JP3631450B2 - manipulator - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a manipulator, and more particularly to a medical manipulator used for laparoscopic surgery or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In laparoscopic surgery, a small hole is drilled in the patient's abdomen, a thin tube called trocar is attached to it, an endoscope, forceps, etc. are inserted, and the operator displays the video from the endoscope on the TV. Surgery is performed while watching the screen. Since such an operation method does not require laparotomy, the burden on the patient is small, the postoperative recovery is quick, and the number of days of hospitalization is greatly reduced. For this reason, such an operation method is expected to expand the application field.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Laparoscopic surgery is an excellent surgical method in that the burden on the patient is small, but the problem is that the operator cannot see the actual image of the surgical site, and the forceps only has a function such as a gripper that opens and closes. There is a problem that operability is not good. For this reason, the number of surgeons who can perform laparoscopic surgery with appropriate procedures using the aforementioned surgical methods is limited to doctors who have acquired skilled skills.
[0004]
In order to deal with such problems, research has been conducted on the application of remote control robot technology such as a master-slave manipulator to the medical field. Remote control robot technology is a robot system in which the master arm operated by the operator and the slave arm that actually performs treatment on the surgical site are completely separated, and the command value of the master arm is the slave arm as an electrical signal etc. It is transmitted to.
[0005]
Usually, both the master arm and slave arm have a number of joints of 6 degrees of freedom or more, and a controller is provided corresponding to each degree of freedom. It is a complex system with Due to the complexity of the system, the reliability of operation of the master-slave manipulator system is not high and maintenance costs are high. In addition, since the surgeon performs an operation using a plurality of treatment units appropriate for the treatment, a plurality of slave arms having different functions of the treatment unit are required. Therefore, the slave arm becomes very expensive, and there is a problem that maintenance of a plurality of slave arms is also troublesome.
[0006]
On the other hand, the slave arm must have a small diameter, and power transmission is mainly performed using a wire and a pulley. The wire must be connected from the power source to the tip drive unit, and the posture changes. Even so, the wire is complicatedly wound around the pulley so that the tension of the wire does not change. It is essential that the width of the pulley used in the complicated arrangement is not less than the width around which the wire is wound, and it is difficult to reduce the pulley width. Further, when the number of times of winding the wire around the pulley is increased, the wire maintenance is a small diameter, so that it takes time to work and requires specialized technology, and the system becomes expensive.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in consideration of such points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable manipulator by simplifying the mechanism to improve assembly and maintenance.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an operation command unit having a posture operation unit and a treatment operation unit, a connection unit having one end connected to the operation command unit, and the other end of the connection unit. A working unit having a treatment unit and a support unit that supports the treatment unit so that the posture can be changed in two or more degrees of freedom; and an operation command from the posture operation unit is sent to the support unit to change the posture of the treatment unit And an operation control unit that sends an operation command from the treatment operation unit to the treatment unit to activate the treatment unit, and a transmission unit that transmits power from the operation control unit to the working unit. The section is spanned between a first pulley for receiving power from the operation control section, a second pulley for transmitting power to the working section, and the first pulley and the second pulley. A wire and the wire from the first pulley A wire guide member that guides the wire to the second pulley, and the center portion of the wire guide member is substantially on the axis of a reference axis that serves as a reference when changing the posture of the working unit. It is characterized by being arranged.
[0009]
In addition, the wire guide member guides the wire suspended from the first pulley to the second pulley substantially intersecting the circumference of the second pulley.
[0010]
The wire guide member may be a cylindrical member that is rotatably supported around the reference axis.
[0011]
The wire guide member may include a plurality of cylindrical members arranged radially around the reference axis.
