A joint structure and surgical instrument

Abstract

The present invention discloses a joint structure and a surgical instrument, the joint structure comprises a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a traction rope, wherein the adjacent ends of the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are respectively provided with a first joint part and a second joint part, the contact surfaces of the first joint part and the second joint part are complementary, the complementary contact surfaces are in contact with each other and are rotatably connected to form a rotation axis. The joint structure and the surgical instrument adopt a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod with complementary surfaces to form the joint structure, and the traction rope is used to drive the joint structure to move. Based on the characteristics of the traction rope with a large bending radius and a small bending stress, the requirements of the surgical instrument with multiple degrees of freedom and flexible movement can be met, and the structure is simple and economical.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a joint structure and a surgical instrument, belonging to the technical field of medical instruments. Background Art

[0002] Surgical instruments are used to manipulate tissues in minimally invasive surgery. They can be controlled manually by the doctor or remotely by a computer. Surgical instruments include a main working part, an end effector, such as forceps, scissors, tweezers, etc., mounted on a wrist mechanism at the distal end of the axis. The end effector can be inserted into a small incision or natural orifice of the patient to perform surgical operations such as exploration, electrocoagulation, hemostasis, separation, knotting, and suturing of diseased tissues inside the patient's body. The joint structure of the wrist can be used to change the orientation of the end effector relative to the axis, realize the requirements of multiple degrees of freedom and flexible movement of the end effector, and complete the working action. Generally, the pitch, yaw and other degrees of freedom of the end effector can be changed relative to the axis.

[0003] At present, in order to achieve the desired movement of the end effector of the surgical instrument, the relevant technologies at home and abroad mostly use a tension element (such as a cable) in combination with a circular wheel (the tension element is also referred to as a traction rope in this article) . The tension element is driven by an actuator, and the tension element extends through the axis of the surgical instrument to connect the wrist mechanism and the end effector, thereby realizing the actuator's control over the working action of the instrument. The circular wheel can reduce the friction of the cable and slow down the extension or creep of the cable during use. For example, patent CN 111936072 A discloses a medical device with flexible wire layout and articulated movement, in which the tension element cooperates with the pulley to move the related components. For example, patent CN 116492054 A discloses a surgical instrument wrist, which uses pulleys and ropes to achieve multi-degree-of-freedom movement of the end of the instrument.

[0004] The surgical instruments using this technology have many wrist mechanism parts and complex structures. The characteristics of minimally invasive surgery require that the size of surgical instrument parts must be miniaturized, which increases the production cost. When the cable is wound around the small round wheel, the bending radius is small, the bending stress is large, and the reliable service life is short;

[0005] It can be seen that in order to solve the above technical problems and meet the requirements of multiple degrees of freedom and flexible movements of surgical instruments, a joint structure and a surgical instrument are urgently needed. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to provide a joint structure and a surgical instrument. The joint structure is composed of a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod with complementary surfaces, and the joint structure is driven to move by a traction rope. Based on the characteristics of the traction rope with a large bending radius and a small bending stress, the requirements of the surgical instrument with multiple degrees of freedom and flexible movements can be met, and the structure is simple and the economy is good.

[0007] In order to achieve the above purpose / solve the above technical problems, the present invention is implemented by adopting the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a joint structure, comprising a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a traction rope, wherein adjacent ends of the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are respectively provided with a first joint portion and a second joint portion, contact surfaces of the first joint portion and the second joint portion are complementary, the complementary contact surfaces are in contact with each other and are rotatably connected to form a rotation axis;

[0009] One of the contact surfaces of the first joint part and the second joint part is a spherical structure and the other is a matching structure, and the rotation axis passes through the center of the spherical structure;

[0010] The traction rope passes through the first connecting rod and is fixed to the second connecting rod. The second connecting rod is driven to rotate relative to the first connecting rod around the rotation axis by applying tension to the traction rope.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes a rotating pin and a pin shaft groove, and also includes a rotating pin and a pin shaft groove, the rotating pin is slidably connected to the pin shaft groove, the pin shaft groove is opened on one of the first joint part and the second joint part, and the rotating pin is arranged on the other one.

