RU2716353C1 - Hand controller for use in robot surgery system operator's controller - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to medical equipment. Hand controller (100) for the control operator controller of the robot-surgical complex includes a handle with finger grippers (110) and a control unit of the hand controller. Handle has elongated ergonomic body (120) and is functionally configured to provide rotation function of the surgical instrument around one axis. Body in upper part (121) has base (130) with platform for attachment to element, which is part of operator controller, which provides the manipulator with the surgical instrument rotation control function and / or deviation of the surgical instrument from its longitudinal axis. Base platform is functionally configured to transmit electrical signals. Control unit is located inside the body of the operator's controller element fixed on the base platform. Finger grips are movable and rotate around their own axis coinciding with handle lengthwise axis (123) in sagittal plane to provide closure or opening function of surgical branches. Inside the body of the handle there are mechanisms for turning the handle and finger grips on one axis. Sensor of handle turn mechanism provides electric signals corresponding to change of position of handle body at deviation of operator's hand in sagittal plane relative to transverse axis of hand lying in frontal plane, and transmits them to controller of hand controller through platform of handle body base. Sensor of finger grip rotation mechanism provides electric signals corresponding to change of finger grips position when fingers of operator move in sagittal plane relative to transverse axis of hand lying in frontal plane, and transmits them to control unit of hand controller through platform of handle body base. Hand controller control unit is configured to transfer the motion of the handle and / or finger grips into the corresponding movement of the surgical instrument and to transfer the movement of the surgical instrument into the corresponding movement of the handle and / or finger grips.

EFFECT: reduced load on operator's hand, high accuracy of determining the position of the hand and increasing the range of hand movement with providing feedback, tactile sensations and mobility by using the proposed architecture of the hand controller, which minimizes limitations on the ability of the surgeon to manipulate the surgical instrument.

6 cl, 11 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of mechanical engineering, namely, to mechanisms - controllers designed to control the operator of mechatronic devices. The controller can be used in the following areas: medical equipment, game industry, three-dimensional computer simulation and design. More specifically, the invention may relate to the field of monitoring and control of robotic surgical complexes for minimally invasive surgery. In particular, the invention relates to devices for converting the movement of a hand of a surgeon into a digital command for controlling a surgical instrument and for converting in the reverse order, namely, converting digital commands into mechanical movements transmitted to the hand of a surgeon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern robots increase production efficiency, primarily by automating the execution of technological processes. However, robots have other advantages that create the basis of innovative technologies and products.

Simple user interface systems can provide separately defined control by a numerical control system (CNC) for each movable connection of a robot, robotic arm, or other slave device. More complex systems may include hand-held controllers (sometimes in the form of a joystick or pistol grip) that sense movement by the user's hand. The robot control system responds to these control signals by activating certain servomotors, solenoids, or other devices in the robotic arm to provide the desired action.

On the one hand, the controller, in the direct order of operation, provides control and monitoring, on the other hand, in the reverse order of operation, it provides a tactile sensation of interaction with the technical system through virtual contact with the actuator. A robot or a manipulator can act as an actuator, and a controller, whose impact forces are limited and commensurate with the strength of the operator’s hands, can act as a tactile device.

The controller generates one or more control signals, which are then used to control various movements of the manipulator, converting the mechanical movements of the hand in six degrees of freedom into commands for the mechatronic complex. The controller also provides the user with feedback on the force applied to the motion input, or the force exerted by the user.

The controller for remote control of the movement of the manipulator can be separated from the actuator by a considerable distance (for example, be in another room or in a completely different building). Alternatively, the controller may be located very close to the actuator. Regardless of which, the controller typically includes one or more control knobs that provide direct contact with the operator’s hand and that are attached to the positioning block of the operator’s controller. Such pens allow the determination of the coordinates of the operator’s wrist apparatus. The movements of the control handle in three-dimensional space, the operator controls the movements of the manipulator.

Currently, there are many solutions designed to determine the coordinates of a person’s brush. By design features, solutions can be divided into the following categories:

Devices designed to be worn on the arm (exoskeletal devices).

Devices designed to manipulate as an object.

Devices reassigned for putting on a hand are a class of devices that partially or completely repeat the degrees of freedom of a person’s hand and have mechanical connection with the hand by the method of moving elements external to the hand, fixed directly to the phalanges of the fingers, wrist or wrist.

Devices designed to manipulate as an object are a class of devices that partially or completely repeat the degrees of freedom of a person’s brush and have mechanical communication with the hand by the method of holding the manipulating object with a brush. A fastening of the hand or fingers may be present, but is not necessary for the operation of the device.

One of the applications of the control handle of the controller is the control of a surgical robot, which is used for complex minimally invasive operations.

Robot-assisted operations have many advantages over traditional operations, for example, they can significantly reduce the amount of intraoperative blood loss and reduce the frequency of blood transfusions. Procedures of this kind are less traumatic and therefore, in the rehabilitation period, the pain syndrome in patients is not as pronounced as with the traditional approach. Surgical robots are controlled by a surgeon. The movements of the control handle in three-dimensional space, in six degrees of freedom, the surgeon controls the movements of the final effector of the surgical instrument.

Known are the handles of the surgeon's controllers, which are made in the form of a copy of the handles for a laparoscopic instrument, and also special modified handles are known for the controller of the robotic surgical complex.

Modified laparoscopic handles are usually used for the case when the robotic surgical complex functionally implements only laparoscopic technologies (US 8080004 B2, US 6500188 B2, US 20050222587 A1, US 20050070764 A1, etc.).

Robotic surgical handles allow contact with the operator’s hand, in which the hand covers the handle completely, partially or with only two fingers. Handles have movable locking / unlocking parts that move under the influence of fingers, usually two or more. Other devices for touching them with fingers, as a rule, are buttons. The handle power elements are performed as analog - cables, digital - encoders or encoders and motors (US 20110040305 A1, US 20030114962 A1, US 20100169815 A1, US 6587750 B2, US 20180132956 A1, US 20120071892 A1).

Known handle covered by the operator’s hand, made with the ability to control a surgical instrument in response to movements of the operator’s hand by converting mechanical movement into an electrical signal (US 20180168758 A1). The handle is made in the form of a housing articulated with an input device that generates signals controlling the surgical instrument in response to the movement of the operator’s hand. The handle has an ergonomically shaped body with two finger grips, made with the possibility of removal from the longitudinal axis of the body to move the coaxial axis of the shaft handle housing. A sensor (linear encoder) is installed on the longitudinal axis of the housing to convert the analog signal to digital and supply a control signal to the input device.

