JPH08196541A - Manipulator for operation - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To facilitate the operation of a manipulator for holding operation machinery. CONSTITUTION: The manipulator 1 for operation which holds the machinery 2 for operation having an insertion section to be inserted into the cavity and moves the machinery for operation is provided with tactile sensors 22, 23 for operation input which detect the operating direction and operating capacity applied by an operator. The manipulator for operation described above includes a control means which is provided with a conversion means for receiving the input information on the operating direction and operating capacity obtd. by these tactile sensors and converting the information into commands for operating the manipulator 1 in accordance therewith, moves the manipulator 1 in accordance with the contents of these operation commands and moves the manipulator 1 at the operating speed corresponding to the operating capacity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a surgical manipulator for operating a surgical instrument such as an endoscope or a treatment tool which is inserted into a body cavity for observing or treating the body cavity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a surgical operation under an endoscope has been widely performed as a minimally invasive surgical method which does not require a large incision. For example, when a part of the lung or gallbladder is removed, a small insertion hole is opened in the corresponding part of the body wall, and an endoscope or treatment tool is percutaneously inserted into the body cavity through this insertion hole. Perform various procedures in.

In this type of endoscopic surgery, an example in which a surgical instrument is operated by a manipulator is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No.
It is proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. -30896. This Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-30896 discloses a manipulator to which a surgical instrument for performing treatment while observing the abdominal cavity is attached. This manipulator consists of a slide link mechanism that supports one point of the insertion portion of the surgical instrument held so that it always operates as a fulcrum of displacement, and the fulcrum is used by matching it with the insertion hole formed in the patient's body. To do so.
Further, the operation input means to the manipulator is a control stick attached to the surgical instrument, and by operating it, the manipulator is operated to observe the inside of the body cavity or perform treatment. .

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-30896, it is inconvenient to insert the insertion portion of the surgical instrument into the insertion hole of the patient's body wall. Operability is also poor. This is because the system has a link holding structure that allows one point of the surgical instrument insertion portion to act as a fulcrum, so a fairly delicate adjustment is required to insert the surgical instrument insertion portion into the insertion hole. Is. Performing such adjustment by operating the manipulator with a control switch or keyboard operation is troublesome and its operability is considerably poor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to easily operate a manipulator for holding a surgical instrument and to insert an operating instrument held by the manipulator. When observing and performing treatment in the body cavity, a surgical manipulator that allows the insertion portion of the surgical instrument to be inserted smoothly without applying undue force to the insertion hole and further facilitates the work of observing and treating To provide.

[0006]

The present invention provides a manipulator for holding a surgical instrument having an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity and moving the surgical instrument, and an operating manipulator attached to the manipulator, which is added by an operator. Operation input force sensor for detecting the operation direction and operation force amount, and conversion means for receiving input information of the operation direction and operation force amount obtained from the force sensor and converting it into a command for operating the manipulator corresponding thereto And a control means for moving the manipulator based on the content of the operation command and for moving the manipulator at an operation speed corresponding to the operation force amount. According to this, when inserting the insertion portion of the surgical instrument held by the manipulator into the body cavity, or when performing observation or treatment in the body cavity, the manipulator can be easily operated and, depending on the purpose of the work. The operating speed of the manipulator can be changed.

[0007]

【Example】

<First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. (Purpose) In this embodiment, in a surgical manipulator system in which a surgical instrument is inserted into a body cavity through an insertion hole to observe and / or treat the inside of the body, a slave is operated by operating a force sensor which is one of operating means. The manipulator is operated, and in this case, the position and the posture determined by the force sensor are slaved so that the insertion portion of the surgical instrument of the slave manipulator does not exert an unreasonable force on the insertion hole. It is adapted to correspond to the position and orientation of the manipulator. (Structure) FIG. 1 shows a manipulator system for surgery.
The slave manipulator 1 in this system comprises a robot 3 supporting a surgical instrument 2. The surgical instrument 2 is detachably mounted in a state in which the sheath 4 attached to the arm tip of the robot 3 is inserted through the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2. The sheath 4 is inserted and arranged in the body cavity c through an insertion hole b formed in the body wall a of the patient, and the distal end portion of the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 is exposed to the body cavity c.

The surgical instrument 2 comprises a stereoscopic scope 6 and a pair of treatment tools 7a and 7b, and the treatment tools 7a and 7b are arranged at the left and right positions of the scope 6. The positions and postures of the distal treatment parts of the treatment tools 7a and 7b can be freely selected, and these can be operated by means described later. The scope 6 is a sheath 4
The curved portion 6a is formed in the middle of the portion protruding from the tip of the tip, and by bending the curved portion 6a by means described later, the orientation (viewing direction) of the tip portion 6b provided at the tip is selected. It has become. The distal end portion 6b of the scope 6 is provided with an illumination window for illumination means and an observation window for observation means. The observation means is provided with a pair of observation windows 6c to capture a stereoscopic observation image with parallax.

The bending portion 6a of the scope 6 and the pair of treatment tools 7a and 7b are operated by an operation mechanism incorporated in the surgical instrument 2 itself. The drive portion of the operating mechanism is incorporated in the outer end case portion 8 of the surgical instrument 2. A flexible cable 9 in which a light guide, a signal line, and the like are housed is led out from the outer end case portion 8.

The robot 3 holding the surgical instrument 2
Is composed of a multi-joint arm structure having a plurality of axes having linear and rotational degrees of freedom. The slave manipulator 1 of this embodiment has, as a support mechanism, a swivel direction A1 that swivels with respect to a vertical axis and a first operating shaft 11 that moves in the vertical direction A2, and a horizontal axial direction provided on the first operating shaft 11. The second movement axis 12 that moves to A3, and the second
A third operating shaft 13 rotatable in a turning direction A4 around the horizontal axis A3 with respect to the second operating shaft 12, and provided at the tip of the third operating shaft 13 and orthogonal to the turning direction A4. The sheath 4 is provided rotatably in the swivel direction A6 around the axis of the sheath 4 with respect to the distal end holding part 14.

The slave manipulator 1 constitutes a link mechanism as a support mechanism.
To the joint A of this link mechanism with the same reference numerals as A6
1 to A6 are conceptually shown, as shown in FIG. 2, and form a 6-axis cylindrical coordinate type link mechanism including joints A1 to A6. Each axis of the slave manipulator 1 is provided with an actuator (not shown) such as an electromagnetic motor, an encoder (not shown) for detecting its rotation angle, and a speed reducer (not shown).

As an operation means for operating the slave manipulator 1, the slave manipulator 1 is used.
A direct move type first operating means using the force sensor attached to the above and a master slave type second operating means using the master manipulator 21 having an articulated structure are prepared. The force sensors 22 and 23 constituting the first operation means are provided in a projecting manner with respect to different arm portions of the robot 3, respectively, so that the operator can directly hold them by hand, respectively.
It is attached to 25 separately.

