Surgical Instrument Fixing via Adaptor Engagement Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for fixing surgical instruments to robot arms often result in incomplete engagement due to initial positional misalignment of pins and holes, leading to incorrect detection of engagement completion.
Innovation Solution
The method involves setting engagement portions of the drive transmission member and drive part to specific initial orientations that do not correspond to each other, allowing for controlled rotation to ensure complete engagement, using a stopper to restrict rotations and prevent unintentional engagement, and employing sensors to detect and correct misalignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pin and hole are engaged by rotating the disk from an arbitrary initial position, then the engagement process is simple and quick, but the pin and hole may be unintentionally engaged in an incomplete manner when their initial positions are too close
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning the pin and hole at specific initial positions that are deliberately spaced apart, and by providing a detection mechanism that verifies complete engagement before finalizing the connection. This prevents unintentional incomplete engagement while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback by using a detection mechanism that monitors the engagement state of the pin and hole during rotation, providing real-time information to ensure complete engagement is achieved before the connection is finalized, thus preventing incomplete engagement.
2Productivity
If the initial positions of pin and hole are set close together to facilitate quick assembly, then assembly speed increases, but incorrect detection of engagement completion may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent sets the initial positions of pin and hole at predetermined locations that are spaced apart, and incorporates a detection mechanism that verifies complete engagement before finalizing assembly. This prevents incorrect detection of engagement completion while maintaining efficient assembly speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection mechanism provides feedback on the engagement state, ensuring that only complete engagement is recognized as successful assembly, thereby preventing incorrect detection while maintaining high productivity.
3Device complexity
If the engagement detection is simplified to reduce system complexity, then device complexity decreases, but incomplete engagement may be incorrectly detected as complete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a detection mechanism that provides feedback on the engagement state, ensuring accurate detection of complete engagement without requiring overly complex systems. The feedback loop verifies that the pin and hole are properly engaged before finalizing the connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection mechanism is integrated into the existing engagement structure, allowing the system to self-verify engagement completeness without adding significant external complexity. The pin and hole configuration itself facilitates the detection process.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of fixing a surgical instrument to a robot arm according to one or more embodiment may include: attaching the surgical instrument to a drive part of the robot arm via an adaptor in a state where a first engagement portion of a drive transmission member of the adaptor is set at a second initial orientation; and rotating the first engagement portion from the second initial orientation so as to engage the first engagement portion of the drive transmission member with an engagement portion of an driven member.