End-end operation arm of biopsy sampling robot for internal breast lymph node operation

Abstract

The invention discloses a tail end operation arm of an inner breast lymph node operation biopsy sampling robot, and relates to the field of medical instruments. The problem that an existing flexible operation arm is poor in flexibility due to the fact that the rotation angle of a joint is limited is solved. A middle section is installed at the tail of an instrument channel arm ball joint, a plurality of inner pipes are embedded in the instrument channel arm ball joint, a plurality of tool arm ball joints are arranged in a radial shape and located at the head of the instrument channel arm ball joint, a passive flexible section is embedded in each inner pipe, and each passive flexible section is connected with one tool arm ball joint; the tool arm ball joint and the instrument channel arm ball joint are both composed of a plurality of ball joints, each ball joint comprises a connecting cylinder, a hollow boss and a hollow semi-arc-shaped ball body, the connecting cylinder, the hollow boss and the hollow semi-arc-shaped ball body are coaxially connected in sequence from left to right and are connected into a whole, and the diameter of the hollow boss is smaller than that of the connecting cylinder. The internal breast lymph node sampling device is used for internal breast lymph node operation and biopsy sampling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an operating arm used on a surgical robot actuator, in particular to a terminal operating arm of an internal mammary lymph node surgical biopsy sampling robot, belonging to the field of medical devices. Background Art

[0002] Internal mammary lymph nodes (IMLN) are an important pathway for breast cancer lymphatic metastasis. They are often located 1.0-1.5 cm from the lateral edge of the sternum, embedded in the fat and connective tissue on the inner surface of the costal cartilage and internal intercostal muscles. They are located no more than 3.0 cm from the lateral edge of the sternum, with an average of 4 nodes, distributed along the internal mammary artery and vein, mostly at the level of the 1-3 intercostal spaces, but the range of occurrence includes the 1-6 intercostal spaces. Due to the deep location of the internal mammary lymph nodes and the rich surrounding tissues, it is relatively difficult to evaluate and sample them. Traditional surgery requires the removal of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th costal cartilages through the chest wall, and then the removal of the internal mammary lymph nodes located in the thorax. This surgery has been gradually abandoned due to its disadvantages such as large trauma and many complications. The internal mammary lymph node biopsy and sampling surgical robot system controls the bending of the flexible instrument channel to bypass the ribs to reach the surgical position, and then the flexible surgical tool extends from the instrument channel to complete the biopsy and sampling of the internal mammary lymph nodes, which has the advantages of less trauma and low risk of postoperative complications.

[0003] When the actuator performs the surgical task, an incision is made in the 4th intercostal space 3-4cm away from the outer edge of the sternum into the pleural cavity. The incision is about 120° to the sternum, and carbon dioxide gas is introduced through the incision to expand the surgical space. The continuum robot enters the pleural cavity through the incision, bends around the ribs to reach the surgical position. After adjusting to a suitable posture, the robot drives the wire to tighten so that the flexible segment has a certain rigidity to maintain the shape unchanged. Thus, a rigid cavity leading to the surgical position is established. Two continuum operating arms and an endoscope extend from the internal working channel of the continuum robot to perform the surgical task. The endoscope can monitor the entire surgical process. Finally, the continuum robot exits the human body with the removed specimen. At present, the research work on the biopsy sampling actuator of the internal mammary lymph node surgery robot in China is still in a blank stage.

[0004] However, in terms of the flexible operating arm, the announcement number is CN116172719A, and the patent name is an invention patent for a flexible joint assembly, a surgical instrument, and a surgical robot. The first joint, at least one of the connecting joints, and the second joint in the flexible joint assembly are rotatably connected in sequence, and the clip is provided between at least two adjacent joints, and one end of the clip is connected to one of the joints, and the other end is movably connected to the other joint. In other words, by providing a clip between two adjacent joints, the patent can improve the compression bearing capacity of the flexible joint assembly while ensuring that the two adjacent joints can rotate smoothly, and can also play a radial limiting role on the two relative joints, and can also improve the stability of the connection and coordination between multiple joints of the flexible joint assembly.

