Operation training device for robot-assisted work

Abstract

To improve proficiency levels with complex equipment such as robot-assisted tasks, we provide an operation training device for robot-assisted tasks that allows even those with limited opportunities to interact with actual equipment to practice. [Solution] The robot-assisted work training device of the present invention comprises a monitor capable of displaying training target videos of the robot-assisted work, an image generation unit that sends the training target videos to the monitor, a first operation unit operated by a first part of the worker and mimicking a first part operation unit of the robot-assisted work, and a second operation unit operated by a second part of the worker and mimicking a second part operation unit of the robot-assisted work. The worker can improve their proficiency level while watching actual surgical videos.

Description

Technical Field

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[0003]

[0001] The present invention relates to an operation training device for robot-assisted work, and particularly to an operation training device for training operations for robot-assisted work that requires proficiency such as advanced medical treatment.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, like laparoscopic surgery, robot-assisted surgery has attracted attention due to its safety and reduction of burden on patients. In relatively large hospitals, despite the need for very high introduction costs, there is a tendency to promote the introduction of systems for performing such robot-assisted surgery. For example, in a surgical device called the Da Vinci (registered trademark) surgical system, robot-assisted surgery is performed as a system using three devices: a patient cart mainly equipped with four robot arms facing the patient, a surgeon console operated by a surgeon in charge of the operation, and a vision cart that integrates these two devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In such robot-assisted surgery, a patient cart is placed in the operating room, and a surgeon console is placed at a position slightly away from it for the surgeon to perform necessary operations. The surgeon console is provided with special operators for freely operating forceps and cameras attached to the tips of the robot arms, and a foot pedal for switching forceps etc. is also provided at the foot. In actual surgery, an experienced surgeon can perform operations such as tissue incision, resection, hemostasis, coagulation, etc. using forceps while looking at the monitor of the surgeon console, operating the operators with both hands, and simultaneously switching the functions of forceps etc. with good timing using the foot pedal.

[0004] With the recent expansion of insurance coverage, the scope of robot-assisted endoscopic surgery has also been expanding. In addition to conventional prostate cancer, bladder cancer, mediastinal tumor, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, rectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, uterine body cancer, laryngeal / pharyngeal malignant tumor, choledochal dilatation, liver cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer, ureteral cancer, adrenal tumor are also targeted.

Prior Art Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Publication No. 20140358161 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Incidentally, when performing effective and efficient surgeries using robot-assisted surgery systems, the surgeons must undergo specific training. While training centers have been established in some cities in Japan, it is currently difficult to get a reservation. Furthermore, robotic surgery simulators that allow users to experience robotic surgery systems are available on the market, but they do not support multiple systems. Moreover, these simulators are expensive and only offer a few practice programs using VR. While such VR programs are suitable for basic operation training for students and residents, they cannot simulate realistic situations using actual surgical footage, making them insufficient training tools for young and mid-career surgeons.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an operation training device for robot-assisted work that allows even those with little opportunity to interact with actual equipment to improve their proficiency level with complex devices such as robot-assisted work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the operation training device for robot-assisted work of the present invention performs work via a robotic arm. Training in operation for robot-assisted tasks A device relating to the robot-assisted work Play back video footage of past surgeries. A monitor capable of displaying training target videos, an image generation unit that sends the training target videos to the monitor, and a first part operated by the work trainee. It has a pair of arms, and at the end of one of the arms is an operator whose opening and closing operation mimics the opening and closing operation of forceps.The system is characterized by comprising a first operating unit and a second operating unit that is operated by a second part of the worker and mimics the second part operating unit of the robot-assisted work.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first part of the worker trainee may be the hand and the first operating unit may be a hand operating unit, and the second part of the worker trainee may be the foot and the second operating unit may be a foot operating unit. The first and second part operating units are the operating units of the actual robot assisting work machine, and are mainly the hand and foot, but if, for example, the second part operating unit is used as an input unit for voice input or gaze at a monitor instead of foot operation, then the second operating unit may be such voice input or gaze at a monitor.

