Snakelike joint for surgical robot, operating arm and surgical robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a snakelike joint for a surgical robot, an operating arm and the surgical robotic.The snakelike joint comprises a first connector, a second connector and a joint ring which are matched with each other, and the joint ring is provided with two sets of gears which are meshed with the first connector and the second connector all the time and are arranged in a spatial orthogonality mode; the plane where the rotating track of the joint ring is located is perpendicular to the plane where the rotating track of the second connector is located. According to the snakelike joint for the surgical robot, the joint ring with the front space gear and the rear space gear meshed is adopted as a joint structure, the higher supporting capacity is achieved, and therefore the bearing capacity of the snakelike joint for the surgical robot is improved, and meanwhile the meshing precision is improved; the connecting plates with rigid strength are arranged, so that the rigidity of the snakelike joint is further improved, meanwhile, the center distance of meshing of the gears can be fixed, the side faces of the joint are limited, and dislocation of the gears is prevented; and meanwhile, the traction rope focuses on controlling the rotating angle of the snake-shaped joint, so that the control difficulty of the traction rope is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of surgical robots, and in particular to a surgical robot used for minimally invasive surgery and a serpentine joint and an operating arm thereof. Background Art

[0002] Minimally invasive surgery refers to a surgical method that uses modern medical devices such as laparoscopes, thoracoscopes, laryngoscopes and related equipment to perform surgery in the human body cavity. Compared with traditional surgery, it has the advantages of less trauma, less pain, and faster recovery. In order to meet the flexibility required by the operation and to miniaturize the end-effector, surgical robots came into being.

[0003] As an innovative intelligent medical device, surgical robots can perform delicate surgical operations in human cavities, blood vessels and nerve-dense areas. They have the advantages of accurate positioning, less surgical trauma, low risk of infection and fast postoperative recovery, and can provide patients with safer and more efficient treatment. At present, laparoscopic surgical robots account for the largest share of the surgical robot market. Laparoscopic robots can be used for a variety of surgeries including cardiac surgery, general surgery, urology, thoracic surgery, hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, gynecology, etc.

[0004] Surgical robots are generally driven by ropes, with the bulky driving part placed outside the body, and the terminal structure inside the body is driven by the ropes. When performing single-port minimally invasive surgery and natural cavity surgery, multiple surgical instruments need to enter the body cavity from a single entrance, and the doctor uses both hands to operate the instruments to work together on the same target point. Therefore, the surgical instruments need to be laterally unfolded in a triangular shape inside the body cavity. For example, patent CN107683120A discloses a surgical robot, including a joint part composed of multiple bending joints. However, the bending angle of this surgical robot is limited by the bending joint, resulting in the need for other structures to cooperate when it needs to be twisted.

[0005] On this basis, patents CN106955161A and CN110269686A reveal two other surgical robots that use joints with serpentine twisting functions. However, such a structure results in insufficient rigidity during surgical operations, which undoubtedly reduces the motion control accuracy of the robotic arm.

[0006] Patent CN111437036A discloses a serpentine surgical robot for minimally invasive surgery. In order to improve the problem of insufficient joint stiffness, a mechanical arm with a continuum structure and a gear meshing structure is used. The mechanical arm stiffness can be effectively improved under the premise of ensuring the flexible movement and deformation ability of the end of the mechanical arm, and the coupling effect of the mechanical arm of the existing surgical robot can be solved or improved, and the motion control accuracy of the mechanical arm can be improved. However, such a split structure will lead to a complex structure of the surgical robot and an increase in cost. Moreover, its continuum structure is mainly a disc cam meshing, and the single-axis relative rotation angle can reach a maximum rotation range of about ±45°, and a combination form of a fixed meshing center is adopted. The two sides of the joint are hard-contacted by the external load-bearing surface. While ensuring the overall size of the serpentine joint, it inevitably causes the disc cam to be undercut, which brings about the problem of structural strength. The traction rope must take into account the fixed meshing center while controlling the rotation angle of the serpentine joint, which increases the difficulty of control, and the external load-bearing surface hinders the processing of the disc cam feature. Summary of the invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a surgical robot and its serpentine joint and operating arm for use in minimally invasive surgery.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: A serpentine joint for a surgical robot comprises a first joint and a second joint which cooperate with each other, and a joint ring which is located between the first joint and meshes with the second joint and plays a transition role, wherein the first joint, the second joint and the joint ring are powered by a driving member to cooperate with each other to achieve serpentine deformation in space distortion; the first joint comprises a body part and a first gear extending from the distal end of the body part; the second joint comprises a clamp body and a second gear extending from the proximal end of the clamp body; the first gear and the second gear are arranged orthogonally in space; The joint ring includes a main body, a third gear that is always meshed with the first gear is arranged at the proximal end of the main body, and a fourth gear that is always meshed with the second gear is arranged at the distal end of the main body, and the third gear and the fourth gear are arranged orthogonally in space, so that the plane where the rotation trajectory of the joint ring is located is perpendicular to the plane where the rotation trajectory of the second joint is located.

