Surgical robot

Abstract

The invention provides a surgical robot which is characterized in that the surgical robot comprises a robot base, two mechanical arms arranged on the robot base and an execution instrument, the base ends of the two mechanical arms are connected with the robot base, the tail ends of the two mechanical arms are connected with the execution instrument, and therefore a parallel structure is formed; the connecting positions of the tail ends of the two mechanical arms and the executing instrument are arranged at intervals in the executing direction of the executing instrument, and the two mechanical arms move in at least two translational freedom degrees through the tail ends of the two mechanical arms. And the actuating device is driven to move in at least two translational degrees of freedom and move in at least two rotational degrees of freedom.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of surgical robots, and more particularly to a surgical robot capable of flexibly performing RCM movements over a wide range. Background Technology

[0002] Tumors affecting vital intracavitary organs (such as the prostate, breast, pancreas, and liver) pose an increasing threat to patients year by year and are showing a trend towards affecting younger people. Typical diseases include prostate cancer in men, breast cancer in women, and common cancers such as liver and pancreatic cancer. Currently, treatment methods for these types of diseases, such as novel treatment techniques guided by ultrasound, CT, and MRI using robotic puncture and intervention, are gradually being put into use as imaging technology advances.

[0003] For example, transrectal ultrasound-guided surgery (TRUS) is gradually becoming an important treatment for prostate diseases, characterized by high efficiency and significantly reduced operational difficulty compared to traditional methods. Traditional transrectal ultrasound-guided surgery primarily involves the surgeon manually manipulating the ultrasound and instruments (such as puncture needles, electrosurgical / laser fiber optics, water jets, etc.). The results are easily affected by factors such as the precision of manual operation and the insertion posture of the instruments, making it difficult to meet accuracy requirements. Furthermore, the fatigue experienced by surgeons due to prolonged manual operation, the complexity of equipment operation, low standardization, the risk of accidental injury to vital organs during manual operation, low patient satisfaction, and complex object localization and tracking are also fatal drawbacks of traditional TRUS.

[0004] Currently, there are several designs for prostate surgery robots on the market, but overall, these designs have significant problems: First, the matching degree between the robot's workspace and the target organ is low, meaning the actuators cannot fully cover the surgical task space, or the workspace is far larger than required, resulting in a large size and low effective utilization rate; Second, the complex structure and cumbersome installation cannot guarantee that the robot will not cause secondary infection damage to the patient during use; Third, the use of industrial robotic arms for assisted positioning results in excessive size, poor installation coordination, and inconvenience for doctors to operate; Fourth, the operational precision is insufficient to meet surgical requirements, and the control method is complex, leading to low efficiency; Fifth, the comfort of the patient's posture during surgery and the layout of the lesion and other important organs in non-surgical targets are not considered, thus making it unable to adapt to various surgical task requirements and difficult to perform accurate target operations on the lesion; Sixth, the robot cannot promptly adjust for displacement of the surgical target due to the patient's breathing, movement, etc., resulting in excessive operational deviations and even damage to non-surgical target organs or tissues.

[0005] A review of existing technologies reveals that despite the existence of various structural designs for surgical robots, they generally suffer from the following drawbacks:

[0006] First, traditional surgical robots, especially those using tandem robotic arms, exhibit a significant decrease in rigidity when the instruments move away from the base. During surgery, the ends of the instruments (such as puncture needle tips, compound puncture needle tips, electrosurgical units, etc.) are prone to elastic deformation or vibration when encountering tissue resistance, causing the actual surgical trajectory to deviate from the planned path, affecting accuracy and safety.

[0007] Secondly, when achieving the translational (horizontal, vertical), pitch, and yaw movements required by the actuator, traditional structures (such as a single serial arm or a complex fully parallel platform) are prone to motion coupling and mutual interference between their degrees of freedom. This not only increases the complexity of control but also affects the accuracy and stability of the actuator's motion. Robotic systems that achieve high-precision, multi-degree-of-freedom motion (such as a fully parallel structure based on the Stewart platform or a highly complex serial arm) are often structurally complex, have many parts, are expensive to manufacture, and are difficult to maintain.

[0008] Furthermore, existing systems typically require separate operation and positioning of image-guided devices such as ultrasound or endoscopes, lacking rigid and precise coordinated positioning with the surgical instruments. During the procedure, repeated adjustments to the position and angle of the ultrasound probe or endoscope are necessary to capture the optimal operating plane, resulting in lengthy procedures, inefficient workflow, and reduced surgical efficiency. Even with image guidance, maintaining the ideal angle (same direction or small angle) between the surgical instrument's feed direction and the imaging plane requires meticulous manual adjustment, making it difficult to quickly and stably establish and maintain this spatial relationship during the procedure.

[0009] Even the "stereoscopic positioning microsurgical robot" patent with a serial-parallel structure proposed by the applicant in its early stages has many problems, such as limited workspace or insufficient posture adjustment capabilities (e.g., difficulty in achieving large-angle pitch / yaw), which restricts the flexibility and accessibility of the actuator in complex anatomical environments.

