Medical Manipulator Friction Correction via Feedback Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical manipulators face reduced drive accuracy due to changing wire path lengths within the body, leading to ineffective operation of active drive sites during procedures like those in the digestive tract, where the correspondence between driving force and active driving portion is compromised.
Innovation Solution
A medical manipulator system with a treatment tool unit, overtube, drive source, controller, and detector that adjusts operation signals based on detected friction between the treatment tool and overtube, ensuring accurate operation despite bending and meandering within the body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the insertion portion meanders along the digestive tract, then the treatment tool can reach the target site, but the path length of the wire changes and drive accuracy is lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses detection means to detect the bending state of the insertion portion and feeds this information back to the control means. The control means then generates corrected drive signals based on the detected bending state, compensating for the changes in wire path length and maintaining drive accuracy throughout the meandering path to the target site.
2Ease of operation
If friction is generated between the overtube and treatment tool unit, then the treatment tool can be supported during insertion, but the operation accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The detector detects friction generated between the overtube and treatment tool unit during insertion. The controller receives this friction information and calculates correction amounts to adjust the operation signals sent to the drive source, compensating for the friction-induced errors and maintaining operation accuracy despite the supporting friction forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the operation parameters (drive signals) based on the detected friction conditions. By adjusting the drive signals in response to varying friction levels during insertion and operation, the system maintains accurate control of the treatment tool unit throughout the procedure.
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
The system maintains responsiveness and accuracy of the treatment tool's operation by calculating and applying correction amounts to operation signals based on detected friction, enhancing the manipulator's performance even when the overtube is curved or meanders within the patient's body.
Implementation Method 1
detecting friction generated between an inner surface of the lumen and the treatment tool unit by the relative movement
Data Source
AI summary
A medical manipulator system including: a treatment tool unit including an arm portion having an arm with a joint and an end effector attached to the arm; an overtube having a lumen through which the treatment tool unit is inserted; a drive source configured to generate a drive force for driving the joint; a controller configured to generate an operation signal for operating the drive source; and a detector configured to detect friction generated between an inner surface of the lumen and the treatment tool unit. The controller calculates a correction amount for adjusting the operation signal based on the detected friction.