Medical drills and programs

Abstract

To acquire information indicating a state of a treatment mechanism during treatment more appropriately.SOLUTION: Medical equipment 1a, medical equipment 1b, and medical equipment 1c include a treatment mechanism 80, a slave side actuator 212, an operation control part 511, and a parameter acquisition part 512 respectively. The treatment mechanism 80 is a mechanism for treatment for a patient. The slave side actuator 212 causes the treatment mechanism 80 to execute treatment. The operation control part 511 calculates a control parameter on a force tactile sense on the basis of information on a position accompanying an operation of the slave side actuator 212, and controls an operation of the slave side actuator 212 to cause the treatment mechanism 80 to execute treatment on the basis of the control parameter on the force tactile sense. The parameter acquisition part 512 acquires the control parameter on the force tactile sense.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to medicine Drill and medical programs.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in medical procedures such as surgery and medical examinations, procedures using various medical devices have been performed. Technologies related to such medical devices are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. In the technologies disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a surgical mechanism for perforating a living tissue (for example, a drill bit that actually performs cutting) is operated by a motor, and the operation of the motor is controlled based on fluctuations in the current value of this motor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, general technologies such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 merely perform operation control based on the current value of the motor. This current value is merely information indicating the driving state of the motor, and it is difficult to say that it is information that appropriately indicates the state of the surgical mechanism actually performing the procedure. In this regard, if information that more appropriately indicates the state of the surgical mechanism can be obtained, more accurate operation control can be performed, or this appropriate information can be notified to the user.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. An object of the present invention is to acquire information that more appropriately indicates the state of a treatment mechanism during treatment.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a medical device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a treatment mechanism for treating a patient; a treatment actuator for causing the treatment mechanism to perform treatment; operation control means for calculating control parameters related to force and touch based on information regarding a position detected during the treatment, and controlling an operation for causing the treatment actuator to perform treatment on the treatment mechanism based on the control parameters related to force and touch; parameter acquisition means for acquiring the control parameters related to force and touch; and is characterized by including the above.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to acquire information that more appropriately indicates the state of the treatment mechanism during treatment.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] [Basic Concept of the Present Invention] Hereinafter, as an example of an embodiment of the present invention, three embodiments, namely, a first embodiment, a second embodiment, and a third embodiment, will be described. First, as a premise, the basic concept of the present invention common to these three embodiments will be described. The medical device according to each embodiment of the present invention includes at least a treatment mechanism, a treatment actuator, an operation control unit, and a parameter acquisition unit. The treatment mechanism is a mechanism for treatment on a patient. And the treatment actuator causes the treatment mechanism to perform treatment. In this case, the operation control unit calculates control parameters related to force sensation based on information related to the position detected during the treatment, and controls the operation for causing the treatment actuator to perform treatment on the treatment mechanism based on the control parameters related to the force sensation. And the parameter acquisition unit acquires the control parameters related to this force sensation.

[0011] As described above, the medical device according to each embodiment of the present invention actually controls the operation of the treatment mechanism based on the control parameters related to force sensation. Further, the medical device according to each embodiment of the present invention not only simply uses the control parameters related to force sensation for control, but also acquires the control parameters related to force sensation. Here, the control parameters related to force sensation are information that more appropriately indicates the state of the treatment mechanism during treatment when compared with the current value of the motor or the like.

[0012] That is, according to the medical device according to each embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to acquire information that more appropriately indicates the state of the treatment mechanism during treatment. Further, according to the medical device according to each embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to perform operation control with higher accuracy based on this appropriate information, or to notify the user of this appropriate information. The above is the basic concept of the present invention. Next, each embodiment will be described in detail.

[0013] <First Embodiment> [Configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the basic configuration of the medical device 1a according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a side view of the medical device 1a when the moving direction of the medical device 1a during treatment (represented by an arrow in the figure) is taken as the front is schematically shown, and the internal configuration is shown through the movable housing 10 and the fixed housing 20. Further, in FIG. 1, the information processing unit 50 that is wired-connected to the movable housing 10 and the fixed housing 20, and the treatment target site 60 that is the target of treatment are also schematically shown.

[0014] In each embodiment including the present embodiment, as an example for explanation, it is assumed that the medical device 1a (including the medical devices 1b and 1c described later) is a medical drill provided with a drill bit as a treatment mechanism for perforating a living tissue. And it is assumed that an operator such as a doctor who is a user performs a spinal surgery using this medical drill which is the medical device 1a (including the medical devices 1b and 1c described later), and cuts the vertebra which is the treatment target site 60.

[0015] Here, when cutting bones such as vertebrae using a medical drill, it is necessary to pay attention not to damage tissues such as nerves passing near the bone during the cutting. However, at present, such cutting operations are carried out based only on the experience and sense of the doctor, and more safety assurance is desired. Therefore, for the purpose of increasing the doctor's experience and improving the sense, cutting training using simulated bones and simulators is also carried out. However, in such cutting training, it is difficult to quantitatively evaluate the skill level, and sometimes the effect cannot be felt.

[0016] In this regard, as described above, each embodiment can acquire control parameters related to force feedback, which is information that more appropriately indicates the state of the surgical mechanism during the operation. Then, each embodiment detects a predetermined state (for example, penetration of the vertebra) based on the control parameters related to this force feedback, and performs operation control (that is, emergency stop) to suppress further surgery. Thereby, damage to tissues such as nerves can be prevented. That is, each embodiment can realize the above-described safety assurance. In addition, each embodiment notifies the user of, for example, the control parameters related to this force feedback. Thereby, each embodiment can realize the quantitative evaluation of the skill level in the above-described cutting training.

[0017] As described above, each embodiment is suitable for a medical drill for cutting vertebrae. Therefore, hereinafter, it will be described assuming that the medical device 1a (including the medical device 1b and the medical device 1c described later) according to each embodiment is a medical drill for cutting vertebrae. However, this is merely an example for explanation, and the scope of application of each embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the medical device 1a (including the medical device 1b and the medical device 1c described later) according to each embodiment can be applied to all medical devices including a medical drill. Further, in each embodiment, the treatment target site 60 may be a vertebra of a living body such as a human, but may also be a bone other than the vertebra of the living body, a body part other than the bone, or a part of another object (for example, an artificial organ such as an artificial joint or an artificial bone, or a cast for fixing the body) disposed inside or outside the living body.

[0018] Returning to FIG. 1, the medical device 1a includes a movable housing 10, a fixed housing 20, and an information processing unit 50. Further, inside the movable housing 10, a master side unit 11 (including a master side driver 111, a master side actuator 112, and a master side position sensor 113) is disposed, and a switch 12 and a switch lever 13 are disposed outside the movable housing 10. Furthermore, inside the fixed housing 20, a slave side unit 21 (including a slave side driver 211, a slave side actuator 212, and a slave side position sensor 213), a drill bit rotation motor 22, and a drill bit 23 are disposed.

[0019] The movable housing 10 is connected to the fixed housing 20 in a state where it can move linearly (i.e., move in a straight line) along an axis corresponding to the moving direction of the medical device 1a when performing a treatment (hereinafter referred to as the "drill axis"). Further, the information processing unit 50 is wired-connected to the movable housing 10 by a cable including signal lines and the like. However, the information processing unit 50 may be disposed inside the movable housing 10 or the fixed housing 20.

[0020] Power is supplied to each part of these medical devices 1a from an external power source or a built-in battery (not shown). Further, each part of these medical devices 1a transmits and receives various data and signals for switching the on / off state of the motor and the like via signal lines (not shown).

[0021] In the medical device 1a configured as described above, by driving the master side actuator 112 and the slave side actuator 212, which are two linear motors, and the drill blade rotation motor 22, which is one rotary motor, it is possible to perform a surgical procedure.

[0022] Here, the master side actuator 112 is a linear motor that is physically connected to the movable housing 10 and applies a propulsive force for linear movement along the drill axis with respect to the movable housing 10. This master side actuator 112 is realized by, for example, a linear shaft motor.