Known controller handle for robot-assisted surgical operations, allowing to transmit hand movements in the movement of the structural elements of the complex (US 2014192020 A1, publ. 10.07.2014). Mechanical communication with the operator’s hand is ensured by holding the handle body with the fingers of the operator’s hand. The brush controller (handle) allows you to transmit the movements of the operator’s hand in movement by the structural element of the surgical complex. The operator's brush controller has two degrees of freedom. The degree of freedom in the yaw angle is realized by the method of rotation of the device body. An exciting degree of freedom is presented in the form of a movable element controlled by the index finger.

Existing development of control knobs, as follows from an analysis of well-known technical solutions, does not allow to solve the following set of problems in one design, which reduces work efficiency:

Only fingers, usually two, or part of the operator’s hand, are involved in the contact of the operator’s hand with the control handle. Therefore, the entire control load and the weight of the control handle falls on them, which leads to greater and faster onset fatigue, and as a result, loss of the operator’s working capacity, as well as loss of accuracy, speed and efficiency of controlling the actuator, in particular, the surgical instrument.

There is no digital signal about the rotation in the wrist when the control handle is covered with the entire operator’s brush.

There is no transmission of the control signal from the control system and its conversion into mechanical movement of the operator’s hand, completely covering the control handle.

There is no digital signal about the position (approaching / closing / removing) of at least two operator fingers covering the control handle with the brush.

There is no transmission of the control signal from the control system and its conversion into mechanical movement of at least two operator fingers covering the control handle with the brush.

There is no conversion to a coordinated digital control signal for the position of the operator’s hand and at least two control fingers for controlling the surgical instrument.

One of the main reasons preventing the solution of problems is that the control knob is the final link of the controller. Any change or improvement of the handle with the use of new parts increases its mass, which leads to an additional load on the operator’s hand in the process of control. The use of cables to move masses of new parts to the fulcrum and to reduce unloading is limited by the size of the control handle and access to it. The use of counterweights, balancing the additional mass of the handle, leads to a doubling of the dynamic load on the hands of the operator during their movement.

This application is dedicated to the solution of these problems.

The essence of the invention

The technical problem to which the invention is directed is to create a universal brush controller that allows the coordinates of a human hand to be converted into digital form, and which is part of a system for controlling a surgical instrument of a robotic technological complex. In this case, the brush controller should most accurately, at the entire amplitude and at all angles, allow to control at least one angle of rotation of the hand in the wrist, as well as the movement and relative position of at least two fingers, converting this information into a digital signal transmitted to the controlled element robotic technological complex.

In addition, the brush controller must provide a minimum weight load on the operator’s brush when controlling, have and implement a feedback channel from an element of the robotic technological complex or the control system as a whole, converting the digital control signal into mechanical movement, such as turning the operator’s hand holding the handle of the brush and / or mechanical movement of at least two fingers of the operator.

Additionally, the brush controller should be able to take part in scenarios of the control system, such as locking the system as a whole, holding the operator controller at a fixed position.

Additionally, the brush controller must convert the movements of the operator’s brush to digital form without creating significant limitations to the natural mobility of the hand.

In order to solve the tasks, the operator’s brush controller is used as part of the operator’s controller to control the robotic complex and includes a handle with finger grips and a brush controller control unit; moreover, the handle has a body of elongated ergonomic shape, covered and held by the entire surface of the operator’s hand during operation, the handle is functionally configured to provide the rotation function of the surgical instrument around one axis. In this case, the handle housing in the upper part has a base with a platform for attachment to an element that is part of the operator’s controller, which provides the function of controlling the rotation of the manipulator with the surgical instrument and / or the deviation of the surgical instrument from its longitudinal axis. Moreover, the base platform is functionally configured to transmit electrical signals, and the control unit of the brush controller is located inside the body of the above element, which is part of the operator controller, to which the base platform is attached. The finger grips are arranged to position the operator’s fingers on them, at least one of the finger grips is movable and rotatable around its own axis, coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the handle, in the sagittal plane to provide the function of closing or opening the jaws of the surgical instrument. Inside the body of the handle are located on one axis: the handle rotation mechanism, including a rotation sensor, providing electrical signals corresponding to a change in the position of the handle body when the operator’s brush deviates in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the brush lying in the frontal plane, and transfers them to the brush controller control unit through the base of the base of the handle housing, and the drive element of the handle; a rotation mechanism of at least one finger grip, including a rotation sensor, providing electrical signals corresponding to a change in the position of at least one finger grip when moving the operator’s fingers in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the brush lying in the frontal plane, and transmitting them to the control unit of the brush controller through the base of the handle body; and a drive element finger grip. Moreover, the control unit of the brush controller is functionally configured for: transmitting the received signals to the digital block of the operator’s controller and to the external control system of the robotic surgical complex for transmitting the movement of the handle and / or at least one finger grip into the corresponding movements of the surgical instrument; receiving control signals from the external control system of the robotic surgical complex and transmitting them to the handle drive element and / or the drive element of at least one finger grip to transmit the movement of the surgical instrument in the corresponding movement of the handle and / or finger grips.

In some embodiments of the invention, at least one finger grip is attached to the handle body.

In some embodiments of the invention, the handle housing is equipped with light and / or sound and / or tactile sensors, as well as pressure sensors. The handle housing is also equipped with a proximity sensor.

In some embodiments of the invention, the digital controller control unit generates control signals through the brush control unit to the handle actuator and / or finger grip element to allow the handle and / or movable finger grip to rotate in a direction that matches the rotation of the brush and / or movable finger grip or in the direction opposite to the rotation of the hand and / or movable finger grip, respectively.

In some embodiments of the invention, the brush controller is equipped with tachometers, acceleration meters and load indicating force.

As shown, these tasks are solved by changing the configuration of the controller as a whole, and in particular, of the controller’s constituent element - the brush controller, which has direct contact with the entire surface of the operator’s brush and at least two fingers of the operator.

Using the proposed architecture of the hand controller reduces the load on the operator’s hand, increases the accuracy of determining the position of the hand and increases the range of hand movements, providing feedback, tactile sensations and mobility, which minimizes the restrictions on the ability of the surgeon to manipulate the surgical instrument.

The solution belongs to the category of controllers designed to be manipulated as an object and does not require mandatory mechanical fastening of the operator’s hands on structural elements, but this feature is present.

The objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description and drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the present description, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the above general description of the invention and the following detailed description of embodiments, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an operator controller of the present invention, designed to control an operator with mechatronic devices and incorporating an operator control handle.

FIG. 2 illustrates a general view of the brush controller for use as part of an operator controller for controlling a robotic surgical complex.

FIG. 3 schematically reflects the planes in which movements of the operator’s hand in the wrist joint are carried out.

FIG. 4 illustrates a general view of a robotic surgical complex.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a brush controller with a housing.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a brush controller without a case.

