surgical robotic arm

Abstract

The present invention relates to a minimally invasive surgical robot arm and a control method thereof, and aims to provide a surgical robot arm that realizes RCM control through electronic control, thereby reducing the overall instrument size and simplifying the configuration, thereby increasing space efficiency and preventing collisions between robot arms.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robotic arm for minimally invasive surgery and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] In medicine, surgery refers to the use of medical instruments to cut, incise, or manipulate skin, mucous membranes, or other tissues to treat illness. In particular, open surgery, in which the skin at the surgical site is incised and the organs inside are treated, reshaped, or removed, can cause problems such as bleeding, side effects, pain, and scars. Therefore, surgery that involves making specific holes in the skin and inserting only medical instruments, such as laparoscopes, surgical instruments, and microsurgical microscopes, or surgery using robots, has recently gained attention as an alternative.

[0003] Here, a surgical robot is a robot that can replace the surgical procedures performed by a surgeon. Such a surgical robot has the advantage of being able to perform more accurate and precise movements than a human and enabling remote surgery.

[0004] Currently, surgical robots being developed around the world include bone surgery robots, laparoscopic surgery robots, stereotactic surgery robots, etc. Here, laparoscopic surgery robots are robots that perform minimally invasive surgery using a laparoscope and small surgical tools.

[0005] Laparoscopic surgery is a cutting-edge surgical technique that is expected to see great development in the future. It involves performing surgery after making a small hole in the belly button and inserting a laparoscope, an endoscope used to look inside the abdomen. Recent laparoscopes are equipped with computer chips, allowing for clearer and more magnified images than can be seen with the naked eye. Laparoscopes have also become so advanced that any surgery can be performed by viewing the screen on a monitor and using specially designed laparoscopic surgical instruments.

[0006] Furthermore, while the scope of surgery is almost the same as that of open surgery, laparoscopic surgery has fewer complications than open surgery, allows treatment to begin much sooner after surgery, and has the advantage of being able to maintain the patient's physical strength and immune function. For these reasons, laparoscopic surgery is gradually becoming recognized as the standard surgery for treating colon cancer in the United States and Europe.

[0007] On the other hand, surgical robots generally consist of a master robot and a slave robot. When a surgeon operates a control lever (e.g., a handle) on the master robot, a surgical tool connected to the robot arm of the slave robot or held by the robot arm is operated to perform surgery.

[0008] The above-mentioned background art is technical information that the inventor possessed for the purpose of deriving the present invention or that he acquired in the process of deriving the present invention, and is not necessarily publicly known art that was made public to the general public prior to the filing of the present invention. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a surgical robot arm that realizes RCM control through electronic control, thereby reducing the overall instrument size, simplifying the configuration, increasing space efficiency, and preventing collisions between robot arms. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention provides a surgical robot arm having a surgical instrument attached thereto, the surgical robot arm including: a base link including an extension extending in one direction and a roll rotation base formed at one end of the extension and forming a predetermined angle with the extension; a first link coupled to the roll rotation base of the base link and formed to be capable of roll rotation around a first axis; a second link coupled to the first link and formed to be capable of linear movement along a second axis relative to the first link; and an instrument attachment link axially coupled to the second link by a link rotation axis formed in a third axis direction and formed to be rotatable around the link rotation axis.

[0011] In the present invention, a remote center of motion (RCM) is formed on the trocar into which the surgical instrument is inserted, and the trocar and the surgical instrument inserted therein can be controlled to rotate around the RCM.

[0012] In the present invention, the first link includes a first region that connects to the base link and a second region that connects to the second link, and the central axis of the first region and the central axis of the second region can be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other.

[0013] In the present invention, the RCM can be positioned on an extension of the central axis of the first region.

[0014] In the present invention, the RCM can be disposed on an extension of the first axis.

[0015] In the present invention, the first link may include a first region coupled to the roll rotation base portion of the base link and formed to be roll rotatable around the first axis, and a second region axially coupled to the first region by a pitch rotation axis formed in a fifth axis direction and formed to be rotatable around the pitch rotation axis.

[0016] In the present invention, the third axis and the fifth axis may be formed substantially parallel to each other.

[0017] In the present invention, the second region rotates relative to the first region about the pitch rotation axis, and the distance from one end of the trocar to the RCM can be controlled to be maintained constant.

[0018] In the present invention, the first region of the first link includes a 1-1 region that is connected to the base link, and a 1-2 region that is disposed between the 1-1 region and the second region and is connected to the 1-1 region and the 2nd region, respectively, and the 1-1 region and the 1-2 region may be axially connected so that the 1-2 region can rotate around a seventh axis relative to the 1-1 region.

[0019] In the present invention, RCM operation is possible even if the RCM and the first axis are spaced apart from each other on the XY plane.

[0020] In the present invention, the second link may include a first region coupled to the first link and formed to be linearly movable along the second axis relative to the first link, and a second region axially coupled to the first region by a pitch rotation axis and formed to be rotatable around the pitch rotation axis.

[0021] In the present invention, the second region rotates relative to the first region about the pitch rotation axis, and the distance from one end of the trocar to the RCM can be controlled to be maintained constant.

[0022] In the present invention, the surgical robot arm may further include a base that forms a base of the surgical robot arm and to which the base link is coupled on one surface.

[0023] In the present invention, the base link may be formed so as to be able to move linearly along a sixth axis direction relative to the base.

[0024] In the present invention, RCM operation is possible on the sixth axis even if the RCM and the first axis are spaced apart from each other.

[0025] In the present invention, the base link may be formed to be capable of rolling rotation about a sixth axis relative to the base.

[0026] In the present invention, RCM operation is possible even if the RCM and the first axis are spaced apart from each other on the XY plane.

[0027] In the present invention, the instrument mounting link may include a guide rail formed to extend in a fourth axial direction, and an instrument mounting portion to which the surgical instrument is coupled and formed to be capable of linear movement along the guide rail.

[0028] In the present invention, the distance from the distal end of the end tool of the surgical instrument to the RCM can be controlled to be kept constant by linear movement of the instrument mounting portion relative to the guide rail.

[0029] The present invention may further include a trocar holder portion to which the trocar is coupled, coupled to the instrument attachment link, and configured to be linearly movable along the instrument attachment link.

[0030] In the present invention, the distance from the distal end of the trocar to the RCM can be controlled to be kept constant by linear movement of the trocar holder portion relative to the instrument mounting link.

[0031] In the present invention, control of RCM operation around the RCM in a first direction can be performed by controlling the roll rotational movement of the first link relative to the base link around the first axis, the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link relative to the second link around the third axis, and the linear movement of the second link relative to the first link moving along the second axis.

[0032] In the present invention, due to the RCM control in the first direction, the roll motion of the surgical instrument can be controlled together.

[0033] In the present invention, the roll motion of the surgical instrument can be controlled to maintain a constant orientation of the end tool of the surgical instrument.

[0034] In the present invention, the surgical robot arm may further include a base that forms a base of the surgical robot arm and to which the base link is coupled on one side, and control of rotational movement of the base link relative to the base may further be performed to control RCM movement around the RCM in the first direction.

[0035] In the present invention, RCM control in the second direction can be achieved by controlling the linear motion of the second link relative to the first link moving along the second axis, and the rotational motion of the instrument mounting link relative to the second link about the third axis.

[0036] In the present invention, the first link includes a first region coupled to the roll rotation base portion of the base link and formed to be roll rotatable about the first axis, and a second region axially coupled to the first region by a pitch rotation axis and formed to be rotatable about the pitch rotation axis, and the rotational movement of the second region relative to the first region can be controlled together for RCM control in the second direction.

[0037] In the present invention, the second link includes a first region coupled to the first link and configured to be linearly movable along the second axis relative to the first link, and a second region axially coupled to the first region by a pitch rotation axis and configured to be rotatable around the pitch rotation axis, and for RCM control in the second direction, the rotational movement of the second region relative to the first region can be controlled together.

[0038] In the present invention, the second link and the instrument mounting link are connected only by the link rotation shaft, and the link rotation shaft can be actively controlled by a motor.

[0039] Other aspects, features, and advantages beyond those described above will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0040] In this way, by realizing RCM control through electronic control according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, thereby improving space efficiency and preventing collisions between robot arms. In particular, to operate a surgical instrument, rather than gripping and driving the rear of the surgical instrument (i.e., the opposite side of the endotool) as in the past, by gripping and driving the joint part with the trocar, which is relatively close to the endotool, the operating range of the surgical robot arm is reduced, and the driving force required for operation is reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0041] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a surgical robot system including a surgical robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the surgical robot system of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a slave robot of the surgical robot system of FIG. 1 and a surgical instrument attached thereto. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are a side view and a plan view showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are a side view and a plan view showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. [Figure 8] 5A and 5B are a side view and a plan view showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining in more detail the X-axis direction RCM motion (pitch movement) of FIGS. 6 to 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. [Figure 11] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. [Figure 12] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. [Figure 13] 5A and 5B are a side view and a plan view showing the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4 laid on its side. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 200 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. [Figure 16] 15 is a diagram for explaining in more detail the X-axis direction RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 14. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 300 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 5 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. [Figure 19]18A and 18B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 17. [Figure 20] 18A and 18B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 17. [Figure 21] 18A and 18B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 17. [Figure 22] FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis direction RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 17. [Figure 23] FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis direction RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 17. [Figure 24] FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis direction RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 17. [Figure 25] 18A and 18B are a side view and a plan view showing the surgical robot arm of FIG. 17 laid on its side. [Figure 26] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 700 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 26. [Figure 28] FIG. 27 is a side view showing the operating state of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 26. [Figure 29] 27A and 27B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 26. [Figure 30] 27A and 27B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 26. [Figure 31] 27A and 27B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 26. [Figure 32] FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis direction RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 26. [Figure 33] FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis direction RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 26. [Figure 34] FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis direction RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 26. [Figure 35] 27A and 27B are a side view and a plan view showing the surgical robot arm of FIG. 26 laid on its side. [Figure 36] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 800 according to embodiment 2-2 of the present invention. [Figure 37] FIG. 37 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 36. [Figure 38] 37A and 37B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 36. [Figure 39] 37A and 37B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 36. [Figure 40] 37A and 37B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 36. [Figure 41] FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 36. [Figure 42] FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 36. [Figure 43] FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 36. [Figure 44] 37A and 37B are a side view and a plan view showing the surgical robot arm of FIG. 36 laid on its side. [Figure 45] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 400 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 46] FIG. 46 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 45. [Figure 47] 46A and 46B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 45. [Figure 48]46A and 46B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 45. [Figure 49] 46A and 46B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 45. [Figure 50] FIG. 46 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 45. [Figure 51] FIG. 46 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 45. [Figure 52] FIG. 46 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 45. [Figure 53] 46A and 46B are a side view and a plan view showing the surgical robot arm of FIG. 45 laid on its side. [Figure 54] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 600 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 55] FIG. 55 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 54. [Figure 56] 55A and 55B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 54. [Figure 57] 55A and 55B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 54. [Figure 58] 55A and 55B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 54. [Figure 59] FIG. 55 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 54. [Figure 60] FIG. 55 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 54. [Figure 61] FIG. 55 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 54. [Figure 62] 55A and 55B are side and plan views showing the surgical robot arm of FIG. 54 laid on its side. [Figure 63] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 900 according to a 4-1 embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 64] FIG. 64 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 63. [Figure 65] 64A and 64B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 63. [Figure 66] 64A and 64B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 63. [Figure 67] 64A and 64B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 63. [Figure 68] FIG. 64 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis direction RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 63. [Figure 69] FIG. 64 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis direction RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 63. [Figure 70] FIG. 64 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis direction RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 63. [Figure 71] 64A and 64B are a side view and a plan view showing the surgical robot arm of FIG. 63 laid on its side. [Figure 72] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 73] FIG. 73 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 72. [Figure 74] 73A and 73B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 72. [Figure 75] 73A and 73B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 72. [Figure 76] 73A and 73B are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 72. [Figure 77]FIG. 73 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 72. [Figure 78] FIG. 73 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 72. [Figure 79] FIG. 73 is a perspective view showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 72. [Figure 80] 73A and 73B are a side view and a plan view showing the surgical robot arm of FIG. 72 laid on its side. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0042] Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are shown in the drawings and will be described in detail. However, it is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if a detailed description of related publicly known technology is considered to obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0043] Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

[0044] The terms used in this application are merely used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expressions include the plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described herein, and should be understood not to preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0045] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components will be given the same drawing numbers, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0046] Furthermore, in describing various embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that each embodiment does not need to be interpreted or implemented independently, and that the technical ideas described in each embodiment may be interpreted or implemented in combination with other embodiments that are separately described.

[0047] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a surgical robot system including a surgical robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the surgical robot system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a slave robot of the surgical robot system of FIG. 1 and surgical instruments attached thereto.

[0048] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a surgical robot system 1 includes a master robot 10, a slave robot 40, and surgical instruments 20.

[0049] The master robot 10 includes a manipulation member 10a and a display member 10b, and the slave robot 40 includes one or more surgical robot arms 41, 42, 43.

[0050] Specifically, the master robot 10 is provided with an operating member 10a so that the surgeon can hold and operate it in each hand. The operating member 10a can be implemented as two or more handles as shown in Fig. 1, and an operation signal corresponding to the surgeon's handle operation is transmitted to the slave robot 40 via a wired or wireless communication network to control the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43. In other words, the surgeon can operate the handles to perform surgical operations such as positioning, rotation, and cutting of the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43.

[0051] For example, a surgeon can operate the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 using a handle-shaped operating lever. Such operating levers can have various mechanical configurations depending on the operating method, and can be provided in various forms for operating the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 of the slave robot 40 and / or other surgical devices, such as a master handle for operating the operation of the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43, and various input tools such as a joystick, keypad, trackball, foot pedal, and touch screen added to the master robot 10 for operating the functions of the entire system. Here, the operating member 10a is not limited to a handle shape, and can be any shape that can control the operation of the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 via a network such as a wired or wireless communication network.

[0052] Alternatively, voice input or motion input may be applied for user input. That is, the user may wear glasses or a head-mounted display (HMD) with sensors attached to their head, and the laparoscope 50 may be moved according to the direction of their line of sight. Alternatively, when the user issues a voice command such as "left," "right," "arm 1," "arm 2," etc., the command may be recognized and an operation may be performed.

[0053] The display member 10b of the master robot 10 displays an image of a video captured through a laparoscope 50, which will be described later. In addition, a predetermined virtual control panel may be displayed on the display member 10b together with the video captured through the laparoscope 50, or may be displayed independently. Detailed descriptions of the arrangement, configuration, etc. of such a virtual control panel will be omitted.

[0054] The display member 10b may be configured with one or more monitors, each of which may display information required during surgery. The number of monitors may be determined in various ways depending on the type of information to be displayed.

[0055] On the other hand, the slave robot 40 can include one or more surgical robot arms 41, 42, 43. Here, each surgical robot arm 41, 42, 43 can be provided in a modular form that can operate independently of each other, and in this case, an algorithm can be applied to the surgical robot system 1 to prevent collisions between each surgical robot arm 41, 42, 43.

[0056] Generally, a robotic arm refers to a device that has the same functions as a human arm and / or wrist and can attach a predetermined tool to the wrist. In this specification, the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 can be defined as a concept that encompasses all components such as the upper arm, lower arm, wrist, and elbow, as well as the articulated surgical device connected to the wrist. Alternatively, they may be defined as a concept that includes only the components for driving the articulated surgical device, excluding the articulated surgical device connected to the wrist.

[0057] In this way, the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 of the slave robot 40 can be realized to be driven with multiple degrees of freedom. The surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 may be configured to include, for example, surgical instruments inserted into the surgical site on the patient, a yaw drive unit that rotates the surgical instruments in a yaw direction according to the surgical position, a pitch drive unit that rotates the surgical instruments in a pitch direction perpendicular to the rotational drive of the yaw drive unit, a transport drive unit that moves the surgical instruments in the longitudinal direction, a rotation drive unit that rotates the surgical instruments, and a surgical instrument drive unit that drives the end effectors at the distal ends of the surgical instruments to incise or cut the surgical lesion. However, the configuration of the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 is not limited to this example, and it should be understood that this example does not limit the scope of the present invention. Here, a detailed description of the actual control process, such as when the surgeon operates the operating member 10a, the surgical robot arms 41, 42, 43 rotate and move in the corresponding directions, will be omitted.

[0058] Here, surgical instruments 20 can be attached to two of the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43, and a laparoscope 50 can be attached to the remaining one. The surgeon can then select which of the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 he or she wishes to control via the master robot 10. In this way, by directly operating a total of three or more surgical instruments via the master robot 10, the surgeon can operate multiple instruments accurately and freely as intended, without the need for a surgical assistant.

[0059] On the other hand, one or more slave robots 40 can be provided to operate on a patient, and a laparoscope 50 for displaying an image of the surgical site via the display member 10b can also be implemented on an independent slave robot 40. Furthermore, as described above, the embodiments of the present invention can be generally used in surgical procedures using various surgical endoscopes other than laparoscopes (e.g., thoracoscopes, arthroscopes, nasal endoscopes, etc.).

[0060] Referring to FIG. 2, in one embodiment of the present invention, the master robot 10 may include a video input unit 11, a screen display unit 12, a user input unit 13, an operation signal generation unit 14, a control unit 15, a memory 16, a storage unit 17, and a communication unit 18.

[0061] The video input unit 11 can receive the video captured by the camera provided on the laparoscope 50 of the slave robot 40 via a wired or wireless communication network.

[0062] The screen display unit 12 outputs, as visual information, an image corresponding to the video received via the video input unit 11. When the screen display unit 12 receives biometric information of the subject, it can further output the corresponding information. The screen display unit 12 may also output image data (e.g., X-ray images, CT images, MRI images, etc.) related to the patient's surgical site. Here, the screen display unit 12 can be realized in the form of a display member (see 10b in FIG. 1), and the control unit 15 can perform an image processing process for outputting the received video as an image via the screen display unit 12.

[0063] 2, the video input unit and the screen display unit are shown as being included in the master robot 10, but this is not limiting. That is, the display member may be provided as a separate member separated from the master robot 10. Alternatively, the display member may be provided as a component of the master robot 10. Furthermore, in other embodiments, multiple display members may be provided, one of which may be located adjacent to the master robot 10 and the others may be located at some distance from the master robot 10.

[0064] Here, the screen display unit 12 (i.e., the display member 10b in FIG. 1) may be a stereoscopic display device. Specifically, a stereoscopic display device refers to an image display device that applies stereoscopic technology to add depth information to a two-dimensional image, allowing the observer to feel a sense of three-dimensional dynamism and reality using this depth information. The surgical robot system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention may also be provided with a stereoscopic display device as the screen display unit 12, thereby providing the user with a more realistic virtual environment.

