Robot-assisted surgical suture traction control method and device and surgical system

Abstract

The invention discloses a robot-assisted surgical suture traction control method and device and a surgical system.The method comprises the steps that a detection signal for a target object is obtained, the unfolding state of the target object is determined according to the detection signal, and the target object comprises at least one slipknot arranged on a suture; according to the unfolding state, the traction force of the suture is adjusted. According to the method, accurate control over the tension force of the suture can be achieved on the premise of not depending on a complex force feedback module.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of surgical operation, in particular to a robot-assisted operation suture traction control method and device and operation system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical method, which realizes the resection, repair or other treatment operation of the patient's diseased tissue by introducing a laparoscope, a mechanical arm and a surgical instrument into the abdominal cavity through a small incision on the patient's abdominal wall. This minimally invasive surgery assisted by instruments has the advantages of small trauma, clear intraoperative vision and fast postoperative recovery.

[0003] Compared with direct hand operation in traditional open surgery, the robot-assisted operation system has the problem of difficult suture tension control due to the lack of direct tactile feedback when performing suture and suture traction. In particular, during the operation, the doctor needs to judge whether the suture force is appropriate according to the size of the suture tension. Due to the lack of direct tactile perception, the doctor is difficult to accurately control the traction force of the suture, thereby affecting the postoperative healing effect. In order to solve the above problem, a part of the existing surgical robot system is provided with a special force feedback module, so that the doctor can more intuitively and accurately perceive and adjust the tension of the suture, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the operation.

[0004] However, the surgical robot system equipped with the force feedback module is usually complex in structure, high in manufacturing cost and maintenance cost, and difficult to adapt to the previous surgical robot, which is expensive to modify. Therefore, it is difficult for such a force feedback system to be widely popularized and promoted in the clinic, and at present, an intuitive and simple means is still needed to control the tension of the suture in robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. SUMMARY

[0005] One object of the present application is to provide a robot-assisted operation suture traction control method, device and operation system, which aims to solve the technical problem of difficult detection and control of suture force in robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above object, in a first aspect, the present application provides a robot-assisted operation suture traction control method, comprising: presetting a knot tying force of a knot on a surgical suture; acquiring a detection signal for a target object, determining an unfolding state of the target object according to the detection signal, the target object comprising at least one knot arranged on the suture; and adjusting the traction force on the suture according to the unfolding state.

[0007] The application determines the target object, i.e., the deployment state of at least one slip knot arranged on the suture, by acquiring a detection signal for the target object, and adjusts the pulling force applied to the suture in real time according to the detected deployment state, thereby realizing accurate control of the tension of the suture without relying on a complex force feedback module. Specifically, as the pulling force applied to the suture by the robot increases, the form of the slip knot changes accordingly, and the tension on the suture can be determined according to the current deployment state of the slip knot, and the control of the pulling force can be realized without relying on a force sensor in direct contact with the suture.

[0008] Compared with the prior art, the application does not need to rely on a complex mechanical feedback module, but only needs to monitor the deployment state of the slip knot to intuitively obtain the force state information of the suture, thereby realizing accurate control of the pulling force of the suture, reducing the complexity and cost of the system, and improving the reliability and ease of use of the control of the pulling force of the suture in robot-assisted surgery.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the application, adjusting the pulling force on the suture according to the deployment state comprises: when all the slip knots are in the unexpanded state, controlling the robot to work in a first working mode, and in the first working mode, the pulling force is the force actually operated by the operator; and when all the slip knots are in the expanded state, controlling the robot to work in a second working mode, and in the second working mode, the pulling force is adjusted to zero.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the application, the slip knot has a corresponding preset slip knot tying force, and when the pulling force reaches the preset slip knot tying force, the slip knot enters the expanded state.