[0010] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a surgical robot that can solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0011] This invention provides a surgical robot that aims to address the following issues: designing a relatively simple and controllable mechanical structure capable of stably and reliably achieving multi-degree-of-freedom movements such as horizontal translation, vertical translation, pitch, and yaw required by the actuator, while minimizing coupling interference between degrees of freedom; optimizing the connection mechanism between the actuator and the driving robotic arm to transmit multi-degree-of-freedom movements while maintaining high rigidity and compactness; improving the end-effector rigidity and motion accuracy when the surgical robot drives the actuator to perform multi-degree-of-freedom movements (such as the puncture action of a puncture needle and the multi-degree-of-freedom feed motion of a laser fiber), reducing end-effector offset and vibration; simplifying the robot structure, reducing manufacturing costs, and improving system reliability while ensuring performance and functionality; and efficiently, accurately, and stably integrating image guidance with the actuator to achieve real-time and precise matching (in the same direction or at a small angle) between the actuator's feed direction and the imaging plane, reducing intraoperative adjustment time.

[0012] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is: a surgical robot, characterized in that it includes: a robot base, two robotic arms disposed on the robot base, and an actuator, wherein the base ends of the two robotic arms are respectively connected to the robot base, and the ends are respectively connected to the actuator, thereby forming a parallel structure, and the connection points between the ends of the two robotic arms and the actuator are spaced apart in the execution direction of the actuator, and the actuator is driven to move in at least two translational degrees of freedom and at least two rotational degrees of freedom by the movement of at least two translational degrees of freedom of the ends of the two robotic arms.

[0013] According to the present invention, a parallel robotic arm structure is adopted instead of the traditional single serial robotic arm structure. Furthermore, by using only the limited degrees of freedom of the two parallel robotic arms (e.g., only two translational degrees of freedom), it is possible to achieve more degrees of freedom of motion of the actuator (e.g., two translational degrees of freedom + two rotational degrees of freedom). This significantly reduces the load on the degrees of freedom of the robotic arms, reduces the number of joints and the extension length of the robotic arms, thereby ensuring higher rigidity with shorter robotic arms.

[0014] Preferably, at least two translational degrees of freedom at the ends of the two robotic arms include two translational degrees of freedom on the cross-section in the surgical coordinate system.

[0015] The actuator has at least two translational degrees of freedom, including two translational degrees of freedom on the cross section in the surgical coordinate system, and at least two rotational degrees of freedom, including pitch and yaw motion in the surgical coordinate system.

[0016] Preferably, the ends of the two robotic arms are connected to the actuators via connecting components, the connecting components including yaw and pitch components, and the actuators are suspended below the U-shaped hinges.

[0017] Preferably, the connecting assembly further includes a slide rail unit and a pad unit, one of the two connecting assemblies being connected to the actuator via the slide rail unit, and the other being connected to the actuator via the pad unit.

[0018] Preferably, an auxiliary device is also provided on the robot base, and the auxiliary device is disposed on the robot base or integrally disposed with the actuator.

[0019] According to the present invention, an auxiliary device is also provided on the robot base, or the auxiliary device and the actuator are integrated. The auxiliary device is usually an imaging instrument such as an ultrasound probe unit or an endoscope unit that assists in surgical operations. Precise positioning is required between the imaging instrument and the actuator, placing high demands on their coordinate correspondence. In conventional technology, the auxiliary device is set independently relative to the actuator, and their positioning can only be calculated independently, which is prone to deviation.

[0020] In this invention, by employing a robotic arm mechanism with fewer degrees of freedom (e.g., only two translational degrees of freedom), the large size of the robotic arm is greatly avoided, thereby ensuring sufficient space for the installation and actuation of auxiliary instruments on the robot base or the actuator of the surgical robot. Therefore, the actuator and auxiliary instruments can be placed in the same device coordinate system, effectively reducing calculation errors in their coordinate calculations.

[0021] Preferably, the maximum angle between the extension direction of the auxiliary device and the execution direction of the actuator is less than 90 degrees.

[0022] Preferably, the execution direction of the actuator is set to be the same as the extension direction of the auxiliary device.

[0023] Preferably, the auxiliary device is an ultrasound probe unit and / or an endoscope unit.

[0024] Preferably, the motion of the actuator is driven in at least two translational degrees of freedom by the synchronous movement of the two robotic arms; the motion of the actuator is driven in at least two rotational degrees of freedom by the asynchronous movement of the two robotic arms.

[0025] Preferably, it includes two sets of gear transmission mechanisms, which are symmetrically arranged to provide fixed support for the third link, and the two third links swing under the rotation of their respective gears.

[0026] Through the above solutions, the technical effects achieved by this invention include: a highly rigid series-parallel composite structure and optimized end-effector connections significantly reduce the deformation and vibration of the actuator under tissue resistance, ensuring that the surgical trajectory accurately follows the planned path, and significantly improving surgical precision and stability. It can smoothly and accurately control the actuator for spatial positioning (horizontal and vertical translation) and attitude adjustment (pitch and yaw), meeting the needs of complex surgical approaches and achieving precise and controllable four-degree-of-freedom motion. It enables efficient and precise ultrasound-guided operation: the actuator's feed direction is aligned with the ultrasound imaging plane (in the same direction or at a small angle) and the spatial relationship is stable. Clear, real-time images of the operational path can be obtained without repeated adjustments of the ultrasound probe during surgery, greatly improving the accuracy and efficiency of "seeing is seeing" and shortening surgical time. The symmetrical design of identical robotic arms and the motor parameter-based identical / different control strategy reduce mechanical complexity and control algorithm difficulty, simplifying system structure and control. Improved precision and optimized image guidance directly enhance surgical safety; optimized structural design and efficient guidance also make the surgeon's operation more intuitive and smooth. Modular design and component reusability (such as two identical arms) facilitate large-scale production and maintenance. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the more detailed description of the embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of the invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same parts or steps.

