Needle and thread assembling method and needle and thread assembling system

Abstract

The invention relates to a needle and thread assembling method and system, and the method comprises the steps that a thread clamping assembly first processing mechanism solidifies part of a thread clamping assembly suture line at a first position, so that the thread clamping assembly suture line is provided with a hardening part; the wire clamping assembly first processing mechanism moves to a second position in the direction away from the wire clamping assembly second processing mechanism so as to expose the wire clamping assembly hardening part; the second wire clamping assembly processing mechanism moves to the wire clamping assembly hardening part and clamps the end, close to the first wire clamping assembly processing mechanism, of the wire clamping assembly hardening part; the second thread clamping assembly processing mechanism breaks the thread clamping assembly hardening part into the tail end of one section of suture line and the head end of the other section of suture line, at the moment, the second thread clamping assembly processing mechanism clamps the head end of the suture line of the thread clamping assembly, and the second thread clamping assembly processing mechanism drives the head end of the suture line of the thread clamping assembly to move and penetrate into the suture needle of the thread clamping assembly; the suture needle is pressed so that the suture needle engages the head end of the suture. The production efficiency of the suture needle with the thread can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of suture needles with threads, and particularly to a method and a system for assembling a suture needle and a thread. Background Art

[0002] There are generally two types of suture needles with threads used in current medical practices: The first type of suture needle with a thread is similar to an ordinary tailor's needle. A small hole penetrating the needle body is opened at the rear end of the suture needle, and a medical suture passes through the small hole and is connected to the suture needle. The disadvantage of this type of suture needle with a thread is that: due to the obvious protruding part of the suture at the connection between the suture and the suture needle, during the surgical suture process, the protruding part of the suture is likely to cause damage to the patient's body tissue. The second type of suture needle with a thread is an improvement based on the first type of suture needle with a thread. Its structure is: a groove is opened at the rear end of the suture needle. After the suture is placed in the groove, the groove body is pressed by a punching machine. Although the suture needle with this structure is an improvement over the previous suture needle with a thread, its production process is as follows: manually cut the suture to the target length, create a hardened structure at both the head and tail ends of the section of the suture, insert the head end of the section of the suture into the groove at the tail of the suture needle, and then press the groove at the tail of the suture needle to press the suture onto the suture needle, thereby obtaining the second type of suture needle with a thread. In summary, there are still problems such as manual threading, high rejection rate, and low production efficiency in the production of this type of suture needle with a thread. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a method and a system for assembling a suture needle and a thread that can improve production efficiency.

[0004] A method for assembling a suture needle and a thread, used to connect a section of suture to a suture needle. The suture passes through a first processing mechanism from a wire supply mechanism and is arranged on a second processing mechanism. The suture needle is arranged in a fixture assembly. The method for assembling the suture needle and the thread includes:

[0005] The first processing mechanism cures a part of the suture at a first position, so that a hardened part is formed on the suture;

[0006] The first processing mechanism moves in a direction away from the second processing mechanism to a second position to expose the hardened part;

[0007] The second processing mechanism moves to the hardened part and clamps the end of the hardened part close to the first processing mechanism;

[0008] The second processing mechanism disconnects the hardened part into the tail end of a section of suture and the head end of another section of suture. At this time, the second processing mechanism clamps the head end of the suture;

[0009] The second processing mechanism moves the leading end of the suture a preset distance and inserts it into the suture needle;

[0010] Press the suture needle to make the suture needle engage with the leading end of the suture.

[0011] In one embodiment, after pressing the suture needle to make the suture needle engage with the leading end of the suture, the suture and needle assembly method further includes: detecting whether the fixing strength between the leading end and the suture needle meets the standard. If it meets the standard, stop the measurement; if it does not meet the standard, detect whether the leading end is invalid. If the leading end is invalid, cut the hardened part on the suture to generate a new leading end, and re-clamp the new leading end on the second processing mechanism; if the leading end is not invalid, re-clamp the leading end on the second processing mechanism.

[0012] In one embodiment, the method for detecting whether the fixing strength between the leading end and the suture needle meets the standard is: detecting whether the tensile force on the suture reaches a preset tensile force value. If it reaches the preset tensile force value, it means that the fixing strength between the leading end and the suture needle meets the standard; if it does not reach the preset tensile force value, it means that the fixing strength between the leading end and the suture needle does not meet the standard.

[0013] In one embodiment, the method for detecting whether the tensile force on the suture reaches a preset tensile force value is: the force measuring component of the first processing mechanism clamps the suture and pulls the suture away from the suture needle to detect the tensile force on the suture.

[0014] In one embodiment, the suture and needle assembly method further includes that the detection component of the second processing mechanism continuously detects whether the suture is at the target height. If so, no further processing is performed; if not, a reminder is given.

[0015] In one embodiment, the way that the second processing mechanism disconnects the hardened part into the tail end of a section of suture and the leading end of another section of suture is: the lifting component of the second processing mechanism moves the wire cutting component from the initial position to the wire cutting position along the second direction; the wire cutting component cuts the hardened part; the lifting component restores the wire cutting component from the wire cutting position to the initial position.

[0016] In one embodiment, after the second processing mechanism disconnects the hardened part into the tail end of a section of suture and the leading end of another section of suture, the suture and needle assembly method further includes: the fixture component releases the clamping effect on the suture needle, and the robotic arm moves the grippable suture needle to the fixture component.

[0017] In one embodiment, before the robotic arm moves the pickable suture needle to the fixture assembly, the suture and needle assembly method further includes: the vision mechanism identifying whether the pickable suture needle is in the needle cassette through a pre-constructed detection model; if there is the pickable suture needle, the robotic arm moves the pickable suture needle to the fixture assembly; if there is no pickable suture needle, vibrating the needle cassette and performing identification again.

[0018] In one embodiment, the way that the vision mechanism identifies whether the pickable suture needle is in the needle cassette through a pre-constructed detection model is as follows: the calibration orientation, clamping point and target pose of the pickable suture needle are stored in the detection model. The axis of the tail of the suture needle in the calibration orientation is the same as the axis of the suture thread, and the opening at the tail faces the suture thread. The clamping point is located at the tail of the suture needle. The pose when the suture needle in the calibration orientation is picked up by the fixture assembly is the target pose. The vision mechanism identifies the suture needle with the pose closest to the calibration orientation as the pickable suture needle, and the robotic arm picks up the pickable suture needle and adjusts the pickable suture needle to the target pose.

