CN112535534A

CN112535534A - Surgical instrument, slave operation device, and surgical robot

Info

Publication number: CN112535534A
Application number: CN202110015212.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 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: 2021-01-06
Publication date: 2021-03-23
Also published as: CN112043393A; WO2022068208A1; CN112545658A

Abstract

The invention provides a surgical instrument, a slave operation device and a surgical robot, wherein the surgical instrument comprises an end effector, a driving device and a cable, the driving device is configured to drive the end effector to move through the cable, the cable comprises a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform yaw movement and a third pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform pitch movement, 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 because the yaw movement is orthogonal to the pitch movement, the driving device is provided with a decoupling mechanism for relieving the coupling relation, the decoupling mechanism comprises a main decoupling piece, a sliding frame and a guide mechanism, the main decoupling piece drives the sliding frame to move along the direction guided by the guide mechanism, so that the lengths of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables in the driving device are changed according to the pitch movement of the end effector, thereby releasing the coupling relationship.

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 manipulator and a surgical robot having the surgical instrument, wherein the surgical instrument includes an end effector, a driving device and cables, the cables include 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 the driving device includes:

a guide mechanism including a first guide portion and a second guide portion;

a drive unit, one end of said third pair of cables being connected to said third drive unit, said drive unit manipulating the pitch motion of said end effector via said third pair of cables;

a decoupling mechanism including a master decoupling member and a slave decoupling member, the slave decoupling member including a carriage, the first guide coupled to the carriage, the first guide for cooperating with the second guide to move in a guide direction relative to the second guide, the master decoupling member for driving the carriage to move in the guide direction to increase a length of one of the first and second pairs of cables within the drive device and to decrease a length of the other of the first and second pairs of cables within the drive device such that the drive unit drives the end effector to perform a pitch motion.

Preferably, the driving device further includes a mount on which the carriage is slidably disposed, the second guide portion being mounted on the mount.

Preferably, the first guide portion includes a straight shaft, and the second guide portion includes an outer cylinder, the straight shaft being inserted into the outer cylinder, the straight shaft being configured to move linearly with respect to the outer cylinder.

Preferably, the mounting seat is further provided with a mounting hole for mounting the outer cylinder, one end of the mounting hole is provided with a first opening with an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the outer cylinder, the other end of the mounting hole is provided with a bottom abutting against the outer cylinder, and the bottom is provided with a second opening for the straight shaft to pass through.

Preferably, the inner diameter of the second opening is smaller than the inner diameter of the first opening.

Preferably, the guide mechanism further comprises a baffle plate, and the baffle plate is arranged at the first opening and used for fixing the outer cylinder in the mounting hole.

Preferably, the baffle plate is provided with a third opening, and the third opening is used for allowing the straight shaft to pass through.

Preferably, the third port has an inner diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the second opening.

Preferably, the carriage includes a first arm and a second arm, and the straight shaft is connected between the first arm and the second arm.

Preferably, the carriage further comprises a third arm connected to the first arm and the second arm.

Preferably, the straight axis is parallel to the third arm.

Preferably, the first arm and the second arm are respectively provided with a first guiding portion and a second guiding portion, and the first guiding portion and the second guiding portion are respectively used for guiding the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables.

Preferably, the mounting seat is provided with a wire inlet, the first pair of cables to the third pair of cables extend to the end effector through the wire inlet, and the first arm and the second arm are respectively located on two sides of the wire inlet.

Preferably, the first guide portion includes a slide rail fixedly connected to the carriage, and the second guide portion includes a first guide wheel and a second guide wheel aligned with each other, and the slide rail is slidably mounted on the first guide wheel and the second guide wheel.

Preferably, the slave decoupler further comprises a decoupling cable, and the master decoupler drives the carriage to move via the decoupling cable.

Preferably, a guide assembly is arranged on the carriage, one end of the decoupling cable is fixed on the main decoupling piece, and the other end of the decoupling cable is fixed on the mounting seat after being guided by the guide assembly.