[0023] The slave side actuator 212 is a linear motor that is physically connected to the fixed housing 20 and the drill blade rotation motor 22 (and the drill blade 23 physically connected thereto), and applies a propulsive force for linear movement along the drill axis with respect to the drill blade rotation motor 22 (and the drill blade 23 physically connected thereto). This slave side actuator 212 is realized by, for example, a linear voice coil motor. Here, the drill blade rotation motor 22 and the drill blade 23 are connected to the fixed housing 20 in a state where they can move linearly along the drill axis. Therefore, the tip of the drill blade 23 (i.e., the portion that contacts the surgical target site 60 and performs cutting) is exposed or shielded from the fixed housing 20 according to the propulsive direction in the propulsive force applied by the slave side actuator 212.

[0024] The drill blade rotation motor 22 is a rotary motor that is physically connected to the drill blade 23 and the slave side actuator 212, and applies a rotational force for rotation about the drill axis to the drill blade 23, which is a surgical mechanism. Although it is assumed that the drill blade rotation motor 22 applies a rotational force with a certain strength, it is not limited thereto, and the user may be able to adjust the strength of the rotational force applied by the drill blade rotation motor 22 by operating a foot pedal or the like (not shown).

[0025] When these motors are driven and the treatment is actually performed, first, the user fixes the fixed housing 20 near the treatment target site 60 with one of the left or right hands, and holds the switch lever 13 with the other hand. Along with this, when the switch 12 is pressed by the switch lever 13, the drill blade rotation motor 22 switches to the on state, and the drill blade rotation motor 22 starts applying a rotational force to the drill blade 23. In conjunction with this, the drill blade 23 physically connected to the drill blade rotation motor 22 starts rotating.

[0026] Next, the user performs an operation of linearly moving the movable housing 10, which is an operating mechanism, and the master side unit 11 connected thereto, along the drill axis toward the treatment target site 60 with the other hand. Although the details will be described later, in the medical device 1a, a bilateral control function is realized in which the master side unit 11 is used as the master device and the slave side unit 21 is used as the slave device under the control of the information processing unit 50. That is, the operation of the master device (here, the movement operation by the user received by the movable housing 10) is transmitted to the slave device, and a bilateral control function is realized in which the input of the reaction force from the object to the slave device (here, the reaction force from the treatment target site 60 against the cutting of the drill blade 23) is fed back to the master device.

[0027] Therefore, when the user performs an operation of linearly moving the movable housing 10 and the master side unit 11 connected thereto along the drill axis toward the treatment target site 60, in conjunction with this, the slave side actuator 212 linearly moves the drill blade rotation motor 22 and the drill blade 23 toward the treatment target site 60. As a result, the rotating drill blade 23 is pressed against the treatment target site 60, and a treatment for cutting the spinal vertebra, which is the treatment target site 60, is realized.

[0028] In this way, by realizing bilateral control, the medical device 1a mutually transmits force and tactile sensations between the movable housing 10, which is an operating mechanism, and the drill bit 23, which is a treatment mechanism. Therefore, the user can use the medical device 1a in the same manner as a general medical drill equipped with only one rotary motor without being aware of the existence of the two linear motors.

[0029] In addition, when realizing this bilateral control function, the medical device 1a calculates control parameters related to force and tactile sensations and acquires these control parameters related to force and tactile sensations. This makes it possible to achieve the effects described above during the explanation of [the basic concept of the present invention].

[0030] Also, in a general medical drill, since only one rotary motor is installed, only information regarding the rotational load can be obtained. In contrast, in this embodiment, by providing two linear motors, it is possible to acquire information in which the information on the disturbance torque applied to the drill bit 23 by the cutting with the rotary motor and the information regarding the linear motion along the drill axis are synchronized. This makes it possible to analyze the physical phenomenon of cutting the spinal vertebra more comprehensively.

[0031] The configuration of the medical device 1a has been described above. Next, the basic principle for realizing the bilateral control function described above will be explained.

[0032] [Operation Control for the Controlled Device] Next, as a premise for the explanation of the specific processes in the medical device 1 according to each of the above-described embodiments, the basic principle of the operation control for the controlled device (here, the medical device 1 according to each embodiment) in this embodiment will be explained.

[0033] Note that human actions (that is, the physical behaviors of humans) are constituted by individual "functions" such as a single joint alone or in combination. Therefore, in each embodiment of the present invention, "operation" shall represent an integrated function realized with individual "functions" of parts in a human body as constituent elements. For example, an operation of moving a master device by a user's hand or the like is an integrated function with functions of each finger, wrist of the hand, and joints of the arm and shoulder connected thereto as constituent elements.

[0034] (Basic principle) The basic principle of operation control in each embodiment of the present invention is that any operation can be mathematically expressed by three elements: a power source, a speed (position) source, and a conversion representing the operation. Therefore, for a group of variables defined by conversion and inverse conversion, control energy is supplied from an ideal power source and an ideal speed (position) source having a dual relationship to a system to be controlled, so as to structure the extracted operation, reconstruct or expand and amplify the operation, and reversibly automatically realize (reproduce) the operation.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the concept of the basic principle of operation control of a device to be controlled in each embodiment of the present invention. The basic principle shown in FIG. 2 represents a control rule of an actuator available for realizing human operation. By taking the current position of the actuator as an input and performing an operation in at least one of the regions of position (or speed) or force, the operation of the actuator is determined. That is, the basic principle of operation control of a device to be controlled in each embodiment of the present invention is represented as a control rule including a system to be controlled CS, a function-specific force / speed allocation conversion block FT, at least one of an ideal power source block FC or an ideal speed (position) source block PC, and an inverse conversion block IFT.

[0036] The control target system CS is a robot actuated by an actuator, and controls the actuator based on acceleration or the like. Here, the control target system CS realizes the function of one or more parts of the human body, but as long as the control law for realizing the function is applied, the specific configuration does not necessarily have to be in a form imitating the human body. For example, the control target system CS can be a robot that causes a link to perform a one-dimensional sliding motion by an actuator.

[0037] The function-specific force / velocity allocation conversion block FT is a block that defines the conversion of control energy into the velocity (position) and force regions set according to the function of the control target system CS. Specifically, in the function-specific force / velocity allocation conversion block FT, a coordinate transformation is defined that takes as inputs the value (reference value) serving as the reference for the function of the control target system CS and the current position of the actuator. This coordinate transformation generally converts an input vector having the reference value and the current velocity (position) as elements into an output vector consisting of the velocity (position) for calculating the control target value of the velocity (position), and also converts an input vector having the reference value and the current force as elements into an output vector consisting of the force for calculating the control target value of the force. Specifically, the coordinate transformation in the function-specific force / velocity allocation conversion block FT is generally expressed as in the following equations (1) and (2).

[0038] [Number]

[0039] However, in Equation (1), x’ 1 ~x’ n (n is an integer of 1 or more) is a velocity vector for deriving the state value of the velocity, and x’ a ~x’ m (m is an integer of 1 or more) is a vector having as elements the reference value and the velocity based on the action of the actuator (the velocity of the mover of the actuator or the velocity of the object moved by the actuator), h 1a ~h nmis an element of the transformation matrix representing the function. Also, in Equation (2), f’’ 1 ~f’’ n (where n is an integer of 1 or more) is a force vector for deriving the force state value, and f’’ a ~f’’ m (where m is an integer of 1 or more) is a vector having elements of a reference value and a force based on the action of the actuator (the force of the mover of the actuator or the force of an object to be moved by the actuator).

[0040] By setting the coordinate transformation in the function-specific force and speed allocation conversion block FT according to the function to be realized, various operations can be realized or operations involving scaling can be reproduced. That is, in the basic principle of controlling the operation of the control target device in each embodiment of the present invention, in the function-specific force and speed allocation conversion block FT, a variable of a single actuator (a variable in the real space) is “converted” into a group of variables of the entire system (variables in the virtual space) representing the function to be realized, and the control energy is allocated to the control energy of speed (position) and the control energy of force. Therefore, compared with the case of performing control with the variable of a single actuator (a variable in the real space) as it is, it is possible to independently give the control energy of speed (position) and the control energy of force.