[0019] The present application also provides a suture and needle assembly system for implementing the suture and needle assembly method in any one of the above embodiments. The suture and needle assembly system includes:

[0020] A thread supply mechanism for supplying the suture thread;

[0021] A first processing mechanism capable of reciprocating in a first direction. The first processing mechanism includes a curing assembly for curing part of the suture thread;

[0022] A second processing mechanism capable of reciprocating in the first direction. The second processing mechanism includes a thread clamping assembly and a thread cutting assembly. The thread cutting assembly is used to cut off the suture thread, and the thread clamping assembly is used to clamp and drive the suture thread to move a preset distance away from the first processing mechanism;

[0023] A fixture assembly for clamping the suture needle;

[0024] The fixture assembly, the second processing mechanism and the first processing mechanism are arranged at intervals in the first direction in sequence.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the method for assembling a sewing needle and thread provided by the present application does not require pre-cutting the sewing thread before threading the leading end of the sewing thread into the sewing needle. Moreover, while the second processing mechanism moves with the leading end of the sewing thread and threads it into the tail slot of the sewing needle, the first processing mechanism can cure a part of the sewing thread at the first position simultaneously when the pressing and joining sewing needle has joined the leading end of the sewing thread to the sewing thread, greatly improving the production efficiency. And by presetting in advance the preset distance for the second processing mechanism to drive the sewing thread to move away from the first processing mechanism, this preset distance is the length of the sewing thread in each sewing needle with thread, that is, the length of the sewing thread in the sewing needle with thread is adjusted, so that the length of the sewing thread in each sewing needle with thread can be adjusted. Description of the Drawings

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 Flowchart of the method for assembling a sewing needle and thread according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the calibrated orientation of the sewing needle according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the vision mechanism identifying the sewing needle that can be clamped according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of adjusting the sewing needle that can be clamped to the target pose according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 5 Top view of the sewing needle and thread assembly system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 6 Side view of the sewing needle and thread assembly system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 7 Three-dimensional view of the sewing needle and thread assembly system with the sewing thread according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 8 For Figure 7 Local enlarged view of part A in

[0035] Figure 9 For Figure 7 Local enlarged view of part B in

[0036] Figure 10Stereogram of a needle and thread assembly system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 11 Stereogram of another angle of the needle and thread assembly system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 12 is Figure 11 Partial enlarged view of area A in

[0039] Reference numerals: 10, wire supply mechanism; 11, suture thread; 12, thread passing wheel set; 13, suture needle; 20, first processing mechanism; 21, curing assembly; 22, thread passing port; 23, first base; 24, force measuring assembly; 30, second processing mechanism; 31, thread clamping assembly; 32, thread cutting assembly; 33, second base; 34, lifting assembly; 35, limiting assembly; 36, detection assembly; 40, workbench; 41, slide rail; 50, material box. Detailed implementation manners

[0040] To make the above objects, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and understandable, the following detailed description of the specific implementation manners of the present application will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the connotation of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0041] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may also be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in the description of the present application are only for the purpose of illustration and do not represent the only implementation manner.

[0042] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present application, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0043] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature may mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over" or "on top of" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "under", "beneath" or "underneath" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the specification of this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which this application belongs. The terms used in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used in the specification of this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0044] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2 , this application provides a method for assembling a suture needle with a thread, which is used to connect a section of suture 11 in a groove at the tail of the suture needle 13 (i.e., the groove at the rear end of the suture needle 13). The suture 11 passes through the first processing mechanism 20 from the wire supply mechanism 10 and is arranged on the second processing mechanism 30. The suture needle 13 is arranged in the fixture assembly. The axial direction of the part of the suture 11 located between the first processing mechanism 20 and the second processing mechanism 30 is defined as the first direction A. It can be understood that the first direction A here refers to a two-way direction. As Figure 1 shown, this method for assembling a suture needle with a thread includes:

[0045] S100: The curing component 21 of the first processing mechanism 20 cures a part of the suture 11 at the first position, so that the suture 11 has a hardened part. Specifically, in the system for assembling a suture needle with a thread, the suture 11 passes through the wire passing port 22 of the curing component 21 of the first processing mechanism 20 from the wire supply mechanism 10. The curing component 21 generates heat and transfers the heat to the wire passing port 22 to heat the suture 11 inside the wire passing port 22, so that this section of the suture 11 is hardened to form a hardened part of a certain length.

[0046] The curing component 21 of the first processing mechanism 20 has a working state and a closed state. When it is necessary to heat and cure the suture 11, the curing component 21 is opened, that is, in the working state. When it is not necessary to heat and cure the suture 11, the curing component 21 is closed, that is, in the closed state. By adjusting the opening time T of the curing component 21 and the moving speed V of the suture 11 in the curing component 21 (i.e., the speed at which the suture 11 passes through the curing component 21), the length H of the hardened part cured by the curing component 21 = T * V, so that hardened parts of different lengths can be obtained. It should also be noted that at this time, one end of the suture 11 is arranged on the wire supply mechanism 10, and the other end is clamped by the clamping component of the second processing mechanism 30 or pressed into the tail groove of the suture needle 13 to maintain the tension between the sutures 11.

[0047] S200: The first processing mechanism 20 moves in a direction away from the second processing mechanism 30 to a second position to expose the hardened part. Specifically, at this time, the curing component 21 of the first processing mechanism 20 is in the closed state. And the first processing mechanism 20 moves along the first direction A in a direction away from the second processing mechanism 30 to the second position, that is to say, the connection line between the first position and the second position brackets is the same as the axial direction of the suture 11.

[0048] S300: The second processing mechanism 30 moves to the hardened part, and the wire clamping component 31 of the second processing mechanism 30 clamps the end of the hardened part close to the first processing mechanism 20. Similarly, the wire clamping component 31 of the second processing mechanism 30 can also clamp the uncured part near the hardened part (the end close to the first processing mechanism 20).

[0049] Specifically, when the second processing mechanism 30 moves to the hardened part, it moves to the first position in step S100. At this time, the first processing mechanism 20 is located at the second position.

[0050] S400: The wire cutting component 32 of the second processing mechanism 30 disconnects the hardened part into the tail end of a section of the suture 11 and the head end of another section of the suture 11. At this time, the wire clamping component 31 of the second processing mechanism 30 clamps the head end of the suture 11. It should be noted that when the wire cutting component 32 of the second processing mechanism 30 disconnects the hardened part into the tail end of a section of the suture 11 and the head end of another section of the suture 11, it can be understood that for each suture needle with a wire, each section of the suture 11 has a head end and a tail end with a part of the hardened part. The head end with the hardened part can be more easily inserted into the tail groove of the suture needle 13, and the tail end with the hardened part can prevent the suture 11 from spreading. Therefore, when the wire cutting component 32 disconnects the hardened part, it needs to act on the middle position of the hardened part of the suture 11, so that the tail end of a section of the suture 11 and the head end of another section of the suture 11 can both have a part of the hardened part.