[0005] The two connecting parts 11 of the two adjacent joints are respectively a convex truncated cone 12 and a concave arc groove 13, and the truncated cone 12 is embedded in the arc groove 13 and can rotate relative to the arc groove 13, so that the two adjacent joints can rotate relative to each other, and then the flexible joint assembly 10 can rotate a certain angle, thereby improving the flexibility of surgical operation. However, since the rotation angle between the two adjacent joints is limited, generally between 20°-45°, this will lead to the problem of poor flexibility in actual use.

[0006] In summary, the existing flexible operating arms have the problem of poor flexibility due to the limited rotation angle of the joints. Summary of the invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problem of poor flexibility of existing flexible operating arms due to limited joint rotation angles, and further provide an end operating arm of an internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot.

[0008] The technical solution of the present invention is: an end operating arm of an internal mammary lymph node surgical biopsy sampling robot includes multiple inner tubes, multiple tool arm ball joints, passive flexible sections, instrument channel arm ball joints and a middle section, the middle section is installed at the tail of the instrument channel arm ball joint, multiple inner tubes are embedded in the instrument channel arm ball joint, multiple tool arm ball joints are arranged radially and located at the head of the instrument channel arm ball joint, each inner tube is embedded with a passive flexible section, and each passive flexible section is connected to a tool arm ball joint; the tool arm ball joint and the instrument channel arm ball joint are both composed of multiple ball joints, the ball joints include a connecting cylinder, a hollow boss and a hollow semi-arc sphere, the connecting cylinder, the hollow boss and the hollow semi-arc sphere are coaxially connected in sequence from left to right and connected into one body, and the diameter of the hollow boss is smaller than the diameter of the connecting cylinder.

[0009] Furthermore, the connecting cylinder, the hollow boss and the hollow semi-arc sphere are coaxially connected in sequence from left to right and are connected into one by rope driving.

[0010] Furthermore, the rotation angle between two adjacent ball joints is 0°-14°.

[0011] Preferably, the cumulative rotation angle of the instrument channel arm ball joint is 0°-210°.

[0012] Furthermore, the number of ball joints on the instrument channel arm ball joint is 15-20.

[0013] Preferably, the number of ball joints on the instrument channel arm ball joint is 16.

[0014] Furthermore, a wire hole is opened on the ball joint of the instrument channel arm, and the driving mode adopts rope drive. The length of the driving rope is changed by the linear motor to control the flexible segment module to achieve two-degree-of-freedom bending deformation.

[0015] Furthermore, the number of the tool arm ball joints is 3.

[0016] Preferably, a clamp, an electrocoagulation knife and a camera are respectively embedded in the ball joint of the tool arm.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following effects:

[0018] 1. The end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node surgery biopsy sampling robot of the present invention is used on the biopsy sampling actuator of the internal mammary lymph node surgery robot. When performing the surgical task, an incision is made into the pleural cavity at the 4th intercostal space 3-4 cm away from the outer edge of the sternum. The direction of the incision is approximately 120° to the sternum, and carbon dioxide gas is introduced through the incision to expand the surgical space. The continuum robot on the biopsy sampling actuator enters the pleural cavity through the incision, and bends around the ribs to reach the surgical position through the bending section in the actuator (that is, the end operating arm in the present invention). It effectively avoids the disadvantage of the prior art that the costal cartilage of the human body needs to be removed. At the same time, by flexibly adjusting the bending degree of the flexible section in the actuator, it can effectively avoid damage to important organs or tissues of the human body, thereby ensuring the safety of the patient during the biopsy sampling process.

[0019] 2. The end operating arm of the present invention is adjusted to a suitable posture, and then the robot drives the steel wire to tighten so that the flexible section has a certain rigidity to keep the shape unchanged. Thus, a rigid cavity leading to the surgical position is established. Two continuum operating arms (referring to the clamp and the electrocoagulation knife) and an endoscope (referring to the camera) extend from the internal working channel (referring to the inner tube 7) of the continuum robot to perform the surgical task. The endoscope can monitor the entire surgical process. Finally, the continuum robot exits the human body with the removed specimen. The entire operation process is simple and highly controllable.

