A transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot, comprising a shell, a drive module group and a continuum group; the drive module group is composed of N drive modules, which are radially distributed in the shell along the circumferential direction; each drive module includes a linear drive module and a bending drive module; the continuum group is composed of N continua, which are respectively arranged at the front ends of the N drive modules in a one-to-one correspondence; each continuum includes a continuum sleeve and a flexible shaft connected in sequence from back to front, and a disc group is sleeved on the flexible shaft, which is composed of a plurality of discs embedded in each other and having a relative oblique flipping space; the linear drive module drives the bending drive module to drive the continuum to move forward and backward, and the bending drive module drives the upper and lower sections of the disc group through two groups of drive wires to independently bend in a specified direction and at a specified angle; the robot can cover a larger working space, flexibly adjust its posture in a narrow and complex environment, and accurately reach the target position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of surgical robots, and in particular to a transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot. Background Art

[0002] In nasal interventional surgery, intranasal pituitary tumors are a very common nervous system tumor, and minimally invasive transnasal surgery is the preferred surgical method for treating pituitary tumors. However, the surgical corridor from the nasal cavity to the sphenoid bone and then to the skull base is narrow. Factors including the position of the nasal septum, the size of the nasal concha, the size and shape of the sphenoid sinus, and the anatomy of the pituitary region affect the surgical space and visualization. The use of traditional surgical robots to perform nasal interventional surgery has the disadvantage of a small field of view. In particular, larger pituitary tumors cannot be removed in one go and are difficult to cure. Therefore, dedicated surgical instruments must be used.

[0003] In recent years, in order to meet the requirements of minimally invasive transnasal surgery, researchers have begun to develop and design surgical robots based on the size, shape, and rigidity and flexibility requirements of surgical robots for nasal interventional surgery. The published patent CN117357261A provides a variable stiffness single-hole flexible surgical robot, which provides a surgical robot with variable stiffness characteristics. By designing a continuum structure with a variable stiffness function, the surgical robot can change its shape according to the needs of the operation, so as to meet the requirements of its structural size structure being suitable for the characteristics of the nasal cavity, while also being able to turn in the nasal cavity to the end instrument close to the surgical position; however, the continuum structure has the problem of not being able to flexibly turn 360° and can only perform puncture biopsy, resulting in the inability to remove pituitary tumors during actual surgical operations. Therefore, based on the above-mentioned existing technical problems, it is necessary to further improve the structure of minimally invasive surgical robots, improve surgical operation efficiency, and thereby improve the cure rate of pituitary tumor surgery. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot that solves the above technical problems.

[0005] To this end, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot comprises a shell, a driving module group and a continuum group;

[0007] The drive module group is composed of N drive modules, which are evenly distributed radially along the circumferential direction within the housing. Each drive module includes a linear drive module fixed to the inner wall of the housing, which is connected to a bending drive module. The bending drive module reciprocates along the axis of the housing via the linear drive module. The bending drive module includes six second drive motors and six drive wires arranged in a drive box. Each second drive motor shaft end is provided with a winding wheel, and each winding wheel is provided with a guide column adjacent to the side. The six drive wires are respectively wound around the six winding wheels, and after passing through the guide column, they pass through the front opening of the drive box.

[0008] The continuum group is composed of N continuums, which are respectively arranged at the front end of N driving modules in a one-to-one correspondence; each continuum includes a continuum sleeve, the rear end of which is fixed to the front end opening of the driving box, and a coaxial flexible shaft is fixed to the front end, and an annular boss is provided at the rear end of the flexible shaft, and six guide wire holes are opened on the flexible shaft along the circumferential direction to penetrate the inner cavity of the continuum sleeve; a disc group is sleeved on the flexible shaft, which is composed of multiple discs embedded in each other and having a relatively oblique flip space; three driving wires are sequentially passed through In the three guide wire holes arranged at intervals on the terminal disc, each proximal disc and the transition disc, as well as in the three guide wire holes on each distal disc and the head disc, the front ends of the three are respectively fixed in the three guide wire holes of the head disc; the other three driving wires are sequentially passed through the other three guide wire holes arranged at intervals on the terminal disc, each proximal disc and the transition disc, and the front ends of the three are respectively fixed in the three guide wire holes of the transition disc; the continuum sleeves of N continua are arranged in parallel.

