WO2011149260A2

WO2011149260A2 - Rcm structure for a surgical robot arm

Info

Publication number: WO2011149260A2
Application number: PCT/KR2011/003817
Authority: WO
Inventors: 최승욱; 원종석
Original assignee: 주식회사 이턴
Priority date: 2010-05-28
Filing date: 2011-05-25
Publication date: 2011-12-01
Also published as: WO2011149260A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a remote center of motion (RCM) structure for a surgical robot arm. The RCM structure for a surgical robot arm is configured such that an end of the robot arm is equipped with a surgical instrument such that the surgical instrument is rotatable about a point of an RCM. The RCM structure for a surgical robot arm comprises: a base; a first link unit coupled to the base such that the first link unit is rotatable in both directions about the virtual line interconnecting the base and the RCM point; and a second link unit which is rotatably coupled to the first link, and the end of which is equipped with the surgical instrument. The first and second link units are rotatable by 360 degrees with respect to the base so as to significantly increase the range in which the surgical instrument rotates about the RCM point, thereby enabling the surgical robot arm to operate in a wider range while maintaining the RCM.

Description

RC structure of surgical robot arm

The present invention relates to the RCM structure of a surgical robot arm.

Medically, surgery refers to healing a disease by cutting, slitting, or manipulating skin, mucous membranes, or other tissues with a medical device. In particular, open surgery, which incise the skin of the surgical site and open, treat, shape, or remove the organs inside of the surgical site, has recently been performed using robots due to problems such as bleeding, side effects, patient pain, and scars. This alternative is in the spotlight.

The surgical robot includes a robot arm for operation for surgery, and an instrument is mounted on the tip of the robot arm. As such, when an instrument is mounted on the tip of the robot arm to perform an operation, the instrument moves along with the movement of the robot arm, which partially perforates the patient's skin and inserts an instrument there to perform the operation. There is a danger of causing unnecessary damage to the skin. In addition, when the surgical site is wide, the benefits of robotic surgery may be halved, such as having to cut the skin as much as the path of the instrument or perforate the skin at each surgical site.

Therefore, the instrument mounted at the tip of the robot arm sets a virtual rotation center point at a predetermined position of the distal end and controls the robot arm to rotate the instrument about this point. The virtual center point is referred to as' remote center 'or' RCM (remote center of motion).

In the conventional surgical robot arm, as shown in FIG. 1, an RCM structure 23 composed of a parallel link is constituted so that a predetermined position on the shaft of the instrument mounted at the end of the robot arm is remotely located (8). Control method is applied.

However, the conventional RCM structure has a limited operating range. For example, the RCM structure shown in FIG. 1 can operate only in one region with respect to an imaginary line connecting the base 1 and the RCM point 8. As a result, there is a limit in the range in which the tip portion T of the instrument can move as shown by the arrow R in FIG. 1.

In addition, in the conventional surgical robot arm, as shown in FIG. 19, when the nodes of each link are connected, the robot arm 1 is constituted by a plurality of links so as to become parallelograms. An RCM structure was applied to control the maintenance. This 'parallel quadrangle RCM structure' is theoretically controlled so that the imaginary line ('S1' in FIG. 19) forming one side of the parallelogram ('P' in FIG. 19) is rotated about the RCM point (8). It is a structure that can be done.

However, in the process of actually manufacturing the robot arm, a holder 4 for mounting the instrument 5 at the end of the robot arm 1 should be interposed. Therefore, when the instrument 5 is mounted on the holder 4, the instrument ( The shaft of 5) is not located on the S1 axis, but is inevitably located on a line ('S2' of FIG. 19) rotated by a predetermined angle from the S1 axis.

Accordingly, in controlling the robot arm, the effective range of control is lost by the angle formed by the S1 axis and the S2 axis ('A' in FIG. 19). In other words, when the robot arm is folded as shown in FIG. 19, the instrument shaft should ideally be able to lie down to the S1 axis, but in reality, only the S2 axis is laid down, and when the robot arm is removed as shown in FIG. You have to go all the way up, but you actually go up to the S2 axis, and you have no control over the instrument in the desired angle range.

In order to solve this problem, US Patent No. 7,594,912 (offset remote center manipulator for robotic surgery) by making the base 42 bent downward as shown in Figure 21, the parallelogram ('P of Figure 21 '') Has shown itself a structure laid further back by a predetermined angle ('α' in Figure 21) with respect to the yaw axis ('Y' in Figure 21).

However, the U.S. patent may consequently allow the instrument to lie down as much as desired or not unnecessarily fall over, but rather from controlling the theoretical control target axis S1 of the RCM structure from the S1 axis. There is a limitation that the effective control range is still lost by a predetermined angle A in that it controls the axis S2 in which the actual shaft rotated a predetermined angle is located.

The background art described above is technical information possessed by the inventors for the derivation of the present invention or acquired during the derivation process of the present invention, and is not necessarily a publicly known technique disclosed to the general public before the application of the present invention.