[0041] The ideal force source block FC is a block that performs operations in the force region according to the coordinate transformation defined by the function-specific force and speed allocation conversion block FT. In the ideal force source block FC, a target value regarding the force when performing operations based on the coordinate transformation defined by the function-specific force and speed allocation conversion block FT is set. This target value is set as a fixed value or a variable value according to the function to be realized. For example, when realizing a function similar to the function indicated by the reference value, zero can be set as the target value, or when performing scaling, a value obtained by expanding or shrinking the information indicating the function to be reproduced can be set.

[0042] The ideal velocity (position) source block PC is a block that performs operations in the velocity (position) domain according to the coordinate transformation defined by the function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block FT. In the ideal velocity (position) source block PC, a target value regarding the velocity (position) is set when performing operations based on the coordinate transformation defined by the function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block FT. This target value is set as a fixed value or a variable value according to the function to be realized. For example, when realizing a function similar to the function indicated by the reference value, zero can be set as the target value, or when performing scaling, a value obtained by enlarging or reducing the information indicating the function to be reproduced can be set.

[0043] The inverse conversion block IFT is a block that converts the values in the velocity (position) and force domains into the values in the input domain of the control target system CS (for example, voltage value, current value, etc.). According to such a basic principle, when the position information in the actuator of the control target system CS is input to the function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block FT, using the velocity (position) and force information obtained based on the position information, in the function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block FT, the control rules for each of the position and force domains corresponding to the function are applied. Then, in the ideal force source block FC, the force calculation corresponding to the function is performed, in the ideal velocity (position) source block PC, the velocity (position) calculation corresponding to the function is performed, and the control energy is distributed to the force and velocity (position) respectively.

[0044] The calculation results in the ideal force source block FC and the ideal velocity (position) source block PC become information indicating the control target of the control target system CS, and these calculation results are used as the input values of the actuator in the inverse conversion block IFT and input to the control target system CS. As a result, the actuator of the control target system CS executes an operation according to the function defined by the function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block FT, and the operation of the target robot is realized. That is, in each embodiment of the present invention, it becomes possible to more appropriately realize the human operation at a predetermined action by the robot.

[0045] (Function examples to be defined) Next, specific examples of functions defined by the function-specific force / speed allocation conversion block FT will be described. In the function-specific force / speed allocation conversion block FT, coordinate conversion (conversion from the real space corresponding to the realized function to the virtual space) for the speed (position) and force obtained based on the current position of the input actuator is defined. In the function-specific force / speed allocation conversion block FT, such speed (position) and force from the current position and the speed (position) and force as the reference values of the function are input, and control rules for each of the speed (position) and force are applied in the acceleration dimension. That is, the force in the actuator is represented by the product of mass and acceleration, and the speed (position) in the actuator is represented by the integral of acceleration. Therefore, by controlling the speed (position) and force through the acceleration region, the current position of the actuator can be obtained, and the target function can be realized.

[0046] Hereinafter, specific examples of various functions will be described. (Force / tactile transmission function) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the control concept when the force / tactile transmission function is defined in the function-specific force / speed allocation conversion block FT. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the concept of a master-slave system including a master device and a slave device to which the force / tactile transmission function is applied.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, as a function defined by the function-specific force / speed allocation conversion block FT, a function (bilateral control function) that transmits the operation of the master device to the slave device and feeds back the input of the reaction force from the object to the slave device as an operating reaction force to the master device can be realized. In this case, the coordinate conversion in the function-specific force / speed allocation conversion block FT is expressed by the following equations (3) and (4).

[0048] [Number]

[0049] However, in Equation (3), x’ p is the velocity for deriving the state value of velocity (position), and x’ f is the velocity related to the state value of force. Also, x’ m is the velocity of the reference value (input from the master device) (the differential value of the current position of the master device), and x’ s is the current velocity of the slave device (the differential value of the current position). Also, in Equation (4), f p is the force related to the state value of velocity (position), and f f is the force for deriving the state value of force. Also, f m is the force of the reference value (input from the master device), and f s is the current force of the slave device.

[0050] (Scaling function) In the above force / tactile transmission function, the scaling functions of position, force, and time can be further realized. The scaling function is a function that enlarges or reduces the scale of the output position, force, or time with respect to the reference control. With the scaling function, for example, the magnitude of the movement of the master device can be reduced and reproduced by the slave device, the strength (force) of the movement of the master device can be increased and reproduced by the slave device, or the speed of the movement of the master device can be decreased and reproduced by the slave device. Hereinafter, a configuration example for realizing the scaling function will be described.

[0051] (Force / tactile transmission function with scaling) When the force / tactile transmission function with scaling is realized, the coordinate transformation in the function-specific force / velocity allocation conversion block FT in FIG. 2 is expressed by the following Equations (5) and (6).

[0052] [Number]

[0053] When the coordinate transformation shown in Formula (5) and Formula (6) is used, the position of the slave device is multiplied by α (α is a positive number), and the force of the slave device is multiplied by β (β is a positive number), and then transmitted to the master device. With such a scaling function, for example, during the treatment, the force sensation associated with the user's operation can be suppressed or emphasized, so it is effective when performing more delicate work or work that requires more force.

[0054] (Force and tactile transmission function with position limitation by scaling) When the force and tactile transmission function with position limitation by scaling is realized, the coordinate transformation in the function-specific force-velocity allocation conversion block FT in FIG. 2 is represented by, for example, the following Formulas (7) to (10). In addition, when realizing such a function, it is appropriate to consider the following conditions. ·Be continuous up to the velocity dimension (existence condition of the Jacobian matrix) ·The position after limitation is a monotonically increasing function of the original position (stability condition) ·x s When <a, then x s =x shat Or x s ≒x shat (x shat is a parameter included in the function-specific force-velocity allocation conversion block FT in Formulas (9) and (10)) (Condition for guaranteeing control performance in the safety region) ·Be a saturation function (condition for realizing the position limit) As another function that satisfies these conditions, it is also possible to adopt the atan function.

[0055] [Number]

[0056] When the coordinate transformation shown in Expressions (7) to (10) is used, if the position of the slave device is less than a, by applying the coordinate transformation of Expressions (7) and (8), the slave device and the master device are controlled to the same position. On the other hand, if the position of the slave device is a or more, by applying the coordinate transformation of Expressions (9) and (10), the scaling function acts, and the slave device is controlled so as not to exceed the position of (1 / b + a). By such a scaling function, for example, it becomes possible to suppress the movement of the slave device accompanying the operation of the user during the treatment.

[0057] [Configuration of Master Side Unit and Slave Side Unit] Next, the configurations of the master side unit 11 and the slave side unit 21 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the basic configurations of the master side unit 11 and the slave side unit 21 in the medical device 1a.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 5, in the medical device 1a, the master side unit 11 and the slave side unit 21 are communicably connected to the information processing unit 50. The master side unit 11 includes a master side driver 111, a master side actuator 112, and a master side position sensor 113. Further, the master side unit 11 operates the operation mechanism 70 by the master side actuator 112. As described above, in the medical device 1a, the movable housing 10 corresponds to the operation mechanism 70.

[0059] Similarly, the slave side unit 21 includes a slave side driver 211, a slave side actuator 212, and a slave side position sensor 213. Further, the slave side unit 21 operates the treatment mechanism 80 by the slave side actuator 212. As described above, in the medical device 1a, the drill bit 23 (and the drill bit rotation motor 22 connected thereto) corresponds to the treatment mechanism 80. In the following description, when describing without distinguishing between the master side and the slave side, some of the names and symbols are omitted, and they are simply referred to as "unit", "driver", "actuator", and "position sensor".

[0060] In the medical device 1a, based on the basic principle of operation control described above with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, the information processing unit 50, the master side unit 11, and the slave side unit 21 cooperate, so that the master side unit 11 operates as a master device and the slave side unit 21 operates as a slave device.