Preferably, the decoupling cable includes a first decoupling cable and a second decoupling cable, the guide assembly includes a third guide portion and a fourth guide portion respectively disposed at two ends of the carriage, the other end of the first decoupling cable is guided by the third guide portion and then fixed to the mounting base, and the other end of the second decoupling cable is guided by the fourth guide portion and then fixed to the mounting base.

Preferably, the cable section of the first decoupling cable between the third guide and the mounting is parallel to the first guide means.

Preferably, the decoupling mechanism further comprises a fifth guide part, and the first decoupling cable is guided by the fifth guide part and then is connected to the mounting seat after being guided by the third guide part.

Preferably, the cable section of the first decoupling cable between the fifth and third guides is parallel to the first guide means.

Preferably, the mounting base is further provided with a first guide wheel, the first pair of cables are guided by the first guide wheel and then extend to the end effector by the guide of the first guide portion, and the movement direction of the carriage is parallel to the portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide wheel and the first guide portion.

Preferably, the rate of change in length of the first or second pair of cables as a result of movement of the carriage is directly proportional to the linear speed of rotation of the primary decoupling member.

Preferably, the main decoupling member is disposed coaxially with the drive unit.

Preferably, the main decoupling member rotates coaxially with the drive unit.

A slave manipulator apparatus comprising a robotic arm and a surgical instrument as described above, the surgical instrument being mounted on the robotic arm for manipulating movement of the surgical instrument.

A surgical robot comprises a master operation device and the slave operation device, and the slave operation device executes corresponding operation according to instructions of the master operation device.

The surgical instrument uses the mechanical structure to release the coupling relation 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, and uses the guide mechanism to guide the motion of the decoupling mechanism, so that the return clearance of the decoupling mechanism in the decoupling process is eliminated, the coupling relation between the driving cables for controlling the pitching motion and the yawing motion of the end effector can be more accurately and controllably released, and the program algorithm of the whole surgical robot can be reduced 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 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7A in a pitch-yaw-opening and closing 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 the drive apparatus of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11C is a perspective view of the driven device shown in FIG. 11A, showing the slave decoupler and the mount;

FIG. 11D is an exploded view of the slave decoupler and the mount shown in FIG. 11C;

fig. 11E is a perspective view of a carriage of the drive device shown in fig. 11A;

FIG. 11F is a schematic illustration of a decoupling process of the drive arrangement of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 12A is a perspective view of a driven apparatus of another embodiment of the present invention from a decoupling member and a mounting base;

FIG. 12B is an exploded view of FIG. 12A;

fig. 12C is a side view of the mount in fig. 12A and 12B.

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 support 314 and a second support 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 support 314 and the second support 315 extend from the other end of the base frame 316 toward the distal end of the end effector 150, and the first support 314, the second support 315 and the base frame 316 form a substantially U-shaped clamp 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 the third drive cable 152A is routed through the rear portion of the second pulley 212 and then extends toward the distal end of the end effector 150, and is routed through the front portion of the sixth pulley 216 and then continues toward the distal end of the end instrument 150 and is secured to the second grip 240. the distal end of the fourth drive cable 152B is routed through the rear portion of the third pulley 213 and then continues toward the distal end of the end instrument 150 and transitions over the 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 for the first drive cable 151A, a second through-hole 219B for the passage of a sixth portion of cables 151Bb for the second drive cable 151B, a third through-hole 219c for the passage of a seventh portion of cables 152Ab for the third drive cable 152A, a fourth through-hole 219d for the passage of an eighth portion of cables 152Bb for 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 151A and the end effector 151B must be simultaneously pitched The length of third drive cable 152A and fourth drive cable 152B must be reduced or increased simultaneously at the end effector, so 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, wherein the main console 200 controls the third driving unit to drive the third pair of cables, and also 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 Loop-through, it is possible to achieve decoupling by implementing the motion 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 drive unit 173 may receive the drive from the same power source, i.e. the actuator in the slave operation device, in other embodiments, the main decoupling element and the third drive unit are disposed on different rotation axes, but still receive the same source of drive force as the third drive unit, for example, the main decoupling element and the third drive unit are respectively connected and driven by different manners on the same actuator, and the use of the same power source to simultaneously drive the third drive unit and the main decoupling element may make the decoupling control simpler, the decoupling mechanism does not need to separately detect the coupling state, the main decoupling element and the coupling source (i.e. the third drive unit) receive the same control information, but the structures on the transmission side are different.

