Multi-branched parallel surgical effector

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of multi-branched parallel operation actuators, and the actuator is provided with curved portion at one end of installation surgical tool, and has five degrees of freedom;Curved portion is composed of front end connector, intermediate connector, support tube, parallel joint, three tube connectors and three concentric tubes;Parallel joint is composed of three groups of motion hinges uniformly distributed along the circumference of support tube;One end of each group of motion hinges is fixedly connected to front end connector, middle part can freely slide through intermediate connector, and the other end is fixedly connected with tube connector;Tube connector is fixedly connected with corresponding concentric tube;Support tube is concentrically arranged on the outer circumferential side of concentric tube, and is fixedly connected with driving mechanism and intermediate connector;Support tube and concentric tube are connected with driving mechanism.The above-mentioned actuator solves the problem that the existing surgical robot is large in size, difficult to be compatible with other surgical tools, poor in flexibility, insufficient in rigidity and motion accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and more specifically to a multi-branch parallel surgical actuator. Background Technology

[0002] Existing technology discloses a flexible surgical tool system with a pre-driven input. Based on a continuum mechanism, it uses uniformly distributed spacers to prevent structural bone instability under pressure. The structural bone's shape remains unchanged under stress through guiding channels, sleeve structures, or multi-cavity structures. The structural bone utilizes elastic tubes or elastic rods; when using elastic tubes, rods can pass through the middle. Simultaneously, existing technology also discloses a flexible continuum surgical robot that can be used to assist in the treatment of gastric and colon cancer. This robot consists of an end-effector bending mechanism, rigid rods, a drive and bending control mechanism, and a linear motion module. The robot's flexible arm employs a three-stage serial structure, with each stage capable of independent bending. Each stage of the flexible arm is composed of several rigid units connected together, with ball joints connecting every two units to ensure flexible rotation. A cable is fixed at the front end of each stage, and bending of the flexible arm can be achieved through the control of four motors. The linear motion module enables axial translation of the entire robot, while the rotation control mechanism enables axial rotation of the flexible arm.

[0003] However, the two types of surgical robots mentioned above have the following drawbacks: It is difficult to design multi-degree-of-freedom motion actuators within a small size, meaning it is challenging to design actuators with multi-degree-of-freedom motion and adjustable stiffness within a constrained, small size; the spatial arrangement of the drive wires in the actuators is not compact enough, leaving little space for larger channels for inserting other instruments, making them incompatible with other surgical tools; flexible robots face difficulties in achieving large-angle bending with small bending radii, resulting in poor flexibility in confined surgical environments; and traditional parallel mechanisms in small sizes have limited stiffness and motion accuracy due to the limited number of branches. Therefore, existing surgical robots suffer from problems such as large size, difficulty in compatibility with other surgical tools, poor flexibility, and insufficient stiffness and motion accuracy in small-sized parallel mechanisms. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a multi-branch parallel surgical actuator, which solves the problems of existing surgical robots being large in size, difficult to be compatible with other surgical tools, poor flexibility, and insufficient rigidity and motion accuracy.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following specific technical solution:

[0006] A multi-branch parallel surgical actuator, the actuator comprising surgical tools, an actuator and a drive mechanism;

[0007] The actuator is installed between the surgical tool and the drive mechanism. A bending portion is provided at one end where the surgical tool is installed, and it has five degrees of freedom: two bending degrees of freedom in two directions, one bending radius adjustment degree of freedom, one axial movement degree of freedom, and one rotational degree of freedom.

[0008] The curved section consists of a front connector, an intermediate connector, a support tube, a parallel joint, three tube connectors, and three concentric tubes; along the direction from the surgical tool toward the actuator, the front connector, the intermediate connector, the tube connector, and the three concentric tubes are distributed sequentially; the parallel joint consists of three sets of motion hinges evenly distributed along the circumference of the support tube; the tube connectors, the motion hinges, and the concentric tubes correspond one-to-one;

[0009] One end of each set of motion hinges is fixedly connected to the front connector, the middle part can slide freely through the middle connector, and the other end is fixedly connected to the corresponding pipe connector; the pipe connector is fixedly connected to the corresponding concentric circular pipe.

[0010] The support tube is concentrically sleeved on the outer periphery of the concentric circular tube, the tube connector and the intermediate connector, and is fixedly connected to the drive mechanism to realize axial movement, thereby controlling the length adjustment of the bent part.