The present invention is to provide an RCM structure of a surgical robot arm that the surgical instrument can freely rotate about the RCM point.

The present invention also provides an RCM structure of a surgical robot arm capable of controlling the RCM operation of a surgical instrument based on an ideal control target axis.

According to an aspect of the present invention, by mounting a surgical instrument on the end of the robot arm, the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm is operated so that the instrument rotates about a remote remote center of motion (RCM) point, the base ( base), a first link portion coupled to the base so as to be rotatable both on one side and the other side with respect to an imaginary line connecting the base and the RCM point, and rotatably coupled to the first link portion, and at the end of the instrument An RCM structure of a surgical robot arm comprising a second link portion to which is mounted is provided. The first link unit may be coupled to the base to enable 360 degree rotation.

The robot arm is coupled to a support arm coupled to the robot body, the base is formed at the end of the support arm, and the first link portion and the second link portion may form the robot arm.

The instrument includes a housing coupled to the second link portion and a shaft extending from the housing, wherein the RCM point can be located on the shaft.

The second link portion includes a link member rotatably coupled to the first link portion, and an instrument holder rotatably coupled to the link member and to which the instrument is mounted, wherein a coupling axis of the base and the first link portion is predetermined. A first point that meets the plane, a second point where the coupling axis of the first link portion and the link member meet the plane, a third point where the coupling axis of the link member and the instrument holder meet the plane, and the RCM point may form a parallelogram. .

In this case, as the first link portion rotates, the second link portion can be operated such that the first point, the second point, the third point and the RCM point maintain a parallelogram.

To this end, the first link portion is axially coupled to the base so as to be rotatable without interfering with the base, the link member is axially coupled to the first link portion to be rotatable without interfering with the (base and) first link portion, and the instrument holder May be axially coupled to the link member so as to be rotatable without interfering with the (base, first link portion) and the link member. The instrument may also be mounted to the instrument holder such that its rotational motion does not interfere with the base, the first link portion and the second link portion.

The first link portion is axially coupled to the base at an angle such that its imaginary extension line passes through the RCM point, and the link member is axially coupled to the first link portion at an angle so that the imaginary extension line passes through the RCM point. The instrument holder may be axially coupled to the link member at an angle such that its virtual extension line passes through the RCM point.

In this case, the instrument comprises a housing coupled to the instrument holder, a shaft extending from the housing, the RCM point being located on the shaft, and the instrument having an angle such that the imaginary extension line from the instrument holder passes through the RCM point. It can be mounted to an instrument holder.

On the other hand, according to another aspect of the invention, by mounting a surgical instrument (instrument) to the end of the robot arm, the RCM of the surgical robot arm is operated to rotate about the remote remote center of motion (RCM) point The structure includes a base, a first link portion axially coupled to the base to rotate about a first axis, a second link portion axially coupled to rotate about the second axis to the first link portion, and a second A first point where the first axis meets an imaginary plane, the instrument holder being axially coupled to rotate about a third axis, the interface having an interface on which an instrument is mounted; The second point where the two axes meet the plane, the third point where the third axis meets the plane, and the RCM point form a parallelogram, the instrument having a length from the housing and the housing coupled to the interface. It includes a shaft extending in the direction, the shaft is first the RCM structure of a surgical robot arm, characterized in that, to match the position of the virtual straight line connecting three points and RCM point housing is coupled to an interface is provided.

The robotic arm may be operated such that the virtual rectangle connecting the first point, the second point, the third point and the RCM point maintains a parallelogram. The instrument holder may have a structure that is stretched in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the shaft.

The second link portion is coupled to extend forward from the first link portion, and the interface may be formed on the rear side of the instrument holder. In this case, a driving part which is operated by receiving driving force from the interface may be formed on the front surface of the housing facing the interface.

The instrument holder is stretched between the upper side and the lower side, and the interface may be formed on the upper surface of the instrument holder. In this case, a lower surface of the housing facing the interface may be formed with a driving unit which is operated by receiving a driving force from the interface.

On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, the surgical instrument is mounted to the end of the robot arm comprising a housing and a shaft extending in the longitudinal direction from the housing, the surgery is operated to rotate the instrument about a remote RCM point An RCM structure of a robotic arm for a robot, comprising: a base, a first link portion axially coupled to the base to rotate about a first axis, coupled to extend forwardly from the first link portion, and a second axis attached to the first link portion. A second link portion axially coupled to rotate relative to the reference, a second link portion axially coupled to rotate relative to the third axis, an interface is formed to allow the housing to be coupled to its rear surface, and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the shaft An instrument holder having a structure stretched in a direction, the first point of which the first axis meets the imaginary plane, and the second axis of which meets the plane Surgical robot arm, characterized in that the two points, the third point where the third axis meets the plane and the RCM point forms a parallelogram, and a driving part is formed on the front surface of the housing facing the interface to receive the driving force from the interface. The RCM structure is provided.