FIG. 7 is a general view of the stacking of a wound transmitting electrical control signal plume.

FIG. 8 is a general view of laying the loop in a weakened state.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates an example of a closed control structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 schematically represents a control block diagram of a brush controller.

FIG. 11 is an assembly drawing of a circuit board for mounting a digital magnetic encoder.

Terms and Definitions

For a better understanding of the present invention, the following are some of the terms used in the present description of the invention. Unless defined separately, technical and scientific terms in this application have standard meanings generally accepted in the scientific and technical literature.

In the present description and in the claims, the terms “includes”, “including” and “includes”, “having”, “equipped”, “containing” and their other grammatical forms are not intended to be interpreted in an exceptional sense, but, on the contrary, used in a non-exclusive sense (ie, in the sense of “having in its composition”). As an exhaustive list, only expressions of the “consisting of” type should be considered.

In these application materials, the terms “robotic technological complex”, “robotic system”, “robotic complex”, “robotic surgical complex”, “robotic surgical system” mean complex systems or complexes in surgery using a robot assistant during the operation. “Robot-assisted systems” or “robot-assisted surgical systems” are robotic systems designed for medical operations. These are not standalone devices. During assisted operations, robotic assistive systems are controlled by surgeons.

In these application materials, the term “mechatronic complex” or “mechatronic system” is understood to mean a complex or system with computer-controlled movement, which is based on knowledge in the field of mechanics, electronics and microprocessor technology, computer science, and computer-controlled movement of machines and assemblies.

In this application, the term "operator" means the surgeon performing the operation of the doctor. The signs "operator" and "surgeon" in the present description of the invention are synonymous.

In this application, the following terms are used to describe the movements of the hand in the wrist joint (Fig. 3). Hand movements occur around two axes when the hand is in the anatomical position, i.e., in the position of full supination. The transverse axis AA ′ lies in the frontal plane T and controls the movements of flexion and extension carried out in the sagittal plane:

- deviation (deviation) of the hand or flexion (arrow 1) - the front (palmar) surface of the hand moves to the front surface of the forearm,

- deviation (deviation) of the hand or extension (arrow 2) - the back (back) surface of the hand moves to the back surface of the forearm.

The anteroposterior axis BB ′ lies in the sagittal plane S and controls the reduction and abduction movements occurring in the frontal plane:

- reduction or ulnar deviation (arrow 3) - movement of the hand towards the longitudinal axis of the body, its inner (ulnar) edge forms an obtuse angle with the inner edge of the forearm;

- abduction or radial deviation (arrow 4) - movement of the hand from the longitudinal axis of the body, its outer (radial) edge forms an obtuse angle with the outer edge of the forearm.

The longitudinal axis of the CC ′ lies at the intersection of the planes S and T and controls the movement of rotation of the brush:

- rotation of the radius (arrow 5) together with the brush around the ulna relative to the longitudinal axis.

Under the term “universal” in terms of its use, the controller is raised in this document with respect to the controller, which “digitizes” the operator’s hand and allows not to train the operator’s hand for each new type of instrument without subsequent changes to the controller’s design. Having mastered the controller once, the operator uses it for a long period of his practice, due to the controller’s ability to integrate (“represent” the surgeon’s hand) in various, including remote mechatronic devices.

Pot the term "absolute position" in this document understand the coordinate defined relative to a fixed structural element.

The term "rotation sensor" in this document refers to a device designed to convert the angle of rotation of a rotating object into electrical or analog signals, allowing to determine the angle of rotation. To determine the value of the angle of rotation of an element, in principle, all types of angle sensors are suitable. However, in the majority of used sensors, it is necessary, first of all, to constantly register and save current data on the rotation of the element. Rotary encoders can be used based on incremental and absolute encoders. The sensors have digital output signals Linedriver (TTL, RS422), Push-Pull (HTL), SSI, CAN, Profibus, Profinet and others. Sensors based on analogue angle sensors and / or magnetic angle sensors can also be used.

In addition, the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, etc. they are used simply as conditional markers, without imposing any numerical or other restrictions on the enumerated objects.

The term “connected” means functionally connected, any number or combination of intermediate elements between the connected components (including the absence of intermediate elements) can be used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention below is provided by way of example only and is intended for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention disclosed.

The controller belongs to the class of mechanisms providing the conversion into electronic electronic signal of commands that a person sets with a movement of his hand. A general view of the controller is shown in FIG. 1. The command digital controller 1000 as a whole consists of a control handle 1100, a block-platform positioning 1200 and a digital control unit (not shown in the drawing).

The specified controller 1000 has a direct communication loop in order to give commands from the operator through the movement of his hand to the mechatronic device, and a feedback loop for transmitting in the reverse order to the operator’s hand response commands-reactions from the mechatronic device. The feedback loop of the controller 1000 is designed to transmit tactile sensations to the hand.

The contact of the controller 1000 with the hand is implemented on the control handle 1100. The control handle 1100 as a whole consists of a hand controller 100 and a wrist controller 200, each of which provides two rotational degrees of freedom of the controller 1000. Block - the positioning platform of the controller 1200 is a hand controller that provides three translational degrees of freedom of the controller 1000 by reciprocating the movement of the mechanism of the controller 1000 along three mutually orthogonal axes. At the same time, the wrist controller 200, which is part of the control handle of the controller 1100, is fixed to the hand controller 1200. Thus, the operator controller 1000 controls and converts the six degrees of freedom into a digital signal of hand movement.

The present invention generally relates to an operator brush 100 controller.

The controller of the operator’s brush 100 is used as part of the operator’s controller to control the mechatronic complex, in particular, it is an element of the control handle 1100, on which the contact of the operator’s controller 1000 with the operator’s hand is realized (Fig. 2). The brush controller 100 is designed both to actuate the elements of the mechatronic complex in response to movement of the operator’s fingers, and in response to deviation (deviation) of the brush relative to the transverse axis of the brush in the wrist joint, carried out in the sagittal plane (Fig. 3, movements 1 and 2 ), and to transfer effort to the operator’s brush when simulating one or another action.

Using a brush controller reduces the load on the operator’s hand, increases the accuracy of determining the position of the hand and increases the possible range of hand movement, while providing feedback, tactile sensations and mobility by minimizing restrictions on the ability of the operator to manipulate one or another element of the mechatronic complex. The brush controller’s mobility is understood as its characteristic, which makes it possible not to limit the dynamic characteristics of the operator’s hand during an operation.

The task of the brush controller is most accurately, at the entire amplitude of the movement of the hand and at all angles of movement of the hand, to control at least one angle of rotation of the hand, which is the angle of deviation of the wrist in the wrist joint in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis lying in the frontal plane, and to control moving, relative positioning of at least two fingers relative to each other, converting this information into a digital signal.

