CN115363632A

CN115363632A - Flexible medical equipment

Info

Publication number: CN115363632A
Application number: CN202210918625.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 侯西龙; 谢亿平; 王双翌
Original assignee: Artificial Intelligence And Robotics Innovation Center Hong Kong Institute Of Innovation Chinese Academy Of Sciences Ltd; Institute of Automation of Chinese Academy of Science
Current assignee: Artificial Intelligence And Robotics Innovation Center Hong Kong Institute Of Innovation Chinese Academy Of Sciences Ltd; Institute of Automation of Chinese Academy of Science
Priority date: 2022-08-01
Filing date: 2022-08-01
Publication date: 2022-11-22

Abstract

The invention provides flexible medical equipment, which belongs to the technical field of medical instruments and comprises a flexible instrument, a probe fixing device and a bending driving device, wherein the probe fixing device is arranged on the flexible instrument; the flexible instrument has a first rotating part and a second rotating part; the bending driving device comprises a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism; the probe fixing device comprises a probe fixing bracket and a transmission mechanism arranged on the probe fixing bracket; the flexible instrument is arranged on the probe fixing bracket; the probe fixing support is detachably connected to the bending driving device, the first driving mechanism is connected with the first rotating part through a transmission mechanism, and the second driving mechanism is connected with the second rotating part through the transmission mechanism; the first driving mechanism is used for driving the first rotating part to rotate, and the second driving mechanism is used for driving the second rotating part to rotate. According to the invention, the automatic control of the flexible instrument can be realized through the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism without manual participation, so that the operation difficulty of the flexible instrument is reduced.

Description

Flexible medical equipment

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to flexible medical equipment.

Background

Cardiovascular diseases are always a disease seriously threatening the life and health of human beings, and in the process of detecting and treating the cardiovascular diseases, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a detection means and can provide effective help for the diagnosis and treatment process of patients; transesophageal ultrasound is an ultrasonic examination means, can provide effective help for the diagnosis and treatment process of intracardiac and surgical patients, and is to place an ultrasonic probe in the esophagus or fundus ventriculi of the patient to scan the heart from the back of the heart, so that the limitation of ultrasonic examination of the chest wall of the heart is overcome, the ultrasonic examination is not influenced by multiple factors such as emphysema, obesity or thoracic deformity of the patient, and a more satisfactory position image can be obtained; in addition, in minimally invasive interventional surgery of related heart diseases, the use of X-ray imaging and transesophageal ultrasound together for guidance has become an important auxiliary mode of the surgery.

In the tradition through esophagus ultrasonic examination, will arrange in the patient through esophagus ultrasonic probe end in vivo, medical personnel control through the crooked of the terminal two degrees of freedom of esophagus ultrasonic probe through big knob and little knob on the esophagus ultrasonic probe through manual operation to through the handheld end of esophagus ultrasonic probe of manual rotation, realize through the terminal rotation motion around self axis of esophagus ultrasonic probe, and through the handheld end removal of manual drive through esophagus ultrasonic probe, realize through the feeding and the motion of pullback of esophagus ultrasonic probe. In summary, the transesophageal ultrasound probe tip has four degrees of freedom in bending in two degrees of freedom in four directions, rotation about its axis (one degree of freedom), and advancement or retraction (one degree of freedom) for a total of four degrees of freedom.

However, in the prior art, the motion of the transesophageal ultrasound probe in each degree of freedom is manually operated, and the operation in each degree of freedom has a high requirement on the operation level of medical care personnel, thereby increasing the difficulty in operating the transesophageal ultrasound probe.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides flexible medical equipment, which is used for solving the defect that the operation difficulty of a transesophageal ultrasonic probe is increased in the prior art.

The present invention provides a flexible medical device comprising: the device comprises a flexible instrument, a probe fixing device and a bending driving device; the flexible instrument has a first rotating portion and a second rotating portion; the bending driving device comprises a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism; the probe fixing device comprises a probe fixing support and a transmission mechanism arranged on the probe fixing support;

the flexible instrument is arranged on the probe fixing bracket; the probe fixing support is detachably connected to the bending driving device, the first driving mechanism is connected with the first rotating part through the transmission mechanism, and the second driving mechanism is connected with the second rotating part through the transmission mechanism;

the first driving mechanism is used for driving the first rotating part to rotate, and the second driving mechanism is used for driving the second rotating part to rotate.

According to the flexible medical device provided by the invention, the transmission mechanism comprises a first transmission component and a second transmission component;

the first transmission assembly is respectively connected with the first rotating part and the first driving mechanism; the second transmission assembly is respectively connected with the second rotating part and the second driving mechanism.

According to a flexible medical device provided by the invention, the first transmission assembly comprises a first mating gear and a first gear meshed with the first mating gear; the second transmission assembly comprises a second mating gear and a second gear meshed with the second mating gear;

the first matching gear is rotationally arranged on the probe fixing bracket and is connected with the first rotating part; the first gear is rotationally arranged on the probe fixing bracket and is used for being connected with the first driving mechanism;

the second matching gear is rotationally arranged on the probe fixing bracket and is connected with the second rotating part; the second gear is rotatably arranged on the probe fixing support and is used for being connected with the second driving mechanism.

