Electronic hard mirror, electronic hard mirror control assembly comprising electronic hard mirror, surgical robot system and method for controlling movement of electronic hard mirror

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic hard mirror, an electronic hard mirror control assembly comprising the electronic hard mirror, a surgical robot system, a method for controlling movement of the electronic hard mirror and a corresponding computer readable storage medium, a control device and a computer program product. The electronic hard mirror comprises a first shell (1) and a barrel (2) partially arranged in the first shell, the first shell is provided with a first joint part (11) suitable for being in butt joint with a mechanical arm, the tail end of the barrel is provided with an imaging module, and a tool channel is formed in the barrel; the barrel can rotate around the axis of the barrel relative to the first shell. As the barrel of the electronic hard mirror can be independently driven to rotate relative to the first shell of the mirror, the automatic rotation of the lens barrel can still be realized under the condition that the first shell of the hard mirror is held by a mechanical arm so as to realize any expected orientation of the lens barrel; the problem that an existing robot is difficult to operate the electronic hard mirror at will like a doctor, and especially the electronic hard mirror rotates around the axis of the robot can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical equipment, and in particular to an electronic hard mirror, and more specifically to an electronic hard mirror control component and a surgical robot system including such an electronic hard mirror, and a method for controlling the movement of such an electronic hard mirror in a surgical robot system. Background Art

[0002] With the advent of digital and intelligent orthopedics, three-dimensional navigation, virtual reality technology and robotics technology will be deeply integrated with endoscopes, such as lumbar endoscopic fusion surgery. Endoscopic intraoperative navigation technology, such as spinal intraoperative navigation technology, has been proven to help reduce patients' radiation exposure, determine the range of decompression and / or monitor the position and depth of implants. With the development of robotic decompression technology, it is expected that precise decompression by endoscopic robots will be achieved in the future, further reducing surgical trauma, improving surgical efficiency, reducing complications of nerve and vascular injuries, and providing safer, minimally invasive and less radiation-intensive surgery.

[0003] In current surgical robots such as orthopedic surgical robots, on the basis of meeting performance requirements (such as positioning accuracy), the 6-axis serial robotic arm is chosen by most orthopedic surgical robot companies due to its economy and reliability.

[0004] How to use a 6-axis serial robot to replace the doctor's arm to hold and operate the endoscope, especially the hard endoscope (such as spinal endoscope), to achieve the same effect as the doctor holding and operating it and free the doctor's hand to operate the endoscope tool has not yet been realized. One of the important reasons is as follows:

[0005] In traditional spinal endoscopic surgery, the camera and working channel of the endoscope are integrated into the same endoscope insertion tube. The doctor needs to frequently rotate the endoscope axially to observe in all directions and operate the endoscopic decompression tool to decompress the pressure object through the working channel when the endoscope lens is facing the pressure object. This operation requires the doctor to coordinate both hands and operate together. Since the human arm has a total of 7 degrees of freedom. In order to complete the axial rotation action, the doctor's arm joints have moved and / or rotated. In other words, in order to hold the endoscope to complete the axial rotation of 180°, 7 degrees of freedom of arm movement are required to complete the action.

[0006] Therefore, in theory, it is impossible for a 6-axis serial robotic arm to replace the doctor's arm to hold and operate the spinal endoscope and achieve the same effect as the spinal endoscopy doctor holding and operating it.

[0007] From a more intuitive perspective, such as Figure 4As shown, the robotic arm 5 is connected to and holds the endoscope. If the endoscope is to be rotated around the axis through the movement of the robotic arm, the robotic arm and its trolley need to rotate 180 degrees with the endoscope as the axis. This large-scale movement is almost impossible in actual surgery, especially when the robotic arm trolley cannot be moved in real time beside the operating table and the robotic arm has a tracer that needs to be within the field of view of the navigation system.

[0008] Furthermore, in the past spinal surgeries, an optical hard endoscope was usually used. This optical hard endoscope is provided with an optical lens group at its end, and an image sensing device (such as a CCD or CMOS sensor) is usually provided at the rear end of the hard endoscope, which converts the optical signal captured by the optical lens into an electrical signal. The image sensing device is then connected to a special image processing device via a cable, and the image processing device is connected to the host of the surgical robot system to transmit the processed image or video. In this process, the signal processing and transmission take a long time, resulting in image transmission delay, limiting the efficiency and accuracy of real-time imaging and real-time navigation of the endoscope, and the equipment used is relatively complex and the data transmission path is long. In addition, the optical hard endoscope used in traditional spinal surgery has an optical lens and an additional image sensing device, which makes the entire mirror very heavy, inconvenient for doctors to operate, and the cost of the entire system is relatively high. Summary of the invention

[0009] The object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems and defects in the prior art as well as other technical problems.

[0010] It should be noted that although the expressions "imaging module" and "image" are used in this article, those skilled in the art can understand that "imaging module" is a broad concept, which may have functions such as video recording, video acquisition and image acquisition, and "image" is a broad concept, which may include video, dynamic continuous images and static images.