[0012] Furthermore, the pin shaft groove is provided with a center plane, and the center plane passes through the center of the spherical structure. When the first joint part rotates relative to the second joint part, the axis of the rotating pin is always located in the center plane.

[0013] Furthermore, the rotation of the second connecting rod relative to the first connecting rod is a combination of its rotation around the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis, wherein:

[0014] The first rotation axis passes through the center of the spherical structure and always coincides with the axis of the rotating pin during the movement of the rotating pin in the pin slot;

[0015] The second rotation axis passes through the center of the spherical structure and is perpendicular to the central plane of the pin groove.

[0016] Furthermore, the number of the traction ropes is at least two.

[0017] Furthermore, it also includes a first guide channel and a second guide channel, wherein:

[0018] The first guide channel is provided on the first connecting rod, and is used for the traction rope to pass through the first connecting rod and connect with the second connecting rod;

[0019] The second guide channel is provided on the second connecting rod and is used to fix the traction rope and the second connecting rod;

[0020] It also includes a first transmission channel and a second transmission channel, wherein the first transmission channel and the second transmission channel are respectively arranged in the middle of the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod.

[0021] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a surgical instrument, comprising the joint structure according to the first aspect, and the surgical instrument further comprises:

[0022] an end effector, used to perform surgical operations;

[0023] A transmission element transmits motion, force, energy or fluid from the proximal side of the surgical instrument to the end effector for the surgical operation performed by the end effector;

[0024] A drive box, at least used to drive the traction rope and the end effector; and

[0025] A rod, wherein a guide channel is provided inside the rod;

[0026] Wherein: the driving box is connected to the proximal end of the rod;

[0027] The distal end of the rod is connected to the proximal end of the first connecting rod located on the proximal side of the joint structure;

[0028] The end effector is connected to the distal end of the second link located at the distal side of the joint structure.

[0029] Further, the proximal end of the transmission element is arranged inside the drive box;

[0030] The distal end of the transmission element sequentially extends through the guide channel inside the rod, the first transmission channel of the first connecting rod, and the second transmission channel of the second connecting rod;

[0031] The distal end of the transmission element is connected to the end effector;

[0032] The transmission element transmits motion, force, energy or fluid from inside the drive box to the end effector.

[0033] Furthermore, the number of the transmission elements is not less than one, and at least a portion of the transmission element is flexible.

[0034] Furthermore, the proximal end of the traction rope of the joint structure is arranged inside the drive box;

[0035] The distal end of the traction rope sequentially extends through the guide channel inside the rod, the first guide channel of the first connecting rod, and the second guide channel of the second connecting rod;

[0036] The distal end of the traction rope is fixed to the distal end of the second connecting rod at the distal side of the joint structure;

[0037] The proximal end of the traction rope is subjected to the tension from inside the driving box, causing the traction rope to move, thereby driving the distal end of the traction rope to move, and the distal end of the traction rope drives the second connecting rod at the distal end of the joint structure to rotate around the rotation axis relative to the first connecting rod;

[0038] The end effector rotates around the rotation axis following the second link.

[0039] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0040] The joint structure provided by the present invention adopts a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod with complementary surfaces to form the joint structure, and drives the joint structure to move through a traction rope. Based on the characteristics of a large bending radius and a small bending stress of the traction rope, the requirements of multiple degrees of freedom and flexible movements of surgical instruments can be met, and the structure is simple and economical.