[0009] Furthermore, the outer shell includes a horizontally arranged hollow cylinder, the front end of the cylinder extends horizontally outward to form a movable sleeve, and the movable sleeve is coaxially arranged with the cylinder; N continuum mounting holes are opened in the horizontal direction on the movable sleeve, and the N continuum sleeves are respectively inserted into the N continuum mounting holes.

[0010] Furthermore, N is a positive integer, N≥2.

[0011] Furthermore, a handle is connected to the top of the cylinder, and a connecting flange is provided at the rear end of the cylinder.

[0012] Furthermore, the linear drive module includes a base plate, on which a lead screw is rotatably arranged, the lever of the lead screw is connected to the first drive motor to drive the rotation, and a slider is sleeved on the outside of the lead screw nut; two optical bars are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the lead screw, and the slider is respectively sleeved on the two optical bars.

[0013] Furthermore, the disc group is composed of an end disc, multiple proximal discs, a transition disc, multiple distal discs and a head end disc which are sequentially arranged on the flexible shaft from back to front; wherein the end disc is a disc with a sloped concave surface on the top and a flat bottom, and an embedding groove is provided at the center of the sloped concave surface, and a central axial through hole connected to the embedding groove is provided thereon, as well as six guide wire through holes which surround the central axial through hole and are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; The end disc and the transition disc are both discs with a sloped concave surface on the top and a sloped convex surface on the bottom, and an embedding groove is provided at the center of the top side sloped concave surface, and an embedding convex is provided at the center of the bottom side sloped concave surface, and a central axial through hole connected to the embedding groove is provided thereon, as well as six guide wire through holes that surround the central axial through hole and are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; the distal disc is a disc with a sloped concave surface on the top and a sloped convex surface on the bottom, and the top side sloped concave surface is provided with a embedding groove. A mounting groove is provided at the center, and a mounting protrusion is provided at the center of the bottom sloped concave surface, and a central axial through hole connected to the mounting groove is provided on it, as well as three guide wire through holes that surround the central axial through hole and are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; the head end disk is a disk with a flat top surface and a sloped protrusion on the bottom surface, and a mounting protrusion is provided at the center of the bottom sloped concave surface, and a central axial through hole connected to the mounting groove is provided on it, as well as three guide wire through holes that are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; the design dimensions of the sloped concave surface, sloped protrusion, mounting groove and mounting protrusion on each disk are consistent, so that in two adjacent coaxially arranged disks, the mounting protrusion on one disk is partially embedded in the notch of the mounting groove on the other disk, and the bottom of the mounting groove leaves the accommodating space required for the mounting protrusion to flip obliquely; when the adjacent disks flip, at the same time, the sloped concave surface on one disk rests on the sloped protrusion on the other disk.

[0014] Furthermore, the number of the proximal discs is 4 to 7, and the number of the distal discs is 9 to 12.

[0015] Furthermore, the driving wire is a nitinol wire, and the flexible shaft is a superelastic nickel-titanium alloy shaft.

[0016] Furthermore, the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot also includes an end effector group, which is composed of N end effectors; the N end effectors are fixed one-to-one to the front end of the disc group of the N continua, and are coaxially arranged with the corresponding continua.

[0017] Compared with the existing technology, the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot is different from the single-joint continuum robot. Its continuum realizes the driven bending of the upper and lower parts of the continuum through two sets of fixed drive wires, simulating the characteristics of the double-joint structure, expanding the robot's range of motion, enabling it to move flexibly in multiple planes and directions, covering a larger workspace; and the double-joint driven bending characteristics give it higher flexibility, enabling it to adjust its posture in narrow and complex environments, avoid obstacles, and accurately reach the target position. At the same time, by independently controlling the movement angle and direction of each joint, the position and angle adjustment of the end effector are more delicate, reducing interference with surrounding tissues; furthermore, according to the actual operation, by integrating multiple continua into a continuum group, the robot has more degrees of freedom, realizing the needs of performing complex surgical tasks, improving the workspace coverage, and reducing blind spots. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the driving module of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the linear drive module of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the bending drive module of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a front view of a bending drive module of a transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the shell of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the continuum is in a vertical state;