[0011] The electronic hard endoscope herein refers in particular to an endoscope whose insertion tube (e.g., a tube made of metal or a relatively high hardness material) is non-bendable (in contrast to a bendable soft endoscope). Usually, the end of the insertion tube of the electronic hard endoscope enters the tissue structure or bone structure of the patient to observe it and / or operate it with surgical instruments, and the proximal end of the electronic hard endoscope (the end close to the operator, i.e., the end opposite to the end of the insertion tube of the electronic hard endoscope) is located outside the patient's body for manual or motorized manipulation.

[0012] In this article, the "electronic" in "electronic hard mirror" refers to the imaging module located at the end of the mirror barrel (or mirror rod) including an electronic image sensor (such as CCD or CMOS), which can directly convert the captured optical image into an electronic signal.

[0013] According to a first aspect of the present invention, an electronic hard mirror is provided. The electronic hard mirror comprises a first shell and a barrel partially disposed in the first shell, wherein the first shell is provided with a first joint portion suitable for docking with a robot arm, an imaging module is provided at the end of the barrel, and a tool channel is formed in the barrel; wherein the barrel can rotate relative to the first shell around the axis of the barrel.

[0014] In this solution, since the insertion tube of the mirror (or mirror rod) can be driven to rotate independently relative to the first shell of the mirror, the mirror tube can still be automatically rotated to achieve any desired orientation when the first shell of the mirror is held by a robotic arm, so that the problem that existing robots (such as 6-axis robotic arms) have insufficient degrees of freedom and are difficult to operate the electronic hard mirror as freely as a doctor, especially to achieve the rotation of the electronic hard mirror around its axis, can be solved. Through the above solution, on the one hand, the rotation of the insertion tube of the electronic hard mirror can be driven, and on the other hand, the electronic hard mirror can also be driven by the robotic arm to complete the forward and backward linear motion along the axis of the tube of the hard mirror and / or roughly around the intervertebral foramen (see Figure 6 The tilting movement is based on the 300 degree angle of the robot arm, or the circumferential saw is used to remove a part of the ventral side of the patient's superior articular process so that the insertion tube of the hard endoscope can enter the hole inside the cone hole. Therefore, these movements of the electronic hard endoscope can be completed on the basis of the overall posture change of the robot arm (the rotation amplitude of each joint is small), and the same terminal visual range and coverage area as the doctor's handheld operation can be achieved. This can also avoid the robot arm from occupying space, avoiding interference with operators or other equipment, and can largely avoid the tracer on the robot arm from moving out of the field of view of the navigation system to affect the navigation and positioning process.

[0015] According to one example, the power source for driving the insertion tube to rotate is not provided in the electronic hard mirror. This solution facilitates the electronic hard mirror to be made into a disposable consumable, can better meet the sterility requirements, and is more convenient and quick to use. Since the power source is not provided in the electronic hard mirror, the disposable electronic hard mirror does not include the power source, so the cost of the electronic hard mirror as a consumable can be reduced.

[0016] According to an example, the electronic hard mirror is not provided with an electronic unit for image processing. Similar to the advantages of the solution in the previous example, this solution can also reduce the cost of the electronic hard mirror, making it easier for the electronic hard mirror to be made into a disposable consumable.

[0017] According to one example, the imaging module includes CCD or CMOS. This integrated, miniature electronic image sensor can be arranged at the distal end surface of the electronic hard mirror extending into the barrel, so that the electronic hard mirror can maintain a smaller size.

[0018] According to one example, the end of the barrel is an inclined end face, wherein the imaging module is arranged in the inclined end face and arranged in a manner offset relative to the axis of the barrel. This arrangement enables a larger field of view of the electronic hard mirror to be obtained when the barrel rotates.

[0019] According to an example, the first joint portion is configured to be further adapted to connect a tracer. This solution enables the electronic hard endoscope to be mounted with a tracer when the electronic hard endoscope is not docked with the robot arm but is held by the doctor, so as to navigate the position of the electronic hard endoscope (including the position of the conical field of view of its imaging module) through the tracer.

[0020] According to an example, a third joint portion suitable for connecting a tracer is provided on the first shell, and the third joint portion is independent of the first joint portion.

[0021] According to one example, the tool channel is configured to accommodate at least two surgical tools. The electronic hard endoscope of this structure facilitates the doctor to operate two surgical tools with both hands, which makes the advantage of the present invention of freeing the doctor's hand holding the endoscope (which will be described in the specific implementation section below) be better applied.

[0022] According to an example, the first shell is injection molded by a plastic material. This reduces the cost of the electronic hard endoscope and facilitates the electronic hard endoscope to be made into a disposable consumable. On the other hand, it reduces the weight of the electronic hard endoscope, reduces the weight carried by the mechanical arm, and is more convenient when the doctor operates manually.

