate 40-1 of the next joint.

[0038] For example, the other end of the proximal-distal joint 36 is connected to the connecting rod 15, and the other end of the distal joint 41 is connected to the end channel 42. For example, the access carrier is fixed to the driving device by the connecting rod 15 through the connecting rod fixing upper plate 6 and the connecting rod fixing lower plate 7. The connecting rod fixing upper plate 6 and the connecting rod fixing lower plate 7 are connected to the connecting rod 15 by being snapped together. The connecting rod fixing upper plate 6 and the connecting rod fixing lower plate 7 are located at one end of the driving device.

[0039] For example, each joint is traversed by at least two sets of wire ropes, one set being a drive rope 44 and the other a variable stiffness rope 43. Each set of wire ropes consists of two ropes. The drive rope holes 40-4 are equidistantly distributed along the internal axial direction of the joint and can achieve relative rotation of the two joints under the action of the drive rope 44. The variable stiffness rope holes 40-5 are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the drive rope holes 40-4 along the joint axis.

[0040] For example, one end of the drive rope 44 passes through the drive rope hole 40-4 on the joint and is fixed to the distal joint, while the other end is fixed to the drive device, such as to the drive wheel 17. One end of the variable stiffness rope 43 passes through the variable stiffness rope hole 40-5 on the joint and is fixed to the corresponding meshing end cap 37 of the rotary joint, while the other end is fixed to the drive device, such as to the variable stiffness winding wheel 16.

[0041] For example, the driving device includes a driving part and a variable stiffness part. The driving part includes the driving wheel 17, and the variable stiffness part includes the variable stiffness rope winding wheel 16. For example, there are two driving wheels 17, with two driving ropes in the same direction wound around one driving wheel. Each driving wheel 17 is connected to a driving motor, such as a first motor 4 and a second motor 5. The first motor 4 and the second motor 5 are fixed to the motor mounting plate 3 by bolts. The first motor 4 and the second motor 5 are each connected to the driving wheel shaft 33 of the corresponding driving wheel 17 through a coupling 10. The driving wheel 17 is connected to the driving wheel shaft 34 through a driving wheel bearing 32. The motor drives the driving wheel 17 fixed on the driving wheel shaft 33 to rotate, realizing the winding and releasing of the driving rope 44 fixed on the driving wheel 17, thereby realizing the bending motion of the actuator in two directions. Furthermore, multiple sets of drive guide wheels 18 are provided on the outer side of the drive wheel 17. The drive guide wheel shaft 35 of the drive guide wheel 18 is connected to the drive guide wheel 18 through a bearing 34. The upper and lower ends of the drive guide wheel 18 are equipped with gaskets 19. For example, a drive wheel pressure plate 13 and a drive wheel base plate 12 are provided below the motor fixing plate 3. The drive wheel base plate 12 is located below the drive wheel pressure plate 13, and the drive wheel and guide wheels are installed between the drive wheel pressure plate 13 and the drive wheel base plate. For example, the motor fixing plate and the drive wheel pressure plate are connected by four vertically arranged first hexagonal steel columns 2 at the four corners, and the drive wheel pressure plate 13 and the drive wheel base plate are connected by four vertically arranged second hexagonal steel columns 8 at the four corners. In addition, the connecting rod fixing lower plate 7 is fixed to the upper end of the drive wheel base plate 12, and the connecting rod fixing lower plate 7 and the connecting rod fixing upper plate 6 are connected by screws.

[0042] For example, there are five sets of variable stiffness winding wheels 16 arranged between the variable stiffness pressure plate 14 and the variable stiffness base plate 29. The variable stiffness rope 43 is fixed on the variable stiffness winding wheels 16. Variable stiffness guide wheels are arranged on the outer side of the variable stiffness winding wheels 16, which have the same structure as the aforementioned drive guide wheels 18. The variable stiffness pressure plate 14 is located in the first groove inside the drive wheel pressure plate and can slide in the first groove. The variable stiffness base plate 29 is located in the second groove inside the drive wheel base plate and can slide in the second groove. The bottom of the variable stiffness base plate 29 is connected to the screw mechanism. When the screw drive mechanism rotates under the drive of the variable stiffness motor 1, it drives the variable stiffness base plate, the variable stiffness pressure plate, and the variable stiffness winding wheels and guide wheels to move. Specifically, the variable stiffness winding wheel 16 and the variable stiffness guide wheel are fixed to the variable stiffness base plate 29 by the winding wheel shaft 30 and the guide wheel shaft 35, respectively, and the upper end is pressed by the variable stiffness pressure plate 14. The winding wheel shaft 30 and the variable stiffness guide wheel shaft are connected to the winding wheel bearing 31 and the variable stiffness guide wheel bearing, respectively.

