A slave actuator with torque detection

Abstract

This invention provides a slave actuator with torque detection, an execution drive module, and an execution module. The execution drive module includes a mounting plate and multiple execution drive motors, including a yaw drive motor, a pitch drive motor, a rotation drive motor, and a shear drive motor, all mounted on the mounting plate. The execution drive motors and the execution module are connected via corresponding control wires. Each execution drive motor is equipped with a torque sensor. The control wires transmit the reaction torque generated by human tissue to the corresponding torque sensor. The torque sensor collects the reaction torque and transmits the reaction torque of each degree of freedom to the system. This invention can drive and execute multiple degrees of freedom, and simultaneously collect and transmit the reaction torque generated by human tissue to the system to generate accurate resistance torque, thereby allowing for a realistic perception of the state of each degree of freedom of the execution module during operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of surgical robot technology, and in particular to a slave actuator with torque detection. Background Technology

[0002] Minimally invasive surgery is a surgical procedure performed by surgeons using endoscopes and specialized surgical instruments without creating large incisions. In pursuit of minimal trauma and good postoperative recovery, minimally invasive surgery has evolved from multi-port and single-port laparoscopic surgery to natural orifice surgery. Natural orifice endoscopic surgery involves using a robotic arm to access diseased tissues through body cavities, achieving a scarless outcome. Currently, the design of endoscopic minimally invasive surgical robots and the research of related key technologies have become one of the hot research topics in the field of surgical robotics. Existing endoscopic minimally invasive surgical robots generally adopt a master-slave operation mode. The master manipulator serves as the human-machine interface between the surgeon and the slave actuators. The surgeon controls the master manipulator to enable the slave actuators to explore lesions and manipulate human tissues within the cavities.

[0003] To enable doctors to sense the interaction forces between themselves and human tissues, the master actuator typically needs force feedback capabilities, requiring torque detection during operation via a slave actuator. Traditional slave actuator designs are not ideal, with insufficient accuracy in torque detection and degree-of-freedom execution, necessitating further improvements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of the aforementioned background technology by providing a slave actuator with a reasonable structural design that can accurately detect torque and execute each degree of freedom.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a slave actuator with torque detection, comprising an execution drive module and an execution module; the execution drive module includes a mounting plate and multiple execution drive motors, including a yaw drive motor, a pitch drive motor, a rotation drive motor, and a shear drive motor, all mounted on the mounting plate. The execution drive motors are connected to the execution module via corresponding control wires. Each execution drive motor is equipped with a torque sensor. The control wires transmit the reaction torque generated by human tissue to the corresponding torque sensor. The torque sensor collects the reaction torque and transmits the reaction torque of each degree of freedom to the system.

[0006] Furthermore, one end of the torque sensor is connected to the drive motor, and the other end of the torque sensor is connected to the mounting plate.

[0007] Furthermore, the execution drive module also includes a mounting base connected to the mounting plate. The mounting base contains multiple first rollers, including a first yaw roller, a first pitch roller, a first rotation roller, and a first shear roller, each rotatably connected to the mounting base via a corresponding rotation shaft. The mounting base also contains multiple sets of second rollers, including a second yaw roller, a second pitch roller, and a second shear roller, to guide the corresponding control wire from the execution drive module to the execution module. The rotation shafts of the first yaw roller, the first pitch roller, the first rotation roller, and the first shear roller are respectively connected to the yaw drive motor, the pitch drive motor, the rotation drive motor, and the shear drive motor.

[0008] Furthermore, a splined shaft, a splined sleeve, a spring, and a limiting pin are provided between the actuator drive motor and the mounting plate. The splined shaft is fixedly connected to the output flange of the actuator drive motor. The splined sleeve is sleeved on the splined shaft. The spring is disposed between the splined shaft and the splined sleeve. The limiting pin is inserted into a pin hole opened in the mounting plate and is connected to the sliding groove of the splined sleeve. The splined sleeve is drively connected to the corresponding rotating shaft.

[0009] Furthermore, the mounting base is provided with a plurality of rotatable rotating disks, each rotating disk corresponding to and fixedly connected to the rotating shaft. The end face of each rotating disk is provided with a locking block, which matches the locking groove provided on the end face of the spline sleeve.