[0023] According to one example, the electronic hard endoscope is a spinal electronic hard endoscope. The advantages of the electronic hard endoscope of the present invention are better reflected when it is used in spinal surgery, i.e., as a spinal electronic hard endoscope. As described in the background technology, the existing spinal endoscope has always used an optical hard endoscope. The entire mirror is heavy and bulky, which is not convenient for doctors to operate, and the cost is relatively high. The solution using the electronic hard endoscope of the present invention can overcome these shortcomings and solve the problem that it is difficult for existing robots to operate the spinal endoscope to rotate around its axis as arbitrarily as doctors, and can greatly reduce the image transmission delay, thereby improving the real-time transmission of image information when the endoscope is connected to the navigation system.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic hard mirror control assembly is provided, which includes the electronic hard mirror described in the aforementioned examples, and the electronic hard mirror control assembly also includes a control device, and the control device can control the rotation of the barrel of the electronic hard mirror.

[0025] According to one example, a second joint portion connected to the control device is also provided on the first shell of the electronic hard mirror, and the control device is detachably connected to the electronic hard mirror via the second joint portion. In other words, the control device and the electronic hard mirror are separate. This design brings the advantage that it is convenient to make the electronic hard mirror into a disposable consumable as described above, and integrate the more expensive electronic unit for image processing, the rotation drive power source, the control circuit board and the interactive interface into the reusable control device, and the electronic hard mirror can be unplugged and discarded after use.

[0026] According to one example, the control device includes a second shell, in which a power source for driving the barrel of the electronic hard mirror to rotate is provided.

[0027] According to one example, an electronic unit for image processing, which is electrically connected to an imaging module of the electronic hard mirror, is disposed in the second housing of the control device.

[0028] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a surgical robot system, comprising an electronic hard mirror control component as described in any one of the above examples, the skilled robot system also comprising a robotic arm detachably connected to the electronic hard mirror via a first joint portion of the electronic hard mirror, wherein the control device is further configured to control the movement of the robotic arm.

[0029] In this solution, since the mechanical arm and the electronic hard endoscope are detachably connected, the electronic hard endoscope can be held by the doctor or by the mechanical arm. In the actual operation, the doctor can decide whether to use the handheld control device to complete the decompression operation under the guidance of the navigation system; or to dock with the mechanical arm to free the hand holding the endoscope and operate more than one decompression instrument with both hands to complete the decompression operation. The core value of this solution is that when the mechanical arm does not have the pressure perception ability of one thousandth of a Newton of the human hand, it can be used without any loss of efficiency and operation precision. The surgical robot system can replace the operation of the spinal endoscope doctor's hand holding the endoscope, and the spinal endoscope doctor can use the freed hand holding the endoscope to operate the surgical instrument to complete more complex decompression operations, thereby achieving a substantial improvement in the efficiency of spinal endoscope surgery. In other words, the electronic hard endoscope can be held by the doctor near the planned operation position (for example, placed in the working channel of spinal endoscope surgery), or even after the operation needs to be taken over by the mechanical arm, and then the electronic endoscope is docked with the mechanical arm and driven by the mechanical arm, which is a realistic solution with higher work efficiency in clinical practice.

[0030] According to one example, the surgical robot system further comprises a processor, wherein the electronic unit for image processing of the control device is electrically connected to the processor. The electronic unit for image processing is configured to output a processed digital image and transmit the processed digital image to a processor (host) of the system.

[0031] According to one example, the control device is provided with at least one of the following: a first operating component group for controlling the axial movement of the electronic hard mirror along the barrel and for controlling the rotation of the barrel of the electronic hard mirror around its own axis, a joystick for controlling the shaking of the electronic hard mirror, and a second operating component for controlling the execution of the operating action of the electronic handle.

[0032] According to one example, a display unit is further provided on the second housing of the control device, for displaying the current orientation of the field of view of the imaging module at the end of the barrel of the electronic hard mirror. Since the rotation of the barrel is driven by a power source such as a linear motor, its rotation amount and rotation direction can be recorded, so that the system can know the rotation of the barrel relative to the initial reference position, and then obtain the orientation of the field of view of the imaging module of the barrel and display it through the display unit.

[0033] According to one example, the control device also includes a circuit board arranged in the second shell, the circuit board is electrically connected to a power source for driving the barrel of the electronic hard mirror to rotate, and is electrically connected to a processor of the surgical robot system, and the circuit board is electrically connected to at least some of the following: a first operating member group, a joystick, a second operating member and a display unit.

[0034] According to one example, a power source for driving the barrel of the electronic hard mirror to rotate is disposed in the mechanical arm. For example, in addition to being engaged with the first housing of the electronic hard mirror at a first engagement portion to hold the electronic hard mirror, the mechanical arm may also include an additional motor and drive the barrel to rotate through an additional transmission mechanism at an additional engagement portion (this solution is not shown in the drawings of the following specification).

[0035] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method for controlling the movement of an electronic hard mirror in a surgical robot system, the method comprising the following steps:

[0036] Target acquisition step: obtaining input of a target orientation for the field of view of the electronic hard mirror;

[0037] Pre-display step: displaying a virtual image of the electronic hard mirror at the target position on a display device according to the input;

[0038] Automatic movement execution steps: upon receiving a confirmation instruction of the target orientation, control the movement of the electronic hard mirror.

