KR101802464B1 - Master arm structure of surgical robot and control method of surgical master robot - Google Patents

Abstract

A master arm structure of a surgical robot and a control method of a surgical master robot are disclosed. A master arm structure provided in a surgical master robot, comprising: a handle operated by a user; a handle connected to the master robot and having a plurality of arm members connected by joints; An arm portion that is operated to allow the arm member to rotate with respect to the joint due to a user operation so as to enable positioning of the handle and a brake that is provided at the joint and restrains rotation of the arm member by the operation, A master arm structure of a surgical robot including a sensing unit for acquiring information on at least one of a state in which the handle is operated and a state in which the arm is operated and a control unit for controlling the operation of the brake using the information obtained from the sensing unit Detects the operating state of the master arm, and then operates the brakes provided on the respective joints to constrain the operation of the arm. Thus, when the user operates the master arm Simply tick comments yet feel the structure of the master arm and is able to reduce the overall volume.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a master arm structure for a surgical robot and a control method for a surgical master robot,

The present invention relates to a master arm structure of a surgical robot and a control method of a surgical master robot.

Medically, surgery refers to the repair of a skin, mucous membrane, or other tissue that is cut, torn or manipulated using a medical device. Particularly, due to problems such as hemorrhage, side effects, patient's pain, scarring, etc., the incision is made by cutting the skin of the surgical site and opening, treating, And is attracting attention as an alternative.

Such a surgical robot may be classified into a master robot for generating and transmitting signals required by a physician's operation and a slave robot for receiving signals from the operation unit and applying operations necessary for the operation directly to the patient. The robot and the slave robot may be divided into parts of one surgical robot, or may be separately arranged in the operating room.

The master robot for surgery is provided with a device for physician's manipulation. In the case of robotic surgery, the master does not manipulate the instruments necessary for the surgery, but operates the above-described devices so that various instruments mounted on the robot perform operations necessary for surgery .

Usually, a master device installed in a master robot is composed of a handle that a physician holds by hand and a master arm which mediates between the handle and the robot body. And an arm of a multi-joint link type connecting the robot main body and the handle so as to support the movement of the robot.

On the other hand, in the robotic surgery process, in order to prevent a medical accident such as an operation that the instrument is moved out of the region where surgery is performed, the area where the instrument is operated is often limited. When the doctor moves beyond the limited range, the motion of the master device is restrained.

Conventionally, in order to limit the operation range of the master arm, when a motor is installed at each joint portion of the master arm and the arm is operated by a user operating out of a limited range, the motor installed in the joint is driven in the reverse direction, By restricting the reaction force, the motion of the master arm was restrained.

However, in the conventional master arm restraint system, it is necessary to install a motor for each joint, and an encoder must be added to each motor to detect whether the operation state of the arm is out of the restriction area, and power is supplied to the motor and the encoder And a large amount of cables must be buried in the arm member to transmit the signal, so that the structure of the master arm becomes complicated and the total volume becomes large.

The above-described background technology is technical information that the inventor holds for the derivation of the present invention or acquired in the process of deriving the present invention, and can not necessarily be a known technology disclosed to the general public prior to the filing of the present invention.

On the other hand, US Publication No. US2007 / 0265731 discloses a technique related to a articulated robot in which a brake is provided on a joint portion.

Patent Document 1: US Patent Publication No. US2007 / 0265731

The present invention provides a master arm structure of a surgical robot and a control method of a surgical master robot that can simplify the structure and reduce the overall volume while imparting a haptic feedback function to the master arm of the surgical robot.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a master arm structure provided in a surgical master robot, comprising: a handle operated by a user; a handle connected to the master robot and a handle, And an arm portion that is operated to allow the arm member to rotate with respect to the joint due to a user's operation with respect to the handle so as to enable positioning of the handle, And a control unit for controlling the operation of the brake by using the information obtained from the sensing unit, wherein the sensing unit is configured to acquire information on at least one of a state in which the handle is operated and a state in which the arm is operated, A master arm structure of the surgical robot is provided.

The joint may be provided with a contact type sensor that outputs information about the degree of rotation of the arm member by rotating in conjunction with the rotation of the arm member. In this case, the sensing unit includes a contact type sensor, an encoder, a potentiometer, and the like.