[0010] Furthermore, the execution module includes a shearing component, a yaw joint component, and a pitch joint component, wherein the shearing component, the yaw joint component, and the pitch joint component are driven and controlled by corresponding control wires.

[0011] Furthermore, the yaw joint assembly is connected to the connecting shaft of the pitch joint assembly, and the corresponding control wire is connected to the pitch control wheel of the pitch joint assembly. The shearing assembly is connected to the connecting shaft of the yaw joint assembly, and the corresponding control wire is connected to the yaw control wheel of the yaw joint assembly.

[0012] Furthermore, the shearing assembly includes a shearing seat, a first shearing finger, a second shearing finger, a shearing drive slider, and a central support block. The first and second shearing fingers are rotatably connected to the shearing seat. A pair of shearing drive sliders are respectively located on both sides of the central support block and are slidably connected to the central support block. The central support block is fixedly connected to the shearing seat. The two ends of the control wire of the shearing assembly are respectively connected to the two shearing drive sliders. The first shearing finger is connected to the two shearing drive sliders on both sides through two segments of first shearing wire, and the second shearing finger is connected to the two shearing drive sliders on both sides through two segments of second shearing wire.

[0013] Furthermore, a wire guide wheel is provided on the central support block, and the wire guide wheel is connected to the first shearing wire or the second shearing wire.

[0014] Furthermore, the central support block is also provided with a guide groove, and the shear drive slider is provided with a cylindrical block that cooperates with the guide groove.

[0015] The above-described solution of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The actuator with torque detection provided by this invention can drive and execute multiple degrees of freedom by setting and associating the drive module with the execution module. At the same time, by configuring the torque sensor, it can collect the reaction torque generated by human tissue and transmit it to the system, so that the system can send instructions to generate accurate resistance torque in the master operator. Thus, the state of each degree of freedom of the execution module can be truly felt during the operation, so that the master operator can operate more reasonably. Through continuous communication and iteration, an accurate and reliable surgical operation process is formed.

[0017] Other beneficial effects of the present invention will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the execution driver module of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the mounting plate and the drive motor of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the mounting base of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the execution module of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the shearing component of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 This is another schematic diagram of the shearing component of the present invention.

[0025] [Explanation of Labels in the Attached Image]

[0026] 1-Yaw drive motor; 2-Pitch drive motor; 3-Rotation drive motor; 4-Shear drive motor; 5-Mounting plate; 6-Control wire; 7-Torque sensor; 8-Mounting base; 9-First yaw roller; 10-First pitch roller; 11-First rotation roller; 12-First shear roller; 13-Rotation shaft; 14-Guide table; 15-Second yaw roller; 16-Second pitch roller; 17-Second shear roller; 18-Connecting rod; 19-Flower 20-Key shaft; 21-Spline sleeve; 22-Spring; 23-Limit pin; 24-Rotating disk; 25-Card block; 26-Card slot; 27-Bourdon tube; 28-Connecting shaft; 29-Pitch control wheel; 30-Yaw control wheel; 31-Shear seat; 32-First shear finger; 33-Second shear finger; 34-Shear drive slider; 35-Center support block; 36-Fixed shaft; 37-First shear wire; 38-Second shear wire; 39-Wire guide wheel. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the technical problems, solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, a detailed description will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of this invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0028] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a locking connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0030] like Figures 1-3 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a slave actuator with torque detection, including an execution drive module and an execution module. The execution drive module drives and controls each degree of freedom of the execution module through multiple execution drive motors. Specifically, in this embodiment, the slave actuator has four degrees of freedom: yaw, pitch, rotation, and shear. Based on this, the execution drive module's execution drive motors include a yaw drive motor 1, a pitch drive motor 2, a rotation drive motor 3, and a shear drive motor 4, all mounted on a mounting plate 5 and connected to the execution module via corresponding control wires 6 for drive control. Simultaneously, each execution drive motor is equipped with a torque sensor 7. During the driving process, the execution module transmits the reaction torque generated by the human tissue to the corresponding torque sensor 7 via the control wires 6. The torque sensor 7 collects the reaction torque and transmits the reaction torque of each degree of freedom to the system, enabling the system to send commands to generate accurate resistance torque in the master operator, thereby allowing the operator to realistically sense the state of each degree of freedom of the execution module during operation.