[0012]
In the above-described invention, since the center portion of the wire guide member is disposed substantially on the axis of the reference axis that becomes a reference when changing the posture of the working portion, the center portion of the wire guide member is positioned on the reference axis. The power received by the first pulley from the operation control unit can be transmitted to the second pulley via the wire, the wire guide member of the transmission unit can be reduced in size, and the structure of the working unit is simplified. Therefore, a manipulator excellent in assemblability and maintainability can be realized.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall schematic configuration of a medical manipulator. The medical manipulator 1 includes a connection unit 4 connected to the operation command unit 2 and the working unit 3. The surgeon inserts the medical manipulator 1 into the trocar 5 attached to the abdomen of the patient and operates the operation command unit 2 to perform the operation. The working unit 3 includes a gripper 11 as a treatment unit for performing a treatment on the surgical site, and an A-axis support unit 12 and a B-axis support unit 13 that support the gripper 11 with two degrees of freedom so that the posture can be changed. The gripper 11 is configured to open and close. The A-axis support portion 12 is configured to support the open / close shaft portion of the gripper 11 and rotate the entire gripper 11 around the A-axis. The B-axis support portion 13 supports the entire A-axis support portion 12 and rotates the A-axis support portion 12 around the B-axis.
[0015]
The operation command unit 2 includes a handle 21 as a posture operation unit and a finger operation unit 22 as a treatment operation unit. The finger operation unit 22 has two finger operation units 22 a and 22 b operated by fingers of a hand that holds the handle 21. The finger operation units 22a and 22b are configured to rotate so as to meet the movement of the finger. The finger operation units 22a and 22b are provided with sensors (not shown) for detecting the opening / closing movement amount. The handle 21 is fixed to a pedestal 25 that is disposed on the connecting portion 4 side, and includes a C-axis rotating unit 23 and a D-axis rotating unit 24 that change the posture of the finger operation unit 22 with two degrees of freedom. . The C-axis rotating part 23 is configured to support the opening / closing axis part of the finger operating part 22 and rotate the entire finger operating part 22 around the C axis. The D-axis rotating unit 24 supports the entire C-axis rotating unit 23 and rotates the C-axis rotating unit 23 around the D axis. Furthermore, the operation command unit 2 can rotate the medical manipulator 1 around the E axis, and the posture of the working unit 3 can be freely changed.
[0016]
Although not shown, the C-axis rotating unit 23 and the D-axis rotating unit 24 are provided with rotation angle sensors. The sensor values obtained by opening and closing the finger operation units 22a and 22b correspond to the opening and closing operations of the grippers 11a and 11b. Similarly, the sensor value of the C-axis rotation unit 23 corresponds to the rotation angle of the A-axis, and the sensor value of the D-axis rotation unit 24 corresponds to the rotation angle of the B-axis.
[0017]
In the present embodiment, the drive unit 30 is provided between the connecting portion 4 and the pedestal portion 25. The drive unit 30 transmits power from the corresponding drive units 31, 32, 33 to the gripper 11, the A-axis support unit 12, and the B-axis support unit 13 of the working unit 3 based on the detection signals from the respective axis sensors. It has a structure.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a power transmission system diagram from the drive unit 30 of the medical manipulator 1 of the present invention to the working unit 3, and FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the working unit 3. The gripper 11a of the working unit 3 is driven by the power of the motor M2 of the driving unit 32. The motive power of the motor M2 is transmitted to the pulley 53 through the transmission portion D1 including the pulley 51, the wire T2, the wire guide member 52, and the pulley 53. The wire T <b> 2 rotates around the N axis perpendicular to the axis of the connecting portion 4 to rotate the pulley 53 via the wire guide member 52. The pulley 53 is provided with a gear 53a on the same axis. The gear 53a meshes with the gear 54 to which the gripper 11a is attached, and rotates the gear 54 around the A axis to rotate the gripper 11a around the A axis. Similarly, the gripper 11b of the working unit 3 is also driven by the motor M3 of the driving unit 33. The rotational power of the motor 33 is transmitted to the gear 57a by the transmission portion D2 (pulley 55, wire T3, wire guide member 56, pulley 57), and the gear 58 to which the gripper 11b is attached is rotated around the A axis. The rotation of the gripper 11b is realized. Since the gripper 11a and the gripper 11b are configured to be rotatable around the A axis, the gripper 11 can be rotated around the A axis by rotating both the gripper 11a and the gripper 11b in the same direction. The gripper 11 can be opened and closed by reversing the rotation directions of the gripper 11a and the gripper 11b. The gears 53a and 54, and the gears 57a and 58 can be used because the rotation axes are orthogonal to each other. The gear forms that can be used are a combination of a spur gear and a face gear, or a combination of a bevel gear and a bevel gear. Limited. However, in the medical manipulator 1 of the present invention, since it is essential that the outer diameter of the treatment portion 3 is 12 mm or less, a spur gear and a face gear are used as the gear form. Furthermore, since the face gear is a mechanism that can adjust the backlash by adjusting the axial direction, it can be said that the face gear is an optimal combination for the medical manipulator 1 for precisely positioning the working unit 3.