The sensing unit may include a non-contact sensor for outputting information regarding at least one of the handle and the arm. In this case, a marker is displayed on at least one of the handle and the arm, and the sensing unit displays an image An optical tracker that outputs information about one or more of the movement and rotation of the marker from the image (or image), or a magnetic tracker that outputs information about the position of the handle or arm using a magnetic field have.

The control unit may control the brake to be operated when the handle is manipulated so as to move beyond a predetermined predetermined reference area, so that the haptic feedback is provided to the user operating the handle. The control section can control the operation of the brake in correspondence with the degree to which the operated state of the handle is close to the boundary of the reference region. The brake is operated so that the magnitude of the restraint force is adjustable, and the control section can control the operation of the brake so that the closer the handle is to the boundary, the greater the restraining force of the brake. The proximity of the handle to the boundary and the magnitude of the restraining force of the brake can be linear or nonlinear with each other.

The control unit can control to release the operation of the brake when the handle is operated to come within the reference area. In addition, when the user operates the clutch provided separately, the brake operation may be controlled to be released.

A slave robot is connected to the master robot, and a slave robot is provided with a robot arm which is operated in accordance with a user's operation with respect to the handle, and the control unit controls the degree of manipulation of the steering wheel according to a preset motion scaling factor value It is possible to adjust the ratio between the degree of operation of the robot arm and reset the motion scale factor value corresponding to the information obtained from the sensing unit.

In this case, the control unit resets the motion scale factor value so that the degree of operation of the robot arm is reduced compared to the degree of manipulation with respect to the handle when the handle is manipulated so as to exceed a predetermined reference range set in advance, The motion scale factor value can be increased or decreased corresponding to the degree of proximity to the boundary of the reference area.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a master arm comprising: a main body; a handle operated by a user; a master arm having a structure in which a main body and a handle are connected to each other and a plurality of arm members are connected by joints; (A) obtaining information about at least one of a state in which the handle is operated and a state in which the master arm is operated, and (b) b) determining whether the manipulated state of the handle is out of a preset predetermined reference area, and c) controlling operation of the brake in accordance with the result of step (b). Is provided.

Step (b) includes the step of grasping the extent to which the manipulated state of the handle is proximate to the boundary of the reference region, and step (c) may comprise adjusting the magnitude of the constraining force of the brake in correspondence with the proximity .

A slave robot is connected to the master robot, and a slave robot is provided with a robot arm which is operated in accordance with a user's operation on the handle. The ratio between the degree of operation of the handle and the degree of operation of the robot arm is determined by a motion scaling factor value, and step (c) may comprise resetting the motion scale factor value according to the result of step (b).

Step (c) may include resetting the motion scale factor value such that the degree of operation of the robot arm is reduced compared to the degree of manipulation with respect to the handle when the handle is manipulated to move beyond the reference area.

Step (b) includes determining an extent to which the manipulated state of the handle is proximate to the boundary of the reference region, and step (c) may comprise increasing or decreasing the motion scale factor value in accordance with the proximity.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot control system including a master robot, a handle provided in the master robot and operated by a user, a slave robot connected to the master robot, and a slave robot, A control unit for adjusting a ratio between an operation degree of the handle and an operation degree of the robot arm according to a predetermined motion scale factor value; Wherein the control unit resets the motion scale factor value corresponding to the information obtained from the sensing unit.

The control unit may reset the motion scale factor value so that the degree of operation of the robot arm is reduced in comparison with the degree of manipulation with respect to the handle when the handle is manipulated so as to move beyond a predetermined predetermined reference area. In addition, the control unit may increase or decrease the motion scale factor value in accordance with the degree to which the operated state of the handle is close to the boundary of the reference area.

Other aspects, features, and advantages other than those described above will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and the detailed description of the invention.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after the operation state of the master arm is sensed, the brake applied to each joint is actuated to constrain the operation of the arm, so that the user can feel the haptic feedback during the operation of the master arm, And the overall volume can be reduced.

1 is a conceptual view showing a master arm structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an optical tracker type sensing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart showing a control method of a master robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated and described in the drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, .

