Compact Remote Center Manipulator With Co-Planar Pulley Linkage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotically-assisted medical systems often have unwieldy manipulators that complicate patient access and procedure efficiency, necessitating more compact, portable, and lighter weight alternatives.
Innovation Solution
A manipulator design featuring a linkage assembly with co-planar pulleys and drive member sections that allow for rotation about a remote center of manipulation, utilizing belts, cables, or chains to constrain motion to specific axes, enabling a compact and lightweight structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If traditional manipulator designs are used, then functional capability is achieved, but size and weight increase making the system unwieldy and difficult to access patients
Solution Approach 1:
The manipulator employs nested pulley assemblies where pulleys are arranged in series along the linkage arms, with drive tracks and cables nested within the structural framework. This nesting approach compactes the overall manipulator size while preserving the functional capability to control surgical instruments through minimally invasive access sites.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes three-dimensional spatial arrangement of pulleys and drive tracks in multiple planes (first plane, second plane, third plane) to achieve compact linkage arm design. By distributing components across different dimensions and orientations, the manipulator reduces its footprint while maintaining the necessary degrees of freedom for instrument manipulation.
2Weight of moving object
If traditional manipulator designs are used, then functional capability is achieved, but weight increases reducing portability
Solution Approach 1:
The manipulator is divided into modular linkage arms (first linkage arm, second linkage arm, third linkage arm) that can be independently configured and assembled. Each linkage arm contains segmented pulley assemblies and drive mechanisms that can be optimized for minimal weight while maintaining structural integrity and functional capability for various surgical procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes physical parameters such as pulley diameters, cable tensions, and linkage arm dimensions to achieve the lightest possible configuration that still provides sufficient mechanical advantage and control authority for surgical instrument manipulation throughout the full range of motion.
3Ease of operation
If compact manipulator design is implemented, then patient access is improved, but motion constraint precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The manipulator employs cable-driven pulley assemblies as intermediary mechanisms between the actuation system and the surgical instrument. The cables and pulleys act as flexible intermediaries that transmit motion and force while accommodating the compact linkage arm geometry, maintaining precision through careful design of the cable routing and pulley alignment within the constrained space.
Solution Approach 2:
The linkage arms are designed with dynamic motion characteristics where the pulley assemblies and cable tensions adapt in real-time to maintain precise motion constraints. The system uses dynamic balancing and active cable tension control to ensure that the surgical instrument follows the desired trajectory with high precision despite the compact manipulator configuration.
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 design provides enhanced patient access and procedure efficiency by minimizing the size and weight of the manipulator, allowing for safer and more precise instrument movement through minimally invasive surgical access sites.
Implementation Method 1
The first linkage arm may comprise first and second pulleys. Each pulley may comprise first and second drive tracks which are substantially co-planar. The first linkage arm may also comprise a first drive member section extending between the first drive tracks of the pulleys
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical manipulator linkage assembly may comprise a linkage arm that includes a first pulley and a second pulley. Each of the first pulley and the second pulley comprise a first drive track and a second drive track. The first drive track and the second drive track are substantially co-planar, and the first drive track extends at least partially around the second drive track. The linkage arm also includes a first drive member section extending between the first drive tracks of the first pulley and the second pulley. The linkage arm also includes a second drive member section extending between the second drive tracks of the first pulley and the second pulley. The first drive member section is wound around the first pulley in a first tensile direction and the second drive member section is wound around the first pulley in a opposite second tensile direction.