The invention provides flexible medical equipment, which further comprises at least one locking device, wherein the locking device comprises a locking bracket and two locking assemblies, the locking bracket is arranged on the bending driving device, the locking assemblies comprise elastic pieces and locking pieces rotatably arranged on the locking bracket, the elastic pieces are respectively connected with the locking bracket and the locking pieces, and the locking pieces are provided with locking parts; the probe fixing bracket is provided with at least two locking holes;

when the elastic piece is in a first state, the locking part is clamped into the locking hole, the first driving mechanism is connected with the first gear, and the second driving mechanism is connected with the second gear;

when the elastic member is in the second state, the locking portion is separated from the locking hole, the first driving mechanism is separated from the first gear, and the second driving mechanism is separated from the second gear.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the probe fixing support is provided with a positioning hole, and the locking support is provided with a positioning pin shaft;

when the elastic piece is in a first state, the positioning pin shaft is inserted into the positioning hole; when the elastic piece is in the second state, the positioning pin shaft is separated from the positioning hole.

According to the flexible medical device provided by the invention, the bending driving device further comprises a bottom plate;

the first driving mechanism comprises a first driving piece, a first driving piece and a first force sensor, the first driving piece is arranged on the bottom plate, the first force sensor is rotationally arranged on the bottom plate, and the first driving piece is connected with the first driving piece and the first force sensor respectively;

the second driving mechanism comprises a second driving piece, a second transmission piece and a second force sensor, the second driving piece is arranged on the bottom plate, the second force sensor is rotatably arranged on the bottom plate, and the second transmission piece is respectively connected with the second driving piece and the second force sensor;

when the elastic piece is in a first state, the first force sensor is connected with the first gear, and the second force sensor is connected with the second gear; when the resilient member is in a second state, the first force sensor is disengaged from the first gear and the second force sensor is disengaged from the second gear.

According to the flexible medical device provided by the invention, the flexible medical device further comprises a shaft rotating driving device, and the bending driving device is arranged on the shaft rotating driving device;

the shaft rotation driving device is used for driving the bending driving device to rotate.

According to the flexible medical device provided by the invention, the shaft rotating driving device comprises a rotating fixed support, a rotating support and a third driving piece;

the bending driving device is arranged on the rotating bracket, the rotating bracket is rotatably arranged on the rotating fixed bracket, and the third driving piece is connected with the rotating bracket;

and the third driving piece is used for driving the rotating bracket to rotate.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the flexible medical equipment further comprises a movement driving device, wherein the shaft rotation driving device is arranged on the movement driving device;

the movement driving device is used for driving the shaft rotation driving device to move.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the mobile driving device comprises a fixed frame, a ball screw, a nut and a fourth driving piece;

the ball screw is arranged on the fixed frame, the nut is arranged on the ball screw and connected with the shaft rotation driving device, and the fourth driving piece is connected with the ball screw.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the first rotating part of the flexible instrument is driven to rotate through the first driving mechanism, so that one degree of freedom at the tail end of the flexible instrument is bent, the second rotating part of the flexible instrument is driven to rotate through the second driving mechanism, so that the other degree of freedom at the tail end of the flexible instrument is bent, and the bending movement of two degrees of freedom in four directions at the tail end of the flexible instrument can be realized through the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism; therefore, the automatic control of the bending of the tail end of the flexible instrument can be realized through the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism, and manual participation is not needed, so that the operation difficulty of the flexible instrument is reduced.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a flexible medical device provided by the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of a flexible instrument provided by the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a probe fixture provided in the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a first mating gear provided in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a second mating gear provided in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a bending actuator according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of a shaft rotation driving device provided by the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a mobile driving device provided in the present invention;

reference numerals:

1. a flexible instrument; 2. a probe fixing device; 3. a bending drive device; 4. a shaft rotation driving device; 5. a movement driving device;

101. a first rotating section; 102. a second rotating part; 103. a terminal position holding paddle; 104. a mirror body host end; 105. a lens body end;

20. a transmission mechanism; 21. a first transmission assembly; 22. a second transmission assembly; 201. a probe fixing bracket; 202. a first mating gear; 203. a second mating gear; 204. a second gear support; 205. a second gear; 206. a first gear support; 207. a first gear; 208. a fixed support; 209. a roller set; 210. fixing the cover plate;

2011. a locking hole; 2012. positioning holes;

2021. a first positioning groove; 2022. a first gear boss; 2023. a first external tooth;

2031. a second positioning groove; 2032. a second gear boss; 2033. a second external tooth;

31. a first drive mechanism; 32. a second drive mechanism; 301. a base plate; 302. a first force sensor; 303. a locking bracket; 304. a locking member; 305. a first driving member; 306. a motor mounting base; 307. a driving pulley; 308. a synchronous belt; 309. a force sensor fixing bracket; 310. a driven pulley; 311. a second force sensor; 312. a second driving member; 313. connecting a pin shaft;

3021. a first positioning groove; 3111. a second positioning groove;