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, are coaxially and rotationally moved, 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 are physically and completely synchronized to move, 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 are synchronized, 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 10B illustrate a drive device 270 of another embodiment of the present invention, the drive device 270B including 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, pulls or releases the first drive cable 151A or the second drive cable 151B to rotate the first clamp 230 about the third pin 313, when an 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 clamp 240 about the third pin 313, the first clamp 230 and the second clamp 240 moving about the third pin 313 causing the end effector 150 to perform an opening and/or a yawing 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 driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B between the first guide 2763 and the first guide wheel 277A and between the first guide 2763 and the third guide wheel 277C are all reduced by L/2 at the same time, the lengths of the third driving cable 152A and the fourth driving cable 152B between the second guide 2764 and the second guide wheel 277B and between the second guide 2764 and the fourth guide wheel 277B and the length of the second guide 2764 and the fourth guide wheel 277D 2 are increased at the same time, 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 11B 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 first to fourth drive cables 151A through 152B on the side of end effector 150 required by end effector 150 for the 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-11F show a driving device according to another embodiment of the present invention, the driving device 470 includes a body 478, the body 478 is provided with a first driving unit 471, a second driving unit 472, a third driving unit 473 and a fourth driving unit 474, the long shaft 160 is connected with the body 478 by bearings, the decoupling mechanism 476 includes a main decoupling member 4761 and a secondary decoupling member 4762, the main decoupling member 4761 and the third driving unit 473 are both connected on a shaft 476A, the main decoupling member 4761 rotates coaxially with the third driving unit 473 along with the shaft 473A, the main decoupling member 4761 is disposed at the lower part of the third driving unit 473, i.e., the main decoupling member 4761 is closer to the distal end of the driving device than the third driving unit 473. The secondary decoupling member 4762 includes a carriage 4765 and a first guide 4763 and a second guide 4764 provided at both ends of the carriage 4765, the carriage 4765 is slidably attached to a mount 477, the mount 477 is fixedly mounted on the body 478, a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the carriage 4765 is provided on the mount 477, the guide mechanism restrains the movement of the carriage 4765 in a guide direction, the guide mechanism includes a first guide portion and a second guide portion cooperating with the first guide portion, the second guide portion includes a first guide wheel 476A, a second guide wheel 476B, a third guide wheel 476C, and a fourth guide wheel 476D, the first guide wheel 476A, the second guide wheel 476B, the third guide wheel 476C, and the fourth guide wheel 476D form a sliding region in which the carriage 4765 slides, whereby the carriage 4765 can be restrained to slide in the sliding region on the mount 477.

The first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B are wound around the first drive unit 471 in opposite winding manners, and the first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B are guided by the first guide 477A provided in the mounting block 477, guided by the first guide 4763 provided in the carriage 4765, guided by the third guide 477C provided in the mounting block 477, introduced into the long shaft 160, and extended along the distal end of the long shaft 160 and finally fixed to the first clip 230 of the end effector 150. Third drive cable 152A and fourth drive cable 152B are routed around second drive unit 472 in opposite turns, and third drive cable 152A and fourth drive cable 152B are routed through second guide 477B provided on the mount, then through second guide 4764 provided on the carriage 4765, then through fourth guide 477D provided on the mount 477, then into elongated shaft 160, and extend all the way along the distal end of elongated shaft 160 and are finally secured to second gripper 240 of end effector 150. Five drive cables 153A and sixth drive cable 153B are guided by fifth guide wheel 477E and enter long shaft 160, extend all the way along the distal end of long shaft 160 and are finally fixed to second bracket 220. The other ends of the seventh and

eighth drive cables

154A, 154B routed around the fourth drive unit 474 are routed around the proximal end of the elongated shaft 160. As with the previous embodiments, the third pair of cables is also coupled to the first and second pairs of cables on the end effector side.

