CN112274252A

CN112274252A - Surgical instrument, slave operation device, and surgical robot

Info

Publication number: CN112274252A
Application number: CN202011063643.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴仲兵; 上官希坤; 王建辰
Original assignee: Shenzhen Edge Medical Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Edge Medical Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-30
Filing date: 2020-09-30
Publication date: 2021-01-29

Abstract

The invention provides a surgical instrument, a slave operation device applying the surgical instrument and a surgical robot with the slave operation device, wherein the surgical instrument includes an end effector, a drive device configured to drive movement of the end effector via a cable, the cable including a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform a yaw motion and a third pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform a pitch motion, the third pair of cables is in a coupling relation with the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on the end effector due to the fact that the yawing motion and the pitching motion of the end effector are orthogonal, the driving device is provided with a decoupling mechanism for removing the coupling relation, the decoupling mechanism comprises a main decoupling piece and a secondary decoupling piece, the main decoupling piece is in a cam shape, and the main decoupling piece and the third driving unit rotate coaxially and drive the secondary decoupling piece to slide with the cam structure so as to remove the coupling relation.

Description

Surgical instrument, slave operation device, and surgical robot

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of medical instruments, and in particular, to a surgical instrument, a slave operation device using the surgical instrument, and a surgical robot having the slave operation device.

Background

The minimally invasive surgery is a surgery mode for performing surgery in a human body cavity by using modern medical instruments such as a laparoscope, a thoracoscope and the like and related equipment. Compared with the traditional minimally invasive surgery, the minimally invasive surgery has the advantages of small wound, light pain, quick recovery and the like.

With the progress of science and technology, the minimally invasive surgery robot technology is gradually mature and widely applied. The minimally invasive surgical robot generally comprises a master operation console and a slave operation device, wherein the master operation console is used for sending control commands to the slave operation device according to the operation of a doctor so as to control the slave operation device, and the slave operation device is used for responding to the control commands sent by the master operation console and carrying out corresponding surgical operation.

A surgical instrument is detachably connected to the slave operating device, the surgical instrument includes a driving device and an end effector for performing a surgical operation, the driving device is used for connecting the surgical instrument to the slave operating device and receiving a driving force from the slave operating device to drive the end effector to move, the driving device is connected with the end effector through a driving cable, and the driving device is used for controlling the movement of the end effector through the driving cable. The end effector typically includes three degrees of freedom of movement, namely, rotation, pitch movement, and yaw movement, and some end effectors also have rotation movement, wherein yaw movement is controlled by one set of drive cables, and pitch movement of the drive cables is controlled by another set of drive cables, and since the pitch movement and yaw movement of the end effector are orthogonal, there is a coupling between the pitch control drive cables and the yaw control drive cables during pitch movement of the end effector, i.e., the pitch control drive cables are constrained in movement to the yaw control drive cables, and thus it is desirable to decouple the two. In the prior art, a software decoupling method is adopted, but the algorithm of the software decoupling method is complex, the complexity of a system control program is increased, and the software decoupling method has errors in data acquisition, so that the coupling relation between the software decoupling method and the system control program cannot be accurately released.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present invention provides a surgical instrument, a slave operation device to which the surgical instrument is applied, and a surgical robot having the slave operation device. The surgical instrument including an end effector, a drive device configured to drive movement of the end effector via a cable, the cable including a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform a yaw motion, and a third pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform a pitch motion, and a cable, the drive device including:

a drive unit that manipulates the pitch motion of the end effector via a third pair of cables;

the decoupling mechanism comprises a main decoupling part and a slave decoupling part, the main decoupling part is coaxially arranged with the driving unit, the slave decoupling part comprises a sliding frame used for abutting against the main decoupling part, the slave decoupling part further comprises a first guide part and a second guide part which are arranged at two ends of the sliding frame and used for guiding a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables, and the main decoupling part is used for rotating coaxially with the driving unit and pushing the sliding frame to move so as to increase the length of one pair of cables in the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables in the driving device and reduce the length of the other pair of cables in the driving device, so that the driving unit drives the end effector to execute pitching motion.

Preferably, the carriage is formed with a first opening for receiving a main decoupling member, and the main decoupling member is configured to abut against the carriage in the first opening and drive the carriage to move linearly.

Preferably, the drive unit and the main decoupling member are rotated in a first direction to increase the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector and decrease the length of the second pair of cables on the end effector, and the carriage is moved under the urging of the main decoupling member to decrease the length of the first pair of cables in the drive device and increase the length of the second pair of cables in the drive device.

Preferably, the drive unit and the main decoupling member are rotated in a second direction opposite the first direction to decrease the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector and increase the length of the second pair of cables on the end effector, and the carriage is moved under the urging of the main decoupling member to increase the length of the first pair of cables in the drive device and decrease the length of the second pair of cables in the drive device.

Preferably, the drive unit and the main decoupling member are rotated in the first direction or the second direction such that the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector varies by an amount equal to four times the distance traveled by the main decoupling member within the drive device.

Preferably, the sliding frame has a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the cam structure includes a first cam and a second cam that are staggered from each other up and down in the axial direction of the main decoupling member, and the main decoupling member rotates to make the first cam abut against the first protrusion and the second cam abut against the second protrusion so as to push the sliding frame to move.

Preferably, the outer contour of the projection of the first cam and/or the second cam on a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the main decoupling member has an involute, and the change amount of the distance from the involute to the rotation axis of the main decoupling member when the main decoupling member rotates has a linear change relationship with the angle of the main decoupling member rotating around the rotation axis.

Preferably, the outer contour further comprises a first arc and a second arc at both ends of the involute, and the distance from the involute to the rotating shaft of the main decoupling member gradually increases from the end where the involute is connected with the first arc to the end where the involute is connected with the second arc.

Preferably, the driving device further includes a first guide wheel and a second guide wheel, the first pair of cables is guided by the first guide wheel and then guided by the first guide portion to extend to the end effector, the second pair of cables is guided by the second guide wheel and then guided by the second guide portion to extend to the end effector, a moving direction of the carriage is parallel to a portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide wheel and the first guide portion, and a moving direction of the carriage is parallel to a portion of the second pair of cables between the second guide wheel and the second guide portion.

Preferably, the driving device further comprises a third guide wheel, and the portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide part and the end effector extends to the end effector after being guided by the third guide wheel.

Preferably, the driving device further comprises a fourth guide wheel, and a portion of the second pair of cables between the second guide portion and the end effector extends to the end effector after being guided by the fourth guide wheel.

Preferably, the driving device further comprises a mounting seat, the mounting seat comprises a first boss and a second boss located on the first boss, and the second boss is used for mounting the first guide wheel, the second guide wheel, the third guide wheel and the fourth guide wheel.

Preferably, the carriage further has a second opening for receiving the second boss.

The slave operation equipment comprises a mechanical arm and the surgical instrument, wherein the surgical instrument is mounted on the mechanical arm, and the mechanical arm is used for manipulating the surgical instrument to move.

The surgical robot comprises a main operation console and the slave operation equipment, wherein the slave operation equipment executes corresponding operation according to the instruction of the main operation console.

The surgical instrument uses the mechanical structure to release the coupling relationship between the driving cable for controlling the pitching motion of the end effector and the driving cable for controlling the yawing motion of the end effector, can very accurately and controllably release the coupling relationship between the driving cable and the driving cable, and reduces the whole program algorithm of the surgical robot by using mechanical decoupling, so that the operation of the surgical robot is more stable.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a slave manipulator of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a main console of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a robotic arm of the slave manipulator apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A-5D are schematic structural views of an end effector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5E is a schematic view of the structure of the driving cable in the long axis according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6A is a perspective view of a first support bracket of an end effector of an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6B is a top view of a first support frame of an end effector of an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6C is a top view of a first support frame of an end effector of another embodiment of the present disclosure;

7A-7B are schematic illustrations of an end effector in a pitch state in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7C is a schematic illustration of the end effector in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A in a pitch-yaw-deployed state;

FIG. 8A is a schematic view of a driving device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 8B and 8C are partial schematic views of the first and second drive cables of the drive arrangement of FIG. 8A being wound on guide wheels;

8D-8E are schematic diagrams of a decoupling process of the drive arrangement of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9A is a schematic view of a driving device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9B is a schematic illustration of the decoupling process of the drive arrangement shown in FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10A is a schematic view of a driving device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10B is a schematic illustration of the decoupling process of the drive arrangement shown in FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a driving device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11B is a top view of FIG. 11A in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11C is an exploded view of the decoupling mechanism and mount of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11D is a top view of a primary decoupling member in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11E is a schematic diagram of the decoupling process of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11A.