3041. a locking portion; 3031. positioning a pin shaft;

41. rotating the fixed support; 42. rotating the bracket; 401. a first side plate; 402. a second side plate; 403. a bottom support; 404. a first rotating side plate; 405. a second rotating side plate; 406. a connecting rod; 407. a third driving member; 408. a driving gear; 409. a transition gear; 410. a driven gear; 411. a third rotating shaft;

51. a fixed mount; 501. a first fixing plate; 502. a second fixing plate; 503. a base; 504. a bearing support; 505. a ball screw; 506. a support member; 507. a shaft sleeve connecting piece; 508. a fixing plate; 509. a linear bearing; 510. a guide shaft; 511. a coupling; 512. and a fourth driving member.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention can be applied to an ultrasonic inspection scene, in particular to transesophageal ultrasound. In the existing transesophageal ultrasound examination, because transesophageal ultrasound has more specific sections and visual angles for imaging the heart, the control of four degrees of freedom in four directions, two-degree of freedom bending (one degree of freedom bending has two directions, and then two-degree of freedom bending has four directions), rotating around the self axis and feeding or pulling back is needed to be carried out on the tail end of a transesophageal ultrasound probe, the motion of the four degrees of freedom is manual operation, the technology belongs to clinical operation with higher difficulty and extremely dependent on experience at present, and the number of personnel capable of skillfully mastering the skill is small, the technology is basically distributed in large hospitals, and the technology is not effectively popularized in remote areas and small and medium sized hospitals, so that the difference of medical conditions in the aspect is larger; in addition, the conventional transesophageal ultrasound examination needs a doctor to manually control the transesophageal ultrasound probe in a short distance, the doctor needs to stand for a long time in the operation, and in the operation guided by the X-ray together, the doctor can not remotely operate the transesophageal ultrasound probe, so that the doctor is exposed in the X-ray environment and causes certain body radiation to the doctor, and the doctor needs to wear a heavy and stuffy protective clothing, thereby increasing the working intensity and the occupational risk of the doctor; in addition, the operation of the transesophageal ultrasonic probe has certain influence on physical strength consumption and physical state of doctors, musculoskeletal injury is easily caused in the past, and the incidence of diseases can be greatly increased by accumulated radiation injury. Based on this, the present invention provides automated control of transesophageal ultrasound probes.

The flexible medical device of the present invention is described below in conjunction with fig. 1-8.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible medical apparatus provided by the present invention, and as shown in fig. 1, the flexible medical apparatus includes a flexible instrument 1, a probe fixing device 2 and a bending driving device 3.

The flexible instrument 1 is provided with a first rotating part 101 and a second rotating part 102, the bending of the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 along a first direction can be realized through the rotation of the first rotating part 101, the bending of the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 along a second direction can be realized through the rotation of the second rotating part 102, and then the bending of two degrees of freedom in four directions can be realized through the first rotating part 101 and the second rotating part 102 at the tail end of the flexible instrument 1. For example, when the feeding or retracting direction of the flexible instrument 1 is the front-rear direction, the first direction may be the up-down direction, and the second direction may be the left-right direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular directions and are perpendicular to the feeding direction of the flexible instrument 1.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible instrument 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 2, the flexible instrument may be a transesophageal ultrasound probe, which mainly includes a scope body, a scope body main end 104 and a scope body end 105 connected with the scope body, and an end position retaining paddle 103, a first rotating portion 101 and a second rotating portion 102 disposed on the scope body; after the end position keeping shifting piece 103 shifts to a position, the bending of the lens body end 105 can be locked, and even if the first rotating part 101 and the second rotating part 102 are loosened, the bending of the lens body end 105 is kept still; the mirror body host end 104 is used for connecting an imaging system, a power supply and the like, and signal lines such as a camera and the like; the first rotating part 101 is a first knob of the flexible instrument 1, the second rotating part 102 is a second knob of the flexible instrument 1, and the bending of the end of the flexible instrument 1 with two degrees of freedom is controlled by driving the first knob and the second knob.

It should be noted that the flexible instrument 1 can also be used in other flexible endoscopes with similar features, including but not limited to gastroscopes, enteroscopes, and other interventional medical tools.

As shown in fig. 1, the probe fixing device 2 includes a probe fixing bracket 201 and a transmission mechanism 20 disposed on the probe fixing bracket 201; the flexible instrument 1 is arranged on the probe fixing bracket 201; the probe fixing bracket 201 is detachably connected to the bending driving device 3; the bending drive device 3 includes a first drive mechanism 31 and a second drive mechanism 32, the first drive mechanism 31 is connected to the first rotating portion 101 through the transmission mechanism 20, and the second drive mechanism 32 is connected to the second rotating portion 102 through the transmission mechanism 20.

