2835 results about "Two degrees of freedom" patented technology

A fixation device for use in association with ALIF procedures includes a couple of spaced plates having integral spikes on facing surfaces thereof for pressing into spinal processes of adjacent vertebrae. One of the plates has a spherical socket which captures a spherical head end of a post whose other end is received through an aperture in the other plate. The socket mounting is arranged to enable the post to pivot therein for at least two degrees of freedom to a limited extent, enabling angulation between the two plates so as to accommodate the different thicknesses and orientations of the spinal processes on adjacent vertebrae. The reception of the post in the second plate enables adjustment of spacing between the plates to accommodate effective installation of the assembly on the spinal processes by a compression instrument, and permanent reliable maintenance of that spacing following removal of the compression instrument. The cross-sectional configuration of the post and a receiver aperture in the plate inhibits rotation of the plate relative to the post about the post axis, and a set screw in the apertured plate engages a flat on the post fixing the inter-plate space as adjusted.

A method of providing spatially metered haptic sensations to a user includes detecting motion of a surgical instrument within two degrees of freedom; repeatedly determining whether the surgical instrument has moved by an incremental distance in a particular direction with respect to some portion of a patient's body; and imparting a discrete haptic sensation upon a user each time it is determined that the surgical instrument has moved by the incremental distance in a particular direction.

A computer-assisted surgery system for planning/guiding alterations to a bone in surgery, comprises a trackable member adapted to be secured to the bone. The trackable member has a first inertial sensor unit producing orientation-based data for at least two degrees of freedom in orientation of the trackable member A positioning block is adapted to be secured to the bone, with at least an orientation of the positioning block being adjustable once the positioning block is secured to the bone to reach a selected orientation at which the positioning block is used to guide tools in altering the bone. The positioning block has a second inertial sensor unit producing orientation-based data for at least two degrees of freedom in orientation of the positioning block. A processing system providing an orientation reference associating the bone to the trackable member comprises a signal interpreter for determining an orientation of the trackable member and of the positioning block from the orientation-based data. A parameter calculator calculates alteration parameters related to an actual orientation of the positioning block with respect to the bone as a function of the orientation reference and of the orientation of the positioning block.

An apparatus for interfacing the movement of a shaft with a computer includes a support, a gimbal mechanism having two degrees of freedom, and three electromechanical transducers. When a shaft is engaged with the gimbal mechanism, it can move with three degrees of freedom in a spherical coordinate space, where each degree of freedom is sensed by one of the three transducers. A fourth transducer can be used to sense rotation of the shaft around an axis. The method includes the steps of defining an origin in 3-dimensional space, physically constraining a shaft in the 3-dimensional space such that a portion of the shaft always intersects the origin and such that a portion of the shaft extending beyond the origin defines a radius in a spherical coordinate system, transducing a first electrical signal related to a first angular coordinate of the radius with a first transducer, transducing a second electrical signal related to a second angular coordinate with a second transducer, transducing a third electrical signal related to the length of the radius with a third transducer, and coupling the transducers to a computer.

A robotic system that includes a remote controlled robot with at least five degrees of freedom and a teleconferencing function. The robot may include a camera, a monitor and a holonomic platform all attached to a robot housing. The robot may be controlled by a remote control station that also has a camera and a monitor. The remote control station may be linked to a base station that is wirelessly coupled to the robot. The cameras and monitors allow a care giver at the remote location to monitor and care for a patient through the robot. The holonomic platform provides three degrees of freedom to allow the robot to move about a home or facility to locate and/or follow a patient. The robot also has mechanisms to provide at least two degrees of freedom for the camera.

Surgical tools having a two degree-of-freedom wrist, wrist articulation by linked tension members, mechanisms for transmitting torque through an angle, and minimally invasive surgical tools incorporating these features are disclosed. An elongate intermediate wrist member is pivotally coupled with a distal end of an instrument shaft so as to rotate about a first axis transverse to the shaft, and an end effector body is pivotally coupled with the intermediate member so as to rotate about a second axis that is transverse to the first axis. Linked tension members interact with attachment features to articulate the wrist. A torque-transmitting mechanism includes a coupling member, coupling pins, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft. The drive shaft is coupled with the driven shaft so as to control the relative orientations of the drive shaft, the coupling member, and the driven shaft.

