A surgical robot

Abstract

This invention discloses a surgical robot, comprising at least one robot component unit. Each robot component unit includes: a drive unit for emitting a sound drive signal; and at least one motor connected to the drive unit for receiving the sound drive signal from the drive unit and emitting sound based on the sound drive signal, the sound being used for status indication or alarm. The surgical robot provided by this invention, by enabling the motor to receive the sound drive signal from the drive unit and emit sound based on the sound drive signal for status indication or alarm, facilitates precise fault location, avoids the need for additional indication units, reduces system complexity and production costs, and improves system reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and more specifically to a surgical robot. Background Technology

[0002] Surgical robots offer advantages such as accurate positioning, stable operation, high dexterity, large working range, and immunity to radiation and infection, making them widely used in various surgeries. Typically, surgical robots are equipped with indicator and alarm units to display their operational status.

[0003] However, surgical robots typically consist of one robotic arm (such as orthopedic surgical robots) or multiple robotic arms (such as laparoscopic surgical robots). Each robotic arm includes an end effector and one or more connecting arms. In practical applications, the robotic arm may experience malfunctions related to modules such as motors and sensors. For example, sensors may fail to read data correctly, and actuators may fail to perform their intended tasks, causing the robot to malfunction. Existing technologies typically include indicator units on the robotic arm; however, existing indicator and alarm units can only indicate the overall status of the surgical robot and cannot pinpoint the fault area.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to propose a new surgical robot to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The summary section introduces a series of simplified concepts, which will be further explained in detail in the detailed description section. The summary section of this invention is not intended to limit the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor is it intended to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0006] This invention provides a surgical robot, comprising at least one robot component unit, each of the robot component units comprising:

[0007] A drive unit, used to emit a sound-generating drive signal; and,

[0008] At least one motor is connected to the drive unit for receiving a sound-generating drive signal from the drive unit and emitting a sound based on the sound-generating drive signal, the sound being used for status indication or alarm.

[0009] For example, each of the robot components further includes one or more matching components connected to the drive unit.

[0010] For example, the surgical robot includes at least a first robotic component unit.

[0011] When at least one of the matching components of the first robot unit malfunctions or fails, the drive unit of the first robot unit sends a sound drive signal to the motor, and the motor emits a sound based on the sound drive signal to indicate the location of the fault.

[0012] For example, the surgical robot includes at least a first robot component unit and a second robot component unit, and the drive unit of the first robot component unit and the drive unit of the second robot component unit are communicatively connected.

[0013] When the motor of the first robot component fails to produce sound, the drive unit of the first robot component transmits a fault detection signal to the drive unit of the second robot component. After receiving the fault detection signal, the drive unit of the second robot component sends a sound-producing drive signal to the motor of the second robot component. The motor of the second robot component then emits sound based on the sound-producing drive signal to indicate the fault location of the first robot component.

[0014] For example, the surgical robot includes at least a first robot component unit, the first robot component unit includes at least a first motor and a second motor, and the matching component includes at least a first partial matching component and a second partial matching component. When one or more of the first partial matching components malfunction or fail, the drive unit sends a sound driving signal to the first motor. When one or more of the second partial matching components malfunction or fail, the drive unit sends a sound driving signal to the second motor.

[0015] For example, when the first motor fails to produce sound, the drive unit sends a sound-producing drive signal to the second motor, and the second motor emits sound to indicate that an abnormality or malfunction has occurred in the first motor, one or more of the first partial matching components, and / or one or more of the second partial matching components.

[0016] For example, the matching component includes one or more of an input encoder, an output encoder, a communication module, and a braking module.

[0017] For example, the sound-generating drive signal includes voltage pulse signals with different pulse width modulations to make the motor emit different sounds.

[0018] For example, the different sounds include sounds with different timbres, sounds with different frequencies, or combinations thereof.

[0019] For example, the different sounds are used to indicate malfunctions in different robot components.

[0020] For example, the different sounds are used to indicate different faults in the matching component, the motor, or the drive unit.

[0021] For example, the surgical robot further includes a control unit for sending operation information to the drive unit to control the operation of the drive unit.