[0011] By arranging the slip knot with the preset slip knot tying force on the suture, when the pulling force on the suture reaches the preset slip knot tying force, the slip knot exhibits a completely expanded state, so that the pulling force on the suture can be quantified by whether the slip knot is expanded or not, and when the slip knot reaches the completely expanded state, it can be determined that the pulling force on the suture has reached the preset slip knot tying force, and the input of the force is correspondingly reduced, thereby avoiding that the tension on the suture is too large to cause damage to the sutured object.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the application, the slip knot has a plurality of slip knots, and each slip knot has a different preset slip knot tying force.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the adjustment of the pulling force on the suture according to the unwinding state comprises: estimating the current pulling force according to the number of the knots in the unwinding state, setting the minimum knot tying force of the knot as a first threshold of the pulling force, setting the maximum knot tying force of the knot as a second threshold of the pulling force; when the estimated pulling force is less than or equal to the first threshold, controlling the robot to work in a first working mode, in which the pulling force is the force actually operated by the operator; when the estimated pulling force is greater than or equal to the second threshold, controlling the robot to work in a second working mode, in which the pulling force is adjusted to zero; when the estimated pulling force is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, controlling the robot to work in a third working mode, in which the size of the pulling force is gradually reduced and / or the direction of the pulling force is adjusted.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the robot comprises a mechanical arm for pulling the suture and a controller for driving the mechanical arm, and the gradual reduction of the size of the pulling force comprises: gradually reducing the transmission ratio of the controller to the mechanical arm; and / or, gradually increasing the operation damping of the controller.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the gradual reduction of the size of the pulling force comprises: the size of the pulling force is reduced as the number of the knots being opened increases.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the acquisition of the detection signal for the target object and the determination of the unwinding state of the target object according to the detection signal comprise: collecting an image signal of the knot arranged on the suture; and obtaining the unwinding state of the knot according to the image signal.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the obtaining of the unwinding state of the knot according to the image signal comprises: analyzing the gray value of the image signal to obtain the unwinding state of the knot; and / or performing image contrast matching on the image signal to obtain the unwinding state of the knot.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the analysis of the gray value of the image signal to obtain the unwinding state of the knot comprises: identifying a gray value rich region in the image signal, the gray value rich region being a region with uniform gray value and a gray value difference greater than a preset value compared to the gray value of the nearby region, each gray value rich region corresponding to a knot; when the size of the gray value rich region is unchanged, it is determined that the knot corresponding to the gray value rich region is in an unwinding state; and when the gray value rich region disappears, it is determined that the knot corresponding to the gray value rich region is in an unwinding state.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the robot comprises a mechanical arm for pulling the suture and a mechanical sensor for monitoring the mechanical arm; the method for acquiring the detection signal for the target object and determining the unwinding state of the target object according to the detection signal comprises: acquiring a mechanical sensing parameter of the mechanical sensor; and determining the unwinding state of the knot according to the mechanical sensing parameter.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the mechanical sensor comprises one or more of a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor and a torque sensor.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the robot comprises a mechanical arm for pulling the suture and a positioning target arranged on the mechanical arm; the method for acquiring the detection signal for the target object and determining the unwinding state of the target object according to the detection signal comprises: acquiring position information of the positioning target; and determining the unwinding state of the knot according to the position information.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the positioning target comprises one or more of an optical target and an electromagnetic target.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the robot comprises a mechanical arm for pulling the suture, and an optical fiber sensor arranged on the mechanical arm and / or the knot; the method for acquiring the detection signal for the target object and determining the unwinding state of the target object according to the detection signal comprises: acquiring a shape signal of the optical fiber sensor; and determining the unwinding state of the knot according to the shape signal.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the knot comprises a first knot and a second knot, and the first knot and the second knot require different pulling forces for unwinding.

[0025] By arranging multiple knots and controlling different knots to have different preset knot pulling forces, the range interval of the suture tension can be further determined. When the first knot and the second knot with smaller preset knot pulling force are unwound, and the other one is not unwound, it can be determined that the tension on the suture is between the preset knot pulling forces of the first knot and the second knot.

[0026] In the second aspect, the present application further provides a robot-assisted surgical suture pulling force control device, comprising a storage and a processor, the storage stores a computer program or instructions, when the computer program or instructions are executed by the processor, the robot-assisted surgical suture pulling force control method of the above-mentioned embodiments is realized.

[0027] In a third aspect, the present application provides a robot-assisted surgery system, comprising: a target object detection device configured to obtain a detection signal of a target object; an operating device configured to control a traction line; and the robot-assisted surgery suture traction force control device according to any one of the above aspects, configured to receive the detection signal of the target object and control the operating device.

[0028] In combination with the third aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the target object detection device comprises one or more of an image sampler, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a torque sensor, an optical target, an electromagnetic target, and an optical fiber sensor.

[0029] In combination with the third aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, the operating device comprises a mechanical arm and a controller, and a medical staff drives the mechanical arm to perform surgery by operating the controller.

[0030] The beneficial effects of the above second aspect and third aspect can refer to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect, and will not be described here. Based on the implementation manners of the above aspects, the present application can be further combined to provide more implementation manners.

[0031] Other advantages, objects, and features of the present application will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, and will be understood by those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced as follows. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of the drawings shown.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a working scenario to which the robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method according to an embodiment of the present application is applied; FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method according to another embodiment of the present application; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method according to another embodiment of the present application; FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method according to another embodiment of the present application; FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method according to another embodiment of the present application; Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a working scenario applied to the robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method provided in the embodiments of the present application, which is a second diagram; Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method provided in the embodiments of the present application, which is a sixth diagram; Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a working scenario applied to the robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method provided in the embodiments of the present application, which is a third diagram; Fig. 10 is a flowchart of the robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method provided in the embodiments of the present application, which is a seventh diagram; Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a working scenario applied to the robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method provided in the embodiments of the present application, which is a fourth diagram; Fig. 12 is a flowchart of the robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method provided in the embodiments of the present application, which is an eighth diagram; Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a working scenario applied to the robot-assisted surgery suture traction control method provided in the embodiments of the present application, which is a fifth diagram; Fig. 14 is a block diagram of the robot-assisted surgery suture traction force control device provided in the embodiments of the present application; Fig. 15 is a block diagram of the robot-assisted surgery system provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0034] Explanation of the reference signs: 201, mechanical arm; 202, slipknot; 203, sutured tissue; 204, suture; 701, image signal collector; 901, mechanical sensor; 1101, positioning target; 1102, navigation tracking device; 1301, optical fiber sensor; 1401, memory; 1402, processor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all the other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0036] Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that involves making small incisions in the patient's abdominal wall and inserting a laparoscope, robotic arm, and surgical instruments into the abdominal cavity to remove, repair, or treat diseased tissue. It has the advantages of small trauma and fast recovery. In traditional open surgery, the surgeon can accurately control the tension of the suture 204 through direct tactile sensation; however, in robotic-assisted surgery systems, the lack of direct tactile feedback makes it difficult to accurately perceive and control the traction force of the suture 204, affecting postoperative healing. Therefore, some existing surgical robot systems are equipped with a special force feedback module to help the surgeon intuitively and accurately perceive and control the tension of the suture 204, thereby improving surgical safety and reliability.