[0051] S500: The thread clamping assembly 31 of the second processing mechanism 30 moves the leading end of the suture 11 a preset distance and inserts it into the tail slot of the suture needle 13. It should be noted that when the thread clamping assembly 31 of the second processing mechanism 30 moves the leading end of the suture 11 a preset distance, the preset distance is slightly greater than the length of the suture 11 required in the suture needle with thread. During this process, the thread supply mechanism 10 keeps the suture 11 under a constant tension, which can prevent the suture 11 from being too loose so that the actual length of the suture 11 is greater than the preset length, and can also prevent the suture 11 from being too taut to break or damage the suture 11, thus making the preset distance of the movement of the thread clamping assembly 31 of the second processing mechanism 30 consistent with the length of the pulled suture 11.

[0052] S600: Press the tail slot of the suture needle 13 to make the tail slot of the suture needle 13 engage with the leading end of the suture 11. It can be understood that the above steps are carried out cyclically. After completing step S600, it will return to step S100 again, so that the needle and thread assembly method can move continuously, further improving the production efficiency of the suture needle with thread 11. In addition, multiple steps in this embodiment can be carried out simultaneously. For example, step S600 and step S100 are carried out simultaneously, and step S200 and step S300 are carried out simultaneously. In this way, the needle and thread assembly method can be optimized and the production efficiency can be improved.

[0053] For the needle and thread assembly method of the suture needle with thread provided in this embodiment, it is not necessary to pre-cut the suture 11 before inserting the leading end of the suture 11 into the suture needle 13. And while the second processing mechanism 30 moves the leading end of the suture 11 and inserts it into the suture needle 13 or presses the suture needle 13 and the leading end of the suture 11, the first processing mechanism 20 can cure part of the suture 11 at the first position, greatly improving the production efficiency.

[0054] In this embodiment, by presetting in advance the preset distance for the second processing mechanism 30 to drive the suture 11 to move away from the first processing mechanism 20, this preset distance is the length of the suture 11 in each suture needle with thread, that is, the length of the suture 11 in the suture needle with thread is adjusted, so that the length of the suture 11 in each suture needle with thread can be adjusted. It should also be noted that when producing the first suture needle with thread 11, the operator manually inserts the suture 11 into the suture needle 13 and then starts producing the first product from the above step S100. Or with the help of the operator, first create a leading end with a hardened part on the suture 11 and clamp the leading end on the thread clamping assembly 31 of the second processing mechanism 30. At this time, the second processing mechanism 30 is at the above first position, and then starts producing the first product from the above step S500.

[0055] In one embodiment, after step S600: pressing and stitching the leading end of the suture needle 13 and the suture thread 11, the method for assembling the needle and thread further includes: S700: detecting whether the fixing strength between the leading end of the suture thread 11 and the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13 meets the standard. If it meets the standard, stop the measurement; if it does not meet the standard, detect whether the leading end is invalid. If the leading end is invalid, cut the hardened part on the suture thread 11 to generate a new leading end, and re-clamp the new leading end on the second processing mechanism 30; if the leading end is not invalid, re-clamp the leading end on the second processing mechanism 30.

[0056] It can be understood that if the fixing strength between the leading end and the suture needle 13 does not meet the standard, that is, the leading end of the suture thread 11 is likely to fall off from the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13, the suture needle with the thread at this time is a defective product. By detecting whether the fixing strength between the leading end of the suture thread 11 and the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13 meets the standard, in this way, the defective rate of the product can be reduced.

[0057] If the fixing strength between the leading end of the suture thread 11 and the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13 does not meet the standard, then the suture thread 11 will fall off from the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13. At this time, manual intervention is required to judge whether the leading end of the suture thread 11 is invalid at this time. It can be understood that in step S600, the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13 has been pressed and cannot be used again, so the suture needle 13 is treated as invalid.

[0058] In one embodiment, the method for detecting whether the fixing strength between the leading end and the suture needle 13 meets the standard is: detecting whether the tension on the suture thread 11 reaches a preset tension value. If it reaches the preset tension value, it means that the fixing strength between the leading end and the suture needle 13 meets the standard; if it does not reach the preset tension value, it means that the fixing strength between the leading end and the suture needle 13 does not meet the standard. It can be understood that the suture thread 11 is always under a constant tension. By detecting the tension on the suture thread 11 to detect whether the fixing strength between the leading end of the suture thread 11 and the suture needle 13 meets the standard, in this way, there is no need to make too much treatment on the suture thread 11 and the suture needle 13, the detection method is relatively simple, and the detection efficiency is relatively high. In addition, the preset tension value can be selected according to the model specifications of the suture thread and the suture needle, so as to improve the universality of the method for assembling the needle and thread in this embodiment.

[0059] In one embodiment, the method for detecting whether the tension on the suture thread 11 reaches the preset tension value is: the force measuring component 24 of the first processing mechanism 20 clamps the suture thread 11 and pulls the suture thread 11 away from the suture needle 13 to detect the tension on the suture thread 11. In this way, after pressing the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13, that is, after combining the leading end of the suture thread 11 on the suture needle 13, the tension on the suture thread 11 can be immediately measured without the assistance of too much mechanical movement, thereby improving the efficiency of assembling the needle and thread.

[0060] It can be understood that at this time, the head end of the suture 11 has been pressed and fixed in the tail groove of the suture needle 13 (the tail groove of the suture needle 13 has been pressed and deformed at this time), that is to say, the suture needle 13 holds the head end of the suture 11, and the thread clamping assembly 31 of the second processing mechanism 30 does not hold the suture 11. After the force measuring assembly 24 holds the suture 11, the suture between the suture needle 13 and the force measuring assembly 24 is not affected by other external forces. In this way, other external forces are avoided from interfering with the tension on the suture 11, thereby improving the accuracy of the force measuring assembly 24 in measuring the tension value on the suture 11.

[0061] It can also be understood that in this embodiment, the suture 11 is tightened in a direction away from the suture needle 13 to detect the tension value on the suture 11, and further to detect whether the fixing strength between the head end of the suture 11 and the suture needle 13 meets the standard. Specifically, if the fixing strength between the head end of the suture 11 and the suture needle 13 meets the standard, when the force measuring assembly 24 of the first processing mechanism 20 holds the suture 11 and tightens the suture 11 in a direction away from the suture needle 13, the head end of the suture 11 will not fall off from the tail groove of the suture needle 13. At this time, the force measuring assembly 24 of the first processing mechanism 20 only provides a movement trend for the suture 11 in the direction away from the suture needle 13, and will not produce an obvious displacement. However, if the fixing strength between the head end of the suture 11 and the suture needle 13 does not meet the standard, when the force measuring assembly 24 of the first processing mechanism 20 holds the suture 11 and pulls the suture 11 in a direction away from the suture needle 13, the head end of the suture 11 will fall off from the tail groove of the suture needle 13. At this time, since there is no tension between the suture 11 and the suture needle 13, the force measuring assembly 24 of the first processing mechanism 20 will drive the suture 11 to move in the first direction A away from the suture needle 13 and produce a displacement.