Detailed Description

To facilitate an understanding of the invention, the invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "coupled" to another element, it means that at least one of the elements is constrained by the other element, and the element is "decoupled", i.e., decoupled, meaning that two elements in a coupled relationship are no longer constrained by the other element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and the like as used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only embodiments. As used herein, the terms "distal" and "proximal" are used as terms of orientation that are conventional in the art of interventional medical devices, wherein "distal" refers to the end of the device that is distal from the operator during a procedure, and "proximal" refers to the end of the device that is proximal to the operator during a procedure.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The minimally invasive surgical robot generally comprises a slave operation device and a master operation console, wherein fig. 1 shows the slave operation device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention, fig. 2 shows the master operation console 200 according to an embodiment of the invention, a surgeon performs related control operations on the slave operation device 100 on the master operation console 200, and the slave operation device 100 performs a surgical operation on a human body according to an input instruction of the master operation console 200. The master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 may be disposed in one operation room or in different rooms, and even the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 may be far apart, for example, the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 are respectively located in different cities, the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 may transmit data by wire, or may transmit data by wireless, for example, the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 are located in one operation room and transmit data by wire, or the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 are respectively located in different cities and transmit data by 5G wireless signals.

As shown in fig. 1, the slave manipulator 100 includes a plurality of mechanical arms 110, each of the mechanical arms 110 includes a plurality of joints and a mechanical holding arm 130, the plurality of joints are linked to realize the movement of the mechanical holding arm 130 with a plurality of degrees of freedom, a surgical instrument 120 for performing a surgical operation is mounted on the mechanical holding arm 130, the surgical instrument 120 is inserted into a human body through a trocar 140 fixed to a distal end of the mechanical holding arm 130, and the mechanical arms 110 are used to manipulate the movement of the surgical instrument 120 to perform the surgical operation. Surgical instrument 120 is removably mounted on a manipulator arm 130 so that different types of surgical instruments 120 may be readily replaced or surgical instruments 120 may be removed to wash or sterilize surgical instrument 120. As shown in fig. 3, the arm 130 includes an arm body 131 and an instrument mounting bracket 132, the instrument mounting bracket 132 is used for mounting the surgical instrument 120, and the instrument mounting bracket 132 can slide on the arm body 131 to advance or withdraw the surgical instrument 120 along the arm body 131.

As shown in fig. 4, surgical instrument 120 includes a drive mechanism 170 and a distal end effector 150 disposed at a proximal end and a distal end, respectively, of surgical instrument 120, and a long shaft 160 disposed between drive mechanism 170 and end effector 150, drive mechanism 170 being configured to be coupled to instrument mount 132 of instrument arm 130, and instrument mount 132 having a plurality of actuators (not shown) disposed therein, the plurality of actuators being coupled to drive mechanism 170 to transmit a driving force of the actuators to drive mechanism 170. Long shaft 160 is used to connect drive device 170 and end effector 150, long shaft 160 being hollow for the passage of a drive cable therethrough, and drive device 170 being used to cause end effector 150 to perform an associated surgical procedure by movement of end effector 150 via the drive cable.

Fig. 5A-5D are schematic structural views of an end effector 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the end effector 150 shown in fig. 5A includes a first frame 210 and a second frame 220, a distal end of the first frame 210 includes a first leg 314 and a second leg 315, a proximal end of the first frame 210 includes a base frame 316, one end of the base frame 316 is connected to the long shaft 160, the first leg 314 and the second leg 315 extend from the other end of the base frame 316 toward the distal end of the end effector 150, and the first leg 314, the second leg 315, and the base frame 316 form a substantially U-shaped clip structure.

A first pin 311 and a second pin 312 are provided between the first support 314 and the second support 315, the first pin 311 is fixedly connected at one end to the first support 314 and at the other end to the second support 315, similarly, the second pin 312 is fixedly connected at one end to the first support 314 and at the other end to the second support 315, the second pin 312 is provided on the first support 314 and the second support 315 side by side with the first pin 311, wherein the first pin 311 is closer to the bottom frame 316 of the first bracket 210 than the second pin 312.

To better illustrate the structure of the proximal end of end effector 150, first support 210 is not shown in figures 5B and 5C, as shown in fig. 5B and 5C, a first pulley block is disposed on the first pin 311, the first pulley block includes a first pulley 211, a second pulley 212, a third pulley 213 and a fourth pulley 214 disposed on the first pin 311 in sequence, a second pulley block is disposed on the second pin 312, the second pulley block includes a fifth pulley 215, a sixth pulley 216, a seventh pulley 217 and an eighth pulley 218 disposed on the second pin 312 in sequence, the first pulley 211 to the eighth pulley 218 are used for guiding the driving cable, since the pulleys for guiding the driving cables are all provided on the first bracket 210, the second bracket 220 has no pulley, the volume of the second cradle 220 can be made smaller, so that the end effector 150 is less bulky and there is no risk of the pulley falling out.

The second bracket 210 is provided with a third support 317, a fourth support 318 and a pitch wheel 319, the third support 317 and the fourth support 318 are formed by extending from the pitch wheel 319 along the distal end of the end effector 150, the third support 317, the fourth support 318 and the pitch wheel 319 form a substantially U-shaped frame, the pitch wheel 319 of the second bracket 220 is mounted on the second pin 312, and the second bracket 220 can rotate around the axis AA' passing through the second pin 312 to realize the pitch motion of the end effector 150.

A third pin 313 is arranged between the third support column 317 and the fourth support column 318 of the second bracket 220, one end of the third pin 313 is fixedly connected to the third support column 317, the other end is fixedly connected to the fourth support column 318, and the third pin 313 is perpendicular to the first pin 311 and the second pin 312. The grip portion of the end effector 150 includes a first grip portion 230 and a second grip portion 240, the first and

second grip portions

230 and 240 are rotatably provided on the second bracket 220 by a third pin 313, the first and

second grip portions

230 and 240 can be rotated about an axis BB' passing through the third pin 313 to achieve opening and closing and/or yaw movement of the end effector 150, and the first and

second grip portions

230 and 240 can be jaws for gripping tissue, or staplers for suturing, or cauterizers for electrocautery, etc.

As shown in fig. 5A-5D, the directional indicators shown in fig. 5A and 5B are for ease of description of the manner in which the drive cables are routed around end effector 150, with distal and proximal indicators referring to the distal and proximal directions of end effector 150, and front, rear, left and right indicators referring to the front, rear, left and right directions of end effector 150 from the perspective of fig. 5A and 5B, and with the remainder of the figures showing no directional indicators, from which the direction of end effector 150 can be readily derived from fig. 5A and 5B, the drive cables provided to end effector 150 include first and second pairs of cables for manipulating the opening and closing and/or yaw of end effector 150, and third pairs of cables for manipulating the pitch of end effector 150, the first pair of cables including first drive cable 151A and second drive cable 151B, wherein the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B may be coupled at one end or may be separated at one end, as is the case with the second and third pairs of cables. The second pair of cables includes a third drive cable 152A and a fourth drive cable 152B, and the third pair of cables includes a fifth drive cable 153A and a sixth drive cable 153B. As shown in FIG. 5E, each of the drive cables comprises 3 segments, and for example, the first drive cable 151A comprises a first segment 151A1 for coupling to a drive mechanism and a second segment 151A2 for coupling to an end effector, wherein the first segment 151A1 and the second segment 151A2 are coupled by a rigid strip 151A3, which provides a more efficient transfer than a single drive cable, and which also facilitates the entanglement of multiple drive cables within the long shaft 160. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the drive cable may be a complete cable rather than a segmented cable.

