Micro-robot driven by blood

Abstract

The invention relates to a micro-robot driven by blood. The micro-robot comprises a support assembly, a power assembly, a transmission assembly and a driving assembly. The power assembly and the driving assembly are both rotatably installed on the support assembly, the power assembly rotates by means of flowing of blood, the power assembly transmits power to the driving assembly through the transmission assembly, and the driving assembly drives the micro-robot to move. According to the micro-robot driven by the blood, external energy supply or energy equipment carried by the robot is not needed, driving force is provided for the micro-robot only by means of flowing of the blood, and guiding is conducted by combining a magnetic field; the problems that a blood vessel micro-robot is difficult to carry a battery due to small size, wireless driving power is insufficient, interference resistance is weak, and energy transmission efficiency is low are solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a kind of micro robot driven by blood. BACKGROUND

[0002] The rapid development of micro robot technology provides important medical tools and technical means for minimally invasive surgical treatment in medical and biological engineering fields. Micro robots are often used for operation inside blood vessels, such as drug delivery, thrombus removal, etc. Traditional micro robots are mainly driven by micro batteries or external wireless energy sources (such as magnetic field, ultrasonic wave, etc.).

[0003] The existing micro robot driving mode mainly includes the following deficiencies:

[0004] 1) Micro battery driving: due to the small size of battery, and it is difficult to charge or replace battery in vivo, resulting in insufficient continuous power supply and limited output power, and short use time;

[0005] 2) External energy driving (such as magnetic field or ultrasonic wave driving): through external device output energy, the penetration of wireless energy source is limited, and there are weak resistance to interference ability, low energy transmission efficiency, SUMMARY

[0006] To solve the problems in the above background art, the present application proposes a kind of micro robot driven by blood, which does not need external energy supply or robot itself to carry energy equipment, only relies on the flow of blood to provide driving force, and combines magnetic field to guide, solves the problem of insufficient power of small size battery, wireless driving of blood vessel micro robot, weak resistance to interference ability, low energy transmission efficiency.

[0007] The technical scheme for solving the above problems is: a kind of micro robot driven by blood, which is characterized by:

[0008] It comprises a support assembly, a power assembly, a transmission assembly and a driving assembly;

[0009] The power assembly and the driving assembly are rotatably installed on the support assembly, the power assembly rotates by the flow of blood, the power assembly transmits power to the driving assembly through the transmission assembly, and the driving assembly drives the micro robot to move.

[0010] Further, the driving assembly comprises four rollers; the outer side of the roller is smooth, or the outer side of the roller is provided with micro groove.

[0011] Further, the micro groove is a triangular micro groove, and a plurality of triangular micro grooves are circumferentially arranged on the outer side of the roller, to increase the friction and adhesion between the roller and the inner wall of the blood vessel.

[0012] Further, the impeller assembly comprises an impeller, which is installed on the support assembly through the first rotating shaft and driven to rotate by the blood flow.

[0013] Further, the impeller comprises a plurality of blades, the lengths of the two sides of the blades are different, the longer side is a long side, and the shorter side is a short side.

[0014] Further, the support assembly comprises two L-shaped connectors with the same structure, the two L-shaped connectors are inverted, the first rotating shaft is rotatably installed at the middle part of the two L-shaped connectors, and the impeller assembly is located between the two L-shaped connectors.

[0015] Further, the two ends of the two L-shaped connectors are rotatably installed with the second rotating shaft and the third rotating shaft respectively, and the four rollers are installed on the second rotating shaft and the third rotating shaft respectively.

[0016] Further, the transmission assembly comprises a first gear, a second gear and a third gear, the first gear is installed on the first rotating shaft, the third gear is installed on the second rotating shaft, the second gear is engaged with the first gear, and the third gear is engaged with the second gear.

[0017] Further, the L-shaped connector is provided with a connecting rod, the connecting rod is located between the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft, and the second gear is installed on the connecting rod.

[0018] Further, the micro robot further comprises an external magnetic field, the rollers are magnetic, and the external magnetic field controls the steering of the robot through the magnetic rollers.

[0019] The micro robot is driven to rotate by the blood flow, realizes the movement of the robot, and the external magnetic field can control the steering of the robot through the magnetic rollers, so as to meet the movement requirements of the robot in the blood vessel, complete the targeted drug delivery, thrombus removal and other medical operations in the blood vessel.

