Continuum robot with press-to-lock micro-invasive forceps

Abstract

The application discloses a press self-locking minimally invasive surgery forceps for continuum robot, and relates to the technical field of medical devices. In order to solve the problems that the clamping force of the minimally invasive surgery forceps is prone to attenuation in the curved state of the continuum robot and the traditional handle operation is complicated, the surgery forceps comprises a working forceps, a center push-pull tube and a proximal end pressing assembly. The application drives the pressing push rod in the axial direction, so that the guide lug is alternately clamped and locked between the deep guide groove and the shallow guide groove, and then the center push-pull tube is driven to generate axial displacement, and the working forceps is switched between the open state and the self-locking closed state in the pure mechanical step-by-step mode. The rigid mechanical limiting decouples the interference of the continuum robot bending deformation on the clamping force, and the coaxial linear pressing structure can realize the locking and unlocking by one hand, and the operation fatigue of the doctor is significantly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and more specifically to a self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for use in a minimally invasive surgical continuum robot. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid popularization of single-port laparoscopic and natural orifice endoscopic surgery, continuum robots, with their advantages of high flexibility, multiple degrees of freedom, and no rigid joints, can skillfully avoid important anatomical structures and reach deep into narrow lesions, becoming an important development direction in the field of modern minimally invasive surgery. In actual surgery, continuum robots must be equipped with microsurgical forceps at their ends to perform precise operations such as tissue grasping, traction, dissection, or suturing.

[0003] However, directly transplanting existing minimally invasive surgical forceps technology and applying it to continuum robot systems has exposed the following deep-seated technical bottlenecks and clinical pain points:

[0004] Traditional surgical forceps typically use scissor-like handles, driven by internal rigid levers. In continuum robots, however, transmission usually relies on push-pull wires that pass through flexible channels. When the robot body bends or deforms, the push-pull wires within the flexible channels experience friction and changes in path length, leading to highly unstable clamping force at the end jaws.

[0005] Traditional ratchet handles or purely motor-driven ends not only occupy a large amount of external operating space, but also require the surgeon to continuously apply gripping force or rely on complex electronic control systems to maintain the clamping state, which can easily lead to operator fatigue and increase the complexity and failure rate of the system.

[0006] In narrow single-port or natural cavity surgeries, there is a lack of purely mechanical self-locking devices that can be operated quickly with one hand and are independent of the robot's bending posture. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a self-locking press-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for continuum robots, in order to solve the problems in the prior art where the gripping force of the minimally invasive surgical forceps is easily weakened when the continuum robot is bent, the traditional scissor handle is cumbersome to operate and is prone to spatial interference with the robot drive module, and the lack of a stable single-handed purely mechanical self-locking mechanism.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution;

[0009] A self-locking, press-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot includes a proximal pressing assembly for external manipulation, a flexible transmission assembly passing through the continuum robot channel, and a working jaw assembly located at the distal end.

[0010] The flexible transmission component includes a hollow flexible outer tube and a central push-pull wire slidably connected inside the flexible outer tube.

[0011] The proximal pressing assembly includes a hollow outer sleeve, a ratchet reversing member sleeved in the inner cavity of the outer sleeve, and a pressing push rod slidably passing through the proximal end of the outer sleeve. The proximal end of the central push-pull wire passes through the outer sleeve and is fixedly connected to the ratchet reversing member.

[0012] The working jaw assembly includes a jaw base, which is fixedly connected to the distal end of the flexible outer tube. A first jaw head and a second jaw head are rotatably connected to the jaw base. The tail ends of the first jaw head and the second jaw head are hinged to a drive linkage. The ends of the two sets of drive linkages away from the first jaw head and the second jaw head are hinged together to the distal end of the central push-pull wire.

[0013] The inner wall of the outer sleeve is provided with alternating deep guide grooves and shallow guide grooves that extend along its axial direction at equal intervals, and the outer wall of the ratchet reversing component is provided with guide lugs that slide in cooperation with the deep guide grooves and shallow guide grooves.

[0014] When the pressing push rod is subjected to axial pressing force, it drives the ratchet reversing component to overcome the reset spring force and slide axially, and cooperates with the end face helical teeth to make the ratchet reversing component deflect circumferentially; after the pressing force is removed, the guide lug alternately engages and locks between the deep guide groove and the shallow guide groove, thereby driving the central push-pull wire to generate axial displacement, realizing the opening and self-locking closure of the working jaw assembly.