The mounting 477 includes a first boss 4771, the mounting 477 is fixed to the body 478 by the first boss 4771, and a second boss 4772, a third boss 4773, and a fourth boss 4774 are disposed on the first boss 4771. The second boss 4772 has a first mounting hole 4791 and a second mounting hole 4792 therein, and the second guide pulley 476B and the third guide pulley 476C are mounted to the second boss 4772 through the second mounting hole 4792 and the first mounting hole 4791, respectively. The third bosses 4773 have third and fourth mounting

holes

4793 and 4794, and the first and

second guide wheels

477A and 477B are mounted to the third bosses 4773 through the third and fourth mounting

holes

4793 and 4794, respectively. The fourth boss 4774 has a fifth mounting hole 4795 formed therein, and the first guide wheel 476A and a sixth guide wheel 4769 located below the first guide wheel 4796A are mounted by the same shaft in the sixth mounting hole 4796. the sixth guide wheel 4796 is used to guide the first and

second decoupling cables

4767 and 4768. The fifth boss 4775 has a seventh mounting hole 4797 therein, and the fourth guide wheel 476D is mounted to the fifth boss 4775 through a ninth mounting hole 4799. To maintain the first and

fourth guide wheels

476A, 476D at the same height when mounted to the mount 477, the fourth and

fifth bosses

4774, 4775 have a height differential that is approximately equal to the height of the sixth deflector 4769.

The mounting block 477 further has first and second mounting

posts

4776 and 4777, the first and second mounting

posts

4776 and 4777 are disposed diagonally opposite each other, the first and second mounting

posts

4776 and 4777 are disposed with a sixth mounting hole 4796 and a seventh mounting hole 4797, a fifth guide wheel 477E is mounted to the first and second mounting

posts

4776 and 4777 through the sixth mounting hole 4796, a stopper pin 477F for preventing the fifth and

sixth drive cables

153A and 153B from being detached from the fifth guide wheel 477E is mounted to the first and second mounting

posts

4776 and 4777 through the seventh mounting hole 4797, the first and second mounting

posts

4776 and 4777 are disposed diagonally opposite each other so that the fifth guide wheel 477E can guide the drive cables from the diagonal direction.

Mounting grooves 4798 and a wire passing hole 4775 are formed between the first mounting post 4776 and the second mounting post 4777 and the third boss 4773, third guide wheel 477C and the fourth guide wheel 477D are mounted on the mounting seat 477 through the mounting groove 4795, the wire passing hole 4775 is positioned between the third guide wheel 477C and the fourth guide wheel 477D mounted on the mounting seat 477 at the mounting groove 4798, and the wire passing hole 4775 is communicated with the long shaft 160 for guiding the driving cable into the long shaft 160.

As shown in fig. 11C and 11E, a first slide rail 4766A and a second slide rail 4766B are provided from both sides of a carriage 4765 of the decoupler 4762, and after the carriage 4765 is attached to the mount 477, the first slide rail 4766A and the second slide rail 4766B can slide within a sliding region formed by a first guide wheel 476A, a second guide wheel 476B, a third guide wheel 476C, and a fourth guide wheel 476D, the first slide rail 4766A is slidably provided on the aligned second guide wheel 476B and third guide wheel 476C, and the second slide rail is slidably provided on the aligned first guide wheel 476A and fourth guide wheel 476D. Both ends of the carriage 4765 have a first mounting space 4767 and a second mounting space 4768, respectively, and a first guide portion 4763 and a second guide portion 4764 are mounted into the first mounting space 4787 and the second mounting space 4788, respectively. The carriage 4765 also has a central opening 4781 that receives the first mounting post 4776, the second mounting post 4777, and the third boss 4773 and cooperates with the first mounting post 4776, the second mounting post 4777, and the third boss 4773 to limit the sliding travel of the carriage 4765 within the sliding region on the mounting block 477.