[0019]
The A-axis support part 12 has two degrees of freedom of rotation around the A axis and around the B axis, and the rotation around the B axis is driven by the motor M <b> 1 of the drive part 31. The rotational power of the motor M1 is transmitted to the pulley 41, the wire T1, and the pulley 42. By connecting the pulley 42 and the A-axis support part 12, the A-axis support part 12 can be rotated around the B-axis. The arrangement of the members that enable rotation around the B axis is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2, and can be arranged between the wires T2 and T3.
[0020]
The rotation of the working unit 3 around the B axis is as shown in FIG. 3, and an example thereof is shown. In the state of (1) of FIG. 3, when the pulley 55 rotates so that tension is applied to the wire T3a, the pulley 57 revolves around the point B while rotating (spinning), and the pulley of FIG. It becomes like this. When the wire T3 connected to the pulley 55 is connected to the pulley 57 via the wire guide member 56, the wire T3 intersects between the wire guide member 56 and the pulley 57 so that the pulley 57 rotates. The change in the position on the side of the wire T3a is small, and an operation with two degrees of freedom can be realized with a compact configuration.
[0021]
Most conventional systems have a structure as shown in FIG. In a mechanism for rotating the gripper 85 about the T axis and the S axis, the power of the motor 81 is transmitted to the drive pulley 82. The wires C1 and C2 connected to the drive pulley 82 are wound around the wire guide member 83 on the S axis and connected to the pulley 84 on the T axis. The rotation of the pulley 82 is transmitted to the pulley 84 via the guide wire 83 to realize the rotation of the gripper 84. Even if the distal end portion 86 rotates around the S axis, the positions of the wires C1 and C2 hardly change. The insertion positions of the wires C1 and C2 are always constant regardless of the rotation of the distal end portion 86 around the S axis. However, in order to make the rotation about the T axis and the rotation about the S axis independent, the wire guide member 83 must be wound two or more times, and the axial length of the wire guide member 83 (the vertical direction in FIG. 5) It is difficult to shorten the pulley width. In the above example, the pulley width needs to be four times or more the wire diameter, and it is difficult to apply to the medical manipulator 1 that requires a small diameter structure.
[0022]
On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the wire guide members 52 and 56 have a guide function for guiding pulleys (follower pulleys) 53 and 57 for transmitting rotational power. The pulley width can be made substantially the same as the wire diameter. Therefore, the wire guide members 52 and 56 can be thinned, and as a result, the compact treatment portion 3 capable of operating with two degrees of freedom can be provided.
[0023]
Further, by providing the position of the wire guide member 56 in the vicinity of the driven pulley 57, there is no need for a guide mechanism for restricting the position of the wire T3, and the position of the wire T3 is the same as in the conventional example. Always kept in agreement. This is equivalent to the fact that the tension acting on the wire T3 is always constant, and the condition of the power transmission system using the wire is satisfied. In terms of structure, the pulley 42 and the wire guide members 52 and 56 can be provided on the B-axis, the structure becomes simple, and the assembly and maintenance properties are excellent.
