Displacement device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a displacement device (100) comprising a displacement unit (102) connected to a suspension unit (106) and displaceable relative to the suspension unit (106). Two gears (108, 110) are connected to the suspension unit (106) so as to be fixed at predetermined positions, the axes of rotation (R1, R2) of these gears being arranged at an angle to each other, and the two gears (108, 110) are designed to mesh with a toothed surface (116) connected to the displacement unit (102), whereby when the gears (108, 110) are actuated, the displacement unit (102) is displaced relative to the suspension unit (106), and the toothed surface (116) and the teeth of the gears (108, 110) are designed such that when only one of the two gears (108, 110) is actuated, the teeth of the other gear (110, 108) respectively move through the spaces between the teeth of the toothed surface (116). The present invention further relates to a system (200) comprising a displacement device (100) of this kind.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a displacement device connected to a suspension unit and comprising a displacement unit displaceable relative to the suspension unit. The present invention further relates to a system comprising such a displacement device and at least one component to be pivoted, the component being arranged on the displacement unit of the displacement device.

[0002] In the prior art, such systems are known, for example, in the form of lighting units, which comprise a displacement device of the type mentioned at the beginning and are used, for example, in the medical field, in particular in the field of surgery. In this case, the lighting of the surgical wound constitutes a unique usage. However, in this regard, it should be noted in advance that the present invention will be explained below, in part, with reference to the example of the lighting of the surgical wound, but no constraints of any kind will be derived therefrom.

[0003] In order to achieve the ideal lighting of the surgical wound, also known as "situs", the surgeon usually has to manually adjust the orientation of the light source of the prior art during the operation. This requires a complex mechanism for the light source, and furthermore, the surgeon has to keep interrupting the operation each time the light source is readjusted. This can extend the operation time and thereby increase the stress on the patient.

[0004] In the past, lighting units comprising a displacement device operable by a motor have already been proposed, but it has been found that the mechanisms used in this regard usually cannot satisfy the requirements regarding optimal adjustability, as well as high reliability, small installation space requirements, and acceptable manufacturing costs.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a displacement device and a lighting unit comprising such a displacement device that can provide a solution here.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, this object is achieved by a displacement unit that is connected to a suspension unit and displaceable relative to the suspension unit, two gears being connected to the suspension unit so as to be fixed in a predetermined position, the rotational axes of these gears being arranged at a certain angle to each other, the two gears being designed to mesh with a toothed surface connected to the displacement unit, whereby when the gears are actuated, the displacement unit is displaced relative to the suspension unit, and the toothed surface and the teeth of the gears are designed such that when only one of the two gears is actuated, the teeth of the other gear respectively move through the spaces between the teeth of the toothed surface. This is achieved by a displacement device.

[0007] According to the present invention, the displacement of the displacement unit can be performed in at least two directions, particularly perpendicular to each other, only by the two gears interacting with a single toothed surface. In this way, the two gears forming the drive interact with the toothed surface to form a common output. As a result, it is possible to realize a displacement device that is particularly compact and yet can be used in a variety of ways.

[0008] Preferably, the rotational axis of the non-actuated gear is such that its teeth move through the spaces between the teeth of the toothed surface, but in this case, it extends substantially parallel to the displacement direction of the displacement unit caused by the actuation of the gear. Specifically, the teeth of the other gear can each move through the spaces between the teeth of the toothed surface and slide substantially, that is, without substantially rotating.

[0009] Similarly, when both gears are actuated simultaneously, it is possible to cause displacement of the displacement unit corresponding to superimposing the displacements that occur in each case by actuating only one of the two gears. As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to further achieve a displacement device that can be adjusted particularly diversely, which enables optimal illumination especially in the case of particularly complex surgical procedures. At that time, the actuation of the gears can respectively correspond to clockwise or counterclockwise rotation.

