Surgical Robot Arm Linkage With Shoulder-Mounted Actuators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical robot arm structures are bulky and heavy due to the placement of actuators and brakes at intermediate joints, which increases inertia and complicates the computation and control of movements during remote operations.
Innovation Solution
The arm structure incorporates actuators and brakes near the shoulder joint, allowing for the movement of wrist and elbow joints while maintaining their orientations, with rotating shafts supported by the shoulder joint, and utilizing parallel link structures to reduce the size and weight of intermediate joints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If actuators and brakes are placed at intermediate joints (elbow and wrist), then the arm structure can achieve the required movement control, but the size and weight of the arm structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the actuators and brakes from the intermediate joints (elbow and wrist) and relocates them to the shoulder joint. This extraction eliminates the weight burden from the moving intermediate joints while preserving the control functionality through alternative mechanical linkages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a third connection structure that provides an additional degree of freedom at the shoulder joint, enabling the system to control wrist and elbow movements without placing actuators at those joints. This dimensional addition at the shoulder allows indirect control of intermediate joints.
2Ease of operation
If actuators and brakes are placed at intermediate joints, then direct control is achieved, but the inertia of the arm structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting actuators and brakes from intermediate joints, the patent removes the sources of high inertia from the moving parts. The shoulder joint, having higher structural support, can accommodate these components without significantly increasing the inertia of the moving arm segments.
3Ease of operation
If actuators and brakes are placed at intermediate joints, then joint-specific control is achieved, but the computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control functions for multiple joints (elbow and wrist) into a single location at the shoulder joint. By consolidating actuators and brakes at one location, the system reduces the number of independent control systems needed, thereby simplifying computation despite the alternative mechanical linkage.
4Adaptability or versatility
If actuators and brakes are placed at intermediate joints, then the arm structure achieves required functionality, but the overall size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts heavy components from intermediate joints and relocates them to the shoulder, reducing the volume requirements at the elbow and wrist joints. This allows for a more compact overall arm structure while maintaining full functionality through the alternative linkage mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
An arm structure includes a shoulder joint, an elbow joint, a wrist joint, a first connection structure connecting the shoulder joint with the elbow joint and that relatively moves while maintaining an orientation of the elbow joint relative to the shoulder joint, a second connection structure connecting the elbow joint with the wrist joint and that relatively moves while maintaining an orientation of the wrist joint relative to the elbow joint, a third connection structure connecting the shoulder joint with the second connection structure and that relatively moves while maintaining an orientation of the wrist joint relative to the shoulder joint, a first actuator that rotates a first rotating shaft included in the first connection structure, and a second actuator that rotates a second rotating shaft included in the third connection structure. The first and second rotating shafts are supported by the shoulder joint.