The probe fixing support 201 is detachably connected to the bending driving device 3, so that the flexible instrument 1 on the probe fixing support 201 is detachably connected to the bending driving device 3. When the probe fixing bracket 201 is connected to the bending driving device 3, the first driving mechanism 31 is connected to the first rotating part 101 through the transmission mechanism 20, and at the same time, the second driving mechanism 32 is connected to the second rotating part 102 through the transmission mechanism 20, at this time, the first driving mechanism 31 can drive the first rotating part 101 to rotate, and the first rotating part 101 rotates to bend the distal end of the flexible instrument 1 along the first direction; the second driving mechanism 32 can drive the second rotating part 102 to rotate, the rotation of the second rotating part 102 bends the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 along the second direction, and the first driving mechanism 31 and the second driving mechanism 32 are used for controlling the bending of the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 along four directions with two degrees of freedom; when the probe fixing mount 201 is separated from the bending drive device 3, the first drive mechanism 31 is separated from the transmission mechanism 20, and at the same time, the second drive mechanism 32 is separated from the transmission mechanism 20.

It should be noted that the transmission mechanism 20 is connected to the first rotating portion 101 and the second rotating portion 102, respectively, and the transmission mechanism 20 is connected to the first driving mechanism 31 and the second driving mechanism 32, respectively. Therefore, the first driving mechanism 31 drives the first rotating part 101 to rotate through the transmission mechanism 20 and the second driving mechanism 32 drives the second rotating part 102 to rotate through the transmission mechanism 20 are independent two movement processes, and there is no movement interference between the two movement processes.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the first rotating part 101 of the flexible instrument 1 is driven to rotate through the first driving mechanism 31, so that the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 is bent in one degree of freedom direction, the second rotating part 102 of the flexible instrument 1 is driven to rotate through the second driving mechanism 32, so that the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 is bent in the other degree of freedom direction, and the bending movement of the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 in four directions and two degrees of freedom can be realized through the first driving mechanism 31 and the second driving mechanism 32; therefore, the automatic control of the bending of the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 can be realized through the first driving mechanism 31 and the second driving mechanism 32, and manual participation is not needed, so that the difficulty in operating the flexible instrument 1 is reduced.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the flexible instrument 1 is arranged on the probe fixing support 201, the probe fixing support 201 is detachably connected with the bending driving device 3, so that the separation of the probe fixing support 201 and the bending driving device 3 can be realized, and the daily care such as maintenance, cleaning, disinfection and the like can be conveniently carried out on the flexible instrument 1 on the separated probe fixing support 201.

Further, fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the probe fixing device provided by the present invention, and as shown in fig. 1 and 3, the transmission mechanism 20 includes a first transmission assembly 21 and a second transmission assembly 22; the first transmission assembly 21 is rotatably arranged on the probe fixing bracket 201, and the first transmission assembly 21 is respectively connected with the first rotating part 101; the second transmission assembly 22 is rotatably disposed on the probe fixing bracket 201, and the second transmission assembly 22 is connected to the second rotating portion 102.

When the probe fixing bracket 201 is connected to the bending driving device 3, the first driving mechanism 31 can drive the first rotating part 101 to rotate through the first transmission assembly 21, and the second driving mechanism 32 can drive the second rotating part 102 to rotate through the second transmission assembly 22.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, the first transmission assembly 21 includes a first mating gear 202 and a first gear 207 meshed with the first mating gear 202; the second transmission assembly 22 comprises a second mating gear 203 and a second gear 205 meshing with the second mating gear 203; the first mating gear 202 is rotatably arranged on the probe fixing bracket 201, the first mating gear 202 is connected with the first rotating part 101, the first gear 207 is rotatably arranged on the probe fixing bracket 201, and the first gear 207 is used for being connected with the first driving mechanism 31; the second mating gear 203 is rotatably disposed on the probe fixing bracket 201, the second mating gear 203 is connected to the second rotating portion 102, the second gear 205 is rotatably disposed on the probe fixing bracket 201, and the second gear 205 is used for connecting with the second driving mechanism 32.

Wherein the size of the probe fixing bracket 201 is matched with the size of the outer surface of the flexible instrument 1 at the knobs (the first knob and the second knob), so that the probe fixing bracket 201 is tightly attached to the flexible instrument 1 at the knobs.

The first matching gear 202 is connected with the first rotating part 101 of the flexible instrument 1, and a first mounting hole matched with the first rotating part 101 may be formed in the middle of the first matching gear 202; when the first rotating part 101 is irregular round or other irregular shapes, the shape of the first mounting hole is matched with the shape of the first rotating part 101, the first matching gear 202 is sleeved on the first rotating part 101, the first rotating part 101 cannot rotate relative to the first matching gear 202, and the first rotating part 101 and the first matching gear 202 rotate synchronously; when the first rotating portion 101 is a regular circle, a first positioning protrusion may be disposed on an outer side of the first rotating portion 101, a first positioning groove matched with the first positioning protrusion is disposed on an inner wall of the first mounting hole of the first engaging gear 202, and the first rotating portion 101 is clamped in the first engaging gear 202 by matching the first positioning protrusion with the first positioning groove, so that the first rotating portion 101 cannot rotate relative to the first engaging gear 202, and when the first engaging gear 202 rotates, the first rotating portion 101 and the first engaging gear 202 rotate synchronously. Preferably, the first positioning groove 2021 on the first mating gear 202 is a plurality of circumferentially arranged.