[0010] Preferably, the rotation axes of the gears can extend within a common plane and / or can be arranged at an angle of 60° to 120°, preferably 80° to 100°, with respect to each other, and particularly preferably can be arranged substantially orthogonally to each other.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in order to achieve a toothing of the toothed surface that is sufficiently reliable, i.e., wear-resistant, and can still be manufactured with an acceptable amount of labor, the teeth of the gear and / or the teeth of the toothed surface are proposed to be substantially conical, and / or involute-shaped, and / or arcuate, and / or designed as a rack and pinion gear mechanism. The teeth of the toothed surface and / or the teeth of the gear do not necessarily have to be designed to match each other. Rather, each tooth or a predetermined number of teeth can be designed to be different from each other. In this regard, it should be noted that each tooth of the toothed surface should be designed to be able to mesh with the teeth of the gear having mutually orthogonal pivot axes in order to produce corresponding displacements of the displacement unit. Thus, the teeth of the toothed surface can, for example, comprise four tooth surfaces consisting of two pairs of two tooth surfaces facing each other, and the tooth surfaces facing each other are designed to mesh with one of the two gears of the suspension unit in each case. Furthermore, the teeth of the toothed surface can also be designed to be rotationally symmetric, for example, conical or frustoconical. This has been found to be particularly advantageous in the case of rotational displacements.

[0012] In principle, the displacement unit can be connected to the suspension unit so that it can be displaced translationally relative to the suspension unit. However, when the displacement unit according to the present invention is used, for example, in connection with an illumination unit, it may be advantageous if the arrangement angle of the illumination unit relative to the suspension unit, and thus the emission angle of the illumination unit, can be adjusted. Thus, advantageously, the displacement unit can be connected to the suspension unit via a hinge bearing system and be pivotable relative to the suspension unit, and the hinge bearing system can be provided with at least one pivot axis. As a result, when two gears are actuated, the displacement unit can be pivoted relative to the suspension unit about at least one pivot axis.

[0013] In a development of this embodiment, the toothed surface can have a curvature, and the central axis of the curvature can coincide with at least one pivot axis. This enables the two gears to mesh continuously, i.e., engage, with the toothed surface regardless of the pivot angle present in each case.

[0014] When the displacement unit is connected to the suspension assembly via a hinge bearing system so as to be pivotable about one or more pivot axes, likewise, the toothed surface can have a curvature for each pivot axis, and in each case the central axis of the curvature can coincide with the pivot axis to which it is associated.

[0015] Advantageously, the axes of rotation of the two gears not only intersect at an angle with each other, but also extend so as to be in a twisted position relative to each other. In the case of axes of rotation in a twisted position, the two gears can, as a result, have different diameters from each other. Alternatively, it is also conceivable for the axes of rotation of the two gears to intersect, which results in a particularly compact design of the displacement device according to the invention.

[0016] Furthermore, in order to ensure that the meshing of the two gears can be performed with a sliding portion as small as possible, i.e., with low wear, it is preferable that at least one rotation axis of the two gears can extend substantially parallel to at least one pivot axis. In this regard, "substantially parallel" specifically means that the angle formed between at least one rotation axis and at least one pivot axis is at most ±10°, preferably at most ±5°, but particularly preferably 0°.

[0017] Furthermore, in principle, it is conceivable to design the gear or the toothed portion of the toothed surface as a spur gear or a worm gear mechanism. As a result, this enables an angular arrangement between the rotation axis of each gear and at least one pivot axis of the hinge bearing system.

[0018] In order to enable setting the displacement positions of a substantially infinite number of displacement units with respect to the suspension assembly, according to yet another embodiment, the hinge bearing system can be a gimbal bearing system having two pivot axes, and it is proposed that these two pivot axes be arranged perpendicular to each other. The gimbal bearing system has been found to be particularly advantageous for lighting units as described above, since the bearing system not only enables corresponding multiple emission angles, but can also be used, for example, with recessed ceiling light sources.

[0019] When the toothed surface has the above curvature, the toothed surface can advantageously be designed to be at least partially spherical, i.e., to reproduce at least partially a spherical portion.