[0037] However, existing surgical robot systems equipped with force feedback modules are usually complex in structure, high in manufacturing cost and maintenance cost, and difficult to be compatible with old surgical robots, limiting their clinical popularization and promotion. Therefore, there is still an urgent need for a more simple and versatile way to accurately control the tension of the suture 204 in laparoscopic surgery.

[0038] To solve the above technical problems existing in the prior art, the present application discloses the following technical solutions.

[0039] In a first aspect, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present application discloses a robotic-assisted surgical suture traction control method, comprising: S101, acquiring a detection signal for a target object, and determining the deployment state of the target object according to the detection signal, the target object including at least one slipknot 202 provided on the suture 204.

[0040] The detection signal has multiple types, such as image signal, mechanical signal, fiber sensor 1301 signal, and target coordinate signal, etc., which can be selected according to actual application conditions, and can identify the deployment state of the slipknot 202. The number of slipknots 202 can also be set according to actual working conditions, and based on the starting point of controlling the tension of the suture 204, at least one slipknot 202 can prompt after the tension of the suture 204 meets the standard.

[0041] S103, adjusting the traction force on the suture 204 according to the deployment state.

[0042] Adjusting the traction force on the suture 204 should be understood as judging the tension state of the suture 204 and the surgical progress of the sutured tissue 203 according to the deployment state of the slipknot 202, and then adjusting the traction force to meet the surgical requirements, which can be increasing, decreasing, or maintaining the current state.

[0043] This application determines the unfolded state of the target object, namely the slip knot 202 set on the suture 204, by acquiring detection signals for the target object. Based on the detected unfolded state, the traction force applied to the suture 204 is adjusted in real time, thereby achieving precise control of the tension of the suture 204 without relying on a complex force sensor 901. Specifically, as the traction force applied to the suture 204 by the robot increases, the shape of the slip knot 202 changes accordingly. The tension on the suture 204 can be determined based on the current unfolded state of the slip knot 202, achieving traction force control without relying on a force sensor in direct contact with the suture 204.

[0044] Compared with the prior art, this application does not rely on a complex mechanical feedback module. It only needs to monitor the unfolding state of the slipknot 202 to intuitively obtain the stress state information of the suture 204, thereby realizing precise control of the traction force of the suture 204, reducing the complexity and cost of the system, and improving the reliability and ease of use of controlling the traction force of the suture 204 in robot-assisted surgery.

[0045] The pulling force required to unfold the slip knot 202 is usually within a range, but it can also be quantified to configure the slip knot 202 to open under a fixed tension. For example, in one embodiment of this application, the slip knot 202 has a corresponding preset slip knot knotting force. When the pulling force reaches the preset slip knot knotting force, the unfolded state changes from the un-unfolded state to the unfolded state.

[0046] By setting a slipknot 202 with a preset slipknot tying force on the suture 204, when the traction force on the suture 204 reaches the preset slipknot tying force, the slipknot 202 becomes untied. This allows for a more quantifiable assessment of the traction force on the suture 204 based on whether the slipknot 202 is untied. When the slipknot 202 reaches the untied state, it can be determined that the traction force on the suture 204 has reached the preset slipknot tying force, and the force input can be reduced accordingly to avoid excessive tension on the suture 204, which could damage the object being sewn.

[0047] The number of slip knots 202 is at least one, but for more precise control, a series of slip knots 202 can be configured, and a different preset slip knot tying force can be set for each slip knot 202. For example, there are N slip knots, and the corresponding preset slip knot tying forces are T1, T2, ..., .

[0048] By setting multiple slip knots 202 and controlling different slip knots 202 to have different preset knotting forces, it is possible to further determine the range of tension of the suture 204. If the knot with the smaller pre-set knot force in one of the two corresponding slip knots 202 unfolds, while the other does not unfold, then the tension point on the suture 204 can be determined. between.

[0049] For example, slip knot 202 includes a first slip knot and a second slip knot, the first slip knot and the second slip knot requiring different traction forces to unfold. When the first slip knot and the second slip knot with the lower preset knotting force unfold, while the other does not unfold, it can be determined that the tension on the suture 204 is between the preset knotting forces of the first slip knot and the second slip knot.