On the side of the end effector 150, the first pair of cables is wound about the first and second pulley blocks in an opposite manner to the second pair of cables, the first drive cable 151A of the first pair of cables is wound about the first and second pulley blocks in the same manner as the second drive cable 151B is wound about the first and second pulley blocks, and the third drive cable 152A of the second pair of cables is wound about the first and second pulley blocks in the same manner as the fourth drive cable 152B is wound about the first and second pulley blocks. Specifically, the proximal end of the first drive cable 151A is coupled to a drive unit within the drive device 170, and the distal end of the first drive cable 151A is routed over the forward portion of the first pulley 211 and then extends toward the distal end of the end effector 150, and is routed over the rearward portion of the fifth pulley 215 and then continues along the distal end of the end effector 150 and is finally secured to the first clamping portion 230. The second drive cable 151B is routed through the front of the fourth pulley 214 and then extends toward the distal end of the end effector 150, and is routed through the rear of the eighth pulley 218 and then continues toward the distal end of the end effector 150 and finally is secured to the first clamping portion 230. The distal end of third drive cable 152A is routed through the rear of second pulley 212 and then extends toward the distal end of end effector 150, and is routed through the front of sixth pulley 216 and then continues toward the distal end of end instrument 150 and is secured to second grip 240. the distal end of fourth drive cable 152B is routed through the rear of third pulley 213 and then extends toward the distal end of end effector 150 and passes through the front of seventh pulley 217 and then continues toward the distal end of end instrument 150 and transitions over second grip 240.

First drive cable 151A and second drive cable 151B together drive first clamp 230 to rotate about axis BB ', third drive cable 152A and fourth drive cable 152B together drive second clamp 240 to rotate about axis BB', and first drive cable 151A, second drive cable 151B, third drive cable 152A, and fourth drive cable 152B together drive first clamp 230 and second clamp 240 to perform an opening and/or yawing motion.

Proximal ends of fifth drive cable 153A and sixth drive cable 153B of the third pair of cables extend to drive device 170, distal ends of which are received in annular grooves of pitch wheel 319, distal ends of which are fixed to second bracket 220, respectively, and fifth drive cable 153A and sixth drive cable 153B drive second bracket 220 together to rotate along axis AA ', and second bracket 220 drives first clamping portion 230 and second clamping portion 240 together to perform a pitch motion along axis AA'.

The end effector 150 of the present invention is different from conventional end effectors in both its structure and the manner of winding the drive cable, in that the first pulley block of the conventional end effector is disposed on the first support of the end effector, the second pulley block is disposed on the second support, and the second pulley block performs a pitching motion along with the second support. In addition, the winding method of the driving cable of the present invention is different from the prior art, and after the winding method, as shown in fig. 5A-5D, the first driving cable 151A of the first pair of cables has a first partial cable 151Aa between the fifth pulley 215 and the first clamping portion 230, the second driving cable 151B of the first pair of cables has a second partial cable 151Ba between the eighth pulley 218 and the first clamping portion 230, the third driving cable 152A of the second pair of cables has a third partial cable 152Aa between the sixth pulley 216 and the second clamping portion 240, and the fourth driving cable 152B of the second pair of cables has a fourth partial cable 152Ba between the seventh pulley 217 and the first clamping portion 240, wherein the first partial cable 151Aa and the second partial cable 151Ba are always located on the same side of the plane M no matter how the end effector 150 moves in pitch, the third partial cable 152Aa and the fourth partial cable 152Ba are always located on the same side of the other side of the plane M, which is a plane passing through the axis Aa 'of the second pin 312 and perpendicular to the axis BB' of the third pin 313. The first portion of the cables 151Aa and the second portion of the cables 151Ba are always located on the same side of the plane M, and the third portion of the cables 152Aa and the fourth portion of the cables 152Ba are always located on the same side of the plane M, so that the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables are relatively easy and neat to wind around the end effector 150, and are relatively easy to assemble.

As shown in fig. 5C and 5D, the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B have a fifth portion of cable 151Ab and a sixth portion of cable 151Bb extending from the first bracket 210 (the first bracket 210 is not shown in fig. 5C and 5D for ease of illustration of the drive cables) to the first pulley 211 and the fourth pulley 214, respectively, the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 151B have a seventh portion of cable 152Ab and an eighth portion of cable 152Bb extending from the first bracket 210 to the second pulley 212 and the third pulley 213, respectively, the fifth portion of cable 151Ab and the sixth portion of cable 151Bb both being located on the same side of a plane P, the plane P being a plane passing through both the axis of the first pin 311 and the axis of the second pin 312, the seventh portion of cable 152Ab and the eighth portion of cable 152Bb being located on the same side of the other side of the plane P.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the chassis 316 of the first bracket 210 has a plurality of through-holes for the passage of drive cables, including a first through-hole 219a for the passage of a fifth portion of cables 151Ab of the first drive cable 151A, a second through-hole 219B for the passage of a sixth portion of cables 151Bb of the second drive cable 151B, a third through-hole 219c for the passage of a seventh portion of cables 152Ab of the third drive cable 152A, a fourth through-hole 219d for the passage of an eighth portion of cables 152Bb of the fourth drive cable 152B, a fifth through-hole 219e for the passage of the fifth drive cable 153A and a sixth through-hole 219f for the passage of the sixth drive cable 153B. In order to allow the first and

second actuation cables

151A, 151B, and the third and

fourth actuation cables

152A, 152B to simultaneously undergo the same change (e.g., increase or decrease in length) during the pitch motion of the end effector 150, the first and second through holes 219a, 219B are located on the same side of the plane P, the third and fourth through holes 219c, 219B are located on the other side of the plane P, and a straight line passing through the first through hole 219a and the center of the second through hole 219B is parallel to a straight line passing through the center of the third through hole 219c and the center of the fourth through hole 219 d.

As shown in fig. 6B, the first through hole 219a, the second through hole 219B, the third through hole 219c, and the fourth through hole 219d are respectively located at four vertices of the trapezoid, such that the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B respectively pass through the outer first pulley 211 and the fourth pulley 214, the third driving cable 152A and the fourth driving cable 152B respectively pass through the inner second pulley 212 and the inner third pulley 213, and in order to reduce the loss of driving force of the fifth driving cable 153A and the sixth driving cable 153B when the end effector 150 is driven to perform the pitching motion, the fifth through hole 219e and the sixth through hole 219f are located outside the trapezoid formed by the first through hole 219a, the second through hole 219B, the third through hole 219c, and the fourth through hole 219 d.

Another embodiment is shown in fig. 6C, in which the first through hole 319a, the second through hole 319b, the third through hole 319C, and the fourth through hole 319d in the first bracket 310 are respectively located at four vertices of a parallelogram, and the fifth through hole 319e and the sixth through hole 319f are located outside the parallelogram formed by the first through hole 319a, the second through hole 319b, the third through hole 319C, and the fourth through hole 319 d.

In the prior art, the fifth part of the cables of the first driving cable and the sixth part of the cables of the second driving cable are respectively positioned on different sides of the plane P, the seventh part of the cables of the third driving cable and the eighth part of the cables of the fourth driving cable are also respectively positioned on different sides of the plane P, two through holes for the first driving cable and the second driving cable of the first pair of cables to pass through are respectively positioned on different sides of the plane P in the distribution of the through holes for the driving cables to pass through on the first support, and two through holes for the third driving cable and the fourth driving cable of the second pair of cables to pass through are also respectively positioned on different sides of the plane P. Because the end effector of the invention and the existing end effector have different whole structures and winding ways, the end effector of the invention is safer compared with the prior art, the driving cable and the pulley are not easy to fall off compared with the prior art, the assembly of the end instrument is easier, and the volume of the whole end instrument is smaller. While the end effector of the present invention has the above-described advantages over the prior art, the end effector of the present invention also presents a new challenge in that existing end effector drive devices are unable to drive the end effector of the present invention, and more particularly, the end effector of the present invention is no longer adaptable to the end effector of the present invention using a method of decoupling the coupling of the third pair of cables to the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables.

To explain the coupling relationship between the third pair of cables and the first pair of cables and/or the second pair of cables of the end apparatus 150 in detail, as shown in fig. 5, the tangent points of the first portion of cable 151Aa, the second portion of cable 151Ba, the third portion of cable 152Aa, and the fourth portion of cable 152Ba, which leave the fifth pulley 215, the eighth pulley 218, the sixth pulley 216, and the seventh pulley 217, respectively, are all located on a plane a, which is a plane passing through the first axis Aa' and perpendicular to the plane P.