The first grip portion 24 is provided on the left side surface of the second operating shaft 13, and the second grip portion 25 is provided on the right side surface of the tip holding portion 14. Each force sensor 22, 2
All 3 are equipped with strain gauges,
The force sensor 22 is attached to the first grip portion 24, and the second force sensor 23 is attached to the second grip portion 25. Then, the first force sensor 22 detects the three direction vectors (B1, B2, B3) of the force applied to it, and the second force sensor 23 detects the two direction vectors of the force applied to this (B1, B2, B3). B4, B5) and one rotation direction (B6) can be detected. Further, the force sensors 22 and 23 also detect the amount of operation force applied to each of them in each direction and rotation.

By the way, the grips 24 and 25 are detachably mounted by screws (not shown). The mounting method may use a magnet or a bayonet mount instead of mounting with screws. Regarding the mounting position, in this embodiment, the first grip portion 24 is provided on the left side surface of the second operating shaft 12, and the second grip portion 25 is provided on the right side surface of the tip holding portion 14. However, the first grip portion 24 is connected to the second operation axis 1
It may be projected on the right side surface or the upper side surface of 2.
Further, the first grip portion 24 may be provided on either the left or right side of the third operating shaft 13 or on the upper side surface. Second
Similarly, the grip portion 25 may be provided so as to project on the left side or the upper side surface of the tip holding portion 14, or may be provided on either the left or right side of the third operation shaft 13 or the upper side surface.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show the force sensors 22 and 2 thereof.
3 is a 6-axis force / torque sensor system. This is composed of four beams 33 installed between the side of the base portion 31 and the side of the active portion 32, and three strain gauges 34 are attached to each beam 33 as shown in FIG. There is. This force sensor 22, 2
When an external force acts on 3, the strain gauges 34 attached to the respective beams 33 are distorted, and the force (FX, FY, FZ) and torque (TX, T) are obtained from the electric signals obtained from them, which are proportional to the amount of strain, for example.
The working direction of Y, TZ) and its force can be obtained. For one force sensor 22 or 23, information about force and rotation direction is 6 data (Fx, Fy, Fz, T).
x, Ty, Tz) are obtained, but in this embodiment, only the information about the three force directions is used as the detection signal for the first force sensor 22 and 2 for the second force sensor 23. Only the information on one force direction and one rotation direction is fetched as a detection signal into the arithmetic unit of the control device described later. And, they are B1-B5
And the rotation direction of B6. Further, the force sensors 22 and 23 detect the magnitude of the operation force applied by the operator to the grips 24 and 25 as an operation input.

By the way, the force and torque information obtained by the force sensors 22 and 23, the direction vector and the rotation (B1
~ B6), it is desirable that the correspondence relationship with B6) is arbitrarily set. For example, the torque information is associated with the direction vector,
The force information may correspond to the rotation. As a force sensor using these strain gauges, for example, a 6-axis force sensor manufactured by P.L. Autotech (Reference: Yata et al., "Development of 6-axis fingertip force sensor and detection of contact position", No. 4) There is the Robot Symposium p.19-24 (1994)). In addition to the strain gauge, the force sensor is of an electrostatic type (for example, "Detects force / torque" by Hideo Morimoto et al.).
Automated technology Vol. 26, No. 10 (1994) p.33-36), optical type (for example, Kazuo Tanie "Optical Tactile Sensor" Optical Technology Contact Vol.27 No.9 p.537-546) You can use it.

The operation of turning on / off the command value of the force sensors 22 and 23 is performed, for example, by detecting the amount of strain of the strain gauge 34 by detecting a physical amount due to a change in resistance value. The magnitude of the applied force is obtained by detecting the amount of change in strain as the amount of change in resistance. The force sensors 22 and 23 and the slave manipulator 1 are connected to the control device 35.

The position and orientation determined by the force sensors 22 and 23 are operated so as to correspond to the tip position and orientation of the insertion section 5. Further, the slave manipulator 1 is controlled to operate at an operation speed proportional to the magnitude of the force applied to the force sensors 22 and 23.

By the way, in this embodiment, the force sensors 22 and 23 are shown as the first operating means for operating the slave manipulator 1.
As 23, a joystick, a touch panel or a switch may be used instead.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the master manipulator 21, which is the second operating means, comprises a moving master arm 41, an HMD (head mount display) arm 42 provided at the tip of the moving master arm 41, and a pair of left and right. It is constituted by the arms 43a and 43b for the treatment operation means. Left and right pair of treatment operation means arms 43a, 43
b corresponds to the left and right treatment tools 7a and 7b described above.

An HMD 44 is attached to the tip of the HMD arm 42.
Is attached. The HMD 44 is attached to the head of the operator 45, and a three-dimensional image obtained by imaging with the scope 6 of the three-dimensional (three-dimensional) system is displayed.
An image inside the body cavity can be stereoscopically observed through D44.

The connecting portion of each arm of the master manipulator 21 has a rotating structure for rotating in a specific direction, and an encoder (not shown) for detecting the rotation is incorporated in the rotating portion. Then, the information obtained by each encoder is sent to the control device 35, and the HM
The movements of the D arm 42 and the pair of left and right treatment operation means arms 43a and 43b are determined.

A pair of left and right treatment operation means arms 43a,
Reference numeral 43b individually corresponds to the left and right treatment tools 7a and 7b, and the treatment operation means arms 43a and 43b.
When b is moved, left and right treatment tools 7a, 7b corresponding to this
Is controlled to follow the movement. Also, H
When the MD 44 is moved, the tip position and direction of the scope 6 are changed, and the observation visual field of the scope 6 and the observation visual field of the HMD 44 are controlled so as to follow and match each other.

Therefore, the slave manipulator 1 and the master manipulator 21 are both in the control unit 35.
It is connected to the. And the master manipulator 2
1, the position of the tip of the insertion portion of the scope 6 corresponds to the position of the tip of the insertion portion of the scope 6, the position and orientation of the rotating portion 46 of the HMD 44 corresponds to the deflection angle of the tip of the insertion portion of the scope 6, and further, the arm for treatment operation means. 43a and 43b are controlled to operate so as to correspond to the positions of the treatment tools 7a and 7b.

For these reasons, the slave manipulator 1
The master manipulator 21 and the master manipulator 21 are both connected to the control device 35. Next, the configuration of the control system in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 35 includes an MPU 51 that performs arithmetic processing, an actuator drive circuit 52 that drives and controls the slave manipulator 1, a first operation unit 53 that uses the force sensors 22 and 23, and a second operation that uses the master manipulator 21. Means 54, and an input / output interface (I
/ F) 55 and an operation switch 56 connected thereto. The operation switch 56 is for operating the slave manipulator 1 (external position command mode) by key input thereof.