[0009] Preferably, the first gear is located on an extension plane of the main body, and a first pivot is vertically arranged on the extension plane; a third pivot is arranged on the main body of the joint ring; the first connecting plate with rigid strength has two pivot holes, and the first pivot and the third pivot are respectively inserted into the pivot holes to provide a rigid connection force when the joint ring rotates relative to the first joint.

[0010] Preferably, the second gear is located on the clamp body plane of the clamp body, and a second pivot is vertically arranged on the clamp body plane; a fourth pivot is arranged on the main body of the joint ring, and the second connecting plate with rigid strength has two pivot holes, and the second pivot and the fourth pivot are respectively inserted into the pivot holes to provide a rigid connecting force when the second joint rotates relative to the joint ring.

[0011] Preferably, the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate have the same shape.

[0012] Preferably, the first gear and the second gear respectively have a parallel and spaced-apart row structure, and the third gear and the fourth gear on the joint ring are meshing gears of the corresponding parallel row structure.

[0013] Preferably, the driving member is four traction ropes, the free ends of all the traction ropes are connected to the proximal end of the second joint, and the four traction ropes are arranged diagonally in pairs to form two groups of control units. The control ends of the two traction ropes of the first group of control units are fixed on the first rotating shaft and the winding directions of the two traction ropes are opposite, and the control ends of the two traction ropes of the second group of control units are fixed on the second rotating shaft and the winding directions of the two traction ropes are opposite.

[0014] Preferably, the free ends of the four traction ropes are connected to the proximal end of the second joint after passing through the through holes on the main body of the first joint and the through holes of the main body of the joint ring in sequence.

[0015] The present invention also discloses an operating arm, comprising an instrument box and a central axis rod fixed to each other, and an end instrument, wherein a driving module is arranged in the instrument box, and the driving module at least comprises a driving member extending outside the instrument box, and also comprises a serpentine joint for a surgical robot as described above, wherein the serpentine joint for a surgical robot connects the central axis rod and the end instrument, and the proximal end of the first joint is fixed to the distal end of the central axis rod.

[0016] Preferably, the driving member is located inside the central axis.

[0017] The present invention also discloses a surgical robot, comprising: a main operating table and a slave operating device, The main operating console is used to send control commands to the slave operating device according to the doctor's operation to control the slave operating device. The slave operating device is used to respond to the control commands sent by the main operating console and perform corresponding operations. The slave operating device includes: a robotic arm, a power mechanism arranged on the robotic arm, and an operating arm as described above arranged on the power mechanism. The robotic arm is used to adjust the position of the operating arm, the power mechanism is used to drive the operating arm to perform corresponding operations, and the end instrument of the operating arm is used to perform surgical operations.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention are mainly reflected in: 1. The serpentine deformation in space distortion is achieved by using the first joint, the second joint, and the joint ring that cooperate with each other. The joint ring with meshing front and rear space gears is used as the joint structure, which has a higher support capacity for the support structure during swinging, thereby improving the load-bearing capacity of the serpentine joint for the surgical robot, and also improving the meshing accuracy, which can achieve high bending accuracy of the serpentine joint for the surgical robot. In the surgical robot provided by the present invention, the serpentine joint is included, so that the end of the instrument or the imaging system can reach the desired position and posture; 2. A connecting plate with rigid strength is provided between the first joint and the joint ring, and between the joint ring and the second joint, which can not only further improve the rigidity of the serpentine joint, but also fix the center distance of the gear meshing and limit the side of the joint to prevent gear dislocation; 3. The use of standard gears (incomplete circles) for meshing can reduce the size of the meshing serpentine joint, while effectively enhancing the rotation range and reducing the difficulty of processing (the relative rotation angle of a single axis can reach a maximum rotation range of about ±70°), reducing the structural strength problems caused by root cutting, and allowing the traction rope to focus on controlling the rotation angle of the serpentine joint, greatly reducing the difficulty of controlling the traction rope. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 : A schematic structural diagram of a preferred embodiment of a serpentine joint of the present invention; Figure 2 : A schematic diagram of the structure of a preferred embodiment of a serpentine joint of the present invention in a bent state; Figure 3 : An exploded schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a serpentine joint of the present invention; Figure 4 : A schematic structural diagram of a joint ring of a preferred embodiment of a serpentine joint of the present invention; Figure 5 : A schematic structural diagram of a preferred embodiment of the operating arm of the present invention; Figure 6 : A schematic structural diagram of a driving module of a preferred embodiment of an operating arm of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments are not limited to the present invention, and any structural, methodological, or functional changes made by a person skilled in the art based on these embodiments are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] In the description of the scheme, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplified description, and do not indicate or imply 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 a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. Moreover, in the description of the scheme, with the operator as a reference, the direction close to the operator is the proximal end, and the direction away from the operator is the distal end.