In addition, the brush controller must ensure the minimum weight load on the brush during control and implement a feedback channel from the digital control unit of the controller and from the control system of the mechatronic complex as a whole, converting the digital control signal into mechanical movement - deviation (deviation) of the operator’s hand in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the brush and the mechanical movement of at least two fingers of the operator in the same plane.

The brush controller 100 (FIG. 2) is characterized in that it comprises a handle with finger grips 110. The handle has a housing 120 that is gripped and held by the operator during operation. Finger tongs 110 are arranged to position operator fingers on them during operation. The housing 120 of the handle has an upper part 121 and a lower part 122, the longitudinal axis of the handle 123.

The brush controller 100 is provided with a base 130 for mounting an element included in the operator controller, which provides a function for controlling the rotation of the manipulator with the surgical instrument and / or the deviation of the surgical instrument from its longitudinal axis. In particular, such an element is the wrist controller 200. One of the components of the wrist controller 200 — the movable console unit — is attached to the base. The specified console is fixed on the base 130 in such a way as to provide independent rocking movements of the console itself relative to the axis of the brush, which in its initial position lies in the plane passing through the middle finger, third metacarpal bone and the longitudinal axis of the forearm, by the force transmitted by the handle covered the operator’s brush, and the rotation of the handle of the brush controller 100 relative to the axis of the handle 123 by the force transmitted by the handle covered by the operator’s brush. The force transmitted to the handle to perform the rocking movement of the console of the controller of the wrist 200 is provided due to the movements of bringing and / or abstraction of the hand occurring in the frontal plane. The force transmitted to the handle to rotate the handle around its axis 123 is provided due to the deviation (deviation) of the operator’s brush in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the brush, which lies in the frontal plane.

To reduce the load on the hand during operation, the load is redistributed to the entire brush, for which the handle housing 120 has an ergonomic shape for easy coverage of the entire surface of the operator’s brush. In some cases, the housing 120 can be made individually under the operator’s brush. The handle housing 120 is hollow inside.

In one embodiment of the invention, one finger grip 110 is made integrally with the housing 120 of the handle and is stationary relative to it. The other finger grip 110 is movable and has one rotation (one degree of freedom), rotating around its axis coinciding with the longitudinal axis 123 of the handle.

In one embodiment, both finger grips 110 may be rotatable around its own axis, substantially coinciding with the longitudinal axis 123 of the handle.

In one embodiment, the finger grips 110 may be a replaceable member. The number of finger grips 110 is set individually for each operator. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, one of the finger grips may be in the form of a structure for the location of two to four fingers of the operator.

Inside the handle housing 120, there is a frame on which brush controller elements are mounted, such as at least a handle rotation mechanism and a finger grip rotation mechanism in such a way as to ensure optimal weight distribution of the block.

In some embodiments, the implementation of the brush controller according to the invention within the housing 120 of the handle is also located the control unit of the brush controller (not shown in the drawing). In some embodiments, the implementation of the brush controller according to the present invention, the specified control unit is located inside the body of the wrist controller 200. The control unit of the brush controller controls and controls all the electronic parts of the brush controller 100, such as: drive elements, rotation sensors, hand sensor, pick-up sensor, and others, - provides their interaction according to given algorithms.

The handle rotation mechanism includes at least a rotation sensor for determining the absolute position of the handle relative to its longitudinal axis and a drive element for rotating the handle around its longitudinal axis. In a preferred embodiment of the brush controller according to the invention, the drive element for rotating the handle and the rotation sensor are located on one axis coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the handle. Elements are electrically connected. The handle rotates due to the applied effort on the part of the operator’s hand when it is deviated (deviated) in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the brush, which lies in the frontal plane.

The mechanism of rotation of the finger grippers includes at least a rotation sensor for determining the absolute position of the finger grippers relative to the axis of rotation of the finger grippers, essentially coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the handle, and a drive element for rotating at least one movable gripper around its axis relative to the fixed finger grip . In a preferred embodiment of the brush controller according to the invention, the drive element of at least one finger grip and the rotation sensor are located on the axis of rotation of the finger grip. All elements are electrically connected. Finger tongs rotate about their axis due to the force exerted by the fingers of the operator, which rotate relative to the transverse axis of the brush, which lies in the frontal plane and coincides with the longitudinal axis of the handle body,

The brush controller can solve both a direct task - to control the angle of rotation of the hand of the operator’s hand relative to the transverse axis of the brush and the angle of rotation of at least one finger of the operator relative to the transverse axis of the brush and relative to the fixed finger grip, and the inverse problem, namely: rotate the brush controller, held by the operator’s brush by the amount calculated by the controller’s digital control unit. This is necessary to implement a mechanism that allows you to feel with your hand the moment of touching any object or fabric with a controlled tool.

If efforts are made by the operator, the hand controller controls and digitizes the deviation of the operator’s hand in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the hand located in the frontal plane (hand deviation in the wrist joint), as well as the position (approach / closure / removal) of at least two fingers covering together with the operator’s brush, the handle of the brush controller in the area of the finger grips.

When the handle is rotated by the operator’s hand, the rotation sensor of the handle rotation mechanism generates a digital signal about the angle of rotation and transfers it to the control unit of the brush controller, which calculates the angle of deviation of the handle relative to its longitudinal axis and transmits this information to the digital control unit of the controller, which is capable of transmitting received signals to the system of numerical control (CNC) of the controller, which can be performed on the basis of a computer.

Finger tongs work in combination. In one embodiment, one finger grip is made integrally with the handle body and is stationary relative to it. Another finger grip is movable and has one rotation, rotating around its axis, coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the handle. During operation, the rotation sensor of the finger grip rotation mechanism calculates the rotation angle of the movable finger grip around its axis of rotation and transmits a digital signal to the brush controller control unit, which calculates its position relative to the fixed finger grip and transmits this information to the digital controller, which is capable of transmitting received signals to the system of numerical control (CNC) of the controller, which can be performed on the basis of a computer.

Based on the obtained data, the digital controller control unit plans / calculates the trajectory of rotation of the handle and / or finger grips relative to the longitudinal axis of the handle and the axis of rotation of the finger grips, which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the handle, and by applying a control signal to the handle drive element and / or drive the finger gripper element moves the handle and / or finger grips and the operator’s hand itself, which is in close contact with the handle body, to the desired position.

In some embodiments of the brush controller according to the invention, the digital controller control unit may provide control signals through the brush controller control unit to the handle actuator and / or finger gripper element to accelerate and / or counteract (resistance) the handle rotation and / or the movable finger gripper with preset / calculated forces and accelerations when applying forces from the operator. The acceleration / reaction mechanism can be constantly switched on by supplying a signal to the digital control unit of the controller from the controller's numerical control system (CNC).