[0024]
Next, another embodiment of the wire guide member is shown in FIG. Thin pin-shaped wire guide members 62 and 63 are used as a guide for the wire T3 that transmits power from the drive unit 33 to the pulley 61 of the treatment unit 3. The wire guide members 62 and 63 are arranged so that the position X of the point where the wires T3 intersect is located on the circumference having the point B as the center, thereby being manufactured integrally with the B-axis support portion 13. This reduces the number of parts and simplifies maintenance. Here, the number of thin pin-shaped wire guide members is not limited to two, and a plurality of thin pin-shaped wire guide members may be arranged.
[0025]
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the routing of the wires T2 and T3 by devising the arrangement method of the wires for driving the working unit 3 and the arrangement of the wire guide members, The structure of the working unit 3 is simplified, and the assemblability and the maintainability can be greatly improved.
[0026]
In addition, the diameter of the working unit 3 can be reduced, and a small and lightweight medical manipulator can be provided.
[0027]
Furthermore, it is possible to integrate the wire guide members 62 and 63 with the B-axis support portion 13, and the reduction in the number of parts and the reduction in the number of assembling steps have many parts that contribute to the reliability and safety of the medical manipulator. There is also an effect from that aspect.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the wire guide member of the transmission portion can be reduced in size, the structure of the working portion can be simplified, and a manipulator excellent in assemblability and maintainability can be realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a power transmission system diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a working unit according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of a wire guide member according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a conventional wire transmission mechanism.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medical manipulator 2 Operation command part 3 Working part 4 Connection part 11a, 11b Treatment part 12, 13 Support part 21 Handle 22 Finger operation part 30 Drive part 41, 42, 51, 53, 55, 57 Pulley 54, 58 Gear 53a, 57a Gears 52, 56, 62, 63 Wire guide members D1, D2 Transmission parts M1-M3 Motors T1-T3 Wire

Claims (3)

An operation command unit having a posture operation unit and a treatment operation unit;
One end side is connected to the operation command part, and a connecting part;
A working unit that is connected to the other end of the coupling unit and includes a treatment unit and a support unit that supports the treatment unit in a posture changeable in two or more degrees of freedom;
An operation control unit that sends an operation command from the posture operation unit to the support unit to change the posture of the treatment unit, and sends an operation command from the treatment operation unit to the treatment unit to activate the treatment unit; ,
A transmission unit that transmits power from the operation control unit to the working unit;
The transmission unit is
A first pulley for receiving power from the operation control unit;
A second pulley for transmitting power to the working unit;
A wire spanned between the first pulley and the second pulley;
A wire guide member that spans the wire from the first pulley and guides the wire to the second pulley;
Have
The central portion of the wire guide member is disposed substantially on the axis of a reference axis serving as a reference when changing the posture of the working portion ,
The manipulator , wherein the wire guide member guides the wire suspended from the first pulley to the second pulley substantially intersecting the circumference of the second pulley . An operation command unit having a posture operation unit and a treatment operation unit;
One end side is connected to the operation command part, and a connecting part;
A working unit that is connected to the other end of the coupling unit and includes a treatment unit and a support unit that supports the treatment unit in a posture changeable in two or more degrees of freedom;
An operation control unit that sends an operation command from the posture operation unit to the support unit to change the posture of the treatment unit, and sends an operation command from the treatment operation unit to the treatment unit to activate the treatment unit; ,
A transmission unit that transmits power from the operation control unit to the working unit;
The transmission unit is
A first pulley for receiving power from the operation control unit;
A second pulley for transmitting power to the working unit;
A wire spanned between the first pulley and the second pulley;
A wire guide member that spans the wire from the first pulley and guides the wire to the second pulley;
Have
The central portion of the wire guide member is disposed substantially on the axis of a reference axis serving as a reference when changing the posture of the working portion ,
The manipulator , wherein the wire guide member is composed of a plurality of cylindrical members arranged radially around the reference axis . 3. The manipulator according to claim 1, wherein the wire guide member is formed of a cylindrical member that is rotatably supported around the reference axis. 4.

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