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

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the end effector of a serial robotic arm of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention and the U-shaped hinge.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a U-shaped connector of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a side view of the connection between two serially connected robotic arms and the actuator of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of a series robotic arm of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention (without the outer shell);

[0033] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the links of a series-connected robotic arm of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of a surgical robot with a series of robotic arms and a robot base according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the double parallelogram structure of a series robotic arm of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the linkage connection in a serial robotic arm of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 10 This is a side view of the serially mounted robotic arm of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the drive transmission structure in a serial robotic arm of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 12 This is a top view of the surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 13 This is an overall side view of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 14 This is a three-dimensional illustration of the actuator of a surgical robot performing a left yaw motion according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 15 This is a three-dimensional illustration of the actuator of a surgical robot performing a right yaw motion according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 16 This is a three-dimensional illustration of the surgical robot's actuator performing an upward motion according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 17 This is a three-dimensional illustration of the surgical robot's actuator performing a downward motion according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 18 This is an envelope surface diagram of the parallel puncture workspace of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention (the ellipsoid in the figure simulates the prostate);

[0046] Figure 19 This is an envelope surface diagram of the working space of a surgical robot for single-point puncture according to an embodiment of the present invention (the ellipsoid in the figure simulates the prostate).

[0047] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0048] 100-Robot base, 110-Robot base, 200-Serial robotic arm, 210-Serial robotic arm, 300-Linear puncture unit, 301-Punch needle, 400-U-set hinge, 410-U-set hinge, 401-U-set connecting frame, 401a-Protrusion, 402-Yaw component, 403-Pitch component, 403a-Bottom plane, 500-Pad unit, 510-Slide rail unit, 501-Slider, 502-Slide rail, 503-Limiting block, 600-Ultrasonic probe unit, 601-Two-degree-of-freedom positioning module, 602-Ultrasonic probe, 603-U-shaped slot, 1(1a, 1b)-First link, 2(2a 2b) - Second link, 3(3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e) - Third link, 4 - Fourth link, 5 - Link end face support, 6 - First synchronous belt, 7 - L-shaped housing, 8 - First servo motor, 9 - Left side support plate, 10 - Vertical connecting plate, 11 - Honeycomb assembly plate, 12 - Base, 13 - Large support plate, 14 - Second servo motor, 15 - Second synchronous belt, 16 - Small gear, 17 - Large gear end face support, 18 - Large gear, 19 - End connecting plate, 23 - Right side support plate, 24 - Lower housing of robotic arm, 26 - Upper housing of robotic arm, 25 - Middle housing of robotic arm, 28 - Small pulley, 29 - Large pulley. Detailed Implementation

[0049] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0050] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0051] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to distinguish different steps, devices, or modules, and do not represent any specific technical meaning, nor do they indicate a necessary logical order between them.

[0052] It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present invention, "multiple" can refer to two or more, and "at least one" can refer to one, two or more.

[0053] It should also be understood that any component, data or structure mentioned in the embodiments of the present invention can generally be understood as one or more unless explicitly defined or given contrary instructions in the context.

[0054] like Figure 1 The diagram shown illustrates the overall structure of the surgical robot of this invention, including: a robot base, two serially connected robotic arms 200 and 210, and an actuator. The robot base can be a single unit, or it can be as follows: Figure 1 The two systems shown are robot bases 100 and 110 arranged in parallel. Two tandem robotic arms 200 and 210 are mounted on each robot base; when there are two robot bases, the two tandem robotic arms are mounted on the two bases respectively. In the following description, a linear puncture unit 300 is described as an example of the ablation device, but it is not limited to this. For example, the ablation device could also be an ablation device such as a laser ablation unit or a water jet ablation unit, or other surgical instruments. An ablation terminal is mounted on the ablation device. In the following description, a puncture needle 301 is described as an example of the ablation terminal, but it is not limited to this. For example, the ablation terminal could also be a water jet blade or a laser fiber.

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, the linear puncture unit 300 is equipped with a puncture needle 301. The linear puncture unit 300 can drive the puncture needle 301 to achieve feeding motion. In other examples of actuators, it may also include spin motion, etc. The two serial robotic arms 200 and 210 are both double parallelogram serial structures. Their base ends are connected to the robot bases 100 and 110 respectively, and their ends are connected to the linear puncture unit 300 respectively, forming a parallel structure to drive the linear puncture unit 300 to perform horizontal translational motion, vertical translational motion, pitch motion, and yaw motion.

[0056] The linear puncture unit 300 drives the puncture needle 301 to achieve feed motion and mainly includes a linear motor, reducer, encoder, puncture needle, and flexible guide. The linear motor, reducer, and encoder are connected sequentially by threads. The output end of the linear motor is connected to a lead screw via a coupling. The lead screw and nut are fitted together and housed in a circular hole in the puncture needle unit housing. The puncture needle seat is connected to the nut via a nut connector and bolts. The puncture needle and puncture needle seat are connected via a specially shaped groove. The flexible guide is connected to the threaded hole on the puncture needle unit housing by bolts.