A robotic device has a base and at least one finger having at least two links that are connected in series on rotary joints with at least two degrees of freedom. A brushless motor and an associated controller are located at each joint to produce a rotational movement of a link. Wires for electrical power and communication serially connect the controllers in a distributed control network. A network operating controller coordinates the operation of the network, including power distribution. At least one, but more typically two to five, wires interconnect all the controllers through one or more joints. Motor sensors and external world sensors monitor operating parameters of the robotic hand. The electrical signal output of the sensors can be input anywhere on the distributed control network. V-grooves on the robotic hand locate objects precisely and assist in gripping. The hand is sealed, immersible and has electrical connections through the rotary joints for anodizing in a single dunk without masking. In various forms, this intelligent, self-contained, dexterous hand, or combinations of such hands, can perform a wide variety of object gripping and manipulating tasks, as well as locomotion and combinations of locomotion and gripping.

The invention relates to a needle guidance system provided by a needle with a steerable tip. The needle has a cannula and a stylet. The stylet adjacent to its tip has a naturally curved portion The stylet is movable in two degrees of freedom with respect to the cannula-axial translation and axial rotation with respect to the cannula axis. When extended, the stylet curves off-axis and provides cannula tip steering. Driving and/or steering systems may be provided to the orientation and relatively move the stylet.

A robotically controlled endoscopic medical instrument that includes an end effector coupled to a wrist. The wrist provides two separate degrees of freedom about the same pivot point. The end effector can be moved and actuated by pins. The pins allow for a compact minimally invasive medical instrument that has a wrist with two degrees of freedom.

A trajectory structure is configured for contact with a surface to dictate an insertion trajectory of a pin relative to the surface. A location structure is configured to allow longitudinal passage of at least a portion of the pin therethrough to dictate an insertion location of the pin relative to the surface. An elongate handling rod is connected to the trajectory structure and the location structure. The handling rod supports the trajectory structure and the location structure for manipulation by a user. The handling rod spaces the trajectory structure and the location structure longitudinally apart. The trajectory structure is connected to the handling rod for trajectory adjustment in at least two degrees of freedom relative to the handling rod. The insertion trajectory of the pin insertion is substantially dependent upon the trajectory adjustment. A method for inserting an elongate guide pin into a bone surface is also provided.

The present invention provides a kit for bone surgery comprising a chirurgical drill and a base frame for positioning of said drill on an anatomical part of a patient. The base frame comprises at least one guiding tube with a cylindrical inner surface of predetermined diameter and also comprises a longitudinal cutout for direct view of the drilling site. The kit further comprises a burr-ring with a cylindrical outer surface of predetermined diameter arranged to be placed around the chirurgical drill. The diameter of the cylindrical outer surface of the burr-ring is slightly less than the diameter of the cylindrical inner surface of the guiding tube such that the burr-ring and the guiding tube are at most in a two-degree of freedom relationship along the longitudinal axis of the guiding tube when the burr-ring is engaged in the guiding tube. The invention also provides a bone surgery method using the kit.

There is provided a manipulator simplified in maintenance and operation thereof, the manipulator having the freedom of two-degree-of-freedom of rotation and gripping, and being capable of ensuring force feedback or force sensation with excellent operationability.

A link mechanism 3 is provided between an operating part 1 and a working part 2. The link mechanism 3 comprises four driving rods 3a to 3d and first and second coupling members of the same structure, 41, 42 provided at opposite ends of the driving rods. First and second working members 2a, 2b move correspondingly to operations of first and second operating members 1a, 1b with the aid of the link mechanism 3. For example, provided that the first and second operating members 1a, 1b might be opened and closed, the first and second working members 2a, 2b might be opened and closed (gripping). And also, provided that the first and second operating members 1a, 1b are changed in their yaw angles, the working members 2a, 2b are also correspondingly changed in their yaw angle. Similarly, once the first and second operating members 1a, 1b are changed in their pitch angles, the working members 2a, 2b might be also correspondingly changed in their pitch angles.

The invention relates to an electronic device for determining a first positional information and a second positional information regarding a user input object, such as at least one user hand or at least one stylus, the electronic device comprising: a touch-sensitive surface; contact-free detection means; and controller means that are operatively connected to the touch-sensitive surface and to the contact-free detection means; wherein the first positional information depends on where the user input object contacts the touch-sensitive surface, and wherein the second positional information depends on the spatial configuration of the user input object with regard to the touch-sensitive surface, characterized in that the controller means are adapted for simultaneously and/or alternately determining the first positional information via the touch-sensitive surface and the second positional information via the contact free detection means.