Thus, when the operator covers the handle with the entire surface of the brush and rotates the handle at an arbitrary angle in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the brush, in some embodiments, the digital controller control unit can indirectly direct control commands to the handle drive element in order to rotate the handle in the side coinciding with the brush’s hole or, conversely, in the direction opposite to the rotation of the brush to counteract the brush.

If necessary, a control signal from the digital control unit of the controller can be supplied to the drive element of the movable finger grip to ensure that the movable finger grip rotates to the side, along the rotation of the fingers when applying forces from the operator's side, or to the other, opposite side, thereby counteracting the force applied with your fingers.

The implementation of the "associated" movement of these elements of the brush controller leads to easier movement of the controller by the operator, reducing the mass and weight of the moving elements.

The controller’s numerical control system (CNC) provides the coordinates of the handle and finger grips to the coordinates of the controlled actuator of the mechatronic complex and the formation of drive control signals for each degree of mobility of the actuator so that one or another movement of the actuator corresponds to the direction in which the operator acted on the handle of the brush controller as part of the controller.

The digital controller control unit in the general case is part of a multifunctional controller and provides bi-directional data exchange between the controller drive unit, the brush controller and wrist controller control units, and additional equipment. The digital control unit also has the ability to synchronously control these controller mechanisms.

The drive element of the handle upon receipt of the control signal to bring it into motion rotates the handle together with a rigidly attached housing with a hand holding this housing. The specified rotation angle is controlled by the rotation sensor of the handle rotation mechanism.

The drive element of at least one finger grip upon receipt of a control signal to bring the drive element into motion rotates the movable finger grip by the calculated radius, thus moving at least one finger holding the finger grip by the amount specified by the digital signal from the digital controller control unit. The turning radius of the movable finger grip is controlled by the rotation sensor of the finger grip rotation mechanism.

In some embodiments of the controller of the brush, the handle and the movable finger grip can rotate on command from the digital control unit of the controller and in the absence of an operator’s brush and fingers on the finger grips.

In some embodiments, the handle can be equipped with light, sound, tactile sensors, as well as pressure sensors, which allows the brush controller to respond to various influences if necessary, the implementation of additional functions.

In some embodiments of the brush controller of the invention, the handle may be equipped with a motion sensor, which may be based on any known operating principle. So, as a motion sensor, sensors selected from: infrared sensor, ultrasonic sensor can be used. In a more preferred embodiment, for monitoring minimal movements, for example, movements of the hand or fingers, a presence sensor is used as a motion sensor, in principle the operation of which uses two technologies: ultrasonic and infrared, to determine the presence of people in the room. In some modifications of the presence sensor, they are made with the ability to determine the presence of people in the room, as well as their number, position and position of their bodies, regardless of whether they move or not.

The presence sensor on the handle of the brush controller allows you to monitor the presence of the operator in the area where the monitor is located, transmitting image information of the workspace. The presence sensor is configured to transmit a signal to the control unit of the brush controller, the wrist controller, and the digital control unit of the controller. In some embodiments of the invention, the digital controller control unit when removing the operator’s hand from the handle of the brush controller indirectly through the brush controller control unit receives a signal from the presence sensor and sends control signals to the controller drive unit, to the controller control unit by the wrist, to the brush control unit, which in turn, they control the operation of the drive elements of the wrist controller and the drive elements of the handle and the movable finger grip, respectively, and are equipped with s electromagnetic brakes. Electromagnetic brakes are activated when a control signal is received from the digital control unit of the controller. In this case, the controller is locked in the position in which it was at the time of the signal from the presence sensor, when the operator removed his hands from the handle of the brush controller. Electromagnetic brakes also turn on in the event of an accidental power failure.

Thus, in the future, the controller as a whole cannot change its position and cannot transmit a signal about a change in its position indirectly to the controller's numerical control system (CNC) even under the influence of forces applied to it. In some embodiments, the presence sensor may be disabled, if necessary.

In some embodiments, the implementation of the controller of the brush according to the invention, to facilitate pinching / extending the finger, which is fully in contact with its surface with at least one finger grip, relative to the front axis in the sagittal plane of the wrist joint of the thumb and return the finger to its original state, the rotation mechanism finger grip implements the function of "electronic spring" due to the presence of the drive element. Efforts on the electronic spring can be adjusted, including individually for each operator.

In addition, a signal about the rotation of the handle can be transmitted to the control unit of the brush controller through a sliding contact.

In some embodiments, in addition to the rotation sensors for determining the absolute position of an element included in the brush controller, these elements can be equipped with tachometers, acceleration meters and load force indication elements, each of which can provide electrical signals related to speed , acceleration and force applied to the corresponding element.

The control unit of the brush controller can be paired with a digital controller control unit via a common data bus. The digital control unit of the controller is configured to record data on received or transmitted commands.

Data transmission tools are selected from devices designed to implement the communication process between different devices via wired and / or wireless communication, in particular, such devices can be: GSM modem, Wi-Fi transceiver, Bluetooth or BLE module, GPRS module, Glonass module, NFS, Ethernet, etc.

Before each use of the controller, it is calibrated for the user. The controller has flexible settings, which allows it to be oriented to different tasks. When using the controller, it can be fully adapted to the operator and his tasks.

Description of a specific embodiment of the invention

One of the promising ways to use the controller described above is to use such controllers in surgeon simulators to study a virtual patient in a virtual environment. Using controllers, the user can move objects in a virtual environment, rotate, grab and perform all surgical procedures.

Also, the controller described above can be used in a robotic surgical complex during various surgical interventions, including in urology, gynecology, abdominal, neuro- and cardiac surgery. An example of a robotic surgical complex is shown in FIG. 4.

The robotic surgical complex 300 includes at least one manipulator 310 with a surgical instrument 320 attached to it, a manipulator control unit 330, and an operator interface 340, which receives commands from the surgeon, converts them into the movement of the surgical instrument 320 inside the patient’s body during a surgical operation and / or provides all control teams from the surgeon with components of the robotic surgical complex. The main source of commands is the surgeon's hand. The hand controls the controller of the surgeon, which is part of the surgeon's interface.

The surgeon's controller converts the mechanical movements of the hand in six degrees of freedom into teams for the robotic surgical complex 300. The controller forms a command to move the surgical instrument. In addition, the controller controls the turns and opening-closing of the jaw on the surgical instrument.

Typically, manipulators with a surgical instrument are mounted on the surgical table on which the patient lies during the operation. In some embodiments, the manipulators may be placed on a trolley or some other device in which the manipulators will be proximal to the patient's level. It should be understood that the robotic surgical complex 300 may have any number of manipulators, for example, one or more manipulators. Manipulators can have any configuration.