[0011] The concentric circular tubes are all fixedly connected to the driving mechanism, and are used to control axial movement through the driving mechanism, thereby controlling the corresponding motion hinges to achieve bending of the curved part.

[0012] Furthermore, the motion hinge consists of two elastic rods, or two nickel-titanium ropes and two stainless steel hoses;

[0013] One end of each of the two nickel-titanium ropes is fixedly connected together and to the front end connector; each nickel-titanium rope is fixed in a stainless steel flexible tube to achieve a motion hinge similar to a ball joint in a Stewart mechanism; the stainless steel flexible tube passes through the intermediate connector and is fixedly connected to the corresponding tube connector.

[0014] One end of the elastic rod is fixedly connected to the front end connector, and the other end passes through the intermediate connector and is fixedly connected to the corresponding pipe connector.

[0015] Furthermore, both the front-end connector and the intermediate connector are provided with a central channel for the surgical tool to be driven and for the sensors to pass through;

[0016] The front end of the connector is provided with a threaded hole for installing the surgical tool, and an elliptical groove corresponding to the motion hinge is provided in the side wall.

[0017] The elliptical groove is used to fix the nickel-titanium rope or the elastic rod.

[0018] Furthermore, the intermediate connector has six through holes in its side wall for the stainless steel hose or the elastic rod to pass through.

[0019] Each of the pipe connectors is provided with two through holes for fixing and installing the stainless steel flexible hose or the elastic rod;

[0020] The pipe connector is an arc-shaped plate with a central angle of 120°;

[0021] Each concentric circular tube is provided with an arc-shaped plate for fixing the tube connector.

[0022] Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the front connector is provided with adhesive grooves that correspond one-to-one with and communicate with the elliptical grooves;

[0023] The outer circumferential surface of the pipe connector is provided with adhesive grooves that correspond one-to-one with the internal through holes;

[0024] The nickel-titanium rope or the elastic rod is bonded to the front connector by a metal adhesive dripped into the glue tank.

[0025] The stainless steel flexible hose or the elastic rod is inserted into the through hole of the pipe connector and bonded to the pipe connector by dripping metal adhesive into the glue tank.

[0026] Furthermore, the concentric circular tube includes a first driving tube, a second driving tube, and a third driving tube that are concentrically nested.

[0027] The drive mechanism includes a bracket, a fixed support, a rotating module, a first drive component, a second drive component, a first linear motion module, a second linear motion module, and a third linear motion module;

[0028] One end of the support tube is fixedly installed on the fixed support member; the fixed support member is rotatably installed on the bracket; the rotating module is fixedly installed on the bracket and is used to drive the fixed support member to rotate around the axis of the support tube.

[0029] The first linear motion module, the second linear motion module, and the third linear motion module are all fixedly mounted on the bracket;

[0030] One end of the first drive tube is fixedly connected to the first drive member, and the first drive member is slidably mounted on the first linear motion module along the axial direction of the first drive tube.

[0031] One end of the second drive tube is fixedly connected to the second drive member, and the second drive member is slidably mounted on the second linear motion module along the axial direction of the outer sleeve.

[0032] One end of the third drive tube is fixedly connected to the third linear motion module.

[0033] Furthermore, the bracket is provided with a sliding groove that extends horizontally and is perpendicular to the axial direction of the support tube;

[0034] The rotation module is used to convert linear motion into rotational motion and includes a slider, a first circular iron disc, and a connecting rope.

[0035] The slider is slidably mounted in the groove;

[0036] The first circular iron plate is located outside the bracket and is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the slider;

[0037] One end of the connecting rope is fixedly connected to the outer circular surface of the fixed support, and the other end is fixedly connected to the slider.

[0038] The first circular iron disc is used to magnetically attract the first electromagnet, and the movement of the first electromagnet is converted into the rotation of the fixed support through the connecting rope.

[0039] Furthermore, along the vertical direction, the first linear motion module, the second linear motion module, and the third linear motion module are arranged at intervals from top to bottom;

[0040] The first driving component includes an inclined first plate, a vertical first plate, and a first fixing component fixedly installed on the first vertical plate; the bottom end of the first inclined plate is fixedly connected to the top end of the first vertical plate; the first driving tube is fixedly connected to the first fixing component.

[0041] The second driving component includes an inclined second plate, a vertical second plate, and a second fixing component fixedly installed on the second vertical plate. The bottom end of the second inclined plate is fixedly connected to the top end of the second vertical plate. The second driving tube is fixedly connected to the second fixing component.