[0039] The input of the target orientation of the electronic hard mirror's field of view obtained in the above-mentioned target acquisition step is performed by the doctor. When the doctor expects the electronic hard mirror to face a certain direction or be in a certain orientation for clearer observation or operation, he can make such an input to instruct the surgical robot system to move the electronic hard mirror to that orientation. The doctor can implement this input in various ways, such as dragging the cone model (i.e., the virtual model of the field of view displayed on the navigation view) on the display device (touch screen) of the surgical robot system, or marking the target orientation of the cone model, or, for example, setting a touch screen on the control device to implement this input. After receiving this input, the system host will display a virtual image of the electronic hard mirror in the target orientation on the display device according to the input, which is performed by the system in combination with the patient's preoperative or intraoperative three-dimensional image. When the doctor looks at the display device and confirms that the virtual image is the part he wants to see, he enters the confirmation instruction of the target orientation, i.e., the instruction obtained in the "automatic movement execution step". The instruction can be performed through various input components such as the control device (such as a button thereon) or the display device, keyboard, mouse, etc. After the system receives the confirmation instruction, it can control the movement of the mechanical arm and / or control the power source to drive the barrel of the electronic hard mirror to rotate, so as to automatically move the electronic hard mirror to the target position desired by the doctor.

[0040] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the program is executed by a processor, the steps in the method in the above example are executed.

[0041] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a control device is provided. The control device includes a memory, a processor, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the method in the above example is executed when the processor executes the program.

[0042] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method in the above example are implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] The present invention is described in detail below by way of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] Figure 1 The structural schematic diagram of the electronic hard mirror of the present invention is exemplarily shown.

[0045] Figure 1 A shows an example Figure 1 The end of the tube of the electronic hard mirror ( Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the part in the middle circle A).

[0046] Figure 2The structural schematic diagram of the control device according to the present invention is exemplarily shown.

[0047] Figure 3 The schematic diagram exemplarily shows the principle of the state in which the electronic hard mirror, the control device and the robotic arm are assembled together.

[0048] Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the principle of a surgical robot system for electronic endoscopic spinal surgery is shown as an example.

[0049] Figure 5 A flow chart showing automatic movement of a spinal electronic hardoscope according to an operator's input according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 6 The principle diagram of the tilting motion and linear motion of the electronic hard mirror driven by the mechanical arm according to the present invention is schematically shown.

[0051] Figure 7 The schematic diagram exemplarily shows the principle of the state in which the electronic hard mirror, the control device and the tracer of the electronic hard mirror are assembled together.

[0052] It should be noted that the drawings are only schematic. They only show those parts or steps required to illustrate the present invention, while other parts or steps may be omitted or only briefly mentioned. In addition to the parts or steps shown in the drawings, the present invention may also include other parts or steps. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The technical solution of the present invention is further specifically described below by examples and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall concept of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0054] As a specific embodiment, the following describes the structure of the electronic hard endoscope (e.g., spinal endoscope, arthroscope, nasal endoscope, ventriculoscope, laparoscope) of the present invention, the structure of the control device, the composition of the surgical robot system, and the method of controlling the movement of the electronic hard endoscope in the surgical robot system. In the following detailed description, many specific details and steps are explained in a very specific and detailed manner to provide a comprehensive understanding of the embodiment. However, it should be understood that one or more other embodiments can also be implemented without these specific details and steps.

[0055] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 As shown, the electronic hard mirror 100 includes a first shell 1, which can be made of, for example, plastic material injection molding, and a first joint portion 11 (as described below) that can be connected to the robot arm is provided on the first shell 1. Figure 7As will be introduced, the first joint portion 11 is constructed to be also used for installing a tracer 111 of the electronic hard endoscope 100 and a second joint portion 12 that is docked with the control device 4. The electronic hard endoscope 100 also includes a barrel 2 partially disposed in the first shell 1. The barrel 2 is used to extend into the patient's tissue structure and bone structure during the surgical operation. A water inlet 13 may also be provided on the first shell 1 to introduce water with a suitable pressure into the barrel 2 and spray it from its end opening to the operating site. A water outlet 14 may also be provided to provide negative pressure to suck out water. A tool channel 22 is formed in the barrel 2, and surgical instruments are inserted into the tool channel 22 and approach the patient's part to be treated. The channel 22 is in Figure 1 A. According to one example, the tool channel of the present invention can be configured to accommodate two surgical instruments, such as a radiofrequency electrode and a soft tissue forceps / rongeur. It is understood that although Figure 1 A shows a tool channel, and two channels can also be formed in the barrel 2, and two surgical instruments are respectively inserted into one of the channels. Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , an imaging module 21 is disposed at the end of the tube 2. The imaging module 21 may include a CCD or CMOS sensor for converting optical signals into electrical signals. Figure 1 and Figure 1 As shown in A, the end of the barrel 2 has an inclined end face, and the imaging module 21 is arranged in the inclined end face and arranged in the end face in a manner offset relative to the central axis of the barrel. In the present invention, the barrel 2 is configured to be able to rotate around the central axis of the barrel 2 relative to the first shell 1. Since the imaging module 21 is arranged on the inclined end face and in a manner offset relative to the central axis of the barrel, a larger field of view of the mirror can be obtained by rotating the barrel 2. In the prior art, the doctor will rotate the hard mirror (the entire hard mirror is rotated at this time) according to the part to be observed during the operation to make it face the desired field of view, and it is difficult to achieve this rotation action when the hard mirror is held by a mechanical arm, as described in the background art. In the present invention, since the barrel (or mirror rod) of the mirror can be driven and rotated independently relative to the first shell 1 of the mirror, the free rotation of the mirror barrel can be achieved to achieve any desired direction when the first shell 1 of the mirror is held by a mechanical arm, so that the problem that the existing robot cannot operate the hard mirror as arbitrarily as a doctor can be solved. At the same time, the electronic hard mirror of the present invention can, driven by the mechanical arm, complete the forward and backward linear motion along the axis of the hard mirror barrel and / or the tilting motion roughly with the intervertebral foramen as the fulcrum (see Figure 6), these movements of the hard mirror can be completed on the basis of little change in the overall posture of the robotic arm (small rotation range of each joint), which can avoid the space occupied by the robotic arm and avoid interference with operators or other equipment, and secondly, it can largely avoid the tracer on the robotic arm from moving out of the navigation system 200 (see Figure 4 )’s field of view and thus affects navigation.