[0057] The puncture linear unit is also equipped with an ultrasonic probe unit 600 on the robot base. The ultrasonic probe unit 600 includes an ultrasonic probe 602 and a two-degree-of-freedom positioning module 601 that carries the ultrasonic probe 602. The ultrasonic probe 602 is connected to the two-degree-of-freedom positioning module 601 through a U-shaped slot 603.

[0058] The two-degree-of-freedom positioning module 601 is a two-degree-of-freedom positioning module that can drive the ultrasonic probe 602 to perform spin motion and linear feed motion. The base plate of the two-degree-of-freedom positioning module 601 is fixedly connected to the robot base.

[0059] The ultrasonic probe 602 has a main body axis as shown in the figure, with its axial direction as the extension direction of the ultrasonic probe unit. This extension direction is also parallel to the linear feed motion direction of the ultrasonic probe, and ideally, the two are arranged perpendicularly in the vertical direction.

[0060] The puncture needle 301 in the linear puncture unit 300 also has a main axis, with the axial direction of the main axis of the puncture needle as the extension direction of the linear puncture unit 300.

[0061] Preferably, the angle between the extension direction of the ultrasound probe unit 600 and the extension direction of the linear puncture unit 300 is less than 90 degrees.

[0062] Preferably, the extension direction of the linear puncture unit 300 is set to be the same as the extension direction of the ultrasound probe unit 600.

[0063] Here, the ultrasound probe unit 600 is one example of an auxiliary device in this invention, but it is not limited thereto. The auxiliary device can also be other instruments such as an endoscope. Furthermore, in the foregoing embodiment, the ultrasound probe unit 600 is disposed on the robot base, but it can also be disposed on the linear puncture unit 300 (actuator) and integrally formed with the actuator.

[0064] It should be understood that setting up an ultrasound probe unit is not essential, but rather a preferred option, used only in scenarios where surgery requires real-time imaging information from an ultrasound probe. In such scenarios, the solution of this invention can ensure that the puncture needle's feed direction is aligned with the height of the ultrasound imaging plane (in the same direction or at a small angle) and that the spatial relationship is stable. Clear, real-time images of the needle insertion path can be obtained without repeated adjustments to the ultrasound probe during the procedure, greatly improving the accuracy and efficiency of "seeing is seeing" and shortening the surgical time.

[0065] like Figure 1 The arrows indicate the forward and backward directions, with the forward direction being closer to the target area where the puncture is to be performed. Two tandem robotic arms are arranged in parallel on the robot base along the forward and backward directions, with the tandem robotic arm 210 being closer to the front and the tandem robotic arm 210 being closer to the rear.

[0066] The ends of the two serial robotic arms 200 and 210 are connected to the linear puncture unit 300 via a connecting assembly.

[0067] The connecting components include U-shaped hinges 400 and 410, a pad unit 500, and a slide rail unit 510. The U-shaped hinge 410 at the end of the front-mounted serial robotic arm 210 is connected to the linear puncture unit 300 via the slide rail unit 510. The U-shaped hinge 400 at the end of the rear-mounted serial robotic arm 200 is connected to the linear puncture unit 300 via the pad unit 500. The linear puncture unit 300 is always located below the U-shaped hinges 400 and 410.

[0068] like Figures 3-4 The diagram shows the structure of a U-shaped hinge (taking the U-shaped hinge 400 connected by the serial robotic arm 200 as an example for explanation; the structure of U-shaped hinge 400 and U-shaped hinge 410 is the same). It can be seen that the U-shaped hinge includes a U-shaped connecting frame 401, a yaw component 402, and a pitch component 403.

[0069] The end effector plate 19 of the robotic arm is connected to the side end of the U-group connecting frame 401. The U-group connecting frame 401 is connected to the corresponding end effector plate 19 by the rectangular protrusions 401a at both ends.

[0070] The bottom of the U-shaped connecting frame 401 is connected to the yaw component 402. The yaw component 402 is a cylinder that fits with the hole shaft of the U-shaped connecting frame 401 to achieve a passive degree of freedom of left and right rotation. The pitch component 403 fits with the two holes on the lower side of the yaw component 402 to achieve a passive degree of freedom of up and down rotation of the pitch component 403.

[0071] The yaw component 402 enables the puncture needle to swing left and right during robotic arm movement, while the pitch component 403 enables it to swing up and down. The structure formed by the yaw component 402 and the pitch component 403 allows the puncture needle to assume any three-dimensional posture in space.

[0072] The U-shaped connecting frame 401, yaw component 402, and pitch component 403 together form the end effector of the robotic arm. During the unloaded movement of the robotic arm, the bottom plane 403a of the pitch component 403 remains parallel to the ground, and the bottom planes 403a of the pitch components 403 of the two U-shaped hinges remain flush. The structure of the two U-shaped hinges enables passive degrees of freedom for pitch and yaw, thereby avoiding problems related to misalignment and wear.