[0062] Furthermore, multiple steps in this example can be carried out simultaneously. For example, step S600 and step S100 are carried out simultaneously, and step S200 and step S300 are carried out simultaneously. That is to say, after step S700 (detecting whether the tension on the suture 11 reaches the preset tension value), it can directly enter step S200 and S300 (the second processing mechanism 30 moves to the hardening part of the suture 11). In the actual production process, the situation where the tension on the suture 11 does not reach the preset tension value is very rare, and almost all can reach the preset tension value. Therefore, using the force measuring assembly 24 provided on the first processing mechanism 20 to measure the tension value on the suture 11 will not interfere with the subsequent disconnection of the suture 11 by the second processing mechanism 30. That is to say, after measuring that the tension on the suture 11 reaches the preset tension value, it can directly enter step S300 and S400. In this way, the process in the needle and thread assembly method can be optimized, thereby improving the efficiency of needle and thread assembly.

[0063] In one embodiment, the method for assembling a sewing needle and thread further includes that the detection component 36 of the second processing mechanism 30 detects in real time whether the sewing thread 11 is at the target height. If so, no further processing is performed; if not, a reminder is given. It should be noted that the target height is the height at which the leading end of the sewing thread 11 can penetrate into the tail slot of the sewing needle 13. When the sewing thread 11 is at the target height, its leading end can accurately penetrate into the tail slot of the sewing needle 13, thereby improving the yield rate of the method for assembling the sewing needle and thread.

[0064] It can be understood that whether the position of the sewing thread 11 is too high or too low will affect the accuracy when the leading end of the sewing thread 11 is inserted into the tail slot of the sewing needle 13 in step S500, resulting in the inability to fix or loose fixation between the sewing needle 13 and the sewing thread 11, generating waste and wasting production materials. When the sewing thread 11 falls off from the sewing needle 13 or the thread clamping component 31 of the second processing mechanism 30, the position of the sewing thread 11 is too high, or the position of the sewing thread 11 is too low, the detection component 36 will give a reminder and abort the working steps in the above method for assembling the sewing needle and thread. In this way, the yield rate of the method for assembling the sewing needle and thread can be improved.

[0065] In one embodiment, in step S400, the way that the second processing mechanism disconnects the hardening part into the tail end of one section of the sewing thread and the leading end of another section of the sewing thread is as follows:

[0066] S401: The lifting component 34 of the second processing mechanism 30 moves the wire cutting component 32 from the initial position to the wire cutting position along the second direction. Specifically, when the wire cutting component 32 is at the wire cutting position, the height of the sewing thread 11 is within the trimming range of the wire cutting component 32. In this way, it can be ensured that the cutting tool on the wire cutting component 32 can cut the hardening part on the sewing thread 11. The trimming range of the wire cutting component 32 is the range between the top end and the bottom end of the cutting tool on the wire cutting component 32. It should also be noted that the second direction intersects with the first direction. In this way, when the wire cutting component 32 is at the initial position, the wire cutting component 32 will not interfere with the movement of the sewing thread 11.

[0067] S402: The wire cutting component cuts off the hardening part.

[0068] S403: The lifting component returns the wire cutting component from the wire cutting position to the initial position along the second direction. Specifically, when the wire cutting component 32 is at the initial position, the height of the sewing thread 11 is higher than the top end of the wire cutting component 32. In this way, it can be prevented that the wire cutting component 32 interferes with the movement of the sewing thread 11.

[0069] In one embodiment, after step S400: the second processing mechanism 30 disconnects the hardening part into the tail end of one section of the sewing thread 11 and the leading end of another section of the sewing thread 11, the method for assembling the sewing needle and thread can also automatically replace the sewing needle 13 on the fixture component. The method for assembling the sewing needle and thread further includes:

[0070] Step S410: The fixture assembly releases the clamping action on the suture needle 13. It can be understood that at this time, since the tail of the suture needle 13 is slotted and the suture thread 11 is already connected, this suture needle 13 is already a suture needle with a thread at this time. After the fixture assembly releases the clamping action on the suture needle with a thread, the suture needle with a thread falls into the cartridge 50 for receiving the suture needle with a thread.

[0071] Step S420: The robotic arm moves the pickable suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly. In this way, the suture needle 13 on the fixture assembly can be automatically replaced, further improving the production efficiency. It should also be noted that since the suture needle 13 has a certain curvature and the head end of the suture thread 11 is inserted into its slot from the tail of the suture needle 13, when the robotic arm moves the suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly, precise placement is required to ensure that the opening of the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13 is coaxial with the suture thread 11, which is conducive to the head end of the suture needle 13 being inserted into the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13.

[0072] In one embodiment, in step S420: Before the robotic arm moves the pickable suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly, the suture and needle assembly method further includes:

[0073] The vision mechanism identifies whether there is a pickable suture needle 13 in the needle cartridge through a pre-constructed detection model; if there is a pickable suture needle 13, the robotic arm moves the pickable suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly; if there is no pickable suture needle 13, the needle cartridge is vibrated and identification is performed again.

[0074] Specifically, the vision mechanism includes a camera part and a calculation unit. The camera part can be triggered to take pictures of the needle cartridge and the suture needles 13 inside the needle cartridge, and the camera part can also perform data interaction with the calculation unit, so that the vision mechanism can identify the pickable suture needles 13.

[0075] Specifically, the detection model adopts the Faster R-CNN model architecture and is pre-constructed through machine learning. The construction method is as follows:

[0076] I. Data preparation

[0077] 1. Data collection

[0078] Use the camera in the vision mechanism to take a large number of images of the suture needles 13 in the needle cartridge in different states, including various situations where the suture needles 13 overlap and do not overlap. The taken images need to ensure that the images are clear, the light is sufficient, and the features of the suture needles 13 are obvious. Store the collected images in a folder.

[0079] 2. Data annotation

[0080] Use a professional annotation tool - LabelImg to annotate the collected images. The annotation content includes the positions of the head and tail ends of the suture needle 13 and whether the suture needle 13 can be clamped.

[0081] For each collected image, draw a bounding box to mark the position of the suture needle 13, and annotate the head and tail ends of the suture needle 13 inside the bounding box. At the same time, add an attribute to indicate whether the suture needle 13 can be clamped.

[0082] Save the annotated dataset in XML format.

[0083] 3. Data Partition

[0084] Divide the annotated dataset into a training set for training the model, a validation set for adjusting the model hyperparameters and preventing overfitting, and a test set for evaluating the final performance of the model.

[0085] Use the following ratio for partitioning: Training set: Validation set: Test set = 70%: 15%: 15%.