The carriage 4765 has a first guide slot 4684 and a first fixed aperture 4782 at one end and a second guide slot 4685 and a second fixed aperture 4783 at the other end, the first guide slot 4784 for guiding the first decoupling cable 4767 to be fixed in the first fixed aperture 4782 and the second guide slot 4785 for guiding the second decoupling cable 4768 to be fixed in the second fixed aperture 4783. The first and second guide slots 4684 and 4685 are offset from each other in the height direction of the carriage 4765 so that the first and

second decoupling cables

4767 and 4768 can be fixed to the carriage 4765 without interfering with each other.

The decoupling process of this embodiment is illustrated in fig. 11F, when the third drive unit 473 rotates counterclockwise (first direction) with the shaft 473A driven by the actuator, since the main decoupling member 4761 and the third drive unit 473 are connected to the actuator by the same shaft 473A, at which time the main decoupling member 4761 and the third drive unit 473 rotate counterclockwise with the shaft 473A at the same angular velocity, the third drive unit 473 pulls the sixth drive cable 153B and simultaneously releases the fifth drive cable 153A, causing the end effector 150 to perform the pitch motion illustrated in fig. 7A and 7B, at the same time, the main decoupling member 4761 pulls the second decoupling cable 4768 and simultaneously releases the first decoupling cable 4767, causing the slave decoupling member 4762 to move in direction a illustrated in fig. 11F, if the slave decoupling member 4762 in fig. 11F moves in direction a null position by distance L/2 with respect to the slave decoupling member 4762 in direction in fig. 10B, the length of first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B between first guide 4763 and first guide 477A and between first guide 4763 and third guide 477C are both reduced by L/2, thereby reducing the length of first and

second drive cables

151A and 151B within drive 470 by L and the length of the first pair of cables within the drive by 2L. Accordingly, the length of third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B between second pilot 4764 and second pilot 477B, and the length between second pilot 4764 and fourth pilot 477D are both increased by L/2, thereby increasing the length of third and

fourth drive cables

152A and 152B, respectively, within the drive by L and the length of the first pair of cables within the drive by 2L. The decoupling mechanism 276 in the drive device 370 thus provides the amount of change in the length of the first drive cable 151A, the second drive cable 151B, the third drive cable 152A, and the fourth drive cable 152B on one side of the end effector 150 required for the end effector 150 to tilt, thereby decoupling the third pair of cables from the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables and allowing the third pair of cables to move without being constrained by the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables, thereby allowing the end effector 150 to successfully perform the tilting operation.

When third drive unit 473 and main decoupling member 4761 are rotated in a second direction (clockwise) opposite the first direction, such that the lengths of first drive cable 151A and second drive cable within drive device 470 are increased by L and the lengths of third drive cable 152A and fourth drive cable 152B, respectively, within the drive device are decreased by L, the detailed process is just opposite the above-described rotation in the first direction and will not be described again here.

Fig. 12A and 12B show a driving device according to another embodiment of the present invention, since the driving unit and the cable of the driving device of this embodiment are substantially the same as those of the embodiment shown in fig. 11A, the driving device of this embodiment only shows the mounting seat 571 and the carriage 572 and some components associated therewith, and for the shown components, reference can be made to the embodiment shown in fig. 11A. As shown in fig. 12A and 12B, the carriage 5721 includes a first arm 5721 and a second arm 5722, the first arm 5721 and the second arm 5722 are connected by two third arms 5723, and the first arm 5721 and the second arm 5722 are provided with a mounting space 5724 for mounting the first guide portion 4763 and the second guide portion 4764. In other embodiments, the third arm 5723 may include one or more than one arm.