[0065] The user input unit 13 is a means for allowing the surgeon to control the positions and functions of the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 of the slave robot 40. The user input unit 13 may be formed in the form of a handle-shaped operating member (see 10a in FIG. 1) as shown in FIG. 1, but its shape is not limited thereto and may be modified into various shapes to achieve the same purpose. Furthermore, for example, one part may be handle-shaped and another part may be formed in a different shape, such as a clutch button, and a finger insertion tube or insertion ring may be further formed into which the surgeon's finger can be inserted and fixed to facilitate operation of a surgical tool instrument.

[0066] When the surgeon operates the user input unit 13 to move the position of the surgical robot arms 41, 42, 43 or to operate the surgical action, the operation signal generation unit 14 generates a corresponding operation signal and transmits it to the slave robot 40 via the communication unit 18. The operation signal can be transmitted and received via a wired or wireless communication network.

[0067] The control unit 15 is a kind of central processing unit and controls the operation of each component to perform the above-mentioned functions. For example, the control unit 15 may perform a function of converting a video input via the video input unit 11 into an image to be displayed via the screen display unit 12.

[0068] The memory 16 can temporarily or permanently store data processed by the control unit 15. Here, the memory 16 can include a magnetic storage medium or a flash storage medium, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0069] The storage unit 17 can store data received from the slave robot 40. The storage unit 17 can also store various input data (for example, patient data, equipment data, surgery data, etc.).

[0070] The communication unit 18 provides a communication interface required for transmitting and receiving video data transmitted from the slave robot 40 and control data transmitted from the master robot 10 in conjunction with the communication network 60 .

[0071] The slave robot 40 includes multiple surgical robot arm control units 41a, 42a, and 43a. The surgical robot arm control unit 41a includes a robot arm control unit 46, an instrument control unit 47, and a communication unit 49. The surgical robot arm control unit 41a may further include a rail control unit 48.

[0072] The robot arm control unit 46 can receive the operation signal generated by the operation signal generation unit 14 of the master robot 10 and play a role in controlling the surgical robot arms 41, 42, and 43 to operate in accordance with this operation signal.

[0073] The instrument control unit 47 can receive the operation signal generated by the operation signal generation unit 14 of the master robot 10 and control the surgical instrument 20 to operate in response to this operation signal.

[0074] The communication unit 49 provides a communication interface required for transmitting and receiving video data transmitted from the slave robot 40 and control data transmitted from the master robot 10 in conjunction with the communication network 60 .

[0075] Meanwhile, the communication network 60 serves to connect the master robot 10 and the slave robot 40. That is, the communication network 60 refers to a communication network that provides a connection path so that the master robot 10 and the slave robot 40 can transmit and receive data to and from each other after they are connected. The communication network 60 may include, for example, wired networks such as LANs (Local Area Networks), WANs (Wide Area Networks), MANs (Metropolitan Area Networks), and ISDNs (Integrated Service Digital Networks), and wireless networks such as wireless LANs, CDMA, Bluetooth, and satellite communications, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0076] <First embodiment of surgical robot arm>

[0077] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0078] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. FIGS. 6 to 8 are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. FIG. 9 is a diagram explaining in more detail the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of FIGS. 6 to 8. FIGS. 10 to 12 are perspective views showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4. FIG. 13 is a side and plan view showing the surgical robot arm of FIG. 4 laid on its side.

[0079] 4 to 13, a surgical robot arm 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a base 110, a base link 120, a first link 130, a second link 140, and an instrument attachment link 150. A trocar 30 and a surgical instrument 20 are coupled to the instrument attachment link 150 of the surgical robot arm 100. This will be described in more detail as follows.

[0080] The surgical robot is provided with one or more surgical robot arms for surgical operations, and surgical instruments are attached to the tips of the surgical robot arms.

[0081] Generally, a robotic arm refers to a device that has functions similar to a human arm and / or wrist and can attach a predetermined tool to the wrist. In this specification, the term "robot arm" can be defined as a concept that encompasses all components such as the upper arm, lower arm, wrist, and elbow, as well as surgical instruments connected to the wrist. Such a surgical robotic arm can be implemented with multiple degrees of freedom.

[0082] When performing surgery with surgical instruments attached to the tip of a surgical robotic arm, the surgical instruments move in accordance with the movement of the surgical robotic arm, causing perforations in the patient's skin and the need to insert the surgical instruments into the perforations, which can cause unnecessary damage to the skin. Furthermore, if the surgical area is large, the skin must be incised only along the path of the surgical instruments, or perforated for each surgical area, potentially negating the advantages of robotic surgery.

[0083] Therefore, a virtual center of rotation is set at a predetermined position of the surgical instrument attached to the tip of the surgical robot arm (mainly the pivot point where the trocar penetrates the patient's skin), and the robot arm is controlled so that the instrument rotates around this point; this virtual center point is called the "remote center" or "RCM (remote center of motion)."

[0084] Conventional surgical robotic arms are constructed with multiple links so that when the nodes of each link are connected, they form a parallelogram, and a mechanical RCM structure is used to control each link to maintain the parallelogram shape during the robotic arm's operation. This "parallelogram RCM structure" theoretically allows for the virtual line that forms one side of the parallelogram to be controlled so that it rotates around the RCM point. However, this conventional "parallelogram RCM structure" inevitably requires a large structure, taking up a lot of space and posing problems such as collisions between multiple robotic arms.

[0085] To solve these problems, the surgical robot arm 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention achieves RCM control electronically rather than mechanically using a "parallelogram RCM structure," thereby reducing the overall mechanism size and simplifying the configuration, thereby increasing space efficiency and providing a surgical robot arm that does not cause collisions between robot arms.

[0086] This will be explained in more detail below.

[0087] In this embodiment, for convenience, the longitudinal direction of the bed on which the patient lies is defined as the X axis, the width direction of the bed as the Y axis, and the direction perpendicular to the ground as the Z axis.

[0088] 4 to 13, the base 110 serves as a base for the entire surgical robot arm 100. Here, a moving means (not shown), such as wheels, may be formed on the underside of the base 110, so that the base 110 may serve as a kind of cart. The base 110 may also be further formed with a position fixing means (not shown) to fix the position of the base 110 during surgery. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the base 110 may be formed in a shape that can be attached and detached to a bed or a wall.

[0089] The base link 120 includes an extension 121 and a roll rotation base 122. The extension 121 may be formed to extend in one direction from the base 110, and in the drawing, the extension 121 of the base link 120 is shown to be formed to extend from the base 110 in the Z-axis direction. In other words, one end of the base link 120 is connected to the base 110. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the base link 120 is fixedly connected to the base 110.

[0090] Meanwhile, a roll rotation base part 122 is formed at the other end of the base link 120. The roll rotation base part 122 may be formed to be inclined to a certain degree so as to have a predetermined angle with the extension part 121.

[0091] Here, the roll rotation base portion 122 of the base link 120 may be formed in a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis A1 formed along the first direction. The first link 130 connected to the roll rotation base portion 122 (and the second link 140, instrument mounting link 150, and surgical instrument 20 connected to the first link 130 in sequence) may be formed to roll around the first axis A1.

[0092] Here, the first axis A1 may be formed in a diagonal direction that is not parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis, and an RCM (described later) may be located on an extension of the first axis A1.

[0093] The first link 130 is coupled to the base link 120, more specifically, the roll rotation base portion 122 of the base link 120, and the entire first link 130 may be formed to be rotatable around a first axis A1 of the roll rotation base portion 122. Alternatively, it may be expressed that the first link 130 rolls around the base link 120. To realize such rotational movement of the first link 130 relative to the base link 120, a motor may be provided in either the base link 120 or the first link 130. The motor may actively control the rotational movement of the first link 130 relative to the base link 120.

[0094] Meanwhile, the first link 130 may include a first region 131 coupled to the base link 120 and a second region 132 coupled to the second link 140. Here, the central axis of the first region 131 and the central axis of the second region 132 may be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other.

[0095] At this time, the central axis of the first region 131 may coincide with the first axis A1, and therefore the RCM may be located on an extension line of the central axis of the first region 131.

[0096] Although the drawings show first link 130 as being made up of two parts, first region 131 and second region 132, with linear first region 131 and second region 132 forming a predetermined angle with each other, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and first link 130 may be divided into two or more regions, and each region may be formed with a gentle curve. Also, in this embodiment, first region 131 and second region 132 are shown as being formed integrally with each other, but they may also be formed from separate members and then joined together.

[0097] When the first link 130 rotates around the first axis A1, the second link 140, the instrument mounting link 150, and the surgical instrument 20 connected to the first link 130 rotate together. As a result, the coordinate systems of the second link 140 and the instrument mounting link 150 are not fixed but continue to change relative to each other as the first link 130 rotates. That is, in FIG. 1 and other drawings, the second link 140 is shown parallel to the Y-axis and the instrument mounting link 150 is shown parallel to the Z-axis. However, when the first link 130 rotates, the coordinate systems of the second link 140 and the instrument mounting link 150 also rotate. However, for convenience of explanation, this specification will be described based on a state in which the second link 140 is parallel to the Y-axis and the instrument mounting link 150 is parallel to the Z-axis, as shown in FIG. 4, unless otherwise specified.

[0098] Similarly, when the second link 140 moves linearly, the instrument mounting link 150 and the surgical instrument 20 move linearly together. As a result, the coordinate systems of the instrument mounting link 150 and the surgical instrument 20 are not fixed, but continue to change relatively due to the linear movement of the second link 140.

[0099] Similarly, when the instrument mounting link 150 rotates, the surgical instrument 20 rotates with it. This means that the coordinate system of the surgical instrument 20 is not fixed, but continues to change relative to the rotation of the instrument mounting link 150.

[0100] The second link 140 is coupled to the first link 130 and can move linearly back and forth in both directions along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 130. Although the figure shows the second link 140 moving linearly back and forth along the X-axis direction relative to the first link 130, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the linear reciprocating axis of the second link 140 may be formed in various ways depending on the shape and configuration of the links.

[0101] To achieve such linear motion, a linear actuator (not shown) can be provided on either the first link 130 or the second link 140. This linear actuator (not shown) can actively control the linear motion of the second link 140 relative to the first link 130.

[0102] Here, the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 may generally be different axes from each other. Alternatively, even if the first link 130, the second link 140, etc. are bent to a certain extent so that the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 are parallel to each other, the second axis A2 can be formed so as not to pass through the RCM.

[0103] The instrument mounting link 150 and the second link 140 are axially connected by a link rotation shaft 160 coupled in the direction of the third axis A3, so that the instrument mounting link 150 can rotate about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 140. In other words, when viewed in the drawing, the instrument mounting link 150 can rotate about the X-axis.

[0104] To achieve this rotational movement, a motor can be provided on either the second link 140 or the instrument mounting link 150. This motor allows for active control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 150 relative to the second link 140.

[0105] Here, the second link 140 and the instrument mounting link 150 are connected only by a link rotation shaft 160, and the link rotation shaft 160 may be actively controlled by a motor (not shown).

[0106] Meanwhile, the instrument mounting link 150 is formed with an instrument mounting portion 151 and a guide rail 152. With the surgical instrument 20 attached to the instrument mounting portion 151, the instrument mounting portion 151 can move linearly along the guide rail 152 formed in the direction of the fourth axis A4. To achieve such linear movement, the instrument mounting portion 151 can be provided with a linear actuator (not shown).

[0107] Here, the fourth axis A4 may be the direction in which the guide rail 152 is formed, and may also be the extension direction of the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 coupled to the instrument mounting link 150.

[0108] The surgical instrument 20 is attached to the instrument attachment portion 151 of the instrument attachment link 150 of the surgical robot arm 100.

[0109] Although not shown in the figures, the instrument mounting portion 151 may further include an interface portion (not shown) for coupling with the surgical instrument 20 to control the movement of the surgical instrument 20. The interface portion (not shown) may include components for coupling with the drive portion 23 of the surgical instrument 20, as well as a motor for transmitting driving force from the surgical robot arm 100 to the surgical instrument 20. This interface portion (not shown) allows the end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform pitch, yaw, and actuation motions. Furthermore, this interface portion (not shown) allows the shaft 22 and end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform roll motion around a fourth axis A4.

[0110] Meanwhile, a trocar 30, which serves as an insertion passage for inserting the surgical instrument 20 into the patient's body, can be coupled to the instrument attachment link 150, and with the trocar 30 inserted into the body, the surgical instrument 20 can be inserted into the patient's body through the trocar 30. An RCM can be formed at a predetermined position on the trocar 30. As described above, the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 130, can be formed to pass through this RCM.

[0111] The surgical instrument 20 may further include a driving unit 23. The driving unit 23 may be formed with components for coupling with the interface unit (not shown) and a drive wheel that operates by meshing with the motor. As such, the interface unit (not shown) and the driving unit 23 are formed with corresponding coupling means and drive transmission means, respectively, so that the surgical instrument 20, attached to the instrument attachment link 150, receives a driving force from the surgical robot arm 100 and operates.

[0112] In the present invention, the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm 100 is a structure in which a surgical instrument 20 is attached to one side of the surgical robot arm 100 and is operated and controlled so that the surgical instrument 20 rotates around a predetermined RCM point on the trocar 30 into which it is inserted. Here, the RCM structure according to this embodiment is characterized by being realized by electronic control of each link, rather than the existing mechanical parallelogram link structure.

[0113] In the following, for convenience, the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction of the figure will be explained separately, but it can be said that the overall control is performed by combining the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction. Note that the coordinate system of each component can change relatively due to the rotation and linear movement of each link, but for convenience in the following explanation, the bed will be used as the reference point and the X-axis and Y-axis directions of the bed will be used as the reference.

[0114] This will be explained in more detail as follows.

[0115] First, referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the control in the X-axis direction, i.e., the control of the pitch movement, is as follows:

[0116] 1) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 140 relative to the first link 130;

[0117] 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 150 relative to the second link 140;

[0118] 3) This can be realized by a combination of control of the linear motion of the instrument mounting portion 151 relative to the guide rail 152 of the instrument mounting link 150.

[0119] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the X-axis, the second link 140 first performs linear movement along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 130. At the same time, the instrument mounting link 150 is controlled to perform rotational movement around the third axis A3 relative to the second link 140, thereby performing RCM motion. As a result, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0120] Furthermore, even if the surgical instrument 20 rotates around the X-axis, the insertion depth LE of the instrument must not change. Therefore, the instrument insertion depth LE can be maintained constant by linearly moving the instrument mounting portion 151 (and the surgical instrument 20 connected thereto) along the guide rail 152 formed along the fourth axis A4.

[0121] Explaining this from another perspective, compared to the length L1 from the retraction portion 31 of the trocar 30 to the RCM when the surgical instrument 20 is perpendicular to the Z axis (see FIG. 6), the length L2 from the retraction portion 31 of the trocar 30 to the RCM becomes even longer when the second link 140 moves linearly relative to the first link 130 and is retracted from the first link 130 (see FIG. 7) or retracted into the first link 130 (see FIG. 8). Conversely, at this time, the distance from the retraction portion 32 of the trocar 30 to the RCM becomes shorter. Therefore, if the surgical instrument 20 moves together with the trocar 30, the trocar 30 and the surgical instrument 20 therein move relatively in a direction from the inside to the outside of the human body.

[0122] Therefore, in order to maintain at least the insertion depth LE of the surgical instrument 20 inside the patient's body constant, the distance LE from the end of the end tool 21 to the RCM is maintained constant by linearly moving the instrument mounting portion 151 (and the instrument 20 connected thereto) along the guide rail 152 in the direction of insertion into the human body.

[0123] In this way, by combining 1) control of the linear movement of the second link 140 relative to the first link 130, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 150 relative to the second link 140, and 3) control of the linear movement of the instrument mounting part 151 relative to the guide rail 152 of the instrument mounting link 150, the RCM maintains its position in the X-axis direction even when the links move.

[0124] Of course, strictly speaking, the RCM of the surgical robot arm 100 itself can be achieved by only 1) controlling the linear motion of the second link 140 relative to the first link 130, and 2) controlling the rotational motion of the instrument mounting link 150 relative to the second link 140. However, during actual surgery, not only must the RCM of the surgical robot arm 100 itself be maintained, but the insertion depth of the surgical instruments 20 into the human body must also be kept constant, so 3) control of the linear motion of the instrument mounting part 151 relative to the guide rail 152 must also be performed.

[0125] Next, referring to FIGS. 10 to 12, the RCM control in the Y-axis direction, i.e., the control of yaw movement, is as follows:

[0126] 1) Control of the roll rotational motion of the first link 130 around the first axis A1;

[0127] 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 150 relative to the second link 140;

[0128] 3) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 140 relative to the first link 130;

[0129] 4) This can be realized by a combination of controlling the roll motion of the surgical instrument 20.

[0130] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the Y-axis, the first link 130 first performs a rolling rotational movement around the first axis A1. Then, the first link 130, the second link 140 connected to the first link 130 in sequence, the instrument mounting link 150, and the surgical instrument 20 all perform a rolling rotation around the first axis A1.

[0131] At this time, the first axis A1, which is the rotation axis of the first link 130, does not coincide with the Y axis and is formed at an angle, so when only the first link 130 rotates, an unintended movement is mixed in. That is, as shown in the figure, when the first link 130 rotates, the second link 140, the instrument mounting link 150, and the surgical instrument 20 perform a kind of rolling.

[0132] To compensate for this, the instrument mounting link 150 is controlled to rotate about the link rotation axis 160 relative to the second link 140 in conjunction with the rotation of the first link 130, and the second link 140 is controlled to move linearly relative to the first link 130, thereby performing RCM motion. In other words, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0133] In addition, the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 can be controlled to perform a roll motion around the fourth axis A4, and the end tool 21 can be compensated to maintain its posture regardless of the rotation of the first link 130.

[0134] In this way, by combining 1) control of the roll rotational movement of the first link 130 around the first axis A1, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 150 relative to the second link 140, 3) control of the linear movement of the second link 140 relative to the first link 130, and 4) control of the roll movement of the surgical instrument 20, the RCM maintains its position in the Y-axis direction even when the links move.

[0135] In conclusion, from the perspective of the degrees of freedom of the surgical robot arm 100 itself (excluding the surgical instruments 20), the surgical robot arm 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can operate with four degrees of freedom: 1) rolling rotational movement of the first link 130 about the first axis A1, 2) linear movement of the second link 140 relative to the first link 130, 3) rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 150 relative to the second link 140, and 4) linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 151 relative to the guide rail 152 of the instrument mounting link 150.