[0020] Advantages of the present application:

[0021] 1) The present application utilizes the blood flow to drive the impeller to rotate, thereby driving the movement of the robot, without the need for external energy supply or the robot to carry energy equipment itself;

[0022] 2) The present application realizes the forward movement of the robot against the blood flow through the ingenious structure design, is convenient to operate, and the robot is designed ingeniously, can be easily made by using the 3D printing technology, and has low manufacturing cost;

[0023] 3) The present application designs the rollers to match the triangular microstructure, can effectively increase the friction and adhesion between the rollers and the inner wall of the blood vessel, and improve the stability and reliability of the robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 An overall structural diagram of the blood-driven microrobot provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 Another view of the microrobot;

[0026] Figure 3 Here is a structural diagram of the impeller;

[0027] Figure 4 Here is a structural diagram of the support structure;

[0028] Figure 5 Here is a structural diagram of the roller;

[0029] Figure 6 This is an enlarged view of the triangular microstructure on the outer surface of the roller.

[0030] Among them: 1. Roller, 2. Micro-groove, 3. Impeller, 4. First rotating shaft, 5. L-shaped connector, 6. Second rotating shaft, 7. Third rotating shaft, 8. First gear, 9. Second gear, 10. Third gear, 11. Connecting rod. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention.

[0032] This invention proposes a microrobot driven by blood, comprising a support assembly, a power assembly, a transmission assembly, and a drive assembly; the power assembly and the drive assembly are rotatably mounted on the support assembly, the power assembly utilizes the flow of blood to achieve rotation, the power assembly transmits power to the drive assembly through the transmission assembly, and the drive assembly drives the microrobot to move within the human blood vessels.

[0033] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the drive assembly includes four rollers 1, each roller having a diameter of 600 μm, a thickness of 500 μm, and an aperture of 180 μm. The outer surface of each roller 1 can be a smooth surface.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present invention, the outer surface of the roller 1 is provided with micro-grooves 2.

[0035] Specifically, see Figure 6 The microgrooves 2 are triangular microgrooves 2, and several triangular microgrooves 2 are arranged in a circular array on the outside of the roller 1 to increase the friction and adhesion between the roller 1 and the inner wall of the blood vessel, ensuring the stability of the vehicle body in the blood and preventing the robot from being washed away by the blood flow.

[0036] See Figure 5 The roller 1 has an annular groove in the center of its outer surface, and the surfaces of the protruding parts on both sides of the outer surface are the working surfaces. A triangular micro-groove is located on the working surface. This triangular micro-groove is an inclined, asymmetrical structure inspired by the micro-nano bristles on a gecko's toes (its structure allows the gecko to adhere well to walls, and its toes have strong adhesive force). The length-to-width-to-height ratio of the triangular micro-groove is approximately 40:20:1, making its fill ratio close to 40% (similar to the triangular structure of a gecko's toe bristles).

[0037] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the power assembly includes an impeller 3, which is fixedly mounted on the support assembly via a first rotating shaft 4. The first rotating shaft 4 can be mounted on the support assembly via micro-bearings to reduce frictional resistance. The impeller 3 is driven to rotate by the flow of blood. The number of impellers 3 can be increased as needed.

[0038] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the impeller 3 includes several blades with different lengths on both sides, the longer side being the long side and the shorter side being the short side.

[0039] Specifically, the impeller 3 has a total length of 1.5 mm, a central aperture of 200 μm, a long side of 1 mm, and a short side of 400 μm. The impeller 3 is driven to rotate by the flow of blood.

[0040] The support assembly forms the robot's frame. See specifically... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 The support assembly includes two identical L-shaped connectors 5. Each L-shaped connector 5 has symmetrical holes with a diameter of 200 μm, one side length of 2.5 mm, the other side length of 2 mm, and a thickness of 500 μm. The two L-shaped connectors 5 are inverted, and the first rotating shaft 4 is rotatably installed in the hole in the middle of the two L-shaped connectors 5. The impeller 3 assembly is located between the two L-shaped connectors 5.

[0041] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 The bottom of the two L-shaped connectors 5 are respectively rotatably mounted with the second rotating shaft 6 and the third rotating shaft 7, and the four rollers 1 are respectively mounted on the second rotating shaft 6 and the third rotating shaft 7.

[0042] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 The transmission component adopts a gear transmission mechanism.

[0043] Specifically, the transmission assembly includes a first gear 8, a second gear 9, and a third gear 10. The first gear 8 is mounted on a first rotating shaft 4, and the third gear 10 is mounted on a second rotating shaft 6. The L-shaped connector 5 is provided with a connecting rod 11, which is located between the first rotating shaft 4 and the second rotating shaft 6. The second gear 9 is mounted on the connecting rod 11 via a bearing. The second gear 9 meshes with the first gear 8, and the third gear 10 meshes with the second gear 9.