[0050] It should be noted that the description of preset knotting force is used here, defining different preset knotting forces for different slip knots 202. However, the setting of multiple slip knots 202 utilizes the difference between partially unfolded slip knots 202 and partially unfolded ones to more accurately locate the tension range of the suture 204. Therefore, even if multiple slip knots 202 do not have a precise preset knotting force, as long as the traction force required for different slip knots 202 to unfold is different, the technical effect of this embodiment can still be achieved. Similarly, in subsequent embodiments, for ease of description, a description of preset knotting force may appear, but this does not mean that the corresponding slip knot 202 necessarily has a precise tension value required for unfolding.

[0051] Furthermore, the descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., in this application are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. A third or fourth slip knot may also be provided based on this embodiment. Features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, such a combination of technical solutions should be considered non-existent and not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0052] Referring to Figure 3, adjust the tension on the suture 204 according to the unfolded state, including: S301. When all the slack knots 202 are in the undeployed state, control the robot to work in the first working mode. In the first working mode, the traction force is the force actually operated by the operator. S303. When all the slack knots 202 are in the unfolded state, control the robot to work in the second working mode. In the second working mode, the traction force is adjusted to zero.

[0053] When all the slipknots 202 are in the unstretched state, it indicates that the traction force is relatively small and has not reached the preset knotting force. Therefore, there is no need to limit the operating force; the traction force can be configured to the force actually applied by the operator. In practice, the robotic arm 201 replicates the doctor's operating actions according to the set control ratio. When all the slipknots 202 are in the unfolded state, it indicates that the traction force is sufficient or even excessive, and further traction on the suture 204 should be stopped immediately.

[0054] For example, adjusting the traction force to zero includes: disconnecting the controller from the robotic arm 201; and / or increasing the operating damping of the controller to lock the robotic arm 201.

[0055] When all the slip knots 202 are in the unfolded state, the tension of the suture 204 has reached or even exceeded the expected optimal state. At this point, it is necessary to quickly and decisively stop applying force to avoid the risk of excessive stretching or tissue damage from continued traction. By disconnecting the transmission between the controller and the robotic arm 201, the torque transmission between the robotic arm 201 and the control end can be quickly interrupted, allowing the robotic arm 201 to immediately stop outputting traction force to the suture 204. At the same time, by increasing the operating damping of the controller to lock the position of the robotic arm 201, it can be ensured that the robotic arm 201 remains stable after the force is stopped, preventing accidental movement from affecting the tension of the suture 204. The synergistic effect of one or more of the above methods can ensure that the stress state after the slip knots 202 are fully unfolded is clear and stable, avoiding damage to the tissue and suture 204 caused by additional torque, thereby effectively improving the safety and stability of the suturing operation.

[0056] It should be noted that the term "all slip knots 202" as used herein should be understood as slip knots 202 that are the same as the total number of slip knots 202. That is, it cannot be used to determine that the number of slip knots 202 exceeds one. For cases where there are multiple slip knots 202, one embodiment of this application also discloses another control mode.

[0057] Adjusting the traction force on the suture 204 according to the unfolded state includes: S305, when at least one slipknot 202 is in the unfolded state and at least one slipknot 202 is in the unfolded state, controlling the robot to work in the third working mode, in which the magnitude of the traction force is gradually reduced and / or the direction of the traction force is adjusted.

[0058] When at least one slipknot 202 is in the unfolded state and at least one slipknot 202 is in the unfolded state, it indicates that the traction force currently applied to the suture 204 is sufficient to deform the slipknot 202 with the preset smaller knotting force. If the traction force is maintained or increased at this time, it may quickly exceed the preset optimal tension, causing the remaining slipknots 202 to unfold instantaneously and resulting in the risk of overstretching of the suture 204. Therefore, in this embodiment, by gradually reducing the magnitude of the traction force, the force changes during the traction process can be mitigated, reducing the danger caused by insufficient force to be released after the slipknot 202 is fully opened, and improving the stability and smoothness of the opening of the slipknot 202.

[0059] There are also various forms of traction force adjustment, and the following illustrates one application scenario. In one application scenario of this application, the robot includes a robotic arm 201 for pulling the stitch 204 and a controller for driving the robotic arm 201.

[0060] Gradually reduce the magnitude of the traction force, including: gradually reducing the transmission ratio between the controller and the robotic arm 201; and / or, gradually increasing the operating damping of the controller.

[0061] When the slipknot 202 is partially unfolded, the traction force applied to the suture 204 needs to be precisely and smoothly controlled to avoid the risk of overstretching of the suture 204 or tissue damage caused by sudden changes in traction force. By gradually reducing the transmission ratio, which is equivalent to gradually reducing the proportion of the controller's output torque transmitted to the robotic arm 201, the force applied by the robotic arm 201 to the suture 204 is reduced slowly and smoothly. By gradually increasing the operating damping, the resistance to the movement of the robotic arm 201 can be gradually increased, so that the movement speed and smoothness of the robotic arm 201 can be effectively controlled. The combined use of one or more of the above methods can achieve precise adjustment of the traction force, ensuring the smooth and stable unfolding of the slipknot 202, avoiding drastic fluctuations in the force on the suture 204 during the unfolding process, thereby effectively improving the safety and smoothness of the suturing operation.

[0062] Specifically, the traction force is gradually reduced, including: the traction force decreases as the number of open knots 202 increases.