[0136] In this way, by realizing RCM control through electronic control according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, thereby improving space efficiency and preventing collisions between robot arms. In particular, to operate the surgical instrument 20, rather than gripping and driving the rear of the surgical instrument 20 (i.e., the opposite side of the endotool 21) as in the conventional method, the surgical instrument 20 is driven by gripping the joint portion with the trocar 30, which is relatively close to the endotool 21, thereby reducing the operating range of the surgical robot arm 100 and reducing the driving force required for operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0137] <Surgical Robot Arm 1-1 Embodiment>

[0138] The following describes a surgical robot arm 200 according to embodiment 1-1 of the present invention. The surgical robot arm 200 according to embodiment 1-1 of the present invention is characterized by a different configuration of the instrument mounting link 250 of the robot arm 200 compared to the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4). In other words, the robot arm 200 according to embodiment 1-1 of the present invention is an embodiment in which a trocar holder unit 270 is added compared to the embodiment of FIG. 4. These differences in configuration compared to the first embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0139] Figure 14 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 200 according to embodiment 1-1 of the present invention. Figure 15 is an enlarged view of part A in Figure 14. Figure 16 is a diagram explaining in more detail the X-axis direction RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 14.

[0140] 14 to 16, the surgical robot arm 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a base 210, a base link 220, a first link 230, a second link 240, and an instrument mounting link 250. The surgical robot arm 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention further includes a trocar holder unit 270, which will be described in more detail as follows.

[0141] As described above, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 about the X-axis, the second link 240 first performs linear movement along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 230. At the same time, the instrument mounting link 250 is controlled to perform rotational movement about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 240, thereby performing RCM motion. In this case, the linear movement of the second link 240 relative to the first link 230 inevitably changes the distance from the RCM to the distal end of the trocar 30 (see Lt in FIG. 6). If Lt is too short, there is a risk that the trocar 30 may slip out of the patient's abdomen, creating a risk.

[0142] To solve this problem, the surgical robot arm 200 according to embodiment 1-1 of the present invention further includes a trocar holder portion 270, which is linearly moved along the fourth axis A4 in response to the movement of the instrument mounting link 250, the second link 240, etc., thereby maintaining a constant insertion depth of the trocar 30.

[0143] Specifically, the trocar holder 270 may include a main body 271 and a trocar coupling portion 272. The main body 271 may be configured to be coupled to the guide rail 252 of the instrument mounting link 250 and to move linearly in the direction of the fourth axis A4 along the guide rail 252. The trocar coupling portion 272 may be formed to protrude from one side of the main body 271 and may be formed to be coupled to the trocar 30.

[0144] In this embodiment, the control in the X-axis direction is as follows: 1) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 240 relative to the first link 230; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 250 relative to the second link 240; 3) Control of the linear motion of the instrument mounting portion 251 relative to the guide rail 252 of the instrument mounting link 250; 4) This can be realized by a combination of control of the linear motion of the trocar holder portion 270 relative to the guide rail 252 of the instrument mounting link 250.

[0145] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the X-axis, first, the second link 240 performs linear movement along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 230. At the same time, the instrument mounting link 250 is controlled to perform rotational movement around the third axis A3 relative to the second link 240, thereby performing RCM motion. In other words, even if the links move, the RCM maintains its position.

[0146] Furthermore, even if the surgical instrument 20 rotates around the X-axis, the insertion depth of the instrument (see LE in Figure 6) must not change. Therefore, by linearly moving the instrument mounting portion 251 (and the surgical instrument 20 connected thereto) along the guide rail 252 formed along the fourth axis A4, the insertion depth of the instrument (see LE in Figure 6) can be maintained constant.

[0147] In other words, when the surgical instrument 20 rotates in a direction tilted to a certain degree from a state perpendicular to the Z-axis, the surgical instrument 20 moves relatively in a direction from the inside of the human body to the outside. At this time, in order to maintain at least a constant insertion depth of the surgical instrument 20 into the patient's body (see LE in FIG. 6), the instrument mounting part 251 (and the surgical instrument 20 coupled thereto) is moved linearly along the guide rail 252 in the direction of insertion into the human body, thereby maintaining a constant distance from the distal end of the end tool 21 to the RCM.

[0148] On the other hand, in this case, the distance Lt from the RCM to the end of the trocar 30 cannot help but change as the second link 240 moves linearly relative to the first link 230, and if Lt is too short, as in the left and right situations in Figure 16, there is a risk that the trocar 30 may come loose, which is dangerous.

[0149] Explaining this from another perspective, compared to the length (see L1 in FIG. 9) from the retraction portion of the trocar 30 (see 31 in FIG. 9) to the RCM when the surgical instrument 20 is perpendicular to the Z-axis, the length (see L2 in FIG. 9) from the retraction portion of the trocar 30 (see 31 in FIG. 9) to the RCM becomes even longer when the second link 240 moves linearly relative to the first link 230 and is pulled out from or pulled into the first link 230. Conversely, at this time, the distance from the pullout portion of the trocar 30 (see 32 in FIG. 9) to the RCM becomes shorter.

[0150] As a result, the trocar 30 moves relatively in the direction of being pulled out from the inside of the human body. To compensate for this, the trocar holder 270 is moved linearly along the guide rail 252 in the direction of insertion into the human body, thereby maintaining a constant insertion depth of the trocar 30.

[0151] In this way, by combining 1) control of the linear movement of the second link 240 relative to the first link 230, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 250 relative to the second link 240, 3) control of the linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 251 relative to the guide rail 252 of the instrument mounting link 250, and 4) control of the linear movement of the trocar holder portion 270 relative to the guide rail 252 of the instrument mounting link 250, the RCM maintains its position in the X-axis direction even when the links move.

[0152] Of course, strictly speaking, the RCM of the surgical robot arm 200 itself can be realized by only 1) controlling the linear motion of the second link 240 relative to the first link 230, and 2) controlling the rotational motion of the instrument mounting link 250 relative to the second link 240. However, during actual surgery, not only must the RCM of the surgical robot arm 200 itself be maintained, but the insertion depth of the surgical instruments 20 and trocar 30 into the human body must also be kept constant, so 3) control of the linear motion of the instrument mounting portion 251 relative to the guide rail 252, and 4) control of the linear motion of the trocar holder portion 270 of the instrument mounting link 250 relative to the guide rail 252 must also be controlled.

[0153] In conclusion, from the perspective of the degrees of freedom of the surgical robot arm 200 itself (excluding the surgical instruments 20), the surgical robot arm 200 according to embodiment 1-1 of the present invention can operate with five degrees of freedom: 1) rolling rotational movement of the first link 230 about the first axis A1, 2) linear movement of the second link 240 relative to the first link 230, 3) rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 250 relative to the second link 240, 4) linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 251 relative to the guide rail 252 of the instrument mounting link 250, and 5) linear movement of the trocar holder portion 270 relative to the instrument mounting link 250.

[0154] As described above, by implementing RCM control electronically according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, resulting in increased space efficiency and the prevention of collisions between robot arms. In particular, to operate the surgical instrument 20, rather than grasping and driving the rear of the surgical instrument 20 (i.e., the side opposite the endotool 21) as in the conventional method, the surgical instrument 20 is driven by grasping and driving the joint portion between the trocar 30, which is relatively close to the endotool 21. This reduces the operating range of the surgical robot arm 100 and reduces the driving force required for operation. Furthermore, by providing a trocar holder 270 and controlling the insertion depth of the trocar 30 at a constant level, the risk of the trocar 30 coming out of the abdomen during surgery is eliminated, further improving safety.

[0155] <Second embodiment of surgical robot arm> A surgical robot arm 300 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The surgical robot arm 300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is characterized by a difference in the configuration of the first link 330 of the robot arm 300 compared to the surgical robot arm (see 100 in FIG. 4) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In other words, the robot arm 300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is an embodiment in which the first region 331 and the second region 332 of the first link 330 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other about the pitch rotation axis 335, as compared to the embodiment of FIG. 4. The differences in configuration compared to the first embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0156] Figure 17 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 300 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 18 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of Figure 4. Figures 19 to 21 are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 17. Figures 22 to 24 are perspective views showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 17. Figure 25 is a side and plan view showing the surgical robot arm of Figure 17 laid on its side.

[0157] 17 to 25, a surgical robot arm 300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a base 310, a base link 320, a first link 330, a second link 340, and an instrument mounting link 350. Here, the surgical robot arm 300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the first link 330 is made up of two parts, a first region 331 and a second region 332, and the first region 331 and the second region 332 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other around a pitch rotation axis 335.

[0158] The base 310 serves as the base of the entire surgical robot arm 300. Here, a moving means (not shown) such as wheels may be formed on the underside of the base 310, so that the base 310 may serve as a kind of cart. The base 310 may further be formed with a position fixing means (not shown) to fix the position of the base 310 during surgery. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the base 310 may be formed in a shape that can be attached and detached to a bed or a wall.

[0159] The base link 320 includes an extension portion 321 and a roll rotation base portion 322. The extension portion 321 may be formed to extend in one direction from the base 310, and in the drawing, the extension portion 321 of the base link 320 is shown to be formed to extend in the Z-axis direction from the base 310. In other words, one end of the base link 320 is connected to the base 310. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the base link 320 is fixedly connected to the base 310.

[0160] Meanwhile, a roll rotation base part 322 is formed at the other end of the base link 320. The roll rotation base part 322 may be formed to be inclined to a certain degree so as to have a predetermined angle with the extension part 321.

[0161] Here, the roll rotation base portion 322 of the base link 320 may be formed in a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis A1 formed along the first direction. The first link 330 connected to the roll rotation base portion 322 (and the second link 340, the instrument mounting link 350, and the surgical instrument 20 connected to the first link 330 in sequence) may be configured to roll around the first axis A1.

[0162] Here, the first axis A1 can be formed in an oblique direction that is not parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis. An RCM (described later) can be formed on an extension of the first axis A1.

[0163] The first link 330 is coupled to the base link 320, more specifically, the roll rotation base portion 322 of the base link 320, and the entire first link 330 may be formed to be rotatable around a first axis A1 of the roll rotation base portion 322. Alternatively, it may be expressed that the first link 330 rolls around the base link 320. To realize such rotational movement of the first link 330 relative to the base link 320, a motor may be provided in either the base link 320 or the first link 330.

[0164] Meanwhile, the first link 330 may include a first region 331 coupled to the base link 320 and a second region 332 coupled to the second link 340. Here, the central axis of the first region 331 and the central axis of the second region 332 may be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other. The first region 331 and the second region 332 are axially coupled by a pitch rotation axis 335 formed in the direction of the fifth axis A5, so that the second region 332 is rotatable around the fifth axis A5 relative to the first region 331. That is, when viewed in the drawing, the second region 332 can rotate around the X-axis.

[0165] Here, the central axis of the first region 331 may coincide with the first axis A1, and therefore the RCM may be located on an extension line of the central axis of the first region 331.

[0166] Here, when the first link 330 rotates around the first axis A1, the second link 340 connected to the first link 330, the instrument mounting link 350, and the surgical instrument 20 rotate together.

[0167] As described above, the central axis of the first region 331 and the central axis of the second region 332 may be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other. That is, the central axis of the first link 330 may coincide with the first axis A1, and therefore the RCM may be located on an extension of the central axis of the first region 331. In addition, the central axis of the second region 332 may coincide with the second axis A2 of the second link 340, which will be described later.

[0168] On the other hand, in order to realize the rotational movement of the second region 332 relative to the first region 331, a motor can be provided in either the first region 331 or the second region 332.

[0169] The second link 340 is coupled to the second region 332 of the first link 330 and can move linearly back and forth in one direction along the second axis A2 relative to the second region 332 of the first link 330. Although the figure shows the second link 340 moving linearly back and forth along the X-axis direction relative to the first link 330, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the linear reciprocating axis of the second link 340 may be formed in various ways depending on the shape and configuration of the link.

[0170] To achieve such linear motion, either the first link 330 or the second link 340 may be provided with a linear actuator (not shown).

[0171] Here, the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 may generally be different axes from each other. Alternatively, even if the first link 330, the second link 340, etc. are bent to a certain extent so that the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 are parallel to each other, the second axis A2 can be formed so as not to pass through the RCM.

[0172] The instrument mounting link 350 and the second link 340 are axially connected by a link rotation shaft 360 coupled in the direction of the third axis A3, so that the instrument mounting link 350 can rotate relative to the second link 340 around the third axis A3. In other words, when viewed in the drawing, the instrument mounting link 350 can rotate around the X-axis. To achieve this rotational movement, a motor can be provided in either the second link 340 or the instrument mounting link 350.

[0173] Meanwhile, the instrument mounting link 350 is formed with an instrument mounting portion 351 and a guide rail 352. With the surgical instrument 20 attached to the instrument mounting portion 351, the instrument mounting portion 351 can move linearly along the guide rail 352 formed in the direction of the fourth axis A4. To achieve such linear movement, the instrument mounting portion 351 can be provided with a linear actuator (not shown).

[0174] Here, the fourth axis A4 may be the direction in which the guide rail 352 is formed, and may also be the extension direction of the shaft of the surgical instrument 20 coupled to the instrument attachment link 350.

[0175] The surgical instrument 20 is attached to the instrument attachment portion 351 of the instrument attachment link 350 of the surgical robot arm 300.

[0176] Although not shown in the figures, the instrument mounting portion 351 may further include an interface portion (not shown) for coupling with the surgical instrument 20 to control the movement of the surgical instrument 20. The interface portion (not shown) may include components for coupling with the drive portion 23 of the surgical instrument 20 and a motor for transmitting driving force from the surgical robot arm 300 to the surgical instrument 20. This interface portion (not shown) allows the end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform pitch, yaw, and actuation movements. Furthermore, this interface portion (not shown) allows the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 to perform roll movement around the fourth axis A4.

[0177] Meanwhile, a trocar 30 can be further provided as an insertion passage for inserting the surgical instrument 20 into the patient's body, and the surgical instrument 20 can be inserted into the patient's body through the trocar 30 with the trocar 30 inserted into the body. An RCM can be formed at a predetermined position on such a trocar 30. As described above, the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 330, can be formed to pass through this RCM.

[0178] The surgical instrument 20 may further include a driving unit 23. The driving unit 23 may be formed with components for coupling with the interface unit (not shown) and a drive wheel that operates by meshing with the motor. As such, the interface unit (not shown) and the driving unit 23 are formed with corresponding coupling means and drive transmission means, respectively, so that the surgical instrument 20, attached to the instrument mounting link 350, receives a driving force from the surgical robot arm 300 and operates.

[0179] In the present invention, the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm 300 is a structure in which a surgical instrument 20 is attached to one side of the surgical robot arm 300 and is operated and controlled so that the surgical instrument 20 rotates around a predetermined RCM point on the trocar 30 into which the surgical instrument 20 is inserted. Here, the RCM structure according to this embodiment is characterized by being realized by electronic control of each link, rather than the existing mechanical parallelogram link structure.

[0180] In the following, for convenience, the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction of the figure will be explained separately, but it can be said that the overall control is performed by combining the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction. Note that the coordinate system of each component can change relatively due to the rotation and linear movement of each link, but for convenience in the following explanation, the bed will be used as the reference point and the X-axis and Y-axis directions of the bed will be used as the reference.

[0181] This will be explained in more detail as follows.

[0182] First, control in the X-axis direction is 1) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 340 relative to the first link 330; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 350 relative to the second link 340; 3) This can be realized by a combination of control of the rotational movement of the second region 332 of the first link 330 relative to the first region 331 of the first link 330.

[0183] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 about the X-axis, first, the second link 340 performs linear movement along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 330. At the same time, the instrument mounting link 350 performs rotational movement about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 340, and the second region 332 of the first link 330 is controlled to perform rotational movement relative to the first region 331 of the first link 330, thereby performing RCM motion. As a result, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0184] At this time, even if the surgical instrument 20 rotates around the X-axis, the insertion depth of the instrument (see LE in Figure 6) must not change, and the distance from the RCM to the end of the trocar 30 (see Lt in Figure 6) must not change either.

[0185] For this reason, the surgical robot arm 300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is characterized by having one additional degree of freedom compared to the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4). That is, in the surgical robot arm 300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the first region 331 and the second region 332 of the first link 330 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other around the pitch rotation axis 335.

[0186] Therefore, when controlling the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the X-axis, the second region 332 of the first link 330 can be controlled to rotate relative to the first region 331 of the first link 330, thereby maintaining a constant insertion depth of the surgical instrument 20 and the trocar 30.

[0187] In this way, by combining 1) control of the linear movement of the second link 340 relative to the first link 330, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 350 relative to the second link 340, and 3) control of the rotational movement of the second region 332 of the first link 330 relative to the first region 331 of the first link 330, the RCM maintains its position in the X-axis direction even when the links move.

[0188] Next, RCM control in the Y-axis direction is 1) Control of the roll rotational motion of the first link 330 around the first axis A1; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 350 relative to the second link 340; 3) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 340 relative to the first link 330; 4) This can be realized by a combination of controlling the roll motion of the surgical instrument 20.

[0189] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the Y-axis, the first link 330 first performs a rolling rotational movement around the first axis A1, and then the first link 330, the second link 340 connected to the first link 330 in sequence, the instrument mounting link 350, and the surgical instrument 20 all perform a rolling rotation around the first axis A1.

[0190] In this case, the first axis A1, which is the rotation axis of the first link 330, does not coincide with the Y axis and is formed at an angle, so when only the first link 330 rotates, an unintended movement occurs. That is, as shown in the figure, when the first link 330 rotates, the second link 340, the instrument mounting link 350, and the surgical instrument 20 perform a kind of rolling.

[0191] To compensate for this, the instrument mounting link 350 is controlled to rotate about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 340 in conjunction with the rotation of the first link 330, and the second link 340 is controlled to move linearly relative to the first link 330, thereby performing RCM motion. In other words, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0192] In addition, the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 can be controlled to perform a roll motion around the fourth axis A4, and the end tool 21 can be compensated to maintain its posture regardless of the rotation of the first link 330.

[0193] In this way, by combining 1) control of the roll rotational movement of the first link 330 around the first axis A1, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 350 relative to the second link 340, 3) control of the linear movement of the second link 340 relative to the first link 330, and 4) control of the roll movement of the surgical instrument 20, the RCM maintains its position in the Y-axis direction even when the links move.

[0194] In conclusion, from the perspective of the degrees of freedom of the surgical robot arm 300 itself (excluding the surgical instruments 20), the surgical robot arm 300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention can operate with four degrees of freedom: 1) roll rotational movement of the first link 330 about the first axis A1, 2) linear movement of the second link 340 relative to the first link 330, 3) rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 350 relative to the second link 340, and 4) rotational movement of the second region 332 of the first link 330 relative to the first region 331 of the first link 330. Here, translational movement of the surgical instrument 20, i.e., linear movement of the surgical instrument 20 in the direction of the fourth axis A4, is also possible through linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 351 relative to the guide rail 352 of the instrument mounting link 350.