[0044] The flow of blood drives the impeller 3 to rotate, and the impeller 3 transmits power to the first gear 8 via the first shaft 4. The first gear 8 then meshes with the second gear 9, which is the largest gear in the robot's structure. This gear is responsible for receiving kinetic energy from the impeller 3 and then transmitting it to the third gear 10. The pinion receives kinetic energy from the transmission gears and drives the rollers to rotate.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the micro-robot further includes an external magnetic field, and the roller 1 is magnetic. The external magnetic field controls the robot's steering through the magnetic roller 1.

[0046] Specifically, the impeller 3, L-shaped connector 5, roller 1, etc. are all made by 3D printing, with a printer precision of 10μm (=0.01mm).

[0047] This invention utilizes the kinetic energy of flowing blood to power the robot, eliminating the need for an external energy source or its own power supply device. A precise gear transmission system achieves efficient energy transfer, reducing energy loss during transmission and improving the robot's operating efficiency. The special design of the impeller blades allows the robot to move against the flow of blood, meaning its movement direction is opposite to the blood flow direction. The triangular microstructure design on the rollers (such as...) Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the increased frictional contact between the roller and the inner wall of the blood vessel can effectively reduce and prevent the robot from slipping in the blood flow, thereby improving the robot's stability and reliability.

[0048] Through simulation, the micro-robot proposed in this invention can move forward in a fluid (water flow used in the experiment) by having the impeller rotated by the fluid flow. Moreover, the robot's direction of movement is opposite to the direction of fluid flow, and it can adhere well to the pipe wall without slipping on the pipe wall.

[0049] This invention provides a microrobot that utilizes blood flow drive combined with magnetic field guidance to solve the problems of small size making it difficult to carry batteries, insufficient power for wireless drive, weak resistance to interference, and poor stability of vascular microrobots. By using an external magnetic field to control the microrobot to enter the deep, tortuous blood vessels at a distance and reach the designated target location, it can perform medical operations such as targeted drug delivery and thrombus removal.

[0050] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art can still adjust the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Therefore, if these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A microrobot powered by blood, characterized in that: Includes support components, power components, transmission components, and drive components; Both the power component and the drive component can be rotatably mounted on the support component. The power component rotates by means of blood flow, and the power component transmits power to the drive component through the transmission component, which in turn drives the micro-robot to move.

2. The microrobot driven by blood according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive assembly includes four rollers (1); the outer surface of the rollers (1) is smooth, or the outer surface of the rollers (1) is provided with micro-grooves (2).

3. A microrobot driven by blood according to claim 2, characterized in that: The microgroove (2) is a triangular microgroove (2), and several triangular microgrooves (2) are arranged in a circular array on the outside of the roller (1) to increase the friction and adhesion between the roller (1) and the inner wall of the blood vessel.

4. A microrobot driven by blood according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The power assembly includes an impeller (3), which is mounted on the support assembly via a first rotating shaft (4) and rotates due to the flow of blood.

5. A microrobot driven by blood according to claim 4, characterized in that: The impeller (3) includes several blades with different lengths on both sides, the longer side being the long side and the shorter side being the short side.

6. A microrobot driven by blood according to claim 5, characterized in that: The support assembly includes two identical L-shaped connectors (5), which are inverted. A first rotating shaft (4) is rotatably installed in the middle of the two L-shaped connectors (5), and an impeller (3) assembly is located between the two L-shaped connectors (5).

7. A microrobot driven by blood according to claim 6, characterized in that: The two ends of the two L-shaped connectors (5) are respectively rotatably mounted with the second shaft (6) and the third shaft (7), and the four rollers (1) are respectively mounted on the second shaft (6) and the third shaft (7).

8. A microrobot driven by blood according to claim 7, characterized in that: The transmission assembly includes a first gear (8), a second gear (9) and a third gear (10). The first gear (8) is mounted on a first rotating shaft (4), and the third gear (10) is mounted on a second rotating shaft (6). The second gear (9) meshes with the first gear (8), and the third gear (10) meshes with the second gear (9).

9. A microrobot driven by blood according to claim 8, characterized in that: The L-shaped connector (5) is provided with a connecting rod (11), which is located between the first rotating shaft (4) and the second rotating shaft (6), and the second gear (9) is installed on the connecting rod (11).

10. A microrobot driven by blood according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: It also includes an external magnetic field, the roller (1) is magnetic, and the external magnetic field controls the robot’s steering through the magnetic roller (1).

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