[0022] like Figure 5 As shown, the present invention discloses an operating arm, including an instrument box 5 and a central axis rod 6 fixed to each other, and an end instrument, wherein a driving module is arranged in the instrument box 5, and the driving module at least includes a driving member extending outside the instrument box, and a serpentine joint is arranged at the distal end of the central axis rod 6, and the serpentine joint connects the central axis rod 6 and the end instrument.

[0023] Specific as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the serpentine joint includes a first joint 1 and a second joint 2 which cooperate with each other, and a joint ring 3 which is located between the two and meshes with the two and plays a transitional role.

[0024] The first joint 1 includes a body portion 11 and a first gear 12 extending from the distal end of the body portion 11. The proximal end of the first joint 1 is fixed to the distal end of the central axis rod 6. The first gear 12 is located on an extension plane 13 of the body portion 11, and a first pivot 14 is vertically arranged on the extension plane 13. In the preferred embodiment, the first gear 12 has two parts parallel to each other, which are respectively arranged on two symmetrical extension planes 13.

[0025] Similarly, the second joint 2 includes a pliers body 21 and a second gear 22 extending from the proximal end of the pliers body 21; the first gear 12 and the second gear 22 are arranged orthogonally in space. The second gear 22 is located on a pliers body plane 23 of the pliers body 21, and a second pivot 24 is vertically arranged on the pliers body plane 23. Similarly, the second gear 22 also has two parts parallel to each other, which are respectively arranged on two symmetrical pliers body planes 23.

[0026] The present invention is characterized in that an integrated rigid mechanism is designed: a joint ring 3. The joint ring 3 includes a main body 31, a third gear 32 which is always meshed with the first gear 12 is provided at the proximal end of the main body 31, a fourth gear 33 which is always meshed with the second gear 22 is provided at the distal end of the main body 31, and the third gear 32 and the fourth gear 33 are arranged orthogonally in space, so that the plane where the rotation trajectory of the joint ring 3 is located is perpendicular to the plane where the rotation trajectory of the second joint 2 is located.

[0027] like Figure 4 As shown, the first gear 12 and the second gear 22 have parallel and spaced row structures, that is, the first gear 12 / second gear 22 of each part are two pieces spaced from each other, and the driving member passes through the two pieces of gears. The third gear 32 and the fourth gear 33 on the joint ring 3 are meshing gears of the corresponding row structures. Such a design can ensure that the product is more rigid, and can also ensure that if one tooth fails, the other tooth is still in meshing state.

[0028] A third pivot 34 is provided on the main body 31 of the joint ring 3; the first connecting plate 41 with rigid strength has two pivot holes 43, and the first pivot 14 and the third pivot 34 are respectively inserted into the pivot holes 43 to provide a rigid connection force when the joint ring 3 rotates relative to the first joint 1.

[0029] A fourth pivot 35 is provided on the main body 31 of the joint ring 3, and the second connecting plate 42 with rigid strength has two pivot holes 43, and the second pivot 24 and the fourth pivot 35 are respectively inserted into the pivot holes 43 to provide a rigid connection force when the second joint 2 rotates relative to the joint ring 3.