[0031] For the actuator, it needs to accurately detect the reaction torque generated by human tissue in each degree of freedom to ensure that the system controls the main operator to achieve accurate force feedback. Therefore, the control and execution processes of each degree of freedom of the actuator need to be independent of each other to avoid being affected by other degrees of freedom.

[0032] At the same time, such as Figure 4As shown, the execution drive module also includes a mounting base 8, which is connected to the mounting plate 5. The mounting base 8 contains multiple first rollers, which, for the aforementioned four degrees of freedom, are a first yaw roller 9, a first pitch roller 10, a first rotation roller 11, and a first shear roller 12. These rollers are rotatably connected to the mounting base 8 via corresponding rotation shafts 13. To achieve a more compact arrangement, in this embodiment, the four rollers and their corresponding rotation shafts 13 are positioned at four diagonal positions on the mounting base 8. A guide platform 14 is located in the center of the mounting base 8, and multiple sets of second rollers, namely a second yaw roller 15, a second pitch roller 16, and a second shear roller 17, are mounted on the guide platform 14. This allows the corresponding control wires 6 to be led from the center of the execution drive module to the execution module, facilitating wiring within the connecting rod 18 between the execution drive module and the execution module. Correspondingly, the second yaw roller 15, the second pitch roller 16, and the second shear roller 17 are also arranged on three sides of the guide plate 14, thus ensuring the decoupling of the different control wires 6 within the mounting base 8 and the connecting rod 18, preventing them from affecting each other. It should be noted that since the rotational degree of freedom can directly drive the connecting rod 18 to rotate, there is no need to set up a second rotating roller to introduce the control wire 6 into the connecting rod 18; it can be directly led out through the first rotating roller 11.

[0033] In this embodiment, torque sensor 7 is configured in a one-to-one correspondence with yaw drive motor 1, pitch drive motor 2, rotation drive motor 3, and shear drive motor 4. One end of torque sensor 7 is connected to the actuator drive motor, and the other end is connected to mounting plate 5. When the actuator drive motor rotates to drive the actuator module, it generates a counter-torque, which is transmitted to torque sensor 7. Thus, torque sensor 7 collects the counter-torque of the actuator module and uploads it to the system.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the drive motor and the mounting plate 5 are connected in a quick-release manner via a splined shaft 19, a splined sleeve 20, a spring 21, and a limiting pin 22. The splined shaft 19 is directly fixed to the output flange of the drive motor. The splined sleeve 20 is fitted onto the splined shaft 19. The spring 21 is located in the central groove of the splined shaft 19 and connects to the splined sleeve 20. The limiting pin 22 is inserted into the pin hole of the mounting plate 5 and connects to the sliding groove of the splined sleeve 20, ensuring that the splined sleeve 20 can be locked in the mounting position without falling off and without affecting the rotation of the splined shaft 19 (annular sliding groove). Disassembly is quick and easy by simply removing the limiting pin 22. The splined shaft 19 serves as the output shaft of the drive motor, and the torque sensor 7 is connected to the splined shaft 19 to directly detect the reaction torque acting on the splined shaft 19.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting base 8 and the mounting plate 5 also adopt a detachable quick-connect method. Simultaneously, the drive motor and the rotating shafts 13 of each first roller are also transmitted through the spline sleeve 20 and the rotating disk 23. Specifically, the mounting base 8 is provided with multiple rotatable rotating disks 23, each corresponding to and fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 13. Each rotating disk 23 has a locking block 24 on its end face, which matches the locking groove 25 on the end face of the spline sleeve 20. Therefore, when the mounting base 8 and the mounting plate 5 are connected in place, the rotating disk 23 can smoothly rotate synchronously with the spline sleeve 20, and the spring 21 ensures a tight fit between the spline sleeve 20 and the rotating disk 23, thereby ensuring accurate and stable transmission and further guaranteeing the accuracy of the torque sensor 7 in detecting the reaction torque.

[0036] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the mounting plate 5 has a clearance groove in the center, and the connecting rod 18 of the actuator passes through the clearance groove and the center of the four actuator drive motors to further improve the structural compactness and adapt to the miniaturization and micro-miniaturization design of the surgical robot.