[0086] 4. Data Augmentation

[0087] Perform data augmentation on the training set to increase the scale and diversity of the dataset. Use the following methods for data augmentation:

[0088] (1) Rotation: Randomly rotate the images in the training set, and the rotation angle range is from -30° to 30°.

[0089] (2) Flipping: Randomly flip the images horizontally or vertically.

[0090] (3) Scaling: Randomly scale the images, and the scaling ratio range of the images is from 0.8 to 1.2.

[0091] (4) Translation: Randomly translate the images, and the translation range is 10% of the image width and height.

[0092] (5) Adjusting brightness and contrast: Randomly adjust the brightness and contrast of the images, and the adjustment range is from 0.5 to 1.5.

[0093] II. Training the Model

[0094] 1. Model Modification

[0095] Modify the Faster R-CNN model into a detection model that can detect the category of the suture needle 13 (clampable or non-clampable) and can also locate the positions of the head and tail ends of the suture needle 13. The modification method is as follows:

[0096] Replace the classifier of the Faster R-CNN model with a new fully connected layer. The number of input features is the number of output features of the model's feature extractor, and the number of output features is 2 (the category of the suture needle 13) + 4 (the positions of the head and tail ends).

[0097] 2. Define the loss function

[0098] The loss function is used to measure the difference between the prediction result of the model and the true annotation. Use the following loss function:

[0099] (1) Classification loss L cls : Used to measure the difference between the predicted result of the category of the suture needle 13 and the true category. The classification loss L cls is expressed as follows:

[0100]

[0101] where N is the number of samples, y i is the true category label, is the predicted category probability.

[0102] (2) Regression loss L reg : Used to measure the difference between the predicted result of the positions of the head and tail ends of the suture needle 13 and the true positions. The regression loss L reg is expressed as follows:

[0103]

[0104] where y is the true position coordinates of the head and tail ends of the suture needle 13, is the predicted position coordinates of the head and tail ends of the suture needle 13.

[0105] (3) Total loss function L total : The total loss function is usually the weighted sum of the classification loss and the regression loss. The total loss function L total is expressed as follows:

[0106] L total = L cls + nL reg (Equation 3)

[0107] where L cls is the classification loss, L reg is the regression loss. n is the weight coefficient, and the weight coefficient is used to balance the influence of the classification loss and the regression loss on the total loss function. In this training, the value of the weight coefficient n is adjusted between 1 and 15.

[0108] 3. Training process:

[0109] The first step: Use PyTorch to load the data in the training set.

[0110] Step 2: (1) Forward propagation: Input the training set data after data augmentation into the model;

[0111] (2) The feature extraction network of the detection model extracts features from the input image to generate a feature map.

[0112] (3) The Region Proposal Network (RPN) (RPN is a key component in the Faster R-CNN model, and the RPN part is retained in the detection model in this embodiment) generates multiple candidate regions (candidate boxes) on the feature map, and these candidate regions may contain the target suture needle 13.

[0113] (4) Perform Region of Interest Pooling (RoIPooling) on each candidate region to pool its feature map into a feature vector of a fixed size.

[0114] (5) The fully connected layer in the detection model classifies and regresses the pooled feature vector:

[0115] I Classification: Predict the class of the suture needle 13 in each candidate region (clampable or non-clampable), and use the cross-entropy loss function to measure the difference between the predicted class and the true class.

[0116] II Regression: Predict the positions of the head and tail ends of the suture needle 13 in each candidate region, and use the smooth L1 loss function to measure the difference between the predicted position and the true position.

[0117] (6) The detection model outputs the class of the suture needle 13 and the positions of its head and tail ends.

[0118] Step 3: Calculate the loss. According to the prediction results of the detection model (including the predicted class and the predicted position) and the true annotation, calculate the classification loss (Equation 1) and the regression loss (Equation 2), and combine them into the total loss (Equation 3).

[0119] Step 4: Backward propagation. Calculate the gradient of the loss function and use the optimizer (the optimizer is a component in the Faster R-CNN model, and the optimizer is retained in the detection model in this embodiment) to update the parameters of the detection model. The optimization method is as follows:

[0120] (1) Before each backward propagation, initialize the gradient of the model parameters to zero to avoid gradient accumulation;

[0121] (2) Calculate the gradient of the total loss function with respect to the model parameters;

[0122] (3) Use the optimizer to update the parameters of the model according to the calculated gradient.

[0123] Step 5: Record the logs and repeat the training until the detection model converges or reaches the preset number of training epochs. The detection model at this time is the pre-constructed detection model in step S420.

[0124] After the training of the detection model is completed, the vision mechanism uses the detection model to sort the suture needles 13. That is, after the camera takes a photo, the photo is transmitted to the computing unit for preprocessing. By inputting the preprocessed image into the detection model, the prediction result of the detection model is obtained. According to the prediction result, the robotic arm is controlled to pick up the identifiable suture needles 13.

[0125] In one embodiment, in step S420, the way for the vision mechanism to identify whether there are pickable suture needles 13 in the needle box by using the pre-constructed detection model is as follows: Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the calibrated orientation, clamping point, and target pose of the pickable suture needles 13 are stored in the detection model. The axis of the tail of the suture needle 13 in the calibrated orientation is the same as the axis of the suture thread 11, and the opening at the tail faces the suture thread 11. The clamping point is located at the tail of the suture needle 13. The pose of the suture needle 13 when it is picked up by the fixture assembly in the calibrated orientation is the target pose. The vision mechanism identifies the suture needle 13 with the pose closest to the calibrated orientation as the pickable suture needle 13, and the robotic arm picks up the pickable suture needle 13 and adjusts the pickable suture needle 13 to the target pose.

[0126] It can be understood that since the suture needles 13 in the needle box are scattered and the orientations of the heads and tails of the suture needles 13 are different, the robotic arm has the fewest action steps to move the suture needle 13 in the calibrated orientation onto the fixture assembly and consumes the least time. Therefore, it is set that the detection model preferentially selects the suture needle 13 closest to the calibrated orientation as the pickable suture needle 13, which is beneficial to improving production efficiency.

[0127] Specifically, refer to Figure 2 , the outer frame line is the position of the pickable suture needle 13 marked by the vision mechanism. The origin of the XY plane rectangular coordinate system in the figure is used to represent the clamping point of the robotic arm on the suture needle 13. This clamping point is determined by image recognition to identify the tail of the suture needle 13. The X-axis is the axial direction of the tail end of the suture needle 13, and a Y-axis perpendicular to the X-axis is made at the tail end. This origin (the intersection of the X-axis and the Y-axis) is the clamping point. Schematically, the clamping point is set at about 1.5 mm from the end away from the head at the tail end, so as to stabilize the clamping stability of the robotic arm on the suture needle 13.