The connection between the first engaging gear 202 and the first rotating part 101 of the flexible instrument 1 may be through another connecting structure such as a lock member or a buckle.

It should be noted that the connection between the second engaging gear 203 and the second rotating part 102 of the flexible device 1 can be the same as the connection between the first engaging gear 202 and the first rotating part 101 of the flexible device 1, and the description of the present invention is omitted here.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of a first mating gear provided by the present invention, fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of a second mating gear provided by the present invention, and as shown in fig. 4, an inner side surface of the first mating gear 202 has a plurality of circumferentially arranged first positioning grooves 2021 for clamping the first rotating part 101; the inner side surface of the second mating gear 203 has a plurality of second positioning grooves 2031 circumferentially arranged for snap-fitting the second rotating part 102.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 3, the probe fixing device 2 further includes a fixing cover plate 210 and at least 3 positioning assemblies, and the axial positioning of the first mating gear 202 and the second mating gear 203 is realized by the cooperation of the fixing cover plate 210 and the at least 3 positioning assemblies.

Specifically, the middle of the outer circular surface of the first mating gear 202 is provided with first external teeth 2023, and both ends are provided with first gear bosses 2022; the second mating gear 203 has a second external gear 2033 in the middle of its external circular surface and a second gear boss 2032 at both ends. At least 3 positioning assemblies are circumferentially distributed on the peripheries of the first matching gear 202 and the second matching gear 203, each positioning assembly comprises a fixed support 208 and a roller group 209 arranged on the fixed support 208, one end of the fixed support 208 is fixed on the probe fixing bracket 201, the other end of the fixed support 208 is connected with the fixed cover plate 210 after the roller group 209 is arranged, each roller group 209 comprises two first rollers and two second rollers, a first guide groove matched with the first gear boss 2022 is formed in the outer circular surface of each first roller, a second guide groove matched with the second gear boss 2032 is formed in the outer circular surface of each second roller, the roller groups 209 are limited between the probe fixing bracket 201 and the fixed cover plate 210, the first gear bosses 2022 at the two ends of the first matching gear 202 are matched with the first guide grooves of the two first rollers, the axial positioning of the first matching gear 202 can be realized, and the first matching gear 202 can rotate; the second gear bosses 2032 at both ends of the second engaging gear 203 are engaged with the second guiding grooves of the two second rollers, so that the axial positioning of the second engaging gear 203 can be realized, and the second engaging gear 203 can rotate.

As shown in fig. 3, the first gear 207 is fixed on the probe fixing bracket 201 through the first gear support 206, specifically, the first gear support 206 is fixed on the probe fixing bracket 201, the first gear 207 is disposed on the first gear support 206 through a rotating shaft, and the first gear 207 is engaged with the first external tooth 2023 of the first mating gear 202, so that the first mating gear 202 is driven to rotate together during the rotation of the first gear 207, and then the first mating gear 202 drives the first rotating portion 101 of the flexible instrument 1 to rotate, and finally the end of the flexible instrument 1 is bent along one of the degrees of freedom directions, for example, up and down along the first direction. Similarly, the second gear 205 is fixed on the probe fixing bracket 201 through the second gear support 204, specifically, the second gear support 204 is fixed on the probe fixing bracket 201, the second gear 205 is disposed on the second gear support 204 through a rotating shaft, and the second gear 205 is engaged with the second external tooth 2033 of the second mating gear 203, so that the second mating gear 203 is driven to rotate together in the rotation process of the second gear 205, and then the second mating gear 203 drives the second rotation portion 102 of the flexible instrument 1 to rotate, and finally the end of the flexible instrument 1 is bent along another degree of freedom direction perpendicular to the above one direction, for example, left and right along the second direction.

Further, fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the bending driving device provided by the present invention, and the probe fixing bracket 201 is detachably connected with the bending driving device 3 through at least one locking device. As shown in fig. 6, the bending drive apparatus 3 includes a base plate 301, and the first drive mechanism 31 and the second drive mechanism 32 are both provided on the base plate 301. In this embodiment, two locking devices are provided, and the two locking devices are respectively connected with two ends of the probe fixing bracket 201 in a matching manner.

Each locking device comprises a locking bracket 303 and two locking components, wherein the locking bracket 303 is arranged on the bottom plate 301 of the bending driving device 3, the locking components comprise an elastic piece and a locking piece 304 which is rotatably arranged on the locking bracket 303, the elastic piece is respectively connected with the locking bracket 303 and the locking piece 304, a locking part 3041 is arranged on the locking piece 304, and the elastic piece is switched between a first state and a second state; correspondingly, at least two locking holes 2011 matched with the locking parts 3041 are arranged on the probe fixing bracket 201, and the number of the locking holes 2011 is equal to that of the locking parts 3041 and is matched with one another.

The locking support 303 is a U-shaped structure, the two locking assemblies can be symmetrically arranged on the locking support 303, the middle part of the locking piece 304 of each locking assembly is arranged on the locking support 303 through a connecting pin shaft 313, specifically, the connecting pin shaft 313 is rotatably connected with the locking support 303, the locking piece 304 is fixedly connected with the connecting pin shaft 313, the elastic piece can be a torsion spring, the elastic piece is sleeved on the connecting pin shaft 313, one end of the elastic piece is fixedly connected with the connecting pin shaft 313 (or the locking piece 304), the other end of the elastic piece is connected with the locking support 303, the elastic piece can realize the elastic rotation of the locking piece 304 within a certain angle, and then the elastic piece is switched between a first state and a second state.