[0015] Furthermore, the ratchet reversing member has a first end face helical tooth on its proximal end face, and the pressing push rod has a second end face helical tooth that meshes with the first end face helical tooth on its distal end face. When the pressing push rod pushes the ratchet reversing member so that its guide lug slides out of the constraint area of ​​the guide groove inside the outer sleeve, the inclined plane component of the first end face helical tooth and the second end face helical tooth drives the ratchet reversing member to rotate circumferentially by a preset angle.

[0016] Furthermore, the flexible transmission assembly also includes a preload spring sleeved outside the central push-pull wire, with both ends of the preload spring abutting against the inner shoulder of the outer sleeve and the distal end face of the ratchet reversing member, respectively; the preload spring is used to provide the ratchet reversing member with an axial restoring force to move its guide lug toward the bottom of the deep guide groove or the shallow guide groove.

[0017] Furthermore, when the guide lug engages with the bottom of the deep guide groove, the central push-pull wire is at its axial retraction limit position, and the first and second jaws are opened by pulling the drive linkage; when the guide lug engages with the bottom of the shallow guide groove, the central push-pull wire is in an axial forward pushing state, pushing the drive linkage to close the first and second jaws and maintain a self-locking clamping state.

[0018] Furthermore, the clamp seat is provided with a pivot hole, and the middle parts of the first clamp head and the second clamp head are connected to the pivot hole through the main pin to form a cross structure; the distal end of the central push-pull wire is fixed with a connecting push block, and a hinge pin is provided on the connecting push block. The two sets of driving connecting rods are movably connected to the connecting push block through the hinge pin.

[0019] Furthermore, the inner surfaces of the first and second clamping heads are provided with anti-slip teeth to increase tissue friction.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages:

[0021] This invention ingeniously incorporates a deep and shallow guide groove and a ratchet engagement mechanism to achieve a purely mechanical step-by-step self-locking system. The central push-pull wire is rigidly mechanically limited in the locked state, completely isolating the nonlinear interference of large-angle bending deformation of the continuous robot body on the internal cable tension. Regardless of how the robot body bends and coils within the abdominal cavity, the end jaws maintain a constant and reliable clamping force, effectively avoiding the risk of tissue slippage during surgery.

[0022] This invention abandons the traditional scissor-style handle, which has a bulky lateral volume, and adopts a coaxial straight-cylinder pressing structure, which greatly reduces the size of the proximal control components and avoids spatial interference with other complex drive modules of the continuum robot. The operator only needs to perform a simple "press-release" action with one hand to achieve clamping and locking of the jaws, accompanied by clear mechanical force feedback, which greatly reduces hand muscle fatigue during long-distance minimally invasive surgery.

[0023] The locking control mechanism of this invention is arranged in series along the entire axial direction, and the linkage mechanism of the distal working component is folded compactly. The entire device achieves a constant clamping state without requiring complex external motor drives or cylinder devices, allowing it to smoothly pass through extremely fine, flexible working channels, significantly reducing instrument manufacturing costs and improving intraoperative reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the working jaws of the present invention in the open / closed state;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the internal structure of the pressing component and the ratchet guide groove of the present invention;

[0027] Explanation of reference numerals: 1. Working clamp; 2. Central push-pull tube; 3. Ratchet reversing component; 4. Outer sleeve; 5. Pressing push rod; 11. First clamp head; 12. Second clamp head; 13. Connecting push block; 14. Cutting blade; 15. Drive linkage; 16. Hinge pin; 31. Guide lug; 32. First end bevel tooth; 41. Shallow guide groove; 42. Shallow guide groove; 51. Second end face bevel tooth. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The following embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0029] As attached Figure 1 To be continued Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment of the invention provides a self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot, which mainly consists of three parts: a proximal pressing component for external placement for operation by the surgeon, a central push-pull tube (2) that runs through the internal working channel of the continuum robot, and a working forceps (1) that extends out of the end of the continuum robot for contacting the lesion.

[0030] like Figure 3 As shown, the proximal pressing assembly is a coaxial straight cylindrical structure, mainly including an outer sleeve (4), a ratchet reversing component (3), and a pressing push rod (5). The inner wall of the outer sleeve (4) is provided with circumferentially equidistant and alternating deep guide grooves (41) and shallow guide grooves (42) extending axially.