Meanwhile, according to another aspect of the present invention, at the end of the robot arm, a surgical instrument including a housing and a shaft extending longitudinally from the housing is mounted so that the instrument is rotated about a remote RCM point. An RCM structure of a surgical robot arm to be used, comprising: a base, a first link portion axially coupled to the base to rotate about a first axis, and a second link portion axially coupled to rotate about the second axis to the first link portion And, the second link portion is axially coupled to rotate with respect to the third axis, the interface is formed so that the housing can be coupled to the upper surface, the structure is stretched between the upper and lower in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the shaft An instrument holder comprising a first point at which the first axis meets an imaginary plane, a second point at which the second axis meets the plane, and a third axis being in the plane The third point where the meeting point and the RCM point is formed in a parallelogram, and the lower surface of the housing facing the interface is provided with the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm, characterized in that the drive unit is operated to receive the driving force from the interface is formed.

The housing may be coupled to the interface such that the shaft is positioned in line with an imaginary straight line connecting the third point and the RCM point, and the robot arm connects the first point, the second point, the third point and the RCM point. The imaginary rectangle can be operated to maintain parallelograms.

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

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by configuring the link portion in a structure that can be rotated 360 degrees with respect to the base, it is possible to greatly improve the range that the surgical instrument can rotate around the RCM point, accordingly surgical robot arm This RCM can be maintained to allow for a wider range of operation.

In addition, in a parallelogram RCM structure applied to a surgical robot arm, the instrument shaft is positioned at an ideal control target axis, so that the surgical shaft can be operated on the basis of a preset control target axis from the design process of the RCM structure without losing the effective range of control. You can control the RCM operation of the instrument.

1 is a view showing the RCM structure of a surgical robot arm according to the prior art.

Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view showing how the RCM structure operates in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 and 6 are views showing the structure of the robot arm in the 'A' direction of FIG.

7 to 10 are views showing the structure of a robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 to 18 are views showing the RCM operating state of the robot arm according to the embodiment of the present invention.

19 to 21 is a view showing the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm according to the prior art.

22 and 23 are side views showing the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention.

24 and 25 are side views showing the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood to include all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

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

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, components, or a combination thereof.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals and redundant description thereof will be omitted. Shall be.

2 is a conceptual diagram showing the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a view showing the operation of the RCM structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 3, the robot arm 1, the support arm 3, the instrument 5, the housing 6, the shaft 7, the RCM point 8, the base 10, the first link. A portion 20, a second link portion 30, a link member 32, and an instrument holder 34 are shown.

In this embodiment, the surgical robot arm can be operated while maintaining the remote center of motion (RCM) by configuring the parallel link of the robot arm so as to be rotatable in all directions with respect to a predetermined base. It extends its range and features a robotic arm structure that eliminates the need to move the base or minimizes the operation of the base.

To this end, the RCM structure according to the present embodiment has a parallel link structure, that is, a parallelogram structure formed by each link member 32 of the robot arm is different from one side of the virtual line connecting the base 10 and the RCM point. It can be made of a structure that can be rotated so as to fully pass toward.

As such, by improving the RCM structure so that its movable range is wider, the support arm of the surgical robot is set in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 3, and the robot arm is set in the vertical axis ('S' in FIG. 3). To freely move in both directions (left and right in FIG. 3).

The RCM structure is a structure in which a surgical robot arm is operated such that a surgical instrument mounted at the end of the robot arm, as described above, rotates about a remote 'RCM point', for example a point on the instrument shaft. For example, if a patient's skin is drilled and an instrument is inserted, the robot arm is designed, built, and operated so that the point at which the instrument's shaft contacts the patient's skin is the RCM point, minimizing external forces on the patient's skin. Safer robotic surgery can be performed

The robot arm 1 according to the present embodiment is composed of a base structure 10 and a link structure rotatably coupled to the base 10. The link structure is configured in parallel link form as will be described later to implement the RCM. .

The link structure according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a first link part 20 rotatably coupled to the base 10, and a second link part 30 rotatably coupled to the first link part 20. At the end of the second link portion 30, a surgical instrument is mounted. When the first link unit 20 is operated to rotate relative to the base 10, the second link unit 30 is also actuated (rotated) so that the instrument always rotates about the RCM point in conjunction with it.

In the present embodiment, the first link unit 20 is freely coupled to the base 10, for example, the base 10 may be coupled to be capable of rotating 360 degrees. That is, as shown in Figure 2, the first link portion 20 of the reference line connecting the base 10 and the RCM point 8 around the coupling axis to the base 10 (see 'S' in Figure 2) It may be coupled to the base 10 so as to be rotatable (see arrow 'R' in FIG. 2) both on one side and on the other side (up and down in FIG. 2).

As such, by extending the rotatable range of the first link portion 20 with respect to the base 10, the range in which the instrument is operated while maintaining the RCM can also be expanded, thereby supporting the support arm for supporting the surgical robot arm ( It is not necessary to operate 3) or the operation can be minimized.