[0195] As described above, by implementing RCM control through electronic control according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, resulting in increased space efficiency and the prevention of collisions between robot arms. In particular, rather than gripping and driving the surgical instrument 20 at the rear (i.e., the side opposite the endotool 21) as in the conventional method, the surgical instrument 20 is driven by gripping and driving the trocar 30 at its joint, which is relatively close to the endotool 21. This reduces the operating range of the surgical robot arm 100 and reduces the driving force required for operation. Furthermore, by controlling the rotational movement of the second region 332 of the first link 330 relative to the first region 331 of the first link 330, the insertion depth of the trocar 30 can be kept constant, eliminating the risk of the trocar 30 slipping out of the abdomen during surgery, further improving safety.

[0196] <Surgical Robot Arm 2-1 Embodiment> A surgical robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2-1 of the present invention will be described below.

[0197] Here, the surgical robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2-1 of the present invention is distinctively different from the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4 ) in the configuration of the first link 730 of the robot arm 700. In other words, compared to the embodiment of FIG. 4 , the robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2-1 of the present invention has a first link 730 consisting of two parts, a first region 731 and a second region 732, and the first region 731 in turn consists of two parts, a 1-1 region 731-1 and a 1-2 region 731-2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the 1-1 region 731-1 and the 1-2 region 731-2 of the first link 730 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other about a yaw rotation axis 736, and the first region 731 and the second region 732 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other about a pitch rotation axis 735.

[0198] Furthermore, the surgical robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2-1 of the present invention is distinctively different from the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4) in the operation of the base link 720 of the robot arm 700. In other words, the surgical robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2-1 of the present invention is an embodiment in which the base link 720 is configured to be able to move linearly up and down along the sixth axis A6 relative to the base 710, as compared to the embodiment of FIG.

[0199] Such differences in configuration compared to the first embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0200] Figure 26 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2-1 of the present invention. Figure 27 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of Figure 26. Figure 28 is a side view showing the operating state of the surgical robot arm of Figure 26. Figures 29 to 31 are side views and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 26. Figures 32 to 34 are perspective views showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 26. Figure 35 is a side view and plan view showing the surgical robot arm of Figure 26 lying on its side.

[0201] 26 to 35, a surgical robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2-1 of the present invention includes a base 710, a base link 720, a first link 730, a second link 740, and an instrument attachment link 750.

[0202] The base 710 serves as the base of the entire surgical robot arm 700. Here, a moving means (not shown) such as wheels may be formed on the underside of the base 710, so that the base 710 may serve as a kind of cart. The base 710 may also be further formed with a position fixing means (not shown) to fix the position of the base 710 during surgery. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the base 710 may be formed in a shape that can be attached and detached to a bed or a wall.

[0203] The base link 720 includes an extension portion 721 and a roll rotation base portion 722 .

[0204] The extension 721 may be formed to extend in one direction from the base 710, and in the figure, the extension 721 of the base link 720 is shown to be formed to extend from the base 710 in the Z-axis direction.

[0205] Here, extension 721 is formed to be capable of linear movement relative to base 710. That is, in this embodiment, base link 720 is characterized by being formed to be capable of linear movement in one direction (up and down) along sixth axis A6 relative to base 710. However, here, the linear movement of base link 720 relative to base 710 is not performed in real time while surgical robot arm 700 is in operation, but can be performed in a setup step of surgical robot arm 700 before surgery begins.

[0206] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 28, the base link 720 is formed so as to be retractable / retractable relative to the base 710, and the base link 720 can be positioned at various positions. That is, this embodiment is characterized in that RCM motion can be realized even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 720, and the RCM do not coincide in the Z-axis direction. That is, as shown in Fig. 28, RCM motion can be realized no matter where the base link 720 is positioned in the Z-axis direction. That is, RCM motion can be realized no matter where the base link 720 is positioned, such as the L1 position, L2 position, or L3 position in Fig. 28.

[0207] For this purpose, a pitch rotation axis 735 is further provided on the first link 730, so that the first region 731 and the second region 732 of the first link 730 can be formed to be rotatable relative to each other. In this way, RCM motion is possible even when the RCM and the first axis A1 of the base link 720 are separated from each other in the Z-axis direction without meeting each other, so the initial position of the surgical robot arm can be set flexibly. In other words, various setup positions for the surgical robot arm 700 are possible, as will be described later.

[0208] Meanwhile, a roll rotation base part 722 is formed at the other end of the base link 720. The roll rotation base part 722 may be formed to be inclined to a certain degree so as to have a predetermined angle with the extension part 721.

[0209] Here, the roll rotation base portion 722 of the base link 720 may be formed in a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis A1 formed along the first direction. The first link 730 connected to the roll rotation base portion 722 (and the second link 740, the instrument mounting link 750, and the surgical instrument 20 connected to the first link 730 in sequence) may be configured to roll around the first axis A1. Here, the first axis A1 may be formed in an oblique direction that is not parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis.

[0210] The first link 730 is coupled to the base link 720, more specifically, the roll rotation base portion 722 of the base link 720, and the entire first link 730 may be formed to be rotatable around a first axis A1 of the roll rotation base portion 722. Alternatively, it may be expressed that the first link 730 rolls around the base link 720. To realize such rotational movement of the first link 730 relative to the base link 720, a motor may be provided in either the base link 720 or the first link 730.

[0211] Meanwhile, the first link 730 may include a first region 731 coupled to the base link 720 and a second region 732 coupled to the second link 740. The first region 731 may include a 1-1 region 731-1 coupled to the base link 720 again, and a 1-2 region 731-2 disposed between the 1-1 region 731-1 and the second region 732 and coupled to the 1-1 region 731-1 and the second region 732, respectively.

[0212] The 1-1 region 731-1 and the 1-2 region 731-2 are coupled to each other by a yaw rotation axis 736 formed in the direction of the seventh axis A7, and the 1-2 region 731-2 is formed to be rotatable around the seventh axis A7 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1. In other words, it can rotate around the Z axis when viewed in the drawing.

[0213] The first region 731 and the second region 732 are coupled to each other by a pitch rotation axis 735 formed in the direction of the fifth axis A5, and the second region 732 is formed to be rotatable around the fifth axis A5 relative to the first region 731. In other words, when viewed in the drawing, the second region 732 can rotate around the X-axis.

[0214] Here, when the first link 730 rotates around the first axis A1, the second link 740 connected to the first link 730, the instrument mounting link 750, and the surgical instrument 20 rotate together.

[0215] On the other hand, a motor can be provided in either the 1-1 region 731-1 or the 1-2 region 731-2 to realize rotational movement of the 1-2 region 731-2 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1. Also, a motor can be provided in either the 1-2 region 731-2 or the second region 732 to realize rotational movement of the second region 732 relative to the 1-2 region 731-2.

[0216] Here, this embodiment is characterized in that the 1-2 region 731-2 of the first link 730 is formed to be rotatable clockwise or counterclockwise about the seventh axis A7 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1.

[0217] Here, the rotation of the 1-2 region 731-2 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1 can be performed before the start of surgery during a setup step of the surgical robot arm 700. If the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 720, and the RCM are set up to be inconsistent on the XY plane due to the rotation of the 1-2 region 731-2 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1 during the setup step, the 1-2 region 731-2 will rotate relative to the 1-1 region 731-1 in real time even during operation of the surgical robot arm 700.

[0218] Specifically, the 1-2 region 731-2 is formed to be rotatable about the seventh axis A7 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1, so that the 1-2 region 731-2 and the second link 740 and instrument mounting link 750 connected thereto can be positioned at various positions on the XY plane. This configuration allows the present embodiment to achieve RCM motion even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 720, does not coincide with the RCM. That is, as shown in Figures 47(b) and 47(c) of the third embodiment described below, RCM motion can be achieved regardless of the positions on the XY plane of the 1-2 region 731-2 and the second link 740 and instrument mounting link 750 connected thereto.

[0219] The second link 740 is coupled to the second region 732 of the first link 730 and can move linearly back and forth in one direction along the second axis A2 relative to the second region 732 of the first link 730. Although the figure shows the second link 740 moving linearly back and forth along the X-axis direction relative to the first link 730, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the linear reciprocating axis of the second link 740 may be formed in various ways depending on the shape and configuration of the link.

[0220] To achieve such linear motion, either the first link 730 or the second link 740 may be provided with a linear actuator (not shown).

[0221] Here, the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 may generally be different axes from each other. Alternatively, even if the first link 730, the second link 740, etc. are bent to a certain extent so that the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 are parallel to each other, the second axis A2 can be formed so as not to pass through the RCM.

[0222] The instrument mounting link 750 and the second link 740 are axially connected by a link rotation shaft 760 coupled in the direction of the third axis A3, so that the instrument mounting link 750 can rotate about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 740. In other words, when viewed in the drawing, the instrument mounting link 750 can rotate about the X-axis. To achieve this rotational movement, a motor can be provided in either the second link 740 or the instrument mounting link 750.

[0223] Meanwhile, an instrument mounting link 750 is formed with an instrument mounting portion 751 and a guide rail 752. With a surgical instrument 20 attached to the instrument mounting portion 751, the instrument mounting portion 751 can move linearly along the guide rail 752 formed in the direction of the fourth axis A4. To achieve such linear movement, a linear actuator (not shown) can be provided on the instrument mounting portion 751.

[0224] Here, the fourth axis A4 may be the direction in which the guide rail 752 is formed, and may also be the extension direction of the shaft of the surgical instrument 20 coupled to the instrument attachment link 750.

[0225] The surgical instrument 20 is attached to the instrument attachment portion 751 of the instrument attachment link 750 of the surgical robot arm 700.

[0226] Although not shown in the figure, the instrument mounting portion 751 may further include an interface portion (not shown) for connecting with the surgical instrument 20 to control the movement of the surgical instrument 20. The interface portion (not shown) may include components for connecting with the drive portion 23 of the surgical instrument 20, as well as a motor for transmitting driving force from the surgical robot arm 700 to the surgical instrument 20. This interface portion (not shown) allows the end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform pitch, yaw, and actuation motions. Furthermore, this interface portion (not shown) allows the shaft 22 and end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform roll motion around the fourth axis A4.

[0227] Meanwhile, a trocar 30 can be further provided as an insertion passage for inserting the surgical instrument 20 into the patient's body, and the surgical instrument 20 can be inserted into the patient's body through the trocar 30 with the trocar 30 inserted into the body. An RCM can be formed at a predetermined position on such a trocar 30. As described above, the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 730, can be formed to pass through this RCM.

[0228] The surgical instrument 20 may further include a driving unit 23. The driving unit 23 may be formed with components for coupling with the interface unit (not shown) and a drive wheel that operates by meshing with the motor. As such, the interface unit (not shown) and the driving unit 23 are formed with corresponding coupling means and drive transmission means, respectively, so that the surgical instrument 20, attached to the instrument mounting link 750, receives driving force from the surgical robot arm 700 and operates.

[0229] In the present invention, the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm 700 is a structure in which a surgical instrument 20 is attached to one side of the surgical robot arm 700 and is operated and controlled so that the surgical instrument 20 rotates around a predetermined RCM point on the trocar 30 into which the surgical instrument 20 is inserted. Here, the RCM structure according to this embodiment is characterized by being realized by electronic control of each link, rather than the existing mechanical parallelogram link structure.

[0230] In particular, what makes this embodiment different from the previous embodiments is that RCM motion is possible even when the rotation axes A1 of the RCM and base link are separated and do not meet each other, which makes initial setup of the surgical robot arm easier. In other words, RCM operation is possible even when the RCM and base link are separated in both the yaw axis direction and the pitch axis direction.

[0231] 28 and other figures, RCM motion is possible even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 730, is not disposed so as to pass through the RCM. This is made possible by the additional degrees of freedom added in this embodiment: the linear motion of the base link 720 relative to the base 710, the rotational motion of the 1-2 region 731-2 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1, and the rotational motion of the second region 732 relative to the 1-2 region 731-2. In other words, the surgical robot arm 700 of this embodiment has a total of seven degrees of freedom, and the movement of these seven degrees of freedom enables RCM motion even if the first axis A1 does not pass through the RCM.

[0232] In the following, for convenience, the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction of the figure will be explained separately, but it can be said that the overall control is performed by combining the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction. Note that the coordinate system of each component can change relatively due to the rotation and linear movement of each link, but for convenience in the following explanation, the bed will be used as the reference point and the X-axis and Y-axis directions of the bed will be used as the reference.

[0233] This will be explained in more detail as follows.

[0234] First, control in the X-axis direction is 1) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 740 relative to the first link 730; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 750 relative to the second link 740; 3) This can be realized by a combination of control of the rotational movement of the second region 732 of the first link 730 relative to the first region 731 of the first link 730.

[0235] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 about the X-axis, first, the second link 740 performs linear movement along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 730. At the same time, the instrument mounting link 750 performs rotational movement about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 740, and the second region 732 of the first link 730 is controlled to perform rotational movement relative to the first region 731 of the first link 730, thereby performing RCM motion. As a result, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0236] At this time, even if the surgical instrument 20 rotates around the X-axis, the insertion depth of the instrument (see LE in Figure 6) must not change, and the distance from the RCM to the end of the trocar 30 (see Lt in Figure 6) must not change either.

[0237] For this reason, the surgical robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2-1 of the present invention is characterized by having one additional degree of freedom compared to the surgical robot arm according to embodiment 1 of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4). That is, in the surgical robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention, the first region 731 and the second region 732 of the first link 730 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other around the pitch rotation axis 735.

[0238] Therefore, when controlling the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the X-axis, the second region 732 of the first link 730 can be controlled to rotate relative to the first region 731 of the first link 730, thereby maintaining a constant insertion depth of the surgical instrument 20 and the trocar 30.

[0239] In this way, by combining 1) control of the linear movement of the second link 740 relative to the first link 730, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 750 relative to the second link 740, and 3) control of the rotational movement of the second region 732 of the first link 730 relative to the first region 731 of the first link 730, the RCM maintains its position in the X-axis direction even when the links move.

[0240] Next, RCM control in the Y-axis direction is

[0241] 1) Control of the roll rotational motion of the first link 730 around the first axis A1; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 750 relative to the second link 740; 3) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 740 relative to the first link 730; 4) Control of the roll motion of the surgical instrument 20; 5) This can be realized by a combination of control of the rotational movement of the 1-2 region 731-2 of the first link 730 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1 of the first link 730.

[0242] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the Y-axis, the first link 730 first performs a rolling rotational movement around the first axis A1, and then the first link 730, the second link 740 connected to the first link 730 in sequence, the instrument mounting link 750, and the surgical instrument 20 all roll around the first axis A1.

[0243] At this time, the first axis A1, which is the rotation axis of the first link 730, does not coincide with the Y axis and is formed at an angle, so when only the first link 730 rotates, an unintended movement occurs. That is, as shown in the figure, when the first link 730 rotates, the second link 740, the instrument mounting link 750, and the surgical instrument 20 perform a kind of rolling.

[0244] To compensate for this, along with the rotation of the first link 730, the instrument mounting link 750 is controlled to rotate relative to the second link 740 about the third axis A3, the second link 740 is controlled to move linearly relative to the first link 730, and the 1-2 region 731-2 of the first link 730 is controlled to rotate relative to the 1-1 region 731-1 of the first link 730, thereby performing RCM motion. In other words, even if the links move, the RCM maintains its position.

[0245] In addition, the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 can be controlled to perform a roll motion around the fourth axis A4, and the end tool 21 can be compensated to maintain its posture regardless of the rotation of the first link 730.

[0246] In this way, by combining 1) control of the roll rotational movement of the first link 730 around the first axis A1, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 750 relative to the second link 740, 3) control of the linear movement of the second link 740 relative to the first link 730, 4) control of the roll movement of the surgical instrument 20, and 5) control of the rotational movement of the 1-2 region 731-2 of the first link 730 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1 of the first link 730, the RCM maintains its position in the Y-axis direction even when the links move.

[0247] In conclusion, from the perspective of the degrees of freedom of the surgical robot arm 700 itself (excluding the surgical instruments 20), the surgical robot arm 700 according to embodiment 2-1 of the present invention can operate with six degrees of freedom: 1) rolling rotational movement of the first link 730 about the first axis A1; 2) linear movement of the second link 740 relative to the first link 730; 3) rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 750 relative to the second link 740; 4) rotational movement of the second region 732 of the first link 730 relative to the first region 731 of the first link 730; 5) rotational movement of the 1-2 region 731-2 of the first link 730 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1 of the first link 730; and 6) linear movement of the base link 720 relative to the base 710. Here, through the linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 751 relative to the guide rail 752 of the instrument mounting link 750, the translation operation of the surgical instrument 20, that is, the linear movement of the surgical instrument 20 in the direction of the fourth axis A4, is also possible.

[0248] By implementing RCM control electronically according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, resulting in increased space efficiency and the prevention of collisions between robot arms. In particular, rather than gripping and driving the rear of the surgical instrument 20 (i.e., the side opposite the endotool 21) as in the past, the surgical instrument 20 is driven by gripping and driving the trocar 30 at its joint, which is relatively close to the endotool 21. This reduces the operating range of the surgical robot arm 100 and reduces the driving force required for operation. Furthermore, by controlling the rotational movement of the second region 732 of the first link 730 relative to the first region 731 of the first link 730, the insertion depth of the trocar 30 can be kept constant, eliminating the risk of the trocar 30 slipping out of the abdomen during surgery, further improving safety.

[0249] Furthermore, when an additional degree of freedom (i.e., rotational movement of the 1-2 region 731-2 of the first link 730 relative to the 1-1 region 731-1 of the first link 730) is provided as in this embodiment, RCM motion can be achieved without aligning the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 720, with the RCM in the XY plane and Z axis direction, which has the effect of facilitating the initial setting of the surgical robot arm.

[0250] <Surgical Robot Arm 2-2 Embodiment> A surgical robot arm 800 according to embodiment 2-2 of the present invention will be described below. Here, the surgical robot arm 800 according to embodiment 2-2 of the present invention is distinctively different from the surgical robot arm according to the second embodiment of the present invention (see 300 in FIG. 17 ) in the coupling relationship between the second link 840 and the instrument attachment link 850 of the robot arm 800. In other words, compared to the second embodiment of FIG. 17 , the robot arm 800 according to embodiment 2-2 of the present invention is configured such that the second link 840 and the instrument attachment link 850 are not coupled at an intersection with the trocar 30, but are axially coupled at a separate second link coupling portion 853 that protrudes a certain amount from the instrument attachment link 850 toward the second link 840. These differences from the second embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0251] Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 800 according to embodiment 2-2 of the present invention. Figure 37 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of Figure 36. Figures 38 to 40 are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 36. Figures 41 to 43 are perspective views showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 36. Figure 44 is a side and plan view showing the surgical robot arm of Figure 36 laid on its side.