[0063] In other embodiments, adjusting the traction force on the suture according to the unfolded state includes: 1) Estimate the current traction force based on the number of loose knots that have been unfolded; 2) When the estimated traction force is less than or equal to the first threshold, control the robot to work in the first working mode. In the first working mode, the traction force is the force actually applied by the operator. 3) When the estimated traction force is greater than or equal to the second threshold, control the robot to work in the second working mode. In the second working mode, the traction force is adjusted to zero; 4) When the estimated traction force is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, control the robot to work in the third working mode. In the third working mode, gradually reduce the magnitude of the traction force and / or adjust the direction of the traction force.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 4, a specific example is used below to illustrate the control process under the condition of the multiple slipknot 202.

[0065] Arrange n slipknots 202 on the same suture 204. For the i-th slipknot 202, its preset pulling force (1 < i < n) satisfies: Ti - 1 < Ti < Ti + 1. When the i-th slipknot 202 is opened by the pulling force, it can be judged that the pulling force T on the current suture 204 satisfies: Ti < T < Ti + 1. According to this method, the pulling force range on the suture 204 can be determined. According to the same principle, by reasonably setting the pulling force of the preset slipknot 202, the pulling force can be controlled within a relatively accurate range, realizing accurate pulling force feedback and control. Combining the above pulling force hierarchical control method, setting the first threshold and the second threshold can achieve accurate pulling force feedback and control.

[0066] It should be noted that in the above embodiments of the present application, the unfolded state of the slipknot 202 is divided into an unopened state and an opened state. This simplifies the unfolding of the slipknot 202 into an instantaneous action. If further precise control of the unfolding process of the slipknot 202 is required, it can be refined according to the following method. In the following several embodiments, the unfolding state of the slipknot 202 is described as: completely unopened state, that is, the slipknot 202 is in the initial state and has not undergone any deformation; completely opened state, that is, the slipknot 202 is completely pulled apart, and the slipknot 202 no longer exists on the suture 204 in a curved form; being unfolded state, that is, between the above two states, the slipknot 202 is smaller than the initial state, but there are still some curved structures. To simplify the process logic, when discussing the above three unfolding states separately in the present application, only the case of setting a single slipknot 202 on the suture is analyzed. For the case of setting multiple slipknots 202 on the suture, reference can be made to the foregoing embodiments.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the present application, adjusting the traction force on the suture 204 according to the unfolding state includes: S501. When the unfolding state is the completely opened state, adjust the traction force to zero.

[0068] When the slipknot 202 is fully extended, it indicates that the traction force applied to the suture 204 has reached or exceeded the preset knotting force of the slipknot 202 itself. At this point, the tension of the suture 204 is at its optimal state. If traction force continues to be applied, it may lead to excessive tension in the suture 204, increasing the risk of suture breakage or damage to the sutured tissue 203. Therefore, when the slipknot 202 is detected to be fully extended, the traction force should be adjusted to zero in a timely manner. This can effectively prevent unnecessary damage to the tissue and suture 204 caused by continued force application, ensuring the safety and stability of the sutured tissue 203 during the operation.

[0069] According to one embodiment of this application, adjusting the traction force on the suture 204 according to the unfolded state includes: S503. When the deployment state is in the deployment state, gradually reduce the magnitude of the traction force and / or adjust the direction of the traction force.

[0070] When the slipknot 202 is in the unfolding state, it indicates that the traction force currently applied to the suture 204 is sufficient to deform the slipknot 202. If the traction force is maintained or increased at this time, it may quickly exceed the preset optimal tension, causing the slipknot 202 to unfold completely in an instant and posing a risk of overstretching the suture 204. Therefore, in this embodiment, by gradually reducing the magnitude of the traction force, the stress changes during the traction process can be mitigated, preventing the danger caused by insufficient force to be released after the slipknot 202 has fully opened, and improving the stability and smoothness of the opening of the slipknot 202.

[0071] According to one embodiment of this application, adjusting the traction force on the suture 204 according to the unfolded state includes: S505. When the deployed state is the fully deployed state, maintain the current traction force or increase the traction force.

[0072] When the slipknot 202 is in a completely unstretched state, it indicates that the current traction force applied to the suture 204 is still small, and the slipknot 202 on the suture 204 has not yet deformed. Therefore, in this state, it is necessary to maintain the current traction force or appropriately increase the traction force to ensure that the threshold force for opening the slipknot 202 is gradually reached and exceeded, thus smoothly promoting the unfolding process of the slipknot 202. If the traction force is reduced too early when it is in a completely unstretched state, the slipknot 202 may not unfold smoothly, affecting the surgical progress and suture quality. Therefore, by maintaining or increasing the traction force, allowing the suture 204 to gradually reach the optimal force value required for the unfolding of the slipknot 202, it helps to smoothly achieve the gradual unfolding of the slipknot 202.

[0073] It should be noted that, according to experimental tests, there are at least two common situations where the slipknot 202 is in a completely unstretched state: First, the tension of the suture 204 is indeed low and has not reached the preset tension. In this case, appropriately increasing the traction force on the suture 204 will help the operation. Second, the tension of the suture 204 has reached the standard, but the non-slipknot 202 segment of the suture 204 is undergoing a more easily deformable process. For example, when the fixed knot of the suture 204 tied to the tissue is tightening, even if the tension of the suture 204 has reached the standard, the slipknot 202 will usually not deform. In this case, it is only necessary to maintain the original traction force, and the slipknot 202 will deform naturally after the tightening is completed.