When the operation is performed by the first operation means 53, the operation physical quantity provided to the operation input force sensors 22 and 23 attached to the slave manipulator 1 for detecting the operation direction and the operation force applied by the operator. The MPU 51 receives the input information of the operation direction and the operation force amount obtained by the force sensors 22 and 23, converts the coordinates into a command for moving the slave manipulator 1 to a position and posture corresponding to the MPU 51, and based on the contents of the operation command, The actuator driving circuit 52 moves the slave manipulator 1, and constitutes a control means for moving the slave manipulator 1 at an operation speed corresponding to the amount of operation force.

By the way, in FIG. 1, the master manipulator 21 is shown as one of the operating means.
Any other method may be used as long as it can detect dimensional position / orientation information, for example, a method using a magnetic sensor which is a three-dimensional position sensor, ultrasonic waves, light, a gyro, or an inertial sensor.

Further, in FIG. 1, the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 is shown to have the scope 6 and the treatment instruments 7a and 7b integrated with each other, but the surgical instrument 2 may be configured with only the scope or only the treatment instrument. Absent. Further, although the scope has a bending mechanism for bending the distal end side portion of the insertion portion, a scope having a bending mechanism without the bending mechanism may be used. (Operation) The mode of use for performing endoscopic surgery using this surgical manipulator system is
A direct move mode in which the slave manipulator 1 is moved by the force sensors 22 and 23 that are operation means, a master-slave mode in which the slave manipulator 1 is moved by the master manipulator 21, and a force sensor 2
It is possible to select either of the modes for moving the slave manipulator 1 by both 2, 23 and the master manipulator 21.

Further, the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 is inserted into the body cavity c through the insertion hole b formed in the body wall a of the patient while being inserted into the sheath 4. At this time, in order to prevent an unreasonable force from being applied to the insertion hole b, the insertion hole b
A so-called point lock operation in which the insertion portion 5 and the sheath 4 of the surgical instrument 2 rotate about the position of should be performed.

At this time, since the slave manipulator 1 moves following the input information relating to the position and posture of the force sensors 22 and 23 or the master manipulator 21, for example, when the operator erroneously operates the operation means, Even though the insertion portion 5 inserted into the insertion hole b formed in the body wall a is restrained in movement by the insertion hole b, the slave manipulator 1 moves against the insertion portion 5 to the insertion hole b of the patient. It is conceivable that a situation will occur in which excessive force is applied.

Therefore, the insertion hole b formed in the body wall a of the patient
In order to prevent an unreasonable force from being applied, the slave manipulator 1 is controlled to move under the so-called point lock operation, which moves with the position of the insertion hole b as a fixed center (fulcrum). That is, it is possible to solve the problem that an excessive force is applied to the insertion hole b of the patient by performing control to limit the operation of the slave manipulator 1 in such a manner. Here, the operation restriction will be referred to as a point lock operation.

Next, the point lock limiting operation in the direct move mode, which is operated by the force sensors 22 and 23, will be described. In this direct move mode, the correspondence relationship between the motions of the force sensors 22 and 23 and the slave manipulator 1 is the position and orientation information determined by the operation of the force sensors 22 and 23, which is set in the tip of the insertion portion 5 of the slave manipulator 1. The operation is reflected.

The input information of the position and posture (rotation) determined by directly operating the force sensors 22 and 23 is the component B of the force sensors 22 and 23 shown in FIG.
1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, but in the case of point lock operation, depending on the position of the target point of the tip of the insertion section 5 determined by the components B1 to B5, the insertion section in the slave manipulator 1 5 determines the inclination of the insertion part 5 so that the major axis of the insertion part 5 passes through the insertion hole b, and further determines the position and rotation (posture) of the point of interest of the insertion part 2 by the rotation angle of the insertion part 5 by B6. , The movement of the slave manipulator 1 will be controlled.

That is, when the operator grasps the grips 24 and 25 of the slave manipulator 1 by hand and tries to move the grips 24 and 25 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6 (b) (determined by the force sensors 22 and 23 at this time). The position vector to be generated is P and the rotation angle is Δθ), and TCP (To
ol Center Point) moves like vector P and rotation angle Δθ. At this time, from the force sensors 22 and 23, B1 to
Since information of independent position and orientation up to B6 is detected, the MPU 5 that converts the command to move the slave manipulator 1 based on the combination of the information.
The conversion amount of 1 calculates the control amount (movement amount) of each joint,
The operation of the slave manipulator 1 may be performed according to the command contents.

The control method of this point lock operation is shown in FIG.
This is specifically shown using (a) and (b). The control device 35 calculates the vector P obtained when the current position of the TCP of the slave manipulator 1 and the position obtained from the force sensors 22 and 23 operated by the operator. Next, a line segment connecting the point lock position 57 which is the insertion hole b and the position at the TCPsi 58 indicated by the movement vector P is defined as the P axis,
The line segment in the long axis direction of the TCPs 59 at the tip of the current insertion portion 5 is defined as the 0 axis. A vector (E vector) perpendicular to the plane formed by the two axes of the O-axis and the P-axis is calculated by α representing the angle formed by the O-axis and the P-axis.

In order to satisfy the condition that the axis of the insertion part 5 always passes through the point lock position 57 when moving the TCPs 59 at the tip of the current insertion part 5 from that position, the current TCPs 59 is moved around the E vector as described above. Move while rotating by angle α. Apart from this, Z axis (Zi)
By rotating the above Δθ around, the desired TCPsi5
The slave manipulator 1 is operated so as to realize 8. In order to perform the above operation, the control device 35 performs calculation at regular intervals. By repeating this calculation, the direct move mode with the point lock operation in real time can be realized.

The above is a description of the case after the slave manipulator 1 is inserted into the body cavity c of the patient. The singular point that occurs when the insertion portion 5 is inserted into or removed from the insertion hole b next time. Describe the measures. The singular point that occurs when inserting the insertion portion 5 in the slave manipulator 1 is determined when the position of the insertion hole b and the TCP at the tip of the insertion portion 5 match, but there are countless insertion postures. Therefore, the posture of the slave manipulator 1 cannot be determined. Further, even if the position of the insertion hole b and the TCP at the tip of the insertion portion 5 do not match, the problem of calculation accuracy arises in the vicinity, so that the posture cannot be determined in some cases.

Therefore, with respect to the posture, the problem is solved by maintaining the posture as inserted at the portion where the TCP at the tip of the insertion portion 5 and the insertion hole b coincide with each other. However, since it is necessary to determine in advance from which portion the above-described previous posture is adopted, the insertion hole b
By providing a certain range of dead zone near
Even if a singular point of the insertion section 5 or the slave manipulator 1 occurs, smooth movement is possible.