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a master arm structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an optical tracker-type sensing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 and 2, the body 1, the handle 3, the arm 10, the arm 12, the joint 14, the brake 16, the sensing unit 20, the marker 22, An optical tracker 24, and a control unit 30 are shown.

In the present embodiment, the degree of operation of the master arm according to the result of operating the handle of the surgical robot by the user is detected using a separate sensing system such as an optical tracker, And when the master arm is operated so that the master arm is operated so that the master arm is prevented from moving further by operating the brakes provided on the joints.

Accordingly, complicated components such as a motor, an encoder, and a cable, which are conventionally installed, can be omitted in order to restrict the operation of the master arm, so that the master arm can be manufactured in a simple and slim structure.

The master arm structure according to the present embodiment is a structure provided to a surgical robot (particularly, a master robot) to receive an operation required for a surgery from a user, and includes a handle 3, A brake 16, a sensing unit 20, and a control unit 30.

The handle 3 is a part to be held and operated by the user, and is operated in a predetermined position and direction on the three-dimensional space according to the intention of the user. In this embodiment, the positioning of the handle 3 in the three-dimensional space in such a manner as to move (move and / or rotate) a specific position or direction and define its state (position and direction) is called "positioning" . That is, as the user moves and positions the handle 3, the state of the handle 3 is changed. Moving the handle 3 means moving, rotating, moving and rotating the handle 3 in either direction.

The arm portion 10 is a component for connecting the handle 3 and the robot main body 1 and includes a plurality of arm members 12 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, quot; articulated arm ". Various link mechanisms such as a SCARA link and a parallel link may be applied to the specific mechanical structure constituting the arm portion 10.

The arm portion 10 has one end connected to the handle 3 and the other end connected to the robot main body 1 so that when the user grips the handle 3 and thereby moves the arm member 12 to the joint 14 The state is changed while being rotated with respect to the rotation direction. In other words, the arm portion 10 is operated and its state is changed so that the handle 3 operated by the user can be positioned.

Here, 'the arm part is activated' means that the overall state of the arm part is changed by rotating each arm member with respect to each joint as described above, and the 'operation state of the arm part' State. That is, when the user holds the handle 3, the arm portion 10 is operated, and when the handle 3 is positioned, the arm portion 10 is deformed to a predetermined operating state.

The master arm structure according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the arm 16, particularly the joint 14, is provided with a brake 16. When the brake 16 installed on the joint 14 is actuated, the arm member 12 is prevented from rotating relative to the joint 14 and its movement (rotation) is restrained. As a result, the arm portion 10 does not operate as a whole The arm portion 10 is maintained in a predetermined operating state.

The brake 16 can be configured in various ways such as an electronic type, a hydraulic type, and a pneumatic type according to its operation mode, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The sensing unit 20 may acquire information on the operation state of the arm unit 10 due to the state where the handle 3 is operated (the positioning state of the handle 3) and / or the movement of the handle 3 .

In the conventional master arm structure, an encoder connected to a motor and a motor is installed in each joint to generate haptic feedback for user's operation, and a reaction force is generated and provided by rotating the arm member if necessary. By using the output information, it was possible to grasp how much the arm member rotated by the user operation.

An encoder or a potentiometer may be used as the sensing unit 20 in the present embodiment. A motor may be installed in each joint 14 of the arm unit 10 to allow the user to manipulate the handle 3, When the motor 12 is rotated (centered on the joint 14), the motor is rotated in association with the rotation of the motor 12, and information on how much the arm member 12 is rotated by an encoder or a potentiometer Output.

A contact type sensor (encoder, potentiometer, etc.) for outputting information on the degree of rotation of the arm member 12 is provided on the joint 14 and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the arm member 12, Information on the degree of rotation of the arm member 12 can be obtained from an installed encoder or the like. In this respect, the encoder or the like may correspond to the sensing unit 20 according to the present embodiment.