[0030] In this preferred embodiment, the first connecting plate 41 and the second connecting plate 42 are of the same shape and are both symmetrically arranged. The connecting plate can not only further improve the rigidity of the serpentine joint, but also fix the center distance of the gear meshing and limit the side of the joint to prevent the gear from misaligning.

[0031] The first joint 1 , the second joint 2 , and the joint ring 3 are powered by a driving member to cooperate with each other to achieve serpentine deformation in space distortion. In the present invention, the driving member is four traction ropes located inside the central shaft 6 .

[0032] The four traction ropes are arranged diagonally in pairs to form two groups of control units. The control ends of the two traction ropes 82 and 83 of the first group of control units are fixed on the first rotating shaft 71 and the winding directions of the two traction ropes 82 and 83 are opposite. The control ends of the two traction ropes 81 and 84 of the second group of control units are fixed on the second rotating shaft 72 and the winding directions of the two traction ropes 81 and 84 are opposite. The first rotating shaft 71 and the second rotating shaft 72 are arranged in the instrument box 5.

[0033] The free ends of the four traction ropes are connected to the proximal end of the second joint 2 after passing through the through hole on the main body 11 of the first joint 1 and the through hole of the main body 31 of the joint ring 3 in sequence. The free ends of the four traction ropes are pressed with a section of capillary steel tube to achieve a limit position on the second joint 2.

[0034] In this preferred embodiment, the two-level joints can respectively complete the rotation control. Figure 2 That is, the meshing gears between the joint ring 3 and the first joint 1 rotate while the meshing gears between the joint ring 3 of the second joint 2 remain in place in a serpentine joint configuration. The control logic is that the traction ropes 82 and 83 of the diagonally arranged first group of control units are wound around and installed on the first rotating shaft 71, and the winding directions are opposite; similarly, the traction ropes 81 and 84 of the second group of control units are wound around and installed on the second rotating shaft 72, and the winding directions are opposite. In this way, the expansion and contraction amounts of the diagonally arranged traction ropes are complementary, and the force is balanced during the control of the serpentine joint. When the first rotating shaft 71 and the second rotating shaft 72 rotate in opposite directions with the same angular displacement, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As described, the traction ropes 83 and 84 have equal contraction amounts, and the traction ropes 81 and 82 have equal extension amounts, and the contraction amount is equal to the extension amount. The two-level joints then divide the corresponding expansion and contraction amounts of the traction ropes equally, thereby completing the separate control of the meshing gears between the joint ring 3 and the first joint 1; similarly, when the first rotating shaft 71 and the second rotating shaft 72 rotate in the same direction with the same angular displacement, the separate control of the meshing gears between the joint ring 3 of the second joint 2 can be completed; using this rule, the serpentine joint can be controlled to complete rotation at any angle within the permitted rotation range.

[0035] The instrument box 5 of the present invention integrates the motion and energy control unit, and is combined with the surgical robot to transmit the instructions of the surgical robot to the serpentine joint and the terminal instrument at the end; the central axis 6 ensures that the instrument has sufficient working length, and supports and protects the traction rope, energy transmission cable, and the control axis of the terminal instrument; the serpentine joint has a flexible direction-changing function, ensuring that the terminal instrument can operate the blood vessel or tissue at the best angle under complex working conditions. The terminal instrument in the present invention can integrate functions such as clamping forceps, electrode sheets, and cutting knives, and can clamp, close, and cut blood vessels or tissues.

[0036] The present invention also discloses a surgical robot, comprising: a main operating table and a slave operating device, The main operating console is used to send control commands to the slave operating device according to the doctor's operation to control the slave operating device. The slave operating device is used to respond to the control commands sent by the main operating console and perform corresponding operations. The slave operating device includes: a robotic arm, a power mechanism arranged on the robotic arm, and an operating arm as described above arranged on the power mechanism. The robotic arm is used to adjust the position of the operating arm, the power mechanism is used to drive the operating arm to perform corresponding operations, and the end instrument of the operating arm is used to perform surgical operations.