[0128] Figure 3 The figure shows a schematic image of multiple suture needles 13 in the needle box. When the vision mechanism identifies whether there are pickable suture needles 13 in the needle box, it will mark the category of each suture needle 13. The categories are pickable (non-overlapping and facing up, refer toFigure 2 , the suture needle 13 with the tail groove facing the suture line 11 is defined as the front, and the suture needle 13 with the tail groove facing away from the suture line 11 is the front) and non-clampable (overlapped or facing upwards). After the vision mechanism identifies all the clampable suture needles 13, the suture needle 13 closest to the calibrated orientation is compared, and this suture needle 13 is the clampable suture needle 13 in step S420.

[0129] It can be understood that the suture needle 13 closest to the calibrated orientation in the needle cartridge is the clampable suture needle 13. That is to say, there may be a certain deviation between the actual pose and the target pose of the clampable suture needle 13 identified by the vision mechanism. When this deviation exists, the robotic arm needs to adjust the actual pose of this suture needle 13 to the target pose. In this way, compared with vibrating the needle cartridge to make the actual pose of the suture needle 13 exactly the same as the target pose, since the vibration of the needle cartridge has a high randomness and uncertainty in adjusting the pose of the suture needle 13, the production efficiency of adjusting the actual pose of the suture needle 13 to the target pose by the robotic arm is higher.

[0130] It should also be noted that referring to Figure 2 , since this suture needle 13 represents the suture needle 13 in the target pose, the XY plane rectangular coordinate system established for this suture needle 13 is the initial calibrated preset coordinate system. When the robotic arm adjusts the actual pose of the suture needle 13 to the target pose later, it adjusts the direction of the XY plane rectangular coordinate system of this suture needle 13 to be the same as the direction of the initial calibrated preset coordinate system.

[0131] Schematically, after the vision mechanism selects the clampable suture needle 13, such as Figure 3 the suture needle 13 in the square frame in is marked as the clampable suture needle 13. The vision mechanism discriminates the features at both ends of this suture needle 13, and establishes an actual plane rectangular coordinate system at the tail end of the suture needle 13, that is, the X'Y' plane rectangular coordinate system. By comparing the newly established actual plane rectangular coordinate system with the initial calibrated preset coordinate system, that is, referring to Figure 4 the angle θ between the Y axis and the Y' axis in, the angle by which this suture needle 13 needs to be rotated can be calculated. It can also be understood that when the actual pose of this suture needle 13 is the same as the target pose, there is no need to rotate this suture needle 13.

[0132] It should also be noted that in addition to judging whether there are clampable suture needles 13 according to the calibrated orientation, clamping points and target poses of the suture needles 13, the vision mechanism will also identify whether there are clampable suture needles 13 by judging whether the suture needles 13 in the needle cartridge are stacked (referring to suture needles 13 that are not next to or stacked vertically and staggered with other suture needles 13). The clampable suture needles 13 do not stack with other suture needles 13.

[0133] It should also be noted that in this embodiment, the needle cartridge is connected to a power component, which vibrates the needle cartridge according to the instructions of the host computer, causing the suture needles 13 in the needle cartridge to jump, so as to scatter and lay flat the suture needles 13 in the needle cartridge. If it is recognized that there is no suture needle 13 that can be clamped, the power component will drive the needle cartridge to vibrate again until there is a suture needle 13 that can be clamped.

[0134] In addition, this embodiment further includes: according to the production process, the magazine for supplying the suture needles 13 will intermittently feed the suture needles 13 into the needle cartridge according to the instructions of the host computer, so that there are multiple suture needles 13 in the needle cartridge at the same time, to avoid the situation that there is a lack of suture needles 13 in the needle cartridge.

[0135] In one embodiment, step S420: the robotic arm moves the clampable suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly, including: the robotic arm rotates the clampable suture needle 13 from the target pose to a vertical state where the head of the clampable suture needle 13 is below the tail, and then moves the suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly.

[0136] It can be understood that the suture needles 13 in the needle cartridge are in a flat state (i.e., the plane where the suture needles 13 are located is a horizontal plane). The first action of the robotic arm moving the suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly is: the robotic arm clamps the clamping point at the tail of the suture needle 13 and picks up the suture needle 13 from the needle cartridge. At this time, the robotic arm only drives the suture needle 13 to make a position change movement in the vertical direction, that is to say, the plane where the suture needle 13 is located is still a horizontal plane. The second action of the robotic arm moving the suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly is: rotating the suture needle 13 by θ degrees so that the actual pose of the suture needle 13 coincides with the target pose. It can be understood that when the actual pose of the suture needle 13 coincides with the target pose, this action can be omitted and the next action can be directly executed. The third action of the robotic arm moving the suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly is: rotating the suture needle 13 in the target pose state to a vertical state where the head of the suture needle 13 is below the tail. At this time, the plane of the XY plane rectangular coordinate system at the tail of the suture needle 13 is a vertical plane, so that the head end of the suture thread 11 can be inserted into the suture needle 13 from the slot at the tail of the suture needle 13. It should be noted that the above decomposed actions are for clearly describing the process of the robotic arm moving the suture needle 13 to the fixture assembly. In actual production, this process can be a continuous action or can be divided into multiple sub-actions.

[0137] Refer to Figures 5 to 12 , this application also provides a thread and suture needle assembly system for a suturing needle with thread, to implement the thread and suture needle assembly method in any one of the above embodiments. This thread and suture needle assembly system includes:

[0138] A thread supply mechanism 10 for supplying the suture thread 11;

[0139] The first processing mechanism 20 is capable of reciprocating along the first direction A. The first processing mechanism 20 includes a curing assembly 21, and the curing assembly 21 is used for curing part of the suture 11;

[0140] The second processing mechanism 30 is capable of reciprocating along the first direction A. The second processing mechanism 30 includes a thread clamping assembly 31 and a thread cutting assembly 32. The thread cutting assembly 32 is used for disconnecting the suture 11, and the thread clamping assembly 31 is used for clamping and driving the suture 11 to move a preset distance away from the first processing mechanism 20;

[0141] The jig assembly is used for clamping the suture needle 13;

[0142] The jig assembly, the second processing mechanism 30 and the first processing mechanism 20 are arranged at intervals in sequence along the first direction A. The axial direction of the part of the suture 11 located between the jig assembly and the first processing mechanism 20 is the same as the first direction A.

[0143] It can be understood that when using the needle and thread assembly system provided in this embodiment to produce the sutured thread 11 with a needle, it is not necessary to pre-cure and cut the suture 11 before connecting the suture 11 to the suture needle 13. This needle and thread assembly system can cure part of the suture 11 while threading the suture 11 through the suture needle 13, greatly improving the production efficiency. And by presetting in advance the preset distance that the second processing mechanism 30 drives the suture 11 to move away from the first processing mechanism 20, this preset distance is the length of the suture 11 in each sutured thread 11 with a needle, that is, the length of the suture 11 in the sutured thread 11 with a needle is adjusted.