[0010] Furthermore, according to another preferred embodiment, an indicator unit is provided to show the operating state of the second operating unit, and the state of the second operating unit is shown as a signal in the image. Generate The image is sent to the department. Generate The unit, including the indicator unit, can also be displayed on the monitor. In other words, the indicator unit may be in a format that is displayed on the monitor, and may even be a single device, even if it is located near the monitor.

[0011] Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present invention, the training video can be a video that includes the operations of an experienced worker for the trainee to use as a reference, and can display or play a video of an actual robot-assisted operation, such as an operation that has actually been performed. The trainee can then operate the hand and foot control units in conjunction with this to improve their own proficiency. In particular, the operations performed via the robot arm can be surgical procedures, and the training video can be a video that includes actual surgical footage for the reference of a physician aiming to become proficient in operation. The physician aiming to become proficient in surgery can then operate the hand and foot control units in conjunction with this to improve their own proficiency.

[0012] In robotic mechanisms used for multiple robotic support tasks, for example, the location of the second control unit, such as the foot control unit, may differ. By designing the second control unit to change its shape according to the robotic mechanism used for the robotic support task, it can be adapted to different robotic mechanisms, greatly expanding its range of applications. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a robot support system targeted by the operation training device for robot support work according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an operational training device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the manual operation section of an operation training device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing the controls of the hand-operated section of an operation training device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing the foot control unit of an operation training device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a control unit for an operation training device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing another example of the instruction section of an operation training device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of how the operational training device of the present invention is used, showing an experienced surgeon performing an actual surgery via a robot-assisted surgical system, while a physician designated as a trainee uses the operational training device. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of how the operational training device of the present invention can be used, and shows a physician, designated as an operational trainee, using the operational training device alone. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Hereinafter, an operation training device for robot-assisted work according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The robot-assisted work in this embodiment targets robot-assisted surgery. In this robot-assisted surgery, a surgeon operates various forceps and the like and a camera attached to the tip of a robot arm while looking at a screen using a dedicated control device called a surgery console, such as Da Vinci (registered trademark) or Hinotori (registered trademark).

[0015] Before explaining the operation training device of this embodiment, a system for performing robot-assisted surgery targeted by the operation training device of this embodiment will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1. The robot-assisted surgery system 10 mainly consists of the following three devices. The patient cart (also called an "operation unit" in some devices) 12 faces the patient to be operated on and has one or more robot arms 13 with forceps and a camera at the tip. Based on the operation signals from the surgeon described below, it accurately moves the forceps and the like at the tip of the arm to perform surgeries that require delicate operations. The surgeon console (also called a "surgeon cockpit" in some devices) 14 is a device operated by the surgeon performing the surgery and includes a monitor 15 that displays the content of the surgery captured by the camera, a controller 16 for operating the forceps and the like at the tip of the arm, and a plurality of foot switches 17 placed on the foot side. The vision cart 18 functions as an integrated hub for power supply, image processing, and information systems and has a large HD display that displays a live video of the procedure.

[0016] To perform robot-assisted surgery using the robot-assisted surgical system 10 shown in Figure 1, even surgeons need sufficient skills to operate the device, and the operation training device of this embodiment is suitable for training in operating such a device. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation training device of this embodiment, showing the state when installed on a desk 19. The operation training device 20 of this embodiment has a so-called laptop-type personal computer 22, a master controller 24 that functions as a pair of hand-operated units, an LED indicator 26 that functions as an indicator unit, and a foot switch unit 28 that has multiple foot switches that function as foot-operated units. The operation training device of this embodiment can be configured to mimic an actual surgeon's console 14 by setting the personal computer 22, master controller 24, and LED indicator 26 on a desk 19 and arranging the foot switch unit 28 below the desk 19.