[0037] At the same time, such as Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the execution module includes a shearing component, a yaw joint component, and a pitch joint component. The shearing component, yaw joint component, and pitch joint component are driven and controlled by corresponding control wires 6. It should be noted that, to ensure that the control of each component does not interfere with each other, forming a decoupled control, a spring tube 26 can be installed between two adjacent joint components. The control wire 6 leading from the latter joint component (not directly connected to and driving this joint component) first passes through the spring tube 26 and then through the former joint component. For example, the control wire 6 of the shearing component passes through the pitch joint component, then through the spring tube 26 between the pitch joint component and the yaw joint component, then sequentially through the yaw joint component and the spring tube 26 between the yaw joint component and the shearing component, and finally connects to the shearing component. Similarly, the control wire 6 of the yaw joint component passes through the pitch joint component, then through the spring tube 26 between the yaw joint component and the pitch joint component, and connects to the yaw joint component. When the latter set of joint components rotates relative to the former set of joint components, the spring tube 26 bends and deforms synchronously. During bending and deformation, the length of the spring tube 26 remains unchanged, thereby keeping the length of the internal control wire 6 constant. This ensures that each degree of freedom is independent of the others and is not affected by other degrees of freedom, thus achieving decoupling of the degrees of freedom.

[0038] In this embodiment, the yaw joint assembly and the pitch joint assembly are adjusted for yaw and pitch respectively via corresponding connecting shafts 27 and rotating wheels. For example, the yaw joint assembly is connected to the connecting shaft 27 of the pitch joint assembly, and the control wire 6 is connected to the pitch control wheel 28 of the pitch joint assembly. When the pitch control wheel 28 rotates, it drives the connecting shaft 27 to adjust the pitch of the yaw joint assembly and the shear assembly. The yaw joint assembly is similarly adjusted via its own connecting shaft 27 and yaw control wheel 29.

[0039] At the same time, such as Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, the shearing assembly includes a shearing seat 30, a first shearing finger 31, and a second shearing finger 32, as well as shearing drive sliders 33 and a central support block 34. The first shearing finger 31 and the second shearing finger 32 are both movably mounted on a fixed shaft 35, which is fixedly connected to the shearing seat 30. A pair of shearing drive sliders 33 are located on either side of the central support block 34 and are slidably connected to it. The central support block 34 is fixedly connected to the shearing seat 30. The two ends of the control wire 6 of the shearing assembly are connected to the two shearing drive sliders 33 respectively. Simultaneously, the first shearing finger 31 is connected to the shearing drive sliders 33 on both sides via two segments of first shearing wire 36, and the second shearing finger 32 is connected to the shearing drive sliders 33 on both sides via two segments of second shearing wire 37. When the first shearing finger 31 rotates, the two segments of first shearing wire 36 extend and shorten relative to the first shearing finger 31, corresponding to one of the shearing drive sliders 33 sliding backward and the other sliding forward. The same applies when the second shearing finger 32 rotates (opposite to the rotation direction of the first shearing finger 31 relative to the fixed axis 35). Therefore, when controlled by the steel wire 6, the traction force of one of the shearing drive sliders 33, i.e., the driving force for closing the two shearing fingers, can be applied on the same side, while the driving force for opening the two shearing fingers is applied on the other side. These two opposing driving forces can be completed by the forward and reverse rotation of the shearing drive motor 4, thus significantly improving the smoothness of the closing and opening of the two shearing fingers. Moreover, the counter-torque can be accurately fed back to the torque sensor 7 of the shearing drive motor 4, further ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of the system's force feedback.

[0040] It should be noted that, based on the arrangement of the first shearing wire 36 and the second shearing wire 37, this embodiment further provides a wire guide wheel 38 on the central support block 34. The wire guide wheel 38 makes the arrangement of the first shearing wire 36 and the second shearing wire 37 more reasonable and the force transmission smoother. In addition, the central support block 34 is also provided with a guide groove, and the shearing drive slider 33 is provided with a cylindrical block that cooperates with the guide groove, further improving the smoothness of the sliding of the shearing drive slider 33, thereby further improving the smoothness of the shearing action and the accuracy of the force feedback.