[0022] For example, the drive unit is further configured to receive operation information from the control unit and send an operation drive signal to the motor based on the operation information.

[0023] For example, the motor is also configured to receive the operation drive signal from the drive unit and perform an operation based on the operation drive signal.

[0024] For example, the robot component includes an end effector of a robotic arm or a connecting arm of a robotic arm.

[0025] The surgical robot provided by the present invention enables the motor to receive a sound driving signal from the drive unit and emit sound based on the sound driving signal for status indication or alarm, which facilitates accurate fault location, avoids the need to add additional indicator units, reduces system complexity and production costs, and improves system reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The following drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference as part of this invention, are provided for understanding the invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and their descriptions, serving to explain the principles of the invention.

[0027] In the attached image:

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a surgical robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a surgical robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an abnormality or malfunction of the matching component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a motor malfunction according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a motor malfunctioning according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure Labels

[0034] 101. Robot Components

[0035] 102. Drive Unit

[0036] 103. Electric motor

[0037] 104. Control Unit Detailed Implementation

[0038] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the invention.

[0039] To fully understand the present invention, a detailed description will be set forth below to illustrate the surgical robot of the present invention. It is obvious that the implementation of the present invention is not limited to the specific details familiar to those skilled in the art of medical devices. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below; however, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention may have other embodiments.

[0040] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of the stated features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0041] Exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of the invention is thorough and complete, and that the concept of these exemplary embodiments is fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, for clarity, the thickness of layers and regions is exaggerated, and the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements, and therefore their description will be omitted.

[0042] A surgical robot is a robot that can be remotely controlled to perform surgery. It consists of three components: a doctor's console, a patient-side robotic arm system, and an imaging system.

[0043] The doctor's control console includes a display unit showing the surgical instruments and environment, a doctor's operating control mechanism, and armrests. The display unit has an observation window for the doctor to observe, the operating control mechanism's movements correspond to the movements of the surgical instruments, and the armrests are for supporting the doctor's arms. In addition, the doctor's control console also has other control switches that are easily touched or pressed by hand or foot for various functions and human-computer interaction.

[0044] The patient-side robotic arm system includes several robotic arms, each with several connecting arms. Adjacent connecting arms move relative to each other with specific degrees of freedom, allowing the end effector of the robotic arm to achieve multiple degrees of freedom (e.g., 7 degrees of freedom, depending on the instrument). The end effector arm of the robotic arm is equipped with an instrument actuator, and surgical instruments or endoscopes are detachably mounted on the instrument actuator.

[0045] Surgical instruments consist of three parts: a rear-end mechanism, a main cable extending from the rear-end mechanism to the front end, and an end effector including a wrist mechanism at the front end of the main cable. Typically, an instrument actuator drives the movement of the rear-end mechanism through multiple cables in the main cable, thereby actuating the wrist mechanism. During surgery, parts of the main cable and wrist mechanism of the surgical instrument are passed through tissues such as the chest and abdominal wall, replacing the human hand in the surgical procedure.

[0046] The imaging system includes a display screen, endoscope controller, system electronics, image processor, etc.

[0047] The aforementioned patient-side robotic arm system typically includes one robotic arm (such as an orthopedic surgical robot) or multiple robotic arms (such as a laparoscopic surgical robot). The robotic arm has several connecting arms, and adjacent connecting arms move relative to each other with specific degrees of freedom, allowing the end effector of the robotic arm to achieve multiple degrees of freedom (such as 7 degrees of freedom, depending on the instrument). The connecting arms are connected by joint structures. In practical applications, the robotic arm may experience malfunctions related to the motor module, sensor module, actuator module, etc. For example, the sensor may fail to read data correctly, and the actuator may fail to perform the predetermined task, causing the robot to malfunction. In the prior art, indicator units are usually set on the robotic arm. The indicator units usually use devices such as indicator lights, speakers, buzzers, and displays. This has the following problems: (1) It is necessary to add an indicator unit in addition to the basic functions, which increases the production cost; (2) The indicator unit can only indicate the overall status of the surgical robot, but cannot locate the fault area; (3) Setting indicator units in multiple areas and modules not only further increases the production cost, but also affects the aesthetics of the equipment; (4) The indication method is not obvious or convenient, which is not conducive to the staff to confirm, especially to the remote operator.