[0056] like Figure 1 As can be seen from A, a lighting device 23, such as an LED, can also be provided at the end of the tube 2 to provide the required light for the operating area.

[0057] like Figure 1 As shown, the electronic hard mirror also includes a transmission mechanism 3 for driving the barrel 2 to rotate, and the figure shows two transmission mechanisms in the form of bevel gears in the first housing 1. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that other transmission mechanisms can also be provided as needed. Preferably, the power source (such as a motor) for driving the transmission mechanism 3 and then driving the barrel 2 to rotate is not provided in the electronic hard mirror. For example, the power source can be provided in the control device 4 described below. Preferably, the electronic hard mirror 100 is also not provided with a module for image processing (this will be described in detail below). Either of these two preferred schemes has the following advantages: that is, it is convenient for the electronic hard mirror 100 to be made into a disposable consumable, which can better meet the sterility requirements and is more convenient and quick to use. As mentioned above, since the power source for the electronic hard mirror 400 and the electronic unit for image processing are not provided in the electronic hard mirror 100, the disposable electronic hard mirror 100 does not include a power source and an electronic unit for image processing, thereby greatly reducing the cost of the electronic hard mirror as a consumable. Although the above description states that the power source for driving the barrel 2 to rotate and the electronic unit for image processing are not disposed in the electronic hard mirror and describes its various advantages, as another solution, both or one of them may be disposed in the electronic hard mirror.

[0058] Furthermore, the first housing 1 of the electronic hard mirror 100 can be injection molded by a plastic material, which reduces the cost of the electronic hard mirror 100 on the one hand, and reduces the weight of the electronic hard mirror 100 on the other hand, reduces the weight carried by the mechanical arm, and is more convenient when the doctor manually operates. Preferably, the barrel 2 of the electronic hard mirror 100 can also be made of, for example, hard plastic or low-density metal (such as aluminum), because the barrel 2 is used as a channel for surgical instruments without surgical operations such as cutting, so it is not subject to much force itself, and its rigidity requirement is not high. This can also achieve the effect of reducing costs and reducing weight.

[0059] like Figure 2 , 3As shown, the present invention also provides an electronic hard mirror control component that controls the movement of the electronic hard mirror through a control device 4. The operation of the control device 4 can control the power source 41 to drive the transmission mechanism 3 and then drive the barrel 2 to rotate. The control device 4 also includes a circuit board 47 arranged in the second shell 40. The circuit board 47 is electrically connected to the power source 41 for driving the barrel 2 of the electronic hard mirror to rotate, and is electrically connected to the processor (host) of the surgical robot system. Therefore, the processor of the surgical robot system can also send instructions to the circuit board 47 to control the power source 41 and then control the rotation of the barrel 2. Exemplarily, the power source that drives the barrel 2 to rotate can also be set in the robot arm. For example, in addition to being engaged with the first shell 1 of the electronic hard mirror 100 at the first joint portion 11 to hold the electronic hard mirror, the robot arm can also include an additional motor and drive the barrel 2 to rotate through an additional transmission mechanism at an additional joint portion (this solution is not shown in the figure).

[0060] Although two setting positions of the power source of the driving cylinder 2 are described above, it is preferred to set the power source 41 in the control device 4 (this solution is shown in the drawings of the specification). This solution has the following advantages: the electronic hard mirror can be operated by the doctor by hand (the doctor holds the control device 4 or the electronic hard mirror 100), in which case the rotation of the cylinder 2 can still be driven by operating the control device 4; at the same time, the electronic hard mirror can be connected to and held by the robotic arm, which provides greater freedom of choice for the doctor's operation in actual applications.

[0061] Moreover, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control device 4 is detachably connected to the electronic hard mirror via the second joint portion 12. In other words, the control device 4 and the electronic hard mirror 100 are separate bodies.