Next, the operation mode of the slave manipulator 1 will be described. This operation mode is provided with three modes. The first operation mode is the master-slave mode by operating the master manipulator 21, and the second operation mode is the operation of the force sensors 22 and 23. The direct move mode can be performed, and the slave manipulator 1 operates so as to satisfy the above-described point lock constraint condition and constraint condition near the insertion hole b. Furthermore, the third operation mode is an external position command mode in which the slave manipulator 1 can be operated by a key input operation of the operation switch 56, and can be operated in any of the above-mentioned point lock constraint condition valid / invalid. Is. As a method of selecting each operation mode, any one operation mode can be selected by switch input by a selection operation switch provided on the operation switch keyboard.

In the first operation mode, the position of the tip of the master manipulator 21 corresponds to the position of the bending portion 6a of the insertion portion 5 and the position of the rotating portion of the HMD 12 while the point lock constraint condition is satisfied. , Corresponding to the bending angle of the bending portion 6a of the insertion portion, and the treatment means operating arms 43a and 43b operate corresponding to the positions of the treatment tools 7a and 7b. Further, the slave manipulator 1 can operate even when the point lock constraint condition is invalid.

In the second operation mode, the position and rotation information determined by the force sensors 22 and 23 is reflected in the operation of the slave manipulator 1, but the case where the point lock constraint condition is invalid and the point lock is not locked. Two types of actions can be selected when the constraint condition is valid.

First, regarding the operation in the case where the point lock constraint condition is invalid, with respect to the positions and rotational force information B1 to B6 determined by the force sensors 22 and 23,
Slave manipulator 1 axes A1, A2, A
3, A4, A5, A6 are controlled so as to correspond one to one. That is, for example, when the force sensor 22 is pushed forward (B3 vector direction) as shown in FIG. 7A, only the A3 axis moves in the extending direction. in this case,
Since there is one command value from the force sensors 22 and 23, only the axis corresponding to the command value operates, and the other axes do not operate. Further, even when there are two or more command values, each axis corresponding to each command value operates. The above operation is calculated in the control device 35 at regular time intervals. By repeating this calculation, the direct move mode when the point lock constraint condition is invalid in real time can be realized.

Next, in the case where the point lock constraint condition is valid, the position of the tip of the slave manipulator 1 and the long axis of the insertion part 5 depend on the position of the target point of the tip of the insertion part 5 determined by B1 to B5. Determines the inclination of the insertion part 5 for passing through the insertion hole b, and controls the position and rotation of the point of interest of the insertion part 5 by the rotation angle of the insertion part 5 by B6. That is, for example, as shown in FIG.
By pushing forward (in the B3 vector direction), the insertion unit 5 operates the respective axes A1 to A6 of the slave manipulator 1 so as to satisfy the point lock constraint condition.
The above operation is calculated in the control device 35 at regular time intervals. By repeating this calculation, the direct move mode when the point lock condition is valid in real time can be realized.

As described above, in order to operate the slave manipulator 1 based on the position and rotation information from the force sensors 22 and 23, the point lock constraint condition is invalidated /
Conversion means are provided which can be validated. That is, the conversion means uses the position and orientation (rotation) information from the force sensors 22 and 23 as 1 as an operation command value for operating each joint axis of the slave manipulator 1.
An operation command value for converting the point lock constraint condition corresponding to the pair 1 to be invalid and the position and orientation (rotation) information from the force sensors 22 and 23 to coordinate to operate each joint axis of the slave purator 1. Is a conversion that makes the point lock constraint condition valid so that the point lock operation can be performed.

On the other hand, regarding the operation speed of the slave manipulator 1 by the direct move, the MPU51
In, the command information corresponding to the input information of the ability is calculated. That is, the force sensors 22 and 23 are controlled so as to change in proportion to the magnitude of the force applied thereto.
When the force sensors 22 and 23 are strongly pressed, the slave manipulator 1 operates fast, and conversely, when the force sensors 22 and 23 are weakly pressed, the slave manipulator 1 operates slowly.

Further, in the switching of the point lock restraint condition invalidity / validity in the direct move mode, it is possible to select either invalidity / validity of the point lock restraint condition by a changeover switch provided on the operation panel of the operation switch 56. ing.

Also in the third operation mode 3, two kinds of operations are possible when the point lock constraint condition is valid and when the point lock constraint condition is invalid. First, regarding the operation in the case where the point lock constraint condition is invalid, each axis of A1 to A6 is independently operated by key input.

If one of the point lock constraint conditions is valid, a movement vector (P) and a rotation angle (Δθ) of the tip 6b of the insertion portion with reference to TCP are commanded by key input. In FIG. 8, the slave manipulator 1 at the time of entering the external position command mode which is the third operation mode
Let TCPs59 be the TCP state at the tip of the, and calculate TCPsi58 of the moved slave manipulator 1 from the vector P keyed in. Here, the vector from the point lock position 57 to the position of TCPsi 58 is defined as the Z axis (Zi) of TCPsi 58. The angle between the straight line from the point lock position 57 to TCPs 59 and the straight line from the point lock position 57 to TCPsi 58 is α, and the vector E perpendicular to the plane formed by the two straight lines is
To calculate. The TCPsi 58 is rotated by α around the E vector, and then rotated by the rotation angle Δθ input around the Z (Zi) axis, which is set to the state of the TCPsi 58. This TC
Slave manipulator 1 to realize Psi58
To operate. The above operation is performed in the control device 35.
Calculation is performed at regular intervals. By repeating this calculation, the external position command mode can be realized when the point lock constraint condition is valid in real time.

Further, in the external position command mode, the invalidity / validity of the point lock restraint condition is switched by the changeover switch (not shown) provided on the same operation panel of the operation switch 56 as the invalidity / validity of the point lock restraint condition.
You can select either valid.

Next, a series of flow of operations in the direct move mode in this embodiment will be shown. FIG. 9 shows a series of operation flows in the direct move mode, FIG. 10 shows the case where the point lock constraint condition is invalid, and FIG. 11 shows the operation flow when the point lock constraint condition is valid.

First, a series of operation flows in the direct move mode will be described with reference to FIG. In this direct move mode state, one of the operation due to the point lock constraint condition being invalid and the operation due to the point lock constraint condition being valid is selected by operating the changeover switch provided in the operation switch 56, and the selected operation mode is entered. It is like this.