[0041] In summary, the actuator with torque detection provided in this embodiment can drive and execute multiple degrees of freedom through the settings and association between the drive module and the execution module. At the same time, through the configuration of torque sensor 7, it can collect the reaction torque generated by human tissue and transmit it to the system, so that the system can send instructions to generate accurate resistance torque in the master operator. Thus, the state of each degree of freedom of the execution module can be truly felt during the operation, so that the master operator can operate more reasonably. Through continuous communication and iteration, an accurate and reliable surgical operation process is formed.

[0042] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0043] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A slave actuator with torque detection, characterized in that, The system includes an execution drive module and an execution module. The execution drive module includes a mounting plate and multiple execution drive motors, including a yaw drive motor, a pitch drive motor, a rotation drive motor, and a shear drive motor, all mounted on the mounting plate. The execution drive motors are connected to the execution module via corresponding control wires. Each execution drive motor is equipped with a torque sensor. The control wires transmit the reaction torque generated by the human tissue to the corresponding torque sensor. The torque sensor collects the reaction torque and transmits the reaction torque of each degree of freedom to the system. The execution module includes a shearing component, a yaw joint component, and a pitch joint component, wherein the shearing component, the yaw joint component, and the pitch joint component are driven and controlled by corresponding control wires. The shearing assembly includes a shearing seat, a first shearing finger, a second shearing finger, a shearing drive slider, and a central support block. The first and second shearing fingers are rotatably connected to the shearing seat. A pair of shearing drive sliders are respectively located on both sides of the central support block and are slidably connected to the central support block. The central support block is fixedly connected to the shearing seat. The two ends of the control wire of the shearing assembly are respectively connected to the two shearing drive sliders. The first shearing finger is connected to the two shearing drive sliders on both sides through two sections of first shearing wire, and the second shearing finger is connected to the two shearing drive sliders on both sides through two sections of second shearing wire.

2. The slave actuator with torque detection according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the torque sensor is connected to the drive motor, and the other end of the torque sensor is connected to the mounting plate.

3. The slave actuator with torque detection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The execution drive module further includes a mounting base connected to the mounting plate. The mounting base contains multiple first rollers, including a first yaw roller, a first pitch roller, a first rotation roller, and a first shear roller, each rotatably connected to the mounting base via a corresponding rotation shaft. The mounting base also contains multiple sets of second rollers, including a second yaw roller, a second pitch roller, and a second shear roller, to guide the corresponding control wire from the execution drive module to the execution module. The rotation shafts of the first yaw roller, the first pitch roller, the first rotation roller, and the first shear roller are respectively connected to the yaw drive motor, the pitch drive motor, the rotation drive motor, and the shear drive motor.

4. A slave actuator with torque detection according to claim 3, characterized in that, A splined shaft, a splined sleeve, a spring, and a limiting pin are provided between the actuator drive motor and the mounting plate. The splined shaft is fixedly connected to the output flange of the actuator drive motor. The splined sleeve is sleeved on the splined shaft. The spring is disposed between the splined shaft and the splined sleeve. The limiting pin is inserted into a pin hole opened in the mounting plate and is connected to the sliding groove of the splined sleeve. The splined sleeve is drively connected to the corresponding rotating shaft.

5. A slave actuator with torque detection according to claim 4, characterized in that, The mounting base is provided with multiple rotatable rotating disks, each of which corresponds to and is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft. Each rotating disk has a locking block on its end face, which matches a locking groove on the end face of the spline sleeve.

6. A slave actuator with torque detection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The yaw joint assembly is connected to the connecting shaft of the pitch joint assembly, and the corresponding control wire is connected to the pitch control wheel of the pitch joint assembly. The shear assembly is connected to the connecting shaft of the yaw joint assembly, and the corresponding control wire is connected to the yaw control wheel of the yaw joint assembly.

7. A slave actuator with torque detection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The central support block is equipped with a wire guide wheel, which is connected to the first shearing wire or the second shearing wire.

8. A slave actuator with torque detection according to claim 7, characterized in that, The central support block is also provided with a guide groove, and the shear drive slider is provided with a cylindrical block that cooperates with the guide groove.

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