[0017] The computer 22 functions as an image generation unit that sends training videos to its monitor. For example, it could be a dedicated laptop PC, or a PC brought in by the trainee. The computer 22 only needs to display the video of the actual surgical screen on its monitor. The video can be obtained by connecting to the internet or the hospital's internal network, or it can be stored in the computer 22's memory. The video of the actual surgical screen can be the same as the video displayed on the Vision Cart 18 monitor in the case of real-time training, or it can be a video of a past surgery, or even a video played from a video site. These videos usually have a display section that shows the status of four forceps, etc., and generally the status of the four forceps, etc. is displayed at the bottom of the screen. By displaying the video of the actual surgical screen on the monitor, the trainee can learn to operate the master controller 24, which functions as a hand control unit, and the foot switch unit 28, which is a foot control unit, with a sense of realism similar to that of an actual surgery.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the master controller 24 that functions as a manual operation unit is attached to the base portion 31 such that a pair of first arms 32 and second arms 33 extend therefrom. The first arm 32 is rotatably attached to the base portion 31. A hinge portion 34 is provided between the first arm 32 and the second arm 33, and the second arm 33 can change the angle with respect to the first arm 32. A connection portion 35 is provided at the other end of the second arm 33, and the connection portion 35 has a function of holding the operator side via a holding shaft 36 that is pivotally supported rotatably and rotatably. The tip side of the holding shaft 36 is fixed to the base end sides of a pair of L-shaped brackets 37, and the tip sides of the pair of brackets 37 pivotally support a shaft that penetrates the peripheral wall of the cylinder 38. The cylinder 38 holds the operator 40 at its tip rotatably about the axis 39 and also allows the operator 40 to move in the extending direction of the axis 39 of the cylinder 38.

[0019] The operator 40 connected to the cylinder 38 via the axis 39 has an opening / closing portion 42 having a ring 41 at its tip. The opening / closing operation of this opening / closing portion 42 mimics the opening / closing operation of forceps in the actual system. The opening / closing portion 42 is attached with a spring so that it can open and close about the central axis 43, and after the opening / closing portion 42 is operated and closed, the opening / closing portion 42 can be expanded to its original position by the biasing force of the spring. A movable clutch switch portion 44 is attached to the central axis 43 and is used when switching the state of the forceps. However, in another assistance surgery system, for example, this clutch switch portion 44 may be in a different location and can also be attached to a part of the opening / closing portion 42 instead of the central axis 43. Also, if the user thinks that practice of the clutch switch is unnecessary, the clutch switch portion 44 can be removed. Since this embodiment is a device for training, there is no need for wiring or the like that particularly forms part of the control circuit in the clutch switch portion 44.

[0020] The master controller 24, configured as described above, relatively faithfully reproduces the mechanism of the controller 16 of the surgeon console 14, and operations such as controlling the position of the forceps at the tip of the robot arm, controlling the orientation of the forceps, and controlling the opening and closing of the forceps can be performed using the master controller 24 of the operation training device 20 of this embodiment. In particular, the master controller 24 of the operation training device 20 of this embodiment does not require wiring for control necessary in the opening / closing part 42 or the operator 40 as in the actual machine, and there is no need to output VR-like images to the training monitor, so the manufacturing cost of its mechanism can be constructed at a very low cost compared to the actual machine.

[0021] Furthermore, the configuration of the master controller 24 exemplified here is just one example, and it may be composed of other components that can simulate operations such as controlling the position of the forceps at the tip of the robot arm, controlling the orientation of the forceps, and controlling the opening and closing of the forceps. Also, if the controller 16 of the surgeon console 14 of the original system is changed, the operation training device 20 of this embodiment can be used continuously as a device for mastering operations by making the necessary modifications accordingly.

[0022] Next, the foot switch section 28 of the operation training device 20 of this embodiment, which has multiple foot switches arranged on it, is positioned where the feet of a trainee, who is a work trainee, would touch the floor when they are sitting in a chair. It has a step between the back and front sides to accommodate foot operation. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the foot switch section 28 of the operation training device 20 of this embodiment, with the bottom view and back view omitted from the six-view drawing. The base 52 has an upper section 53 on the back side and a lower section 54 on the front side, and six foot switches 55 to 60 are arranged on it. For example, if the forceps are of the bipolar type, there are times when current is applied and times when it is not, and the operation can be switched between coagulation (CORG) and cutting (CUT), respectively. Also, when using four robot arms or a system that performs similar operations, the left foot switches 55 and 56 are used as switches corresponding to left-hand operation, and the right foot switches 57 to 60 are used as switches corresponding to right-hand operation. The foot switches can, for example, be of a step-operated type, and may be distinguished by color, with the rear foot switches 55, 57, and 59 being yellow and the front foot switches 56, 58, and 60 being blue, to match the actual surgeon console. In actual assisted surgery, when the forceps are activated to perform a cutting function, a yellow indicator appears along with the word "CUT". When practicing this operation using the operation training device 20 of this embodiment, the rear yellow foot switches 55, 57, and 59 are operated. Similarly, when the forceps are activated to perform a coagulation function in actual assisted surgery, a blue indicator appears along with the word "CORG". When practicing this operation using the operation training device 20 of this embodiment, the front blue foot switches 56, 58, and 60 are operated. These foot operations can be instructed by the instruction unit described later.