[0048] To address the aforementioned problems, this application proposes a surgical robot, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes at least one robot component unit 101, and each robot component unit 101 includes:

[0049] The driving unit 102 is used to emit a sound driving signal;

[0050] At least one motor 103 is connected to the drive unit for receiving the sound-emitting drive signal from the drive unit and emitting a sound based on the sound-emitting drive signal, the sound being used for status indication or alarm.

[0051] For example, the robot component 101 includes an end effector of a robotic arm or a connecting arm of a robotic arm.

[0052] In an exemplary embodiment, the end effector of the robotic arm may be a surgical instrument drive module (MPK) for driving surgical tools fixed thereon to perform various surgical operations. A surgical instrument (SGI) may be a tool used to perform surgical operations (such as grasping, cutting, slicing, clamping, suturing, etc.) on a target object, such as surgical forceps, surgical scissors, high-frequency electrosurgical units, suture needles, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, a surgical instrument (SGI) may also be a tool that assists in performing surgical operations, such as various types of image acquisition devices, endoscopes, etc. It should be understood that the above-described surgical tools are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of surgical tools. A surgical tool can be any tool related to performing surgery and is not limited thereto.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, the robotic arm includes at least one connecting arm. When the robotic arm includes at least two connecting arms, the at least two connecting arms are connected end-to-end and pivotally connected to adjacent connecting arms. It should be understood that the number of connecting arms can be determined according to actual needs, for example, it can be one, three, or more.

[0054] For example, each of the robot components further includes one or more matching components, including but not limited to an input encoder, an output encoder, a communication module, and a braking module.

[0055] In an exemplary embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, each robot component 101 also includes an input encoder, an output encoder, and a brake module, and the input encoder, output encoder, brake module, and motor 103 are all communicatively connected to the drive unit 102.

[0056] Exemplary, the surgical robot also includes a control unit 104, which sends operation information to the drive unit 102 to control the operation of the drive unit 102. In an exemplary embodiment, as... Figure 2 As shown, the surgical robot includes only one control unit 104, which sends operation messages to the drive units of each robot component unit 101.

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment, the control unit 104 may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the control unit 104 may be a circuit, one or more of the following: Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Digital Signal Processing Device (DSPD), Programmable Logic Device (PLD), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Central Processing Unit (CPU), PLC, microcontroller, or microprocessor.

[0058] For example, the drive unit 102 is further configured to receive operation information from the control unit 104 and send an operation drive signal to the motor 103 based on the operation information. The motor 103 is further configured to receive the operation drive signal from the drive unit 102 and perform an operation based on the operation drive signal.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the motor 103 may be a compact motor drive (CMD).

[0060] In an exemplary embodiment, the control unit 104, the drive unit 102, and the motor 103 serve as the basic units of the surgical robot. Their operation is typically as follows: the control unit 104 controls the operation of the entire surgical robot by sending operation information to the drive unit 102; the drive unit 102 receives the operation information from the control unit 104 and sends an operation drive signal to the motor 103 based on the operation information to drive the motor 103 to perform the corresponding operation; the motor 103 receives the operation drive signal from the drive unit 102 and performs the corresponding operation based on the operation drive signal.

[0061] In addition to the basic functions mentioned above, the surgical robot provided by the present invention also includes the following working process: the drive unit 102 sends a sound driving signal to the motor 103, the motor 103 receives the sound driving signal from the drive unit 102, and emits a sound based on the sound driving signal, the sound being used for status indication or alarm.

[0062] For example, the surgical robot includes at least a first robot component unit. When at least one of the matching components of the first robot component unit malfunctions or fails, the drive unit of the first robot component unit sends a sound-emitting drive signal to the motor, and the motor emits a sound based on the sound-emitting drive signal to indicate the location of the fault.

[0063] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, when one or more matching components in a robot unit malfunction or fail, but the drive unit and motor in that robot unit are not faulty, the motor in that robot unit emits a sound to indicate the malfunction. Furthermore, when the drive unit or motor in that robot unit malfunctions or fails, but the drive unit can still emit a audible drive signal causing the motor to emit a sound, the motor in that robot unit will still emit a sound to indicate the malfunction.