[0020] 3. At present, the research work on the biopsy sampling actuator of the internal mammary lymph node surgery robot is still in a blank stage in China. The present invention adopts a rope drive scheme, which can keep the driver (motor) with larger mass away from the end actuator, reduce the inertia of the end actuator, occupy less space, and is very suitable for the narrow space in the chest cavity. From the perspective of clinical surgery, there is only one incision during the entire operation, and the degree of damage to the human body is relatively low; the actuator can directly bypass the ribs to reach the surgical site, avoiding thoracotomy, and greatly improving the safety of the operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a longitudinal sectional view of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the ball joint 1-1.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention when used on a biopsy sampling actuator of an internal mammary lymph node surgery robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Specific implementation method 1: Combination Figures 1 to 4 To illustrate this embodiment, this embodiment includes multiple inner tubes 7, which also include multiple tool arm ball joints 4, passive flexible sections 5, instrument channel arm ball joints 6 and middle section 8. The middle section 8 is installed at the tail of the instrument channel arm ball joint 6, and multiple inner tubes 7 are embedded in the instrument channel arm ball joint 6. Multiple tool arm ball joints 4 are arranged radially and are located at the head of the instrument channel arm ball joint 6. Each inner tube 7 is embedded with a passive flexible section 5, and each passive flexible section 5 is connected to a tool arm ball joint 4; the tool arm ball joint 4 and the instrument channel arm ball joint 6 are both composed of multiple ball joints 1-1, and the ball joint 1-1 includes a connecting cylinder 1-1-1, a hollow boss 1-1-2 and a hollow semi-arc sphere 1-1-3. The connecting cylinder 1-1-1, the hollow boss 1-1-2 and the hollow semi-arc sphere 1-1-3 are coaxially connected in sequence from left to right and connected into one body, and the diameter of the hollow boss 1-1-2 is smaller than the diameter of the connecting cylinder 1-1-1.

[0026] Since the actuator uses a wire (wire rope) drive solution, the driver (motor) with a larger mass can be kept away from the end actuator, reducing the inertia of the end actuator and occupying less space, which is very suitable for the narrow space in the chest cavity. From the perspective of clinical surgery, there is only one incision during the entire operation, which causes less damage to the human body; the actuator can directly bypass the ribs to reach the surgical site, avoiding open-chest surgery, and greatly improving the safety of the operation.

[0027] Specific implementation method 2: Combination Figure 3 To illustrate this embodiment, the connecting cylinder 1-1-1, the hollow boss 1-1-2 and the hollow semi-arc sphere 1-1-3 of this embodiment are coaxially connected in sequence from left to right and connected into one by rope drive.

[0028] In this way, the role of the hollow boss 1-1-2 is to limit the rotation angle between two adjacent ball joints 1-1, especially when the motor is out of control, it can ensure that the relative rotation angle between the two adjacent ball joints 1-1 is limited to 14°, and the rotation angle of the entire flexible section is 0°-210°, which is more flexible and safe to use. Other components and connection relationships are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0029] Specific implementation method three: Combination Figures 1 to 4 To illustrate this embodiment, the rotation angle between two adjacent ball joints 1 - 1 in this embodiment is 0°-14°.

[0030] In this way, the hollow bosses 1-1-2 of two adjacent ball joints 1-1 are in contact with each other to form the limit angle of rotation. The limit angle can be calculated to be 14° through geometric relationship. By controlling the movement of the driving rope, the two adjacent ball joints 1-1 can rotate between 0° and 14°. The other components and connection relationships are the same as those of the second embodiment.

[0031] Specific implementation method four: Combination Figures 1 to 4 To illustrate this embodiment, the cumulative rotation angle of the instrument channel arm ball joint 6 of this embodiment is 0°-210°.

[0032] In this way, there is a certain geometric relationship between the rotation angle of the instrument channel arm ball joint 6 and the change in the length of the driving wire rope, and the instrument channel arm ball joint 6 can be changed within 0°-210° by controlling the movement of the driving rope. Other components and connection relationships are the same as those in the third embodiment.

[0033] Specific implementation method five: Combination Figures 1 to 4 To illustrate this embodiment, the number of ball joints 1 - 1 on the instrument channel arm ball joint 6 of this embodiment is 15-20.

[0034] With such arrangement, when the ball joint 1 - 1 forms a flexible section, the number of the ball joint 1 - 1 is preferably 16. Other components and connection relationships are the same as any one of the specific embodiments 1 to 4.