[0074] There are various detection signals acquired by the live knot 202. Some of them are described below as examples. In actual applications, those skilled in the art can select the appropriate signal based on the equipment.

[0075] Referring to Figures 6 and 7, according to one embodiment of this application, acquiring a detection signal for a target object and determining the unfolded state of the target object based on the detection signal includes: S601, acquiring an image signal of a slipknot 202 disposed on the suture 204.

[0076] S603. Obtain the unfolded state of the live knot 202 based on the image signal.

[0077] In this embodiment, the unfolding status of the live knot 202 can be sensed in real time without contact using the image signal acquisition device 701. Compared with the existing contact sensor detection method, this image detection method does not require additional contact with the surgical object during surgery, reducing interference with the surgical environment and improving the flexibility and safety of detection.

[0078] Furthermore, obtaining the unfolded state of the live knot 202 based on the image signal includes: analyzing the grayscale value of the image signal to obtain the unfolded state of the live knot 202; and / or performing image comparison matching on the image signal to obtain the unfolded state of the live knot 202.

[0079] This embodiment provides an analysis process from image information to the unfolded state of the live knot 202. Grayscale analysis can be used to quantify image details and reduce the influence of environmental factors such as lighting conditions and background interference. Image comparison and matching can be used to compare the current image with a pre-stored standard state image to determine the degree of unfolding of the live knot 202 more quickly.

[0080] More specifically, the grayscale values ​​of the image signal are analyzed to obtain the unfolded state of the live knot 202, including: identifying grayscale enriched regions in the image signal, where the grayscale enriched region is a region with uniform grayscale values ​​and a grayscale difference exceeding a preset value compared to the grayscale values ​​of nearby regions, and each grayscale enriched region corresponds to a live knot 202; when the size of the grayscale enriched region remains unchanged, it is determined that its corresponding live knot 202 is in an unfolded state; when the grayscale enriched region disappears, it is determined that its corresponding live knot 202 is in an unfolded state.

[0081] This embodiment further clarifies the recognition characteristics of grayscale values, enabling the system to keenly identify changes in the state of the live knot 202. This allows for more accurate, detailed, and real-time monitoring of the unfolding process of the live knot 202, effectively avoiding problems of fuzzy judgment or misjudgment of state, and further improving the reliability of unfolding state recognition and the safety of the surgical procedure.

[0082] Referring to Figures 8 and 9, according to one embodiment of this application, the robot includes a robotic arm 201 for pulling the stitch 204 and a mechanical sensor 901 for monitoring the robotic arm 201; acquiring a detection signal for a target object and determining the unfolded state of the target object based on the detection signal includes: S801, acquiring the mechanical sensing parameters of the mechanical sensor 901.

[0083] S803. Determine the unfolding state of the live knot 202 based on the mechanical sensing parameters.

[0084] This embodiment utilizes a force sensor 901 to monitor the mechanical state of the robotic arm 201 during the traction of the sewing thread 204 in real time, thereby indirectly reflecting the unfolding status of the slipknot 202. Compared with image detection methods, this approach can more directly capture the changes in the interaction force between the robotic arm 201 and the sewing thread 204, avoiding detection failures caused by visual limitations such as poor lighting or field-of-view obstruction. Therefore, it effectively improves the real-time performance and reliability of determining the unfolding status of the slipknot 202.

[0085] It should be noted that the mechanical sensor 901 referred to in this embodiment does not specifically refer to the tension sensor used in the prior art to mount the sewing thread 204 on the robotic arm 201. It can also be a sensor mounted at other positions on the robotic arm 201 that can monitor the unfolding state of the slipknot 202.

[0086] For example, the force sensor 901 includes one or more of a velocity sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a torque sensor.

[0087] The sensors in the example can all be mounted on the robotic arm 201 without direct contact with the stitch 204. By monitoring the speed fluctuations, acceleration fluctuations, and torque fluctuations of the robotic arm 201 during the unfolding of the slipknot 202, the unfolding state of the slipknot 202 can be determined. By using these sensors individually or in combination, the mechanical interaction between the robotic arm 201 and the stitch 204 can be perceived more comprehensively and accurately, thereby more stably and accurately identifying the real-time unfolding state of the slipknot 202.

[0088] Referring to Figures 10 and 11, according to one embodiment of this application, the robot includes a robotic arm 201 for pulling the stitch 204 and a positioning target 1101 disposed on the robotic arm 201, acquiring a detection signal for the target object, and determining the unfolded state of the target object based on the detection signal, including: S1001, acquiring the position information of the positioning target 1101.

[0089] S1003. Determine the unfolding state of the slipknot 202 based on the position information.

[0090] In this embodiment, a positioning target 1101 is set on the robotic arm 201, and the navigation and tracking device 1102 monitors the spatial position information of the positioning target 1101 in real time, thereby indirectly judging the state of the slipknot 202. Specifically, based on the change in the relative coordinates of the target, the positional jitter of the robotic arm 201 along the direction of opening the slipknot 202 of the medical suture 204 is measured, thereby identifying whether the slipknot 202 is in the open state.