[0073] Figure 5 The diagram shows a side view of the two robotic arms after their U-shaped hinges 400 and 410 are connected to the actuator via a connecting assembly. The U-shaped hinge 400 at the end of the rear-mounted tandem robotic arm 200 is connected to the linear puncture unit 300 via a pad unit 500. The base plate of the pad included in the pad unit 500 is bolted to the corresponding threaded hole on the puncture needle unit housing.

[0074] The U-shaped hinge 410 at the end of the front-mounted serial robotic arm 210 is connected to the linear puncture unit 300 via a slide rail unit 510. The slide rail unit 510 includes a slider 501, a slide rail 502, and limiting blocks 503 on both sides. The base plate of the slide rail 502 is bolted to the corresponding threaded hole on the puncture needle unit housing. The slider 501 is connected to the slide rail 502 via a sliding groove. Two limiting blocks 503 are used, respectively installed at the front and rear ends of the slide rail 502 with screws.

[0075] To ensure the horizontal position of the linear puncture unit 300 in standby mode, the top surfaces of the pad unit 500 and the slider 501 should be kept flush after installation.

[0076] In this manner, the tandem robotic arm 200 at the rear end is fixedly connected to the linear puncture unit 300, while the tandem robotic arm 210 at the front end is movably connected to the linear puncture unit 300, enabling the linear puncture unit 300 carried by the two robotic arms to perform pitch and yaw movements. Furthermore, the U-shaped hinge connection assembly structure proposed according to this invention ensures that the actuator is always positioned below the two U-shaped hinges and cannot appear above them, effectively preventing the tipping of the end effector. The mechanical balance is achieved by the weight of the robotic arm and the weight of the actuator being located on opposite sides of the base, simplifying the kinematic model and improving the system's stability.

[0077] The serial robotic arms 200 and 210 are each serial robotic arms with the same structure. They are connected in parallel to form the surgical robot of this invention.

[0078] like Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the main structure of a serial robotic arm after the outer shell has been removed. As shown, there are two symmetrically arranged end connecting plates 19. The upper circular holes of the end connecting plates 19 are connected to the two first connecting rods 1a and 1b respectively by bolts and nuts and high-precision miniature bearings; the lower circular holes are coaxially connected to the circular holes on one side of the third connecting rod 3a by connecting rods. The third connecting rod 3a is located approximately in the middle of the two end connecting plates 19.

[0079] The second connecting rods 2a and 2b are triangular plates, also symmetrically arranged in pairs. Each triangular plate has a through hole at one of its three vertices, which are respectively the upper through hole, middle through hole, and lower through hole as shown in the figure. A connecting rod passes through the upper through holes of the two triangular plates and connects to the two first connecting rods 1a and 1b on both sides. A connecting rod passes through the middle through holes of the two triangular plates, and the third connecting rods 3a and 3c are fixed in the middle of the connecting rod, with the third connecting rods 3a and 3c in contact with each other. A connecting rod passes through the lower through holes of the two triangular plates and connects to the third connecting rods 3d and 3e on both sides, with the third connecting rods 3d and 3e symmetrically arranged.

[0080] The third links 3a and 3b together achieve the pitching motion of the upper part of the robotic arm. The third links 3a and 3b are hinged together by a connecting rod and are located between the two second links 2. The third link 3b is connected to the large gear 18 through the fourth link 4. The rotation of the large gear 18 drives the third link 3b to swing up and down through the fourth link 4, which in turn drives the third link 3a connected to the third link 3b to swing up and down, thus achieving the pitching motion.

[0081] The above linkage arrangement forms a compact, vertically stacked double parallelogram structure.

[0082] The two tandem robotic arms are identical double parallelogram tandem structures, each composed of a vertically superimposed upper parallelogram structure and a lower parallelogram structure (e.g., ...). Figure 6 (As shown).

[0083] The third link 3a, the first link 1 (including two parallel first links 1a and 1b), the end connecting plate 19, and the second link 2 together form the upper parallelogram structure. The upper parallelogram structure is mainly supported by the third link 3a. The first links 1a and 1b are arranged in parallel and can be designed as a hollow structure with reinforcing ribs to achieve better load reduction.

[0084] The second link 2, the third link 3c, and the third link 3a are hinged together by a connecting rod that runs through them. The third links 3b, 3c, and parts of the third link 3a, and the fourth link 4 form a lower parallelogram structure.

[0085] The third links 3d and 3e provide support for the lower part of the robotic arm's linkage.

[0086] The double parallelogram structure cascaded robotic arm proposed in this invention shares a third link 3a between the upper and lower parallelogram structures, resulting in a simpler structure, a shorter transmission chain, lower loss of motion accuracy, and advantages such as strong stability, good support, sufficient rigidity, and resistance to additional deformation. Specifically, the lower parallelogram structure can move to the lower left, while the upper parallelogram structure can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise, allowing the robotic arm's end effector to move to the upper left and lower left. When the lower parallelogram rotates to the right, the robotic arm can achieve a working position relative to the right side of the base, thus providing a larger overall range of motion. Furthermore, it offers excellent bending and torsional rigidity and motion synchronization with a compact structure, effectively suppressing end effector jitter and improving system stability.