[0023] The bottom of the foot switches 55-60 are fitted with fixing members such as magnets or screws, allowing them to be fixed in place. While these foot switches 55-60 can be positioned using the fixing members, when practicing with different robot-assisted surgical systems using the same device, the position of some of the foot switches 55-60 can be changed to accommodate different systems. In Figure 5, positions 55a and 56a, indicated by dotted lines, are alternative positions for foot switches 55 and 56, respectively. When compatibility with different systems is required, their positions can be changed relatively freely using magnets or screws.

[0024] The operating status of the foot switches 55-60 can be determined by the LED indicator 26, which will be described next. In actual robot-assisted surgical systems, a bar-shaped display is usually provided at the bottom of the monitor screen, where the status of forceps and other instruments is aggregated. For example, four display units are provided corresponding to the four robot arms, with the leftmost unit representing the forceps operated by the left hand, the unit immediately following the leftmost unit representing the camera, and the two rightmost units representing the two forceps operated by the right hand. The name of the forceps indicates the operating status via the foot switch, for example, in the case of bipolar forceps, the display shows whether coagulation (CORG) or cutting (CUT) has been switched. In the operation training device 20 of this embodiment, the illumination state of the LED indicator 26 is linked to the operating status of the foot switches 55-60. As shown in Figure 6, the LED indicator 26 has, for example, four color-coded LED units 64R (red), 64Y (yellow), 64B (blue), and 64G (green). The LED indicator 26 lights up or turns off in response to a signal from the control unit 62, and the control unit 62 sends a signal to the LED indicator 26 upon receiving signals from the foot switches 55-60. For example, if the second forceps from the right is a Maryland bipolar forceps, and coagulation is selected using that forceps, the foot switch 58 is pressed to light up the LED unit 64B. At this time, the monitor may display, for example, a video of an actual robot-assisted surgery performed by a skilled surgeon, and if the foot switch is operated at the same time as the timing of the lights on the display bar at the bottom of this video, it can be seen that excellent timing has been achieved.

[0025] The LED indicator 26 is a device positioned along the PC 22, but as shown in Figure 7, it may also be displayed on the PC 22's monitor. Signals from the foot switches 55-60 are processed via a circuit such as a microcontroller (not shown) and input to the PC 22 via a USB terminal or the like. The PC 22 can display the signals from the foot switches 55-60 in real time on its monitor, and the four bars displayed at the bottom of the browser 65 function as indicators, switching between the display colors of bar 66R (red), bar 66Y (yellow), bar 66B (blue), and bar 66G (green), as well as the background or black and white. In this case, for example, a video of an actual robot-assisted surgery performed by a skilled surgeon is displayed in window 68 directly above the four bars 66R-66G on the screen, and if the foot switches are operated at the same timing as the lighting of bar 70 in window 68, it can be seen that excellent timing is being achieved.

[0026] In the operation training device 20 of this embodiment, the LED indicator 26 or the four bar sections function as indicators, but the indicators are not limited to being arranged horizontally; they may also be arranged vertically, and any indicator that makes it easy to visually understand the status of the foot operation section does not necessarily have to match the display on the monitor used for robot-assisted surgery.