[0031] The ratchet reversing component (3) is coaxially sleeved in the inner cavity of the outer casing sleeve (4), and the proximal end of the central push-pull tube (2) passes through the outer casing sleeve and is fixedly connected to the ratchet reversing component (3). Multiple guide lugs (31) are radially protruding outward on the outer cylindrical surface of the ratchet reversing component (3), and the guide lugs (31) form a clearance sliding fit with the deep guide groove (41) and the shallow guide groove (42).

[0032] Furthermore, the pressing push rod (5) is slidably inserted through the proximal opening of the outer casing sleeve (4). The proximal end face of the ratchet reversing member (3) is machined with a first end helical tooth (32), and the distal end face face of the pressing push rod (5) is machined with a second end face helical tooth (51) that is adapted to mesh with the first end helical tooth (32).

[0033] Furthermore, the mechanism is equipped with a limiting step and a preload spring (not shown in the figure). The preload spring is always in a compressed state, providing a continuous axial preload force to the ratchet reversing member (3) to retract towards the proximal end (i.e. towards the opening of the outer sleeve), forcing the guide lug (31) to always tend to be in close contact with the bottom of the guide groove.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the working clamp (1) includes a fixed clamp base, and the middle of the first clamp head (11) and the second clamp head (12) are both provided with through holes. The two are connected to the fixed clamp base in an "X" shape by a main pin. Among them, the front end of the first clamp head (11) is also provided with an inwardly protruding cutting blade (14), which is used to assist in completing the dissection or cutting operation of the tissue while clamping the tissue.

[0035] Furthermore, a connecting push block (13) is fixedly connected to the distal end of the central push-pull tube (2). A hinge pin (16) is laterally arranged on the connecting push block (13). In this embodiment, two symmetrically arranged drive rods (15) are provided. The proximal ends of these two drive rods (15) are rotatably sleeved on the hinge pin (16); the distal ends of the two drive rods (15) are respectively hinged to the tail ends of the first clamp head (11) and the second clamp head (12). This linkage mechanism realizes the conversion of the axial linear motion of the central push-pull tube (2) into the opening and closing rotational motion of the first clamp head (11) and the second clamp head (12) around the main pin shaft.

[0036] When the self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps of the present invention are used in continuum robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery, its complete working and self-locking cycle is as follows:

[0037] When not subjected to external pressure, the ratchet reversing member (3) retracts proximally under the force of the preload spring, and its guide lug (31) slides into and is confined to the bottom of the deep guide groove (41) of the outer sleeve (4). At this time, the central push-pull tube (2) is at its extreme position of axially pulling backward (proximally). The distal connecting push block (13) is pulled backward, which pulls the tail ends of the first jaw (11) and the second jaw (12) inward through the drive linkage (15), thereby driving the front end of the gripper to the maximum opening state according to the lever principle, which is convenient for capturing tissue.

[0038] When the doctor locates the target lesion and needs to perform clamping and locking, the proximal pressing push rod (5) is pressed axially. The second end face helical tooth (51) at the front end of the pressing push rod (5) pushes against the first end helical tooth (32) on the ratchet reversing member (3), forcing the ratchet reversing member (3) to overcome the spring resistance and slide axially to the distal end.

[0039] When the ratchet reversing component (3) slides until its guide lug (31) is completely free from the straight sidewall constraint of the deep guide groove (41), under the circumferential inclined surface thrust generated by the end face helical tooth engagement, the ratchet reversing component (3) instantly undergoes a set angle of circumferential deflection.

[0040] At this point, the doctor releases the pressure, and the pre-tensioned spring pushes the ratchet reversing component (3) back towards the proximal end. Due to the circumferential deflection, the guide lug (31) is misaligned with the deep guide groove (41), accurately slides into and locks into the bottom of the adjacent shallow guide groove (42). Because the axial depth of the shallow guide groove (42) is shallow, the ratchet reversing component (3) and the central push-pull tube (2) are forced to remain in the axially forward-pushed position.

[0041] The forward displacement is transmitted to the distal end through the flexible channel, pushing the connecting push block (13) forward. This pushes the tail ends of the first jaw (11) and the second jaw (12) open through the drive link (15), thereby driving the front end of the jaw to forcefully close and clamp the tissue. At this time, the clamping force is maintained entirely by the purely mechanical rigid limit provided by the shallow guide groove (42). No matter how the continuum robot bends or deforms within the anatomical cavity, it will not cause the jaws to loosen.