[0144] It should also be noted that the wire feeding mechanism 10 can use a servo tensioner. On the premise that the head end of the suture 11 is clamped, the servo tensioner can provide a constant tension for the suture 11.

[0145] Further, referring to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the needle and thread assembly system further includes a thread passing wheel group 12. Along the movement direction of the suture from the wire feeding mechanism 10 towards the first processing mechanism 20, the thread passing wheel group 12 is arranged downstream of the wire feeding mechanism 10 and upstream of the first processing mechanism 20. That is to say, the suture 11 reaches the first processing mechanism 20 after passing through the thread passing wheel group 12 from the wire feeding mechanism 10. The thread passing wheel group 12 is used for changing the height and / or direction of the part of the suture 11 located between the wire feeding mechanism 10 and the first processing mechanism 20, so that the position of the wire feeding mechanism 10 is not restricted by the site / factory / workshop, and can be arranged arbitrarily, improving the universality of the system.

[0146] It can be understood that the thread passing wheel group 12 includes at least two thread passing wheels to improve the universality of the needle and thread assembling device. Schematically, such as Figure 2As shown, the thread passing wheel set 12 in this embodiment includes three thread passing wheels. In other embodiments, other numbers of thread passing wheels can also be used.

[0147] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 6 and Figure 8 , the first processing mechanism 20 includes a first base 23 and a first driving member for driving the first base 23 to move back and forth along the first direction A. The curing assembly 21 is arranged on the first base 23. The curing assembly 21 is provided with a thread passing port 22 extending along the first direction A. The curing assembly 21 can generate heat and transfer the heat to the thread passing port 22. In this way, the curing assembly 21 can heat the suture 11 inside the thread passing port 22, so that this section of the suture 11 is hardened to form a hardened part with a certain length.

[0148] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 10 , the first processing mechanism 20 further includes a force measuring assembly 24 arranged on the first base 23. The force measuring assembly 24 can clamp the suture 11 and move in a direction away from the fixture assembly under the drive of the first base 23 to detect the tension on the suture 11. By detecting whether the tension on the suture 11 reaches a preset tension value, if it reaches the preset tension value, it means that the fixing strength of the head end and the suture needle 13 meets the standard; if it does not reach the preset tension value, it means that the fixing strength of the head end and the suture needle 13 does not meet the standard.

[0149] Further, the method for detecting whether the tension on the suture 11 reaches the preset tension value is: the force measuring assembly 24 of the first processing mechanism 20 clamps the suture 11 and tightens the suture 11 to detect the tension on the suture 11. Specifically, the force measuring assembly 24 of the first processing mechanism 20 clamps the suture 11 and drives the suture 11 to move in the first direction A away from the fixture assembly, or the force measuring assembly 24 of the first processing mechanism 20 provides a movement trend for the suture 11 away from the fixture assembly. In short, as long as the force measuring assembly 24 of the first processing mechanism 20 can tighten the suture 11.

[0150] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 8 , the force measuring assembly 24 is arranged on the side of the curing assembly 21 away from the second processing mechanism 30. In this way, when the first processing mechanism 20 needs to move from the first position in the above step S100 to the second position in step S200 to expose the hardened part, since the force measuring assembly 24 is arranged on the side of the curing assembly 21 away from the second processing mechanism 30, that is, the force measuring assembly 24 does not occupy the moving distance of the first processing mechanism 20, therefore, the moving distance of the first processing mechanism 20 is smaller, which is beneficial to improving production efficiency.

[0151] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 7 ,Figure 9 , Figure 11 and Figure 12 The second processing mechanism 30 includes a second base 33 and a second driving member for driving the second base 33 to move back and forth along the first direction A. The wire clamping assembly 31 and the wire cutting assembly 32 are both disposed on the second base 33. In this way, when the second base 33 moves along the first direction A, the wire clamping assembly 31 and the wire cutting assembly 32 can move synchronously. Further, the wire clamping assembly 31 and the wire cutting assembly 32 are arranged along the first direction A, and the wire clamping assembly 31 is disposed on the side of the wire cutting assembly 32 close to the first processing mechanism 20. In this way, when the wire clamping assembly 31 clamps the end of the hardened portion close to the first processing mechanism 20, the wire cutting assembly 32 can cut the hardened portion from the middle position of the hardened portion.

[0152] Schematically, referring to Figure 5 , the sewing thread assembly system further includes a workbench 40 and a slide rail 41 disposed on the workbench 40. The slide rail 41 is arranged along the first direction A, and both the first base 23 and the second base 33 are disposed on the slide rail 41. In this way, the frictional force during the movement of the first base 23 and the second base 33 can be reduced, and the torque requirements for the first driving member and the second driving member are low, and the loads on the first driving member and the second driving member are small. Schematically, both the first driving member and the second driving member are motors.

[0153] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 6 , Figure 9 and Figure 12 , the first direction A is a horizontal direction, and the second processing mechanism 30 further includes a lifting assembly 34. The lifting assembly 34 is disposed between the second base 33 and the wire clamping assembly 31 along the vertical direction B. The wire cutting assembly 32 is arranged along the first direction A beside the lifting assembly 34 and is connected to the lifting assembly 34. The lifting assembly 34 is used to drive the wire cutting assembly 32 to lift between the wire cutting position and the initial position. It can be understood that in the height direction of the second processing mechanism 30, that is, in the vertical direction B, the wire cutting assembly 32 can make a height change movement relative to the wire clamping assembly 31 under the drive of the lifting assembly 34. When it is necessary to cut the hardened portion on the suture 11, the lifting assembly 34 drives the wire cutting assembly 32 to move upward from the initial position to the wire cutting position, so that the tool on the wire cutting assembly 32 can cut the hardened portion on the suture 11. After trimming, the lifting assembly 34 drives the wire cutting assembly 32 to move downward from the wire cutting position to the initial position, thereby preventing the wire cutting assembly 32 from interfering with the movement of the suture 11.

[0154] Furthermore, when the thread trimming assembly 32 is in the thread trimming position, the height of the suture 11 is within the trimming range of the thread trimming assembly 32, so that it can be ensured that the cutter on the thread trimming assembly 32 can cut the hardened portion of the suture 11; when the thread trimming assembly 32 is in the initial position, the height of the suture 11 is higher than the top of the thread trimming assembly 32, so that it can prevent the thread trimming assembly 32 from interfering with the movement of the suture 11. Specifically, the trimming range of the thread trimming assembly 32 is the range between the top and bottom of the cutter on the thread trimming assembly 32.