[0042] Furthermore, the first linear motion module, the second linear motion module, and the third linear motion module all include a guide rail fixedly mounted on the bracket and a slide table that slides with the guide rail;

[0043] The first driving component is fixedly connected to the slide of the first linear motion module; the second driving component is fixedly connected to the slide of the second linear motion module.

[0044] Each slide is fixedly connected to a round iron disc that is magnetically attracted to the electromagnet.

[0045] Furthermore, the support tube is a thin-walled stainless steel tube;

[0046] The elastic rod is a nickel-titanium rod.

[0047] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0048] This invention proposes a multi-branch parallel surgical actuator under constrained dimensions. The parallel joint of the curved section consists of three sets of kinematic hinges. Each set of kinematic hinges comprises a connecting component module consisting of two elastic rods or two nickel-titanium ropes fixed in a stainless steel flexible tube. Each set of kinematic hinges is fixed to a tube connector, and the three tube connectors are respectively fixed to three concentric circular tubes. The three concentric circular tubes and the support tube concentrically sleeved on the outside are connected to the drive mechanism and driven and controlled by the drive mechanism. The use of a concentric circular tube structure makes the structure compact. Each set of kinematic hinges can slide freely in the intermediate connecting component of the actuator. The multi-branch... The design enhances the stiffness and precision of the parallel mechanism. This structure enables the surgical actuator to achieve a multi-branch parallel mechanism design within a small size, allowing for five-degree-of-freedom motion. Furthermore, its outer diameter is smaller than that of surgical actuators with the same function, resulting in a compact structure, small size, and high load capacity and precision. The hollow structure provides ample space at the center to accommodate other surgical tools, drives, and other components, facilitating compatibility with other surgical instruments. The bending radius of the surgical actuator is adjustable and can be small, offering multiple degrees of freedom and high flexibility, allowing for changes in stiffness according to surgical requirements. Attached Figure Description

[0049] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-branch parallel surgical actuator of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the actuator.

[0051] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the actuator;

[0052] Figure 4a This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a nickel-titanium rope and a stainless steel flexible hose.

[0053] Figure 4b This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an elastic rod;

[0054] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the front-end connector;

[0055] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the intermediate connector;

[0056] Figure 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of a pipe connector;

[0057] Figure 8 This is an exploded structural diagram of the pipe connector and the drive pipe;

[0058] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the drive mechanism;

[0059] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the degree of freedom distribution of the driving mechanism.

[0060] Among them, 1-surgical tool, 2-actuator, 3-drive mechanism, 201-front connector, 202-intermediate connector, 203-support tube, 204-first tube connector, 205-second tube connector, 206-third tube connector, 207-second round tube, 211-nickel-titanium rope, 212-stainless steel flexible tube, 213-elastic rod, 2011-elliptical groove, 2012-glue groove, 2021-through hole, 2022-central channel, 300-support, 301-fixed Fixed support component, 302-rotation module, 303-first driving component, 304-second driving component, 305-first linear motion module, 306-second linear motion module, 307-third linear motion module, 308-slider, 309-circular iron plate, 310-first fixing component, 311-second fixing component, 3051-first guide rail, 3052-first slide table, 3061-second guide rail, 3062-second slide table, 3071-third guide rail, 3072-third slide table. Detailed Implementation

[0061] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0062] This invention provides a multi-branch parallel surgical actuator, such as... Figure 1 As shown in the structure, the actuator includes a surgical tool 1, an actuator 2, and a drive mechanism 3; the surgical tool 1 contains various instruments that can be installed at the end of the actuator 2, and the channel for driving the surgical tool 1 is located at the center of the actuator 2;

[0063] The actuator 2 is installed between the surgical tool 1 and the drive mechanism 3. A bending part is provided at one end where the surgical tool 1 is installed, and it has five degrees of freedom: two bending degrees of freedom in two directions, one bending radius adjustment degree of freedom, one axial movement degree of freedom, and one rotational degree of freedom. The stiffness of the bending part can be adjusted by adjusting the bending radius degree of freedom.