[0041] The surgical instrument provided by the present invention, by adapting to the above-mentioned joint structure, can effectively optimize the structure, reduce the use cost and increase the service life while meeting the surgical requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of a surgical instrument to which the present invention is applied;

[0043] Figure 1B It is a schematic diagram of an enlarged structural part of a surgical instrument joint;

[0044] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the joint structure;

[0045] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the center plane of the pin groove;

[0046] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the center plane of the pin slot, the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis;

[0047] Figure 5A It is a schematic diagram when the joint structure is not rotated;

[0048] Figure 5B It is a schematic diagram of the joint structure swinging to the positive left direction;

[0049] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a transmission element and a transmission channel;

[0050] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of force analysis when the joint structure does not rotate;

[0051] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of force analysis when the joint structure rotates;

[0052] Fig. 9A The traction rope force when the joint structure does not rotate The force arm Schematic diagram of

[0053] Fig. 9B The traction rope force when the joint structure rotates θ degrees The force arm Schematic diagram of

[0054] Fig.10 The pulling force of the traction rope The force arm A graph showing the length changing with the rotation angle θ of the joint structure;

[0055] Fig.11A is a graph showing the total path length of the traction rope as a function of the rotation angle;

[0056] Fig. 11B A graph showing the total path length of the traction rope as a function of the rotation angle according to another exemplary embodiment;

[0057] Fig.12 The pulling force of the traction rope Graph showing the change in the rotation angle θ of the joint structure.

[0058] The meanings of the numbers in the figure are as follows: 10, first connecting rod; 11, first joint; 111, first limiting portion; 12, first guide channel; 13, first transmission channel; 20, second connecting rod; 21, second joint; 211, second limiting portion; 22, second guide channel; 23, second transmission channel; 30, traction rope; 40, rotating pin; 50, end actuator; 60, rod; 70, drive box; 80, transmission element; 90, pin groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0060] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are 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 limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and the like are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", and the like may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0061] 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, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by specific circumstances. Embodiment 1

[0062] Reference Figure 1A , Figure 1B , Figure 2 , a joint structure suitable for surgical instruments, comprising a first connecting rod 10 and a second connecting rod 20, a traction rope 30, a rotating pin 40 and a pin shaft groove 90. The first connecting rod 10 is located on the proximal side of the second connecting rod 20. The first connecting rod 10 is provided with a first joint portion 11, and the second connecting rod 20 is provided with a second joint portion 21. The first joint portion 11 and the second joint portion 21 respectively include complementary contact surfaces, and at least one of the complementary contact surfaces includes a spherical structure, and the spherical structure includes a spherical center O. The complementary contact surfaces contact each other to form a rotatable connection and form a rotation axis Z, that is, the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod can rotate relative to each other around the rotation axis Z, and the rotation axis passes through the spherical center O of the spherical structure. During the rotation process, the two complementary contact surfaces are not completely separated, and at least a part of the spherical structure remains in contact with the complementary contact surface of the other connecting part. It should be understood that in this embodiment, both complementary contact surfaces are spherical surfaces. In other embodiments, it is not limited to the above, and other structures can also be selected, such as one contact surface is a spherical surface and the other complementary contact surface is a plurality of raised points, and the two are in multi-point contact.

[0063] The rotating pin 40 and the pin shaft groove 90 are arranged on the first connecting rod 10 and the second connecting rod 20, wherein the rotating pin 40 is arranged on one of the first joint part 11 and the second joint part 21, and the pin shaft groove 90 is arranged on the other of the first joint part 11 and the second joint part 21, and the rotating pin 40 and the pin shaft groove 90 are connected to each other in a relatively slidable manner. The rotating pin 40 can be a complete pin shaft, or a plurality of concentric pin shafts; the pin shaft can be a part of the first connecting rod 10 or the second connecting rod 20, or an additionally installed structural member. When the first joint part 11 rotates relative to the second joint part 21, the axis of the rotating pin 40 always passes through the center O of the spherical structure, and at least a part of the rotating pin 40 keeps in contact with the pin shaft groove 90, so that the rotating pin 40 is restricted to slide or rotate in the pin shaft groove 90, and the cooperation between the rotating pin 40 and the inner wall of the pin shaft groove 90 restricts the first connecting rod 10 or the second connecting rod 20 from rotating around its own axis.