In other words, the surgical robot includes a support arm 3 coupled to the robot body, a robot arm 1 coupled to the support arm 3, and an instrument 5 mounted at an end of the robot arm 1. It can be configured as a structure, the end of the support arm 3 (part where the robot arm is coupled) as the base 10, the first link portion 20 and the second link portion 30 is a robot arm (1) RCM structure according to the present embodiment can be implemented. As described above, the RCM structure according to the present embodiment greatly extends the operating range of the robot arm, and it is not necessary or necessary to move the base 10 (support arm 3) to change the position of the instrument 5. It moves only in a minimum range, and the operating range required for the rest of the surgery is characterized by covering the operating range of the instrument 5 using the RCM structure of the robot arm.

The instrument 5 mounted on the surgical robot includes a housing 6 coupled to an end of the robot arm 1, that is, an end of the second link portion 30, and a shaft 7 extending from the housing 6. As described above, the robot arm can be designed such that the RCM point 8 is located at a point on the shaft 7 (the point at which the shaft 7 contacts the patient's skin).

In order to implement the RCM, the robot arm 1 may be configured in the form of a parallel link. For this purpose, the second link unit 30 according to the present embodiment is a link member rotatably coupled to the first link unit 20. 32 and an instrument holder 34 rotatably coupled to the link member 32. The instrument holder 34 is equipped with an instrument 5.

As such, when the robot arm 1 is configured in the form of a parallel link, that is, as shown in FIG. 2, the point at which the first link unit 20 is coupled to the base 10 ('P1' in FIG. 2), the link The point at which the member 32 is coupled to the first link portion 20 ('P2' in FIG. 2), the point at which the instrument holder 34 is coupled to the link member 32 ('P3' in FIG. 2), and The RCM points 8 form a parallelogram.

For example, the link member 32 rotates about P2 in the opposite direction by the angle that the first link portion 20 rotates about P1, and the instrument holder 34 has the first link portion about P3. By installing a pulley or a belt in the first link portion 20 and the link member 32 to rotate by the same angle in the same direction, it is possible to maintain the link structure of the robot arm 'parallel quadrilateral structure'.

As will be described later, the base 10, the first link portion 20, the link member 32, and the instrument holder 34 are not necessarily located on the same plane, in which case the RCM point 8 is included. In the imaginary plane, the point where the coupling axis of the base 10 and the first link portion 20 meets the plane is 'P1', and the coupling axis of the first link portion 20 and the link member 32 is parallel to the plane. The point where the meeting point is 'P2', the point where the coupling axis of the link member 32 and the instrument holder 34 meets the plane may be 'P3'.

As described above, when the first link unit 20 is rotated by operating the robot arm 1 while the parallel link is implemented such that the points P1, P2, P3, and 8 of the link structure form a parallelogram. By rotating the second link portion 30, that is, the link member 32 and the instrument holder 34, so that each point P1, P2, P3, 8 still maintains the parallelogram, the instrument 5 ) Can always be rotated about the RCM point 8, ie the RCM function is implemented in the robot arm 1.

4 is a perspective view showing the structure of a robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figures 5 and 6 are views showing the structure of the robot arm in the 'A' direction of FIG. 4 to 6, the instrument 5, the housing 6, the shaft 7, the RCM point 8, the base 10, the first link portion 20, and the second link portion 30. , Link member 32, instrument holder 34 is shown.

The robot arm of the parallel link structure is operated in a wider range, that is, as described above, the first link portion 20 can be freely rotated with respect to the base and positioned on either side of the reference line (see 'S' in FIG. 2). In order to be able to do so, the first link portion 20 can be axially coupled to the base 10 so as to be rotatable without interfering with the base 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, by axially coupling the first link portion 20 to one side of the base 10, the first link portion 20 may not interfere with the base 10 during the rotation process. Can be.

When the first link unit 20 rotates without interfering with the base 10, the second link unit 30 that rotates while maintaining the RCM also interferes with the first link unit 20 and / or the base 10. There is a concern. To this end, the link member 32 according to the present embodiment is axially coupled to the first link portion 20 so as to be rotatable without interfering with the (base 10 and) the first link portion 20, and the instrument holder ( 34 may be axially coupled to the link member 32 so as to be rotatable without interfering with the base 10, the first link unit 20, and the link member 32.

As such, the components constituting the robot arm 1, that is, the first link portion 20, the link member 32 and the instrument holder 34 are rotatably coupled without interfering with each other, so that the RCM function is maintained. It is possible to widen the operable range while operating the robot arm 1. FIG. 5 shows the structure of the robot arm 1 illustrated in FIG. 4 in the 'A' direction, and as shown in FIG. 5, the components are not interfered with each other by being axially coupled to each other so that they are located on different parallel planes. It is an example that is configured to be rotatable without.