A compact four degrees of freedom parallel mechanism suitable for use as a hand control or wrist is provided that has backdrivability, is singularity free and has a large workspace and a large force reflecting capability. The structure is light but rigid, and the electric actuators are all placed on the ground or base and provide independent control of each degree of freedom. Each degree of freedom is connected to an actuator either directly or through a cable drive system. The first two degrees of freedom are created by two identical pantographs pivoted together on pivoted joints to define a hemispherical motion of an object (end point) about a center point (hemisphere center). The third and fourth degrees of freedom represent rotation and sliding motions of the object around and along the radius of the created hemisphere, respectively. The axes of these latter degrees of freedom are concentric, and these axes intersect with the axis of the pantographs pivoted joints at the hemispheric center.

The invention discloses a wearable lower limb exoskeleton device, which comprises a waist supporting frame, a waist object carrier, an adjustable hip mechanism, a connecting rod adjustable knee joint mechanism, a connecting rod adjustable ankle joint mechanism, pressure detection shoes, a leg connecting rod, a constraint part and various connecting pieces. Both lower limbs have twelve rotational freedoms, the single lower limb has six degrees of freedom respectively, a hip has two degrees of freedom which finish bending and stretching as well as adduction and abduction movements of a hip joint, two joint axes always intersects at the center of the hip joint of a human body through the adjustment of the hip mechanism, and a knee joint has one degree of freedom which is coaxial with the knee joint of the human body and corresponds to the bending and stretching movement of the knee joint of the human body; and an ankle joint has three degrees of freedom. The device has good consistency of the movement of the hip joint and the movement of the human body during the walking of people; human-machine knee joints have small coaxality and position deviation; and the ankle joint has a compact structure. The device can be used for strengthening the abilities of walking with load and walking for a long time of wearers and detecting walking information of the wearers, and can also be used for helping people with slight obstacle of lower limb movement to normally walk and gradually rehabilitate.

A rehabilitation system that combines robotics and interactive gaming to facilitate performance of task-specific, repetitive exercise to enable individuals undergoing rehabilitation to improve the performance of coordinated movements of the ankle, and to practice balance activities, is disclosed. More specifically, the rehabilitation system includes at least one two degree-of-freedom robotic, haptic interface for a mammalian foot and interactive gaming hardware that is coupled to a controller, to provide a virtual reality-like environment.

It comprises a supporting structure in which at least one arm is slidably attached. Each arm comprises first and second members hinged to each other. The first member is rotatably hinged to the supporting structure and it can be rotated about a longitudinal axis and the second member may receive a joint having at least two degrees of freedom for attaching a tool. The longitudinal axis of the first member is substantially perpendicular to an axis joining the first member and the second member to each other. A simplified architecture is obtained allowing for accurate and efficient spatial movement of the tool holding arm.

The present invention relates to an indoor mobile robot positioning system and method based on two-dimensional code. The system includes a two-dimensional code positioning controller mounted on a mobile robot, a two-dimensional code acquisition device and a two-dimensional code label distributed in the indoor environment. The two-dimensional code positioning controller is composed of a microprocessor and a communication interface that are connected together. The microprocessor is connected with the two-dimensional code acquisition device through the communication interface and is used for controlling the two-dimensional code acquisition device to acquire two-dimensional code images, receive the two-dimensional code images acquired by the two-dimensional code image acquisition device and realize precise positioning function. The method acquires an actual position of the mobile robot through photographing the indoor two-dimensional code labels, transforming coordinates and mapping code values. The method of the invention organically combines visual positioning technique, two-dimensional code positioning technology and two degree of freedom measuring technology to realize the function of precise positioning of the mobile robot and solve problems of complex image processing and inaccurate positioning of a traditional vision positioning system.

The invention concerns a print robot for large format three-dimensional printing on a fixed surface ( 11 ) having five motorized axes, comprising an inkjet printing block ( 13 ), means for displacing and orientating this printing assembly along several axes, at least one control unit controlling these means and a drying device to dry the ink sprayed onto said surface ( 11 ), wherein these means comprise: a carrier ( 15 ) with three degrees of freedom in translation, ensuring the positioning of the printing assembly allowing its horizontal, vertical and depth translation, a wrist ( 16 ) with two degrees of freedom which supports and orientates the printing assembly ( 13 ) allowing its rotations along two perpendicular axes. The invention also concerns a process implementing this robot.