Next, the operation flow when the point lock constraint condition is invalid will be described with reference to FIG. The surgeon holds the grips 24 and 25 for the direct move of the slave manipulator 1 by hand, and the slave manipulator 1
24, 25 corresponding to the desired joint axis to be operated by
, And tries to move the slave manipulator 1 in the desired movement direction. On the control device 35 side, the force sensor 22 attached to the grips 24, 25,
The position and rotation at 23 are input to the control device 35 as operation commands. When the above process is completed, the joint axis of the slave manipulator 1 corresponding to the operation command is set to the force sensor 2
The slave manipulator 1 is operated so as to match the command value of the position and / or rotation determined by 2 and 23.

Next, the operation flow when the point lock constraint condition is valid will be described with reference to FIG. The operator holds the grips 24 and 25 for the direct move of the slave manipulator 1 in his hand and tries to move the slave manipulator 1 in a desired moving direction. Control device 3
On the 5 side, the positions and rotations of the force sensors 22 and 23 attached to the grips 24 and 25 are input to the control device 35 as operation commands. After finishing the above process,
Operation target part of the surgical instrument 2 (slave manipulator 1
It is determined whether or not the tip end TCP) is near the insertion hole b. Here, it is determined whether the TCP of the slave manipulator is inside the body cavity c. If it is outside the body cavity c, as the value of the inclination of the long axis of the insertion portion 5, the operation target portion of the surgical instrument 2 (T of the slave manipulator 1).
The value of CP) immediately before entering the vicinity of the insertion hole b is used, and further operation is performed so that the rotation of the insertion portion 5 about the long axis coincides with the rotation instruction of the TCP of the slave manipulator 1. If slave manipulator 1 TCP
Is located in the body cavity c, the insertion portion 5 passes through the position of the insertion hole b, and the position of the operation target site of the surgical instrument 2 (TCP of the slave manipulator 1) is the force sensor 2
The command positions determined by 2 and 23 are matched, and further, the rotation of the insertion section 5 about the long axis is matched to the command of rotation of the force sensors 22 and 23. (Effect) When the operator operates the force sensors 22 and 23, the operator can operate the slave manipulator 1 so as to satisfy the point lock constraint condition, and the tip of the insertion portion 5 inserted into the body cavity c can be moved. The insertion hole b can be operated smoothly without exerting an excessive force.

Further, as the operation mode, one of the direct move mode, the master-slave mode and the external position command mode can be selected and operated. Therefore, the operator can select the operation mode according to the application of the operation. Therefore, the work can be facilitated and the operability is improved. Further, in the operation in the direct move mode, the invalidity / effectiveness of the point lock constraint condition can be switched according to the work application, so that the operability is improved. Furthermore, since the operating speed of the slave manipulator 1 can be changed according to the amount of force applied to the force sensors 22 and 23,
Work can be facilitated and operability is improved. <Second Embodiment> FIGS. 2 to 5, FIG. 12 and FIG.
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. (Purpose) This embodiment is to operate a force sensor attached to a slave manipulator in a surgical manipulator system in which a surgical instrument is inserted into a body cavity (in the brain) to observe or treat the inside of the body (in the brain). Thus, when operating the slave manipulator, the position and posture determined by the force sensor can be set so that the insertion part of the surgical instrument of the slave manipulator can be inserted straight into the target site to be observed and treated. It corresponds to the position and posture of the slave manipulator. (Structure) In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above will be designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described. As shown in FIG. 12, in the surgical manipulator system, the slave manipulator 1 includes a robot 3 that supports a surgical instrument 2. The surgical instrument 2 has an insertion part 5 for inserting its tip into the patient's head, and the robot 3 has a plurality of axes having degrees of freedom of linear movement and rotation. The surgical instrument 2 is attachable to and detachable from the robot 3. Further, the link mechanism is configured as shown in FIG. 2 as in the first embodiment. In addition, a three-dimensional (three-dimensional) scope 6 and treatment tools 7a and 7b arranged at left and right positions thereof are provided at the tip of the insertion portion 5. The tip of the three-dimensional (three-dimensional) scope 6 and the pair of treatment tools 7a and 7b can be curved.

An HMD (head mounted display) 44 is attached to the operator's head. This HM
A three-dimensional position sensor 61 for detecting the position with respect to D44 is provided. The three-dimensional position sensor 61 is provided with a head position of an operator, for example, a detection unit 61a attached to the HMD 44 and a transmission unit 61b installed in an absolute space, and the detection unit 61a for the transmission unit 61b.
The three-dimensional positional relationship of is calculated. The detection unit 61a and the transmission unit 61b of the three-dimensional position sensor 61 are composed of three orthogonal electromagnetic coils, and are capable of detecting three position coordinates and three attitude information from the amount of change in mutual inductance of both. .

On the other hand, as the operating means in this system, force sensors 22 and 23 separately attached to the respective gripping portions 24 and 25 which are detachable from the robot 3 are provided. The slave manipulator 1, the three-dimensional position sensor 61, and the force sensors 22 and 23 are the control device 35.
And the position and orientation (rotation) determined by the force sensors 22 and 23 correspond to the position and orientation of the slave manipulator 1 and the position and orientation determined by the three-dimensional position sensor 61. Posture 3
The three-dimensional scope 3 is operated so as to correspond to the bending angle of the bending portion. Further, the pair of treatment tools 7a, 7b are mechanically operated by operating portions 63a, 63b, 63c, 63d provided at positions close to the outer end case portion 8 of the surgical instrument 2.

The force sensor 22 has three direction vectors of force (B1, B2, B3), and the force sensor 23 has two direction vectors of force (B4, B5) and one rotation (B).
A strain gauge is mounted inside so that 6) can be detected, and its specific configuration is as described above.

Note that, in FIG. 12, the insertion portion 5 in which the endoscope as the three-dimensional (stereoscopic) scope 6 and the treatment tool are integrated.
However, it may be configured with only an endoscope or only a treatment tool. The endoscope may be a rigid endoscope. Further, the system configuration for controlling the operation of the surgical manipulator of this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 5 in the first embodiment, and the explanation thereof is omitted. (Operation) Since the point lock position in the extra-cerebral field is a portion located inside the patient's head, it is necessary to confirm the position of the target site in advance by an image observation device such as CT.
In order to know the position of this target site, for example, the control device 3
By inputting position information from the operation switch 56 of No. 5, it is possible to make the control device 35 recognize the positional relationship between the target portion (point lock position) and the slave manipulator 1.

Next, the specific operation will be described.
As shown in FIG. 13 (a), in order to move the surgical instrument 2 horizontally from the state of S1 (direction of arrow), the axis of A3 of the slave manipulator 1 is extended. That is, it is assumed that the force sensor 22 is pushed in the B3 direction. When not in the point lock mode, the tip of the surgical instrument 2 moves as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 13 (a), but in the point lock mode, the point lock position A and the long axis of the surgical instrument 2 coincide. Because it works like
It moves from the position of S1 shown in 3 (a) to the state of S2.