However, it is not necessary to combine each component as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and various coupling structures may be applied to allow the components to be rotatable without interfering with each other.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 showing the robot arm structure illustrated in FIG. 2 in the 'P' direction, a coupling structure may be applied such that each component is rotatable without interfering with each other. In FIG. 8, which is a perspective view of FIG. 7, the first link portion 20 is rotatable through the central portion of the base 10, and the second link portion 30 is rotated through the central portion of the first link portion 20. A rotatable link structure is illustrated, and in FIG. 10, which is a perspective view of FIGS. 9 and 9, as in FIGS. 5 and 6, each component is axially coupled to each other such that they are positioned on different parallel planes. have.

When the instrument holder 34 rotates without interfering with the link member 32, the shaft 7 of the instrument 5 mounted on the holder 34 is rotated while the base 10 and the first link portion ( 20) and the link member 32 may be interfered with. To this end, the instrument 5 according to the present embodiment may be mounted to the instrument holder 34 so as to be rotatable without interfering with the (base 10, the first link portion, and the link member 32).

The housing 6 of the instrument 5 may be provided with a plurality of driving wheels so as to receive a driving force from the holder 34, so that the surface of the instrument 5 is in contact with the holder 34. To be mounted.

In a conventional robot arm structure in which each component of the robot arm is located on the same plane, a driving wheel is formed on the rear surface of the housing, so that the instrument is mounted so that the rear surface of the housing is in contact with the holder 34. As such, when each component of the robot arm 1 is located on a different plane parallel to each other, the instrument 5 may have a structure in which the side surface of the housing 6 is mounted so as to contact the holder 34.

To this end, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of driving wheels may be formed on the side surface of the housing 6, that is, the surface where the housing 6 is in contact with the holder 34 (see 'F' in FIG. 4). Alternatively, the side of the housing 6 may be in contact with the holder 34, but the instrument 5 and the holder 34 may be manufactured in a structure in which a driving force may be transmitted through the other surface.

As described above, when the components of the robot arm 1 are combined so as to be located on different planes, when the robot arm 1 is viewed from the side as shown in FIG. Since each node of the link is not located on the same plane, RCM may not be implemented in three-dimensional space.

To this end, the link structure according to the present embodiment can be axially coupled to each component such that each component has a predetermined angle, so that the RCM can be substantially maintained in the three-dimensional space in accordance with the operation of the robot arm (1).

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the first link unit 20 may be coupled to the base 10 to have a predetermined angle while being positioned on a plane different from the base 10. The angle of the first link portion 20 with respect to the base 10 is such that a virtual extension line (see 'b1' in FIG. 5) in the longitudinal direction of the first link portion 20 passes through the RCM point 8. Can be set to the angle. Accordingly, when the first link unit 20 is rotated relative to the base 10, a plane formed by the rotational trajectory of the first link unit 20 passes through the RCM point 8.

The coupling structure between the first link unit 20 and the base 10 may also be applied to the second link unit 30. That is, the link member 32 may be coupled to the first link portion 20 so as to have a predetermined angle while being positioned on a plane different from the first link portion 20. The angle with respect to the first link portion 20 of the link member 32 is such that a virtual extension line (see 'b2' in FIG. 5) in the longitudinal direction of the link member 32 passes through the RCM point 8. Can be set in degrees. Accordingly, when the link member 32 is rotated relative to the first link unit 20, the plane formed by the rotational trajectory of the link member 32 passes through the RCM point 8.

The instrument holder 34 may also be coupled to the link member 32 to be positioned at a different plane from the link member 32 and to have a predetermined angle. The angle with respect to the link member 32 of the instrument holder 34 is such that the imaginary extension in the longitudinal direction of the instrument holder 34 (see 'b3' in FIG. 5) passes through the RCM point 8. Can be set. Accordingly, when the instrument holder 34 is rotated relative to the link member 32, the plane formed by the rotational trajectory passes through the RCM point 8.

As such, the components constituting the RCM structure according to the present embodiment, that is, the first link portion 20 and the second link portion 30 (link member 32, instrument holder 34) at a predetermined angle By axial coupling to ensure that the rotational trajectory of each component passes through the RCM point 8 so that the instrument 5 moves while maintaining the RCM as the robot arm 1 is operated in three-dimensional space. can do.

Thus, the instrument 5 according to the present embodiment can also be mounted to the instrument holder 34 to have a predetermined angle, which angle is one point on the shaft 5 of the instrument 5, ie the RCM point 8. And an imaginary extension line (see 'b3' in FIG. 5) from the instrument holder 34.

Alternatively, instead of tilting all the components constituting the RCM structure as shown in FIG. 5, only the instrument holder 34 is tilted as shown in FIG. 6, so that the RCM point 8 extends in the longitudinal direction of the base 10. The RCM function may be maintained by passing through an imaginary extension line (see 'b' in FIG. 6).

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the link structure of the robot arm 1 may be designed such that the RCM point is located on the central axis of the support arm 3 (see 'S' in FIGS. 7 and 9). In this case, even if the components are not combined to have a predetermined angle as described above, that is, each component is located on the same plane (in FIG. 7), or each of them is located on a parallel plane (see FIG. 9). The RCM may be implemented according to the rotation of the link structure.