[0062] Next, the structure of the control device 4 is described. Figure 2 Its internal structure is schematically shown in , which has a second shell 40. As mentioned above, the power source 41 (preferably a DC motor) is arranged in the second shell 40, and its output shaft can extend out of the second shell 40. The second shell 40 is also provided with an electronic unit (IPU) 42 for image processing that is electrically connected to the imaging module 21 of the electronic hard mirror. The electronic unit for image processing (which can be a circuit board) may include functional modules such as exposure adjustment, image gain noise reduction, analog-to-digital conversion and signal amplification. The electronic unit 42 for image processing processes the electrical signal received from the electronic image sensor of the imaging module 21, directly generates a processed high-quality digital image or video, and can transmit the digital image or video to a processor such as the host of the entire surgical robot system through a signal line. Figure 2 As shown, the electronic unit (IPU) 42 for image processing is electrically connected to the image signal line interface 48. Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, a second joint portion 12 connected to the control device 4 is also provided on the first housing 1 of the electronic hard mirror. The second joint portion 12 includes both a drive interface 121 connected to the output shaft of the power source 41 and an image interface 122 connected to the image signal line interface 48. The image interface 122 is electrically connected to the electronic unit 42 for image processing through the image signal line interface 48 on the one hand, and is electrically connected to the electronic imaging sensor of the imaging module 21, such as a CCD module or a CMOS module, on the other hand, so as to transmit the electrical signal received from the electronic image sensor of the imaging module 21 to the electronic unit 42 for image processing.

[0063] like Figure 4 As schematically shown in FIG. 1 , the present invention further provides a surgical robot system (also referred to as a positioning and navigation system), which includes a robot arm 5, which is detachably connected to the electronic hard mirror via the first joint portion 11 of the electronic hard mirror 100. Figure 3 It can also be seen that the mechanical arm 5 is connected to the electronic endoscope 100. Since the mechanical arm 5 is detachably connected to the electronic hard endoscope 100, the electronic hard endoscope 100 can be held by the doctor through the handle 4 or by the mechanical arm. In this way, simple actions that are more suitable for manual operation can be performed by the doctor, and the robot will take over the electronic hard endoscope when the doctor needs to free up the hand holding the endoscope to operate the decompression device.

[0064] In this embodiment, the control device 4 is also configured to control the movement of the robot arm. Figure 2 As shown, the control device 4 may be provided with a first operating component group 45, which may include, for example, two buttons for controlling the barrel 2 of the electronic hard mirror to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise around its own axis, respectively, and two buttons for controlling the electronic hard mirror to move forward and backward along the axial direction of the barrel 2. The control device 4 may also be provided with a joystick 44 for controlling the shaking of the electronic hard mirror. The control device may also be provided with a second operating component 43, which may be an execution key for controlling the execution of instructions of the joystick 44 and / or the operating components in the first operating component group 45. It may be in a mode of controlling the movement of the electronic hard mirror according to the target orientation input by the doctor (this mode is described below in relation to Figure 5 The control device 4 also includes a circuit board 47 disposed in the second housing 40. The circuit board 47 is electrically connected to the processor of the surgical robot system on the one hand, and is electrically connected to the power source 41 in the control device 4 for driving the barrel 2 of the electronic hard mirror to rotate on the other hand, and is electrically connected to the second operating member 43, the rocker 44, the first operating member group 45, and the display unit 46 of the control device 4.

[0065] A display unit 46 may also be provided on the second housing 40 of the control device 4 to display the current orientation of the field of view of the imaging module at the end of the barrel 2 of the electronic hard mirror. Since the rotation of the barrel 2 is driven by a power source 41 such as a linear motor, the amount of its rotation can be recorded, so that the system can know the rotation of the barrel 2 and display it through the display unit 46.

[0066] Figure 3 The electronic hard endoscope 100, the mechanical arm 5 and the control device 4 in the docking state are shown. The doctor can operate the control device 4 to control the movement of the mechanical arm 5 to drive the overall movement of the electronic hard endoscope 100 to achieve the tilting movement and the up and down linear movement mentioned above. At the same time, the doctor can also operate the control device 4 to rotate the barrel 2 of the electronic hard endoscope 100 to observe the desired position or operate the patient's desired position through the surgical instrument inserted into the tool channel 22.

[0067] Figure 4 The schematic diagram shows a surgical robot system, which includes a robotic arm and a navigation system. The navigation system includes a tracking device 200 to achieve positioning and navigation during the operation. The tracking device 200 may be an optical tracking device (such as an NDI navigator), and a tracer 51 may be provided on the robotic arm 5 accordingly, through which the position information of the robotic arm 5 can be obtained. When the robotic arm 5 is docked with the electronic hard mirror 100, due to the rigid positional relationship between the two, the position of the electronic hard mirror 100 relative to the robotic arm 5 is determined and known. Therefore, the position of the electronic hard mirror 100 can be obtained through the tracer 51 on the robotic arm 5, thereby achieving positioning and navigation of the electronic hard mirror 100. Moreover, as Figure 7 As shown, the first joint portion 11 of the electronic hard mirror 100 is configured to be used to install a tracer 111 (e.g., an optical tracer) of the electronic hard mirror 100. When the electronic hard mirror 100 is not docked with the robot arm but is held by a doctor, the tracer 111 can still be installed on the electronic hard mirror 100 to navigate the orientation of the electronic hard mirror (including the orientation of the conical field of view of its imaging module) through the tracer 111. It should be noted that, although in this embodiment, the first joint portion 11 of the electronic hard mirror 100 can be used to install the tracer 111 of the electronic hard mirror 100 and can also be used to engage with the robot arm 5, in other alternative examples, an additional third joint portion for installing its tracer can also be provided on the electronic hard mirror 100, that is, the third joint portion is independent of the first joint portion suitable for engaging with the robot arm 5.