[0064] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the curved section consists of a front connector 201, an intermediate connector 202, a support tube 203, a parallel joint, three tube connectors, and three concentric tubes. Along the direction from the surgical instrument 1 towards the actuator 2, the front connector 201, intermediate connector 202, tube connectors, and three concentric tubes are sequentially distributed. The parallel joint consists of three sets of motion hinges evenly distributed circumferentially along the support tube 203. The tube connectors, motion hinges, and concentric tubes correspond one-to-one. Each set of motion hinges can be composed of two nickel-titanium ropes 211 and two stainless steel flexible tubes 212. One end of each nickel-titanium rope 211 is fixedly connected together and to the front connector 201. Figure 4a As shown, each nickel-titanium rope 211 is fixed in a stainless steel flexible tube 212 to achieve a motion hinge similar to a ball joint in a Stewart mechanism; the stainless steel flexible tube 212 passes through the intermediate connector 202 and is fixedly connected to the corresponding tube connector; each set of motion hinges can also consist of two elastic rods 213, the distribution structure of the two elastic rods is the same as that of the two stainless steel flexible tubes 212, and the structure of a single elastic rod 213 is as follows. Figure 4b As shown, one end of each of the two elastic rods 213 is connected together and fixedly connected to the front connector 201, and the other end passes through the intermediate connector 202 and is fixedly connected to the corresponding tube connector; the elastic rod 213 can be a nickel-titanium rod; the bending part has two degrees of freedom of bending in two directions and one degree of freedom of bending radius adjustment; the surgical actuator as a whole has axial movement and rotational degrees of freedom, and the overall forward, backward and rotation movements all require a motion unit independent of the surgical actuator to realize them; Figure 10 The diagram shows the degree of freedom distribution of the drive mechanism 3. The drive mechanism 3 realizes the drive of four degrees of freedom. The power input for the overall rotation comes from the round iron block connected to the electromagnet. The power input for the linear motion comes from the first round iron block, the second round iron block, and the third round iron block connected to the electromagnet. The first round iron block is fixedly installed on the first slide table 3052, the second round iron block is fixedly installed on the second slide table 3062, and the third round iron block is fixedly installed on the third slide table 3072.

[0065] One end of each set of motion hinges is fixedly connected to the front connector 201, the middle part can slide freely through the intermediate connector 202, and the other end is fixedly connected to the corresponding pipe connector; the pipe connector is fixedly connected to the corresponding concentric circular pipe, such as... Figure 3 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the parallel joint has three sets of kinematic hinges. The bending portion is equipped with three pipe connectors corresponding to each set of kinematic hinges and three concentric circular tubes. The three pipe connectors are the first pipe connector 204, the second pipe connector 205, and the third pipe connector 206. The three concentric circular tubes are the first drive tube, the second drive tube, and the third drive tube, which are concentrically nested. The first pipe connector 204 is fixedly connected to the corresponding first drive tube, the second pipe connector 205 is fixedly connected to the corresponding second drive tube, and the third pipe connector 206 is fixedly connected to the corresponding third drive tube. The three concentric circular tubes are not shown separately in the figure. The diagram shows the connection structure of component 205 and the corresponding second drive tube. The tube connector and the corresponding drive tube are riveted together, or welded or bonded. All drive tubes are composed of round tubes. Both the front connector 201 and the intermediate connector 202 have a central channel 2022 for driving the surgical tool 1 and for the sensor to pass through. The front connector 201, the intermediate connector 202, and the central channel 2022 of the concentric round tubes form the driving space for the surgical tool 1. The front end of the front connector 201 has a threaded hole for mounting the surgical tool 1, and its side wall has elliptical grooves 2011 corresponding to the motion hinges. Three elliptical grooves 2011 are provided in the side wall of the front connector 201. Figure 5 As shown, the elliptical groove 2011 is used to fix the ends of the two nickel-titanium ropes 211 or the two elastic rods 213 that constitute each set of motion hinges;

[0066] The support tube 203 is concentrically sleeved on the outer periphery of the concentric circular tube, the tube connector and the intermediate connector 202. One end is fixedly connected to the intermediate connector 202 and the other end is fixedly connected to the drive mechanism 3. It is used to realize the rotation around the axis of the support tube 203 through the drive mechanism 3. The support tube 203 can be a thin-walled stainless steel tube with length and rigidity that meet the surgical requirements.

[0067] The concentric tubes are all fixedly connected to the drive mechanism 3, which is used to control the axial movement through the drive mechanism 3, thereby controlling the corresponding motion hinge to achieve the bending of the bent part.