[0035] Combined with the descriptions in Specific Embodiments 1 to 5, the working principle of the end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot of the present invention is:

[0036] The driving wire on the end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node surgical biopsy sampling robot passes through the wire holes on the 16 ball joints 1-1 to connect and fix the flexible section, and a certain pre-tightening force is set to make it have a certain rigidity to keep the shape unchanged. Through the relative rotation of adjacent ball joints, the end has flexible bending freedom in two directions, thereby ensuring the flexibility of the end movement.

[0037] The flexible segment adopts a hollow design and is embedded with three flexible inner tubes 1-3. The flexible tool arm (referring to the terminal surgical tool) can pass through it and extend out to complete real-time imaging, lighting and biopsy sampling related operations during the operation. The flexible segment is connected and fixed to the tool arm drive assembly at the rear end through the middle segment 1-2.

[0038] Specific implementation method six: Combination Figures 1 to 4 This embodiment is described. The number of ball joints 1-1 on the instrument channel arm ball joint 6 of this embodiment is 16. With such a configuration, the length and rotation angle range of the instrument channel arm joint 6 are suitable for the environment in the chest cavity, and can reach most surgical positions in the chest cavity, and can well complete the surgical operation. The other components and connection relationships are the same as any one of the specific embodiments 1 to 5.

[0039] Specific implementation method seven: Combination Figures 1 to 4 This embodiment is described. A wire hole is provided on the ball joint 6 of the instrument channel arm of this embodiment. The driving method is rope driving. The length of the driving rope is changed by a linear motor to control the flexible segment module to achieve two-degree-of-freedom bending deformation. With such a configuration, the driving method is simple and the control accuracy is high. The other components and connection relationships are the same as any one of the specific embodiments 1 to 6.

[0040] Specific implementation method eight: Combination Figures 1 to 4 The present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the number of the tool arm ball joints 4 is three.

[0041] Such arrangement facilitates selection of appropriate degrees of freedom according to surgical conditions. Other components and connection relationships are the same as any one of the specific implementation modes 1 to 7.

[0042] Specific implementation method nine: Combination Figures 1 to 4 To describe this embodiment, a clamp 1, an electrocoagulation knife 2 and a camera 3 are respectively embedded in the tool arm ball joint 4 of this embodiment.

[0043] With such arrangement, the angles between the axes of the clamp 1, electrocoagulation knife 2 and camera 3 in this embodiment after extending out of the inner tube 1-3 and the axis of the flexible section are all 15°. The function of this is that when extended, the surgical space can be effectively saved and the corresponding tissues of the human body are not easily touched, thereby minimizing the corresponding damage to the human body.

[0044] In addition, the clamp 1, the electrocoagulation knife 2 and the camera 3 are in a bent state after extending the flexible section, and the degree of bending is determined by the surgical position. During the specific bending process, it is also achieved by rope drive, and the bending part is a ball joint rotating series, which has a simple structure, is easy to implement, and is reliable and stable.

[0045] The other components and connection relationships are the same as any one of the specific implementation modes 1 to 8.

[0046] The three tool arm ball joints 4 of the present invention are fixed to the instrument channel arm ball joint 6 through the tool arm fixing frame. The tool arm steel wire passes through the steel wire holes on the 20 small ball joints (the camera tool arm has 10 small ball joints) to connect and fix the flexible section, so that the end has flexible bending freedom in two directions.

[0047] The instrument channel arm ball joint 6 is inserted into the inner tube, and the passive flexible segment 5 can adapt to the shape of the inner tube to allow the flexible tool arm to pass through it, completing real-time imaging, lighting and biopsy sampling related operations during the operation. The flexible segment is connected and fixed to the rear-end drive module part through the flexible segment joint 2-6.

[0048] The drive system of the electrocoagulation knife arm and the camera arm is powered by three linear motors, which pull or release the pre-tightened wire to drive the end. The clamp arm also needs to provide the degree of freedom of opening and closing the clamp, so it is driven by four linear motors. The linear motor is fixed in the motor seat, and the push rod of each linear motor is connected to the cable fixture. The tail end of the wire is connected to the cable fixture to achieve horizontal stretching or expansion of the drive wire. The drive wire is connected to the end of the tool arm through the guide wheel group and the flexible segment to realize the transmission of motion.