[0020] In addition or instead, the center of curvature of the toothed surface can coincide with the intersection of the two pivot axes of the hinge bearing system.

[0021] Regarding the operation of two gears, i.e., preferably rotational drive, each gear can be associated with a separate drive unit, and these drive units are designed to operate their respective gears. In this regard, the signal input of each drive unit can be connected to the corresponding signal output of the control unit. The control unit may or may not be a component of the displacement device according to the present invention, and can preferably be designed to operate two drive units, and thus two gears, such that the desired displacement of the displacement unit relative to the suspension unit occurs in each case.

[0022] To achieve a low-friction engagement between the gear and the toothed surface, it should be added that the tooth surfaces of the teeth of the gear and / or the tooth surfaces of the teeth of the toothed surface can be chamfered at the edges and / or can have a friction-reducing coating and / or can be designed to be rotationally symmetric, such as conical or frustoconical.

[0023] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the above object is achieved by a system comprising a displacement device according to the present invention and at least one component to be pivoted, the component being arranged in the displacement unit of the displacement device. Several advantages result therefrom, for example, the cables that may be required for the component are not moved, so there is no risk of cable damage, which facilitates cable routing, and since the mass to be moved is smaller, the displacement speed is higher. Furthermore, the motors of the gears can be designed identically since each does not need to move the other. This further reduces the required installation space.

[0024] The component to be pivoted can include, for example, a light source and / or a camera and / or a laser pointer and / or a mirror tile. If the component to be pivoted is, for example, a light source, the system can be designed such that the displacement of the displacement unit relative to the suspension unit changes the surface illuminated by the light source.

[0025] In this way, the emission angle of the light source can be adjusted by the displacement device for space saving according to the present invention. For this purpose, a control signal can be sent from, for example, an input unit operated by a user, a surgeon, and / or based on a detected parameter, particularly the illuminance of a predetermined area, and / or an item of sensor information such as from a depth camera, etc., from the control unit to the displacement device.

[0026] For example, when a plurality of systems according to the present invention including a light source, etc. are attached to the ceiling of an operating room or the like, as a result, significantly improved illumination of the surgical wound can be achieved.

[0027] For further other advantages and effects of the system according to the present invention, refer to the above description of the displacement device according to the present invention.

[0028] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings based on embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029]

Fig. 1A

Fig. 1B

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0030] In FIG. 1, a displacement device according to the present invention is shown in its entirety by reference numeral 100. The displacement device 100 comprises a displacement unit 102 which is connected to a suspension unit 106 and is displaceable relative thereto. Two gears 108 and 110 are connected to the suspension unit 106 so as to be fixed in place. The gears 108 and 110 are each rotatable about a rotation axis R1 and R2, respectively. For this purpose, a motor 112 is assigned to the gear 108 and a corresponding motor 114 is assigned to the gear 110. The motors 112 and 114 can be designed as electric motors and can be electrically connected to a power supply (not shown).

[0031] The two gears 108 and 110 engage with a toothed surface 116, which is connected to the displacement unit 102. In the illustrated embodiment, in this case, the toothed surface 116 is screwed to the displacement unit 102 by means of fixing means in the form of a screw 118.

[0032] The two gears 108 and 110 engage with the toothed surface 116 such that when the gears 108 and / or 110 are actuated, i.e. rotated about the rotation axes R1 and R2 respectively, the displacement unit 102 is displaced relative to the suspension unit 106. In the illustrated embodiment, in this case, the displacement of the displacement unit 102 can consist of a pivoting about a pivot axis S1 and / or a pivoting about a pivot axis S2. For this purpose, the displacement unit 102 is hingedly connected to an intermediate suspension unit 120 via a bearing 107a of a hinge bearing system 107, as a result of which a pivoting movement about the pivot axis S2 becomes possible. The intermediate suspension unit 120 is further hingedly connected to the suspension unit 106 via a bearing 107b of the hinge bearing system 107, thereby enabling the intermediate suspension unit 120, and thus the displacement unit 102, to pivot about the pivot axis S1 relative to the suspension unit 106. As a result, the suspension unit 106 and the intermediate suspension unit 120 form a hinge bearing system 107 in the form of a gimbal suspension having two intersecting pivot axes S1 and S2.