[0061] When each unit operates as one of the master device and the slave device, taking the detection result of the position sensor (i.e., the master side position sensor 113 or the slave side position sensor 213) installed in the actuator (i.e., the master side actuator 112 or the slave side actuator 212) of the unit that operates as the other device (i.e., the master side unit 11 or the slave side unit 21) as an input, it performs an operation according to the function. Also, as described above, the functions implemented in the medical device 1a can be variously changed by switching the coordinate transformation defined by the function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block FT in the information processing unit 50.

[0062] The information processing unit 50 controls the entire medical device 1a and is composed of an information processing device including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk. The information processing unit 50 has the functions of the function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block FT, the ideal force source block FC, the ideal velocity (position) source block PC, and the inverse conversion block IFT in FIGS. 2 and 3. And in the information processing unit 50, control for operating as one of the master device and the slave device is performed by these functions.

[0063] For this purpose, the information processing unit 50 acquires a reference value for each function provided in the medical device 1a (hereinafter referred to as "reference value"). This reference value is, for example, a time-series detection value output from a position sensor installed in an actuator of a unit operating as the other device when operating as one of the master device and the slave device. When acquiring the time-series detection value from the unit operating as the other device as the reference value for the information processing unit 50 in real time in this way, the information processing unit 50 can be configured by a communication interface (communication I / F).

[0064] That is, first, a detection value along the time series detected by the position sensor of the unit operating as the other device (that is, information regarding the position detected during the treatment) is input as the reference value to the information processing unit 50. The detection value along this time series represents the operation of the unit operating as the other device, and the information processing unit 50 applies a coordinate transformation set according to the function to the speed (position) and force information derived from the input detection value (position).

[0065] Then, the information processing unit 50 performs an operation in the speed (position) region on the speed (position) for deriving the state value of the speed (position) obtained by the coordinate transformation. Similarly, the information processing unit 50 performs an operation in the force region on the force for deriving the state value of the force obtained by the coordinate transformation. Further, the information processing unit 50 performs a process of unifying the dimensions to acceleration or the like on the operation result in the calculated speed (position) region and the operation result in the force region, and applies the inverse transformation of the coordinate transformation set according to the function. As a result, the information processing unit 50 converts the operation result in the calculated speed (position) region and the operation result in the force region into the values in the input region to the actuator.

[0066] In addition, in the information processing unit 50, a functional block for performing a process for controlling the treatment by the medical device 1a further functions. This functional block will be described later with reference to FIG. 6.

[0067] The driver converts the value in the area of the input to the actuator, which has been inverse-transformed by the information processing unit 50, into a specific control command value (such as a voltage value or a current value) for the actuator, and outputs the control command value to the actuator. The actuator is driven according to the control command value input from the driver, and controls the position of the device to be controlled (that is, the position of the movable housing 10 corresponding to the operating mechanism 70, or the position of the drill bit 23 (and the drill bit rotation motor 22 connected thereto) corresponding to the treatment mechanism 80). The position sensor detects the position of the device to be controlled controlled by the actuator, and outputs the detected value to the information processing unit 50.

[0068] With such a configuration, the medical device 1a converts the speed (position) and force obtained from the position of the actuator detected by the position sensor into state values in the area of speed (position) and the area of force by coordinate transformation according to the function. Thereby, the control energy is distributed to the speed (position) and the force respectively according to the function. Then, each state value is inverse-transformed into a control command value, and according to this control command value, the actuator is driven by the driver.

[0069] Therefore, the medical device 1a can calculate the state values of the speed (position) and the force necessary to realize the target function by detecting the position of the actuator of one of the master device and the slave device, and based on these state values, drive the actuator of the other of the master device and the slave device, thereby controlling the position and the force of the master device and the slave device to the target state.

[0070] In addition, the medical device 1a can realize different functions by switching coordinate transformations according to the functions in the information processing unit 50. For example, in a storage device provided in the medical device 1a, coordinate transformations corresponding to various functions are stored corresponding to a plurality of functions, and by selecting a coordinate transformation corresponding to any one of the functions according to the purpose, various functions can be realized in the medical device 1a.

[0071] For example, when realizing the function described above as the (force / tactile transmission function), the medical device 1a can use the reference value input to the information processing unit 50 as the acquired values of the position and force input in real time from the unit operating as the other device. In this case, the operation of the unit operating as the other device can be controlled in real time in conjunction with the operation of the unit operating as the other device. That is, in this case, since the coordinate transformation represented by Equation (2) is defined in the information processing unit 50, the difference between the position of the master side actuator 112 operating as the master device and the position of the slave side actuator 212 operating as the slave device is controlled to be zero.

[0072] In addition, when realizing the function described above as the (force / tactile transmission function), the force and tactile sensation in the operation applied by the operator to the master side actuator 112 operating as the master device are transmitted to the slave device, and the reaction force from the object (for example, the treatment target site 60) acting on the slave side actuator 212 operating as the slave device is fed back as the operation reaction force to the master side actuator 112 operating as the master device. Thereby, the operation performed on the master device can be appropriately reproduced by the slave device, and the reaction force from the object input to the slave device can be appropriately transmitted to the master device as the operation reaction force.

[0073] Also, for example, when realizing the function described above as the (scaling function), the medical device 1a can, by the scaling function, reduce the magnitude of the movement of the unit operating as one of the devices and reproduce it with the unit operating as the other device, or strengthen the intensity (force) of the movement of the unit operating as one of the devices and reproduce it with the unit operating as the other device, or reduce the speed of the movement of the unit operating as one of the devices and reproduce it with the unit operating as the other device.

[0074] As described above, the information processing unit 50 controls the operation of the master unit 11 as the master device and the operation of the slave unit 21 as the slave device, and further performs "medical device control processing". Here, the medical device control processing is a series of processes for controlling the treatment by the medical device 1a.

[0075] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware and functional blocks of the information processing unit 50 for realizing this medical device control processing. As shown in FIG. 6, the information processing unit 50 includes a processor 51, a ROM 52, a RAM 53, a communication unit 54, a storage unit 55, an input unit 56, an output unit 57, and a drive 58. Also, although not shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 5, a driver and a position sensor are connected to the information processing unit 50. These units are connected by signal lines and transmit and receive signals to and from each other.

[0076] The processor 51 executes various processes according to the program recorded in the ROM 52 or the program loaded from the storage unit 55 to the RAM 53. The RAM 53 also appropriately stores data and the like necessary for the processor 51 to execute various processes. Note that in the figure, although the processor 51 is illustrated as a single processor, this is merely an example. For example, the processor 51 may be implemented by a plurality of processors. In this case, for example, the function of controlling the operations as the master device or slave device described above (corresponding to the "operation control unit 511" and "parameter acquisition unit 512" in the figure) and the function of performing medical device control processing in cooperation therewith (corresponding to the "state detection unit 513" and "notification unit 514" in the figure) may be implemented by different processors respectively. Further, in this case, the processor may be constituted by only an information arithmetic processing device, or may include these arithmetic processing devices and a processing circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Further, in this case, the ROM 52, RAM 53, etc. may be provided respectively for each processor. That is, the information processing unit 50 may be realized in a distributed manner in a plurality of units, such as a unit for controlling operations as a master device or slave device (for example, an integrated circuit for force / tactile transmission control) and a unit for performing medical device control processing (for example, a personal computer incorporating a program for medical device control processing). Also,

[0077] The communication unit 54 performs communication control for the processor 51 to communicate with the master-side unit 11, slave-side unit 21, and other devices. The storage unit 55 is constituted by a semiconductor memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and stores various data.

[0078] The input unit 56 is constituted by an input device provided in the medical device 1a such as various buttons or an external input device such as a mouse and keyboard, and inputs various information according to a user's instruction operation. The output unit 57 is constituted by a display, speaker, etc. and outputs images, sounds, warning sounds, etc. The drive 58 is appropriately fitted with a removable medium (not shown) such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory. A program read from the removable medium by the drive 58 is installed in the storage unit 55 as necessary.