[0252] 36 to 44, a surgical robot arm 800 according to embodiment 2-2 of the present invention includes a base 810, a base link 820, a first link 830, a second link 840, and an instrument attachment link 850.

[0253] The base 810 serves as the base of the entire surgical robot arm 800. Here, a moving means (not shown) such as wheels may be formed on the underside of the base 810, so that the base 810 may serve as a kind of cart. The base 810 may also be further formed with a position fixing means (not shown) to fix the position of the base 810 during surgery. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the base 810 may be formed in a shape that can be attached and detached to a bed or a wall.

[0254] The base link 820 includes an extension portion 821 and a roll rotation base portion 822. The extension portion 821 may be formed to extend in one direction from the base 810, and in the drawing, the extension portion 821 of the base link 820 is shown to be formed to extend in the Z-axis direction from the base 810. In other words, one end of the base link 820 is connected to the base 810. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the base link 820 is fixedly connected to the base 810.

[0255] Meanwhile, a roll rotation base part 822 is formed at the other end of the base link 820. The roll rotation base part 822 may be formed to be inclined to a certain degree so as to have a predetermined angle with the extension part 821.

[0256] Here, the roll rotation base portion 822 of the base link 820 may be formed in a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis A1 formed along the first direction. The first link 830 connected to the roll rotation base portion 822 (and the second link 840, the instrument mounting link 850, and the surgical instrument 20 connected in sequence to the first link 830) may be configured to roll around the first axis A1.

[0257] Here, the first axis A1 can be formed in an oblique direction that is not parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis. An RCM (described later) can be formed on an extension of the first axis A1.

[0258] The first link 830 is coupled to the base link 820, more specifically, the roll rotation base portion 822 of the base link 820, and the entire first link 830 may be formed to be rotatable around a first axis A1 of the roll rotation base portion 822. Alternatively, it may be expressed that the first link 830 rolls around the base link 820. To realize such rotational movement of the first link 830 relative to the base link 820, a motor may be provided in either the base link 820 or the first link 830.

[0259] Here, the first link 830 may include a first region 831 coupled to the base link 820 and a second region 832 coupled to the second link 840. Here, the central axis of the first region 831 and the central axis of the second region 832 may be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other. The first region 831 and the second region 832 are axially coupled by a pitch rotation axis 835 formed in the direction of the fifth axis A5, and the second region 832 is formed to be rotatable around the fifth axis A5 relative to the first region 831. In other words, when viewed in the drawing, the second region 832 can rotate around the X-axis.

[0260] Here, the central axis of the first region 831 may coincide with the first axis A1, and therefore the RCM may be located on an extension line of the central axis of the first region 831.

[0261] Here, when the first link 830 rotates around the first axis A1, the second link 840 connected to the first link 830, the instrument mounting link 850, and the surgical instrument 20 rotate together.

[0262] As described above, the central axis of the first region 831 and the central axis of the second region 832 may be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other. That is, the central axis of the first link 830 may coincide with the first axis A1, and therefore the RCM may be located on an extension of the central axis of the first region 831. Furthermore, the central axis of the second region 832 may coincide with the second axis A2 of the second link 840, which will be described later.

[0263] On the other hand, in order to realize the rotational movement of the second region 832 relative to the first region 831, a motor can be provided in either the first region 831 or the second region 832.

[0264] The second link 840 is coupled to the second region 832 of the first link 830 and can move linearly back and forth in one direction along the second axis A2 relative to the second region 832 of the first link 830. Although the figure shows the second link 840 moving linearly back and forth along the X-axis direction relative to the first link 830, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the linear reciprocating axis of the second link 840 may be formed in various ways depending on the shape and configuration of the link.

[0265] To achieve such linear motion, either the first link 830 or the second link 840 may be provided with a linear actuator (not shown).

[0266] Here, the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 may generally be different axes from each other. Alternatively, even if the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 are formed parallel to each other by bending the first link 830, the second link 840, etc. to a certain extent, the second axis A2 can be formed so as not to pass through the RCM.

[0267] The instrument mounting link 850 may include an instrument mounting portion 851 , a guide rail 852 , and a second link coupling portion 853 .

[0268] Specifically, with the surgical instrument 20 attached to the instrument attachment portion 851, the instrument attachment portion 851 can move linearly along a guide rail 852 formed in the direction of the fourth axis A4. To achieve such linear movement, the instrument attachment portion 851 can be provided with a linear actuator (not shown).

[0269] Here, the fourth axis A4 may be the direction in which the guide rail 852 is formed, and may also be the extension direction of the shaft of the surgical instrument 20 coupled to the instrument attachment link 850.

[0270] The surgical instrument 20 is attached to the instrument attachment portion 851 of the instrument attachment link 850 of the surgical robot arm 800.

[0271] Although not shown in the figures, the instrument mounting portion 851 may further include an interface portion (not shown) for coupling with the surgical instrument 20 to control the movement of the surgical instrument 20. The interface portion (not shown) may include components for coupling with the drive portion 23 of the surgical instrument 20 and a motor for transmitting driving force from the surgical robot arm 800 to the surgical instrument 20. This interface portion (not shown) allows the end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform pitch, yaw, and actuation movements. Furthermore, this interface portion (not shown) allows the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 to perform roll movement around the fourth axis A4.

[0272] Meanwhile, a trocar 30 can be further provided as an insertion passage for inserting the surgical instrument 20 into the patient's body, and the surgical instrument 20 can be inserted into the patient's body through the trocar 30 with the trocar 30 inserted into the body. An RCM can be formed at a predetermined position on such a trocar 30. As described above, the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 830, can be formed to pass through this RCM.

[0273] The surgical instrument 20 may further include a driving unit 23. The driving unit 23 may be formed with components for coupling with the interface unit (not shown) and a drive wheel that operates by meshing with the motor. As such, the interface unit (not shown) and the driving unit 23 are formed with corresponding coupling means and drive transmission means, respectively, so that the surgical instrument 20, attached to the instrument mounting link 850, receives a driving force from the surgical robot arm 800 and operates.

[0274] Meanwhile, the second link coupling portion 853 may be formed to protrude from the instrument mounting link 850 toward the second link 840 to a certain extent. The second link coupling portion 853 and the second link 840 are axially coupled to each other by a link rotation shaft 860 that is coupled in the direction of the third axis A3, so that the instrument mounting link 850 can rotate relative to the second link 840 around the third axis A3. In other words, the instrument mounting link 850 can rotate around the X-axis as viewed in the drawing. To achieve this rotational movement, a motor can be provided in either the second link 840 or the instrument mounting link 850.

[0275] In this way, since the connection portion where the second link 840 and the instrument mounting link 850 are connected is not formed at the neck portion of the trocar 30, but at the instrument mounting link 850 at a certain distance / separated from the trocar 30, the operating angle (rotation angle) of the second region 832 relative to the first region 831 of the first link 830 becomes larger, which has the effect of making it easier to control the RCM motion.

[0276] That is, if the operating angle is too small, very fine control is required, which is not easy to achieve. Therefore, by forming second link coupling portion 853 to protrude to a certain extent from instrument mounting link 850 toward second link 840, the operating angle (rotation angle) of second region 832 relative to first region 831 of first link 830 becomes larger, making it easier to control the RCM motion.

[0277] That is, in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 etc., the joint where the second link 340 and the instrument attachment link 350 are joined is located at the neck portion of the trocar 30 or on the linear motion axis of the surgical instrument 20 .

[0278] In contrast, in the present embodiment shown in Figures 36 to 44, the connection portion where the second link 840 and the instrument mounting link 850 are connected is not formed at the neck portion of the trocar 30, but is formed at the instrument mounting link 850, spaced / separated to a certain extent from the trocar 30.

[0279] With this configuration, the operating angle (rotation angle) of the second region 832 relative to the first region 831 of the first link 830 becomes large, which has the effect of making it easier to control the RCM motion.

[0280] In the present invention, the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm 800 is a structure in which a surgical instrument 20 is attached to one side of the surgical robot arm 800 and is operated and controlled so that the surgical instrument 20 rotates around a predetermined point RCM on the trocar 30 into which the surgical instrument 20 is inserted. Here, the RCM structure according to this embodiment is characterized by being realized by electronic control of each link, rather than the existing mechanical parallelogram link structure.

[0281] In the following, for convenience, the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction of the figure will be explained separately, but it can be said that the overall control is performed by combining the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction. Note that the coordinate system of each component can change relatively due to the rotation and linear movement of each link, but for convenience in the following explanation, the bed will be used as the reference point and the X-axis and Y-axis directions of the bed will be used as the reference.

[0282] First, control in the X-axis direction is 1) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 840 relative to the first link 830; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 850 relative to the second link 840; 3) This can be realized by a combination of control of the rotational movement of the second region 832 of the first link 830 relative to the first region 831 of the first link 830.

[0283] The specific control method for this is the same as in the second embodiment, so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0284] Next, RCM control in the Y-axis direction is 1) Control of the roll rotational motion of the first link 830 around the first axis A1; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 850 relative to the second link 840; 3) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 840 relative to the first link 830; 4) This can be realized by a combination of controlling the roll motion of the surgical instrument 20.

[0285] The specific control method for this is the same as in the second embodiment, so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0286] In conclusion, from the perspective of the degrees of freedom of the surgical robot arm 800 itself (excluding the surgical instrument 20), the surgical robot arm 800 according to embodiment 2-2 of the present invention can operate with four degrees of freedom: 1) roll rotational movement of the first link 830 about the first axis A1, 2) linear movement of the second link 840 relative to the first link 830, 3) rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 850 relative to the second link 840, and 4) rotational movement of the second region 832 of the first link 830 relative to the first region 831 of the first link 830. Here, translational movement of the surgical instrument 20, i.e., linear movement of the surgical instrument 20 in the direction of the fourth axis A4, is also possible through linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 851 relative to the guide rail 852 of the instrument mounting link 850.

[0287] By implementing RCM control electronically according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, resulting in increased space efficiency and the prevention of collisions between robot arms. In particular, rather than gripping and driving the rear of the surgical instrument 20 (i.e., the side opposite the endotool 21) as in the past, the surgical instrument 20 is driven by gripping and driving the trocar 30 at its joint, which is relatively close to the endotool 21. This reduces the operating range of the surgical robot arm 100 and reduces the driving force required for operation. Furthermore, by controlling the rotational movement of the second region 832 of the first link 830 relative to the first region 831 of the first link 830, the insertion depth of the trocar 30 can be kept constant, eliminating the risk of the trocar 30 slipping out of the abdomen during surgery, further improving safety.

[0288] <Third embodiment of surgical robot arm> A surgical robot arm 400 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The surgical robot arm 400 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is characterized by a difference in the operation of the base link 420 of the robot arm 400 compared to the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4). In other words, the robot arm 400 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is an embodiment in which the base link 420 is formed to be rotatable with respect to the base 410, as compared to the embodiment of FIG. 4. The differences compared to the first embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0289] Figure 45 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 400 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 46 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of Figure 45. Figures 47 to 49 are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 45. Figures 50 to 52 are perspective views showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 45. Figure 53 is a side and plan view showing the surgical robot arm of Figure 45 laid on its side.

[0290] 45 to 53, a surgical robot arm 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a base 410, a base link 420, a first link 430, a second link 440, and an instrument attachment link 450. A trocar 30 and a surgical instrument 20 are coupled to the instrument attachment link 450 of the surgical robot arm 400. This will be described in more detail as follows.

[0291] The base 410 serves as the base of the entire surgical robot arm 400. Here, a moving means (not shown) such as wheels may be formed on the underside of the base 410, so that the base 410 may serve as a kind of cart. The base 410 may also be further formed with a position fixing means (not shown) to fix the position of the base 410 during surgery. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the base 410 may be formed in a shape that can be attached and detached to a bed or a wall.

[0292] The base link 420 includes an extension portion 421 and a roll rotation base portion 422 .

[0293] The extension 421 may be formed to extend in one direction from the base 410, and in the drawing, the extension 421 of the base link 420 is shown to be formed to extend from the base 410 in the Z-axis direction.

[0294] Meanwhile, a roll rotation base part 422 is formed at the other end of the base link 420. The roll rotation base part 422 may be formed to be inclined to a certain degree so as to have a predetermined angle with the extension part 421.

[0295] Here, the roll rotation base portion 422 of the base link 420 may be formed in a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis A1 formed along the first direction. The first link 430 connected to the roll rotation base portion 422 (and the second link 440, the instrument mounting link 450, and the surgical instrument 20 connected to the first link 430 in sequence) may be formed to roll around the first axis A1.

[0296] Here, the extension 421 of the base link 420 is formed to be rotatable around the A6 axis relative to the base 410. That is, in this embodiment, the base link 420 is characterized by rotating clockwise or counterclockwise around the sixth axis A6 relative to the base 410.

[0297] Here, the rotation of the base link 420 relative to the base 410 can be performed in a setup step of the surgical robot arm 400 before the start of surgery. If the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 420, and the RCM are set up to be inconsistent on the XY plane due to the rotation of the base link 420 relative to the base 410 in the setup step, the base link 420 will rotate relative to the base 410 in real time even during the operation of the surgical robot arm 400.

[0298] Specifically, as shown in Figures 47(b) and 47(c), the base link 420 is formed to be rotatable about the sixth axis A6 relative to the base 410, and the base link 420 can be positioned at various positions on the XY plane. With this configuration, this embodiment is characterized in that RCM motion can be realized even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 420, does not coincide with the RCM. In other words, as shown in Figures 47(b) and 47(c), RCM motion can be realized no matter where the base link 420 is positioned on the XY plane.

[0299] The first link 430 is coupled to the base link 420, more specifically, the roll rotation base portion 422 of the base link 420, and the entire first link 430 may be formed to be rotatable around a first axis A1 of the roll rotation base portion 422. Alternatively, it may be expressed that the first link 430 rolls around the base link 420. To realize such rotational movement of the first link 430 relative to the base link 420, a motor may be provided in either the base link 420 or the first link 430.

[0300] Meanwhile, the first link 430 may include a first region 431 coupled to the base link 420 and a second region 432 coupled to the second link 440. Here, the central axis of the first region 431 and the central axis of the second region 432 may be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other.

[0301] At this time, the central axis of the first region 431 may coincide with the first axis A1, and therefore the RCM may be located on an extension line of the central axis of the first region 431.

[0302] Although the drawings show first link 430 consisting of two parts, first region 431 and second region 432, and linear first region 431 and second region 432 are formed at a predetermined angle to each other, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and first link 430 may be divided into two or more regions, and each region may be formed with a gentle curve. Also, in this embodiment, first region 431 and second region 432 are shown as being formed integrally with each other, but they may also be formed from separate members and then joined together.

[0303] When the first link 430 rotates around the first axis A1, the second link 440, the instrument mounting link 450, and the surgical instrument 20 connected to the first link 430 rotate together. As a result, the coordinate systems of the second link 440 and the instrument mounting link 450 are not fixed but continue to change relative to each other as the first link 430 rotates. That is, in FIG. 4 and other drawings, the second link 440 is shown parallel to the Y-axis and the instrument mounting link 450 is shown parallel to the Z-axis. However, when the first link 430 rotates, the coordinate systems of the second link 440 and the instrument mounting link 450 also rotate accordingly. However, for convenience of explanation, this specification will be described based on a state in which the second link 440 is parallel to the Y-axis and the instrument mounting link 450 is parallel to the Z-axis, as shown in FIG. 4, unless otherwise specified.

[0304] Similarly, when the second link 440 moves linearly, the instrument mounting link 450 and the surgical instrument 20 move linearly together. As a result, the coordinate systems of the instrument mounting link 450 and the surgical instrument 20 are not fixed, but continue to change relatively due to the linear movement of the second link 440.

[0305] Similarly, when the instrument mounting link 450 rotates, the surgical instrument 20 rotates with it. This means that the coordinate system of the surgical instrument 20 is not fixed, but continues to change relative to the rotation of the instrument mounting link 450.

[0306] The second link 440 is coupled to the first link 430 and can move linearly back and forth in one direction along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 430. Although the figure shows the second link 440 moving linearly back and forth along the X-axis direction relative to the first link 430, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the linear reciprocating axis of the second link 440 may be formed in various ways depending on the shape and configuration of the link.

[0307] To achieve such linear motion, either the first link 430 or the second link 440 may be provided with a linear actuator (not shown).

[0308] Here, the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 may generally be different axes from each other. Alternatively, even if the first link 430, the second link 440, etc. are bent to a certain extent so that the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 are parallel to each other, the second axis A2 can be formed so as not to pass through the RCM.

[0309] The instrument mounting link 450 and the second link 440 are axially connected by a link rotation shaft 460 coupled in the direction of the third axis A3, so that the instrument mounting link 450 can rotate about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 440. In other words, when viewed in the drawing, the instrument mounting link 450 can rotate about the X-axis.

[0310] To achieve such rotational movement, a motor may be provided in either the second link 440 or the instrument mounting link 450 .

[0311] Meanwhile, an instrument mounting link 450 is formed with an instrument mounting portion 451 and a guide rail 452. With a surgical instrument 20 attached to the instrument mounting portion 451, the instrument mounting portion 451 can move linearly along the guide rail 452 formed in the direction of the fourth axis A4. To achieve such linear movement, a linear actuator (not shown) can be provided on the instrument mounting portion 451.

[0312] Here, the fourth axis A4 may be the direction in which the guide rail 452 is formed, and may also be the extension direction of the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 coupled to the instrument attachment link 450.

[0313] The surgical instrument 20 is attached to the instrument attachment portion 451 of the instrument attachment link 450 of the surgical robot arm 400.

[0314] Although not shown in the figures, the instrument mounting portion 451 may further include an interface portion (not shown) for coupling with the surgical instrument 20 to control the movement of the surgical instrument 20. The interface portion (not shown) may include components for coupling with the drive portion 23 of the surgical instrument 20 and a motor for transmitting driving force from the surgical robot arm 400 to the surgical instrument 20. This interface portion (not shown) allows the end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform pitch, yaw, and actuation movements. Furthermore, this interface portion (not shown) allows the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 to perform roll movement around the fourth axis A4.

[0315] Meanwhile, the trocar 30, which serves as an insertion passage for inserting the surgical instrument 20 into the patient's body, can be coupled to the instrument attachment link 450, and with the trocar 30 inserted into the body, the surgical instrument 20 can be inserted into the patient's body through the trocar 30. An RCM can be formed at a predetermined position on such a trocar 30. As described above, the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 430, can be formed to pass through this RCM.

[0316] The surgical instrument 20 may further include a driving unit 23. The driving unit 23 may be formed with components for coupling with the interface unit (not shown) and a drive wheel that operates by meshing with the motor. As such, the interface unit (not shown) and the driving unit 23 are formed with corresponding coupling means and drive transmission means, respectively, so that the surgical instrument 20, attached to the instrument attachment link 450, receives driving force from the surgical robot arm 400 and operates.