[0068] The surgical robot system has at least the following advantages: (1) The required movement of the electronic hard endoscope can be completed without much change in the overall posture of the robot arm (each joint rotates with a small amplitude), while avoiding the robot arm from occupying space, interfering with the operator or other equipment, and largely avoiding the tracer on the robot arm from moving out of the field of view of the navigation system and affecting the navigation process. (2) The doctor can free up the mirror-holding hand to operate the endoscopic tool, making the decompression operation more efficient and enabling the doctor to use both hands to operate more complex tools. (3) The rotation of the barrel of the electronic hard endoscope 100 is driven by the power source 41 in the control device 4, so no matter how the barrel rotates, the position of the control device 4 does not move, ensuring that the control device 4 as a controller is always facing the doctor, making it more convenient for the doctor to operate and interact with the system, especially compared with the way in which the handle part of the traditional optical hard endoscope rotates with the barrel. (4) The robot arm replaces the human hand to hold the electronic hard endoscope, with accurate positioning and no manual fatigue. It can be held for a long time, moved infinitely and precisely. (5) It makes it possible for the operator to input the desired position first, and then the system automatically calculates and realizes the automatic movement of the electronic hard mirror. This point will be described in detail below.

[0069] For the surgical robot system, the present invention also provides the following method for controlling the movement of the electronic hard mirror 100. Figure 5 As shown, the method may include the following steps: a target acquisition step: obtaining an input of a target orientation of the field of view of the electronic hard mirror 100; a pre-display step: displaying a virtual image of the electronic hard mirror at the target orientation on a display device according to the input; an automatic movement execution step: controlling the movement of the electronic hard mirror 100 when receiving a confirmation instruction of the target orientation. The input of the target orientation of the field of view of the electronic hard mirror obtained in the above target acquisition step is performed by a doctor. When the doctor expects the electronic hard mirror to face a certain direction or be in a certain orientation for clearer observation or operation, he or she may make such an input to instruct the surgical robot system to move the electronic hard mirror to that orientation. After receiving such an input, the system host will display a virtual image of the electronic hard mirror at the target orientation on a display device according to the input, which is performed by the system in the three-dimensional image of the patient before or during surgery. When the doctor observes the display device and confirms that the virtual image is the part he or she wants to see, the doctor will input a confirmation instruction of the target orientation, i.e., the instruction obtained in the "automatic movement execution step". The command can be issued through a control device (such as a button thereon) or various input components such as a display device, keyboard, mouse, etc. When the system receives the confirmation command, it can control the movement of the robotic arm and / or control the power source to drive the barrel of the electronic hard mirror to rotate, and automatically move the electronic hard mirror to the target position desired by the doctor. The method uses the surgical robot system to automatically complete the position of the electronic hard mirror desired by the doctor, with high operation accuracy and labor saving, which is more conducive to improving surgical efficiency.

[0070] The method is completely implemented by a computer program. Accordingly, the present invention also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the above steps of the method are implemented. The present invention also provides a computer readable storage medium, on which the computer program is stored. The present invention can also provide a control device, such as a computer host, which may include a memory, a processor, and the computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor.

[0071] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps of the methods or algorithms described herein may be implemented directly using hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software modules may be placed in a random access memory (RAM), a memory, a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically programmable ROM, an electrically erasable programmable ROM, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.

[0072] In the above embodiments, the method can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the present invention is generated in whole or in part. The computer here can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state hard disk Solid State Disk), etc.

[0073] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the memory of the control device of the present invention may include a random access memory (RAM) or a non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk memory. Optionally, the memory may also be at least one storage device separate from the processor.

[0074] The processor of the control device can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.

[0075] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An electronic hard mirror, characterized in that: The electronic hard mirror comprises: A first shell (1), wherein the first shell (1) is provided with a first joint portion (11) suitable for docking with a robot arm; and A barrel (2) partially disposed in the first housing (1), wherein an imaging module (21) is disposed at a distal end of the barrel (2) and a tool channel (22) is formed in the barrel; The barrel (2) is rotatable relative to the first shell (1) around the axis of the barrel (2).

2. The electronic hard mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power source for driving the barrel (2) to rotate is not provided in the electronic hard mirror.

3. The electronic hard mirror according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The electronic hard mirror is not provided with an electronic unit for image processing.