[0079] In such a hardware configuration, when realizing the medical device control process, as shown in FIG. 8, in the processor 51, an operation control unit 511, a parameter acquisition unit 512, a state detection unit 513, and a notification unit 514 function. Also, in such a hardware configuration, when realizing the medical device control process, as shown in FIG. 8, a parameter storage unit 551 is set in an area of the storage unit 55. Including cases not specifically mentioned below, between these functional blocks, data necessary for realizing the process is appropriately transmitted and received at an appropriate timing.

[0080] The operation control unit 511 controls the operation applying the force / tactile transmission function to the master-side unit 11 operating as the master device and the slave-side unit 21 operating as the slave device as described above. That is, the operation control unit 511 realizes the functions of the function-specific force / speed assignment conversion block FT, the ideal force source block FC, the ideal speed (position) source block PC, and the inverse conversion block IFT in FIGS. 2 and 3. Also, in this case, the operation control unit 511 defines the force / tactile transmission function in the function-specific force / speed assignment conversion block FT as described above with reference to FIG. 3, and controls the operation applying the force / tactile transmission function. Further, in this case, the operation control unit 511 realizes different functions by switching the coordinate conversion according to the function.

[0081] The parameter acquisition unit 512 acquires "control parameters related to force and touch", which are control parameters used in the control of operations to which the force / touch transmission function by the operation control unit 511 is applied. Hereinafter, as an example for explanation, it is assumed that the parameter acquisition unit 512 acquires, as control parameters related to force and touch, a value indicating the position and a value indicating the force obtained from the position of the actuator detected by the position sensor.

[0082] Here, as described above, the force in the actuator can be calculated as the product of mass and acceleration, and the velocity (position) in the actuator can be calculated by integrating the acceleration. Therefore, for example, the parameter acquisition unit 512 performs operations such as integration in real time based on the position of each actuator detected by each position sensor and the information corresponding to the coordinate conversion results of the above-described formulas (3) and (4), thereby calculating a value indicating the position and a value indicating the force, and acquiring these control parameters related to force and touch.

[0083] Further, the parameter acquisition unit 512 stores the acquired control parameters related to force and touch in the parameter storage unit 551. That is, the parameter storage unit 551 functions as a storage unit that stores control parameters related to force and touch.

[0084] The state detection unit 513 detects that the state of the treatment by the treatment mechanism 80 is a predetermined state based on the control parameters related to force and touch acquired by the parameter acquisition unit 512. Then, when the state detection unit 513 detects this predetermined state, the operation control unit 511 switches the control of the operation to which the force / touch transmission function is applied.

[0085] In this embodiment, as an example for explanation, the state detection unit 513 detects that the treatment mechanism 80 has penetrated the spinal vertebra which is the treatment target site 60 as a predetermined state. Then, when the state detection unit 513 detects the penetration of the spinal vertebra, the operation control unit 511 switches the control of the operation applying the force / tactile transmission function so as to suppress the treatment performed by the treatment mechanism 80. Thereby, damage to tissues such as nerves along the spinal vertebra can be prevented. Thereby, the above-described safety assurance can be realized.

[0086] An example of a method for detecting that the treatment mechanism 80 (here, the drill bit 23) has penetrated the treatment target site 60 (here, the spinal vertebra) will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the test results when an actual penetration test is performed with a medical drill having a configuration corresponding to the medical device 1a. In the graph, the horizontal axis represents time. Also, in the graph, the vertical axis represents a value indicating a position (a position associated with the action of the slave side linear motor 212) and a value indicating a force (here, a reaction force from the treatment target site 60) as control parameter values related to the force / tactile sense of the slave side linear motor (here, the slave side actuator 212) in the medical device 1a that change along the time series.

[0087] As shown in the graph, when the treatment is started and cutting by the treatment mechanism 80 on the treatment target site 60 is executed, the value indicating the position and the value indicating the force maintain constant values without significant fluctuations. After the cutting continues in this way, at the timing when the treatment target site 60 is penetrated (indicated by the text "penetration" in the figure), the value indicating the force fluctuates greatly and suddenly becomes a small value. Also, at the same timing, the value indicating the position fluctuates greatly and suddenly becomes a large value. This is because when the treatment mechanism 80 penetrates, the reaction force from the treatment target site 60 almost disappears and the linear movement distance of the treatment mechanism 80 that hardly receives the reaction force becomes longer.

[0088] The state detection unit 513 detects that the treatment mechanism 80 has penetrated the treatment target site 60 based on a large variation in the value indicating such a force (indicated by the text "penetration detection" in the figure). For this purpose, for example, the state detection unit 513 calculates the amount of variation per unit time for the force value, and detects penetration when the amount of variation in the most recent unit time is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold for this amount of variation may be set in advance as an absolute value based on, for example, the physical characteristics of the treatment target site 60 and the physical characteristics of the treatment mechanism 80, or may be set as a relative value based on the amount of variation before the unit time (i.e., the amount of variation during cutting).

[0089] Alternatively, instead of detecting based on the amount of variation in this way, for example, a predetermined threshold may be set for the instantaneous value of the value indicating the force, and penetration may be detected based on the instantaneous value of the value indicating the force. Also, as described above, at the time of penetration, the value indicating the position also varies greatly, so instead of the value indicating the force, a threshold may be set for the value indicating the position to detect penetration.

[0090] When the state detection unit 513 detects that the treatment mechanism 80 has penetrated the treatment target site 60, it outputs to the operation control unit 511 that this penetration has been detected. Then, when the state detection unit 513 detects penetration, the operation control unit 511 switches the control of the operation applying the force and tactile transmission function so as to suppress the treatment performed by the treatment mechanism 80. For example, the operation control unit 511 switches the control of the master unit 11 and the slave unit 21 from bilateral control to position control that fixes the slave unit 21.

[0091] In order to realize the position control for fixing such a slave unit 21, for example, the operation control unit 511 applies the above-described (scaling function) in the control of the operation. For example, the operation control unit 511 applies the above-described (force / tactile transmission function with scaling) in the control of the operation, and extremely reduces the scale of the position output by the slave unit 21 in the control based on the movement of the master unit 11. Alternatively, the operation control unit 511 applies the above-described (force / tactile transmission function with position limitation by scaling) in the control of the operation, and sets the detected penetration position as a position limit.

[0092] In addition, for example, when penetration is detected, the operation control unit 511 may control the slave actuator 212 regardless of the movement of the master unit 11, and control to forcibly stop the slave actuator 212, or control the slave actuator 212 to linearly move the treatment mechanism 80 away from the treatment target site 60.

[0093] Thereby, even if the user continues to operate the operation mechanism 70 after penetration, the slave actuator 212 will not move the treatment mechanism 80 any further. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the value indicating the force is controlled to be substantially zero, and the value indicating the position remains at a constant value. That is, the position of the treatment mechanism 80 is fixed, and the treatment is suppressed so that the treatment is not performed any further.

[0094] Therefore, damage to tissues such as nerves along the spine can be prevented. Thereby, the above-described safety guarantee can be realized. That is, the emergency stop function can be realized.

[0095] In addition, when penetration is detected, the operation control unit 511 may perform control to stop the rotation by the drill blade rotation motor 22 regardless of whether the switch lever 13 is pressing the switch 12. This can further enhance safety. Also, the state detection unit 513 may be configured to detect a predetermined state other than penetration. For example, when the treatment target site 60 is a relatively soft biological tissue, it may be detected as a predetermined state that contact has occurred with a relatively hard biological tissue or a relatively hard artificial organ other than the treatment target site 60. In this case, for example, it is considered that the value indicating the force fluctuates greatly, suddenly becomes a large value, and at the same time, the value indicating the position fluctuates greatly and suddenly becomes a small value. The state detection unit 513 may detect a predetermined state based on such a change in value.