Each manipulator 310 has a body and a manipulator assembly to which a surgical instrument 320 can be removably attached, the movement and location of which can be manipulated by a surgeon using a controller that digitizes the surgeon's hand.

Since the surgeon can control the movement and orientation of surgical instruments without actually holding the ends of the surgical instruments, the surgeon can use the complex in both a sitting and standing position. As a device for a sitting position, the complex can be provided with a chair.

To control the surgical instrument 320, a device is required that allows the coordinates of the surgeon's wrist apparatus to be determined.

The present invention, disclosed in this application, is essentially a brush controller that allows you to convert the coordinates of the hand of the surgeon's hand in digital form.

The hand controller is used as part of the controller of the robotic complex both to set the surgical instrument in motion and to control the capture or other technological action arising due to the opening and closing of the jaws of the surgical instrument in response to the movement of the surgeon’s fingers, and to guide or transmit forces to the surgeon’s hand.

The proposed controller brush is designed for contact and interaction with the hand of the surgeon, in particular, with the brush. Since the brush controller is part of the surgeon's controller, which has several operating modes, these modes apply to the brush controller:

1) obtaining the coordinates of the hand of the surgeon,

2) the movement of the surgeon's hands with the help of drive elements,

3) complete blocking of system movements,

4) blocking some degrees of freedom of the system.

Conventionally, the operating modes with respect to the brush controller can be divided into two phases in the direction of command transfer: the phase of command transmission from the hand of the surgeon to the hand controller and the phase of command transmission from the hand controller of the hand of the surgeon, respectively.

In the phase of transmitting digital commands from the hand of the surgeon to the hand controller:

1) the connection of the hand of the surgeon with the controller of the hand is provided;

2) the deviation of the hand in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the hand located in the frontal plane (deviation of the hand in the wrist joint) is converted into digital form;

3) mechanical interaction of the fingers of the hand of the surgeon with the controller of the hand due to the location of the hand on the structural elements (the surgeon affects the controller of the hand due to the location of the hand on the structure),

4) the position (approximation / closure / removal) of two fingers of the surgeon lying on the finger grips of the brush controller is digitized

5) the speed and acceleration of the movement of the fingers are controlled.

In the phase of transmitting digital commands from the hand controller to the hand of the surgeon, the following actions are provided:

1) teams from the system of numerical program control (CNC) to the hand of the surgeon are trained, giving it the movement of rotation on the wrist at one degree of freedom;

2) commands from the system of numerical program control (CNC) on the fingers of the hand are worked out, giving the grips the movement closer / farther away.

As shown in FIG. 5, the controller of the surgeon’s hand is a handle with a longitudinal axis 123, having a hollow body 120 for gripping and holding it by the surgeon’s brush during operation (during a surgical operation or when using a robotic surgery complex as a simulator for practicing the surgeon’s actions), and finger tongs 110 for positioning on them or, if necessary, securing the thumb and forefinger of the surgeon during operation.

The housing in FIG. 5 an embodiment of the invention is an anatomically optimized handle designed to provide the ability to hold it in the palm of the surgeon and grasp it with the fingers of the surgeon.

The lower part 122 of the housing 120 is made with a lower stop. The upper part 121 of the housing 120 is in close contact with the upper platform 140, along the perimeter of which at least four holes are made for installing frame elements in them, and on which the mechanism for turning the finger grips 110 is mounted.

The frame elements are cylindrical tubes with holes with a thread on the ends. On the mechanism of rotation of the finger grippers 110, a base 130 is mounted for attaching one of the ends of the movable console unit, which is part of the wrist controller. A hole 150 is provided on the upper outer surface of the finger grippers 110 for additionally mounting a finger mount if necessary. The finger mounts may be cylindrical tubes that are made of an elastic material (e.g., rubber) or hard material (e.g., plastic or metal). If necessary, the finger mounts can be made in the form of unlockable cylindrical elements (for example, in the form of clamps or tightening tapes) of fabric, polymer or other materials.

As shown in FIG. 6, an embodiment of a brush controller according to the invention shows a view of a brush controller without a case.

On the upper platform 140, frame elements 160 are fixed, between which a handle rotation mechanism is mounted using threaded connections, including a handle drive element for rotating the handle around its longitudinal axis 123 and a rotation sensor (not shown in the drawing) to determine its absolute position in the event of an effort side of the hand of the surgeon with deviations of the hand carried out in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the hand lying in the frontal plane.

The drive element of the handle is made in the form of a rotor of the motor 161, a stator of the motor 162 mounted on the longitudinal axis 123 of the handle by means of threaded connections. On the lower platform 180, which supports the structure of the elements of the frame 160, there is a printed circuit board 190 for installing a handle rotation sensor (not shown in the drawing) on it, which in this case can be made in the form of an optical, magnetic, or other encoder, or as a variable resistive element.

The finger gripper rotation mechanism located on the upper platform 140 consists of a finger gripper drive element located on the rotation axis of at least one finger gripper, which coincides with the longitudinal axis 123 of the handle, and a rotation sensor for determining the absolute position of the finger grips when creating finger force when moving relative to the transverse axis of the brush, which lies in the frontal plane and coincides with the longitudinal axis of the handle body in the sagittal plane. The finger grip rotation sensor can be made in the form of an optical, magnetic or other principle encoder or as an alternating resistive element (not shown in the drawing). The encoder chip is located on the printed circuit board under the corresponding platform in the same way as described above.

The driving element of the finger grippers is made in the form of a rotor of the motor 171, the stator of the motor 172 mounted on the longitudinal axis of rotation of the finger grips by means of a threaded connection coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the handle 123.

One finger grip 110 is made integral with the platform for fixing the finger grippers 111, which is located close to the upper platform 140 and has coaxial holes for mounting frame elements 160 in them. The finger grip is fixed relative to the specified pad 111 and the handle as a whole. The second finger grip 110 is fixed to the pad 111 by means of a threaded connection and is movable relative to the pad and the handle as a whole.

The axis of rotation of the finger grips and the longitudinal axis of the handle of the brush controller, relative to which the handle body rotates, coincide, which is close to the natural movements of the human hand. To achieve the best result in terms of operational efficiency, the axis of rotation of additional degrees of freedom of external devices must pass through a point formed by the intersection of the longitudinal axis of the handle of the brush controller and a plane defined by a triangle formed by the intersection point of the finger grips and the points of their ends. This requirement is not mandatory and depends on the implementation of the external device.

Encoders can be made in the form of analog devices, such as potentiometers, a system of rotating transformers; or in the form of digital devices, such as an optical absolute angle sensor based on a Gray code or some other digital device.