[0025] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention, in which two sections of the continuum are bent in the same direction;

[0026] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention, in which two sections of the continuum are bent in different directions;

[0027] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the structure of the end disc of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 11 A perspective structural diagram of the end disc of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 12 A perspective structural diagram of the middle disk of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the structure of the head end disc of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 14 A perspective structural diagram of the head end disk of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 15 2. It is a schematic structural diagram of the initial state of two intermediate discs nested in a continuum of a transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flipped state of two middle discs nested in the continuum of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 17 Schematic diagram of a transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 18 Schematic diagram of a curette of a transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 19 Schematic diagram of the suction device of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 20 This is a simulation result diagram of a single continuum motion space of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but the following embodiments are by no means intended to limit the present invention in any way.

[0039] See also Figure 1The transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot includes a shell 1, a driving module group and a continuum group; wherein the driving module group is composed of three driving modules 2, and correspondingly, the continuum group is composed of three continua 3.

[0040] See also Figure 6 The housing 1 includes a horizontally arranged hollow cylinder 11. Based on the fact that the number of the driving modules 2 in this embodiment is three, the cylinder 11 is a cylinder with an inverted triangular radial cross section; a handle 12 is provided above the cylinder 11 to facilitate grabbing the entire robot, facilitating its loading and unloading on the robotic arm and daily transportation; specifically, the handle 12 is a horizontally arranged rod, the bottom of which is fixed to the top surface of the cylinder 11 by two vertical plates; a connecting beam is formed by extending horizontally forward from the end side of the handle 12, and the front end of the connecting beam is connected and fixed to the top end of a connecting longitudinal beam 13, and the connecting beam is fixed to the top end of the connecting longitudinal beam 13. The bottom end of the longitudinal beam 13 extends forward to form a movable sleeve 14, which is coaxially arranged with the cylinder 11 and has three continuum mounting holes 141 arranged vertically side by side in the horizontal direction. By respectively passing the three continua 3 through the three continua mounting holes 141, the three continua 3 are kept moving in the horizontal direction under the guidance of the movable sleeve 15. In order to facilitate the mounting of the robot on the robotic arm, a flange is connected to the rear end of the cylinder 11, so that the shell 1 is fixed at the execution end of the robotic arm with the cooperation of the flange.

[0041] See also Figure 2 The three driving modules 2 are arranged in a radially distributed manner in the circumferential direction in the housing 1 in such a manner that their length directions are arranged along the axial direction of the housing 1; each driving module 2 is composed of a linear driving module 21 and a bending driving module 22;

[0042] See also Figure 3The linear drive module 21 includes a base plate 217, on which a slider 211, a lead screw 212, a first optical bar 213, a second optical bar 214, a first bracket group 215, a second bracket group 216 and a first drive motor 218 are arranged; wherein the first bracket group 215 is composed of two first brackets, and the two are symmetrically fixed on the center line of the length direction of the base plate 217; the two ends of the lever of the lead screw 212 are rotatably arranged on the two first brackets through bearings, and the first drive motor 218 is fixed on the base plate 217 on one end side of the lead screw 212 in a coaxial arrangement with its output shaft facing the lead screw 212, so that the output shaft of the first drive motor 218 is connected to one end of the lever through a coupling, so that the lever is driven to rotate forward or reverse by the first drive motor 218; the second bracket group 216 is composed of four second brackets, which are grouped in two. They are respectively placed on both sides of the lead screw 212 and symmetrically fixed on the bottom plate 217; the first optical rod 213 and the second optical rod 214 are located on both sides of the lead screw 212 in a manner parallel to the lead screw 212, and the two ends of each optical rod are fixed on two second brackets located on the same side; the slider 211 is a slider with a large-sized top plate, and through holes are opened on both sides of the slider along the horizontal square, so that it can be sleeved on the outside of the first optical rod 213 and the second optical rod 214, and can reciprocate relative to the two optical rods along the axial direction of the optical rod; a connecting block is formed on the bottom surface of the slider 211, which is provided with a through hole, so that the connecting block on the bottom side of the slider 211 is simultaneously sleeved through the through hole and fixed on the lead screw nut of the lead screw 212, so that when the lever rotates, the lead screw nut synchronously drives the slider 211 to reciprocate in the axial direction of the lever; the lead screw 212 is a ball screw or a threaded screw.