4. The electronic hard mirror according to claim 3, characterized in that: The imaging module (21) comprises a CCD or a CMOS.

5. The electronic hard mirror according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that: The end of the barrel (2) is an inclined end surface, wherein the imaging module (21) is arranged in the inclined end surface and is arranged in a manner offset relative to the axis of the barrel (2).

6. The electronic hard mirror according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that: The first joint (11) is also configured to be suitable for connecting a tracer (111).

7. The electronic hard mirror according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that: The first shell (1) is provided with a third joint portion suitable for connecting a tracer (111), and the third joint portion is independent of the first joint portion.

8. The electronic hard mirror according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that: The tool channel (22) is configured to accommodate at least two surgical tools.

9. The electronic hard mirror according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that: The electronic hard endoscope is a spinal electronic hard endoscope.

10. An electronic hard mirror control assembly, characterized in that: The electronic hard mirror comprises the electronic hard mirror as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the electronic hard mirror control assembly further comprises a control device (4), and the control device (4) is capable of controlling the rotation of the barrel (2) of the electronic hard mirror.

11. The electronic hard mirror control assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that: The first shell (1) of the electronic hard mirror is also provided with a second joint portion (12) connected to the control device (4), and the control device (4) is detachably connected to the electronic hard mirror via the second joint portion (12).

12. The electronic hard mirror control assembly according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The control device (4) comprises a second shell (40), in which a power source (41) for driving the barrel (2) of the electronic hard mirror to rotate is arranged.

13. The electronic hard mirror control assembly according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: An electronic unit (42) for image processing and electrically connected to the imaging module (21) of the electronic hard mirror is provided in the second housing (40) of the control device (4).

14. A surgical robot system, comprising the electronic hard mirror control assembly according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein: It also includes a mechanical arm (5) which is detachably connected to the electronic hard mirror via a first joint portion (11) of the electronic hard mirror, wherein the control device (4) is also configured to be able to control the movement of the mechanical arm.

15. The surgical robot system according to claim 14, characterized in that: The surgical robot system also includes a processor, wherein the electronic unit (42) for image processing of the control device (4) is electrically connected to the processor, and the electronic unit (42) for image processing is configured to output a processed digital image and transmit the digital image to the processor.

16. The surgical robot system according to claim 15, characterized in that: The control device (4) is provided with at least one of the following: a first operating component group (45) for controlling the axial movement of the electronic hard mirror along the tube (2) and for controlling the rotation of the tube (2) of the electronic hard mirror around its own axis, a joystick (44) for controlling the shaking of the electronic hard mirror, and a second operating component (43) for controlling the execution of the operating action of the electronic handle (4).

17. The surgical robot system according to claim 15, characterized in that: The second housing (40) of the control device (4) is also provided with a display unit (46) for displaying the current orientation of the field of view of the imaging module at the end of the barrel (2) of the electronic hard mirror.

18. The surgical robot system according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that: The control device (4) also includes a circuit board (47) arranged in the second shell (40), and the circuit board (47) is electrically connected to a power source (41) for driving the barrel (2) of the electronic hard mirror to rotate, and is electrically connected to a processor of the surgical robot system, and the circuit board (47) is electrically connected to at least some of the following: a first operating member group (45), a joystick (44), a second operating member (43) and a display unit (46).

19. The surgical robot system according to claim 14, characterized in that: A power source for driving the barrel (2) of the electronic hard mirror to rotate is arranged in the mechanical arm.

20. A method for controlling the movement of an electronic hard mirror (100) in a surgical robot system, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: Target acquisition step: obtaining input of a target orientation for the field of view of the electronic hard mirror (100); Pre-display step: displaying a virtual image of the electronic hard mirror at the target position on a display device according to the input; Automatic movement execution step: controlling the movement of the electronic hard mirror (100) when receiving a confirmation instruction of the target orientation.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The surgical robot system comprises: An electronic hard mirror (100), the electronic hard mirror comprising: A first shell (1), wherein the first shell (1) is provided with a first joint portion (11) for docking with a robot arm; and A barrel (2) partially disposed in the first housing (1), wherein an imaging module (21) is disposed at a distal end of the barrel (2) and a tool channel (22) is formed in the barrel; wherein the barrel (2) is capable of rotating relative to the first shell (1) around the axis of the barrel (2); A control device (4), wherein the first housing (1) of the electronic hard mirror is further provided with a second joint portion (12) connected to the control device (4), and the control device (4) is provided with a power source (41) for driving the barrel (2) of the electronic hard mirror to rotate; and A mechanical arm (5), wherein the control device (4) is also configured to control the movement of the mechanical arm; Wherein, the target orientation is the orientation of the field of view of the imaging module (21); and, in the automatic movement execution step, the movement of the mechanical arm (5) is controlled and / or the power source (41) is controlled to drive the barrel (2) of the electronic hard mirror to rotate.

22. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to claim 20 or 21 are performed.

23. A control device, wherein the control device comprises a memory, a processor, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the steps of the method according to claim 20 or 21 are executed when the processor executes the program.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to claim 20 or 21 are implemented.

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