In this case, the role of the motor is to actively generate the reaction force, and the role of the encoder / potentiometer is to grasp the degree of rotation of the joint. Therefore, in the present embodiment in which the brake is used to feel resistance, the motor can be omitted have.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, an optical tracking technique may be applied to detect movement of the master arm. An optical marker 22 is displayed on the handle 3 or the arm 10 and an optical tracker 24 disposed on the outside of the robot displays the marker 22 20).

When the user manipulates the handle 3 and the handle 3 and the arm 10 move, the markers 22 are moved accordingly. The optical tracker 24 analyzes the captured image with respect to the markers 22, 22 of the marker 22, that is, the movement and / or rotation of the marker 22 can be obtained.

It is possible to derive information on the motion of the master arm as a result from the information about the motion of the marker 22 outputted by the optical tracker 24. Accordingly, It is possible to find out how much the arm portion 10 has been operated by the operation of the arm 3.

Here, the optical tracking technique describes an example of a non-contact type sensing method for outputting information on the operating state of the handle 3 and / or the arm portion 10. In addition to the optical tracker 24, another type of non-contact sensing method A magnetic tracking technique for outputting information on the position of the handle 3 and / or the arm 10 using a magnetic field may also be applied.

For example, in the case of an optical tracker, the marker is a light-reflecting material, and a sensing device such as an infrared camera included in the optical tracker senses light reflected from the marker and tracks the position of the handle or arm In the case of the magnetic tracker, a separate device for generating a magnetic field outside may be provided, and a magnetic field sensor may be attached to the handle or the arm so that information about the position of the handle or the arm is output from the sensor. .

The control unit 30 receives information on the degree of movement of the master arm from the sensing unit 20 such as the encoder or the optical tracker 24 and controls the operation of the brake 16 in response to the information. It may be implemented in the form of a processor separately provided to perform only the function according to the present embodiment or as a module of the main controller for controlling the surgical robot or as a function of the main controller have.

The control unit 30 according to the present embodiment uses the information about the operating state of the master arm from the sensing unit 20 so that when the user operates the steering wheel 3, It limits the operation.

A surgical instrument inserted in a surgical robot and inserted into a patient's body is moved in accordance with the movement of the doctor in the master robot. For example, when the patient's stomach is operated, (Even if the doctor manipulates the handle to move beyond the boundaries) beyond its boundaries. Accordingly, the robot can filter the mistake or erroneous operation of the doctor, thereby making it possible to perform safer operation.

The reference area may vary depending on the surgical situation, and may be set in various ways, such as predetermined according to the type of surgery or designated before the user performs surgery.

As described above, the sensing unit 20 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the state of the handle 3 (and / or the arm 10) The control unit 30 controls the operation of the brake 16 in accordance with the result of the detection by the sensing unit 20 so that the user can recognize whether the user has reached the reference area or not, By restricting the master arm from moving when the handle 3 is manipulated so as to move beyond the reference area, haptic feedback is implemented as if a reaction force acts on the master arm so that the user can manipulate the handle such that the handle goes beyond the reference area '.

Here, " beyond the reference area " does not necessarily indicate whether or not the area exceeds the boundary of the reference area, but also means that the area is manipulated in the direction crossing the boundary near the boundary of the reference area. This is because, when the user manipulates the handle 3, the user preliminarily feels constrained even when it is expected to go beyond the reference area, thereby realizing more realistic haptic feedback.

Accordingly, the control unit 30 according to the present embodiment can control not only the ON / OFF control of the brake 16 according to whether or not the handle 3 crosses the boundary of the reference area, The control of operating the brake 16 in accordance with the degree of proximity to the boundary of the reference area, i.e., the proximity degree can be performed.

For this purpose, the operation of the brake 16 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the ON / OFF method, but the brake 16 may be controlled by a method in which the force (restraining force) Can also be applied. For example, if an electronic, pneumatic, or hydraulic brake is used, the restraining force of the brake 16 can be adjusted by adjusting the current supplied to operate the brake 16, or the like.

Accordingly, the controller 30 according to the present embodiment can control the restraining force of the brake 16 to be adjusted according to the degree of the handle 3 passing over the boundary of the reference area. For example, as the handle 3 is closer to the boundary, the binding force of the brake 16 is increased, so that the user feels a sense of restraint that gradually increases in the process of operating the handle 3 beyond the reference area, The physician may experience haptic feedback that is closer to reality (such as a physician holding the instrument by hand and performing the surgery directly).