[0033] The toothed surface 116 can be designed such that the centers of curvature M1 and / or M2 of the curvature of the toothed surface 116 coincide with the pivot axes S1 and / or S2 (see FIG. 2). The teeth of the toothed surface 116 and the corresponding teeth of the gears 108 and 110 are further configured such that when only one of the two gears 108, 110 is actuated, the teeth of the other gear respectively pass through between the teeth of the toothed surface 116 and move. That is, when only one of the two gears 108 and 110 rotates, the teeth of the non-rotating gear do not move around their respective rotation axes R1 and R2, but simply slide relative to the teeth of the toothed surface 116, and this sliding is caused by the rotation of the other gear respectively. And of course, it is also conceivable to actuate both the gear 108 and the gear 110 simultaneously, that is, to rotate them around the axes R1 and R2 respectively, thereby displacing or pivoting the displacement unit 102 around both the pivot axis S1 and the pivot axis S2. In this case, the driving operation of the toothed surface meshing with each gear can be performed in a form that superimposes the above sliding motion.

[0034] FIG. 1A shows the displacement device 100 in an upright state, that is, a state where the displacement unit 102 is not pivoted around either the pivot axis S1 or the pivot axis S2. In contrast, FIG. 1B shows the displacement device 100 after pivoting the displacement device of FIG. 1A around the pivot axis S1 or S2 respectively by rotating the gears 108 and 110 around the respective rotation axes R1 and R2. However, as already mentioned above, the displacement unit 102 can also be simply displaced around the pivot axis S1 or the pivot axis S2 starting from the form shown in FIG. 1A.

[0035] Figure 2 is a side view of the displacement device 100 in the form shown in Figure 1B. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotation axes R1 and R2 of the gears 108 and 110 respectively are arranged perpendicular to each other. However, it should be noted that this is not essential. The rotation axis R1 and the rotation axis R2 can further be at any angle as required, that is, they can be arranged at an angle different from 90° to each other. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the rotation axes R1 and R2 are arranged in a twisted position relative to each other (see Figure 2). However, it is also conceivable that the rotation axes R1 and R2 are arranged to intersect each other.

[0036] Similarly, in the illustrated embodiment, the pivot axes S1 and S2 are arranged perpendicular to each other.

[0037] As can be seen, for example, in Figures 1A, 1B, 2, 4, and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the toothed surface 116 is formed to be spherical, that is, it reproduces a spherical portion. In this case, the center of curvature of the toothed surface 116 can coincide with the intersection point SP of the two pivot axes S1 and S2 (see Figure 2).

[0038] It should be further added that the teeth of the gears 108 and 110 and / or the teeth of the toothed surface 116 can be designed to be substantially conical, involute, and / or arcuate, and / or as a rack and pinion gear mechanism. The teeth of the gears 108 and 110 and / or the teeth of the toothed surface 116 can also be chamfered and / or coated with a friction reducing coating (not shown).

[0039] In Figure 3, for clarity, the displacement unit 102 is shown with the toothed surface 116 and the gears 108 and / or 110 removed.

[0040] In contrast, Figure 4 shows the displacement unit 102 with the toothed surface 116 disposed thereon and the associated gears 108 and 110, and the suspension unit 106 and the intermediate suspension unit 120 are omitted.

[0041] The displacement device 100 shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to the displacement device 100 according to FIG. 1A or 1B, but further includes motor holding elements in the form of motor holding plates 122 for the motors 112 and 114 of the gears 108 and 110, respectively. The motor holding plate 122 can be screwed to the motor 112 by a screw connection 122a (schematically shown only), and screwed to the motor 114 by a screw connection 122b (also schematically shown only). In addition to the screw connection, other suitable fixing methods can be used as an alternative, such as adhesion, welding, soldering, etc.