The mount 571 includes a first cylinder 5711, a second cylinder 5712, and a third cylinder 5713 arranged in a zigzag manner on the main body of the mount 571, the first guide 477A and the third guide 477C are mounted on the third cylinder 5713, the fifth guide 477E is mounted on the second cylinder 5712, and the second guide 477B and the fourth guide 477D are mounted between the second cylinder 4712 and the third cylinder 4713. An inlet 5715 for the first to third pairs of ropes to enter is formed between the second and third columns 4712 and 4713, the first to third pairs of ropes are guided by the first to fifth guide wheels 477A to 477E and the first and second guides 4763 and 5764 and then extended to the end effector through the inlet 5715, and how the first to third pairs of ropes are guided by the first to fifth guide wheels 477A to 477E and the first and second guides 4763 and 5764 may be referred to the embodiment shown in fig. 11B and will not be described again here.

The first and

second arms

5721, 5722 of the carriage 572 are located on opposite sides of the wire inlet 5715, respectively, the third arms 5723 straddle the mount 571, one of the third arms 5723 being located between the first and

second cylinders

5711, 5712, the other third arm 5723 being located on the body of the mount 571 and on the other side of the third cylinder 5713 with respect to the wire inlet 5715, such that the carriage 572 is "square" and the wire inlet 5715, the second cylinder 5712 and the third cylinder 5713 are received in an opening in the middle of the carriage 572.

The drive device further includes a passive guide mechanism 573, the guide mechanism 573 including an outer cylinder 5731 (second guide) and a straight shaft 5732 (first guide) movable relative to the outer cylinder 5731, the straight shaft 5732 passing through the outer cylinder 5731 and being slidably connected to the outer cylinder 5731, the straight shaft 5731 being substantially parallel to the third arm 5723, the straight shaft 5732 moving in its own axial direction. The straight shaft 5732 and the outer cylinder 5731 may be slidably connected in such a manner that the straight shaft 5732 is indirectly connected to the inner wall of the outer cylinder 5731 through a plurality of balls to reduce sliding friction therebetween, or the straight shaft 5732 is directly connected to the outer wall of the outer cylinder 5731, and the surfaces of the two in contact are made of a material having a small friction coefficient.

The mounting seat 571 is provided with a mounting hole 5714 for mounting the guide 573, one end of the mounting hole 5714 has a first opening 5714, an inner diameter of the first opening 5714 is substantially equal to an outer diameter of the outer cylinder 5731 of the guide 573, so as to fix the outer cylinder 5731 in the mounting hole 5714 preferably, the other end of the mounting hole 5714 has a bottom 5714b, the bottom 5714b has a second opening 5714c, the second opening 5714c is used for allowing the straight shaft 5732 to pass through, the inner diameter of the second opening 5714c is smaller than the inner diameter of the first opening 5714a, so that the bottom 5714b can abut against one end of the outer cylinder 5731, the mounting seat 571 further comprises a flap 5716, a body of the flap 5716 has a third opening 5716a for allowing the straight shaft 5732 to pass through, a column of the flap 5716 abuts against the other end of the outer cylinder 5731, and the flap 5716 and the bottom 5714b together fix the outer cylinder 5731 of the guide 573 in the mounting hole 5714.

The straight shaft 5732 of the guide mechanism 573 is fixed at its both ends to the first and

second arms

5721, 5722 of the carriage 572, respectively, so that the movement of the carriage 572 is constrained by the guide mechanism 573, and in particular, the movement of the carriage 572 is constrained by the guide mechanism 5713 only in the axial direction of the straight shaft 5732 when being pulled by the first and second decoupling cables 5767, 5768, and the movement of the straight shaft 573 is not substantially in the radial direction of the outer cylinder 5731 because the straight shaft 573 is constrained by the inner wall of the outer cylinder 5731, so that the carriage 572 is also constrained by the guide mechanism 573 not to move in any other direction than the axial direction of the straight shaft 573, thereby reducing the return clearance of the carriage 572, increasing the rigidity of the decoupling mechanism, and making the decoupling mechanism more accurate.

The present embodiment uses two guide mechanisms 573, and in other embodiments, the drive device may use only one linear bearing 573, and the other side of the carriage 572 may use the second guide wheel 476B and the third guide wheel 476C of the embodiment shown in fig. 11C to guide the carriage 572.