Specifically, when the elastic member is in the first state, the locking portion 3041 is snapped into the locking hole 2011, the first drive mechanism 31 is connected with the first gear 207, and the second drive mechanism 32 is connected with the second gear 205; when the elastic member is in the second state, the locking portion 3041 is separated from the locking hole 2011, the first drive mechanism 31 may be separated from the first gear 207, and the second drive mechanism 32 is separated from the second gear 205.

It should be noted that the elastic member may be in a free state in the first state, and the elastic member may be in a compressed state in the second state; the elastic element can be in a first compression state in the first state, the elastic element can be in a second compression state in the second state, and the compression amount of the second compression state is larger than that of the first compression state.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the locking part 3041 on the locking piece 304 is matched with the locking hole 2011 on the probe fixing support 201, so that the probe fixing support 201 is locked on the bending driving device 3, and further, the movement of the probe fixing device 2 and the bending driving device 3 in the relative installation direction is limited.

Furthermore, the probe fixing bracket 201 is provided with a positioning hole 2012, and the locking bracket 303 is provided with a positioning pin 3031.

When the probe fixing device 2 and the bending driving device 3 are installed, the elastic element is in a first state, and the positioning pin shaft 3031 is inserted into the positioning hole 2012; when the probe fixing device 2 needs to be separated from the bending driving device 3, the elastic element is switched from the first state to the second state, and the probe fixing device 2 can be separated from the bending driving device 3, so that the positioning pin shaft 3031 is separated from the positioning hole 2012.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the positioning holes 2012 of the probe fixing support 201 are matched with the positioning pin shaft 3031 on the locking support 303, so that the positioning of the probe fixing device 2 and the bending driving device 3 can be realized.

Further, a mounting groove is formed in the bottom plate 301 of the bending driving device 3, and the probe fixing device 2 and the bending driving device 3 are further accurately positioned by positioning the fixing cover plate 210 through the mounting groove.

Further, the first driving mechanism 31 includes a first driving member 305, and a first force sensor 302, the first driving member 305 is disposed on the base plate 301, the first force sensor 302 is rotatably disposed on the base plate 301, and the first driving member is connected to the first driving member 305 and the first force sensor 302, respectively.

The first driving member 305 may be a motor, the first driving member 305 is fixed on the bottom plate 301 through a motor mounting seat 306, the first force sensor 302 is fixed on the bottom plate 301 through a force sensor fixing bracket 309, the motor mounting seat 306 and the force sensor fixing bracket 309 are both fixed on the bottom plate 301, the motor mounting seat 306 and the force sensor fixing bracket 309 may be respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces of the bottom plate 301, the first driving member 305 drives the first force sensor 302 to rotate through a first transmission member, when the probe fixing bracket 201 is connected with the bending driving device 3, the elastic member is in a first state, at this time, the first force sensor 302 is connected with the first gear 207, and synchronous rotation can be achieved; when the elastic member is in the second state, the probe fixing bracket 201 may be separated from the bending driving device 3, so that the first force sensor 302 is separated from the first gear 207.

Specifically, the first driving member includes a driving pulley 307, a driven pulley 310, and a timing belt 308 connecting the driving pulley 307 and the driven pulley 310, an output shaft of the first driving member 305 passes through the bottom plate 301 and is coaxially connected to the driving pulley 307, and the driven pulley 310 is coaxially connected to the first force sensor 302. The output shaft of the first driving member rotates with the synchronous driving pulley 307, and then the driven pulley 310 at the driven end is driven by the synchronous belt 308 to rotate, the driven pulley 310 is fixed with the first force sensor 302, and the first driving member 305 can rotate the first force sensor 302 through the first driving member.

Wherein, the first driving member and the first force sensor 302 can realize the power transmission from the first driving member 305 to the first gear 207, the first gear 207 transmits the power to the first rotating part 101 of the flexible instrument 1 through the first mating gear 202, and finally realizes the motion transmission from the first driving member 305 to the first rotating part 101; and the first force sensor 302 may enable torque measurement of the first drive member 305 onto the first rotational part 101 of the flexible instrument 1.

It should be noted that, a first force sensor 302 and a first driving member 305 are introduced into the first driving mechanism 31, the first driving member 305 is a dc motor, and the first force sensor 302 can realize the force sensing and force control of the output of the first driving member 305.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, when the flexible instrument 1 enters the tissue in the patient body to be detected, the moment transmitted from the first driving piece 305 to the first rotating part 101 can be measured through the first force sensor 302, so that the phenomenon that the moment transmitted from the first driving piece 305 to the first rotating part 101 is too large, the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 is bent and transited along the first direction, and the tissue in the patient body is damaged is avoided.