[0043] In actual assembly, the linear drive module 21 is fixed to the inner wall of the housing 1 via the base plate 217. Correspondingly, the bending drive module 22 is arranged with its length along the movement direction of the slider 211 and is fixed to the slider 211. The linear drive module 21 converts the rotational motion of the first drive motor 218 into linear motion, thereby driving the continuum 3 fixed thereto forward or backward via the slider 211.

[0044] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 The bending drive module 22 includes six second drive motors 222 arranged in a drive box 221, and a drive wire group 225 consisting of six drive wires.

[0045] The six second drive motors 222 are arranged in parallel and at intervals from front to back along the length direction inside the drive box 221, and their output shafts are fixed to the bottom surface of the drive box 221 with their output shafts facing obliquely backwards; the output shaft end of each second drive motor 222 is connected to a winding wheel 223 through a coupling, and the winding wheel 223 is used to wind the drive wire, so that the second drive motor 222 drives the winding wheel 223 to rotate forward / reverse to realize the retraction / release operation of the drive wire; six guide columns 224 are arranged in the drive box 221 and near one side of the output shafts of the six second drive motors 222 from front to back. The six guide posts 224 are respectively arranged on the front side of the output shaft end of each second drive motor 222 and are vertically fixed on the bottom surface of the drive box 221; a drive wire passing hole is opened on the front end surface of the drive box 221 on the side where the guide posts 224 are set, so that the drive wire with one end wound on the winding wheel 223 can pass around its corresponding guide post 224 counterclockwise and then pass through the drive wire passing hole to the outside of the drive box 221; the arrangement of the above components can prevent the drive wires connected to the six second drive motors 222 through the winding wheels 223 from interfering with each other during the retraction / release process.

[0046] The drive wire group is specifically composed of three first joint drive wires and three second joint drive wires; in this embodiment, each drive wire is specifically a nitinol wire.

[0047] The front ends of the three first joint driving wires are passed through the continuum 3 and fixed at the middle position of the continuum 3; the rear ends of the three first joint driving wires pass through the driving wire passing holes of the driving box 221, and respectively pass through the three guide pillars 224 and then are wound around the winding wheels 223 at the ends of the output shafts of the three second driving motors 222. They are turned through the guide pillars 224 fixed in the driving box 221 and wound around the output shafts of the three driving motors 2211 in the box body, so as to independently control the retraction / extension of the three first joint driving wires by controlling the forward or reverse rotation of the three driving motors 2211, thereby adjusting the bending of the lower part of the continuum 3.

[0048] The front ends of the three second joint driving wires are passed through the continuum 3 and fixed at the front end of the continuum 3. The rear ends of the three second joint driving wires pass through the driving wire passing holes of the driving box 221, and respectively pass around the three guide pillars 224 and are wound around the winding wheels 223 at the ends of the output shafts of the other three second driving motors 222. They are turned and wound around the output shafts of the three second driving motors 222 in the box body through the guide pillars 224 fixed in the driving box 221. By controlling the forward or reverse rotation of the three second driving motors 222 respectively, the retraction / release of the three second joint driving wires can be independently controlled, thereby adjusting the bending of the upper part of the continuum 3.

[0049] See also Figures 7 to 9The continuum 3 includes a continuum sleeve 33 , a flexible shaft and a disc group 32 .

[0050] The continuum sleeve 33 is composed of a front cylinder and a rear cylinder connected to each other; wherein, the rear cylinder is a straight cylinder or a curved cylinder with six axial through holes evenly distributed inside, and the aperture of its axial through holes is adapted to the outer diameter of the driving wire, so that the six driving wires are respectively passed through the aforementioned six axial through holes and can freely stretch and retract in the axial through holes; the front cylinder is a straight cylinder with an axial through hole in the center, and the aperture of its axial through hole is adapted to the total outer diameter of the six driving wires, so that the six driving wires can freely stretch and retract together in the single axial through hole. The continuum sleeve 33 uses a rear cylinder with different structures to be connected between the driving box 221 and the front cylinder, so as to realize that the three continua 3 are arranged as follows on the front side of the shell 1. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the side-by-side arrangement, this compact arrangement is used to ensure that the spatial volume of the continuum group meets the size of its entry into the nasal cavity.