When the end effector 150 is to perform the pitching motion, the driving device 170 is required to pull the fifth driving cable 153A or the sixth driving cable 153B of the third pair of cables, so that the second bracket 220 drives the first clamping portion 230 and the second clamping portion 240 to perform the pitching motion together around the first axis AA ', as shown in fig. 7A and 7B, the driving device 170 pulls the sixth driving cable 153B, so that the second bracket 220, the first clamping portion 230 and the second clamping portion 240 perform the pitching motion around the first axis AA', if the end effector 150 performs only the pitching motion, the lengths of the first partial cable 151AA, the second partial cable 151Ba, the third partial cable 152AA and the fourth partial cable 153Ba are required to be maintained constant, otherwise the end effector 150 may cause the yawing motion or the opening and closing motion.

During rotation of end effector 150 from the straight state shown in figures 5A-5D to the pitch state shown in figures 7A-7B, when drive device 170 pulls in sixth drive cable 153B, if the target pitch angle that end effector 150 needs to be rotated is alpha, then the plane a needs to be rotated also by an angle a from the position in fig. 5D to the position of the plane b in fig. 7A, provided that the radii of the first and second pulley sets are both r1, in order for end effector 150 to successfully rotate the target pitch angle alpha, it is now necessary to increase the wrap angle lengths of first drive cable 151A and second drive cable 151B over fifth pulley 215 and eighth pulley 218, respectively, by length L, where L α r1, and the wrap length of the respective third and

fourth drive cables

152A, 152B over the sixth and

seventh pulleys

216, 217, respectively, are simultaneously reduced by the length L. As shown in FIG. 8A, in the drive unit 170, the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B are wound around the rotatable first drive unit 171 in opposite directions, the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B are wound around the rotatable second drive unit 172 in opposite directions, and the first drive unit 171 and the second drive unit 172 are rotationally fixed on the rotational axes thereof, so that the first drive unit 171 and the second drive unit 172 are not translatable, and thus the lengths of the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B cannot be simultaneously increased or decreased by merely rotating the first drive unit 171, and likewise, the lengths of the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B cannot be simultaneously increased or decreased by rotating the second drive unit 172, and, as described above, if the end effector 150 is successfully pitched, the end effector 150 must be tilted such that the end effector performs a pitching motion The length of the actuators 150 must be increased or decreased simultaneously, and the length of the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B must be decreased or increased simultaneously, at the end effector, so that movement of the third pair of cables is limited to the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables.

The relationship in which such a variation of one element is limited by another element is referred to as a coupled relationship, i.e., there is a coupled relationship between one element and another element. Such a restricted relationship for the first, second, and third pairs of cables may be that the third pair of cables is restricted to the first and/or second pairs of cables, thereby causing the third pair of cables to be completely prevented from moving and causing the end effector to be unable to perform a pitch motion, or the third pair of cables may be restricted to the first and/or second pairs of cables, thereby causing any movement of any of the first, second, and third pairs of cables to cause an undesired movement of another cable, thereby causing the end effector to be unable to perform a desired operation, for example, when the third pair of cables is operating the end effector to perform a pitch motion, the movement of the third pair of cables may simultaneously cause movement of the first and/or second pairs of cables due to the coupling relationship between the third pair of cables and the first and/or second pairs of cables, the end effector may cause opening and closing and/or yawing motions simultaneously with the pitching motions, so that the pitching motions and the opening and/or closing and/or yawing motions of the end effector are mutually influenced, and the pitching motions and the opening and/or closing and/or yawing motions of the end effector are mutually independent, so that the end effector 150 cannot correctly perform the surgical operation. It is therefore desirable to decouple the third pair of cables from the first pair of cables and/or the second pair of cables such that the third pair of cables is no longer constrained from movement relative to the first pair of cables and/or the second pair of cables, and such that movement of the third pair of cables is independent of, does not interfere with, or otherwise affect the movement of the first pair of cables and/or the second pair of cables.

With respect to how to decouple the above coupling relationship, one prior art decoupling method is to use a software algorithm for decoupling, and the main console 200 controls the third driving unit to drive the third pair of cables, and at the same time controls the first driving unit and the second driving unit to drive the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables, so that the wrap angle length of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on the pulley increases or decreases with the movement of the third pair of cables, but this decoupling method requires that the first partial cables 151Aa and the second partial cables 151Ba of the first pair of cables on the end effector are respectively located on different sides of the plane M, the third partial cables 152Aa and the fourth partial cables 152Ba of the second pair of cables are respectively located on different sides of the plane M, so that the first driving cables 151A and the second driving cables 151B of the first pair of cables form a loop crossing the plane M, and the third driving cables 152A and the fourth driving cables 152B of the second pair of cables also form a loop crossing the plane M The decoupling is possible by implementing the movement of the drive unit controlled by software. However, the first portion 151Aa and the second portion 151Ba of the first pair of cables of the end effector of the embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 5A are located on the same side of the plane M, and the third portion 153Aa and the fourth portion 153Ba of the second pair of cables are also located on the same side of the plane M, so that the prior art software decoupling method cannot decouple this type of end effector of the present invention. In addition, the decoupling method using software algorithm may cause the control program of the surgical robot to be complex and prone to error, and the decoupling method using software algorithm may cause each driving unit of the driving mechanism of the surgical instrument to lose independence, specifically, three driving units respectively driving three pairs of cables are provided in the driving device, and ideally, the control of each driving unit is opposite to each other, however, when the decoupling method using software algorithm is used, the three driving units need to be controlled to move together at the same time, so that the three driving units lose independence and are prone to control error.

The present invention proposes a mechanical decoupling scheme, and a mechanical decoupling mechanism is provided in the driving device 170 of the surgical instrument 120, thereby avoiding the drawbacks of the software algorithm decoupling described above.

Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram of a driving device 170 according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the driving device 170 is adapted to drive the end effector shown in fig. 5A. The driving device 170 includes a first driving unit 171 and a second driving unit 172 for driving the end effector 150 to perform opening and closing and/or yawing motions, a third driving unit 173 for driving the end effector 150 to perform pitching motions, and a fourth driving unit 174 for driving the long shaft 160 to perform a spinning motion. The first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B of the first pair of cables are wound around the first drive unit 171 in opposite windings, the third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B of the second pair of cables are wound around the second drive unit 172 in opposite windings, the fifth and

sixth drive cables

153A and 153B of the third pair of cables are wound around the third drive unit 173 in opposite windings, and the seventh and

eighth drive cables

154A and 154B are wound around the fourth drive unit 174 in opposite windings.

When the actuator drive shaft 171A in the instrument mount 132 rotates to rotate the first drive unit 171 about its axis, the first drive unit 171 pulls or releases the first drive cable 151A or the second drive cable 151B to rotate the first grip 230 about its third pin 313, when the actuator in the instrument mount 132 drives the second drive unit 172 to rotate about its axis 172A, the second drive unit 172 pulls or releases the second drive cable 152A or the third drive cable 152B to rotate the second grip 240 about the third pin 313, and the first grip 230 and the second grip 240 move about the third pin 313 to cause the end effector 150 to perform an opening and closing and/or yawing motion. When the actuator drive shaft 173A in the instrument mount 132 rotates to rotate the third drive unit 173, the third drive unit 173 pulls or releases the fifth drive cable 153A or the sixth drive cable 153B to rotate the second bracket 220 about the axis AA' of the second pin 312 to effect the end effector 150 to perform a pitch motion. As the actuator within the implement mounting bracket 132 drives the fourth drive unit 174 to rotate about its axis 174A, the fourth drive unit 174 retracts or releases either the seventh drive cable 154A or the eighth drive cable 154B to effect a spinning motion of the drive shaft 160.