[0027] Next, with reference to Figures 8 and 9, an example of an effective use of the operation training device 20 of this embodiment will be given. Figure 8 shows a skilled surgeon performing an actual surgery via a robot-assisted surgery system, while a trainee physician uses the operation training device. The highly skilled surgeon 80 is operating the surgeon console 14 of the robot-assisted surgery system and performing surgery on a patient not shown. At this time, for example, a physician 82 who has no experience in robotic surgery can operate the operation training device 20 of this embodiment from a slightly distant position in the same operating room, mimicking the surgeon's actions to improve their skills. This can be described as one-on-one instruction at close range, and the images on the PC monitor 22, in particular, are those displayed on the surgeon console 14 and vision cart 18, providing a sense of realism and resulting in a level of learning far superior to VR simulations.

[0028] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing a physician 82, designated as a trainee, using the operation training device 20 independently. While the usage in Figure 8 was linked to actual surgery, Figure 9 is an example where only video of actual surgery is used, and the physician 82 operates the operation training device 20 while playing back recorded video of actual surgery in his home, private room, or even a private room, in order to improve his surgical skills. With the operation training device 20 of this embodiment, training on surgery can be accumulated even if it is in a completely different location and at a different time from the robot-assisted surgery system that performs the actual surgery.

[0029] As described above, the robot-assisted operation training device of the present invention allows users to improve their proficiency level with complex devices such as expensive robot-assisted surgical systems without actually touching the device, thereby contributing to the efficient utilization of robot-assisted surgical systems. Furthermore, the robot-assisted operation training device of the present invention allows users to improve their proficiency level while viewing actual surgical footage, achieving a significantly higher level of proficiency compared to VR simulations and the like.

[0030] In the above-described embodiment, medical surgery was used as an example of the work, but the present invention This is not limited to this, but can be broadly applied to fields that handle relatively expensive and complex equipment and require a certain level of skill to operate. For example, it can be applied to systems and equipment in fields such as aerospace, nuclear power, military, and space that require operational skills. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10 Robot-Assisted Surgical Systems 12 Pageant Cart 13 Robot Arm 14 Surgeon Console 15 monitors 16 controllers 17 Footswitch 18 Vision Cart 19 desk 20 Operation training device 22 Personal computer 24 Master Controllers 26 LED indicators 28 Foot switch section 31 Base 32. First Arm 33. Second Arm 34. Hinge section 35 Connection part 36 Holding axis 37 Bracket 38 cylinders 39 axes 40 Operators 41 Ring 42 Opening / Closing Section 43 Central axis 44 Clutch switch section 52 base 53 Upper section 54 Lower section 55-60 Footswitch 62 Control Unit 64R, 64Y, 64B, 64G LED section 65 browsers 66R, 66Y, 66B, 66G Bar section 68 windows 70 bar 80 Surgeon 82 Doctor

Claims

1. An operation training device for robot-assisted work performed via a robotic arm, A monitor that displays training videos, which play back footage of past surgeries related to the aforementioned robot-assisted work, An image generation unit that sends the training target video to the monitor, A first operating unit having an operating element at one end of an arm which is operated by a first part of the worker and has a pair of arms, the opening and closing operation of which mimics the opening and closing operation of forceps, A second operating unit which is operated by a second part of the worker and which mimics the second part operating unit of the robot-assisted work, An operating training device for robot-assisted work, characterized by comprising the following:

2. An operation training device for robot-assisted work according to claim 1, characterized in that the first part of the worker is the hand and the first operating unit is a hand operating unit, and the second part of the worker is the foot and the second operating unit is a foot operating unit.

3. An operation training device for robot-assisted work according to claim 1, characterized in that the operation training device has an indicator unit that indicates the operating state of the second operation unit.

4. An operation training device for robot-assisted work according to claim 3, characterized in that the state of the second operation unit is sent as a signal to the image generation unit, and the image generation unit displays the state of the second operation unit and the image generation unit on the monitor.

5. An operation training device for robot-assisted work according to claim 1, characterized in that the training target video is a video that includes the operation of an experienced worker to be used as a reference by the trainee.

6. An operation training device for robot-assisted work according to claim 1, characterized in that the work performed via the robot arm is a surgical procedure in medical treatment.

7. An operation training device for robot-assisted work according to claim 6, characterized in that the training target video is a video that includes actual surgical footage for the worker to refer to.

8. An operation training device for robot-assisted work according to claim 1, characterized in that the second operation unit can change its form according to the robot mechanism used for the robot-assisted work.

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