That is, in the present embodiment, the brake 16 provided at the joint 14 is not limited to merely restricting or releasing (turning on / off) the rotation of the arm member 12, (Restraining force) of the brake 16 depending on the degree of restraint of the master arm, so that the resistance against the operation of the master arm can be adjusted.

The haptic feedback technique according to the present embodiment is characterized in that, instead of generating a reaction force by driving the motor as in the conventional master arm, using the brake 16 provides a feeling as if a reaction force acts.

In a conventional master arm, a motor for generating a haptic reaction force is installed. When a user reaches a position where a reaction force is required such that a handle passes over a boundary of a reference area in a process of operating a handle, So that the user can feel the reaction force.

In this case, when the user manipulates the handle with a force enough to overcome the reaction force provided by the motor, the handle moves according to the user's manipulation (the handle is pushed out of the boundary of the reference area) The handle is again within the reference area.

This conventional scheme is referred to as an 'active haptic feedback' scheme for the sake of convenience.

In this embodiment, instead of a component that generates a driving force such as a motor, a brake arm 16 is used to prevent the master arm from being operated, When the handle 3 reaches a position at which a reaction is required, such as passing over the boundary of the reference area, the brake 16 is actuated so as to simply generate a resistance force against a force operated by a person and to make the resistance force feel like a haptic reaction force It is.

In the manner of operating the brake 16, the brake 16 may be suddenly activated as soon as the handle 3 reaches the boundary, as described above, and the handle 3 may be moved in the direction The more the operation is performed, the greater the restraining force of the brake 16, so that the user can feel a feeling of repulsion similar to the actual situation.

The haptic feedback technique according to this embodiment is a result derived from another result (feeling received by a user) by means other than the conventional active haptic feedback (the sensing unit 20 and the brake 16) Quot; passive " haptic feedback. ≪ / RTI >

In the passive haptic feedback technique according to the present embodiment, as the handle 3 approaches the boundary of the reference area, how to increase the binding force of the brake 16 changes the feeling of repulsion felt by the user.

Therefore, the proximity (input value) of the handle 3 to the boundary processed by the control unit 30 according to the present embodiment and the magnitude (output value) of the binding force of the brake 16 can have a linear or nonlinear relationship with each other . That is, if the proximity of the handle 3 is large (the handle 3 is positioned close to the boundary), the binding force of the brake 16 is increased and if the degree of proximity of the handle 3 is small It is possible to control to reduce the restraining force of the brake 16.

For example, the degree to which the restraining force of the brake 16 is increased may be set to be inversely proportional to the distance value between the handle 3 and the boundary (linear relationship) or inversely proportional to the square of the distance value between the handle 3 and the boundary ) can do.

As described above, it is of course possible to prevent the handle 3 from moving further by actuating the brake 16 at the moment when the handle 3 approaches the boundary of the reference area or exceeds the boundary of the reference area, It is possible to adjust the motion scaling factor between the master handle 3 and the motion of the robot as the handle 3 approaches the reference area to give a sense of restraint.

For example, when the scale factor between the movement of the handle 3 and the motion of the robot is 3: 1, that is, when the handle 3 is moved by 3, the robot arm and / or the instrument are set to move by 1, If the user manipulates the handle 3 and the handle 3 is moved beyond the reference area, the scale factor is changed to 10: 1 at that moment so that even if the handle 3 is moved a lot (for example, by 10) The instrument may be moved a bit (for example, by 1).

It is also possible to operate the brake 16 described above in parallel with the adjustment of the scale factor depending on the proximity of the handle 3 to the reference area. In this case, when the handle 3 is moved beyond the reference area, So that the robot arm or the instrument moves a little even if the handle 3 is moved a lot.

In other words, the scale factor can be varied with the resistance of the brake 16, and safety can be improved by changing the scale factor when the steering wheel 3 exceeds the boundary surface of the reference area.

In the passive haptic feedback method according to the present embodiment, unlike the conventional active method, when the user operates the handle 3 with a force enough to overcome the binding force of the brake 16 and then releases the force, Does not come within the reference range again but stands at the point subtracting the force.