[0051] The flexible shaft is a cylindrical shaft body with a first central axial through hole in the center. It specifically adopts a superelastic nickel-titanium alloy shaft, and the first central axial through hole serves as a wire through hole. An annular boss 311 is provided on the outer wall of the rear end of the shaft body, and six first guide wire through holes are evenly opened on the surface of the annular boss 311 along the circumferential direction. The rear end of the annular boss 311 is fixed to the front end of the continuum sleeve 33, and the six first guide wire through holes thereon are connected with the axial through hole of the continuum sleeve 33, so that the six driving wires extending from the front end of the continuum sleeve 33 are respectively arranged in the six first guide wire through holes and pass out from the front end of the annular boss 311.

[0052] The disc assembly 32 is composed of an end disc 321, four proximal discs 322, a transition disc 323, eight distal discs 324 and a head disc 325, which are sequentially arranged on the flexible shaft from back to front. The central aperture of each disc is adapted to the outer diameter of the flexible shaft so that the discs arranged on the flexible shaft are kept coaxial. Figure 7 ; In addition, the number of proximal discs 322 and distal discs 324 is determined based on the controllability of the drive wire. Too few discs will limit the flexibility and operability of the robot, making it unable to meet the needs of complex surgical operations, reducing the coverage of the workspace, and making it difficult for the robot to achieve fine movements in a narrow space, affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of the surgery; too many discs will lead to increased structural complexity, increased control difficulty, increased computational burden, and may reduce the stability and rigidity of the system, affecting precise operations.

[0053] See also Figure 10 and Figure 11The end disc 321 is a disc with a sloped concave surface 3211 on the top surface and a flat bottom surface, and a first embedding groove 3212 is provided at the center of the sloped concave surface; the end disc 321 is also provided with a second central axial through hole 3213 connected to the first embedding groove 3212, and six second guide wire through holes 3214 surrounding the second central axial through hole 3213 and evenly arranged in the circumferential direction.

[0054] See also Figure 12 The proximal disc 322 is a disc with a sloped concave surface 3221 on the top surface and a sloped protrusion 3222 on the bottom surface, and a second embedding groove 3223 is provided at the center of the top sloped concave surface, and a first embedding protrusion 3224 is provided at the center of the bottom sloped concave surface; the proximal disc 322 is also provided with a third central axial through hole 3225 connected to the second embedding groove 3223, and six third guide wire through holes 3226 surrounding the third central axial through hole 3225 and evenly arranged in the circumferential direction.

[0055] The transition disc 323 has the same structure as the proximal disc 322, except that the axial length of the transition disc 323 is greater than the axial length of the proximal disc 322, so that it has higher structural strength; specifically, the transition disc 323 is a disc with a sloped concave surface on the top surface and a sloped convex surface on the bottom surface, and a third embedding groove is provided at the center of the top sloped concave surface, and a second embedding protrusion is provided at the center of the bottom sloped concave surface; the transition disc 323 is also provided with a fourth central axial through hole connected to the third embedding groove, and six fourth guide wire through holes surrounding the fourth central axial through hole and evenly arranged in the circumferential direction.

[0056] See also Figure 13 The structure of the distal disc 324 is similar to that of the proximal disc 322. It is also a disc with a sloped concave surface on the top surface and a sloped protrusion 3241 on the bottom surface. A third embedding groove is provided at the center of the top sloped concave surface, and a third embedding protrusion 3242 is provided at the center of the bottom sloped concave surface. The distal disc 324 is also provided with a fifth central axial through hole 3243 connected to the third embedding groove, and three fifth guide wire through holes 3244 surrounding the fifth central axial through hole 3243 and evenly arranged in the circumferential direction.