[0096] The notification unit 514 presents various information regarding the treatment using the medical device 1a to the user. For example, the notification unit 514 notifies the user of the control parameters regarding the force sensation acquired by the parameter acquisition unit 512 in real time or after the completion of the treatment. In addition, for example, the notification unit 514 notifies the user in real time or after the completion of the treatment that penetration has been detected by the state detection unit 513. The user can refer to these notifications to, for example, adjust their own operations (such as the strength and movement amount of the operation on the operation mechanism 70) in real time or use them as an index for quantitative evaluation of skills in cutting training or the like after the completion of the treatment.

[0097] Here, the notification by the notification unit 514 is realized, for example, by displaying a graph as illustrated in FIG. 7 on the display included in the output unit 57. In this case, not only the value indicating the force and the value indicating the position of the slave side actuator 212 but also the value indicating the force and the value indicating the position of the master side actuator 112 may be further displayed. If the parameters regarding the force sensation of the master side actuator 112 are also displayed in this way, for example, the user can grasp the fact that, despite penetration, the operation by the operation mechanism 70 was not stopped and the operation was continued.

[0098] In addition, the notification by the notification unit 514 may also be realized, for example, by outputting a warning sound or voice from a speaker included in the output unit 57, or by flashing a light-emitting unit such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) included in the output unit 57. According to the notification of the notification unit 514 like this, it becomes possible to notify the user of the control parameters related to the force sense as quantitative data and assist the user in analysis. For example, it becomes possible to assist the user in identifying the cutting layer and analyzing the biomechanical information of the living body.

[0099] [Medical device control process] Regarding the processing content of the medical device control process executed by the medical device 1a according to this embodiment, it will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the medical device control process. The medical device control process is executed when the user starts a treatment using the medical device 1a.

[0100] In step S11, based on the operation of the user pressing the switch 12 with the switch lever 13, the drill blade rotation motor 22 starts applying a rotational force to the drill blade 23. In conjunction with this, the drill blade 23 physically connected to the drill blade rotation motor 22 starts rotating.

[0101] In step S12, based on the operation of the user moving the movable housing 10 and the master-side unit 11 connected thereto linearly along the drill axis toward the treatment target site 60, the operation control unit 511 starts controlling the operation applying the force / tactile transmission function to the master-side unit 11 operating as the master device and the slave-side unit 21 operating as the slave device.

[0102] In step S13, the parameter acquisition unit 512 starts acquiring the control parameters related to the force sense used in the control of the operation applying the force / tactile transmission function by the operation control unit 511.

[0103] In step S14, the notification unit 514 starts to notify the user of control parameters related to the force sense obtained by the parameter acquisition unit 512 and the like.

[0104] In step S15, the state detection unit 513 determines whether or not it has detected a predetermined state (here, penetration of the spinal vertebra) in the treatment based on the control parameters related to the force sense obtained by the parameter acquisition unit 512. If the predetermined state is detected, it is determined as Yes in step S15, and the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the predetermined state has not been detected, it is determined as No in step S15, and the process proceeds to step S17.

[0105] In step S16, the operation control unit 511 switches the control of the operation to which the force / tactile transmission function is applied so as to suppress the treatment performed by the treatment mechanism 80.

[0106] In step S17, the operation control unit 511 determines whether or not the end condition is satisfied. For example, when the operation for the treatment by the user is completed or when the process of suppressing the treatment is performed in step S16, it is determined that the end condition is satisfied. If the end condition is satisfied, it is determined as Yes in step S17, and this process ends. On the other hand, if the end condition is not satisfied, it is determined as No in step S17, and the process is repeated from step S15.

[0107] According to the medical device control process described above, it is possible to obtain information that more appropriately indicates the state of the treatment mechanism during treatment. Also, according to the medical device control process, it is possible to perform operation control to more accurately suppress the treatment based on this appropriate information, or to notify the user of this appropriate information.

[0108] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment will be described. Here, in the following description of the second embodiment and the description of the third embodiment, while the differences from the above-described first embodiment will be described in detail, the descriptions of the points common to the first embodiment will be omitted to avoid duplication. For example, details of components with the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, the basic principles in the above-described [operation control for the controlled device], the functions of each functional block included in the information processing unit 50, the processing contents of [medical device control processing], etc., for the points common to the first embodiment, the duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

[0109] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the basic configuration of the medical device 1b according to the present embodiment. Similar to FIG. 1, in FIG. 9, a side view of the medical device 1b when the moving direction of the medical device 1b during the operation (represented by an arrow in the figure) is taken as the front is schematically shown, and the internal configuration is shown through the housing 30. Also, similar to FIG. 1, in FIG. 9, the information processing unit 50 wired-connected to the housing 30 and the treatment target site 60 to be treated are also schematically shown.

[0110] Unlike the medical device 1a which includes the movable housing 10 and the fixed housing 20, the medical device 1b includes a single housing 30. Inside the housing 30, a master side unit 11 (including a master side driver 111, a master side actuator 112, and a master side position sensor 113), a slave side unit 21 (including a slave side driver 211, a slave side actuator 212, and a slave side position sensor 213), a drill blade rotation motor 22, and a drill blade 23 are arranged. Also, outside the housing 30, instead of the switch 12 and the switch lever 13 provided in the medical device 1a, a rack and pinion 14 and a switch lever 15 are arranged.

[0111] In addition, in the medical device 1a, it was assumed that the master-side actuator 112 was a linear motion motor that was physically connected to the movable housing 10 and applied a propulsive force for linear motion along the drill axis with respect to the movable housing 10. Instead of this, in the medical device 1b, it is assumed that the master-side actuator 112 is a rotary motor that is physically connected to the housing 30 and applies a rotational force about the drill axis to the rack and pinion 14.

[0112] The rack and pinion 14 converts the rotational force about the drill axis applied by this master-side actuator 112 into a propulsive force for linear motion with respect to the axis orthogonal to the drill axis by the switch lever 15. That is, from the viewpoint of the user, as the master-side actuator 112 rotates, the switch lever 15 is pushed up (that is, the switch lever 15 tries to open), and the operating reaction force is transmitted. Thereby, in the medical device 1b, instead of the movable housing 10, the switch lever 15 functions as the operation mechanism 70.

[0113] In the configuration of such a medical device 1b, similar to the first embodiment, a bilateral control function is realized in which the information processing unit 50 controls the master-side unit 11 as the master device and the slave-side unit 21 as the slave device. That is, the operation of the master device (here, the operation of gripping the switch lever 15 by the user) is transmitted to the slave device, and a bilateral control function is realized in which the input of the reaction force from the object to the slave device (here, the reaction force from the treatment target site 60 against the cutting of the drill blade 23) is fed back to the master device.

[0114] Therefore, when the user performs an operation of gripping the switch lever 15, in conjunction with this, the slave-side actuator 212 linearly moves the drill blade rotation motor 22 and the drill blade 23 toward the treatment target site 60. Thereby, the rotating drill blade 23 is pressed against the treatment target site 60, and a treatment for cutting the spinal vertebra, which is the treatment target site 60, is realized.

[0115] In this way, by realizing bilateral control, the medical device 1b mutually transmits force and tactile sensations between the switch lever 15, which is the operating mechanism 70, and the drill blade 23, which is the treatment mechanism 80. Therefore, the user can use the medical device 1a in the same manner as a general medical drill equipped with only one rotary motor without being aware of the existence of the two linear motors.

[0116] In addition, when realizing this bilateral control function, the medical device 1b calculates control parameters related to force and tactile sensations and acquires these control parameters related to force and tactile sensations. Thereby, it becomes possible to achieve the effects described above during the explanation of [the basic concept of the present invention]. That is, due to the configuration of the medical device 1b as well, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the medical device 1a.

[0117] <Third Embodiment> Next, the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the basic configuration of the medical device 1c according to the present embodiment. Similar to FIGS. 1 and 9, in FIG. 10, a side view of the medical device 1c is schematically shown when the moving direction of the medical device 1c during treatment (represented by an arrow in the figure) is taken as the front, and the internal configuration is shown through the housing 40. Also, similar to FIGS. 1 and 9, in FIG. 10, the information processing unit 50 wired-connected to the housing 40 and the treatment target site 60 to be treated are also schematically shown.