The brush controller is equipped with a presence sensor, the location of which is selected in such a way as to prevent false alarms and to exclude the passage of the surgeon’s hand occurrence event. The hand presence sensor can be used to prevent unexpected rotation of the hand controller or to transmit information about the presence of a hand to the digital controller unit. The sensor can be made in the form of an optical sensor of an optical or other type, a capacitive touch sensor, or in any other form. In the shown embodiment, the presence sensor may be located on the lower surface of the pad 111 of the finger grip 110, on which the index finger of the surgeon is located.

The brush controller is equipped with a gripping force sensor, which is located between the finger grips of the thumb and forefinger and is designed to convert compression data into an electrical signal.

During the rotation of the finger grip elements, the surgeon closes the thumb and forefinger, creating mechanical force on the grip force sensor. The force data can be used to perform functions such as measuring the compression force for gripping objects with different pressures with a surgical instrument, as a signal for quick access to additional functions, if necessary, for example, locking the gripper, or others. The sensor may be a digital device, such as a clock button, or analog, such as a strain gauge, or another.

All elements of the brush controller are electrically interconnected. For the electric transfer of energy and information between the fixed and rotating nodes of the handle drive element, the design used a method of circular stacking of a wound loop, conventionally called "snail".

The principle of operation is the transmission of electrical signals through a flat cable, one end of which is fixed on a fixed base, the other on a rotating part. The plane of the loop is parallel to the axis of rotation of the structural elements, which allows you to organize the winding and unwinding of the loop when the design makes angular movements.

In FIG. 7 shows a general view of the stacking of a wound loop 400. The numbers in FIG. 7 are indicated: 410 - rotor; 420 - flat cable; 430 - stator; 440 - loop fastening points on the fixed and rotating nodes of the handle drive element.

To illustrate the principle of Fig.8 shows a General view of the laying of the loop 400 in a weakened state. The described principle has the following advantages:

high reliability provided by the absence of critical bending angles of the conductors, the absence of friction pairs of conductors;

the ability to transfer a significant amount of electrical energy.

The control unit of the brush controller monitors and controls all electronic parts, such as drive elements, rotation sensors, position sensors, a hand presence sensor, a gripping force sensor and others, ensures their interaction according to predetermined algorithms. The brush controller’s control unit generates digital commands transmitted through the controller’s digital unit, the controller’s numerical control system (CNC), and the robotic surgical complex control system to control elements of the surgical instrument, controlling it.

The controller of the hand works as follows. The operator places the hand on the handle body in such a way that the index and thumb are on the finger grips, and the handle body is sandwiched between the palm and fingers. Hand deviation in the wrist joint causes the body to rotate. The movement of the index finger of the surgeon causes the movement of the finger grip relative to the body of the controller of the brush. In this case, the occurrence of efforts on the part of the surgeon when the hand covers the controller body of the brush to rotate it causes the rotation of the surgical instrument on one axis, and the occurrence of efforts on the part of the surgeon when moving the finger grips provides closing or opening of the jaws of the surgical instrument. It should be noted that the brush controller allows you to simultaneously implement several actions of a surgical instrument.

The jaws of the surgical instrument repeat the movement of the finger grips. The interaction mechanism is implemented in such a way that in the position of complete closure of the jaws, the finger grips are close, but not completely closed. The continuation of the closure of the finger grips from this position is converted by the capture force sensor into a signal that increases the compression force of the closed jaws of the surgical instrument.

When the handle housing is rotated by the surgeon’s hand, the rotation sensor of the handle rotation mechanism generates a digital signal about the angle of rotation and transfers it to the control unit of the brush controller, which calculates the position of the handle relative to its longitudinal axis and transmits this information to the controller’s digital control unit, which is capable of transmitting received signals to the controller's numerical control system (CNC).

Finger tongs work in combination. During operation, the rotation sensor of the finger grip rotation mechanism counts the rotation angle of the movable finger grip around its axis and transmits a digital signal to the brush controller control unit, which calculates its position relative to the fixed finger grip and transmits this information to the digital controller, which is capable of transmitting the received signals to the numerical control system (CNC) of the controller.

The brush controller can solve both a direct task - to control the angle of rotation of the hand, and the inverse problem, namely, turn the brush holding the controller by the amount calculated by the controller's numerical control system (CNC). This is necessary to implement a mechanism that allows you to feel with your hand the moment the tool touches any object or fabric.

The signal from the control system of the robotic surgical complex is transmitted to a numerical control system (CNC), then to a digital control unit for the controller, which, based on the received data, plans the trajectory of rotation of the handle and / or finger grips relative to the transverse axis of the brush and by applying a control signal to the drive element the handles and / or the drive element of the finger grips moves the handle together with the holding hand and / or finger grips together with the fingers holding them ha in the desired position. The power of the used drive elements allows for the transfer of significant effort to the hand of the operator.

The control of the rotations created by the drive elements of the rotation mechanisms of the finger grips and the handle can be carried out due to the closed control structure. An example of a structural diagram of such a system is shown in FIG. 9. As can be seen from FIG. 9, the brush controller control unit is coupled to motor drivers, motors, and encoders. In FIG. 10 shows a general control scheme for a brush controller. The digital controller control unit is connected to the brush controller elements via a common data bus. The use of a common bus is not a prerequisite; it is possible to implement using several buses or using the star topology.

The control unit of the brush controller receives a signal indirectly from the control system of the robotic surgical complex, after which it creates a control signal received by the engine driver or the mechanism of rotation of the finger grips, or the mechanism of rotation of the handle. The engine rotates the design elements of the brush controller according to the law specified by the control system. The rotation process is transmitted to an encoder connected directly to the brush control unit.

A structure of this type can have various operating modes, such as:

Angle measurement using an encoder with the engine turned off;

Moving to a given angular position due to the engine;

Creation of resistance or movement support according to any given law.

In the mode of creating resistance to movement, it is possible to implement an “electronic spring” for the degree of freedom of the finger grip. This function can be useful for using the brush controller without fixing the phalanges of the fingers. In this mode, the platform for the index finger is moved by the engine of the degree of freedom of the finger grip to return to the open position. Software engine power limitation allows the user to make exciting movements against its rotation. Such a system makes it possible to increase the accuracy of the movements of the surgical instrument and can also be realized by means of a mathematical spring, which can be either turned on or off.