11 to 18 illustrate states in which the robot arm described above rotates, that is, each link of the robot arm moves while the RCM function is maintained. 11 is a side view when the first link portion is rotated by 0 degrees, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of FIG. 11, FIG. 13 is a side view when the first link portion is rotated by 45 degrees, and FIG. 14 is a perspective view of FIG. 13, 15 is a side view when the first link portion is rotated by 90 degrees, FIG. 16 is a perspective view of FIG. 15, FIG. 17 is a side view when the first link portion is rotated by 135 degrees, and FIG. 18 is a perspective view of FIG. 17.

22 and 23 are side views showing the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention. 22 and 23, the robot arm 1, the RCM point 8, the instrument 5, the housing 6, the drive unit 9, the shaft 7, the base 10, and the first point ( 12), a first link portion 20, a second point 22, a second link portion 30, a third point 33, an instrument holder 40, and an interface 42 are shown.

In this embodiment, the structure of the instrument holder is changed, and in particular, the interface portion is configured to be located at the rear side, not the front side, that is, the opposite side of the robot arm. Further, on the basis of such a holder structure, the shaft of the instrument mounted to the interface is positioned on the ideal control axis of the parallelogram RCM structure, that is, the ideal shaft axis of the RCM structure and the realistic shaft axis are characterized in that the same.

Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the front, back, up, and down are not limited to only front, back, up, and down in the absolute coordinate space, and the 'front' is a direction in which the robot arm extends from the surgical robot body. 'Rear' means the opposite direction of the front, 'Front' means the front side, and 'Rear' may mean the opposite side of the front. In addition, when the robot arm and the instrument mounted thereon is positioned above the surgical patient, 'upward' means upward, 'downward' means opposite upward, and 'upper' means upward. The term 'bottom' may be interpreted as meaning the opposite side of the upper surface.

The RCM structure of the surgical robot arm mounts a surgical instrument 5 at the end of the robot arm 1, and the instrument 5 rotates about a predetermined point (RCM point 8) on the shaft 7. To operate and control the structure.

The RCM structure according to the present embodiment consists of a parallelogram link structure extending from the base 10. That is, the instrument holder is axially coupled to the first link portion 20 axially coupled to the base 10, the second link portion 30 axially coupled to the first link portion 20, and the second link portion 30. In the robot arm (1) structure composed of 40, the coupling axis between the base 10 and the first link portion 20 is coupled to the first axis, the first link portion 20 and the second link portion 30. The axis is referred to as the second axis, the coupling axis between the second link portion 30 and the instrument holder 40 is the third axis, and the point where the virtual plane including the RCM point 8 and the first, second, and third axes meet. When referred to as the first, second, and third points, respectively, the first point 12, the second point 22, the third point 33, and the RCM point 8 have a structure forming a parallelogram.

As such, the robot arm 1 is configured such that the nodes (first point 12, second point 22, third point 33) and RCM point 8 of each link form a parallelogram, and the robot arm In the process of driving (1), each node and the RCM point 8 control the robot arm 1 to operate while maintaining the parallelogram, whereby the control target axis forming one side of the parallelogram (see 'S1' in FIG. 22). ) May rotate about a point (RCM point 8) located remotely from the base 10.

An interface 42 is formed in the instrument holder 40, and the instrument 5 is mounted to the holder 40 via the interface 42. That is, when the instrument 5 consists of the housing 6 and the shaft 7 extending in the longitudinal direction from the housing 6, the instrument 5 is connected to the holder by connecting the housing 6 to the interface 42. 40 is mounted.

The interface 42 is formed with a mechanism for coupling with the housing 6 and a driver for transmitting a driving force from the robot arm 1, and correspondingly for coupling to the interface 42 in the housing 6. A driving wheel or the like that is engaged with the mechanism and the driver may be formed. As such, the interface 42 and the housing 6 are each formed with a coupling means and a drive transmission means corresponding to each other, whereby the instrument 5 transmits a driving force from the robot arm 1 in a state mounted on the holder 40. It will work.

As described above, in the conventional robot arm structure, the instrument shaft 7 is not properly positioned on the RCM control target axis in the process of mounting the instrument 5 on the holder 40, and is mounted in a state of being rotated by a predetermined angle. There was a limitation that the RCM control on the control target axis could not be effectively applied to the instrument 5. For example, even though the control target axis is rotated by a desired angle, the actual instrument 5 is rotated by a predetermined angle more than this, or the control target axis is not necessary to rotate the actual instrument 5 by the desired angle ( Or less than necessary).

On the other hand, in the RCM structure according to the present embodiment, the shaft 7 of the instrument is positioned to coincide with a virtual straight line connecting the control target axis, that is, the third point 33 and the RCM point 8. do.

To this end, it is necessary to change the structure of the instrument holder 40 and the structure of the instrument 5 mounted on the holder 40 differently from the prior art, and as an example, a holder-instrument coupling as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23. Can adopt the structure.