[0064] For example, the surgical robot includes at least a first robot component unit and a second robot component unit. The drive unit of the first robot component unit and the drive unit of the second robot component unit are communicatively connected. When the motor of the first robot component unit fails to produce sound, the drive unit of the first robot component unit transmits a fault detection signal to the drive unit of the second robot component unit. Upon receiving the fault detection signal, the drive unit of the second robot component unit sends a sound-producing drive signal to the motor of the second robot component unit. The motor of the second robot component unit then emits sound based on the sound-producing drive signal to indicate the location of the fault in the first robot component unit.

[0065] In one embodiment, such as Figure 4 As shown, when the motor in the first robot unit malfunctions or fails, causing the motor in the first robot unit to be unable to produce sound, the drive unit in the first robot unit sends the detected fault signal to the drive unit of the second robot unit. The drive unit of the second robot unit then sends a sound-producing drive signal to the motor of the second robot unit, causing the motor of the second robot unit, which is capable of producing sound, to produce sound, thereby indicating that the first robot unit has malfunctioned.

[0066] Exemplarily, the surgical robot includes at least a first robot component unit, which includes at least a first motor and a second motor. The matching assembly includes at least a first partial matching assembly and a second partial matching assembly. When one or more of the first partial matching assemblies malfunction or fail, the drive unit sends a sound-generating drive signal to the first motor. When one or more of the second partial matching assemblies malfunction or fail, the drive unit sends a sound-generating drive signal to the second motor. Further, when the first motor fails to emit sound, the drive unit sends a sound-generating drive signal to the second motor, and the second motor emits sound to indicate that one or more of the first partial matching assemblies and / or one or more of the second partial matching assemblies have malfunctioned or failed.

[0067] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, one drive unit of the present invention can also drive multiple motors. The motors are used to receive sound drive signals from the drive unit and emit sounds based on the sound drive signals for status indication or alarm. Each robot component also includes one or more matching components, including but not limited to input encoders, output encoders, communication modules, and braking modules. When at least one of the matching components malfunctions or fails, the surgical robot can indicate the location of the fault by emitting sounds from the motors. Specifically: 1) When at least one of the matching components malfunctions or fails, and neither the drive unit nor the corresponding motor malfunctions, the corresponding motor emits a sound to indicate the location of the fault; 2) When at least one of the matching components malfunctions or fails, and the corresponding motor malfunctions or fails, the other motors in the robot component emit sounds to indicate the location of the fault.

[0068] Furthermore, the sound-generating drive signal includes voltage pulse signals with different pulse width modulations, so that the motor emits different sounds, including sounds with different timbres, sounds with different frequencies, or combinations thereof.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment, when the motor 103 emits different sounds based on voltage pulse signals with different pulse width modulations, the motor 103 still keeps the rotor and stator relatively stationary, without affecting the expected operation of the surgical robot.

[0070] It is understandable that voltage pulse signals with different pulse width modulations can precisely control the motor speed, thereby generating vibrations at different frequencies and producing different sounds at those frequencies. In some embodiments, the vibration frequency and amplitude of the motor can be changed by altering the amplitude of the motor's drive current, thus producing different sounds. In some embodiments, the vibration characteristics of the motor can also be adjusted by changing its mechanical structure, thereby producing different sounds. For example, the frequency and amplitude of vibration can be adjusted by changing the motor's rotor design, bearing structure, etc., to achieve different sound effects. It should be noted that achieving different sound effects with a motor is not limited to the methods listed above; other methods or combinations of the above methods can be used to achieve vibration sound production effects with different frequencies, pitches, and timbres.

[0071] In one embodiment, the different sounds are used to indicate malfunctions of different components within the robot's assembly unit. Specifically, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the different components in robot assembly unit 101 include drive unit 102, motor 103, and one or more matching components. The matching components include an input encoder, an output encoder, a communication module, and a braking module. When the input encoder in the first robot assembly unit malfunctions or fails, the motor in the first robot assembly unit emits a first type of sound; when the communication module in the first robot assembly unit malfunctions or fails, the motor in the first robot assembly unit emits a second type of sound, which will not be described further here.