[0064] Reference Figure 3 The first joint portion 11 includes a first limiting portion 111, and the second joint portion 21 includes a second limiting portion 211. When the first joint portion 11 and the second joint portion 21 rotate to the point where the first limiting portion 111 and the second limiting portion 211 are in contact, the two limiting portions abut against each other to form a mechanical limit, thereby preventing the first connecting rod 10 and the second connecting rod 20 from continuing to rotate relative to each other until the limit rotation angle is reached (the limit position is not reached in the figure). At this time, at least a portion of the two symmetrical rotating pins 40 is still inside the pin shaft groove 90. If the second connecting rod 20 has a torque T rotating around its own axis, the two rotating pins will have a distance to the rotation center caused by the torque T. The force f is balanced with it, that is , limiting the second connecting rod 20 from rotating around its own axis relative to the first connecting rod 10.

[0065] Reference Figure 4, the pin slot 90 is provided with a center plane S, the center plane S passes through the center point O of the spherical structure, and when the first joint part rotates relative to the second joint part, the axis of the rotating pin 40 is always located in the center plane S. The joint structure includes a first rotation axis X1 and a second rotation axis X2, the first rotation axis X1 passes through the center point O of the spherical structure, and always coincides with the axis of the rotating pin 40 during the movement of the rotating pin 40 in the pin slot 90, the second rotation axis X2 passes through the center point O of the spherical structure, and is perpendicular to the center plane S of the pin slot 90. The relative rotation of the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod is formed by the combination of their rotation around the first rotation axis X1 and the rotation around the second rotation axis X2, and the formed rotation axis Z can be the first rotation axis X1 or the second rotation axis X2 in special cases. When the rotation axis Z is the first rotation axis X1, the rotating pin 40 rotates in the pin slot 90; when the rotation axis Z is the second rotation axis X2, the rotating pin 40 slides in the pin slot 90; in other cases, the rotating pin 40 both slides and rotates in the pin slot 90. Figure 2 As shown, the rotation axis Z is the second rotation axis X2, and the rotating pin 40 slides in the pin shaft groove 90.

[0066] A first guide channel 12 is provided in the first connecting rod 10, and a second guide channel 22 is provided in the second connecting rod 20. The first guide channel 12 terminates at the first joint portion 11 of the first connecting rod 10, and the second guide channel 22 terminates at the second joint portion 21 of the second connecting rod 20, and the first guide channel corresponds to the second guide channel. The traction rope 30 extends through the first guide channel 12 in the first connecting rod 10 and the second guide channel 22 in the second connecting rod 20, and the traction rope 30 includes an extension portion, and the extension portion of the traction rope is located between the first guide channel 12 of the first connecting rod and the second guide channel 22 of the second connecting rod. The traction rope 30 causes the first connecting rod 10 and the second connecting rod 20 to articulate relative to each other around the rotation axis Z in response to the tension applied to the traction rope 30 in the proximal direction. The number of traction ropes can determine the degree of freedom of the joint structure. Preferably, the number of traction ropes is set at two or more, and at least a part of them is flexible. Specifically, in this embodiment, four steel wire ropes are selected for the traction rope, which are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. In other embodiments, the number, type, and distribution position of the traction ropes may be different. Applying tension to the traction ropes near the joint structure may cause the second link to move in pitch and yaw relative to the first link about the rotation axis.

[0067] See also Figure 5A , Figure 5B, the traction ropes 31, 32, 33, and 34 extend through the guide channels on the first and second connecting rods respectively, and the traction rope extension parts 311, 321, 331, and 341 are located between the guide channels, and the two traction ropes on the left are tensioned synchronously, and the two traction ropes on the right are released and extended, and the second connecting rod swings to the positive left direction relative to the first connecting rod around the rotation axis (the second rotation axis X2). During the swinging process, the traction ropes 31, 33 and the traction ropes 32, 34 are each a group. During the swinging movement, the length of the traction rope extension part 311 shortened by tension is equal to the length of the traction rope extension part 331 released and extended, and the same applies to the traction rope extension part 321 and the traction rope extension part 341. The distribution position of the traction rope can determine the influence of the traction rope on the relative rotation of the first and second connecting rods. For example, a group of traction ropes is set to be distributed on the central plane S of the pin shaft groove 90, and tension is applied to the traction rope on the left side of the group of traction ropes, so that the joint structure can swing to the positive left direction.