[0317] In the present invention, the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm 400 is a structure in which a surgical instrument 20 is attached to one side of the surgical robot arm 400 and is operated and controlled so that the surgical instrument 20 rotates around a predetermined point RCM on the trocar 30 into which the surgical instrument 20 is inserted. Here, the RCM structure according to this embodiment is characterized by being realized by electronic control of each link, rather than the existing mechanical parallelogram link structure.

[0318] In particular, what makes this embodiment different from the previous embodiments is that RCM motion is possible even when the rotation axis A1 of the RCM and the base link 420 are spaced apart without meeting each other, making it easier to perform initial setup of the surgical robot arm. In other words, RCM operation is possible even when the RCM and the base link 420 are spaced apart to a certain extent in the XY plane.

[0319] 47(b) and 47(c), RCM motion is possible even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 430, is not disposed so as to pass through the RCM. This is made possible by the rotation of the base link 420 relative to the base 410, which is an additional degree of freedom added in this embodiment. In other words, the surgical robot arm 400 of this embodiment has a total of five degrees of freedom, and movement with these five degrees of freedom enables RCM motion even if the first axis A1 does not pass through the RCM on the XY plane.

[0320] In the following, for convenience, the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction of the figure will be explained separately, but it can be said that the overall control is performed by combining the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction. Note that the coordinate system of each component can change relatively due to the rotation and linear movement of each link, but for convenience in the following explanation, the bed will be used as the reference point and the X-axis and Y-axis directions of the bed will be used as the reference.

[0321] This will be explained in more detail as follows.

[0322] First, control in the X-axis direction is 1) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 440 relative to the first link 430; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 450 relative to the second link 440; 3) This can be realized by a combination of control of the linear motion of the instrument mounting portion 451 relative to the guide rail 452 of the instrument mounting link 450.

[0323] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the X-axis, the second link 440 first performs linear movement along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 430. At the same time, the instrument mounting link 450 is controlled to perform rotational movement around the third axis A3 relative to the second link 440, thereby performing RCM motion. As a result, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0324] Furthermore, even if the surgical instrument 20 rotates around the X-axis, the insertion depth of the instrument (see LE in FIG. 6) must not change. Therefore, by linearly moving the instrument mounting portion 451 (and the surgical instrument 20 connected thereto) along the guide rail 452 formed along the fourth axis A4, the insertion depth of the instrument (see LE in FIG. 6) can be maintained constant.

[0325] From another perspective, compared to the length (see L1 in FIG. 9) from the retraction portion (see 31 in FIG. 9) of the trocar 30 to the RCM when the surgical instrument 20 is perpendicular to the Z-axis (see FIG. 47), the length (see L2 in FIG. 9) from the retraction portion (see 31 in FIG. 9) of the trocar 30 to the RCM becomes longer when the second link 440 moves linearly relative to the first link 430 to be retracted from the first link 430 (see FIG. 48) or retracted into the first link 430 (see FIG. 49). Conversely, at this time, the distance from the retraction portion (see 32 in FIG. 9) of the trocar 30 to the RCM becomes shorter. Therefore, when the surgical instrument 20 moves together with the trocar 30, the trocar 30 and the surgical instrument 20 therein move relatively in a direction from the inside to the outside of the human body.

[0326] Therefore, in order to maintain at least the insertion depth of the surgical instrument 20 inside the patient's body constant (see LE in Figure 6), the distance from the end of the end tool 21 to the RCM is maintained constant by linearly moving the instrument mounting portion 451 (and the surgical instrument 20 connected thereto) along the guide rail 452 in the direction of insertion into the human body.

[0327] In this way, by combining 1) control of the linear movement of the second link 440 relative to the first link 430, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 450 relative to the second link 440, and 3) control of the linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 451 relative to the guide rail 452 of the instrument mounting link 150, the RCM maintains its position in the X-axis direction even when the links move.

[0328] Of course, strictly speaking, the RCM of the surgical robot arm 400 itself can be achieved by only 1) controlling the linear motion of the second link 440 relative to the first link 430, and 2) controlling the rotational motion of the instrument mounting link 450 relative to the second link 440. However, during actual surgery, not only must the RCM of the surgical robot arm 400 itself be maintained, but the insertion depth of the surgical instruments 20 into the human body must also be kept constant, so the linear motion of the instrument mounting part 451 relative to the guide rail 452 of the instrument mounting link 450 must also be controlled.

[0329] Next, RCM control in the Y-axis direction is 1) Control of the roll rotational motion of the first link 430 around the first axis A1; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 450 relative to the second link 440; 3) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 440 relative to the first link 430; 4) Control of the roll motion of the surgical instrument 20; 5) Control of the rotational movement of the base link 420 relative to the base 410.

[0330] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the Y-axis, the first link 430 first performs a rolling rotational movement around the first axis A1, and then the first link 430, the second link 440 connected to the first link 430 in sequence, the instrument mounting link 450, and the surgical instrument 20 all perform a rolling rotation around the first axis A1.

[0331] At this time, the first axis A1, which is the rotation axis of the first link 430, does not coincide with the Y axis and is formed at an angle, so when only the first link 430 rotates, an unintended movement occurs. That is, as shown in the figure, when the first link 430 rotates, the second link 440, the instrument mounting link 450, and the surgical instrument 20 perform a kind of rolling.

[0332] To compensate for this, along with the rotation of the first link 430, the instrument mounting link 450 is controlled to rotate relative to the second link 440 around the link rotation axis 460, and the second link 440 is controlled to move linearly relative to the first link 430. At the same time, the base link 420 is controlled to rotate relative to the base 410 around the A6 axis, thereby performing RCM motion. In other words, even if the links move, the RCM maintains its position.

[0333] In addition, the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 can be controlled to perform a roll motion around the fourth axis A4, and the end tool 21 can be compensated to maintain its posture regardless of the rotation of the first link 430.

[0334] In this way, by combining 1) control of the roll rotational movement of the first link 430 around the first axis A1, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 450 relative to the second link 440, 3) control of the linear movement of the second link 440 relative to the first link 430, 4) control of the roll movement of the surgical instrument 20, and 5) control of the rotational movement of the base link 420 relative to the base 410, the RCM maintains its position in the Y-axis direction even when the links move.

[0335] In conclusion, from the perspective of the degrees of freedom of the surgical robot arm 400 itself (excluding the surgical instrument 20), the surgical robot arm 400 according to the third embodiment of the present invention can operate with five degrees of freedom: 1) rolling rotational movement of the first link 430 about the first axis A1, 2) linear movement of the second link 440 relative to the first link 430, 3) rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 450 relative to the second link 440, 4) linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 451 relative to the guide rail 452 of the instrument mounting link 450, and 5) rotational movement of the base link 420 relative to the base 410.

[0336] By realizing RCM control through electronic control according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, resulting in increased space efficiency and the prevention of collisions between robot arms. In particular, to operate the surgical instrument 20, rather than gripping and driving the rear of the surgical instrument 20 (i.e., the opposite side of the endotool 21) as in the conventional method, the surgical instrument 20 is driven by gripping and driving the joint portion with the trocar 30, which is relatively close to the endotool 21. This reduces the operating range of the surgical robot arm 400 and reduces the driving force required for operation.

[0337] <Fourth embodiment of surgical robot arm> A surgical robot arm 600 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The surgical robot arm 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is characterized by differences in the configuration of the first link 630 of the robot arm 600 and the operation of the base link 620 of the robot arm 600 compared to the surgical robot arm (see 100 in FIG. 4 ) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In other words, the robot arm 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is an embodiment in which the first region 631 and the second region 632 of the first link 630 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other about the pitch rotation axis 635, compared to the embodiment of FIG. 4 . Furthermore, the robot arm 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is an embodiment in which the base link 620 is formed to be rotatable relative to the base 610, compared to the embodiment of FIG. 4 . These differences in configuration compared to the first embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0338] Figure 54 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 600 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 55 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of Figure 54. Figures 56 to 58 are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 54. Figures 59 to 61 are perspective views showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 54. Figure 62 is a side and plan view showing the surgical robot arm of Figure 54 laid on its side.

[0339] 54 to 62, a surgical robot arm 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a base 610, a base link 620, a first link 630, a second link 640, and an instrument mounting link 650. Here, the surgical robot arm 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the first link 630 is made up of two parts, a first region 631 and a second region 632, and the first region 631 and the second region 632 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other around a pitch rotation axis 635.

[0340] The base 610 serves as the base of the entire surgical robot arm 600. Here, a moving means (not shown) such as wheels may be formed on the underside of the base 610, so that the base 610 may serve as a kind of cart. The base 610 may further be formed with a position fixing means (not shown) to fix the position of the base 610 during surgery. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the base 610 may be formed in a shape that can be attached and detached to a bed or a wall.

[0341] The base link 620 includes an extension 621 and a roll rotation base 622. The extension 621 may be formed to extend in one direction from the base 610, and in the drawing, the extension 621 of the base link 620 is shown to be formed to extend in the Z-axis direction from the base 610. In other words, one end of the base link 620 is connected to the base 610.

[0342] Here, this embodiment is characterized in that the base link 620 is formed to be rotatable about a sixth axis A6 relative to the base 610. Here, although the drawings show the base link 620 rotating about the sixth axis A6 relative to the base 610, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the rotation center axis of the base link 620 may be formed in various ways depending on the shape and configuration of the link.

[0343] Meanwhile, a roll rotation base part 622 is formed at the other end of the base link 620. The roll rotation base part 622 may be formed to be inclined to a certain degree so as to have a predetermined angle with the extension part 621. In the drawing, the roll rotation base part 622 is shown as being formed to protrude from the extension part 621 so as to be approximately perpendicular to the extension part 621.

[0344] Here, the roll rotation base portion 622 of the base link 620 may be formed in a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis A1 formed along the first direction. The first link 630 connected to the roll rotation base portion 622 (and the second link 640, the instrument mounting link 650, and the surgical instrument 20 connected to the first link 630 in sequence) may be configured to roll around the first axis A1.

[0345] Here, the extension 621 of the base link 620 is formed to be rotatable around the A6 axis relative to the base 610. That is, in this embodiment, the base link 620 is characterized by rotating clockwise or counterclockwise around the sixth axis A6 relative to the base 610.

[0346] Here, the rotation of the base link 620 relative to the base 610 can be performed in a setup step of the surgical robot arm 600 before the start of surgery. If the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 620, and the RCM are set up to be inconsistent on the XY plane due to the rotation of the base link 620 relative to the base 610 in the setup step, the base link 620 will rotate relative to the base 610 in real time even during the operation of the surgical robot arm 600.

[0347] Specifically, as described in Figure 45 and other figures for the third embodiment of the present invention, the base link 620 is formed to be rotatable about the sixth axis A6 relative to the base 610, and the base link 620 can be positioned at various positions on the XY plane. With this configuration, this embodiment is characterized in that RCM motion can be realized even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 620, does not coincide with the RCM. In other words, RCM motion can be realized no matter where the base link 720 is positioned on the XY plane.

[0348] The first link 630 is coupled to the base link 620, more specifically, the roll rotation base portion 622 of the base link 620, and the entire first link 630 may be formed to be rotatable around a first axis A1 of the roll rotation base portion 622. Alternatively, it may be expressed that the first link 630 rolls around the base link 620. To realize such rotational movement of the first link 630 relative to the base link 620, a motor may be provided in either the base link 620 or the first link 630.

[0349] Meanwhile, the first link 630 may include a first region 631 coupled to the base link 620 and a second region 632 coupled to the second link 640. Here, the central axis of the first region 631 and the central axis of the second region 632 may be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other. The first region 631 and the second region 632 are axially coupled by a pitch rotation axis 635 formed in the direction of the fifth axis A5, so that the second region 632 is rotatable around the fifth axis A5 relative to the first region 631. That is, when viewed in the drawing, the second region 632 can rotate around the X-axis.

[0350] Here, the central axis of the first region 631 may coincide with the first axis A1.

[0351] Here, when the first link 630 rotates around the first axis A1, the second link 640 connected to the first link 630, the instrument mounting link 650, and the surgical instrument 20 rotate together.

[0352] As described above, the central axis of the first region 631 and the central axis of the second region 632 may be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other. That is, the central axis of the first link 630 may coincide with the first axis A1, and the central axis of the second region 632 may coincide with the second axis A2 of the second link 640 described below.

[0353] On the other hand, in order to realize the rotational movement of the second region 632 relative to the first region 631, a motor can be provided in either the first region 631 or the second region 632.

[0354] The second link 640 is coupled to the second region 632 of the first link 630 and can move linearly back and forth in one direction along the second axis A2 relative to the second region 632 of the first link 630. Although the figure shows the second link 640 moving linearly back and forth along the X-axis direction relative to the first link 630, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the linear reciprocating axis of the second link 640 may be formed in various ways depending on the shape and configuration of the link.

[0355] To achieve such linear motion, either the first link 630 or the second link 640 may be provided with a linear actuator (not shown).

[0356] Here, the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 may generally be different axes from each other. Alternatively, even if the first link 630, the second link 640, etc. are bent to a certain extent so that the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 are parallel to each other, the second axis A2 can be formed so as not to pass through the RCM.

[0357] The instrument mounting link 650 and the second link 640 are axially connected by a link rotation shaft 660 coupled in the direction of the third axis A3, so that the instrument mounting link 650 can rotate relative to the second link 640 around the third axis A3. In other words, when viewed in the drawing, the instrument mounting link 650 can rotate around the X-axis. To achieve this rotational movement, a motor can be provided in either the second link 640 or the instrument mounting link 650.

[0358] Meanwhile, an instrument mounting link 650 is formed with an instrument mounting portion 651 and a guide rail 652. With a surgical instrument 20 attached to the instrument mounting portion 651, the instrument mounting portion 651 can move linearly along the guide rail 652 formed in the direction of the fourth axis A4. To achieve such linear movement, a linear actuator (not shown) can be provided on the instrument mounting portion 651.

[0359] Here, the fourth axis A4 may be the direction in which the guide rail 652 is formed, and may also be the extension direction of the shaft of the surgical instrument 20 coupled to the instrument attachment link 650.

[0360] The surgical instrument 20 is attached to the instrument attachment portion 651 of the instrument attachment link 650 of the surgical robot arm 600.

[0361] Although not shown in the figures, the instrument mounting portion 651 may further include an interface portion (not shown) for coupling with the surgical instrument 20 to control the movement of the surgical instrument 20. The interface portion (not shown) may include components for coupling with the drive portion 23 of the surgical instrument 20 and a motor for transmitting driving force from the surgical robot arm 600 to the surgical instrument 20. This interface portion (not shown) allows the end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform pitch, yaw, and actuation movements. Furthermore, this interface portion (not shown) allows the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 to perform roll movement around the fourth axis A4.

[0362] Meanwhile, a trocar 30 can be further provided as an insertion passage for inserting the surgical instrument 20 into the patient's body, and the surgical instrument 20 can be inserted into the patient's body through the trocar 30 with the trocar 30 inserted into the body. An RCM can be formed at a predetermined position on such a trocar 30. As described above, the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 630, can be formed to pass through this RCM.

[0363] The surgical instrument 20 may further include a driving unit 23. The driving unit 23 may be formed with components for coupling with the interface unit (not shown) and a drive wheel that operates by meshing with the motor. As such, the interface unit (not shown) and the driving unit 23 are formed with corresponding coupling means and drive transmission means, respectively, so that the surgical instrument 20, attached to the instrument mounting link 650, receives a driving force from the surgical robot arm 600 and operates.

[0364] In the present invention, the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm 600 is a structure in which a surgical instrument 20 is attached to one side of the surgical robot arm 600 and is operated and controlled so that the surgical instrument 20 rotates around a predetermined point RCM on the trocar 30 into which the surgical instrument 20 is inserted. Here, the RCM structure according to this embodiment is characterized by being realized by electronic control of each link, rather than the existing mechanical parallelogram link structure.

[0365] In particular, what makes this embodiment different from the previous embodiments is that RCM motion is possible even when the rotation axis A1 of the RCM and the base link 620 are spaced apart without meeting each other, making it easier to perform initial setup of the surgical robot arm. In other words, RCM operation is possible even when the RCM and the base link 620 are spaced apart to a certain extent in the XY plane.

[0366] That is, as shown in Figure 47 of the third embodiment, RCM motion is possible even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 630, is not arranged to pass through the RCM on the XY plane. This is made possible by the additional degrees of freedom added in this embodiment: the rotational movement of the base link 620 relative to the base 610 and the rotational movement of the second region 632 of the first link 630 relative to the first region 631. That is, the surgical robot arm 600 of this embodiment has a total of six degrees of freedom, and the movement of these six degrees of freedom enables RCM motion even if the first axis A1 does not pass through the RCM on the XY plane.

[0367] In the following, for convenience, the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction of the figure will be explained separately, but it can be said that the overall control is performed by combining the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction. Note that the coordinate system of each component can change relatively due to the rotation and linear movement of each link, but for convenience in the following explanation, the bed will be used as the reference point and the X-axis and Y-axis directions of the bed will be used as the reference.

[0368] This will be explained in more detail as follows.

[0369] First, control in the X-axis direction is 1) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 640 relative to the first link 630; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 650 relative to the second link 640; 3) This can be realized by a combination of control of the rotational movement of the second region 632 of the first link 630 relative to the first region 631 of the first link 630.

[0370] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 about the X-axis, first, the second link 640 performs linear movement along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 630. At the same time, the instrument mounting link 650 performs rotational movement about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 640, and the second region 632 of the first link 630 is controlled to perform rotational movement relative to the first region 631 of the first link 630, thereby performing RCM motion. As a result, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0371] At this time, even if the surgical instrument 20 rotates around the X-axis, the insertion depth of the instrument (see LE in Figure 6) must not change, and the distance from the RCM to the end of the trocar 30 (see Lt in Figure 6) must not change either.

[0372] For this reason, the surgical robot arm 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is characterized by having one additional degree of freedom compared to the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4). That is, in the surgical robot arm 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the first region 631 and the second region 632 of the first link 630 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other around the pitch rotation axis 635.

[0373] Therefore, when controlling the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the X-axis, the second region 632 of the first link 630 can be controlled to rotate relative to the first region 631 of the first link 630, thereby maintaining a constant insertion depth of the surgical instrument 20 and the trocar 30.

[0374] In this way, by combining 1) control of the linear movement of the second link 640 relative to the first link 630, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 650 relative to the second link 640, and 3) control of the rotational movement of the second region 632 of the first link 630 relative to the first region 631 of the first link 630, the RCM maintains its position in the X-axis direction even when the links move.