[0043] The lead screw drive mechanism is mounted on the base plate 11, and the base plate 11 is connected to the drive wheel base plate 12 by four hexagonal copper columns 9 arranged at the four corners.

[0044] For example, the variable stiffness motor 1 is fixed on the variable stiffness motor bracket 28 and connected to the lead screw 25 through the variable stiffness motor coupling 27. The lead screw 25 is supported by the lead screw support end 20 and the lead screw support fixed end 26, and also includes a lead screw nut 24 and a lead screw nut bracket 23 connected thereto. The lead screw nut bracket 23 is fixed on the slider 22, and the slider 22 can move back and forth on the guide rail 21. The variable stiffness base plate 29 is fixed to the lead screw nut bracket 23 by bolts.

[0045] For example, the variable stiffness winding wheel 16 and its variable stiffness guide wheel, the drive wheel and its drive guide wheel are all pre-made with winding grooves on their outer surfaces to facilitate winding the drive rope 44 and the variable stiffness rope 43.

[0046] During operation, the variable stiffness motor 1 drives the lead screw 25 to move, and the rotational motion of the motor is converted into translational motion through the lead screw slide rail, which drives the variable stiffness base plate 29 and the variable stiffness winding wheel 16 to move backward, thereby tensioning the variable stiffness rope 43 and realizing the conversion of the entry carrier from flexible to rigid.

[0047] Reference Figure 7In the flexible state, the variable stiffness rope 43 is in a relaxed state. In this state, since the meshing end cap 37 is supported by the spring 38, the teeth on the connecting shaft 39 and the meshing end cap 37 are in a separated state, and adjacent joints can rotate freely. If the variable stiffness motor 1 is started, the rotational motion of the motor is converted into the back-and-forth movement of the variable stiffness base plate 29 through the screw and slide rail structure, thereby achieving the tension of the variable stiffness rope 43. At this time, the connecting shaft 39 can be meshed with the teeth on the meshing end cap 37, and the tension of the variable stiffness rope 43 is converted into the resisting torque between the joints, and the access carrier becomes rigid.

[0048] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic features of the present invention.

[0049] Therefore, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims be included within the invention.

[0050] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on a lock-shaped structure, comprising a drive unit and an access carrier, wherein the access carrier is fixed on the drive unit and its state is changed by the drive unit through a drive rope and a variable stiffness rope, switching between a flexible state and a rigid state, characterized in that, The access carrier includes multiple joints, which are sequentially hinged together by joint connectors and can rotate relative to each other. Each joint connector includes a connecting shaft, a spring, and an engagement end cap. One end of the spring is bonded to the lug plate of the joint, and the other end is bonded to the inner side of the engagement end cap. A boss on the inner side of the engagement end cap is embedded in a groove on the lug plate for variable stiffness. The mating surfaces of the connecting shaft and the engagement end cap have meshing teeth. In the flexible state, the engagement end cap is supported by the spring, and the teeth on the connecting shaft and the engagement end cap are in a separated state, allowing adjacent joints to rotate freely. In the rigid state, the variable stiffness rope engages the teeth on the connecting shaft and the engagement end cap, converting the tension of the variable stiffness rope into a resisting torque between the joints, thus making the access carrier rigid. Each joint contains two drive ropes and two variable stiffness ropes, with the drive ropes axially aligned within the joint. The variable stiffness ropes are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the drive ropes along the joint axis. One end of each drive rope passes through the drive rope hole on the joint and is fixed to the distal joint, while the other end is connected to the corresponding drive wheel and drive guide wheel of the drive device. One end of each variable stiffness rope passes through the variable stiffness rope hole on the joint and is fixed to the corresponding meshing end cap of the rotary joint, while the other end is connected to the corresponding variable stiffness winding wheel and variable stiffness guide wheel of the drive device. Two drive ropes in the same direction are wound around one drive wheel. When the drive motor drives the drive wheel to rotate, one drive rope connected to the drive wheel is retracted while the other drive rope is released, thereby achieving bending of the access carrier on the side where the drive rope is retracted. The variable stiffness winding wheel and variable stiffness guide wheel are driven to move relative to the drive wheel and drive guide wheel along the length direction of the drive device, thereby achieving tension of the variable stiffness ropes and realizing the conversion of the access carrier from flexible to rigid.