The control unit 30 according to the present embodiment allows the operation of the brake 16 to be released when the user operates the handle 3 to bring the handle 3 within the reference range, So that it can smoothly enter the reference region without any resistance by the brake 16. [ Alternatively, in addition to operating the handle 3, the operation of the brake 16 may be released by operating a separate operating device such as a clutch, so that the handle 3 is operated in the state where the resistance of the brake 16 is removed, It is possible to smoothly enter the area.

That is, when the brake 16 is actuated at the instant of exceeding the reference area to release the master steering wheel 3 from becoming stiff, as described above, when the handle 3 is to be moved so as to come within the boundary of the reference area, (Not shown) so that the brake 16 can be released only when the user depresses the clutch. In other words, when the user depresses the clutch and resets the position of the master handle 3 in a state where the brake is applied to the master handle 3, the brake 16 is released so that the handle 3 can be operated normally again You may.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a master robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment controls passive haptic feedback to the user by controlling the master robot for surgery provided with the master arm structure.

In order to control the master robot according to the present embodiment, first, the operation state of the handle 3 by the user and / or the operation state of the master arm in accordance with the movement of the handle 3 is determined (S10). The sensing unit 20 such as an encoder, a potentiometer, and an optical tracker 24 may be provided to detect the state of the handle 3 or the arm.

Next, it is judged whether or not the handle 3 manipulated by the user is within the predetermined reference area or is manipulated so as to deviate from the reference area (S20) from the grasped result. In this step, as described above, it is possible to judge how close the handle 3 is to the boundary than to determine whether or not the handle 3 is deviated from the boundary of the reference area (S22).

Finally, when it is determined that the handle 3 is located at a position requiring a reaction such as passing over the boundary of the reference area, the brake 16 provided on the joint 14 of the master arm is operated to restrain the master arm from moving S30). At this stage, not only the control for turning on / off the brake 16 but also the control for adjusting the magnitude of the restraining force of the brake 16 so that the handle 3 is in proximity to the boundary (S32) , It is possible to provide the user with near-realistic haptic feedback.

It is also described above that the magnitude of the restraining force of the brake 16 can be adjusted not only linearly (proportional) to the proximity of the handle 3 but also nonlinearly.

On the other hand, as described above, the motion scale factor may be reset (S40) separately from or in parallel with the operation of the brake 16 depending on whether the handle 3 is close to the reference area, The brake 16 is actuated to move the handle 3 so that it becomes more stiff and at the same time the degree of operation of the robot arm is reduced compared to the degree of operation of the handle 3, The motion scale factor value can be reset so that the robot arm or the instrument moves a little (S42).

It is also possible to judge how close the handle 3 is to the boundary than to determine whether the handle 3 is deviated from the boundary of the reference area as described above, , The motion scale factor value is increased or decreased (S44) so that the robot arm or the instrument can be controlled to move less as the handle approaches the boundary, even if the handle is moved a lot.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. And changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1: Body 3: Handle
10: arm portion 12: arm member
14: joint 16: brake
20: sensing part 22: marker
24: optical tracker 30:

Claims (23)