[0057] See also Figure 14 The first end disc 325 is a disc with a flat top surface and a sloped protrusion 3251 on the bottom surface, and a fourth embedded protrusion 3252 is provided at the center of the sloped concave surface on the bottom side; a sixth central axial through hole 3253 is opened at the center of the first end disc 325, and three sixth guide wire through holes 3254 surround the sixth central axial through hole 3253 and are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction.

[0058] The design dimensions of the sloped concave surface, sloped protrusion, embedded groove and embedded protrusion on each disc are consistent. Specifically, the sloped concave surface is an arc-shaped groove with an inner diameter gradually decreasing from the outside to the inside, and the embedded protrusion is a conical platform with an outer diameter gradually decreasing from the disc body to the protrusion end side and an outer wall concave; see Figure 15 and Figure 16 The end side of the embedding protrusion matches the size of the notch of the embedding groove, so that in the two adjacent discs arranged coaxially, the embedding protrusion on the disc on the front side is embedded in the notch of the embedding groove on the disc on the rear side, and the bottom of the embedding groove leaves an accommodating space required for the embedding protrusion to be tilted; at the same time, when the disc group is relatively flipped, the sloped concave surface of the disc on the rear side will abut against the sloped protrusion of the disc on the front side to play a supporting and fixing role; based on this, the structure of the continuum 3 The characteristics of the structural design are: adjacent discs form a whole through mutual embedding, which makes it easier for the continuum 3 to turn synchronously. At the same time, since the accommodating space required for flipping is reserved in the embedding groove, and the inner concave part of the outer wall of the embedding protrusion is located at the groove of the embedding groove, and the sloped concave surface will support the sloped protrusion during flipping, when any disc is subjected to the tension of the guide wire, it can be easily flipped due to the change in the force relationship between the embedding protrusion and the embedding groove, and the tension requirement for the guide wire is correspondingly smaller.

[0059] like Figure 7 As shown, in the drive wire group, the three first joint drive wires are sequentially passed through the three guide wire holes arranged at intervals on the terminal disc 321, each proximal disc 322 and the transition disc 323, as well as the three guide wire holes on each distal disc 324 and the head end disc 325, and the front ends of the three first joint drive wires are respectively fixed in the three guide wire holes of the transition disc 323; the three second joint drive wires are sequentially passed through the other three guide wire holes arranged at intervals on the terminal disc 321, each proximal disc 322 and the transition disc 323, and the front ends of the three second joint drive wires are respectively fixed in the three guide wire holes of the head end disc 325.

[0060] Based on the installation method of the above-mentioned drive wire group, in actual application, by controlling the different retraction / release lengths of the corresponding drive wires by each second drive motor 222, the movement changes of the continuum 3 in different directions and different curvatures can be achieved; specifically, the control method for a single continuum 3 adopts the method of front and back side segments and then front side segments, that is, first start the three second drive motors 222 connected to the three first joint drive wires to retract / release the drive wires to different degrees, so that the rear side segments are bent, and then turn off the three second drive motors to keep the rear half of the continuum 3 in a bent state; then, start the three second drive motors 222 connected to the three second joint drive wires to retract / release the drive wires to different degrees, so that the front side segments are bent, and then turn off the three second drive motors to keep the front half of the continuum 3 in a bent state; when the rear half and the front half of the continuum 3 are driven by the three first joint drive wires and the three second joint drive wires to bend in the same direction, the continuum 3 is as follows Figure 8 When the three first joint drive wires drive the bending direction of the second half of the continuum 3 and the three second joint drive wires drive the bending direction of the first half of the continuum 3 opposite to the direction of the continuum 3, the continuum 3 is as shown Figure 9 The bending method shown.

[0061] Therefore, through the cooperation of the continuum 3 and the corresponding bending drive module, the robot can adjust the continuum 3 in two different directions and with two different bending degrees, thereby realizing the adjustment of the passage posture of different complex paths in practical applications, which can not only achieve a wider working space, but also avoid collision coupling between the three sections of the continuum 3 in the robot.

[0062] The robot also includes an end effector group 4, which consists of a scope 41, a curette 42 and an aspirator 43; wherein, the scope 41 is used for lighting during the operation and transmitting real-time images of the inside of the nasal cavity; the curette 42 is used to scrape tumor cells to help reduce the size and number of tumors, ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the operation; the aspirator 43 is used to absorb bleeding, exudate and pus during the operation; during the operation, the aspirator 43 is used in conjunction with the curette 42, so that after the curette 42 divides the tumor, the aspirator 43 will expel the tumor from the body under the action of pressure.