The drive device 170 further includes a decoupling mechanism for decoupling the third pair of cables from the first and second pairs of cables on the end effector 150 side, the decoupling mechanism including a master decoupling member 1761 and a slave decoupling member 176, the slave decoupling member 176 including a carriage 1762 and first and

second guides

1763, 1764 connected at both ends of the carriage 1762, the master decoupling member 1 being connected to the carriage 1762 by first and

second decoupling cables

1767, 1768, and the master decoupling member 1761 operating the slave decoupling member for movement by driving the first and

second decoupling cables

1767, 1768. The first and

second decoupling cables

1767 and 1768 are wound around the main decoupling element 1761 in opposite ways, the main decoupling element 1761 and the third drive unit 173 move at the same angular velocity, and the main decoupling element 1761 and the third drive unit 173 may be disposed on the same axis 173A, so that the main decoupling element 1761 and the third drive unit 173 rotate coaxially with the axis 173A, and in other embodiments, the main decoupling element 1761 and the third drive unit 173 may be disposed on different rotation axes. The main decoupling element 1761 and the third drive unit 173 have different radii, the radius of the main decoupling element 1761 is R2, the radius of the third drive unit 173 is R2, wherein R2< R2, the main decoupling element 1761 effects the movement of the secondary decoupling element by pulling or releasing the first or

second decoupling cables

1767, 1768. The main decoupling element 1761 and the third driving unit 173 may receive the same power source drive, i.e. the actuator in the slave operating device, and in other embodiments, the main decoupling element and the third driving unit are disposed on different rotation axes, but the main decoupling element still receives the same driving force as the third driving unit, for example, the main decoupling element and the third driving unit are respectively connected to and driven by the same actuator in different manners, and the use of the same power source to simultaneously drive the third driving unit and the main decoupling element may make the decoupling control simpler, the decoupling mechanism does not need to separately detect the coupling state, and the main decoupling element and the coupling source (i.e. the third driving unit) receive the same control information, but have different structures on the transmission side.

As shown in fig. 8A, the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B are guided by the third guide wheel 177A, the first guiding portion 1763 and the third guide wheel 177C, respectively, and then enter the long shaft to be extended and connected to the end effector 150. Third drive cable 152A and fourth drive cable 152B are guided by second guide wheel 177B, second guide 1764, and fourth guide wheel 177D, respectively, into the long axis and extend to end effector 150. The fifth driving cable 153A and the sixth driving cable 153B are guided by the fifth guide wheel 177E and the sixth guide wheel 177F, respectively, and then enter the long shaft to extend and connect to the end effector 150, and as for how the first driving cable 151A to the sixth driving cable 153B are connected to the end effector 150, the above description has been given, and the details are not repeated.

The decoupling process as shown in fig. 8D, when third drive unit 173 rotates counterclockwise (first direction) with its shaft 173A, third drive unit 173 pulls in sixth drive cable 153B and simultaneously releases fifth drive cable 153A, causing second carriage 220 of end effector 150 to rotate about axis AA' of second pin 312 as shown in fig. 7A and 7B, and the entire end effector 150 performs a pitch motion. As described above, the wrap angle lengths of the first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B at the fifth and

eighth pulleys

215 and 218, respectively, need to be increased by L at the same time, and at the same time, the wrap angle lengths of the third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B at the sixth and

seventh pulleys

216 and 217 need to be decreased by L at the same time to allow the end effector 150 to smoothly perform the pitch motion. Since the main decoupling element 1761 of the decoupling mechanism rotates coaxially 173 with the third drive unit 173, thus, while the third drive unit 173 rotates counterclockwise about the axis 173A, the main decoupling element 1761 also rotates counterclockwise about the axis 173A, whereupon the main decoupling element 1761 pulls the first decoupling cable 1767 and simultaneously releases the second decoupling cable 1768, provided that the main decoupling element 1761 has rotated through an arc length of L/2, the slave decoupler moves L/2 of the distance in direction a under the pull of the first decoupling cable 1767, at which point due to the slave decoupler's movement, so that the lengths of the first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B within the drive device 170 will be simultaneously reduced by L, i.e. the length of the first pair of cables in the drive unit 170 is decreased by 2L, and correspondingly the length of the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B in the drive unit 170 will be increased by L simultaneously, i.e. the length of the second pair of cables in the drive unit 170 is increased by 2L.

The amount of reduction in the length of the first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B in the drive unit 170 is thus equal to the amount of increase required for the wrap angle lengths of the first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B on the fifth and

eighth pulleys

215 and 218, respectively, and the amount of increase in the length of the third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B in the drive unit 170 is equal to the amount of reduction required for the wrap angle lengths of the third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B on the sixth and

seventh pulleys

216 and 217. Conversely, as shown in fig. 8E, when third drive unit 173 and main decoupling element 1761 are rotated clockwise (in the second direction), the amount of increase in the length of first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B in drive device 170 is equal to the amount of decrease in the wrap angle length of first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B over fifth and

eighth pulleys

215 and 218, respectively, and the amount of decrease in the length of third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B in drive device 170 is equal to the amount of increase in the wrap angle length of third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B over sixth and

seventh pulleys

216 and 217. Whereby the amount of length change of the first and second cables on the end effector side due to end effector pitch motion is provided entirely by the change in length of the first and second cables within the drive device, such that movement of the third pair of cables is no longer limited by the first and second pairs of cables, and the decoupling mechanism effects decoupling of the third pair of cables from the first and second pairs of cables.

In order to allow the decoupling mechanism to precisely and controllably decouple the first and second and third pairs of cables, the primary decoupling element 1761 of the decoupling mechanism drives the secondary decoupling element 176 in a linear motion at all times, and the change in length of the first, second, third and

fourth drive cables

151A, 151B, 152A, 152B caused by the movement of the secondary decoupling element 176 is always linear. As shown in FIGS. 9A-9C, the first decoupling cable 1767 is fixed to one end of the secondary decoupling member 176 in the direction of movement of the secondary decoupling member 176 by a seventh guide pulley 1765, and likewise, the second decoupling cable 1768 is fixed to the other end of the secondary decoupling member 176 in the direction of movement of the secondary decoupling member 176 by an eighth guide pulley 1766, so that movement of the primary decoupling member 1761 will cause the secondary decoupling member 176 to move in a straight line. And the portion of the first decoupling cable 1767 between the seventh guide pulley 1765 and the secondary decoupling member 176 and the portion of the second decoupling cable 1768 between the eighth guide pulley 1766 and the secondary decoupling member 176 are both parallel to the direction of movement of the secondary decoupling member 176, the rate of change of the lengths of the first and

second decoupling cables

1767, 1768 is directly proportional to the linear speed of rotation of the primary decoupling member 1761 during decoupling, and therefore the rate of movement of the secondary decoupling member 176 is also directly proportional to the linear speed of rotation of the primary decoupling member 1761 and the third drive unit 173, thereby providing a precisely controllable decoupling process.

As shown in fig. 8B-8C, the first guide pulley 177A, the first guide 1763 and the third guide pulley 177C are all structures having two pulleys side by side for guiding the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B, respectively, the first drive cable 151A is formed with a first decoupling portion cable 151Ac between the third guide pulley 177C and the first guide 1763, a third decoupling portion cable 151Ad is formed between the first guide 1763 and the first guide pulley 177A, the second drive cable 151B is formed with a second decoupling portion cable 151Bc between the third guide pulley 177C and the first guide 1763, a fourth decoupling portion cable 151Bd is formed between the first guide 1763 and the first guide pulley 177A, and likewise, the second guide pulley 1764, the second guide pulley 177B and the fourth guide pulley 177D are all structures having two pulleys side by side, the third and

fourth drive cables

152A, 152B have, respectively, a fifth and a sixth uncoupling portion cable 152Ac, 152Bc between the fourth and

second guide wheels

177D, 1764 and, respectively, a seventh and an eighth uncoupling portion cable 152Ad, 152Bc between the second and third guide wheels 1764, 1764 (obscured by the seventh uncoupling portion cable 152Ad, not visible in fig. 8A), for a more precise uncoupling it being necessary for the variation in length of the first uncoupling portion cable 151Ac to be equal to that of the second uncoupling portion cable 151Bc during uncoupling, so that the first and second uncoupling portion cables 151Ac, 151Bc respectively form an angle θ equal to that of a plane passing through the axis C1 at the centre of the third guide wheel 177C and perpendicular to the third guide wheel 177C, the fifth and seventh uncoupling portion cables 152Ac, 152Bc also having the same arrangement as the seventh guide wheel 177D, this makes it possible to vary the lengths of the first and second decoupling portion cables 151Ac and 151Bc by the same amount and to vary the lengths of the fifth and seventh decoupling portion cables 152Ac and 152Bc by the same amount during the decoupling process. In addition, since θ is small, the axial distances H1 between the first and second decoupling portion cables 151Ac and 151Bc and the first and fourth guide pulleys 1764 and 177B are substantially equal, and the first and second decoupling portion cables 151Ac and 151Bc are substantially parallel to the moving direction from the decoupling member during the decoupling process, so that the first and second decoupling portion cables 151Ac and 151Bc are less in nonlinear change during the decoupling process due to the first and second decoupling portion cables 151Ac and 151Bc, and more precise decoupling is achieved.