[0068] In one specific implementation, such as Figure 6 As shown, the intermediate connector 202 has six through holes 2021 in its side wall for threading stainless steel flexible hoses 212 or elastic rods 213. When the moving hinge consists of two nickel-titanium ropes 211 and two stainless steel flexible hoses 212, each through hole 2021 is used to thread one nickel-titanium rope 211 and a stainless steel flexible hose 212 sleeved outside the nickel-titanium rope 211. When the moving hinge consists of two elastic rods 213, each through hole 2021 is used to thread one elastic rod 213. Figure 7 As shown, each pipe connector has two through holes 2021 for fixing and installing a stainless steel flexible hose 212 or an elastic rod 213. The two through holes of the pipe connector are axially opposite to two of the through holes 2021 of the intermediate connector 202. The pipe connector is an arc-shaped plate with a central angle of 120°. Figure 8 As shown, each concentric circular tube is provided with an arc-shaped plate for fixing the connecting pipe fittings.

[0069] like Figure 5 As shown, the outer peripheral surface of the front connector 201 has adhesive grooves 2012 that correspond one-to-one with and communicate with the elliptical grooves 2011; the outer peripheral surface of the pipe connector has adhesive grooves 2012 that correspond to the internal through holes; the nickel-titanium rope 211 or the elastic rod 213 is bonded to the front connector 201 by dripping metal adhesive into the adhesive groove 2012; the stainless steel hose 212 or the elastic rod 213 is inserted into the through hole of the pipe connector and bonded to the pipe connector by dripping metal adhesive into the adhesive groove, which facilitates the fixing of the stainless steel hose 212 or the elastic rod 213 to the pipe connector.

[0070] like Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the drive mechanism 3 includes a bracket 300, a fixed support 301, a rotating module 302, a first drive component 303, a second drive component 304, a first linear motion module 305, a second linear motion module 306, and a third linear motion module 307.

[0071] One end of the support tube 203 is rotatably mounted on the fixed support member 301, which provides rotational support for the support tube 203. The fixed support member 301 is supported by the bracket 300. The rotating module 302 is fixedly mounted on the bracket 300 and is used to drive the support tube 203 to rotate around its own axis. The rotating module 302 is used to convert linear motion into rotational motion and includes a slider 308, a first circular iron disc 309, and a connecting rope. The bracket 300 is provided with an axis extending horizontally and perpendicular to the support tube 203. A vertical groove is formed; a slider 308 is slidably installed in the groove; a first circular iron plate 309 is located outside the bracket 300 and is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the slider 308; one end of a connecting rope is fixedly connected to the outer surface of the support tube 203, and the other end is fixedly connected to the slider 308; the first circular iron plate 309 is used to magnetically attract a first electromagnet, and the movement of the first electromagnet is converted into the rotation of the support tube 203 through the connecting rope; the power source drives the first electromagnet to move while simultaneously driving the first circular iron plate 309;

[0072] The first linear motion module 305, the second linear motion module 306, and the third linear motion module 307 are all fixedly installed on the bracket 300. Vertically, the first linear motion module 305, the second linear motion module 306, and the third linear motion module 307 are arranged at intervals from top to bottom. One end of the first drive tube is fixedly connected to the first drive member 303, which is slidably mounted on the first linear motion module 305 along the axial direction of the first drive tube. One end of the second drive tube is fixedly connected to the second drive member 304, which is slidably mounted on the second linear motion module 306 along the axial direction of the outer sleeve. One end of the third drive tube is fixedly connected to the third linear motion module 307.

[0073] The first driving component 303 includes an inclined first inclined plate, a vertical first vertical plate, and a first fixing member 310 fixedly installed on the first vertical plate; the bottom end of the first inclined plate is fixedly connected to the top end of the first vertical plate; the first driving tube is fixedly connected to the first fixing member 310. The second driving component 304 includes an inclined second inclined plate, a vertical second vertical plate, and a second fixing member 311 fixedly installed on the second vertical plate; the bottom end of the second inclined plate is fixedly connected to the top end of the second vertical plate; the second driving tube is fixedly connected to the second fixing member 311. While the first driving tube is installed on the first fixing member 310 of the first vertical plate, the second driving tube and the third driving tube need to pass through the first vertical plate, and the third driving tube needs to pass through the second vertical plate, so that the second driving tube can be fixedly connected to the second fixing member 311 on the second vertical plate, and the third driving tube can be fixedly connected to the third linear motion module 307.