[0063] See also Figure 17 The endoscope 41 is fixed on the front end surface of the first end disc 325 in a coaxial arrangement with the first continuum. A light source 411 and a camera 412 are arranged in parallel at the front end of the endoscope 41. Figure 18 The curette 42 is fixed on the front end surface of the first end disc 325 in a coaxial arrangement with the second continuum; Figure 19The attractor 43 is fixed on the front end surface of the first end disc 325 of the third continuum in a coaxial arrangement with the third continuum.

[0064] In order to further demonstrate the feasibility of the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot of the present application in practical applications, a simulation method is used to simulate the posture change state achieved by one of the continua.

[0065] Continuous robots have different structures from traditional serial-parallel robots, and their movements are also different. During the movement of the robot, the rigid structure of the traditional serial-parallel robot remains unchanged, while the shape of the continuous robot itself will change. The continuous body segment can be imagined as static or quasi-static. It bends with constant curvature during bending deformation, and the axial length remains unchanged, thereby changing its workspace. The single joint of the continuous robot rotates by an angle of φ around the Z axis, by an angle of θ around the Y axis, and by an angle of -φ around the Z axis. It has two degrees of freedom. l is the length of the single joint of the continuous robot and is a constant value. The joint bending angle θ and the rotation angle φ are variable values. The homogeneous transformation matrix of the first joint is The homogeneous transformation matrix of the second joint is Finally, the homogeneous transformation matrix of the double joint is obtained Its working space can be analyzed using the following formula:

[0066]

[0067] The first joint brings in l1, θ1, and φ1, and the second joint brings in l2, θ2, and φ2. The specific ranges are set as follows:

[0068]

[0069] Finally, the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the end position can be calculated.

[0070] Based on the above range, the spatial position distribution of the end points of the single continuum of the robot in this embodiment can be determined, and the working space thereof can be drawn using Matlab software as shown in FIG. Figure 20 Based on Figure 20 According to the simulation results, the robot's working range covers a circular area with a left and right radius of about 44 mm. Based on this, it can be inferred that the complete robot system will increase the feed motion in the Z direction, so the working space is large enough to fully meet the requirements of transnasal skull base surgery.

[0071] To sum up, the transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot of the present application has significant advantages in motion space compared with the single-joint continuum robot; first, the continuum of the present application realizes the driven bending of the upper and lower parts of the continuum through two sets of fixed drive wires, simulates the characteristics of the double-joint structure, expands the robot's range of motion, and enables it to move flexibly in multiple planes and directions, covering a larger workspace; secondly, the double-joint driven bending characteristics of the continuum give it higher flexibility, and it can adjust its posture in narrow and complex environments, avoid obstacles, and accurately reach the target position; in addition, this structural design feature can also improve the operation accuracy, and by independently controlling the movement angle and direction of each joint, the position and angle adjustment of the end effector are more delicate, reducing interference with surrounding tissues; furthermore, according to the actual surgical process, the present application integrates multiple continua to form a continuum group, so that the robot has more degrees of freedom, realizes the needs of performing complex surgical tasks, improves the workspace coverage, and reduces blind spots.