[0087] Specifically, in traditional techniques, with a single serial robotic arm, achieving more degrees of freedom (e.g., three translational and three rotational degrees of freedom for the actuator) requires a longer robotic arm mechanism and more joints. This increases the extension length of the robotic arm, significantly reducing the rigidity of the actuator further from the base. During surgery, when the end effector encounters tissue resistance, it is prone to elastic deformation or vibration, causing the actual surgical trajectory to deviate from the planned path, affecting accuracy and safety.

[0088] In this invention, two serial robotic arms are used to form a parallel robotic arm. Therefore, each of the two serial robotic arms requires only a limited number of degrees of freedom. In this embodiment, the two serial robotic arms have only two translational degrees of freedom parallel to the cross-section in the surgical coordinate system, requiring only two joints. This significantly reduces the length and spatial dimensions of the robotic arms, making it possible to load other instruments (auxiliary instruments).

[0089] On the other hand, the connection points between the ends of the two serially connected robotic arms and the actuators are spaced apart in the execution direction of the actuators. Here, the execution direction of the actuators refers to, for example, the puncture direction of the puncture needle 301 in the case of the linear puncture unit 300, and the insertion direction of the water jet into the human body in the case of the water jet ablation unit.

[0090] Therefore, by synchronously moving two tandem robotic arms, the actuator can perform only translational motion. Furthermore, by asynchronously moving the two tandem robotic arms, the actuator can achieve rotational motions such as pitch and yaw. In other words, a greater number of degrees of freedom for the actuator can be achieved with fewer degrees of freedom for the robotic arms.

[0091] Additionally, the actuator is connected to the ends of two tandem robotic arms via U-shaped hinges such as Hooke hinges. This allows the actuator to be suspended below the two tandem robotic arms. Of course, the connection method between the actuator and the tandem robotic arms is not limited to this; they can also be mechanically connected through lifting or other connection methods.

[0092] like Figure 5 As shown, in a series robotic arm, the drive transmission device includes two sets, specifically two sets of gear transmission mechanisms. The two sets of gear transmission mechanisms are symmetrically arranged and provide fixed support for the third links 3b and 3c respectively. Furthermore, the third links 3b and 3c swing under the rotation of their respective gears.

[0093] Two of each of the large gear end face support 17, large gear 18, and small gear 16 are used, one on the left support plate 9 and one on the right support plate 23, respectively, and are supported and connected by gear support components (round shafts). The round shaft is a commonly used component, and its diameter and length can be adapted according to the distance between the left support plate 9 and the right support plate 23. The installation position of the round shaft corresponds one-to-one with the holes on the left support plate 9 and the right support plate 23. One embodiment is shown in this invention.

[0094] Right side (with) Figure 6 (From the perspective of the viewpoint, the direction relatively to the right is the right side, and the opposite direction is the left side.) The large gear 18 is fixedly connected to the third link 3c via a fixed shaft, so that the rotation of the large gear 18 on the right side causes the third link 3c to swing. The large gear 18 on the left side is fixedly connected to the fourth link 4 via a fixed shaft, so that the rotation of the large gear 18 on the left side causes the fourth link 4 to swing. The fourth link 4 is connected to the third link 3b. When the fourth link 4 moves, it causes the third link 3b to swing, which in turn causes the third link 3a to achieve the pitching motion of the upper part of the robotic arm.

[0095] The large gear 18 meshes with the small gear 16, which is connected to the motor output shaft via a synchronous belt and rotates under the drive of the motor. The small gear 16 is coaxially connected to the small pulley 28, which is connected to the large pulley 29 on the motor 14 via a second synchronous belt 15. When the motor 14 rotates, the small pulley 28 rotates with the left-side small gear 16 via belt drive. The gear connection structures on both sides are similar.

[0096] The left-side drive transmission enables the pitch motion of the upper parallelogram of the robotic arm; the right-side drive transmission enables the pitch motion of the lower parallelogram of the robotic arm.

[0097] The gear structure adopts a vertical layout, which increases the ability to prevent the robot arm from being crushed by its own weight due to the end effector, and can significantly improve the rigidity of the entire robot system. Furthermore, this invention fully utilizes the high efficiency and constant transmission ratio of gear transmission, improving motion accuracy and effectively compensating for the shortcomings of unstable and low accuracy in traditional linkage transmissions.

[0098] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first servo motor 8 and the second servo motor 14 are arranged with their output shafts facing opposite directions and are respectively threaded onto the right support plate 23 and the left support plate 9. Two small pulleys 28 and two large pulleys 29 are used. The small pulleys 28 are mounted on the output shafts of the first servo motor 8 and the second servo motor 14. The large pulleys 29 are mounted on a round shaft coaxial with the pinion 16. They are connected by a synchronous belt groove engaging with corresponding grooves on the small pulleys 28 and the large pulleys 29. The reverse arrangement of the motor output shafts allows for significant space saving in the drive transmission section, further reducing transmission errors. The gear-belt drive structure design provides a more compact overall layout, achieving further size reduction.

[0099] The third links 3d and 3e are respectively mounted on the left support plate 9 and the right support plate 23 by means of the link end face support 5.

[0100] The upper outer shell 26, the middle outer shell 25, and the lower outer shell 24 of the robotic arm are aligned with specific circular holes on the third link 3 and the first link 1 via circular shaft connectors and are connected in a snap-fit ​​manner.