[0375] Next, RCM control in the Y-axis direction is 1) Control of the roll rotational motion of the first link 630 around the first axis A1; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 650 relative to the second link 640; 3) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 640 relative to the first link 630; 4) Control of the roll motion of the surgical instrument 20; 5) This can be achieved by a combination of controlling the rotational movement of the base link 620 relative to the base 610.

[0376] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the Y-axis, the first link 630 first performs a rolling rotational movement around the first axis A1, and then the first link 630, the second link 640 connected to the first link 630 in sequence, the instrument mounting link 650, and the surgical instrument 20 all roll around the first axis A1.

[0377] At this time, the first axis A1, which is the rotation axis of the first link 630, does not coincide with the Y axis and is formed at an angle, so when only the first link 630 rotates, an unintended movement occurs. That is, as shown in the figure, when the first link 630 rotates, the second link 640, the instrument mounting link 650, and the surgical instrument 20 perform a kind of rolling.

[0378] To compensate for this, along with the rotation of the first link 630, the instrument mounting link 650 is controlled to rotate relative to the second link 640 about the third axis A3, the second link 640 is controlled to move linearly relative to the first link 630, and the base link 620 is controlled to rotate relative to the base 610 about the sixth axis (A6 axis), thereby performing RCM motion. In other words, even if the links move, the RCM maintains its position.

[0379] In addition, the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 can be controlled to perform a roll motion around the fourth axis A4, and the end tool 21 can be compensated to maintain its posture regardless of the rotation of the first link 630.

[0380] In this way, by combining 1) control of the roll rotational movement of the first link 630 around the first axis A1, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 650 relative to the second link 640, 3) control of the linear movement of the second link 640 relative to the first link 630, 4) control of the roll movement of the surgical instrument 20, and 5) control of the rotational movement of the base link 620 relative to the base 610, the RCM maintains its position in the Y-axis direction even when the links move.

[0381] In conclusion, from the perspective of the degrees of freedom of the surgical robot arm 600 itself (excluding the surgical instruments 20), the surgical robot arm 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention can operate with five degrees of freedom: 1) roll rotational movement of the first link 630 about the first axis A1, 2) linear movement of the second link 640 relative to the first link 630, 3) rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 650 relative to the second link 640, 4) rotational movement of the second region 632 of the first link 630 relative to the first region 631 of the first link 630, and 5) rotational movement of the base link 620 relative to the base 610. Here, translational movement of the surgical instrument 20, i.e., linear movement of the surgical instrument 20 in the direction of the fourth axis A4, is also possible through linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 651 relative to the guide rail 652 of the instrument mounting link 650.

[0382] By implementing RCM control electronically according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, resulting in increased space efficiency and the prevention of collisions between robot arms. In particular, rather than gripping and driving the surgical instrument 20 at the rear (i.e., the side opposite the endotool 21) as in the conventional method, the surgical instrument 20 is driven by gripping and driving the trocar 30 at its joint, which is relatively close to the endotool 21. This reduces the operating range of the surgical robot arm 100 and reduces the driving force required for operation. Furthermore, by controlling the rotational movement of the second region 632 of the first link 630 relative to the first region 631 of the first link 630, the insertion depth of the trocar 30 can be kept constant, eliminating the risk of the trocar 30 slipping out of the abdomen during surgery, further improving safety.

[0383] <Surgical robot arm 4-1 embodiment> The following describes a surgical robot arm 900 according to embodiment 4-1 of the present invention. The surgical robot arm 900 according to embodiment 4-1 of the present invention is characterized by the configuration of the first link 930 and the second link 940 of the robot arm 900, as compared with the surgical robot arm according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention (see 600 in FIG. 54).

[0384] Specifically, in the robot arm 600 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a first link 630 is provided with a first region 631, a second region 632, and a pitch rotation shaft 635, while in the robot arm 900 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a second link 940 is provided with a first region 941, a second region 942, and a pitch rotation shaft 945. The differences from the fourth embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0385] Figure 63 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 900 according to embodiment 4-1 of the present invention. Figure 64 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of Figure 63. Figures 65 to 67 are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 63. Figures 68 to 70 are perspective views showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 63. Figure 71 is a side and plan view showing the surgical robot arm of Figure 63 laid on its side.

[0386] 63 to 71, a surgical robot arm 900 according to embodiment 4-1 of the present invention includes a base 910, a base link 920, a first link 930, a second link 940, and an instrument mounting link 950. Here, the surgical robot arm 900 according to embodiment 4-1 of the present invention is characterized in that the second link 940 is made up of two parts, a first region 941 and a second region 942, and the first region 941 and the second region 942 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other around a pitch rotation axis 945.

[0387] The base 910 serves as the base for the entire surgical robotic arm 900 .

[0388] The base link 920 includes an extension 921 and a roll rotation base 922. The extension 921 may be formed to extend in one direction from the base 910, and in the drawing, the extension 921 of the base link 920 is shown to be formed to extend from the base 910 in the Z-axis direction. In other words, one end of the base link 920 is connected to the base 910. Here, this embodiment is characterized in that the base link 920 is formed to be rotatable relative to the base 910 along a sixth axis A6.

[0389] Here, the roll rotation base portion 922 of the base link 920 may be formed in a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis A1 formed along the first direction. The first link 930 connected to the roll rotation base portion 922 (and the second link 940, the instrument mounting link 950, and the surgical instrument 20 connected to the first link 930 in sequence) may be configured to roll around the first axis A1.

[0390] Here, the extension 921 of the base link 920 is formed to be rotatable about the A6 axis relative to the base 910. That is, this embodiment is characterized in that the base link 920 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise about the sixth axis A6 relative to the base 910.

[0391] Here, the rotation of the base link 920 relative to the base 910 can be performed in a setup step of the surgical robot arm 900 before the start of surgery. If the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 920 on the XY plane, and the RCM are set up to be inconsistent due to the rotation of the base link 920 relative to the base 910 in the setup step, the base link 920 will rotate relative to the base 910 in real time even during the operation of the surgical robot arm 900.

[0392] 47 and other descriptions of the third embodiment of the present invention, the base link 920 is formed to be rotatable about the sixth axis A6 relative to the base 910, and the base link 920 can be positioned at various positions on the XY plane. With this configuration, this embodiment is characterized in that RCM motion can be realized even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 920, does not coincide with the RCM. In other words, RCM motion can be realized regardless of the position of the base link 720 on the XY plane.

[0393] The first link 930 is coupled to the base link 920, more specifically, to the roll rotation base portion 922 of the base link 920, and the entire first link 930 may be formed to be rotatable around a first axis A1 of the roll rotation base portion 922. Alternatively, it may be expressed that the first link 930 rolls around the base link 920. To realize such rotational movement of the first link 930 relative to the base link 920, a motor may be provided in either the base link 920 or the first link 930.

[0394] Here, when the first link 930 rotates around the first axis A1, the second link 940 connected to the first link 930, the instrument mounting link 950, and the surgical instrument 20 rotate together.

[0395] The second link 940 is coupled to the first link 930 and can move linearly back and forth in one direction along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 930. Although the figure shows the second link 940 moving linearly back and forth along the X-axis direction relative to the first link 930, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the linear reciprocating axis of the second link 940 may be formed in various ways depending on the shape and configuration of the links. To achieve such linear movement, a linear actuator (not shown) may be provided on either the first link 930 or the second link 940.

[0396] Meanwhile, the second link 940 may include a first region 941 coupled to the first link 930 and a second region 942 coupled to the instrument mounting link 950. The central axis of the first region 941 and the central axis of the second region 942 may be formed to form a predetermined angle with each other. The first region 941 and the second region 942 are axially coupled by a pitch rotation axis 945 formed in the direction of the fifth axis A5, so that the second region 942 can rotate relative to the first region 941 around the fifth axis A5. That is, as viewed in the drawing, the second region 942 can rotate around the X-axis. Here, a motor may be provided in either the first region 941 or the second region 942 to realize rotational movement of the second region 942 relative to the first region 941.

[0397] The instrument mounting link 950 and the second link 940 are axially connected by a link rotation shaft 960 coupled in the direction of the third axis A3, so that the instrument mounting link 950 can rotate relative to the second link 940 around the third axis A3. In other words, when viewed in the drawing, the instrument mounting link 950 can rotate around the X-axis. To achieve this rotational movement, a motor can be provided in either the second link 940 or the instrument mounting link 950.

[0398] Meanwhile, an instrument mounting link 950 is formed with an instrument mounting portion 951 and a guide rail 952. With a surgical instrument 20 attached to the instrument mounting portion 951, the instrument mounting portion 951 can move linearly along the guide rail 952 formed in the direction of the fourth axis A4. To achieve such linear movement, a linear actuator (not shown) can be provided on the instrument mounting portion 951.

[0399] Here, the fourth axis A4 may be the direction in which the guide rail 952 is formed, and may also be the extension direction of the shaft of the surgical instrument 20 coupled to the instrument attachment link 950.

[0400] The surgical instrument 20 is attached to the instrument attachment portion 951 of the instrument attachment link 950 of the surgical robot arm 900.

[0401] Although not shown in the figures, the instrument mounting portion 951 may further include an interface portion (not shown) for coupling with the surgical instrument 20 to control the movement of the surgical instrument 20. The interface portion (not shown) may include components for coupling with the drive portion 23 of the surgical instrument 20, as well as a motor for transmitting driving force from the surgical robot arm 900 to the surgical instrument 20. This interface portion (not shown) allows the end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform pitch, yaw, and actuation movements. Furthermore, this interface portion (not shown) allows the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 to perform roll movement around the fourth axis A4.

[0402] Meanwhile, a trocar 30 can be further provided as an insertion passage for inserting the surgical instrument 20 into the patient's body, and the surgical instrument 20 can be inserted into the patient's body through the trocar 30 with the trocar 30 inserted into the body. An RCM can be formed at a predetermined position on such a trocar 30. As described above, the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 930, can be formed to pass through this RCM.

[0403] The surgical instrument 20 may further include a driving unit 23. The driving unit 23 may be formed with components for coupling with the interface unit (not shown) and a drive wheel that operates by meshing with the motor. As such, the interface unit (not shown) and the driving unit 23 are formed with corresponding coupling means and drive transmission means, respectively, so that the surgical instrument 20, attached to the instrument mounting link 950, receives driving force from the surgical robot arm 900 and operates.

[0404] In the present invention, the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm 900 is a structure in which a surgical instrument 20 is attached to one side of the surgical robot arm 900 and is operated and controlled so that the surgical instrument 20 rotates around a predetermined point RCM on the trocar 30 into which the surgical instrument 20 is inserted. Here, the RCM structure according to this embodiment is characterized by being realized by electronic control of each link, rather than the existing mechanical parallelogram link structure.

[0405] In particular, what makes this embodiment different from the previous embodiments is that RCM movement is possible even when the rotation axis A1 of the RCM and the base link 920 are spaced apart without meeting each other, which makes it easier to perform initial setup of the surgical robot arm. In other words, RCM movement is possible even when the RCM and the base link 920 are spaced apart to a certain extent in the XY plane.

[0406] That is, as shown in Figure 47 etc. of the third embodiment, RCM motion is possible even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 930, is not arranged to pass through the RCM on the XY plane. This is made possible by the additional degrees of freedom added in this embodiment, namely, the rotational movement of the base link 920 relative to the base 910 and the rotational movement of the second region 942 of the second link 940 relative to the first region 941. That is, the surgical robot arm 900 of this embodiment has a total of six degrees of freedom, and the movement of these six degrees of freedom enables RCM motion even if the first axis A1 does not pass through the RCM on the XY plane.

[0407] In the following, for convenience, the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction of the figure will be explained separately, but it can be said that the overall control is performed by combining the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction. Note that the coordinate system of each component can change relatively due to the rotation and linear movement of each link, but for convenience in the following explanation, the bed will be used as the reference point and the X-axis and Y-axis directions of the bed will be used as the reference.

[0408] This will be explained in more detail as follows.

[0409] First, control in the X-axis direction is 1) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 940 relative to the first link 930; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 950 relative to the second link 940; 3) Control of the rotational movement of the second region 942 of the second link 940 relative to the first region 941 of the second link 940.

[0410] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 about the X-axis, first, the second link 940 performs linear movement along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 930. At the same time, the instrument mounting link 950 performs rotational movement about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 940, and the second region 942 of the second link 940 is controlled to perform rotational movement relative to the first region 941 of the second link 940, thereby performing RCM motion. As a result, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0411] At this time, even if the surgical instrument 20 rotates around the X-axis, the insertion depth of the instrument (see LE in Figure 6) must not change, and the distance from the RCM to the end of the trocar 30 (see Lt in Figure 6) must not change either.

[0412] For this reason, the surgical robot arm 900 according to embodiment 4-1 of the present invention is characterized by having one additional degree of freedom compared to the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4). That is, in the surgical robot arm 900 according to embodiment 4-1 of the present invention, the first region 941 and the second region 942 of the second link 940 are formed to be rotatable relative to each other around the pitch rotation axis 945.

[0413] Therefore, when controlling the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the X-axis, the second region 942 of the second link 940 can be controlled to rotate relative to the first region 941 of the second link 940, thereby maintaining a constant insertion depth of the surgical instrument 20 and the trocar 30.

[0414] In this way, by combining 1) control of the linear movement of the second link 940 relative to the first link 930, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 950 relative to the second link 940, and 3) control of the rotational movement of the second region 942 of the second link 940 relative to the first region 941 of the second link 940, the RCM maintains its position in the X-axis direction even when the links move.

[0415] Next, RCM control in the Y-axis direction is

[0416] 1) Control of the roll rotational motion of the first link 930 about the first axis A1; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 950 relative to the second link 940; 3) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 940 relative to the first link 930; 4) Control of the roll motion of the surgical instrument 20; 5) This can be realized by a combination of controlling the rotational movement of the base link 920 relative to the base 910.

[0417] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the Y-axis, the first link 930 first performs a rolling rotational movement around the first axis A1, and then the first link 930, the second link 940 connected to the first link 930 in sequence, the instrument mounting link 950, and the surgical instrument 20 all perform a rolling rotation around the first axis A1.

[0418] At this time, the first axis A1, which is the rotation axis of the first link 930, does not coincide with the Y axis and is formed at an angle, so when only the first link 930 rotates, an unintended movement occurs. That is, as shown in the figure, when the first link 930 rotates, the second link 940, the instrument mounting link 950, and the surgical instrument 20 perform a kind of rolling.

[0419] To compensate for this, in addition to the rotation of the first link 930, the instrument mounting link 950 is controlled to rotate relative to the second link 940 about the third axis A3, the second link 940 is controlled to move linearly relative to the first link 930, and the base link 920 is controlled to rotate relative to the base 910 about the sixth axis A6, thereby performing RCM motion. In other words, even if the links move, the RCM maintains its position.

[0420] In addition, the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 can be controlled to perform a roll motion around the fourth axis A4, and the end tool 21 can be compensated to maintain its posture regardless of the rotation of the first link 930.

[0421] In this way, by combining 1) control of the roll rotational movement of the first link 930 around the first axis A1, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 950 relative to the second link 940, 3) control of the linear movement of the second link 940 relative to the first link 930, 4) control of the roll movement of the surgical instrument 20, and 5) control of the rotational movement of the base link 920 relative to the base 910, the RCM maintains its position in the Y-axis direction even when the links move.

[0422] In conclusion, from the perspective of the degrees of freedom of the surgical robot arm 900 itself (excluding the surgical instrument 20), the surgical robot arm 900 according to embodiment 4-1 of the present invention can operate with five degrees of freedom: 1) roll rotational movement of the first link 930 about the first axis A1, 2) linear movement of the second link 940 relative to the first link 930, 3) rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 950 relative to the second link 940, 4) rotational movement of the second region 942 of the second link 940 relative to the first region 941 of the second link 940, and 5) rotational movement of the base link 920 relative to the base 910. Here, translational movement of the surgical instrument 20, i.e., linear movement of the surgical instrument 20 in the direction of the fourth axis A4, is also possible through linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 951 relative to the guide rail 952 of the instrument mounting link 950.

[0423] By implementing RCM control electronically according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, resulting in increased space efficiency and the prevention of collisions between robot arms. In particular, rather than gripping and driving the surgical instrument 20 at the rear (i.e., the side opposite the endotool 21) as in the conventional method, the surgical instrument 20 is driven by gripping and driving the trocar 30 at its joint, which is relatively close to the endotool 21. This reduces the operating range of the surgical robot arm 100 and reduces the driving force required for operation. Furthermore, by controlling the rotational movement of the second region 942 of the second link 940 relative to the first region 941 of the second link 940, the insertion depth of the trocar 30 can be kept constant, eliminating the risk of the trocar 30 slipping out of the abdomen during surgery, further improving safety.

[0424] <Fifth embodiment of surgical robot arm> A surgical robot arm 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0425] Here, a surgical robot arm 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is characteristically different from the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4) described above in terms of the configuration of the first link 530 of the robot arm 500. In other words, compared to the embodiment in FIG. 4, the robot arm 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention has a first link 530 that is made up of three parts: a first region 531, a second region 532, and a third region 533. The second region 532 of the first link 530 is formed to be movable in the vertical direction (i.e., in the Z-axis direction) relative to the first region 531, and the third region 533 of the first link 530 is formed to be rotatable about the A2 axis relative to the second region 532.

[0426] Furthermore, the surgical robot arm 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is characteristically different from the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4) in the operation of the base link 520 of the robot arm 500. In other words, the surgical robot arm 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is an embodiment in which the base link 520 is formed so as to be linearly movable in the vertical direction relative to the base 510, as compared to the embodiment of FIG.

[0427] Such differences in configuration compared to the first embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0428] Figure 72 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a surgical robot arm 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 73 is a side view of the surgical robot arm of Figure 72. Figures 74 to 76 are side and plan views showing the X-axis RCM motion (pitch movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 72. Figures 77 to 79 are perspective views showing the Y-axis RCM motion (yaw movement) of the surgical robot arm of Figure 72. Figure 80 is a side and plan view showing the surgical robot arm of Figure 72 laid on its side.

[0429] 72 to 80, a surgical robot arm 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention includes a base 510, a base link 520, a first link 530, a second link 540, and an instrument attachment link 550.

[0430] The base 510 serves as the base of the entire surgical robot arm 500. Here, a moving means (not shown) such as wheels may be formed on the underside of the base 510, so that the base 510 may serve as a kind of cart. The base 510 may further be formed with a position fixing means (not shown) to fix the position of the base 510 during surgery. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the base 510 may be formed in a shape that can be attached and detached to a bed or a wall.

[0431] The base link 520 includes an extension portion 521 and a roll rotation base portion 522 .

[0432] The extension 521 may be formed to extend in one direction from the base 510, and in the drawing, the extension 521 of the base link 520 is shown to be formed to extend from the base 510 in the Z-axis direction.