[0074] The first linear motion module 305, the second linear motion module 306, and the third linear motion module 307 all include guide rails fixedly mounted on the bracket 300 and slides that slide with the guide rails. Parallel guide rails are provided on both sides of the bracket 300, allowing each slide to be guided by two parallel guide rails, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the sliding motion. Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown in the structure, the first linear motion module 305 includes two first guide rails 3051 parallel to the bracket 300 and a first slide 3052 slidably engaged with the two first guide rails 3051, the first slide 3052 spanning the two first guide rails 3051; the second linear motion module 306 includes two second guide rails 3061 parallel to the bracket 300 and a second slide 3062 slidably engaged with the two second guide rails 3061, the second slide 3062 spanning the two second guide rails 3061; the third linear motion... Module 307 includes two third guide rails 3071 arranged parallel to each other on the bracket 300 and a third slide 3072 slidably engaged with the two third guide rails 3071. The third slide 3072 spans across the two third guide rails 3071. A first drive member 303 is fixedly connected to the first slide 3052. A second drive member 304 is fixedly connected to the second slide 3062. Each slide is fixedly connected to a round iron disc that is magnetically attracted to an electromagnet. Power input is achieved through the magnetic attraction between the electromagnet and the round iron disc, which facilitates the rapid disconnection and connection of the power source.

[0075] The above embodiment proposes a multi-branch parallel surgical actuator under constrained dimensions. The actuator 2 includes a bendable portion, which is achieved through a front connector 201, an intermediate connector 202, a support tube 203, a parallel joint, three tube connectors, and three concentric circular tubes. The parallel joint consists of three sets of motion hinges, each set of motion hinges consisting of a connecting component module with two elastic rods 213 or two nickel-titanium ropes 211 fixed in a stainless steel flexible tube 212. Each set of motion hinges is fixed to a tube connector, and the three tube connectors are respectively fixed to the three concentric circular tubes. The three concentric circular tubes and the support tube 203 concentrically sleeved on the outside are connected to the drive mechanism 3 and driven and controlled by the drive mechanism 3. The tubular structure makes the structure compact, and each set of motion hinges can slide freely in the intermediate connector 202 of the actuator 2. The multi-branch design helps to improve the stiffness and accuracy of the parallel mechanism. Due to the above structure, the surgical actuator can realize a multi-branch parallel mechanism design in a small size, and can achieve five degrees of freedom of motion in a small size. Moreover, its outer diameter is smaller than that of a surgical actuator with the same function, resulting in a compact structure, small size, and high load and accuracy. The hollow structure leaves a large space in the center, which can accommodate other surgical tools 1, drive components, etc., and facilitates compatibility with other surgical tools 1. The bending radius of the surgical actuator can be adjusted and can have a small bending radius. It has many degrees of freedom and strong flexibility, and the stiffness can be changed according to the requirements of the procedure.

[0076] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A multi-branch parallel surgical actuator, characterized in that, This includes surgical instruments, actuators, and drive mechanisms; The actuator is installed between the surgical tool and the drive mechanism. A bending portion is provided at one end where the surgical tool is installed, and it has five degrees of freedom: two bending degrees of freedom in two directions, one bending radius adjustment degree of freedom, one axial movement degree of freedom, and one rotational degree of freedom. The curved section consists of a front connector, an intermediate connector, a support tube, a parallel joint, three tube connectors, and three concentric tubes; along the direction from the surgical tool toward the actuator, the front connector, the intermediate connector, the tube connector, and the three concentric tubes are distributed sequentially; the parallel joint consists of three sets of motion hinges evenly distributed along the circumference of the support tube; the tube connectors, the motion hinges, and the concentric tubes correspond one-to-one; One end of each set of motion hinges is fixedly connected to the front connector, the middle part can slide freely through the middle connector, and the other end is fixedly connected to the corresponding pipe connector; the pipe connector is fixedly connected to the corresponding concentric circular pipe. The support tube is concentrically sleeved on the outer periphery of the concentric circular tube, the tube connector and the intermediate connector. One end is fixedly connected to the intermediate connector and the other end is fixedly connected to the drive mechanism, and is used to realize rotation around its axis through the drive mechanism. The concentric circular tubes are all fixedly connected to the driving mechanism, and are used to control axial movement through the driving mechanism, thereby controlling the corresponding motion hinges to achieve bending of the bent part; The motion hinge consists of two elastic rods, or two nickel-titanium ropes and two stainless steel hoses; One end of each of the two nickel-titanium ropes is fixedly connected together and to the front end connector; each nickel-titanium rope is fixed in a stainless steel flexible tube to achieve a motion hinge similar to a ball joint in a Stewart mechanism; the stainless steel flexible tube passes through the intermediate connector and is fixedly connected to the corresponding tube connector. One end of the elastic rod is fixedly connected to the front end connector, and the other end passes through the intermediate connector and is fixedly connected to the corresponding pipe connector. Both the front-end connector and the middle connector are provided with a central channel for the surgical tool to be driven and for the sensors to pass through. The front end of the connector is provided with a threaded hole for installing the surgical tool, and an elliptical groove corresponding to the motion hinge is provided in the side wall. The elliptical groove is used to fix the nickel-titanium rope or the elastic rod; The intermediate connector has six through holes in its side wall for inserting the stainless steel flexible hose or the elastic rod. Each of the pipe connectors is provided with two through holes for fixing and installing the stainless steel flexible hose or the elastic rod; The pipe connector is an arc-shaped plate with a central angle of 120°; Each concentric circular tube is provided with an arc-shaped plate for fixing the tube connector.