When the flexible instrument 1 is used in cooperation with ultrasonic imaging, a certain contact force is required during ultrasonic imaging, so that the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention can measure the moment transmitted from the first driving part 305 to the first rotating part 101 in real time through the first force sensor 302, so that the contact force between the flexible instrument 1 and a target tissue area in a patient body can reach the target contact force, and the ultrasonic imaging quality is further ensured.

Further, the second driving mechanism 32 includes a second driving element 312, a second transmission element and a second force sensor 311, the second driving element 312 is disposed on the bottom plate 301, the second force sensor 311 is rotatably disposed on the bottom plate 301, and the second transmission element is respectively connected with the second driving element 312 and the second force sensor 311.

The second driving element 312 may be a motor, the second driving element 312 may also be fixed on the bottom plate 301 through the motor mounting base 306, the second force sensor 311 may also be fixed on the bottom plate 301 through the force sensor fixing bracket 309, the second driving element 312 drives the second force sensor 311 to rotate through a second transmission element, when the probe fixing bracket 201 is connected with the bending driving device 3, the elastic element is in a second state, at this time, the second force sensor 311 is connected with the second gear 205, and synchronous rotation may be achieved; when the elastic member is in the second state, the probe fixing bracket 201 can be separated from the bending driving device 3, so that the second force sensor 311 is separated from the second gear 205.

Specifically, the second transmission member has the same structure as the first transmission member, and the second force sensor 311 can be rotated by the second transmission member 312 without further description herein.

The second transmission element and the second force sensor 311 can realize the power transmission from the second driving element 312 to the second gear 205, the second gear 205 transmits the power to the second rotating part 102 of the flexible instrument 1 through the second mating gear 203, and finally realizes the motion transmission from the second driving element 312 to the second rotating part 102; and the second force sensor 311 may enable torque measurement of the second driver 312 onto the second rotational part 102 of the flexible instrument 1.

It should be noted that, a second force sensor 311 and a second driving element 312 are introduced into the second driving mechanism 32, the second driving element 312 is a dc motor, and the second force sensor 311 can realize force sensing and force control of the output of the second driving element 312.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, when the flexible instrument 1 enters tissues in a patient body to be detected, the moment transmitted from the second driving part 312 to the second rotating part 102 can be measured through the second force sensor 311, so that the phenomenon that the moment transmitted from the second driving part 312 to the second rotating part 102 is too large, the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 is bent and transited along the second direction, and the tissues in the patient body are damaged is avoided.

It should be noted that, when the flexible instrument 1 is used in conjunction with ultrasonic imaging, the second force sensor 311 has the same function as the first force sensor 302, and the description of the present invention is omitted here.

The first force sensor 302 and the second force sensor 311 are introduced into the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, so that the contact force measurement between the flexible instrument 1 and human tissues can be realized, the operation safety of the flexible medical equipment is effectively ensured, and the risk of patient complications in the operation process is avoided.

Furthermore, the end face of the first gear 207 is provided with a first positioning boss, and the first force sensor 302 is provided with a first positioning groove 3021 matched with the first positioning boss; the end surface of the second gear 205 is provided with a second positioning boss, and the second force sensor 311 is provided with a second positioning groove 3111 matched with the second positioning boss.

The first positioning boss and the second positioning boss are elastic bosses; when the probe fixing device 2 is placed on the bending driving device 3 for installation, the first positioning boss of the first gear 207 is inserted into the first positioning groove 3021 of the first force sensor 302, so that the first force sensor 302 can drive the first gear 207 to synchronously rotate; and the second positioning boss of the second gear 205 is inserted into the second positioning slot 3111 of the second force sensor 311, so that the second force sensor 311 drives the second gear 205 to rotate synchronously.

It should be noted that, when the probe fixing device 2 is placed on the bending driving device 3 for installation, the first positioning boss of the first gear 207 is not inserted into the first positioning groove 3021 of the first force sensor 302, at this time, the first positioning boss on the first gear 207 is partially compressed, the first force sensor 302 rotates relative to the first gear 207 under the action of the first driving member 305 and the first driving member, and when the first positioning boss of the first gear 207 rotates to a certain position, the first positioning boss of the first gear 207 is inserted into the first positioning groove 3021 of the first force sensor 302, so as to finally realize synchronous rotation of the first force sensor 302 and the first gear 207, and the first gear 207 drives the first rotating portion 101 to rotate through the first engaging gear 202, so as to realize bending movement of the distal end of the flexible instrument 1 in the direction with one degree of freedom. When the second positioning boss of the second gear 205 is not inserted into the second positioning groove 3111 of the second force sensor 311, under the action of the second driving element 312 and the second transmission element, the second force sensor 311 rotates relative to the second gear 205, and when the second positioning boss of the second gear 205 rotates to a certain position, the second positioning boss of the second gear 205 is inserted into the second positioning groove 3111 of the second force sensor 311 to realize the synchronous rotation of the second force sensor 311 and the second gear 205, and the second gear 205 drives the second rotating part 102 to rotate through the second matching gear 203, so as to realize the bending movement of the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 in the other degree of freedom direction.