[0068] Embodiment 2:

[0069] See also Figure 1A , Figure 1B A surgical instrument using the joint structure also includes an end effector 50, a transmission element 80, a rod 60, and a drive box 70. The end effector 50 is a component at the end of the surgical instrument that directly performs surgical operations, such as a forceps head, tweezers, etc. and their supporting parts. The transmission element 80 transmits the motion, force, energy or fluid of the proximal side of the surgical instrument to the end effector 50 for the surgical operation performed by the end effector 50. The rod 60 is a slender rod with a guide channel inside for the traction rope and the transmission element to pass through. The drive box 70 is at least used to drive the traction rope and the end effector. The drive box 70 is connected to the proximal end of the rod 60, the distal end of the rod 60 is connected to the proximal end of the first connecting rod 10 located on the proximal side of the joint structure, and the end effector 50 is connected to the distal end of the second connecting rod 20 located on the distal side of the joint structure.

[0070] See also Figure 6, the joint structure includes a transmission channel, wherein the first connecting rod 10 is provided with at least one first transmission channel 13, the first transmission channel 13 terminates at the first joint part 11; the second connecting rod 20 is provided with at least one second transmission channel 23, the second transmission channel terminates at the second joint part 21; the first transmission channel and the second transmission channel correspond to each other. The transmission channel is used to accommodate the transmission element 80, the proximal end of the transmission element is arranged inside the drive box, the distal end of the transmission element sequentially extends through the guide channel inside the rod, the first transmission channel of the first connecting rod, and the second transmission channel of the second connecting rod, and finally connected to the end effector to transmit the motion, force, energy or fluid from the inside of the drive box to the end effector. The number of the transmission elements is not less than 1, and at least a part of the transmission element is flexible. It can be understood that the function, type and number of the transmission elements are different in different embodiments. In this example, the transmission element is a push-pull flexible shaft, the number of the first transmission channel and the second transmission channel are both 1, and the transmission element converts the rotational motion in the drive box into the opening and closing motion of the end effector.

[0071] In the surgical instrument of this embodiment, the proximal end of the traction rope 30 of the joint structure is arranged inside the driving box 70, and the distal end of the traction rope 30 sequentially extends through the guide channel inside the rod 60, the first guide channel 12 of the first connecting rod 10, and the second guide channel 22 of the second connecting rod 20, and is fixed to the distal end of the second connecting rod 20 at the distal side of the joint structure. The proximal end of the traction rope 30 moves due to the tension from the inside of the driving box 70, thereby driving the distal end of the traction rope 30 to move, and the distal end of the traction rope 30 drives the second connecting rod 20 at the distal end of the joint structure to rotate around the rotation axis Z relative to the first connecting rod 10, thereby causing the end effector 50 to rotate around the rotation axis Z following the second connecting rod 20, thereby realizing the flexible movement of the end effector 50 with multiple degrees of freedom, and performing surgical operations.

[0072] Embodiment three:

[0073] This embodiment illustrates the benefits of the present invention from the perspective of traction ropes. Traction ropes are generally flexible ropes such as steel wire ropes. The radius of the steel wire rope when it is bent is directly related to the bending strength and durability of the steel wire rope. When the steel wire rope is bent, the outer edge is pulled and the inner edge is compressed. The load is reallocated on the metal cross-sectional area of ​​the steel wire rope. Some steel wires will inevitably suffer additional stress due to the bending, reducing the fatigue life of the steel wire rope. The two are inversely proportional to the bending radius of the steel wire rope, that is, the smaller the bending radius, the greater the bending stress and the shorter the fatigue life. When the steel wire rope is bent, bending stress will be formed inside it. , according to the empirical formula

[0074]

[0075] In the above formula is the elastic modulus of the wire rope, is the outer wire diameter of the wire rope, is the bending diameter.