[0037] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each implementation mode may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0038] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of the present invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation methods or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A serpentine joint for a surgical robot, characterized in that: It comprises a first joint (1) and a second joint (2) which cooperate with each other, and a joint ring (3) which is located between the two and meshes with the two and plays a transition role, wherein the first joint (1), the second joint (2) and the joint ring (3) are powered by a driving member to cooperate with each other to achieve serpentine deformation in space distortion; The first joint (1) comprises a main body (11) and a first gear (12) extending from the far end of the main body (11); The second joint (2) comprises a clamp body (21), and a second gear (22) extending from the proximal end of the clamp body (21); the first gear (12) and the second gear (22) are arranged orthogonally in space; The joint ring (3) comprises a main body (31), a third gear (32) which is always meshed with the first gear (12) is arranged at the proximal end of the main body (31), and a fourth gear (33) which is always meshed with the second gear (22) is arranged at the distal end of the main body (31), the third gear (32) and the fourth gear (33) being arranged orthogonally in space, so that the plane where the rotation trajectory of the joint ring (3) lies is perpendicular to the plane where the rotation trajectory of the second joint (2) lies.

2. The serpentine joint for a surgical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first gear (12) is located on an extension plane (13) of the main body (11), and a first pivot (14) is vertically arranged on the extension plane (13); a third pivot (34) is arranged on the main body (31) of the joint ring (3); and a first connecting plate (41) having rigid strength has two pivot holes (43), and the first pivot (14) and the third pivot (34) are respectively inserted into the pivot holes (43), so as to provide a rigid connection force when the joint ring (3) rotates relative to the first joint (1).

3. The serpentine joint for a surgical robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second gear (22) is located on a clamp body plane (23) of the clamp body (21), and a second pivot (24) is vertically arranged on the clamp body plane (23); a fourth pivot (35) is arranged on the main body (31) of the joint ring (3), and a second connecting plate (42) with rigid strength has two pivot holes (43), and the second pivot (24) and the fourth pivot (35) are respectively inserted into the pivot holes (43), so as to provide a rigid connection force when the second joint (2) rotates relative to the joint ring (3).

4. The serpentine joint for a surgical robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first connecting plate (41) and the second connecting plate (42) have the same shape.

5. The serpentine joint for a surgical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first gear (12) and the second gear (22) respectively have a parallel and spaced-apart row structure, and the third gear (32) and the fourth gear (33) on the joint ring (3) are meshing gears of the corresponding parallel and spaced-apart structures.

6. The serpentine joint for a surgical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving member is four traction ropes, the free ends of all the traction ropes are connected to the proximal end of the second joint (2), and the four traction ropes are arranged diagonally in pairs to form two groups of control units, the control ends of the two traction ropes (82, 83) of the first group of control units are fixed on the first rotating shaft (71), and the winding directions of the two traction ropes (82, 83) are opposite, and the control ends of the two traction ropes (81, 84) of the second group of control units are fixed on the second rotating shaft (72), and the winding directions of the two traction ropes (81, 84) are opposite.

7. The serpentine joint for a surgical robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The free ends of the four traction ropes are connected to the proximal end of the second joint (2) after passing through the through holes on the main body (11) of the first joint (1) and the through holes of the main body (31) of the joint ring (3) in sequence.

8. An operating arm, comprising an instrument box (5) and a central shaft (6) fixed to each other, and an end instrument, wherein a driving module is arranged in the instrument box (5), and the driving module at least comprises a driving member extending outside the instrument box, characterized in that: It also comprises a serpentine joint for a surgical robot according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the serpentine joint for a surgical robot connects the central axis rod (6) and the end instrument, and the proximal end of the first joint (1) is fixed to the distal end of the central axis rod (6).

9. The operating arm according to claim 8, characterized in that: The driving member is located inside the central shaft (6).

10. A surgical robot, characterized in that: include: Main console and slave operating equipment, The main operating console is used to send control commands to the slave operating device according to the doctor's operation to control the slave operating device. The slave operating device is used to respond to the control commands sent by the main operating console and perform corresponding operations. The slave operating device includes: a robotic arm, a power mechanism arranged on the robotic arm, and an operating arm as described in claim 8 arranged on the power mechanism. The robotic arm is used to adjust the position of the operating arm, the power mechanism is used to drive the operating arm to perform corresponding operations, and the end instrument of the operating arm is used to perform surgical operations.

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