[0118] Unlike the medical device 1a, which includes the movable housing 10 and the fixed housing 20, the medical device 1c includes a single housing 40. Inside the housing 40, a slave-side unit 21 (including a slave-side driver 211, a slave-side actuator 212, and a slave-side position sensor 213), a drill blade rotation motor 22, and a drill blade 23 are arranged. On the other hand, in the medical device 1c, unlike the medical device 1a, the master-side unit 11 (including the master-side driver 111, the master-side actuator 112, and the master-side position sensor 113), the switch 12, and the switch lever 13 are omitted.

[0119] The medical device 1c can be used as a medical device that a user directly holds in his / her hand and performs a treatment like the medical devices 1a and 1b. However, in the following description, it is assumed that the medical device 1c is, for example, arranged at the tip of a robot arm (illustration omitted) and used. In this case, the operation control by the bilateral control function, which was performed based on the user's operation in the medical devices 1a and 1b, is realized by the information processing unit 50 as follows.

[0120] As described above, when the information processing unit 50 performs operation control by the bilateral control function, it is necessary to obtain a reference value that is a value serving as a standard for each function. This reference value is, for example, the time-series detection values output from the master-side position sensor 113 installed in the master-side actuator 112 of the master-side unit 11 that operates as a master device when controlling the slave device in the above-described medical devices 1a and 1b. On the other hand, in the medical device 1c, the information processing unit 50 generates this reference value. That is, in the medical device 1c, in order to realize the operation control of the slave-side unit 21 that operates as a slave device, the information processing unit 50 virtually realizes the functions of the operation mechanism 70 and the master device. Thus, even when the information processing unit 50 generates the reference value, based on the basic principle in the above-described [operation control for the control target device], it is possible to realize the operation control with the slave-side unit 21 as the slave device.

[0121] Here, the reference value is, for example, the acquired values of speed (position) and force input in real time from this virtual master device when this virtual master device performs a predetermined operation. Here, compared with the case of performing control with the variables of the actuator alone (variables in the real space), it is possible to independently give the control energy of speed (position) and the control energy of force.

[0122] Therefore, for example, when this virtual master device performs an operation of continuing a predetermined force as a predetermined operation, the operation control unit 511 substitutes the value of the force corresponding to this predetermined force for f in the above-described formula (3). m (That is, the force of the reference value (input from the virtual master device)) and substitutes a zero value for x' in the above-described formula (4). m (That is, the speed of the reference value (input from the virtual master device) (differential value of the current position of the virtual master device)).

[0123] Also, for example, when this virtual master device performs an operation of continuing a predetermined speed (position) as a predetermined operation, the operation control unit 511 substitutes a zero value for f in the above-described formula (3). m (That is, the force of the reference value (input from the virtual master device)) and substitutes the value corresponding to this predetermined speed (position) for x' in the above-described formula (4). m (That is, the speed of the reference value (input from the virtual master device) (differential value of the current position of the virtual master device)).

[0124] Then, based on this reference value, the operation control unit 511 realizes operation control with the slave unit 21 as the slave device. When starting the treatment, the operation control unit 511 first starts the rotation of the drill bit rotation motor 22. Next, as described above, the operation control unit 511 performs operation control assuming that this virtual master device has performed a predetermined operation. As a result, the slave actuator 212 linearly moves the drill bit rotation motor 22 and the drill bit 23 toward the treatment target site 60. Thereby, the rotating drill bit 23 is pressed against the treatment target site 60, and a treatment for cutting the vertebra, which is the treatment target site 60, is realized.

[0125] In this way, the medical device 1c realizes bilateral control and performs operation control assuming that a virtual master device has performed a predetermined operation. In this case, when realizing this bilateral control function, the medical device 1c calculates control parameters related to force feedback and acquires the control parameters related to force feedback. Thereby, it becomes possible to achieve the effects described above during the explanation of [the basic concept of the present invention]. That is, depending on the configuration of the medical device c, it is also possible to achieve the same effects as those of the medical devices 1a and 1b.

[0126] [Modification Example] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, this embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take various other embodiments without departing from the gist of the present invention, and can also perform various modifications such as omission and substitution. In this case, these embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention described in this specification and the like, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope. As an example, the embodiments of the present invention described above may be modified as follows.

[0127] In each of the above-described embodiments, it was assumed that each embodiment was realized by a medical drill including a drill bit 23 as an operating mechanism and rotating the drill bit 23 by a drill bit rotation motor 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each embodiment may be realized by a medical device including an operating mechanism that does not require rotation. That is, each embodiment may be realized by a medical device in which the slave side actuator 212 directly linearly moves the operating mechanism. Alternatively, each embodiment may be realized by a medical device including an operating mechanism that requires rotation, such as the drill bit 23, and configured such that the slave side actuator 212 is a rotation motor that applies a rotational force to the drill bit 23. In any case, it is not necessary to provide the drill bit rotation motor 22 in addition to the slave side actuator 212. Further, in these cases, by causing the information processing unit 50 to function as a virtual master device as in the third embodiment, it is not necessary to provide the master side unit 11, and it is also possible to apply the present invention to a medical device configured only by a single drive device, the slave side actuator 212.

[0128] That is, the medical device for realizing each of the above-described embodiments is not particularly limited, and each of the above-described embodiments can be realized by various medical devices. Further, for example, the number of drive devices for configuring such various medical devices and the presence or absence of a mechanism for converting a rotational force into a propulsive force, such as a rack and pinion or a ball screw, are not particularly limited, and it is sufficient that the medical device includes at least a single drive device for operating the operating mechanism.

[0129] Even in such a configuration, the operation of the operating mechanism can be controlled by a bilateral control function. In this case, in realizing this bilateral control function, control parameters related to force feedback are calculated and the control parameters related to force feedback are obtained. That is, even in such a configuration, it is possible to achieve the effects described above during the explanation of [the basic concept of the present invention].

[0130] As another modification, for example, part or all of the information processing unit 50 may be housed inside each housing such as the movable housing 10, the fixed housing 20, the housing 30, and the housing 40.

[0131] As described above, each of the medical devices 1a, 1b, and 1c according to each embodiment includes a treatment mechanism 80, a slave-side actuator 212, an operation control unit 511, and a parameter acquisition unit 512. The treatment mechanism 80 is a mechanism for treating a patient. The slave-side actuator 212 causes the treatment mechanism 80 to perform a treatment. The operation control unit 511 calculates control parameters related to force feedback based on information regarding the position detected during the treatment, and controls the operation for causing the slave-side actuator 212 to perform a treatment on the treatment mechanism 80 based on the control parameters related to force feedback. The parameter acquisition unit 512 acquires control parameters related to force feedback.

[0132] In this way, each of the medical devices 1a, 1b, and 1c acquires control parameters related to force feedback. Here, the control parameters related to force feedback are information that more appropriately indicates the state of the treatment mechanism during the treatment as compared with, for example, the current value of the motor.

[0133] That is, according to each of the medical devices 1a, 1b, and 1c, it is possible to acquire information that more appropriately indicates the state of the treatment mechanism during the treatment.

[0134] Each of the medical devices 1a and 1b includes an operation mechanism 70 and a master-side actuator 112. The operation mechanism 70 is a mechanism that receives an operation by an operator. The master-side actuator 112 applies an operation reaction force to the operation mechanism 70. In this case, the operation control unit 511 controls the operation for applying an operation reaction force to the operation mechanism 70 by the master-side actuator 112 based on the control parameters related to the force sense, and mutually transmits the force sense between the slave-side actuator 212 and the master-side actuator 112 based on the control parameters related to the force sense. By realizing the bilateral control for transmitting the force sense in this way, an operation reaction force can be applied to the operation mechanism used by the operator.