Specific Embodiment

The developed design of the brush controller has the following technical characteristics:

Two degrees of freedom for determining the angle of rotation of the brush and the angle of capture between the index and thumb;

Angular resolution: 0.02197 degrees (14 bits);

Nominal sampling frequency for data transmission to the host device: 250 Hz;

4 Rated frequency of the automatic control system: 1000 Hz;

5. Data transmission interface for access to encoders: I2C bus 400 kHz 3.3 V;

6. Addressing devices on the data bus: installed by hardware;

7. Type and number of motors: 2 brushless DC motors (BLDC);

8. Motor control interface: connection to control windings;

9. Resistance of motor windings: 8 Ohms;

10. Type of mechanism for transferring energy to rotating elements: a winding loop (snail).

In order to provide the specified resolution, which determines the sensitivity of the surgical instrument and which allows you to most accurately determine the position of the surgeon's hand, which leads to more precise control of the surgical instrument, use a certain architecture with small backlashes, the presence of excessive kinematic connections to increase the stiffness of the brush controller (mechanics + bearings), and apply various combinations of motors and encoders with the requirements set for them.

Encoders and motors can be both standard, purchased, and specially designed for a specific task. For example, an encoder-motor design may be a single, single unit integrated into a brush controller.

As drive elements, brushless DC motors can be used. The choice of motors is determined by the requirements for the system: a relatively low speed, high torque, low weight and overall dimensions. The disadvantage of such motors is the need for an automatic control system to control the rotation and torque, which is not a significant difficulty in the framework of the described solutions. The advantages of using brushless motors are high reliability and durability due to the absence of a collector assembly subject to wear.

To accurately determine the angle of rotation of the degrees of freedom in the brush controller, high-precision non-contact encoders based on arrays of Hall sensors were used. On the axes of rotation of each degree of freedom there are neodymium magnets of diametrical magnetization, near which are housings of microcircuits.

Encoders of this type have such advantages as high resolution (14 bits, 0.0219 degrees), the ability to digitally set the zero position, high speed, digital status loop and diagnostics.

To organize access to encoders in the brush controller, the I2C digital bus is used, operating at a frequency of 400 kHz. The bus allows access to all encoder registers. A common bus topology has a significant advantage in reducing the number of contacts required compared to a star topology, which reduces the number of system failure points.

Magnetic effect encoders have a number of operating features that affect the measurement accuracy:

Sensitivity to noise of the power supply;

The presence of an optimal distance from the housing of the chip to the rotating magnet;

Sensitivity to linear displacement of the axis of rotation of the magnet.

To achieve maximum accuracy and sensitivity, a circuit board was developed and applied to install the encoder chip, taking into account the listed features (Fig. 11).

The exact spatial positioning of the microcircuit housing relative to the rotating magnet is ensured by the mounting holes 510 in the printed circuit board 500. The pressing of the printed circuit board 500 to the adjacent surface is realized due to the absence of volume elements along the circuit board 500. The power and data pads are designed for soldering wires in the opposite direction from the encoder chip. Stable supply voltage and surge protection are provided by the use of two capacitors in the supply line.

In FIG. 11 is an assembly drawing of a circuit board 500 for mounting a digital magnetic encoder. In FIG. 11 marked: 520 - the seat of the encoder microcircuit, 510 - the mounting holes of the printed circuit board, 530 - contact pads for power and data.

Thus, the brush controller under development allows us to convert the movements of the surgeon’s hand into digital form without creating significant restrictions on the natural mobility of the hand and taking part in scenarios of the external control system, such as locking the system, holding a fixed position, and feedback.

The brush controller allows you to implement complex use cases, such as: control lock, hold position, feedback due to the presence of engines.

The use of brushless DC motors makes it possible to reduce the size.

The principle of holding the pen as an object allows you to always understand and predict what movement will be made.

The absence of mechanical springs and the use of an engine with an encoder makes it possible to implement an electronic elastic mechanism with a multitude of adjustable personal parameters for the operator, such as stiffness, time to return to the initial state. It becomes possible to block an exciting degree of freedom in an arbitrary position of the movable element.

The use of a wound loop as a device for transferring energy to rotating nodes can increase the reliability of the system without creating restrictions on the degrees of freedom that exceed the required ones.

While the invention has been described in certain examples and shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that such embodiments are solely illustrative and do not limit the breadth of the invention, and that this invention is not limited to the specific structures and systems shown and described, since various other modifications that are understandable to ordinary specialists in this field.

Claims (18)

1. The brush controller for the controller of the operator control the robotic complex, including a handle with finger grips and a brush controller control unit; moreover, the handle has a body of elongated ergonomic shape, covered and held by the entire surface of the operator’s hand during operation, the handle is functionally configured to provide the rotation function of the surgical instrument around one axis; while the handle body in the upper part has a base with a platform for attachment to an element that is part of the operator’s controller, which provides the function of controlling the rotation of the manipulator with the surgical instrument and / or the deviation of the surgical instrument from its longitudinal axis; moreover, the base is functionally configured to transmit electrical signals; moreover, the control unit of the brush controller is located inside the body of the above element, which is part of the operator controller, mounted on the base; moreover, the finger grips are arranged to position the operator’s fingers on them, at least one of the finger grips is movable and rotatable around its own axis, coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the handle, in the sagittal plane to provide the function of closing or opening the jaws of the surgical instrument; while inside the body of the handle are located on the same axis: a handle rotation mechanism, including a rotation sensor, providing electrical signals corresponding to a change in the position of the handle body when the operator’s brush deviates in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the brush lying in the frontal plane, and transmits them to the brush controller control unit through the base of the handle body base, and a drive element handles a rotation mechanism of at least one finger grip, including a rotation sensor that provides electrical signals corresponding to a change in the position of at least one finger grip when moving the operator’s fingers in the sagittal plane relative to the transverse axis of the brush lying in the frontal plane, and transmitting them to the brush controller control unit through the platform base of the handle body, and the drive element of the finger grip; moreover, the control unit of the brush controller is functionally configured for: transmitting the received signals to the digital block of the operator’s controller and to the external control system of the robotic surgical complex for transmitting the movement of the handle and / or at least one finger grip into the corresponding movement of the surgical instrument, receiving control signals from the external control system of the robotic surgical complex and transmitting them to the handle drive element and / or the drive element of at least one finger grip to transmit the movement of the surgical instrument in the corresponding movement of the handle and / or finger grips. 2. The brush controller according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one finger grip is mounted on the handle body. 3. The brush controller according to claim 1, characterized in that the handle body is equipped with light and / or sound and / or tactile sensors, as well as pressure sensors. 4. The brush controller according to claim 1, characterized in that the handle body is equipped with a proximity sensor. 5. The brush controller according to claim 1, characterized in that the digital control unit of the controller of the operator generates control signals through the brush control unit to the handle drive element and / or finger grip element to ensure that the handle and / or movable finger grip rotate in a direction that matches with rotation of the brush and / or movable finger grip, or in the direction opposite to the rotation of the brush and / or movable finger grip, respectively. 6. The brush controller according to claim 1, which is equipped with tachometers, acceleration meters and load elements indicating force.

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