In order to move the instrument 5 forward or backward, i.e., to move the instrument 5 in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 7, the instrument holder 40 has a structure that is stretched in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the shaft 7 Can be done. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, a plurality of members may be configured to be expanded or contracted in a sliding manner, or as shown in FIG. 24. have.

In this case, in order to ensure that the shaft 7 of the instrument is mounted in accordance with the control target axis, first, the instrument holder 40 is coupled to the second link portion 30 so that its stretching direction is parallel to the control target axis. Conventionally, since the holder is manufactured and coupled in a structure in which the sliding structure is stacked forward, assuming that the instrument is mounted on the front of the holder, the holder may interfere with the second link unit 30 in the process of lying down. Accordingly, a predetermined angle difference exists between the control target shaft and the holder in the stretching direction (the longitudinal direction of the shaft).

As shown in FIG. 22, the holder 40 according to the present embodiment may be manufactured in a structure in which the instrument 5 is mounted at the rear, and accordingly, the sliding structure is also configured to be stacked toward the rear. do. As such, changing the structure of the holder 40 may further increase the angle at which the holder 40 lies rearward, and as a result, the holder 40 may be parallel so that the stretching direction of the holder 40 is parallel to the direction of the control target axis. It is possible to couple to the second link portion (30).

Second, since the instrument holder 40 according to the present embodiment has a structure in which the instrument 5 is mounted at the rear thereof, the interface 42 is formed on the rear surface of the holder 40. That is, the instrument 5 is mounted on the rear side of the holder 40. For this purpose, the instrument housing 6 according to the present embodiment has a driving part 9 (interface) on its front surface (a surface facing the interface 42). A driving wheel, etc., which is operated by receiving a driving force from 42 may be formed.

Since the stretching direction of the holder 40 is set to be parallel to the direction of the control target axis as described above, the shaft of the instrument mounted to the interface 42 by appropriately adjusting the distance between the interface 42 portion and the control target axis ( 7) can be positioned coincident with the control target axis.

As a result, the instrument 5 can be actually positioned on the ideal control target axis of the parallelogram RCM structure, and the RCM control can be effectively performed without angular loss with respect to the actual instrument 5.

When configuring the RCM structure as shown in Figs. 22 and 23, the instrument shaft 7 may interfere with the third point 33 (combination site between the second link portion 30 and the holder 40), which is By drilling the middle part of the third axis or by configuring the third axis in a structure in which the middle part is not connected, the shaft 7 can pass through the middle part of the third axis.

Whereas the conventional RCM structure was located in the order of the 'robot arm-instrument holder-instrument' toward the front from the base, the RCM structure according to the present embodiment is in the order of the 'robot arm-instrument-instrument holder'. The structure has been changed to position, whereby the shaft 7 of the instrument can be positioned in accordance with the axis of control.

As in this embodiment, even if the position of the interface 42 is reversed from the prior art, that is, from front to back, the structure of the housing 6 is changed correspondingly, so that the instrument 5 is mounted on the holder 40. Can be made similar to the prior art.

Furthermore, in practice, when the instrument 5 is mounted on the holder 40, the initial state of the robot arm 1 is often in the unfolded state as shown in FIG. 23 rather than the folded state as shown in FIG. 22. In the holder-instrument 'coupling structure, since the instrument 5 can be mounted from the top to the bottom, the detachment of the instrument 5 may be more convenient than the existing structure.

In summary, the RCM structure of the robot arm according to the present embodiment changes the instrument holder 40 to a structure in which the instrument 5 is mounted at the rear thereof so that the stretching direction of the holder 40 is parallel to the direction of the control target axis. The drive shaft 9 is formed on the front surface of the instrument housing 6 so that the front surface of the housing 6 is connected to the rear surface of the holder 40 (interface 42) so that the shaft 7 of the instrument can be connected. Is positioned in accordance with the control target axis, and accordingly, the instrument 5 is actually positioned on the ideal control target axis of the parallelogram RCM structure to effectively control the RCM.

24 and 25 are side views showing the RCM structure of the surgical robot arm according to another embodiment of the present invention. 24 and 25, the robot arm 1, the RCM point 8, the instrument 5, the housing 6, the drive 9, the shaft 7, the base 10, and the first point ( 12), the first link portion 20, the second point 22, the second link portion 30, the third point 33, the instrument holder 50, and the interface 52 are shown.

This embodiment is another example in which the structure of the holder and the instrument is changed from the conventional one so that the shaft of the instrument is aligned with the control target axis.

In this embodiment, in order to move the instrument 5 in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 7, the instrument holder 50 has a structure in which a plurality of members are telescopically stretched, that is, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25. The holder 50 can be constructed in a structure that is stretched between the upper side and the lower side.

In this case, in order for the shaft 7 of the instrument to be mounted in accordance with the control target axis, the instrument holder 50 is coupled to the second link portion 30 so that its stretching direction coincides (parallel) with the control target axis. . Holder 50 according to the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 24, can be manufactured in a structure that the instrument 5 is mounted upward, accordingly the holder 50 is telescopic structure that is stretched up and down as a whole It can be configured as.