[0155] In one embodiment, see Figure 9 and Figure 12 The second processing mechanism 30 further includes a stopper assembly 35, which is arranged on a side of the clamp assembly 31 away from the first processing mechanism 20 along the first direction A. The stopper assembly 35 is provided with an opening extending along the first direction A, and the suture 11 is passed through the opening. In this way, the horizontal height and axial position of the head end of the suture 11 can be maintained, and the head end of the suture 11 is prevented from being offset when inserted into the tail slot of the suture needle 13, thereby improving the accuracy of inserting the head end of the suture 11 into the tail slot of the suture needle 13.

[0156] In one embodiment, see Figure 9 and Figure 12 The second processing mechanism 30 also includes a detection component 36, which is arranged beside the clamping component 31 along the first direction A. The detection component 36 is used to detect the position of the suture 11 in the vertical direction. It can be understood that if the position of the suture 11 is too high or too low, it will affect the accuracy of inserting the head end of the suture 11 into the tail slot of the suture needle 13 in the above step S500, resulting in the suture needle 13 and the suture 11 cannot be fixed or fixed loosely, resulting in waste and wasting production materials. When the suture 11 falls off from the suture needle 13 or the clamping component 31 of the second processing mechanism 30, the position of the suture 11 is too high, or the position of the suture 11 is too low, the detection component 36 will issue a reminder and terminate the working steps in the above needle and thread assembly method. In this way, the yield rate of the needle-carrying suture 11 can be improved.

[0157] In one embodiment, the needle and thread assembly system further comprises a needle box, a mechanical arm and a visual mechanism, all of which are arranged beside the clamp assembly. The needle box is used to accommodate suture needles 13, the visual mechanism is used to identify the suture needles 13 that can be clamped from the needle box, and the mechanical arm is used to move the suture needles 13 that can be clamped to the clamp assembly. In this way, a new suture needle 13 can be automatically replaced, thereby improving the automation level of the needle and thread assembly system.

[0158] It should be noted that since the suture needle 13 in step S400 has a suture thread 11 connected to its tail due to the slot at the tail, this suture needle 13 is already a suture needle with a thread at this time. After the clamping component releases the clamping action on the suture needle with a thread, the suture needle with a thread falls into the cartridge 50 for receiving the suture needle with a thread.

[0159] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope described in this specification. The above-described embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present application. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several modifications and improvements can be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A needle and thread assembly method, characterized in that: Used to connect a section of suture to a suture needle, the suture passes through the first processing mechanism from the thread supply mechanism and is arranged on the second processing mechanism, and the suture needle is arranged on the clamp assembly; The needle and thread assembly method comprises: The first processing mechanism solidifies a portion of the suture at a first position so that the suture has a hardened portion; The first processing mechanism moves to a second position in a direction away from the second processing mechanism to expose the hardened portion; The second processing mechanism moves to the hardened portion and clamps the end of the hardened portion close to the first processing mechanism; The second processing mechanism separates the hardened portion into a tail end of one section of suture and a head end of another section of suture, and the second processing mechanism clamps the head end of the suture; The second processing mechanism moves the head end of the suture thread by a preset distance and penetrates the suture needle; The suture needle is pressed together to allow the suture needle to engage the head end of the suture thread.

2. The needle and thread assembly method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After pressing the suture needle to make the suture needle engage with the head end of the suture thread, the needle and thread assembly method further includes: Detecting whether the fixing strength between the head end and the suture needle meets the standard, if so, stopping the measurement; if not, detecting whether the head end is invalid; If the head end is invalid, the hardened portion on the suture line is cut to produce a new head end, and the new head end is clamped again in the second processing mechanism; if the head end is not invalid, the head end is clamped again in the second processing mechanism.

3. The needle and thread assembly method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method of detecting whether the fixing strength between the head end and the suture needle meets the standard is: Detect whether the tension on the suture thread reaches a preset tension value. If it reaches the preset tension value, it means that the fixing strength between the head end and the suture needle meets the standard; if it does not reach the preset tension value, it means that the fixing strength between the head end and the suture needle does not meet the standard.

4. The needle and thread assembly method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method of detecting whether the tension on the suture line reaches the preset tension value is: The force measuring component of the first processing mechanism clamps the suture thread and pulls the suture thread in a direction away from the suture needle to detect the tension on the suture thread.

5. The needle and thread assembly method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The needle and thread assembly method also includes: the detection component of the second processing mechanism detects in real time whether the suture thread is at a target height, and if so, no further processing is performed; if not, a reminder is given.

6. The needle and thread assembly method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The second processing mechanism separates the hardened portion into the tail end of one suture and the head end of another suture in the following manner: The lifting assembly of the second processing mechanism moves the thread trimming assembly from the initial position to the thread trimming position along the second direction; The wire cutting assembly cuts the hardened portion; The lifting assembly restores the thread trimming assembly from the thread trimming position to the initial position.

7. The needle and thread assembly method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the second processing mechanism separates the hardened portion into a tail end of one suture thread and a head end of another suture thread, the needle and thread assembly method further comprises: The clamp assembly releases the clamping effect on the suture needle, and the robotic arm moves the clampable suture needle to the clamp assembly.

8. The needle and thread assembly method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The mechanical arm moves the removable suture needle to the front of the clamp assembly, and the needle and thread assembly method further includes: The visual mechanism identifies whether the needle box contains the removable suture needle through a pre-built detection model; If there is the removable suture needle, the robotic arm moves the removable suture needle to the clamp assembly; If there is no removable suture needle, the needle box is vibrated and identified again.

9. The needle and thread assembly method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The visual mechanism identifies whether the needle box contains the removable suture needle through the pre-built detection model in the following manner: The detection model stores the calibrated orientation, clamping point and target posture of the clampable suture needle, the tail axis of the suture needle in the calibrated orientation is the same as the axis of the suture line, and the opening of the tail faces the suture line, the clamping point is located at the tail of the suture needle, and the posture of the suture needle in the calibrated orientation when it is clamped by the clamp assembly is the target posture; The visual mechanism identifies the suture needle whose posture is closest to the calibrated orientation as the graspable suture needle, and the robotic arm grasps the graspable suture needle and adjusts the graspable suture needle to the target posture.

10. A needle and thread assembly system, characterized in that: To implement the needle and thread assembly method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the needle and thread assembly system comprises: A thread supply mechanism, used for supplying the suture thread; A first processing mechanism capable of reciprocating motion in a first direction, the first processing mechanism comprising a curing component, the curing component being used to cure a portion of the suture; a second processing mechanism, capable of reciprocating along the first direction, the second processing mechanism comprising a thread clamping assembly and a thread cutting assembly, the thread cutting assembly being used to cut the suture, and the thread clamping assembly being used to clamp and drive the suture to move away from the first processing mechanism by a preset distance; A clamp assembly, used for clamping the suture needle; The clamp assembly, the second processing mechanism and the first processing mechanism are sequentially arranged at intervals along a first direction.

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