[0072] In one embodiment, the different sounds are used to indicate malfunctions in different robot components. Specifically, when multiple robot components exist, the motor of the first robot component can emit a first type of sound to indicate a malfunction in the first robot component; the motor of the first robot component can also emit a second type of sound to indicate a malfunction in the second robot component, which will not be elaborated here.

[0073] In one embodiment, the surgical robot provided by the present invention does not have an additional indicator unit. That is, the surgical robot provided by the present invention does not have indicator lights, speakers, buzzers or displays, except for indicating the working status or alarm by emitting sound from the motor.

[0074] In another embodiment, the surgical robot provided by the present invention further includes an indicator unit (not shown) for indicating the working status or alarm of the surgical robot. The indicator unit includes one or more indicator lights, one or more speakers, one or more buzzers, or one or more displays. The indicator unit of the present invention can be integrated into any unit with electrical functions, including but not limited to control units, drive units, etc.

[0075] By completely replacing the indicator unit with a motor-generated sound, not only is it easier to accurately locate faults, but it also avoids the need for additional indicator units, reducing system complexity and production costs, and improving system reliability.

[0076] The surgical robot provided by the present invention enables the motor to receive a sound driving signal from the drive unit and emit sound based on the sound driving signal for status indication or alarm, which facilitates accurate fault location, avoids the need to add additional indicator units, reduces system complexity and production costs, and improves system reliability.

[0077] The present invention has been described through the above embodiments. However, it should be understood that the above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention to the scope of the described embodiments. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and many more variations and modifications can be made based on the teachings of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A surgical robot, characterized in that, It includes at least one robot component unit, and each robot component unit includes: A drive unit, used to emit a sound-generating drive signal; and, One or more matching components, the matching components being connected to the driving unit; At least one motor is connected to the drive unit for receiving a sound-generating drive signal from the drive unit and emitting a sound based on the sound-generating drive signal, the sound being used for status indication or alarm. The robot component includes at least a first motor and a second motor, and the matching component includes at least a first matching component and a second matching component. When one or more of the first matching components malfunction or fail, the drive unit sends a sound driving signal to the first motor. When one or more of the second matching components malfunction or fail, the drive unit sends a sound driving signal to the second motor. When the first motor fails to produce sound, the drive unit sends a sound-producing drive signal to the second motor, and the second motor emits sound to indicate that the first motor, one or more of the first partial matching components and / or one or more of the second partial matching components have experienced an abnormality or malfunction. The surgical robot includes at least a first robot component unit and a second robot component unit, and the drive unit of the first robot component unit and the drive unit of the second robot component unit are communicatively connected. When the motor of the first robot component fails to produce sound, the drive unit of the first robot component transmits a fault detection signal to the drive unit of the second robot component. After receiving the fault detection signal, the drive unit of the second robot component sends a sound-producing drive signal to the motor of the second robot component. The motor of the second robot component then emits sound based on the sound-producing drive signal to indicate the fault location of the first robot component.

2. The surgical robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The matching component includes one or more of the following: an input encoder, an output encoder, a communication module, and a braking module.

3. The surgical robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The sound-generating drive signal includes voltage pulse signals with different pulse width modulations, so that the at least one motor emits different sounds.

4. The surgical robot as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The different sounds include sounds with different timbres, sounds with different frequencies, or combinations thereof.

5. The surgical robot as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The different sounds are used to indicate the faults of different robot components.

6. The surgical robot as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The different sounds are used to indicate different faults in the matching components, the motor, or the drive unit.

7. The surgical robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The control unit is used to send operation information to the drive unit to control the operation of the drive unit.

8. The surgical robot as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The drive unit is also used to receive operation information from the control unit and send operation drive signals to the same motor based on the operation information.

9. The surgical robot as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The motor is also used to receive the operation drive signal from the drive unit and perform an operation based on the operation drive signal.

10. The surgical robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The robot components include an end effector of a robotic arm or a connecting arm of a robotic arm.

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