Further, in order to move the surgical instrument 2 in the vertical direction (arrow) from the position of S3 as shown in FIG. 13 (b), the force sensor 22 is used to shorten the A2 axis of the slave manipulator 1. If you press in the -B2 direction, if the point lock mode is not available,
The surgical instrument 2 moves to the portion shown by the dotted line in FIG. 13 (b), but in the point lock mode, S in FIG. 13 (b) is used.
Move to state 4.

The horizontal / vertical movement method has been described above, but the slave manipulator 1 can also be rotated, and the slave manipulator 1 can be rotated from the state of S3 shown in FIG. 13 (b). The rotation operation of B5 of the force sensor 23 is performed so that the A5 axis of is rotated.
When not in the point lock mode, the surgical instrument 2 moves from the state of S5 in FIG. 13 (c) to the portion indicated by the dotted line, but in the point lock mode, the posture is moved to the state of S6 to satisfy the point lock constraint condition. Let

As mentioned above, the surgical instrument 2 used in the field of brain surgery
The operation method of the slave manipulator 1 when the is attached to the slave manipulator 1 has been described, but when used in the field of brain surgery, the point lock position is inside the head of the patient.

Therefore, as shown in the first embodiment, it does not actually pass through the point lock position. However, if the point lock position and the position of the distal end portion of the surgical instrument 2 match, As described in the first embodiment, a singular point occurs, and therefore, in this embodiment, the dead band processing shown in the first embodiment is performed on the control device 35 side, and the posture cannot be determined. The control device 35 side performs a process of determining the posture immediately before entering the dead zone. (Effect) Therefore, the position and the posture determined by the operation of the force sensor are constrained so that the insertion section 5 of the surgical instrument 2 of the slave manipulator 1 inserts the insertion section 5 straight into the target site to be observed and treated. Even when the condition is not satisfied, the operation can be performed so as to satisfy the constraint condition. There is an effect that the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 can be easily orientated in a straight line with respect to a target portion to be observed and processed, and further can be inserted straight.

When the operator operates the force sensors 22 and 23, the slave manipulator 1 follows the operation of the force sensors 22 and 23.
Can be operated, and the surgical instrument 2 inserted in the head can be operated smoothly. Further, the force sensors 22, 23
Since the operation speed of the slave manipulator 1 can be changed according to the amount of force applied to, the work can be facilitated and the operability is improved.

Further, since the operator has the HMD 44 and the detecting portion 61a of the three-dimensional position sensor 61 on the operator's head, the movement detected by the three-dimensional position sensor 61 when the operator moves the head. Since the bending portion of the three-dimensional scope 6 operates following the above, the operator can perform treatment with the surgical instrument 2 while observing the image displayed on the HMD 44. Therefore,
Since the treatment can be performed in the presence of being inside a body cavity, endoscopic surgery can be performed with the sensation of laparotomy. <Third Embodiment> A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. (Purpose) The purpose of this embodiment is to insert a surgical instrument into a body cavity and operate a force sensor in a manipulator system for observing and / or treating the body.
When operating the slave manipulator, the surgical instrument for inserting the surgical instrument of the slave manipulator is inserted so that an unreasonable force is not applied to the insertion hole. (Structure) The system structure of this embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment described above, but is different in that the following work is performed. (Operation) First, as shown in the second embodiment, when positioning is performed in the body cavity, for example, in the brain of the patient's head, a point lock is performed for insertion. At this time, the surgical instrument tip TCP is inserted.
It cannot be inserted unless the (Tool Center Point) posture is the same as the point lock axis. In order to solve this, the attitude of the tip TCP of the surgical instrument 2 is changed, which is the content of the third embodiment.

FIG. 14A shows the current positional relationship between the distal end of the surgical instrument 2 and the head of the patient. If the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 is attempted to be inserted into the patient's head d as it is, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the head d of the patient is dissected, which should be avoided.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the posture is changed so that the desired position in the patient's head d and the Z axis of the surgical instrument 2 become the same. As the processing in the control device 35, a line segment R is virtually set by connecting the desired position and the current TCP position at the tip of the insertion portion 5. Next, the spatial orientation of the line segment R is obtained, and the tip TCP of the surgical instrument 2 at the current position is calculated.
Ask for the attitude.

After the above processing is completed, the slave manipulator 1 is operated so that the posture of the line segment R and the posture of the insertion portion 5 become the same while keeping the position of the tip TCP of the surgical instrument 2 as it is. Specifically, the control device 35 is operated so that the difference between the posture value of the insertion portion 5 and the posture value of the line segment R on the control device 35 side becomes zero. As a result, as shown in FIG. 14 (c), the posture of the insertion portion 5 is changed for insertion, and after the posture is changed, the insertion portion 5 is operated within the patient's head d while performing point lock. (Effect) Therefore, even when the long axis of the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 of the slave manipulator 1 does not face the insertion hole b, the insertion hole b can be operated so as to come on the extension line of the long axis, As a result, the surgical instrument 2 can be easily inserted.

When the surgeon operates the master manipulator, the slave manipulator 1 operates following the operation of the master manipulator to operate the surgical instrument 2 inserted in the body cavity. Since the position of the HMD 44 and the rotation angle of the HMD 44 can be detected on the head d, when the operator moves the head d, the slave manipulator 1 follows it. Since an endoscopic image is displayed on the HMD 44,
The latter can be treated with the surgical instrument 2 while observing the image displayed on the HMD 44. Therefore, since the treatment can be performed in the presence of being in a body cavity, endoscopic surgery can be performed with the sensation of laparotomy.

When the operator operates the force sensors 22 and 23, the operator can operate the force sensors 22 and 23 to satisfy the constraint condition, and the insertion section 5 can be smoothly inserted into the body cavity. Further, since the operation speed of the slave manipulator 1 can be changed according to the amount of force applied to the force sensors 22 and 23, work can be facilitated and operability is improved. <Fourth Embodiment> A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is based on the above-mentioned first to third embodiments.
In the system configuration of the embodiment of FIG.

A series of operations in the direct move mode will be described. The slave manipulator 1 is operated by the direct move when the point lock constraint condition is invalid.
The position of the insertion hole b is recognized by matching the tip of the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 with the position of the insertion hole b, and the position of the insertion hole b is stored in the control device 35. Next, the long axis, that is, the insertion portion 5 so that the insertion portion 5 enters the insertion hole b.
Posture conversion. After inserting into the body cavity, operate the force sensors 22 and 23 with the point lock constraint condition enabled,
The position and rotation determined by the force sensors 22 and 23 are input to the control device 35 as operation commands. The position and orientation information obtained by the force sensors 22 and 23 is coordinate-converted into the position or orientation of the surgical instrument 2 of the slave manipulator 1. Therefore, a comparison is made with a constraint condition regarding whether or not the position of the target portion of the surgical instrument 2 is near the insertion hole b, and the following two processing operations are selected according to the result.