[0076] The steel wire rope in the existing surgical instruments is entangled around the pulley, and the radius of the pulley is generally within 2mm. The bending radius of the steel wire rope is small. It can be seen from the formula that the additional bending stress on the steel wire rope is large, the steel wire rope is easy to fatigue, and the life is short. When the surgical instrument is working normally, the pulley is subjected to a large force, and hard materials such as metal materials need to be used to ensure its normal life requirements. In the present invention, the bending radius of the traction rope is significantly improved, which is more than 1.5 times the bending radius of the existing surgical instrument steel wire rope, the number of bending times is reduced, the bending stress on the rope is reduced, and the fatigue life of the traction rope is improved.

[0077] When the surgical instrument is working, the stress analysis of the joint structure is as follows: Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown. Before rotation, according to the force balance and torque balance, for the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod respectively:

[0078]

[0079] According to the moment balance, the traction rope has:

[0080]

[0081] After rotation, according to the torque balance, the traction rope has:

[0082]

[0083] In the above formula When the surgical instrument is working, the external load borne by the end effector can generate a torque component at the joint structure. The first connecting rod is subjected to the force of the proximal end of the surgical instrument in the X and Y directions. The first link is subjected to the force of the second link in the X and Y directions. The second link is subjected to the force of the first link in the X and Y directions. and is the tension on the traction rope, for The distance to the center O of the spherical structure, for and The distance to the center O of the spherical structure, is the distance from the center O of the spherical structure to the fixed position of the first connecting rod, is the system torque, After rotation The distance to the center of rotation, After rotation The distance to the center of rotation.

[0084] like Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown in the figure, before and after the joint structure rotates, the force given by the traction rope The force arm Approximately equal to , the force of the traction rope The force arm It changes with the rotation angle θ, such as Fig. 9A , Fig. 9B As shown, the lever arm It can be approximately equal to the distance from the center O of the spherical structure to the straight line AB. Assume that the initial coordinates of points A and B are , with the change of the rotation angle θ, the coordinates of points A and B are , , then the equation of line AB is:

[0085]

[0086] The force given by the traction rope is The force arm for:

[0087] Specifically, in this embodiment, A0 (4.5, -3), B0 (-2, -3.6), refer to Fig.10 , the joint structure is in the rotation range of 0 to 55 degrees. As the rotation angle θ increases, the force given by the traction rope The force arm It gradually increases first and then decreases. Fig.11A The total path length of the traction rope member changes with the rotation angle of the joint structure. The change in the total path length is related to the coordinates of the points A0 and B0. For example, in another exemplary embodiment, A0 (4.5, -3) and B0 (-1.3, -3.6) provide better length conservation within a rotation range of 55 degrees. The total path length of the traction rope member changes with the rotation angle of the joint structure as shown in FIG11B.

[0088] refer to Fig.12 , under load force Under the same conditions, the pulling force of the traction rope As the rotation angle θ changes and the pulling force of the traction rope is not high, the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are subjected to small forces, the material strength requirement is reduced, and economical materials such as plastics can be used.

[0089] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A joint structure, characterized in that: include: A first connecting rod (10), a second connecting rod (20) and a traction rope (30), wherein: A first joint portion (11) and a second joint portion (21) are respectively provided at adjacent ends of the first connecting rod (10) and the second connecting rod (20); contact surfaces of the first joint portion (11) and the second joint portion (21) are complementary; the complementary contact surfaces are in contact with each other and are rotatably connected to form a rotation axis; At least one of the contact surfaces of the first joint portion (11) and the second joint portion (21) is a spherical structure, and the rotation axis passes through the center of the spherical structure; The traction rope (30) passes through the first connecting rod (10) and is fixed to the second connecting rod (20). Tension is applied to the traction rope (30) to drive the second connecting rod (20) to rotate relative to the first connecting rod (10) around the rotation axis. During the rotation, at least a portion of the first joint portion (11) remains in contact with a complementary contact surface of the second joint portion (21); It also includes a rotating pin (40) and a pin shaft groove (90), wherein the rotating pin (40) is slidably connected to the pin shaft groove (90), the pin shaft groove (90) is formed on the first joint portion (11), and the rotating pin (40) is disposed on the second joint portion (21); When the first joint portion (11) rotates relative to the second joint portion (21), at least a portion of the rotating pin (40) remains in contact with the pin shaft groove (90), so that the rotating pin (40) is always restricted in the pin shaft groove (90) to slide or rotate.