[0101] The vertical connecting plate 10 has two rectangular slots, the dimensions of which are adapted to the rectangular protrusions on the end faces of the left support plate 9 and the right support plate 23. The left support plate 9 and the right support plate 23 are connected by the rectangular protrusions engaging with the rectangular slots on the vertical connecting plate 10. The L-shaped outer shell 7 is connected to the threaded holes at both ends of the L-shaped outer shell 7 by corresponding threaded holes on the left support plate 9 and the right support plate 23.

[0102] The vertical connecting plate 10 is connected to the base 12 via threads. The honeycomb cable management plate 11 is connected to the base 12 via slots. The large support plate 13 is connected to the base 12 via threads. The honeycomb cable management plate 11 is used to provide cable routing, housing, and installation functions.

[0103] By setting the drive motors of the two serial robotic arms to have the same motor control parameters, the actuator can perform horizontal and vertical translational movements; by setting the drive motors of the two serial robotic arms to have different motor control parameters, the actuator can perform pitch and yaw movements.

[0104] The robot of this invention can easily achieve RCM fixed-point motion. Any point in the workspace is designated as the RCM point. The two robotic arms use different pitch angles to make the linear unit achieve different spatial poses, so that the puncture needle passes through the set RCM point and achieves RCM motion.

[0105] This invention is better suited for cases where the prostate is the target of puncture. In such cases, the surgical space is limited, and the surgical robot needs to meet the requirements of performing ultrasound-guided automated surgery within a small space.

[0106] As an example, the automated positioning surgical robot of this invention has five degrees of freedom. The two robotic arms, through pose changes in their links and joints, provide two degrees of freedom: horizontal and vertical translation. The application of U-shaped linkages and sliding blocks enables two more degrees of freedom: yaw and pitch. The telescopic linear unit of the puncture needle unit provides one degree of freedom for controlling the depth of puncture.

[0107] During puncture, power is obtained by activating the first and second servo motors; this power is transmitted to the remaining links via belt and gear drives. Two large gears are used, mounted on the left and right support plates respectively. The end face supports of the large gears maintain the overlapping relationship of the links in the stacked layers. Simultaneously, the large gear on the left support plate connects to the fourth link, and the large gear on the right support plate connects to the third link. The former adjusts the pitch of the upper part (second stage) of the robotic arm, while the latter adjusts the angle of the lower part (first stage). By controlling the angles of the two stages of the robotic arm, the following can be achieved: Figure 18 , Figure 19 The spatial envelope surface corresponding to the working range shown.

[0108] like Figure 14 , Figure 15 As shown, the actuators of the forearm and rear arm of the robotic arm are positioned close to / away from the vertical plane of the ultrasound probe, respectively, without changing the vertical height of the puncture needle unit, thus enabling left and right yaw.

[0109] The movement of the robotic arm is achieved through the combined action of the pitch and yaw components of the U-group and the slide rail and slider assembly of the forearm.

[0110] like Figure 16 , Figure 17 As shown, the actuators of the forearm and rear arm of the robotic arm are positioned closer to / away from the horizontal plane of the ultrasound probe, respectively, without changing the distance between the puncture needle unit and the vertical plane of the ultrasound probe, thus enabling pitching up and down.

[0111] like Figure 13 As shown, the actuator can achieve the insertion and withdrawal of the puncture needle by activating the servo motor to control the forward and backward movement of the lead screw.

[0112] In the above embodiments, the automated positioning surgical robot includes two serially connected robotic arms, an actuator, a U-shaped hinge assembly, a linear guide rail assembly, an ultrasound unit, and a two-degree-of-freedom positioning module. The entire robot is connected to the puncture linear unit via two serially connected robotic arms in parallel, combined with a UPU (double Hooke hinge + guide rail) assembly. The robot base and the ultrasound scanning robot assembly are connected by threads. The ends of the two robotic arms of the automated positioning robot are connected to the actuator using an anti-spinning mounting method with a UPU assembly. The automated positioning surgical robot employs an independent high-precision control mode for the ultrasound probe and puncture needle unit. The automated positioning surgical robot is equipped with a flexible range unit to adapt to prostate lesions of various sizes and spatial orientations. The linear unit of the automated positioning surgical robot is equipped with a flexible needle guide for determining and changing the needle insertion point on the patient's body surface. In surgical procedures equipped with the puncture unit and ultrasound probe, the ultrasound probe's scanning imaging surface and the puncture needle can be made coplanar. Furthermore, due to the degree-of-freedom setting, the puncture needle and the probe's scanning imaging surface remain coplanar even at multiple angles. This invention, by adopting an architecture of "dual parallelogram serial arms + end-effector parallel drive + integrated ultrasound coplanar guidance", successfully solves the key problems of existing puncture surgical robots in terms of end-effector rigidity, motion accuracy, multi-degree-of-freedom decoupled control, and efficient collaboration between imaging and actuators, ultimately achieving significant technical effects in improving puncture accuracy, stability, surgical efficiency, and operational safety.