[0091] Specifically, the positioning target 1101 includes one or more of optical targets and electromagnetic targets.

[0092] Optical targets typically use an externally installed optical tracking system to track the spatial position of reflective or luminous points on the target in real time, acquiring the three-dimensional position information of the robotic arm 201. Electromagnetic targets, on the other hand, use electromagnetic signals emitted by an external electromagnetic positioning device to determine the coordinates of the target on the robotic arm 201 in space in real time. By using optical and electromagnetic targets individually or in combination, high-precision position monitoring of the robotic arm 201 can be achieved, enabling more accurate identification and tracking of the displacement characteristics during the unfolding process of the slack knot 202, thus achieving precise judgment of the unfolding state of the slack knot 202.

[0093] Referring to Figures 12 and 13, according to one embodiment of this application, the robot includes a robotic arm 201 for pulling the suture 204. The robotic arm 201 and / or the slipknot 202 are provided with fiber optic sensors 1301 to acquire detection signals for a target object and determine the unfolded state of the target object based on the detection signals, including: S1201, acquiring the morphological signal of the fiber optic sensor 1301.

[0094] S1203. Determine the unfolding state of the live knot 202 based on the morphological signal.

[0095] The fiber optic sensor 1301 can more clearly indicate the morphological changes of its assembly equipment and more intuitively reflect the unfolding state of the live knot 202.

[0096] Referring to FIG14, in a second aspect, this application also provides a robot-assisted surgical suture traction force control device, including a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by the processor, the robot-assisted surgical suture traction force control method of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0097] The memory 1401 includes at least one type of computer-readable storage medium, including flash memory, hard disk, multimedia card, random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic disk, optical disk, etc. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be an internal storage unit of an electronic device, such as the hard disk or memory of the electronic device. In other embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may also be an external storage device of the electronic device, such as a plug-in hard disk, secure digital card (SD card), flash memory card, etc., equipped on the electronic device. Of course, the computer-readable storage medium may include both internal storage units and external storage devices of the electronic device. In this embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium is typically used to store the operating system and various application software installed on the electronic device, such as the program code of the data processing method in the embodiment. In addition, the computer-readable storage medium may also be used to temporarily store various types of data that have been output or will be output.

[0098] In some embodiments, processor 1402 may be a central processing unit (CPU), controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, or other chip. Processor 1402 is typically used to control the overall operation of the processing device, such as performing control and processing related to data interaction or communication with other entities. In this embodiment, processor 1402 is used to run program code stored in memory 1401 or process data.

[0099] Referring to Figure 15, in a third aspect, this application also provides a robot-assisted surgical system, comprising: a target object detection device for acquiring a detection signal of a target object; an operating device for controlling a traction suture; and a robot-assisted surgical suture traction force control device provided in any of the above embodiments for receiving the detection signal of the target object and controlling the operating device.

[0100] Since the robot-assisted surgical system proposed in the third aspect of this application includes the computer-assisted surgical suture traction force control device provided in any of the above claims, the system also possesses the technical effects of the aforementioned control device. Specifically, the target object detection device acquires relevant signals regarding the unfolding state of the slipknot 202 in real time. The traction force control device determines the state of the slipknot 202 based on these signals and issues corresponding control commands to the operating equipment to achieve precise traction control of the suture 204. This achieves precise control of the tension of the laparoscopic surgical suture 204 without relying on a complex force feedback module.

[0101] According to one embodiment of this application, the target object detection device includes one or more of an image sampler, a velocity sensor, an acceleration sensor, a torque sensor, an optical target, an electromagnetic target, and a fiber optic sensor 1301.

[0102] The sensors described above can be used individually or in combination to suit the needs of different application scenarios. For example, the image sampler is suitable for non-contact detection, the force sensor 901 is suitable for directly monitoring the motion state of the robotic arm 201, and the positioning target 1101 is more suitable for precise spatial position measurement. By flexibly selecting detection devices, the system can reliably and accurately determine the unfolding state of the loose knot 202 in different surgical environments, improving the applicability and accuracy of the system.

[0103] According to one embodiment of this application, the operating device includes a robotic arm 201 and a controller, and medical personnel drive the robotic arm 201 to perform surgery by operating the controller.

[0104] The controller and robotic arm 201 can achieve precise force feedback and control by adjusting the transmission ratio and operating damping, thereby ensuring appropriate traction force and speed in different knot 202 unfolding states. This setup allows medical staff to easily and intuitively achieve precise control of suture 204 tension, improving the accuracy, stability, and safety of surgical procedures.

[0105] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of this application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0106] It should also be noted that when a component is referred to as "fixed" or "set" on another component, it can be directly on the other component or may be connected to an intermediary component. When a component is referred to as "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or indirectly connected to the other component through an intermediary component.