2. The multi-branch parallel surgical actuator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer peripheral surface of the front connector is provided with a glue groove that corresponds to and communicates with the elliptical groove. The outer circumferential surface of the pipe connector is provided with adhesive grooves that correspond one-to-one with the internal through holes; The nickel-titanium rope or the elastic rod is bonded to the front connector by a metal adhesive dripped into the glue tank. The stainless steel flexible hose or the elastic rod is inserted into the through hole of the pipe connector and bonded to the pipe connector by dripping metal adhesive into the glue tank.

3. The multi-branch parallel surgical actuator as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The concentric circular tube includes a first driving tube, a second driving tube, and a third driving tube that are concentrically nested together; The drive mechanism includes a bracket, a fixed support, a rotating module, a first drive component, a second drive component, a first linear motion module, a second linear motion module, and a third linear motion module; One end of the support tube is rotatably mounted to the fixed support member; the fixed support member is supported by the bracket; the rotating module is fixedly mounted to the bracket and is used to drive the support tube to rotate. The first linear motion module, the second linear motion module, and the third linear motion module are all fixedly mounted on the bracket; One end of the first drive tube is fixedly connected to the first drive member, and the first drive member is slidably mounted on the first linear motion module along the axial direction of the first drive tube. One end of the second drive tube is fixedly connected to the second drive member, and the second drive member is slidably mounted on the second linear motion module along the axial direction of the second drive tube. One end of the third drive tube is fixedly connected to the third linear motion module.

4. The multi-branch parallel surgical actuator as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The bracket is provided with a sliding groove that extends horizontally and is perpendicular to the axial direction of the support tube. The rotation module is used to convert linear motion into rotational motion and includes a slider, a first circular iron disc, and a connecting rope. The slider is slidably mounted in the groove; The first circular iron plate is located outside the bracket and is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the slider; One end of the connecting rope is fixedly connected to the outer circular surface of the support tube, and the other end is fixedly connected to the slider; The first circular iron disc is used to magnetically attract the first electromagnet, and the movement of the first electromagnet is converted into the rotation of the support tube by the connecting rope.

5. The multi-branch parallel surgical actuator as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Along the vertical direction, the first linear motion module, the second linear motion module, and the third linear motion module are arranged at intervals from top to bottom; The first driving component includes an inclined first plate, a vertical first plate, and a first fixing component fixedly installed on the first vertical plate; the bottom end of the first inclined plate is fixedly connected to the top end of the first vertical plate; the first driving tube is fixedly connected to the first fixing component. The second driving component includes an inclined second plate, a vertical second plate, and a second fixing component fixedly installed on the second vertical plate. The bottom end of the second inclined plate is fixedly connected to the top end of the second vertical plate. The second driving tube is fixedly connected to the second fixing component.

6. The multi-branch parallel surgical actuator as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The first linear motion module, the second linear motion module, and the third linear motion module all include a guide rail fixedly installed on the bracket and a slide table that slides with the guide rail; The first driving component is fixedly connected to the slide of the first linear motion module; the second driving component is fixedly connected to the slide of the second linear motion module. Each slide is fixedly connected to a round iron disc that is magnetically attracted to the electromagnet.

7. The multi-branch parallel surgical actuator as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The support tube is a thin-walled stainless steel tube; The elastic rod is a nickel-titanium rod.

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