As shown in fig. 8C, the third, fourth, seventh and eighth decoupling portion cables 151Ad, 151Bd, 152Ad and 176 are parallel to the direction of movement of the secondary decoupling member, this allows the speed of the change in length of the third, fourth, seventh and eighth decoupling portion cables 151Ad, 151Bd, 152Ad and 152Ad, which is caused by movement from the decoupling members, to be directly proportional to the speed of movement from the decoupling members 176 during decoupling, so that during decoupling, the speed of change of the length of any one of the first drive cable 151A through the fourth drive cable 152B in the drive device 170 is directly proportional to the speed of movement of the secondary decoupling member 176, which, as described above, is directly proportional to the linear speed of rotation of the primary decoupling member 1761 and the third drive unit 173. During decoupling, the rate of change of the length of any one of first drive cable 151A through fourth drive cable 152B within drive device 170 is also directly proportional to the linear speed of rotation of main decoupling element 1761 and third drive unit 173, such that the amount of change in the length of the first and second pairs of cables in end effector 150 is precisely controlled by main decoupling element 173 and third drive unit 173, resulting in precise and controlled decoupling.

As shown in FIG. 8D for the decoupling process of this embodiment, the primary decoupling member 1761 is rotated counterclockwise by an arc length L/2 relative to the state shown in FIG. 9A, moving a corresponding distance L/2 in the A direction from the decoupling member 176, and the lengths of the first decoupling portion cable 151Ac, the third decoupling portion cable 151Ad, the second decoupling portion cable 151Bc and the fourth decoupling portion cable 151Bd are simultaneously decreased by L/2, such that the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B are simultaneously decreased by the length L in the drive device 170, i.e., the first pair of cables are decreased by 2L in length in the drive device. Likewise, the lengths of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth decouplers cables 152Ac, 152Ad, 152Bc are simultaneously increased by L/2, so that the third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B are simultaneously increased by the length L in the drive unit 170, i.e., the length of the second pair of cables in the drive unit is increased by 2L.

Returning again to fig. 7A, if the radius of the second pulley set is R1 in this embodiment, the groove bottom radius of the annular groove 319A of the pitch wheel 319 of the second bracket 220 for receiving and guiding the fifth drive cable 153A and the sixth drive cable 153B is R1, and the fifth drive cable 153A or the sixth drive cable 153B can form a wrap angle in the annular groove when the end effector 150 is pitched. During rotation of end effector 150 from the null state shown in fig. 5D to the state shown in fig. 7A, if end effector 150 is pitched at an angle α, the wrap angle length of fifth drive cable 153A in annular groove 319A on pitch wheel 319 is increased by L1, and the wrap angle length of sixth drive cable 153B in annular groove 319A on pitch wheel 319 is simultaneously decreased by L1, where L1 is α R1, since the pitching motion of end effector 150 is driven by third drive unit 173 within drive device 170, as shown in fig. 8D, in which case if third drive unit 173 is such that the angle of the pitching motion of end effector 150 is α, rotated counterclockwise (first direction) by an angle β, third drive unit 173 releases fifth drive cable 153A and simultaneously retracts sixth drive cable 153B, such that the length of fifth drive cable 153A around third drive unit 173 is decreased by L1, the sixth drive cable 153B is wound around the third drive unit 173 with an increased length of L1, where L1 ═ β R2. As the main decoupling element 1761 and the third drive unit 173 rotate coaxially, the main decoupling element 1761 releases the first decoupling cable 1767 and simultaneously pulls the second decoupling cable 1768, so that the length of the first decoupling cable 1767 around the main decoupling element 1761 decreases by L/2, i.e. the first decoupling cable 1767 is released by L/2, the length of the second decoupling cable 1768 around the main decoupling element 1761 increases by L/2, wherein L/2 β r2, so that the carriage 1762 moves in the a direction by L/2, so that the lengths of the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B in the drive unit 170 decrease by L, respectively, and the lengths of the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B in the drive unit 170 increase by L, respectively, as can be seen from the foregoing, L α r 1. In summary, through the above four equations: l1 ═ α × R1, L1 ═ β R2, L/2 ═ β R2, and L ═ α R1, the following relationships can be obtained:

the above relation shows that the ratio of the radius of the third drive unit 173 to the radius of the main decoupling element 1761 is 2 times the ratio of the groove bottom radius of the annular groove 319A of the pitch wheel 319 to the radius of the second pulley block, which 2 times relationship is caused by the fact that the secondary decoupling element has 2 guides, namely a first guide 1763 and a second guide 1764. In other embodiments, the number of guides of the secondary decoupling member 176 may be other numbers, so that the relationship between the ratio of the radius of the third drive unit to the radius of the primary decoupling member and the ratio of the radius of the pitch wheel to the radius of the second pulley block varies, for example the secondary decoupling member may have N guides, the ratio of the radius of the third drive unit to the radius of the primary decoupling member being N times the ratio of the radius of the groove bottom of the annular groove of the pitch wheel to the radius of the second pulley block, i.e.:

however, the increase in the number of guides of the secondary decoupling element corresponds to a corresponding increase in the volume of the secondary decoupling element, and it is preferable to use 2 guides for the secondary decoupling element in the above-described embodiment. It will be understood that the radius of the drive unit and the radius of the primary decoupling element both refer to the radius of the part of the drive cable or the decoupling cable wound thereon, for example the radius of the winch, and the radius of the pulley refers to the radius of the groove bottom of the pulley, and that the wrap angle length of the drive cable wound on the pulley can be calculated to the power, although in different documents the radii of the pulley are explained differently (for example the radius of the groove bottom, the radius of the groove bottom), but the radius of the pulley in the invention is a parameter for measuring the wrap angle length of the drive cable wound on the pulley.

The amount of length change of the first and second pairs of cables on the end effector 150 side required for the end effector 150 to tilt is thus all provided by the decoupling mechanism 176 causing the amount of length change of the first and second pairs of cables within the drive device 170 to be accurately provided so that the movement of the third pair of cables is no longer limited by the first and second pairs of cables, thereby achieving precise decoupling between the third pair of cables and the first and second pairs of cables. The lengths of the first, second, third and fourth partial cables 151Aa, 151Ba, 152Aa, 153Ba can be maintained constant throughout the entire decoupling process, the tension of the entire first and second pairs of cables can be maintained constant throughout the entire decoupling process, and the first and

second drive units

171, 172 are completely independent of the third drive unit 173 since only the shaft 173A of the third drive unit 173 moves throughout the entire decoupling process. In addition, since the main decoupling element 1761 and the coupling source, i.e. the third drive unit 173, causing the coupling relationship to rotate coaxially, so that the main decoupling element 1761 and the coupling source, i.e. the third drive unit 173, move at the same angular velocity, and move completely and synchronously physically, no main operation is required to be provided for the signal control decoupling mechanism, the movement of the decoupling mechanism and the movement of the coupling source operate synchronously, the decoupling mechanism synchronizes the third drive unit for decoupling without any delay, and the length change of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on the side of the end effector 150, which is caused by the coupling source, i.e. the third drive unit 173, can be completely and accurately mapped to the length change of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on the decoupling mechanism 176, so that the decoupling mechanism 176 can completely and accurately release the coupling relationship between the third pair of cables and the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables, by accurately decoupled is meant how much the third drive unit rotates and how far the driven member moves from the decoupled member, the relationship between which is determined, and the radius ratio equations are given. In addition, because the secondary decoupling member 176 is always driven by the primary decoupling member 1761 to move to a corresponding position, rather than being driven by the first or second pair of cables, the first and second pairs of cables are substantially unstressed by the secondary decoupling member throughout the decoupling process, so that the tension on the first and second pairs of cables is substantially constant during the decoupling process, increasing the useful life of the first and second pairs of cables and the accuracy of control of the end effector 150.

Fig. 9A and 9B show a drive arrangement 270 of another embodiment of the invention, the drive arrangement 270B comprising a first drive unit 271, a second drive unit 272, a third drive unit 273, a third drive unit 274 and a decoupling mechanism 276, the first drive unit 271, when rotating with its shaft 271A, the first driving unit 271 takes in or releases the first driving cable 151A or the second driving cable 151B to rotate the first clamping part 230 about the third pin 313, as the actuator within the instrument mount 132 drives the second drive unit 272 to rotate with its shaft 272A, the second drive unit 272 pulls or releases the second drive cable 152A or the third drive cable 152B to rotate the second gripper 240 about the third pin 313, and the first gripper 230 and the second gripper 240 move about the third pin 313 such that the end effector 150 performs an opening and closing and/or yaw motion. When the actuator within the instrument mount 132 drives the third drive unit 273 to rotate with its shaft 273A, the third drive unit 173, upon retraction or release of the fifth drive cable 153A or sixth drive cable 153B, rotates the second carriage 220 about the second pin axis AA' to effect the end effector 150 to perform a pitch motion.