[0135] Each of the medical devices 1a and 1b includes an actuator that applies a rotational force to the treatment mechanism 80, and an actuator that is connected to the actuator that applies the rotational force and applies a propulsive force in the direction of the site to be treated to the actuator that applies the rotational force and the treatment mechanism 80. In this case, the operation control unit 511 controls the actuator that applies the propulsive force as the slave-side actuator 212. Thereby, as a parameter related to the force sense, a parameter related to the force sense related to the propulsive force in the direction of the site to be treated can be obtained.

[0136] Each of the medical devices 1a, 1b, and 1c includes an actuator that applies either a propulsive force in the direction of the site to be treated or a rotational force, or a propulsive force or a rotational force to the treatment mechanism 80. The operation control unit 511 controls the actuator that applies either a propulsive force in the direction of the site to be treated or a rotational force to the treatment mechanism 80 as the slave-side actuator 212. Thereby, as a parameter related to the force sense, a parameter related to the force sense related to either the propulsive force or the rotational force applied to the treatment mechanism can be obtained.

[0137] Each of the medical devices 1a, 1b, and 1c includes a state detection unit 513. The state detection unit 513 detects that the state of the treatment by the treatment mechanism 80 is a predetermined state based on the control parameters related to the force sense obtained by the parameter acquisition unit 512. When the state detection unit 513 detects that the state is a predetermined state, the operation control unit 511 suppresses the treatment performed by the treatment mechanism 80. Thereby, when detecting a state or the like in which the treatment should be suppressed, control for suppressing the treatment can be performed.

[0138] In each of the medical devices 1a, 1b, and 1c, the treatment mechanism 80 includes a treatment mechanism that cuts the treatment target site. In this case, the state detection unit 513 detects the reaction force from the treatment target site received by the treatment mechanism based on the control parameters related to the force sense, and based on the variation along the time series of the reaction force, detects that the treatment mechanism has penetrated the treatment target site as a predetermined state. Thereby, when the treatment target site is penetrated, control for suppressing the treatment can be performed.

[0139] [Realization of functions by hardware and software] The function of executing the series of processes according to the above-described embodiments can be realized by hardware, can be realized by software, or can be realized by a combination thereof. In other words, it is sufficient that the function of executing the above-described series of processes is realized in any of the medical devices 1 according to the embodiments, and there is no particular limitation on how this function is realized.

[0140] For example, when the function of executing the above-described series of processes is realized by software, the program constituting the software is installed in a computer via a network or a recording medium. In this case, the computer may be a computer in which dedicated hardware is incorporated, or may be a general-purpose computer (for example, general electronic devices such as a general-purpose personal computer) capable of executing a predetermined function by installing a program. Also, the steps of describing the program may include only processes that are performed in chronological order along the order, or may include processes that are executed in parallel or individually. Further, the steps of describing the program may be executed in any order within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0141] A recording medium on which such a program is recorded may be provided to a user by being distributed separately from the computer main body, or may be provided to the user in a state where it is pre-incorporated in the computer main body. In this case, the storage medium distributed separately from the computer main body is constituted by, for example, a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk. The optical disk is constituted by, for example, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc (Blu-ray disc). The magneto-optical disk is constituted by, for example, an MD (Mini Disc). These storage media are, for example, mounted on the drive 58 in FIG. 6 and incorporated into the computer main body. Also, the recording medium provided to the user in a state where it is pre-incorporated in the computer main body is constituted by, for example, the ROM 52 in FIG. 6 in which a program is recorded, or a hard disk included in the storage unit 55 in FIG. 6.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0142] 1a, 1b, 1c medical devices, 10 movable housing, 11 master-side unit, 12 switch, 14 rack and pinion, 13, 15 switch lever, 20 fixed housing, 21 slave-side unit, 22 drill bit rotation motor, 23 drill bit, 30, 40 housing, 50 information processing unit, 51 processor, 52 ROM, 53 RAM, 54 communication unit, 55 memory unit, 56 input unit, 57 output unit, 58 drive, 60 treatment target site, 70 operation mechanism, 80 treatment mechanism, 111 master-side driver, 112 master-side actuator (motor), 113 master-side position sensor, 211 slave-side driver, 212 slave-side actuator (motor), 213 slave-side position sensor, 511 operation control unit, 512 parameter acquisition unit, 513 state detection unit, 514 notification unit, 551 parameter memory unit, CS control target system, FT force·speed allocation conversion block, FC ideal force source block, PC ideal speed (position) source block, IFT inverse conversion block

Claims

1. an operation mechanism that receives an operation by an operator; an operation actuator that applies an operation reaction force to the operation mechanism; A treatment mechanism for treatment involving cutting a treatment target area of ​​a patient; A treatment actuator that causes the treatment mechanism to perform treatment; An operation control means, Calculating a control parameter related to the haptic sensation based on information about the position detected during the treatment, Controlling an operation of the treatment actuator to cause the treatment mechanism to perform treatment based on the control parameter related to the haptic sensation; controlling an operation of the operation actuator for applying an operation reaction force to the operation mechanism based on a control parameter related to the haptic sensation; a haptic sensation is mutually transmitted between the treatment actuator and the operation actuator based on a control parameter related to the haptic sensation; An operation control means; a parameter acquisition means for acquiring a control parameter related to the haptics used by the operation control means to control an operation for applying an operation reaction force to the operation mechanism by the operation actuator; a state detection means for detecting that the treatment mechanism has penetrated the treatment target area based on a time-series variation of the control parameter related to the haptic sense acquired by the parameter acquisition means; Equipped with The operation control means, when the state detection means detects the penetration, suppresses cutting of the treatment target site performed by the treatment mechanism. A medical drill characterized by:

2. The suppression of cutting of the treatment target site performed by the operation control means means stopping the transmission of the haptic sensation and performing control to fix the position of the treatment mechanism regardless of the operation of the operation mechanism by the operator.

2. The medical drill according to claim 1.

3. A first actuator that applies a propulsive force in the direction of the treatment target site; A second actuator that applies a propulsive force in the direction of the treatment target site; With the above in mind, the operation control means controls the first actuator as the operation actuator and the second actuator as the treatment actuator; 3. The medical drill according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the control parameter is either or both of a value indicating a force and a value indicating a position of the operation actuator; The state detection means calculates a fluctuation amount per unit time for either or both of the value indicating the force and the value indicating the position, and detects that the treatment mechanism has penetrated the treatment target area when the fluctuation amount per most recent unit time is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value.

4. The medical drill according to claim 1, wherein the drill is a drill bit.

5. The treatment mechanism is provided with an actuator that imparts either a propulsive force or a rotational force toward a treatment target site, The operation control means controls an actuator that applies either a propulsive force or a rotational force toward the treatment target site as the treatment actuator.

3. The medical drill according to claim 1 or 2.

6. A medical program for performing processing related to a medical drill, the medical drill comprising: an operating mechanism for receiving an operation from an operator; an operating actuator for applying an operating reaction force to the operating mechanism; a treatment mechanism for performing a treatment involving cutting a part of a patient to be treated; and a treatment actuator for causing the treatment mechanism to perform the treatment, A motion control function, Calculating a control parameter related to the haptic sensation based on information about the position detected during the treatment, Controlling an operation of the treatment actuator to cause the treatment mechanism to perform treatment based on the control parameter related to the haptic sensation; controlling an operation of the operation actuator for applying an operation reaction force to the operation mechanism based on a control parameter related to the haptic sensation; a haptic sensation is mutually transmitted between the treatment actuator and the operation actuator based on a control parameter related to the haptic sensation; A motion control function; a parameter acquisition function that acquires a control parameter related to the haptics used by the operation control function to control an operation for applying an operation reaction force to the operation mechanism by the operation actuator; a state detection function that detects that the treatment mechanism has penetrated the treatment target area based on a time-series variation of the control parameter related to the haptic sensation acquired by the parameter acquisition function; The above is realized on a computer, The operation control function suppresses cutting of the treatment target site performed by the treatment mechanism when the state detection function detects the penetration. A medical program characterized by:

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