[0113] The present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: Structurally, the automatic positioning surgical robot uses a combination of parallel dual arms and a UPU, which not only solves the problems of end-effector spin and instability in previous designs, but also adapts well to the volume of the prostate, avoiding wasted space and erroneous puncture of non-target organs; In terms of workspace, to achieve precise targeted puncture of the prostate and meet the space requirements of parallel and inclined puncture, the puncture needle of the automatic positioning surgical robot can fully cover a space with a horizontal × vertical × depth range of 76.5 × 120 × 177 (mm), while its yaw angle [-50°, 50°] and pitch angle [-16°, 16°] can well adapt to the scale required by various prostate puncture methods; In terms of installation, the automatic positioning surgical robot has a small footprint, and the servo motors used at its bottom are arranged in a reverse stacking manner, which reduces the volume of the bottom layout of the robotic arms and solves the problem of large base volume in previous designs. The robot offers ample operating space for doctors, and its maintenance and cleaning are simple. In terms of precision, the automated positioning surgical robot combines high-precision servo and linear motors, significantly improving puncture accuracy and preventing excessive physiological damage to patients due to large errors. The drive system at the bottom of the robotic arm uses a combination of gears and synchronous belts, which offers excellent transmission efficiency and stability, as well as good anti-instability capabilities. The transmission control is simple and achieves good results easily, thus solving the problem of eccentric control instability caused by the load on the robotic arm in previous designs. Regarding environmental performance, the automated positioning surgical robot is primarily constructed from ABS engineering plastics and alloy materials, which are corrosion-resistant, easy to clean, and high-strength. The materials are distributed according to structural strength, reducing the overall weight. These technological advancements effectively solve the problem of excessive weight in previous designs and reduce the risk of tipping over, thereby improving surgical safety. In terms of storage, the robotic arm of the automatic positioning surgical robot can be stored by adjusting the angle of the linkage, which can significantly reduce the footprint and save space, solving the problem of large footprint and large overall structure of previous designs that affected the setting of surgical equipment and operation of doctors.

[0114] The basic principles of this disclosure have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this disclosure are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of each embodiment of this disclosure. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are for illustrative and facilitative purposes only, and are not limitations. These details do not limit the scope of this disclosure to the necessity of employing the aforementioned specific details for implementation.

[0115] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For system embodiments, since they largely correspond to method embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments.

[0116] The block diagrams of devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems disclosed herein are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, or configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As those skilled in the art will recognize, these devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as “comprising,” “including,” “having,” etc., are open-ended terms meaning “including but not limited to,” and are used interchangeably with them. The terms “or” and “and” as used herein refer to the terms “and / or,” and are used interchangeably with them unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “such as” as used herein refers to the phrase “such as but not limited to,” and is used interchangeably with it.

[0117] The methods and apparatus of this disclosure may be implemented in many ways. For example, they may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above-described order of steps for the method is for illustrative purposes only, and the steps of the method of this disclosure are not limited to the order specifically described above, unless otherwise specifically stated. Furthermore, in some embodiments, this disclosure may also be implemented as a program recorded on a recording medium, the program including machine-readable instructions for implementing the method according to this disclosure. Thus, this disclosure also covers recording media storing programs for performing the method according to this disclosure.

[0118] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, devices, and methods of this disclosure, the components or steps are decomposable and / or recombinable. Such decomposition and / or recombination should be considered equivalent to the present disclosure. The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be carried out within the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0119] The above description has been given for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of this disclosure to the forms disclosed herein. Although numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations therein.

Claims

1. A surgical robot, characterized in that, include: The robot base, two robotic arms mounted on the robot base, and the actuators. The bases of the two robotic arms are connected to the robot base, and the ends of the two robotic arms are connected to the actuators, thus forming a parallel structure. The ends of the two robotic arms are positioned at intervals from the actuator in the execution direction of the actuator. The actuator is driven to move in at least two translational degrees of freedom and at least two rotational degrees of freedom by the movement of the ends of the two robotic arms in at least two translational degrees of freedom.

2. The surgical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least two translational degrees of freedom at the ends of the two robotic arms include two translational degrees of freedom on the cross-section in the surgical coordinate system. The actuator has at least two translational degrees of freedom, including two translational degrees of freedom on the cross section in the surgical coordinate system, and at least two rotational degrees of freedom, including pitch and yaw motion in the surgical coordinate system.

3. The surgical robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ends of the two robotic arms are respectively connected to the actuator via connecting components, which include yaw and pitch components, and the actuator is suspended below the connecting components.

4. The surgical robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The connecting components also include a slide rail unit and a pad unit. One of the two connecting components is connected to the actuator through the slide rail unit, and the other is connected to the actuator through the pad unit.

5. The surgical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robot base is also provided with auxiliary devices, which are disposed on the robot base or integrally disposed with the actuator.

6. The surgical robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The maximum angle between the extension direction of the auxiliary device and the execution direction of the actuator is less than 90 degrees.

7. The surgical robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The execution direction of the actuator is set to be the same as the extension direction of the auxiliary device.

8. The surgical robot according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The auxiliary device is an ultrasound probe unit and / or an endoscope unit.

9. The surgical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The synchronous movement of the two robotic arms drives the motion of at least two translational degrees of freedom of the actuator; the asynchronous movement of the two robotic arms drives the motion of at least two rotational degrees of freedom of the actuator.

10. The surgical robot according to claim 9, characterized in that, It includes two sets of gear transmission mechanisms, which are symmetrically arranged and provide fixed support for the third link respectively. Furthermore, the two third links swing under the rotation of their respective gears.

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