[0049] When the present invention is installed on the actuator, the tool arm has a feeding system, the driving system is connected to the nut seat by bolts, and the DC motor is driven to control the linear motion of the feeding system to drive the tool arm to realize the feeding freedom of the tool arm. Therefore, each tool arm has three degrees of freedom, namely two bending degrees of freedom and one feeding degree of freedom.

[0050] The entire actuator is connected to the sliding platform through a base by bolts, and the linear motion module is controlled by a driving motor to drive the actuator body to achieve high-precision linear feed motion. Therefore, the present invention also has three degrees of freedom, namely two bending degrees of freedom and one feeding degree of freedom.

[0051] Combination Figures 1 to 4 The working principle of the present invention is described:

[0052] Each operating arm is driven by three driving wires, which pass through the wire holes on the ball joint 4 and the instrument channel arm ball joint 6 to connect and fix the flexible section, and a certain preload is set to give it a certain rigidity to keep its shape unchanged. The adjacent ball joints rotate relative to each other, so that the end has flexible bending freedom in two directions, thereby ensuring the flexibility of the end movement. The flexible section adopts a hollow design, with three flexible inner tubes 7 embedded inside, through which the flexible tool arm can pass and extend to complete the real-time imaging, lighting and biopsy sampling related operations during the operation. The flexible section is connected and fixed to the rear-end drive module part through the middle section 8.

[0053] The working principle of the end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node surgical biopsy sampling robot is to control the motor of the flexible instrument channel according to the pre-planned drive according to the motion plan with the help of a pre-written motion control program, so that the end bends and bypasses the ribs to reach the internal mammary lymph node surgical position, releasing three flexible surgical tool arms. The doctor then controls the tool arms through master-slave control to complete surgical operations such as internal mammary lymph node biopsy and sampling.

[0054] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robotic end manipulator for biopsy sampling of internal mammary lymph nodes, comprising a plurality of inner tubes (7), characterized in that: It also includes a plurality of tool arm ball joints (4), a passive flexible section (5), an instrument channel arm ball joint (6) and a middle section (8). The middle section (8) is installed at the tail of the instrument channel arm ball joint (6), a plurality of inner tubes (7) are embedded in the instrument channel arm ball joint (6), a plurality of tool arm ball joints (4) are arranged radially and located at the head of the instrument channel arm ball joint (6), each inner tube (7) is embedded with a passive flexible section (5), and each passive flexible section (5) is connected to a tool arm ball joint (4); The tool arm ball joint (4) and the instrument channel arm ball joint (6) are both composed of a plurality of ball joints (1-1), wherein the ball joint (1-1) comprises a connecting cylinder (1-1-1), a hollow boss (1-1-2) and a hollow semi-arc sphere (1-1-3), wherein the connecting cylinder (1-1-1), the hollow boss (1-1-2) and the hollow semi-arc sphere (1-1-3) are coaxially connected in sequence from left to right and connected into one body, and the diameter of the hollow boss (1-1-2) is smaller than the diameter of the connecting cylinder (1-1-1).

2. The end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting cylinder (1-1-1), the hollow boss (1-1-2) and the hollow semi-arc sphere (1-1-3) are coaxially connected in sequence from left to right and connected into one body by rope driving.

3. The end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rotation angle between two adjacent ball joints (1-1) is 0°-14°.

4. The end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cumulative rotation angle of the instrument channel arm ball joint (6) is 0°-200°.

5. The end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The number of ball joints (1-1) on the instrument channel arm ball joint (6) is 15-20.

6. The end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that: The number of ball joints (1-1) on the instrument channel arm ball joint (6) is 16.

7. The end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: A wire hole is provided on the ball joint (6) of the instrument channel arm, and a rope drive is adopted as a driving mode. The length of the driving rope is changed by a linear motor to control the flexible segment module to realize two-degree-of-freedom bending deformation.

8. The end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The number of the tool arm ball joints (4) is 3.

9. The end operating arm of the internal mammary lymph node biopsy sampling robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: A clamp (1), an electrocoagulation knife (2) and a camera (3) are respectively embedded in the tool arm ball joint (4).

Images