2. The joint structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pin shaft groove (90) is provided with a central plane, the central plane passing through the center of the spherical structure, and when the first joint part (11) rotates relative to the second joint part (21), the axis of the rotating pin (40) is always located in the central plane.

3. The joint structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rotation of the second connecting rod (20) relative to the first connecting rod (10) is a combination of its rotation around the first rotation axis and its rotation around the second rotation axis, wherein: The first rotation axis passes through the center of the spherical structure and always coincides with the axis of the rotating pin (40) during the movement of the rotating pin (40) in the pin slot (90); The second rotation axis passes through the center of the spherical structure and is perpendicular to the center plane of the pin groove (90).

4. The joint structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the traction ropes (30) is at least two.

5. The joint structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first guide channel (12) and a second guide channel (22), wherein: The first guide channel (12) is arranged on the first connecting rod (10) and is used for allowing the traction rope (30) to pass through the first connecting rod (10) and be connected to the second connecting rod (20); The second guide channel (22) is arranged on the second connecting rod (20) and is used to fix the traction rope (30) and the second connecting rod (20); It also comprises a first transmission channel (13) and a second transmission channel (23), wherein the first transmission channel (13) and the second transmission channel (23) are respectively arranged in the middle of the first connecting rod (10) and the second connecting rod (20).

6. A surgical instrument, characterized in that: The surgical instrument comprises a joint structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the surgical instrument further comprises: An end effector (50) for performing a surgical operation; a transmission element (80) for transmitting motion, force, energy or fluid proximal to the surgical instrument to the end effector (50) for use in the surgical operation performed by the end effector (50); A drive box (70), at least used to drive the traction rope (30) and the end effector (50); and A rod (60), wherein a guide channel is provided inside the rod (60); Wherein: the driving box (70) is connected to the proximal end of the rod (60); The distal end of the rod (60) is connected to the proximal end of the first connecting rod (10) located on the proximal side of the joint structure; The end effector (50) is connected to the distal end of a second connecting rod (20) located at the distal side of the joint structure.

7. The surgical instrument according to claim 6, characterized in that: The proximal end of the transmission element (80) is arranged inside the drive box (70); The distal end of the transmission element (80) sequentially extends through the guide channel inside the rod (60), the first transmission channel (13) of the first connecting rod (10), and the second transmission channel (23) of the second connecting rod (20); The distal end of the transmission element (80) is connected to the end effector (50); The transmission element (80) transmits motion, force, energy or fluid from inside the drive box (70) to the end effector (50).

8. The surgical instrument according to claim 6, characterized in that: The number of the transmission element (80) is not less than one, and at least a portion of the transmission element (80) is flexible.

9. The surgical instrument according to claim 6, characterized in that: The proximal end of the traction rope (30) of the joint structure is arranged inside the drive box (70); The distal end of the traction rope (30) extends sequentially through the guide channel inside the rod (60), the first guide channel (12) of the first connecting rod (10), and the second guide channel (22) of the second connecting rod (20); The distal end of the traction rope (30) is fixed to the distal end of the second connecting rod (20) on the distal side of the joint structure; The proximal end of the traction rope (30) is subjected to tension from inside the drive box (70), causing the traction rope (30) to move, thereby driving the distal end of the traction rope (30) to move. The distal end of the traction rope (30) drives the second connecting rod (20) located at the distal end of the joint structure to rotate around the rotation axis relative to the first connecting rod (10); The end effector (50) rotates around the rotation axis following the second connecting rod (20).

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