[0107] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and does not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural transformations made based on the design concept of this application and the contents of the specification and drawings of this application, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A robot-assisted surgical suture reeling control method characterized by, The method comprises: presetting knot tying forces of knots on a surgical suture; acquiring detection signals of a target object, determining an unfolding state of the target object according to the detection signals, the target object comprising at least one knot arranged on a suture; adjusting a pulling force of the suture according to the unfolding state.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized by, The adjusting of the pulling force of the suture according to the unfolding state comprises: when all the knots are in an unopened state, controlling the robot to work in a first working mode, in which the pulling force is an actual operation force of an operator; when all the knots are in an opened state, controlling the robot to work in a second working mode, in which the pulling force is adjusted to zero.

3. The control method according to claim 1, characterized by, The knots have corresponding preset knot tying forces, and when the pulling force reaches the preset knot tying force, the knot enters the opened state.

4. The control method according to claim 3, characterized by, The knots have different preset knot tying forces.

5. The control method according to claim 4, characterized by, The adjusting of the pulling force of the suture according to the unfolding state of the knots comprises: estimating the current pulling force according to the number of knots in the opened state, setting the minimum knot tying force of the knots as a first threshold of the pulling force, and setting the maximum knot tying force of the knots as a second threshold of the pulling force; when the estimated pulling force is less than or equal to the first threshold, controlling the robot to work in the first working mode, in which the pulling force is the actual operation force of the operator; when the estimated pulling force is greater than or equal to the second threshold, controlling the robot to work in the second working mode, in which the pulling force is adjusted to zero; when the estimated pulling force is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, controlling the robot to work in a third working mode, in which the size of the pulling force is gradually reduced and / or the direction of the pulling force is adjusted.

6. The control method according to claim 5, characterized by, The robot comprises a mechanical arm for pulling the suture and a controller for driving the mechanical arm, and the gradually reducing of the size of the pulling force comprises: gradually reducing the transmission ratio of the controller and the mechanical arm, and / or gradually increasing the operation damping of the controller.

7. The control method according to claim 5, characterized by, The gradually reducing of the size of the pulling force comprises that the size of the pulling force is reduced with the increase of the number of opened knots.

8. The control method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized by, The acquiring of the detection signals of the target object and the determining of the unfolding state of the target object according to the detection signals comprise: acquiring image signals of the knots arranged on the suture; obtaining the unfolding state of the knots according to the image signals.

9. The control method according to claim 8, characterized by, The obtaining of the unfolding state of the knots according to the image signals comprises: analyzing the gray value of the image signals to obtain the unfolding state of the knots, and / or performing image contrast matching on the image signals to obtain the unfolding state of the knots.

10. The control method according to claim 9, characterized by, The analyzing of the gray value of the image signals to obtain the unfolding state of the knots comprises: identifying a gray value rich region in the image signal, the gray value rich region being a region with uniform gray values and a gray value difference exceeding a preset value compared to gray values of nearby regions, each of the gray value rich regions corresponding to one of the knots; when the size of the gray value rich region is unchanged, it is determined that the knot corresponding to the gray value rich region is in an unexpanded state; and when the gray value rich region disappears, it is determined that the knot corresponding to the gray value rich region is in an expanded state.

11. The control method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized by, The robot includes a mechanical arm for pulling the suture and a mechanical sensor for monitoring the mechanical arm; The method for controlling the pulling force of the suture in the robot-assisted surgery includes: acquiring a detection signal of a target object; and determining an expansion state of the target object according to the detection signal. The method for controlling the pulling force of the suture in the robot-assisted surgery includes: acquiring a detection signal of a target object; and determining an expansion state of the target object according to the detection signal.

12. The control method according to claim 11, characterized by, The mechanical sensor includes one or more of a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a torque sensor.

13. The control method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized by, The robot includes a mechanical arm for pulling the suture and a positioning target arranged on the mechanical arm, and the method for controlling the pulling force of the suture in the robot-assisted surgery includes: acquiring position information of the positioning target; and determining the expansion state of the knot according to the position information.

14. The control method according to claim 13, characterized by, The positioning target includes one or more of an optical target and an electromagnetic target.

15. The control method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized by, The robot includes a mechanical arm for pulling the suture The robot includes a mechanical arm for pulling the suture The method for controlling the pulling force of the suture in the robot-assisted surgery includes: acquiring a detection signal of a target object; and determining an expansion state of the target object according to the detection signal. The method for controlling the pulling force of the suture in the robot-assisted surgery includes: acquiring a detection signal of a target object; and determining an expansion state of the target object according to the detection signal.

16. A robotic-assisted surgical suture tension force control device, comprising: The robot-assisted surgery suture pulling force control method includes a memory and a processor, and the memory stores a computer program or instructions.

17. A robotically-assisted surgical system, comprising: The robot-assisted surgery suture pulling force control method includes: a target object detection device for acquiring a detection signal of a target object; and an operating device for controlling a pulling line. The robot-assisted surgery suture pulling force control device of claim 16 is configured to receive the detection signal of the target object and control the operating device.

18. The robotically-assisted surgical system of claim 17, wherein, The target object detection device includes one or more of an image sampler, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a torque sensor, an optical target, an electromagnetic target, and an optical fiber sensor.

19. The robotically-assisted surgical system of claim 17, wherein, The operating device includes a mechanical arm and a controller, and a medical staff drives the mechanical arm to perform surgery by operating the controller.

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