First, when the constraint condition is met (insertion hole b
When the position of the operation target portion of the surgical instrument 2 immediately before entering the vicinity of the insertion hole b is used as the value of the inclination of the insertion portion 5, The rotation of the slave manipulator 1 is operated so as to match the rotation command of the slave manipulator 1. On the other hand, when the constraint conditions are not met (when not in the vicinity of the insertion hole), the position of the operation target portion of the surgical instrument 2 passes through the insertion position of the insertion portion 5 and the force sensor 2
2 and 23 are made to coincide with the command position, and further, the rotation of the insertion section 5 about the major axis is made to coincide with the rotation command of the force sensors 22 and 23. (Effect) When the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 held by the slave manipulator 1 is inserted into the body cavity and observation and treatment are performed in the body cavity, the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 is inserted into the insertion hole b.
The insertion is performed without exerting an excessive force on the robot, and the observation and treatment operations are facilitated. Alternatively, when the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 held by the slave manipulator 1 is inserted into the body cavity and the observation and treatment are performed in the body cavity, the insertion portion 5 of the surgical instrument 2 is used for the target site to be observed and treated. , Straight, easy to insert straight. <Fifth Embodiment> FIGS. 4 and 5, and FIGS.
The fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. (Purpose) This example is a surgical manipulator system for inserting a surgical instrument into a body cavity and observing the inside of the body.
When operating the slave manipulator by operating the force sensor, which is the operating means, by making the joint holding the surgical instrument, which is the insertion section of the slave manipulator, a free joint, the insertion section of the surgical instrument of the slave manipulator has an insertion hole. The position and the posture of the force sensor are made to correspond to the position and the posture of the slave manipulator so that an unreasonable force does not work. (Structure) As shown in FIG. 16, in the present manipulator system, the slave manipulator 100 has a surgical instrument 103 having an insertion portion 102 for inserting the distal end thereof into a body cavity c, and a linear motion for supporting the surgical instrument 103. And a robot 104 having a plurality of axes having rotational degrees of freedom. The surgical instrument 103 can be attached to and detached from the tip of the robot 104. On the other hand, a three-dimensional (three-dimensional) scope 106 having a tip portion provided via a curved portion 105 is provided at the tip of the insertion portion 102.

FIG. 17 shows the slave manipulator 10
The link mechanism used in 0 is shown. This slave manipulator 100 is composed of joints A1 to A5 as in the case of the first embodiment described above, and constitutes a 5-axis cylindrical coordinate type link mechanism. Slave manipulator 100
An encoder (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of each shaft is provided. An actuator (not shown) and a speed reducer (not shown) are provided on each of the three joints A1 to A3, and no actuators are provided on the joints A4 and A5, which are so-called free joints.

An operating grip 111 is provided on the left side surface of the second operation shaft 101 in the robot 104, and a force sensor 112 as an operating means is attached to the grip 111. The operation grip portion 111 may be attached to the right side or the upper side surface of the second operation shaft 101. This force sensor 112 is configured with a strain gauge mounted therein so that it can detect three direction vectors of force (B1, B2, B3). This force sensor 11
The structure of FIG. 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above with reference to FIGS.
6 is a structure of a 6-axis force / torque sensor, and when an external force acts on the force sensor 112, the strain gauges attached to the respective beams are distorted, and an electric signal obtained from them is proportional to the strain amount, for example. From force (Fx, FY, Fz) (Tx,
The working direction and the amount of force of (TY, Tz) can be obtained.
Six pieces of information about the force and the rotation direction are obtained for each force sensor 112, but in the present embodiment, the force sensor 112 is configured to fetch only the information about the three force directions as a detection signal. ing. Then, these detection signals are made to correspond to the direction vectors of B1 to B3. Further, as the detection signal from the force sensor 112, not only the direction of the force but also the amount of force which is the magnitude of the force applied to the force sensor 112 is detected.

By the way, the force and torque information obtained by the force sensor 112, the direction vector and the rotation (B1 to B
It is desirable that the correspondence with 3) be arbitrarily matched. For example, torque information may be associated with a direction vector, and force information may be associated with rotation. In addition, the force sensor 11
The ON / OFF operation of each command value of 2 is performed by, for example, detecting a change in the physical quantity due to a change in the resistance value of the strain gauge, and the magnitude of the force applied to the force sensor 112 is the change amount of the resistance value. It can be determined by detecting the size. As a force sensor using a strain gauge, as described above, for example, there is a 6-axis force sensor manufactured by PL Autotech. In addition to the strain gauge, an electrostatic or optical force sensor may be used as the force sensor. The force sensor 112 is connected to the control device 35, and operates so that the position and orientation determined by the force sensor 112 correspond to the position and orientation of the distal end of the insertion portion 102. As a substitute for the force sensor 112, a joystick, a touch panel, and a switch may be provided in the slave manipulator.

By the way, in FIG. 16, the insertion portion 102
Although the endoscope is shown as the above, the endoscope and the treatment tool may be integrated, or only the treatment tool may be configured. A rigid endoscope may be used as the endoscope.

The structure of the system for controlling the operation of the manipulator of this embodiment has the structure as described in the first embodiment. There are a slave manipulator 100, a control device 35 for controlling the slave manipulator 100, an operation means by a force sensor, and an operation switch. The control device 35 has an MPU, an actuator drive circuit, and an input / output interface (I / F). The operation means, the slave manipulator 100, and the operation switch 56 are connected to each other. The operation means in the present embodiment is the force sensor 112, but separately from this, the slave manipulator 100 is operated by key input on the operation switch 56.
Is operated (external position command mode). (Operation) In the above configuration, the slave manipulator 1
00 through the insertion hole b to the body cavity c
In order to insert and operate the insertion part 102, the insertion part 102 is operated with the insertion hole b as a fulcrum. Therefore,
Here, the operation using the insertion hole b as a fulcrum will be referred to as a point lock operation.

Two operation modes are provided. In the first operation mode, the direct move mode can be performed by operating the force sensor 112, and the slave manipulator 100 operates. Further, as the third operation mode, the operation can also be performed in an external position command mode in which the slave manipulator is operated by key input on the control switch 56. Further, as for the selection of each operation mode, either one of the operation modes can be selected by a switch provided on the operation panel of the control operation switch 56.