The carriage 572 is further provided with a guide assembly for guiding the decoupling cables, and in particular, the guide assembly comprises a third guide portion 5741 and a fourth guide portion 5742 for guiding a first decoupling cable 5767 and a second decoupling cable 5768 of the decoupling cables, respectively, one end of the first decoupling cable 5767 is wound around the main decoupling member 4761, the other end of the first decoupling cable 5767 is guided by the third guide portion 5741 and then fixed on the mounting seat 571, and the other end of the second decoupling cable 5768 is guided by the fourth guide portion 5742 and then fixed on the mounting seat 571. Compared to the embodiment shown in fig. 11F, in which the first and

second decoupling cables

4767 and 4768 are directly secured to the carriage 4765, the first and second decoupling cables 5767 and 5768 of the present embodiment are secured to the mount 571 via the third and

fourth guides

5741 and 5742, respectively, such that the third and

fourth guides

5741 and 5742 act as a moving pulley, allowing the main decoupling member 4761 to drive the movement of the carriage 572 via the decoupling cables using half the drive force of the drive carriage 4765, reducing the load driving the third drive unit 473 and the main decoupling member 4761.

Furthermore, the decoupling mechanism is provided with a third guide 5743, the first and

second decoupling cables

4767 and 4768 are guided by the fifth guide 5743 and then respectively guided by the third guide 5741 and the fourth guide wheel 5742 and finally fixed to the mounting seat 571, and during the decoupling process, the carriage 752 is constrained by the guide 573 in a direction of linear movement (i.e. in the direction of the straight axis 573) parallel to the cable segment of the first decoupling cable 4767 between the third 5741 and the mounting seat 571 and the cable segment between the third guide 5741 and the fifth guide 5743, and likewise, the carriage is constrained by the guide 573 in a direction of linear movement parallel to the cable segment of the second decoupling cable 4768 between the fourth guide 5742 and the mounting seat 571 and to the cable segment between the fourth guide 5742 and the fifth guide 5743. Therefore, the speed of linear motion of the carriage 572 is directly proportional to the linear speed of the main decoupling member 4761, which is pulled by the first and

second decoupling cables

4767 and 4768, and since the main decoupling member 4761 is coaxially disposed with the third drive unit 473, the speed of linear motion of the carriage 572 is directly proportional to the linear speed of the third drive unit 143, so that there is no non-linear change in either the length of the cables or the movement of the carriage throughout the decoupling process, thereby allowing the decoupling process to be precisely controlled.

It is understood that in other embodiments, one of the first and

second decoupling cables

4767 and 4768 may be guided by the fifth guide 5743 and the other may be aligned parallel to the direction of movement of the guide mechanism by appropriate positioning of the primary decoupling member.

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, and cables including first and second pairs 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 drive device comprising:

a guide mechanism including a first guide portion and a second guide portion;

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the drive device further comprises a mount on which the carriage is slidably disposed, the second guide being mounted on the mount.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 2, wherein the first guide comprises a straight shaft and the second guide comprises an outer barrel, the straight shaft passing through the outer barrel, the straight shaft configured to move linearly relative to the outer barrel.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 3 wherein said mounting base further has a mounting hole for mounting said outer barrel, said mounting hole having a first opening at one end having an inner diameter substantially equal to an outer diameter of said outer barrel and a bottom at the other end abutting said outer barrel, said bottom having a second opening for passing said straight shaft therethrough.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 4, wherein an inner diameter of the second opening is smaller than an inner diameter of the first opening.

6. The surgical instrument of claim 4 wherein said guide mechanism further comprises a stop mounted at said first opening for securing said outer barrel within said mounting aperture.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 6 wherein said shield has a third opening therein for passage of said straight shaft.

8. The surgical instrument of claim 7, wherein an inner diameter of the third port is substantially equal to an inner diameter of the second opening.

9. 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 1-8 for manipulating the surgical instrument in motion.

10. A surgical robot, characterized in that it comprises a master operation device and a slave operation device according to claim 9, which performs the respective operations according to the instructions of the master operation device.