The decoupling mechanism 276 includes a master decoupling member 2761 and a slave decoupling member, the master decoupling member 2761 is a gear that rotates coaxially with the third driving unit 273, the slave decoupling member includes a rack 2762 and a first guide 2763 and a second guide 2764 connected to both ends of the rack 2762, the first and

second driving cables

151A and 151B pass through the first guide 2763 of the slave decoupling member and enter the long shaft 160, and the

second driving cables

152A and 152B pass through the second guide 2764 of the slave decoupling member and enter the long shaft 160.

As shown in fig. 9B, when the third driving unit 273 and the main decoupling member 273 rotate together with the shaft 273A counterclockwise, the third driving unit 273 pulls the sixth driving cable 153B while releasing the fifth driving cable 153A, the end effector 150 performs the pitching motion as shown in fig. 7A and 7B, and at the same time, if the main decoupling member 2761 rotates counterclockwise by an arc length of L/2, the length of the movement in the a direction from the decoupling member driven by the main decoupling member 2761 is also L/2, the lengths of the first and

second driving cables

151A and 151B between the first and

second guide portions

2763 and 277A and between the first and

third guide portions

2763 and 277C are all reduced by L/2 at the same time, the lengths of the third and

fourth driving cables

152A and 152B between the second and second guide portions 2764 and 277B and the second guide wheel 277B and the length of the second and fourth guide portions 2764 and 277D are increased by L/277, so that the length of the first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B in the drive unit 270 decreases by L as a whole and the length of the third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B in the drive unit 270 increases by L as a whole. Decoupling mechanism 276 in drive device 270 thus provides the amount of change in the length of first drive cables 151A through fourth drive cables 152B on the side of end effector 150 required for the pitch movement of end effector 150, thereby decoupling the third pair of cables from the first and second pairs of cables and freeing the third pair of cables from the first and/or second pairs of cables from limiting movement.

Fig. 10A and 10B show a driving device 370 according to another embodiment of the present invention, the driving device 270B includes a first driving unit 371, a second driving unit 372, a third driving unit 373, a fourth driving unit 374, and a decoupling mechanism 376, and except that the structure of the decoupling mechanism 376 is different from that of the two embodiments, other components are substantially the same as those of the two embodiments, and are not repeated here. The decoupling mechanism 376 includes a main decoupling member 3761 coaxially rotating with the third driving unit 373, a decoupling cam 3762 fixedly connected to or integrally formed with the main decoupling member 3761, and a first guide 3763 and a second guide 3764 respectively connected to two ends of the decoupling cam 3762.

As shown in fig. 10B, when primary decoupling element 3761 rotates counterclockwise with shaft 373A with third drive unit 373, third drive unit 373 pulls sixth drive cable 153B and simultaneously releases fifth drive cable 153A, end effector 150 performs a pitch motion as shown in fig. 7A-7C, and at the same time, decoupling cam 3762 also rotates counterclockwise with shaft 373A under the drive of primary decoupling element 3761, thereby decreasing the length of first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B between first and

third guide wheels

377A and 377C by L, while increasing the length of third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B between second and

fourth guide wheels

377B and 377D by L, and thus decoupling mechanism 376 within drive device 370 may provide the amount of change in the length of end effector 150 on the side of end effector 150 from first to fourth drive cables 151A through 152B required for a pitch motion, thereby, the coupling relation between the third pair of cables and the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables is released, and the movement of the third pair of cables is not limited by the first pair of cables and/or the second pair of cables.

Fig. 11A-11E illustrate a drive device 570 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the drive device 570 is provided with a first drive device 570 comprising a body 578 and a first drive unit 571, a second drive unit 572, a third drive unit 573 and a fourth drive unit 774 arranged on a body 778, wherein proximal ends of the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B are wound around the first drive unit 571 in an opposite manner, proximal ends of the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B are wound around the second drive unit 572 in an opposite manner, and proximal ends of the fifth drive cable 153A and the sixth drive cable 153B are wound around the third drive unit 573 in an opposite manner.

To better illustrate the relationship between the master decoupler 5761 and the slave decoupler 5762, fig. 11B does not show the third drive unit, as shown in fig. 11B, the drive device 570 further comprises a mount 577 and a decoupling mechanism disposed on the mount 577, the decoupling mechanism comprises the master decoupler 5761 and the slave decoupler 5762, the master decoupler 5761 and the third drive unit 5762 are disposed on the same rotational axis 573A, the master decoupler 5761 is a cam that rotates at the same angular velocity as the third drive unit 5762, the slave decoupler 5762 comprises the carriage 5765 and first and

second guides

5763, 5764 mounted on the carriage 5765, and similarly to the previous embodiment, the drive device 570 further comprises first, second, third and

fourth guide wheels

576A, 576B, 576C, 576D disposed on the mount 577. The rotation axis of the first guide wheel 576A is parallel to the rotation axis of the first guide portion 5763, and the rotation axis of the fourth guide wheel 576D is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the first guide wheel 576A and the rotation axis of the first guide portion 5763. The rotation axis of the second guide wheel 576B is parallel to the rotation axis of the second guide portion 5764, and the rotation axis of the third guide wheel 576C is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the second guide wheel 576B and the rotation axis of the second guide portion 5764. First drive cable 151A and second drive cable 151B are redirected by first guide wheel 576A, then directed by first guide 5763 of decoupling member 5762, then directed by third guide 576C, then exit drive device 570 into major axis 160, third drive cable 152A and fourth drive cable 152B are redirected by first guide wheel 576A, then directed by decoupling member 5762, then directed by third guide 576C, then exit drive device 570 into major axis 160, and fifth drive cable 153A and sixth drive cable 153B are redirected by fifth guide wheel 576E, then enter major axis 160.

As shown in fig. 11C, the mount 577 includes a first boss 5771 and a second boss 5772, the mount 577 is mounted to the main body 578 by the first boss 5771, and the first guide wheel 576A, the second guide wheel 576B, the third guide wheel 576C, the fourth guide wheel 576D, and the fifth guide wheel 576E are mounted to the second boss 5772. The slave decoupler 5762 includes a carriage 5765 and first and

second guides

5763, 5764 mounted on the carriage 5765, the first guide 5763 for coupling the first and

second drive cables

151A, 151B to the slave decoupler 5762 and the second guide 5764 for coupling the third and

fourth drive cables

152A, 152B to the slave decoupler 5762. The carriage 5765 includes a first opening 5766 and a second opening 5767, the first opening 5766 is for receiving the main decoupling member 5761, the second opening 5767 is for receiving a second boss 5771 of the mounting base 577, and a sidewall of the second boss 5771 cooperates with a sidewall of the second opening 5767 to restrict movement of the carriage 5765 in a vertical sliding direction.

Referring back to fig. 11B, the sliding frame 5765 has a first protrusion 5768 and a second protrusion 5769 extending into the first opening 5766, the main decoupling member 5761 abuts against the first protrusion 5768 and the second protrusion 5769 in the first opening 5766, and the first protrusion 5768 and the second protrusion 5769 can move on the outer contour of the main decoupling member 5761 when the main decoupling member 5761 rotates, so that the sliding frame 5765 slides on the mounting seat 577. As shown in fig. 11D, the main decoupling member 5761 includes a first cam 5761A and a second cam 5761B fixed to the rotating shaft 573A, each of the first cam 5761A and the second cam 5761B is a half-heart cam, the second cam 5761B and the first cam 4761 have the same outer profile on the plane of the vertical shaft 573A, the outer profile of the first cam 5761A on the plane of the vertical shaft 573A includes a heart-shaped involute S1 and a first arc S2 and a second arc S3 at both ends of the involute S1, the first arc S2 has a different radius from the second arc S3, the distance from the involute S1 to the shaft center of the rotating shaft 473A has a gradually increasing distance from the first arc S2 toward the second arc S3, and the involute S1 has the following curve: that is, the change amount P of the distance from the involute S1 to the axis of the rotating shaft 473A is in a linear relationship with the angle θ 1 by which the first cam 5761A rotates with the shaft 473A, where K1 × θ 1+ K2, where K1 and K2 are constant, so that when the main decoupling member 5761 rotates at an even speed, the distance from the contact point of the first protrusion 5768 with the involute S1 of the first cam 5761 to the rotating shaft 573A and the distance from the contact point of the second protrusion 5768 with the involute S1' of the second cam to the rotating shaft 573A also change linearly at an even speed. The first cam 5761A and the second cam 5761B together form a heart-shaped cam-type main decoupling member 5761, the first cam 5761A and the second cam 5761B are vertically staggered in the axial direction of the cams, the first cam 5761A is in fit movement with the first lug 5768 of the carriage 5761, and the second cam 5761B is in fit movement with the second lug 5768 of the carriage 5761, so that the main decoupling member 5761 drives the movement of the secondary decoupling member 5762 to release the coupling relationship between the first pair of cables and the second and third pairs of cables.