Claims

1. A transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot, characterized in that: It includes a housing (1), a driving module group and a continuum group; in; The drive module group is composed of N drive modules (2), which are evenly distributed in a radial shape along the circumferential direction in the housing (1); each drive module (2) includes a linear drive module (21) fixed on the inner wall of the housing (1), and a bending drive module (22) is connected thereto, and the bending drive module (22) reciprocates in the axial direction of the housing (1) through the linear drive module (21); the bending drive module (22) includes six second drive motors and six drive wires arranged in a drive box, each second drive motor shaft end is provided with a winding wheel, and each winding wheel adjacent to a guide column is provided, and the six drive wires are respectively wound on the six winding wheels in a one-to-one correspondence, and after passing through each guide column, pass through the front end opening of the drive box; The continuum group is composed of N continuums (3), which are respectively arranged at the front ends of N driving modules (2) in a one-to-one correspondence; each continuum (3) includes a continuum sleeve, the rear end of which is fixed at the front end opening of the driving box, and the front end is fixed with a coaxially arranged flexible shaft, the rear end of the flexible shaft is provided with an annular boss, and six guide wire holes are opened on the flexible shaft along the circumferential direction and are connected to the inner cavity of the continuum sleeve; a disc group is sleeved on the flexible shaft, which is composed of a plurality of discs embedded in each other and having a relative oblique flip space; the disc group is composed of an end disc, a plurality of proximal discs, a transition disc, a plurality of distal discs and a head end disc which are sequentially arranged on the flexible shaft from back to front; wherein the end disc is a disc having a sloped concave surface on the top surface and a bottom surface. A flat disc with an embedding groove at the center of the sloped concave surface, a central axial through hole connected to the embedding groove, and six guide wire through holes evenly arranged in the circumferential direction around the central axial through hole; the proximal disc and the transition disc are both discs with a sloped concave surface on the top surface and a sloped convex surface on the bottom surface, and an embedding groove is provided at the center of the top side sloped concave surface, an embedding convex is provided at the center of the bottom side sloped concave surface, and a central axial through hole connected to the embedding groove is provided on it, as well as six guide wire through holes evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; the distal disc is a disc with a sloped concave surface on the top surface and a sloped convex surface on the bottom surface, and a The embedding groove has an embedding protrusion at the center of the sloped concave surface on the bottom side, and a central axial through hole connected to the embedding groove is provided on it, as well as three wire guide holes that surround the central axial through hole and are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; the head end disk is a disk with a flat top surface and a sloped protrusion on the bottom surface, and an embedding protrusion is provided at the center of the sloped concave surface on the bottom side, and a central axial through hole connected to the embedding groove is provided on it, as well as three wire guide holes that surround the central axial through hole and are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; the design dimensions of the sloped concave surface, sloped protrusion, embedding groove and embedding protrusion on each disk are consistent, so that in two adjacent coaxially arranged disks, the embedding protrusion on one disk is embedded in the embedding groove on the other disk. The groove is located at the bottom of the embedded groove, and the accommodating space required for the embedded protrusion to flip obliquely is reserved; when the adjacent discs flip, the sloped concave surface on one disc rests on the sloped protrusion on the other disc; three driving wires are sequentially inserted into three guide wire holes arranged at intervals on the terminal disc, each proximal disc and the transition disc, and three guide wire holes on each distal disc and the head disc, and the front ends of the three are respectively fixed in the three guide wire holes of the head disc; the other three driving wires are sequentially inserted into the other three guide wire holes arranged at intervals on the terminal disc, each proximal disc and the transition disc, and the front ends of the three are respectively fixed in the three guide wire holes of the transition disc; the continuum sleeves of the N continuums (3) are arranged in parallel.

2. The transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing (1) comprises a horizontally arranged hollow cylinder, the front end of the cylinder horizontally extending outward to form a movable sleeve, and the movable sleeve and the cylinder are coaxially arranged; N continuum mounting holes are opened in the horizontal direction on the movable sleeve, and the N continuum sleeves are respectively inserted into the N continuum mounting holes.

3. The transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: A handle (12) is connected to the top of the cylinder (11), and a connecting flange is provided at the rear end of the cylinder (11).

4. The transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The linear drive module (21) includes a base plate (217) on which a lead screw (212) is rotatably arranged. The lever of the lead screw (212) is connected to a first drive motor (218) to drive the rotation. A slider (211) is sleeved on the outer side of the lead screw nut. Two optical bars are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the lead screw (212), and the slider (211) is sleeved on both sides of the two optical bars.

5. The transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of proximal discs ranges from 4 to 7, and the number of distal discs ranges from 9 to 12.

6. The transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving wire is made of Nitinol wire, and the flexible shaft is made of superelastic Nitinol alloy shaft.

7. The transnasal intracranial modular continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an end effector group, which is composed of N end effectors; the N end effectors are fixed on the front ends of the disc groups of the N continua (3) in a one-to-one correspondence, and are coaxially arranged with the corresponding continua (3).

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