Since the instrument holder 50 according to the present embodiment has a structure in which the instrument 5 is mounted thereon, the interface 52 is formed on the upper surface of the holder 50. That is, the instrument 5 is mounted on the upper surface side of the holder 50. For this purpose, the instrument housing 6 according to the present embodiment has a driving portion 9 (interface) on its lower surface (surface facing the interface 52). A driving wheel which is operated by receiving the driving force from 52).

As described above, since the stretching direction of the holder 50 is set to coincide with the control target shaft, when the instrument 5 is mounted on the interface 52, the shaft 7 is positioned in accordance with the control target shaft.

In other words, in this embodiment, the lower surface of the housing 6 is coupled to the interface 52 so that the ideal axis of control and the actual shaft axis can coincide.

On the other hand, when the coupling structure (drive part 9, etc.) is formed on the lower surface of the housing 6 as in the present embodiment, the instrument 5 is formed in comparison with the case where the coupling structure is formed on the front or rear surface of the housing 6. ) Can be easily detached from the holder (50).

If the coupling structure is formed on the front or rear side, in order to separate the housing 6 from the interface 42, the housing 6 must be slid by the height of the front or rear side and then detached, whereas the coupling structure is formed on the bottom side. In this case, since the housing 6 is separated from the interface 52 at the moment of detaching the housing 6 from the interface 52, the instrument 5 can be detached from the holder 50 with minimal movement.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the interface is formed on the back (rear) of the instrument holder and the drive is formed on the front of the housing facing the interface, due to this 'rear interface-front drive' coupling structure RCM The angle between the control target axis of the structure (see 'S1' in FIG. 19) and the realistic shaft axis (see 'S2' in FIG. 19) can be reduced.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the interface is formed on the upper surface of the instrument holder and the driving portion is formed on the lower surface of the housing opposite the interface, due to this 'top interface-lower surface driving unit' coupling structure of the RCM structure It is also possible to reduce the angle between the control target axis (see 'S1' in FIG. 19) and the realistic shaft axis (see 'S2' in FIG. 19) (see 'A' in FIG. 19).

In these various embodiments, the angular loss for the actual instrument can be minimized to ensure that the RCM control is relatively good.

In this case, by coupling the housing of the instrument to the interface such that the shaft is aligned with the axis of control (an imaginary straight line connecting the third point and the RCM point), the RCM control is effectively performed without angular loss with respect to the actual instrument. The same as in the above-described embodiment.

Also in this case, one side of the parallelogram is controlled by controlling the robot arm to operate while maintaining the parallelogram of each node (first point, second point, and third point) in the process of driving the robot arm. As described above, the control target axis (see 'S1' in FIGS. 22 to 25) to be formed may be rotated about a point (RCM point) located remotely from the base.

Although described above with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims below And can be changed.

Claims

As an RCM structure of a surgical robot arm mounted to the end of the robot arm, the instrument is operated to rotate about a remote remote center of motion (RCM) point,

A base;

A first link unit coupled to the base to be rotatable to one side and the other side based on a virtual line connecting the base and the RCM point;

The RCM structure of the surgical robot arm is rotatably coupled to the first link portion, the surgical robot arm including a second link portion is mounted to the end of the instrument.
The method of claim 1,

The robot arm is coupled to a support arm coupled to the robot body, wherein the base is formed at an end of the support arm, and the first link portion and the second link portion form the robot arm. RCM structure of a surgical robot arm.
The method of claim 1,

The first link portion RCM structure of the surgical robot arm, characterized in that coupled to the base to enable a 360-degree rotation.
The method of claim 1,

The instrument includes a housing coupled to the second link portion and a shaft extending from the housing, wherein the RCM point is located on the shaft.
The method of claim 1,

The second link portion includes a link member rotatably coupled to the first link portion, and an instrument holder rotatably coupled to the link member and to which the instrument is mounted.

A first point at which a coupling axis of the base and the first link part meet a predetermined plane, a second point at which a coupling axis of the first link part and the link member meets the plane, a coupling of the link member and the instrument holder The RCM structure of the surgical robot arm of claim 3, wherein the third point where the axis meets the plane and the RCM point form a parallelogram.
The method of claim 5,

As the first link portion rotates, the second link portion is operated so that the first point, the second point, the third point and the RCM point maintain a parallelogram. rescue.
The method of claim 6,

And the first link portion is axially coupled to the base so as to be rotatable without interfering with the base.
The method of claim 7, wherein

The link member is an RCM structure of the surgical robot arm, characterized in that coupled to the first link portion rotatably without interference with the first link portion.
The method of claim 8,

And the instrument holder is axially coupled to the link member so as to be rotatable without interfering with the link member.
The method of claim 9,

The instrument is RCM structure of a surgical robot arm, characterized in that the rotational movement is mounted to the instrument holder so as not to interfere with the first link portion and the second link portion.