[0042] When the tissue has been processed and needs to be released, the doctor simply presses the push rod (5) again. The ratchet reversing member (3) is pushed away from the constraint at the bottom of the shallow guide groove (42) and deflects circumferentially again under the action of the inclined teeth. After releasing, the guide lug (31) realigns and slides into the bottom of the next deep guide groove (41). The central push-pull tube (2) is instantly pulled back under the action of the spring, and the distal linkage mechanism is linked in the opposite direction. The first clamp (11) and the second clamp (12) open rapidly, completing the entire self-locking and unlocking cycle.

[0043] The foregoing has only described certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration. Undoubtedly, those skilled in the art can modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A self-locking, minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot, comprising a working forceps (1), a central push-pull tube (2), and a proximal pressing assembly; the proximal pressing assembly comprises an internally hollow outer sleeve (4), a ratchet reversing member (3) fitted inside the cavity of the outer sleeve (4), and a pressing push rod (5) slidably passing through the proximal end of the outer sleeve (4); the proximal end of the central push-pull tube (2) passes into the outer sleeve (4) and is fixedly connected to the ratchet reversing member (3); the distal end of the central push-pull tube (2) is drively connected to the working forceps (1); characterized in that: The inner wall of the outer sleeve (4) is provided with axially extending deep guide grooves (41) and shallow guide grooves (42) alternately at equal intervals around the circumference, and the outer wall of the ratchet reversing member (3) is provided with guide lugs (31) that slide with the deep guide grooves (41) and shallow guide grooves (42). Under the axial drive of the press rod (5) on the ratchet reversing member (3), the guide lug (31) alternately engages and locks between the deep guide groove (41) and the shallow guide groove (42) so as to drive the working clamp (1) to switch between the open state and the self-locking closed state through the central push-pull tube (2).

2. The self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ratchet reversing member (3) has a first end helical tooth (32) on its proximal end face, and the pressing push rod (5) has a second end face helical tooth (51) on its distal end face that meshes with the first end helical tooth (32).

3. The self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the pressing push rod (5) pushes the ratchet reversing member (3) to slide axially to the far end until the guide lug (31) completely slides out of the axial constraint of the deep guide groove (41) or the shallow guide groove (42), the inclined meshing force of the first end helical tooth (32) and the second end face helical tooth (51) drives the ratchet reversing member (3) to deflect circumferentially by a preset angle.

4. The self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The proximal pressing assembly is also provided with a pre-tightening spring, which is sleeved on the outside of the central push-pull tube (2). Its distal end abuts against the internal step of the outer casing sleeve (4), and its proximal end abuts against the distal end face of the ratchet reversing member (3). It is used to provide the ratchet reversing member (3) with an axial restoring force that rebounds and resets towards the bottom of the deep guide groove (41) or shallow guide groove (42).

5. The self-locking minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The working clamp (1) includes a fixed clamp base, a first clamp head (11) and a second clamp head (12) rotatably connected to the fixed clamp base; the tail ends of the first clamp head (11) and the second clamp head (12) are both hinged with drive connecting rods (15), the far end of the central push-pull tube (2) is fixed with a connecting push block (13), and a hinge pin (16) is passed through the connecting push block (13). The ends of the two sets of drive connecting rods (15) away from the first clamp head (11) and the second clamp head (12) are movably sleeved on the hinge pin (16).

6. The self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: Both the first pliers (11) and the second pliers (12) have shaft holes in their middle parts, and the two are connected to the fixed pliers base in an "X" shape by a main pin that passes through the shaft hole.

7. The self-locking minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The front end of the first clamp (11) is provided with a cutting blade (14) protruding into its inner clamping surface.

8. The self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central push-pull tube (2) is fitted with a flexible outer tube to protect the push-pull tube and guide it through the working channel of the continuum robot.

9. The self-locking pressure-type minimally invasive surgical forceps for a continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the guide lug (31) engages with the bottom of the deep guide groove (41), the central push-pull tube (2) is in the extreme position of axial retraction, pulling the working clamp (1) to open it; when the guide lug (31) engages with the bottom of the shallow guide groove (42), the central push-pull tube (2) is in the limited position of axial forward push, pushing the working clamp (1) to close and clamp it.

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