A master arm structure provided in a surgical master robot,
A handle operated by a user;
And a plurality of arm members connected to each other by joints, wherein the arm member is rotated with respect to the joint due to a user's operation with respect to the handle, An arm portion that is operated to enable the operation;
A brake installed on the joint and restricting the rotation of the arm member by its operation;
A sensing unit for acquiring information on at least one of a state in which the handle is operated and a state in which the arm is operated;
And a control unit for controlling the operation of the brake using the information obtained from the sensing unit,
Wherein the control unit adjusts the magnitude of the binding force of the brake in accordance with proximity to a predetermined predetermined reference area of the handle.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a contact type sensor is provided in the joint so as to output information on the degree of rotation of the arm member by rotating in conjunction with rotation of the arm member.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the sensing unit comprises the contact-type sensor, and the contact-type sensor comprises at least one of an encoder or a potentiometer.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensing unit includes a non-contact type sensor for outputting information on at least one of an operating state of the handle and the arm.
5. The method of claim 4,
A marker is displayed on at least one of the handle and the arm,
Wherein the sensing unit includes an optical tracker for outputting information on at least one of movement and rotation of the marker from the image information about the marker.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the sensing unit includes a magnetic tracker for outputting information about a position of at least one of the handle and the arm using a magnetic field.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controller controls the brake to be operated when the handle is manipulated so as to move beyond the reference area so that the user operating the handle is provided with the haptic feedback.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the control unit controls the operation of the brake in accordance with an extent to which the operated state of the handle is close to the boundary of the reference area.
9. The method of claim 8,
The brake is operated so that the magnitude of the restraining force is adjustable,
Wherein the control unit controls the operation of the brake so that the binding force of the brake increases as the handle approaches the boundary.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the proximity of the handle to the boundary and the magnitude of the restraining force of the brake have a linear or non-linear relationship with each other.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the controller controls the operation of the brake to be released when the handle is operated to come within the reference area.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the controller controls the operation of the brake to be released when the user operates the clutch provided separately.
The method according to claim 1,
A slave robot is connected to the master robot, and the slave robot is provided with a robot arm which is operated in accordance with a user's operation with respect to the handle,
Wherein the controller adjusts a ratio between the degree of manipulation of the steering wheel and the degree of motion of the robot arm according to a predetermined motion scaling factor value and adjusts the ratio of the motion scale factor value And the master arm structure of the surgical robot is reset.
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the control unit resets the motion scale factor value so that the degree of operation of the robot arm is reduced as compared with the degree of manipulation with respect to the handle when the handle is manipulated so as to move beyond a preset predetermined reference area Robot 's master arm structure.
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the control unit increases or decreases the motion scale factor value in accordance with an extent to which the manipulated state of the handle is close to a boundary of a predetermined reference region set in advance.
A master arm having a body, a handle operated by a user, a master arm connecting the main body and the handle and having a plurality of arm members connected to each other by joints, A method for controlling a surgical master robot,
(a) obtaining information about at least one of a state in which the handle is operated and a state in which the master arm is operated;
(b) determining whether the manipulated state of the handle is out of a preset predetermined reference area; And
(c) controlling the operation of the brake in accordance with the result of step (b)
Wherein the step (c) comprises adjusting the magnitude of the binding force of the brake in correspondence with a proximity of the handle to the reference area.
17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the step (b) includes the step of determining an extent to which the operated state of the handle is close to the boundary of the reference region.
17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the master robot is connected to a slave robot and the slave robot is provided with a robot arm which is operated in accordance with a user's operation on the handle and a ratio between the degree of operation of the handle and the degree of operation of the robot arm is set in advance by a motion scale Adjusted according to a motion scaling factor value,
Wherein the step (c) comprises the step of resetting the motion scale factor value according to the result of the step (b).
19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein said step (c) comprises the step of resetting said motion scale factor value such that the degree of operation of said robot arm is reduced relative to the degree of manipulation with respect to said handle when said handle is manipulated to deviate from said reference area Wherein said control means controls said master robot.
19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the step (b) includes the step of determining an extent to which the operated state of the handle is close to the boundary of the reference area,
Wherein the step (c) comprises increasing or decreasing the motion scale factor value corresponding to the proximity degree.
A master robot;
A handle provided on the master robot and operated by a user;
A slave robot connected to the master robot;
A robot arm provided in the slave robot, the robot arm being operated in accordance with a user operation with respect to the handle;
A controller for adjusting a ratio between an operation degree of the handle and an operation degree of the robot arm according to a predetermined motion scaling factor value;
And a sensing unit for acquiring information on a state in which the handle is operated,
Wherein,
Resetting the motion scale factor value according to information obtained from the sensing unit,
And increases or decreases the motion scale factor value in accordance with an extent to which the operated state of the handle is close to a boundary of a predetermined reference region set in advance.
22. The method of claim 21,
Wherein the control unit resets the motion scale factor value so that the degree of operation of the robot arm is reduced as compared with the degree of manipulation with respect to the handle when the handle is manipulated so as to move beyond a preset predetermined reference area Robot.
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