Endoscopic Robot Tendon Twist Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical tools in endoscopic surgery robots experience reduced operability and tendon damage due to twisting and friction issues during rotational motions, affecting the precision and stability of joint movements and manipulations.
Innovation Solution
A surgical robot design that includes a bendable joint portion with a bending tendon, a tube to accommodate the tendon, a base housing for rotational support, and a rotation driver that connects to the bending driver to prevent tendon twists by maintaining tendon arrangement and reducing frictional forces during rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple operating wires are connected to the surgical tool for joint motion and manipulation, then the surgical tool can perform rotational motion by itself, but the operating wires may twist producing friction, reducing operability and deforming or damaging the wires
Solution Approach 1:
The operating wires are segmented into multiple independent strands rather than single continuous wires. These strands are arranged in a specific configuration within the tube, allowing them to rotate independently without twisting against each other, thus maintaining wire integrity while enabling rotational motion capability
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple operating wire strands are nested within a protective tube structure. The wires are arranged concentrically or in a bundled configuration inside the tube, which constrains their movement paths and prevents twisting while still allowing the surgical tool to perform rotational motions
2Ease of operation
If the surgical tool rotates during operation, then more free motions are enabled, but the operating wires twist producing friction and tension changes
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the wire system have different properties - the wires are flexible in regions allowing rotation but constrained in regions preventing twist accumulation. The tube structure provides localized guidance that allows rotational motion while maintaining constant wire tension by preventing lateral displacement
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple driving tendons are used for manipulation and joint driving, then more complex surgical operations are enabled, but twists of tendons and interference between drives occur when the surgical tool rotates
Solution Approach 1:
The driving tendons are arranged in an asymmetric configuration within the tube, with each tendon positioned at a specific angular location. This asymmetric arrangement, combined with the tube's rotational constraint, prevents the tendons from twisting around each other while allowing the surgical tool to perform complex manipulations
Solution Approach 2:
The tube acts as an intermediary structure between the base and the surgical tool, providing a constrained pathway for the driving tendons. This intermediary structure allows the tendons to translate rotational motion from the base to the tool while preventing direct twisting and interference between multiple tendons
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures independent and precise operation of surgical tools with constant performance and operability regardless of rotational direction, preventing tendon twists and maintaining stable joint motion and manipulation.
Implementation Method 1
a bending drive shaft extending in the longitudinal direction and configured to be screwed to the first driving block to translate the first driving block in the longitudinal direction
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical robot includes a surgical tool including a bendable joint portion, and a bending tendon connected to the joint portion and configured to bend the joint portion, a tube connected to the surgical tool and configured to accommodate the bending tendon therein, a base housing configured to rotatably support the tube and accommodate the bending tendon that passes through the tube, a bending driver configured to grasp the bending tendon, and translate in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis of the tube with respect to the base housing, and a rotation driver configured to rotatably support the tube with respect to the base housing, wherein when the tube rotates, the rotation driver is connected to one portion of the bending driver that grasps the bending tendon, and rotates the tube and the bending tendon together.