[0433] Here, the extension 521 is formed to be capable of linear movement relative to the base 510. That is, in this embodiment, the base link 520 is characterized by being formed to be capable of linear movement in one direction (up and down) along the sixth axis A6 relative to the base 510. However, here, the linear movement of the base link 520 relative to the base 510 is not performed in real time while the surgical robot arm 500 is operating, but can be performed in a setup step of the surgical robot arm 500 before the start of surgery. That is, as shown in FIG. 28 of the above-mentioned 2-1 embodiment, RCM motion can be realized regardless of the position of the base link 720 in the Z-axis direction.

[0434] 72, the base link 520 is formed so as to be retractable / retractable relative to the base 510, and the base link 520 can be positioned in various positions. That is, this embodiment is characterized in that RCM motion can be realized even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 520, and the RCM do not coincide in the Z-axis direction.

[0435] Therefore, the second region 532 of the first link 530 can be formed to be linearly movable relative to the first region 531. In this way, RCM motion is possible even if the RCM and the first axis A1 of the base link 520 are separated in the Z-axis direction, so the initial position of the surgical robot arm can be set flexibly. In other words, various setup positions for the surgical robot arm 500 are possible. This will be described later.

[0436] Meanwhile, a roll rotation base portion 522 is formed at the other end of the base link 520. Here, the roll rotation base portion 522 of the base link 520 may be formed in a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis A1 formed along the first direction. Then, the first link 530 connected to the roll rotation base portion 522 (and the second link 540, instrument mounting link 550, and surgical instrument 20 connected to the first link 530 in sequence) may be configured to roll around the first axis A1. Here, the first axis A1 may be formed in a direction parallel to the X-axis.

[0437] The first link 530 is coupled to the base link 520, more specifically, the roll rotation base portion 522 of the base link 520, and the entire first link 530 may be formed to be rotatable around a first axis A1 of the roll rotation base portion 522. Alternatively, it may be expressed that the first link 530 rolls around the base link 520. To realize such rotational movement of the first link 530 relative to the base link 520, a motor may be provided in either the base link 520 or the first link 530.

[0438] Meanwhile, the first link 530 may include a first region 531 that connects to the base link 520, a third region 533 that connects to the second link 540, and a second region 532 that connects the first region 531 and the third region 533.

[0439] Here, the second region 532 may be formed to be movable in the up and down direction along the seventh axis A7 relative to the first region 531.

[0440] The second region 532 and the third region 533 are connected by a roll rotation axis (not shown) formed in the direction of the second axis A2, and the third region 533 is formed to be capable of roll rotation around the second axis A2 relative to the second region 532. That is, when viewed in the drawing, the third region 533 can rotate around the Y axis.

[0441] Here, when the first link 530 rotates around the first axis A1, the second link 540 connected to the first link 530, the instrument mounting link 550, and the surgical instrument 20 rotate together.

[0442] On the other hand, in order to realize rotational movement of the second region 532 relative to the first region 531, a motor can be provided in either the first region 531 or the second region 532. Also, in order to realize rotational movement of the third region 533 relative to the second region 532, a motor can be provided in either the second region 532 or the third region 533.

[0443] The second link 540 is coupled to the third region 533 of the first link 530 and can move linearly back and forth in one direction along the second axis A2 relative to the third region 533 of the first link 530. Although the figure shows the second link 540 moving linearly back and forth in the X-axis direction relative to the first link 530, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the linear reciprocating axis of the second link 540 may be formed in various ways depending on the shape and configuration of the link.

[0444] To achieve such linear motion, either the first link 530 or the second link 540 may be provided with a linear actuator (not shown).

[0445] Here, the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 may be parallel to each other, and in this case, the second axis A2 may be formed so as not to pass through the RCM.

[0446] The instrument mounting link 550 and the second link 540 are axially connected by a link rotation shaft 560 coupled in the direction of the third axis A3, so that the instrument mounting link 550 can rotate relative to the second link 540 around the third axis A3. In other words, when viewed in the drawing, the instrument mounting link 550 can rotate around the X-axis. To achieve this rotational movement, a motor can be provided in either the second link 540 or the instrument mounting link 550.

[0447] Meanwhile, an instrument mounting link 550 is formed with an instrument mounting portion 551 and a guide rail 552. With a surgical instrument 20 attached to the instrument mounting portion 551, the instrument mounting portion 551 can move linearly along the guide rail 552 formed in the direction of the fourth axis A4. To achieve such linear movement, a linear actuator (not shown) can be provided on the instrument mounting portion 551.

[0448] Here, the fourth axis A4 may be the direction in which the guide rail 552 is formed, and may also be the extension direction of the shaft of the surgical instrument 20 coupled to the instrument attachment link 550.

[0449] The surgical instrument 20 is attached to the instrument attachment portion 551 of the instrument attachment link 550 of the surgical robot arm 500.

[0450] Although not shown in the figures, the instrument mounting portion 551 may further include an interface portion (not shown) for coupling with the surgical instrument 20 to control the movement of the surgical instrument 20. The interface portion (not shown) may include components for coupling with the drive portion 23 of the surgical instrument 20 and a motor for transmitting driving force from the surgical robot arm 500 to the surgical instrument 20. This interface portion (not shown) allows the end tool 21 of the surgical instrument 20 to perform pitch, yaw, and actuation movements. Furthermore, this interface portion (not shown) allows the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 to perform roll movement around the fourth axis A4.

[0451] Meanwhile, a trocar 30 can be further provided as an insertion passage for inserting the surgical instrument 20 into the patient's body, and the surgical instrument 20 can be inserted into the patient's body through the trocar 30 with the trocar 30 inserted into the body. An RCM can be formed at a predetermined position on such a trocar 30. As described above, the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 530, can be formed to pass through this RCM.

[0452] The surgical instrument 20 may further include a driving unit 23. The driving unit 23 may be formed with components for coupling with the interface unit (not shown) and a drive wheel that operates by meshing with the motor. As such, the interface unit (not shown) and the driving unit 23 are formed with corresponding coupling means and drive transmission means, respectively, so that the surgical instrument 20, attached to the instrument attachment link 550, receives a driving force from the surgical robot arm 500 and operates.

[0453] In the present invention, the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm 500 is a structure in which a surgical instrument 20 is attached to one side of the surgical robot arm 500 and is operated and controlled so that the surgical instrument 20 rotates around a predetermined RCM point on the trocar 30 into which the surgical instrument 20 is inserted. Here, the RCM structure according to this embodiment is characterized by being realized by electronic control of each link, rather than the existing mechanical parallelogram link structure.

[0454] In particular, what makes this embodiment different from the previous embodiments is that RCM motion is possible even when the rotation axes A1 of the RCM and base link are separated and do not meet each other, which makes initial setup of the surgical robot arm easier. In other words, RCM operation is possible even when the RCM and base link are separated in both the yaw axis direction and the pitch axis direction.

[0455] That is, RCM motion is possible even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the first link 530, is not disposed so as to pass through the RCM. This is made possible by the additional degrees of freedom added in this embodiment: the linear motion of the base link 520 relative to the base 510, the linear motion of the second region 532 relative to the first region 531, and the rotational motion of the third region 533 relative to the second region 532. That is, the surgical robot arm 500 of this embodiment has a total of seven degrees of freedom, and the movement of these seven degrees of freedom enables RCM motion even if the first axis A1 does not pass through the RCM.

[0456] In the following, for convenience, the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction of the figure will be explained separately, but it can be said that the overall control is performed by combining the control in the X-axis direction and the control in the Y-axis direction. Note that the coordinate system of each component can change relatively due to the rotation and linear movement of each link, but for convenience in the following explanation, the bed will be used as the reference point and the X-axis and Y-axis directions of the bed will be used as the reference.

[0457] This will be explained in more detail as follows.

[0458] First, control in the X-axis direction is 1) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 540 relative to the first link 530; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 550 relative to the second link 540; 3) This can be realized by a combination of control of the linear motion of the second region 532 of the first link 530 relative to the first region 531 of the first link 530.

[0459] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 about the X-axis, first, the second link 540 performs linear movement along the second axis A2 relative to the first link 530. At the same time, the instrument mounting link 550 performs rotational movement about the third axis A3 relative to the second link 540, and the second region 532 of the first link 530 is controlled to perform rotational movement relative to the first region 531 of the first link 530, thereby performing RCM motion. As a result, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0460] At this time, even if the surgical instrument 20 rotates around the X-axis, the insertion depth of the instrument (see LE in Figure 6) must not change, and the distance from the RCM to the end of the trocar 30 (see Lt in Figure 6) must not change either.

[0461] For this reason, the surgical robot arm 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is characterized by having one additional degree of freedom compared to the surgical robot arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention (see 100 in FIG. 4). That is, the surgical robot arm 500 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is configured so that the second region 532 of the first link 530 can move up and down along the seventh axis A7 relative to the first region 531.

[0462] Therefore, when controlling the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the X-axis, the second region 532 of the first link 530 can be controlled to move linearly relative to the first region 531 of the first link 530, thereby maintaining a constant insertion depth of the surgical instrument 20 and the trocar 30.

[0463] In this way, by combining 1) control of the linear movement of the second link 540 relative to the first link 530, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 550 relative to the second link 540, and 3) control of the linear movement of the second region 532 of the first link 530 relative to the first region 531 of the first link 530, the RCM maintains its position in the X-axis direction even when the links move.

[0464] Next, RCM control in the Y-axis direction is 1) Control of the roll rotational motion of the first link 530 around the first axis A1; 2) controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 550 relative to the second link 540; 3) Controlling the linear motion of the second link 540 relative to the first link 530; 4) Control of the roll motion of the surgical instrument 20; 5) This can be realized by a combination of control of the rotational movement of the third region 533 of the first link 530 relative to the second region 532 of the first link 530.

[0465] Specifically, to control the rotational movement of the surgical instrument 20 around the Y-axis, the first link 530 first performs a rolling rotational movement around the first axis A1. Then, the first link 530, the second link 540 connected to the first link 530 in sequence, the instrument mounting link 550, and the surgical instrument 20 all perform a rolling rotation around the first axis A1.

[0466] At this time, if only the first link 530 were to rotate, an unintended movement would occur. That is, as shown in the figure, when the first link 530 rotates, the second link 540, the instrument mounting link 550, and the surgical instrument 20 perform a kind of rolling.

[0467] To compensate for this, as the first link 530 rotates, the instrument mounting link 550 is controlled to rotate relative to the second link 540 about the third axis A3, the second link 540 is controlled to move linearly relative to the first link 530, and the third region 533 of the first link 530 is controlled to rotate relative to the second region 532 of the first link 530, thereby performing RCM motion. In other words, the RCM maintains its position even when the links move.

[0468] In addition, the shaft 22 of the surgical instrument 20 and the end tool 21 can be controlled to perform a roll motion around the fourth axis A4, and the end tool 21 can be compensated to maintain its posture regardless of the rotation of the first link 530.

[0469] In this way, by combining 1) control of the roll rotational movement of the first link 530 around the first axis A1, 2) control of the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 550 relative to the second link 540, 3) control of the linear movement of the second link 540 relative to the first link 530, 4) control of the roll movement of the surgical instrument 20, and 5) control of the rotational movement of the third region 533 of the first link 530 relative to the second region 532 of the first link 530, the RCM maintains its position in the Y-axis direction even when the links move.

[0470] In conclusion, from the perspective of the degrees of freedom of the surgical robot arm 500 itself (excluding the surgical instrument 20), the surgical robot arm 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention can operate with six degrees of freedom: 1) rolling rotational movement of the first link 530 about the first axis A1; 2) linear movement of the second link 540 relative to the first link 530; 3) rotational movement of the instrument mounting link 550 relative to the second link 540; 4) linear movement of the second region 532 of the first link 530 relative to the first region 531 of the first link 530; 5) rotational movement of the third region 533 of the first link 530 relative to the second region 532 of the first link 530; and 6) linear movement of the base link 520 relative to the base 510. Here, through the linear movement of the instrument mounting portion 551 relative to the guide rail 552 of the instrument mounting link 550, the translation operation of the surgical instrument 20, that is, the linear movement of the surgical instrument 20 in the direction of the fourth axis A4, is also possible.

[0471] As described above, by implementing RCM control through electronic control according to the present invention, the overall mechanism size is reduced and the configuration is simplified, resulting in increased space efficiency and the prevention of collisions between robot arms. In particular, rather than gripping and driving the rear of the surgical instrument 20 (i.e., the side opposite the endotool 21) as in the conventional method, the surgical instrument 20 is driven by gripping and driving the trocar 30 at its joint, which is relatively close to the endotool 21. This reduces the operating range of the surgical robot arm 100 and reduces the driving force required for operation. Furthermore, by controlling the rotational movement of the second region 532 of the first link 530 relative to the first region 531 of the first link 530, the insertion depth of the trocar 30 can be kept constant, eliminating the risk of the trocar 30 slipping out of the abdomen during surgery, further improving safety.

[0472] Furthermore, when an additional degree of freedom (i.e., rotational movement of the third region 533 of the first link 530 relative to the second region 532 of the first link 530) is provided as in this embodiment, RCM motion can be achieved even if the first axis A1, which is the roll rotation axis of the base link 520, is not aligned with the RCM, which has the effect of making initial setting of the surgical robot arm easier.

[0473] The specific implementation described in the present invention is one embodiment and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. For the sake of brevity, descriptions of conventional electronic configurations, control systems, software, and other functional aspects of the system may be omitted. Furthermore, line connections or connecting members between components shown in the drawings are illustrative of functional connections and / or physical or circuit connections, and may be represented as various alternative or additional functional connections, physical connections, or circuit connections in an actual device. Furthermore, unless specifically referred to as "essential," "critical," or the like, a component may not necessarily be required to apply the present invention.

[0474] The use of the term "said" and similar indicators in the present specification (particularly in the claims) can correspond to both the singular and the plural. Furthermore, when a range is described in the present invention, it is considered to include the invention to which each individual value within that range is applied (unless otherwise specified), and this is the same as describing each individual value comprising that range in the detailed description of the invention. Finally, unless there is a clear or contrary description of the order of steps constituting the method of the present invention, the steps can be performed in any suitable order. The present invention is not necessarily limited to the order of the steps described. The use of all examples or exemplary terms (e.g., etc.) in the present invention is merely for the purpose of describing the present invention in detail, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by such examples or exemplary terms unless limited by the claims. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, combinations, and variations can be made depending on design conditions and factors within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents.

[0475] The present invention has been described above using embodiments and drawings that are limited to specific details such as specific components, but these are provided to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. A person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and changes from such descriptions.

[0476] Therefore, the concept of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, and all scopes equivalent to or modified equivalently from the scope of the claims, as well as the scope of the claims described below, can be said to fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0477] By realizing RCM control through electronic control, the present invention can be used in surgical robot arms, which reduces the overall instrument size and simplifies the configuration, thereby increasing space efficiency and preventing collisions between robot arms.

Claims

1. A surgical robot arm having a surgical instrument attached thereto, a base link including an extension portion formed to extend in one direction, and a roll rotation base portion formed at one end of the extension portion and forming a predetermined angle with the extension portion; a first link coupled to the roll rotation base portion of the base link and formed to be capable of roll rotation about a first axis; a second link coupled to the first link and configured to be linearly movable along a second axis relative to the first link; and an instrument mounting link that is axially coupled to the second link by a link rotation axis formed around a third axis, has a guide rail formed extending around a fourth axis, and is formed rotatable around the link rotation axis; The first link is a first region coupled to the roll rotation base portion and a second region coupled to the second link, the first region and the second region being integrally formed; the first axis, which is a central axis of the first region, and the second axis, which is a central axis of the second region, are formed to form a predetermined angle with each other; the second axis, the third axis, and the fourth axis intersect at one point, A remote center of motion (RCM) is formed on the trocar into which the surgical instrument is inserted, and the RCM is disposed on an extension line of the first axis; The trocar and the surgical instrument inserted therein are controlled to rotate around the RCM; a surgical robot arm, wherein during an RCM operation centered on the RCM in a first direction, which is a rotational direction about an axis substantially parallel to the second axis, at least one of a roll rotational movement of the first link relative to the base link, a rotational movement of the instrument mounting link relative to the second link, and a linear movement of the second link relative to the first link is controlled to maintain the position of the RCM.

2. The surgical robot arm according to claim 1 , further comprising a base that forms a base of the surgical robot arm and to which the base link is coupled on one surface.

3. The surgical robot arm according to claim 2 , wherein the base link is configured to be capable of linear movement along a sixth axis direction relative to the base.

4. 4. The surgical robot arm according to claim 3, wherein RCM operation is possible on the sixth axis even when the RCM and the first axis are spaced apart.

5. The surgical robot arm according to claim 2 , wherein the base link is formed to be capable of rolling rotation about a sixth axis relative to the base.

6. 6. The surgical robot arm according to claim 5, wherein RCM operation is possible even when the RCM and the first axis are spaced apart from each other on the XY plane.

7. The instrument mounting link includes:

2. The surgical robot arm according to claim 1, further comprising: an instrument mounting portion to which the surgical instrument is coupled and which is configured to be capable of linear movement along the guide rail.

8. 8. The surgical robot arm of claim 7, wherein the distance from the distal end of the end tool of the surgical instrument to the RCM can be controlled to be kept constant by linear movement of the instrument mounting portion relative to the guide rail.

9. The surgical robot arm according to claim 7 , further comprising a trocar holder portion to which the trocar is coupled, the trocar holder portion being coupled with the instrument attachment link and configured to be linearly movable along the instrument attachment link.

10. 10. The surgical robot arm of claim 9, wherein the distance from the distal end of the trocar to the RCM can be controlled to be kept constant by linear movement of the trocar holder portion relative to the instrument attachment link.

11. For RCM control in the first direction, 2. The surgical robot arm of claim 1, wherein the roll motion of the surgical instruments is controlled together.

12. 12. The surgical robot arm of claim 11, wherein the direction of the end tool of the surgical instrument is controlled to be kept constant by the roll motion of the surgical instrument.

13. the surgical robot arm further includes a base that forms a base of the surgical robot arm and to which the base link is coupled on one surface; for control of RCM motion about the RCM in the first direction; 10. The surgical robotic arm of claim 1, further comprising control of rotational movement of the base link relative to the base.

14. The RCM control in the second direction is linear motion of the second link relative to the first link moving along the second axis; 2. The surgical robot arm according to claim 1, wherein the surgical robot arm is realized by controlling the rotational movement of the instrument mounting link relative to the second link about the third axis.

15. 2. The surgical robot arm according to claim 1, wherein the second link and the instrument mounting link are connected only by the link rotation shaft, and the link rotation shaft is actively controlled by a motor.

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