In the first operation mode, the position determined by the force sensor 112 means the components B1, B2, B3 of the force sensor 112 in FIG. 16, and the joint axes A1, A2 of the slave manipulator 100. , A3 have a one-to-one correspondence with each other. Based on the position information from B1, B2, B3 of this force sensor 112, each joint A
The control amount of 1, A2, A3 may be calculated and the operation of the robot 104 may be performed. The above operation is calculated in the control device 35 at regular time intervals. By repeating this calculation, the direct move mode is realized in real time. Since the joints A4 and A5 of the slave manipulator 100 are free joints, when the slave manipulator 100 is operated by direct move, the long axis of the insertion portion 102 operates with the insertion hole b as a fulcrum. The operation speed of the slave manipulator 100 changes according to the amount of force of the force sensor 112. That is, if the force sensor 112 is strongly pressed, the operating speed of the slave manipulator 100 becomes proportionally faster, and conversely, if the force sensor 112 is weakly pressed, the operating speed of the slave manipulator 100 becomes proportionally slower.

In the second operation mode, an operation is possible when the point lock constraint condition is valid and when the point lock constraint condition is invalid. First, in the case where the point lock constraint condition is invalid, A1 of the slave manipulator 100 is pressed by a key input on the operation switch 56.
~ Operate independently for each A3 axis.

On the other hand, when the point lock constraint condition is valid, the TCP at the tip of the insertion portion 102 is pressed by key input.
Movement vector (P) based on (Tool Center Point)
Command. In FIG. 18, the TCP state at the tip of the slave manipulator 100 at the time of entering the external position command mode, which is the third operation mode, is TCPs140, and the TCPsi 141 of the slave manipulator 100 after movement is determined from the keyed vector P. To calculate.
Here, TCP si14 from the point lock position 135
The vector toward the position of 1 is the Z axis (Zi) of TCPsi 141. TCP from point lock position 135
Straight line to s140 and T from point lock position 135
The angle formed by the straight line to CPsi 141 is α, and the vector E perpendicular to the plane formed by the two straight lines is calculated. TC
TC of Ps140 rotated α around E vector
The state of Psi141 is set. The slave manipulator 100 is operated to realize the TCPsi 141. The above operation is calculated in the control device 35 at regular time intervals. By repeating this calculation, the external position command mode can be realized under the point lock constraint condition in real time. (Effect) Therefore, since the joints A4 and A5 of the slave manipulator 100 are free joints, when the insertion portion 102 of the surgical instrument 103 operates with the insertion hole as a fulcrum, an unreasonable force can be applied to the insertion hole b. Absent. Further, even if the patient moves during operation and the insertion hole moves, the insertion portion 102 does not exert an unreasonable force on the insertion hole because the joints A4 and A5 of the slave manipulator 100 are free joints.

When the operator operates the force sensor 112, the slave manipulator 100 follows the operation of the force sensor 112.
Is operated, the surgical instrument 103 can be operated smoothly. Further, since the operation speed of the slave manipulator 100 can be changed according to the amount of force applied to the force sensor 112, work can be facilitated and operability is improved. [Additional Notes] 1. An operation manipulator for holding a surgical instrument having an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity and moving the surgical instrument, and a force sensor for operation input attached to the manipulator and detecting an operation direction and an operation force applied by an operator. And a conversion means for converting the operation direction obtained by the force sensor by the operation physical quantity given to the force sensor and the input information of the operation force into a command for moving the manipulator to a position or posture corresponding thereto. , Moving the manipulator based on the content of the operation command,
A surgical manipulator further comprising: a control unit that moves the manipulator at an operation speed corresponding to the operation force amount. 2. The manipulator for operation is a multi-joint structure having a plurality of axes. According to this, it is possible to simplify the structure of the manipulator and reduce the occupied space. 3. The conversion means associates the position and posture information obtained from the force sensor with a one-to-one correspondence as an operation command value for operating each joint axis of the surgical manipulator. 4. The conversion means associates the position and orientation information obtained from the force sensor with an operation command value for operating each joint axis of the surgical manipulator so that a point lock operation can be performed. 5. 5. The force sensor is a strain gauge. The force sensor is an electrostatic type. 7. The force sensor is optical. 8. The surgical instrument is an endoscope. 9. The surgical instrument is a curved endoscope. 10. The surgical instrument is a treatment tool. 11. The surgical instrument is a curved treatment tool. 12. The surgical instrument has an endoscope and a treatment tool integrated with each other.

[0083]

As described above, according to the present invention, the manipulator can be easily operated when the insertion portion of the surgical instrument held by the manipulator is inserted into the body cavity or when observation or treatment is performed in the body cavity. The operation speed of the manipulator can be changed according to the purpose of the work, which enables delicate and speedy operation of the surgical instrument.Of course, for example, the insertion part of the surgical instrument can be inserted in the insertion hole. On the other hand, the operation can be performed without giving an unreasonable force, and the operation of observing and processing with the surgical instrument can be facilitated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a surgical manipulator system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view conceptually showing the structure of the link mechanism of the manipulator in the surgical manipulator system.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a force sensor in the surgical manipulator system.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an essential part of the force sensor.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the system of a control device in the surgical manipulator system.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of the operation of the slave manipulator in the surgical manipulator system.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view of another operation of the slave manipulator in the surgical manipulator system.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view of another operation of the slave manipulator in the surgical manipulator system.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a series of operation flows of operations in the direct move mode in the same system.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a series of operation flow of operations when the point lock constraint condition is invalid in the direct move mode in the same system.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of a series of operation flow of operations when the point lock constraint condition is valid for the direct move mode in the same system.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view schematically showing a surgical manipulator system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the surgical manipulator system according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the surgical manipulator system according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the surgical manipulator system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view schematically showing a surgical manipulator system according to a fifth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory view conceptually showing the structure of the link mechanism of the manipulator in the surgical manipulator system.

FIG. 18 is an operation explanatory view of the operation of the slave manipulator in the surgical manipulator system.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Slave manipulator, 2 ... Surgical instrument, 3 ... Robot, 5 ... Insertion part, 6 ... Scope, 7a, 7b ... Treatment tool, 21 ... Master manipulator, 22, 23 ... Force sensor, 35 ... Control device, 51 ... MPU, 52 ... Actuator drive circuit, 53 ... First operating means, 54 ... Second
Operating means, 55 ... Input / output interface (I /
F), 56 ... Operation switch, a ... Body wall, b ... Insertion hole, c
…body cavity.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An operating manipulator for holding a surgical instrument having an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity and moving the surgical instrument, and detecting an operating direction and an operational force attached to the manipulator by an operator. The operation input force sensor, and conversion means for receiving the input information of the operation direction and the operation force amount obtained from the force sensor and converting it into a command for operating the manipulator corresponding thereto, the content of the operation command And a control means for moving the manipulator at an operation speed corresponding to the operation force amount.