The decoupling of drive arrangement 570 is illustrated in fig. 11E, with third drive unit 473 (not shown in fig. 11E) being driven to rotate counterclockwise (first direction) from the null position of fig. 11B to the extreme position of fig. 11E by the actuator, with third drive unit 473 retracting sixth drive cable 153B and simultaneously releasing fifth drive cable 153A, with end effector 150 being moved in pitch as illustrated in fig. 7A and 7B. Since the main decoupling member 4761 is provided on the same rotation shaft 473A as the third drive unit 473, and therefore the main decoupling member 4761 also moves counterclockwise, the first cam 4761a of the main decoupling member 4761 rotates counterclockwise so that the first convex body 5768 moves on the involute S1 of the first cam 4761a in the direction in which the distance to the rotation shaft 473A on the involute S1 increases, and conversely, the second cam 4761B of the main decoupling member 4761 rotates counterclockwise so that the first convex body 5768 moves on the involute S1 of the second cam 4761B in the direction in which the distance to the rotation shaft 473A on the involute S1 decreases, and since the inner wall of the second opening 5767 of the carriage 5765 cooperates with the mount 577 to restrict the movement of the carriage 5765 in the direction perpendicular to the a direction, the carriage 5765 is driven by the main decoupling member 4761 to move linearly in the a direction.

The carriage 5765 also has a first guide portion 5763 to which the first pair of cables is attached and a second guide portion 5764 to which the second pair of cables is attached, in order to provide that the change in length of the first and second pairs of cables within the drive device caused by movement of the carriage 5765 is linear, and similarly to the embodiment shown in fig. 8B and 8C, the direction of movement of the carriage 5765 is parallel to the portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide wheel 576A and the first guide portion 5763 and the direction of movement of the carriage 5765 is parallel to the portion of the second pair of cables between the second guide wheel 576B and the second guide portion 5764. The angle of the portion of the first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B between first and

fourth guide portions

5763 and 576D is equal to the angle of the line along direction a, and likewise, the angle of the portion of the third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B between second and

third guide portions

5764 and 576C is equal to the angle of the line along direction a, and if carriage 5765 is moved in direction a by the distance L/2 under the drive of main decoupling member 5761 in the position of fig. 11E, the length of first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B between first and

second guide portions

576A and 5763 is reduced by L/2 and the length between first and

fourth guide portions

5763 and 576D is also reduced by L/2, such that the length of first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B within drive unit 570 is reduced by L, i.e., the length of the first pair of cables within the drive device 570 is reduced by 2L. The length of the third and

fourth drive cables

152A, 152B between the second guide wheels 576B and the second guide wheels 576C is increased by L/2, so that the length of the third and

fourth drive cables

152A, 152B within the drive device 570 is increased by L, i.e., the length of the second pair of cables within the drive device 570 is increased by 2L. The decoupling mechanism in drive device 570 thereby provides the amount of change in the length of first drive cable 151A, second drive cable 151B, third drive cable 152A, and fourth drive cable 152B on one side of end effector 150 required for the pitch movement of end effector 150, thereby decoupling the third pair of cables from the first and second pairs of cables and allowing the movement of the third pair of cables to be unrestricted by the first and second drive cables, thereby allowing end effector 150 to smoothly perform the pitch operation.

If the main decoupling element 5761 continues to rotate, so that the carriage 5765 moves into the extreme position, in which case the first projection 5798 leaves the involute S1 of the first cam 5761A and enters the second circular arc S3, and the second projection 5769 leaves the involute S1 'of the second cam 5761B and enters the first circular arc S2', while the distance from the contact point of the first projection 5798 with the first cam 5761A to the rotation axis 573A no longer changes as the first projection 5798 moves over the first circular arc S1 and the second circular arc S2 of the first cam 5761A, and likewise the distance from the contact point of the second projection 5798 with the first cam 5761A to the rotation axis 573A no longer changes as the second projection 5798 moves over the first circular arc S1 'and the second circular arc S2' of the second cam 5761B, so that the carriage 5765 no longer moves in the a direction, and the carriage 5765 is in the extreme position of movement in the a direction, so that there is a decoupling of the first arc S5729S 1 of the main cam 5761B S1 'and second arcs S2, S2' cause the main decoupling 5761 to rotate to the limit position and continue to rotate and move the carriage. In contrast, when the main decoupling member 5761 rotates clockwise, the movement of the first cam 5761A, the second cam 5761B and the carriage is opposite to the counterclockwise movement of the main decoupling member 5761, and thus, the description thereof is omitted.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept, which falls within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument comprising an end effector, a drive device configured to drive movement of the end effector via a cable, the cable comprising first and second pairs of cables for driving the end effector to perform a yaw movement, and a third pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform a pitch movement, the drive device comprising:

a drive unit to which the proximal ends of the third pair of cables are connected, the drive unit manipulating the pitch motion of the end effector via the third pair of cables;

the decoupling mechanism comprises a main decoupling piece and a secondary decoupling piece, the main decoupling piece is coaxially arranged with the driving unit, the secondary decoupling piece comprises a sliding frame used for abutting against the main decoupling piece, the secondary decoupling piece further comprises a first guide part and a second guide part which are arranged at two ends of the sliding frame and respectively used for guiding the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables, the main decoupling piece is used for coaxially rotating with the driving unit and pushing the sliding frame to move so as to increase the length of one pair of cables in the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables in the driving device and reduce the length of the other pair of cables in the driving device, and therefore the driving unit drives the end effector to execute pitching movement.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the carriage has a first opening formed therein for receiving the primary decoupling member, the primary decoupling member being configured to abut the carriage within the first opening and drive the carriage in a linear motion.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 2, wherein rotation of the drive unit and the main decoupling in a first direction increases the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector and decreases the length of the second pair of cables on the end effector, and wherein the carriage is moved under the urging of the main decoupling to decrease the length of the first pair of cables in the drive device and increase the length of the second pair of cables in the drive device.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 3, wherein rotation of the drive unit and the main decoupling in a second direction opposite the first direction decreases the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector and increases the length of the second pair of cables on the end effector, and wherein the carriage moves under the urging of the main decoupling to increase the length of the first pair of cables within the drive device and decrease the length of the second pair of cables within the drive device.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 4, wherein rotation of the drive unit and the main decoupling in the first direction or the second direction causes the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector to vary by an amount equal to four times a distance traveled by the main decoupling within the drive device.

6. The surgical instrument of claim 2, wherein the carriage has a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the cam structure includes a first cam and a second cam disposed offset from each other up and down an axial direction of the main decoupling member, and the main decoupling member rotates such that the first cam abuts the first protrusion and the second cam abuts the second protrusion to move the carriage.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 6, wherein a projected outer profile of the first cam and/or the second cam on a plane perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the main decoupling member has an involute curve, and an amount of change in a distance of the involute curve from the axis of rotation of the main decoupling member when the main decoupling member rotates has a linearly changing relationship with an angle through which the main decoupling member rotates about the axis of rotation.

8. A slave manipulator apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a robotic arm on which the surgical instrument is mounted and a surgical instrument according to any of claims 1-7 for manipulating the surgical instrument in motion.

9. A surgical robot comprising a master operation console and a slave operation device according to claim 8, wherein the slave operation device performs a corresponding operation according to an instruction of the master operation console.