[0042] Using the motor holding plate 122, the motors 112 and 114, and thus the gears 108 and 110, can be connected to the suspension unit 106 in a manner that fixes them in place. This can be further achieved using screw connections 122c and 122d (schematically shown here only), etc.

[0043] The light source 104 is arranged in the displacement unit 102 as a pivoting component. As a result, the displacement device 100 and the light source 104 form the system 200 in the form of an illumination unit 200, which is designed such that the displacement of the displacement unit 102 relative to the suspension unit 106 causes a change in the surface illuminated by the light source 114. However, it should be noted that the system according to the present invention is not limited to the illumination unit. Alternatively, instead of the light source 114, a camera, and / or a laser pointer, and / or a mirror tile, etc. can also be arranged in the displacement unit 102 as a pivoting component.

Claims

1. A displacement unit (102) connected to a suspension unit (106) and displaceable relative to the suspension unit (106), Two gears (108, 110) are connected to the suspension unit (106) so as to be fixed at a predetermined position, and the rotation axes (R1, R2) of the gears are arranged at an angle to each other, The two gears (108, 110) are designed to mesh with a toothed surface (116) connected to the displacement unit (102), whereby when the gears (108, 110) are actuated, the displacement unit (102) is displaced relative to the suspension unit (106), The toothed surface (116) and the teeth of the gears (108, 110) are designed such that when only one of the two gears (108, 110) is actuated, the teeth of the other gear (110, 108) move through the spaces between the teeth of the toothed surface (116), A displacement device (100).

2. The displacement device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotation axes (R1, R2) of the gears (108, 110) extend in a common plane and / or are arranged at an angle of 60° to 120°, preferably 80° to 100°, particularly preferably substantially perpendicular to each other.

3. The displacement device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the displacement unit (102) is connected to the suspension unit (106) via a hinge bearing system (107) and is pivotable relative to the suspension unit (106), and the hinge bearing system (107) comprises at least one pivot axis (S1, S2).

4. The displacement device according to claim 3, characterized in that the toothed surface (116) has a curvature, and the central axis (M1, M2) of the curvature coincides with the at least one pivot axis (S1, S2).

5. The displacement device according to claim 4, characterized in that the toothed surface (116) has a curvature for each pivot axis (S1, S2), and in each case the central axis (M1, M2) of the curvature coincides with the associated pivot axis (S1, S2).

6. The displacement device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotation axes (R1, R2) of the two gears (108, 110) intersect each other or are in a twisted position.

7. The displacement device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that at least one rotation axis (R1, R2) of the two gears (108, 110) extends substantially parallel to the at least one pivot axis (S1, S2).

8. The displacement device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the hinge bearing system (107) is a gimbal bearing system having two pivot axes (S1, S2), and the two pivot axes (S1, S2) are arranged perpendicular to each other.

9. The displacement device according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that the toothed surface (116) is designed to be at least partially spherical, that is, at least partially reproduces a spherical portion.

10. The displacement device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the center of curvature of the toothed surface coincides with the intersection point (SP) of the two pivot axes (S1, S2) of the hinge bearing system (107).

11. The displacement device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each gear (108, 110) is associated with a separate drive unit (112, 114), and the drive unit is designed to operate the respective gear (108, 110).

12. The displacement device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the teeth of the gears (108, 110) or the teeth of the toothed surface (116) are designed to be substantially conical, and / or involute-shaped, and / or arcuate, and / or as a rack and pinion gear mechanism.

13. The displacement device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tooth surfaces of the teeth of the gears (108, 110) and / or the tooth surfaces of the teeth of the toothed surface (116) are chamfered at the edges and / or have a friction-reducing coating.

14. A system (200) comprising the displacement device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims and at least one component (104) to be pivoted, the component being arranged in the displacement unit (102) of the displacement device (100).

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