2. The variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural locking as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of joints includes a proximal joint, a plurality of intermediate joints, and a distal joint connected in sequence; the other end of the proximal joint is connected to a connecting rod, and the other end of the distal joint is connected to an end channel; the intermediate joints include a first ear plate and a second ear plate distributed perpendicularly at both ends, both the first and second ear plates having concentric circular holes, and the second ear plate having grooves distributed for varying stiffness; the proximal joint and the distal joint include one of the first ear plate or the second ear plate; two adjacent joints are connected by the first ear plate, the second ear plate, and a connecting shaft to achieve relative rotation.

3. The variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural locking as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drive wheel and drive guide wheel are located between the drive wheel base plate and the drive wheel pressure plate. The variable stiffness rope wheel and variable stiffness guide wheel are installed between the variable stiffness pressure plate and the variable stiffness base plate. The variable stiffness pressure plate is located in the first sliding groove inside the drive wheel pressure plate and can slide in the first sliding groove. The variable stiffness base plate is located in the second sliding groove inside the drive wheel base plate and can slide and move in the second sliding groove.

4. The variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural locking as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The bottom of the variable stiffness base plate is connected to a lead screw drive mechanism located below it. When the lead screw drive mechanism rotates under the drive of the variable stiffness motor, it drives the variable stiffness base plate, the variable stiffness pressure plate, and the variable stiffness winding wheel and guide wheel to move. The variable stiffness motor drives the lead screw to move, converting the rotational motion into translational motion, which drives the variable stiffness base plate and the variable stiffness winding wheel to move backward, thereby tensioning the variable stiffness rope and realizing the conversion of the entry carrier from flexible to rigid.

5. The variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural locking as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The lead screw drive mechanism is mounted on the base plate, the drive wheel base plate is located above the base plate in the vertical direction, the drive wheel pressure plate is located above the drive wheel base plate in the vertical direction, and the drive motor fixing plate is located above the drive wheel pressure plate in the vertical direction.

6. The variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural locking as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surfaces of the variable stiffness winding wheel, the variable stiffness guide wheel, the drive wheel, and the drive guide wheel are all pre-made with winding grooves to facilitate winding the drive rope and the variable stiffness rope.

7. The variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural locking as described in claim 1, characterized in that, There are two drive wheels, arranged radially apart. There are four sets of drive guide wheels, located on one side of the drive wheels. There are five sets of variable stiffness rope winding wheels and eight sets of variable stiffness guide wheels. Two sets of variable stiffness rope winding wheels form the first part of variable stiffness rope winding wheels, arranged on the side away from the access carrier. One set of variable stiffness rope winding wheels is arranged on the side closer to the access carrier as the second part of variable stiffness rope winding wheels. The other two sets of variable stiffness rope winding wheels form the third part of variable stiffness rope winding wheels, arranged between the first part of variable stiffness rope winding wheels and the second part of variable stiffness rope winding wheels.

8. The variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural locking as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The access carrier is connected to the drive device via the connecting rod.

9. The variable stiffness flexible surgical robot platform based on structural locking as described in claim 8, characterized in that, One end of the drive device is provided with a connecting rod fixing lower plate and a connecting piece fixing lower plate, and the connecting rod fixing lower plate and the connecting piece fixing lower plate are fastened and fixed by screws.

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