Surgical Robot Pivot Teaching for Flexible Trocar Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical robots that mechanically determine pivot points for medical devices reduce the degree of freedom of trocar arrangement and interfere with assistive operations due to the space constraints caused by multiple cannulas and their holding mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A surgical robot with a pivot position teaching button that allows the user to manually set the pivot position by moving the medical device to the trocar insertion point, eliminating the need for additional supporting instruments and enabling easier operation near the patient's body surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pivot point is mechanically determined by instrument holders and cannulas, then the structure is stable and the medical device can be reliably positioned, but the space in the vicinity of the body surface is narrowed and the degree of freedom of trocar arrangement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the function of determining the pivot point from the mechanical instrument holder structure and transfers it to a software-based teaching operation. The pivot point is no longer fixed by physical components but is freely settable through operation unit inputs, eliminating the spatial constraints imposed by mechanical holding mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of instrument holders and cannulas that physically determine the pivot point with an electronic control system. The pivot point is now defined by coordinate data input through the operation unit rather than by physical mechanical structures, allowing flexible repositioning without physical constraints.
2Reliability
If instrument holders and cannula holding mechanisms are used to mechanically determine the pivot point, then the medical device maintains stable positioning, but these mechanisms interfere with assistive operations performed by assistant doctors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the instrument holder and cannula holding mechanisms from the system, extracting their function of pivot point determination and replacing it with a teaching operation. This eliminates the physical interference these mechanisms caused to assistant doctors performing nearby tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-positioning through the teaching operation where the operator guides the arm to the desired pivot point location and the control unit stores the coordinates. This eliminates the need for external mechanical holding mechanisms that would obstruct assistive operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cannulas are inserted and held by instrument holders to enable multiple trocars, then the surgical functionality is enhanced, but the space near the body surface is narrowed and operational freedom is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cannula holding mechanisms and instrument holders from the system, replacing them with a teaching operation that defines pivot points in software. This removes the physical space occupied by these mechanisms near the body surface while preserving the ability to position multiple trocars through coordinate-based control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from physical spatial arrangement of cannulas and holders to a coordinate-based virtual positioning system. The pivot points are defined in three-dimensional space through digital coordinates rather than physical structures, allowing multiple trocars to be positioned without physical interference.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
In a surgical robot (1), a pivot position teaching button (85) is pressed with a tip end of a medical device (4) moved to a position corresponding to an insertion position of a trocar (T) inserted into a body surface (S) of a patient (P) such that a pivot position (PP) is stored in a storage.