Further, as shown in fig. 1, the flexible medical device of the present invention further includes a shaft rotation driving means 4, and the bending driving means 3 is provided on the shaft rotation driving means 4.

The flexible instrument 1 is mounted on a bending driving device 3 through a probe fixing device 2, the bending driving device 3 is arranged on a shaft rotating driving device 4, the flexible instrument 1, the probe fixing device 2 and the bending driving device 3 are combined to form a whole and mounted on the shaft rotating driving device 4, the shaft rotating driving device 4 is used for driving the bending driving device 3 to rotate, therefore, the flexible instrument 1 and the probe fixing device 2 rotate synchronously, the rotation of the flexible instrument 1 rotates around the axis of the flexible instrument 1, and the shaft rotating driving device 4 is used for controlling the rotation of the flexible instrument 1 around the axis of the flexible instrument 1.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the bending driving device 3 is arranged on the shaft rotating driving device 4, and the shaft rotating driving device 4 drives the bending driving device 3 to rotate, so that the flexible instrument 1 on the bending driving device 3 is driven to rotate. Therefore, the invention can realize the automatic control of the flexible instrument 1 rotating around the self axis through the shaft rotating driving device 4, thereby further reducing the operation difficulty of the transesophageal ultrasonic probe.

Further, fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of the shaft rotation driving device provided by the present invention, and as shown in fig. 7, the shaft rotation driving device 4 includes a rotation fixing bracket 41, a rotation bracket 42 and a third driving member 407.

The rotating bracket 42 is rotatably arranged on the rotating fixed bracket 41, the rotating bracket 42 can rotate relative to the rotating fixed bracket 41, the bending driving device 3 is arranged on the rotating bracket 42, the axis of the flexible instrument 1 on the bending driving device 3 is overlapped with the rotating axis of the rotating bracket 42, the third driving member 407 is arranged on the rotating fixed bracket 41, the output of the third driving member 407 is connected with the rotating bracket 42, and the third driving member 407 is used for driving the rotating bracket 42 to rotate.

Specifically, the rotating bracket 41 includes a bottom support 403 and a first side plate 401 and a second side plate 402 provided at both ends of the bottom support 403; the rotating bracket 42 comprises a first rotating side plate 404 and a second rotating side plate 405 which are arranged at intervals, and a connecting piece for connecting the first rotating side plate 404 and the second rotating side plate 405, wherein in the embodiment, the connecting piece is two connecting rods 406 which are arranged in parallel; the rotating bracket 42 is located between the first side plate 401 and the second side plate 402 of the rotating bracket 41, the first rotating side plate 404 is connected with the first side plate 401 through a first rotating shaft, the second rotating side plate 405 is connected with the second side plate 402 through a second rotating shaft, and the axes of the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are collinear. The two ends of the bottom plate 301 of the bending driving device 3 are respectively connected with the first rotating side plate 404 and the second rotating side plate 405, and the axis of the flexible instrument 1 on the bending driving device 3 is collinear with the axis of the second rotating shaft.

The third driving member 407 may be a motor, the third driving member 407 is fixed on the side of the second side plate 402 far from the first side plate 401, the third driving member 407 is connected to the second rotating shaft through a gear assembly, the gear assembly includes a driving gear 408, a transition gear 409 and a driven gear 410, the driving gear 408 is fixedly mounted to an output shaft of the third driving member 407, the transition gear 409 is fixed to the second side plate 402 through a third rotating shaft 411, and the transition gear 409 has a double-layer meshing tooth surface and is respectively meshed with the driven gear 410 and the driving gear 408, the driven gear 410 is fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft, the driven gear 410 is fixedly connected to the rotating bracket 42, and the rotating bracket 42 can synchronously rotate along with the driven gear 410. When the output shaft of the third driving member 407 rotates, the driving gear 408 is driven to rotate, the driven gear 410 is driven to rotate under the engagement of the transition gear 409, the rotating bracket 42 and the driven gear 410 rotate synchronously, and the rotation of the rotating bracket 42 finally drives the probe fixing device 2 and the bending driving device 3 on the rotating bracket 42 to rotate, so that the rotation motion of the flexible instrument 1 on the probe fixing device 2 around the axis thereof is realized.

Further, as shown in fig. 1, the flexible medical apparatus of the present invention further includes a movement driving means 5, and a shaft rotation driving means 4 is provided on the movement driving means 5.

The flexible instrument 1 is mounted on a bending driving device 3 through a probe fixing device 2, the bending driving device 3 is arranged on a shaft rotation driving device 4, the shaft rotation driving device 4 is arranged on a movement driving device 5, then the flexible instrument 1, the probe fixing device 2, the bending driving device 3 and the shaft rotation driving device 4 are combined to form a whole body and mounted on the movement driving device 5, and the movement driving device 5 is used for driving the shaft rotation driving device 4 to move, so that the flexible instrument 1, the probe fixing device 2 and the bending driving device 3 synchronously move, the flexible instrument 1 is enabled to realize feeding or pulling back, and then the movement driving device 5 is enabled to realize automatic feeding or pulling back of the flexible instrument 1.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the shaft rotation driving device 4 is arranged on the movement driving device 5, and the shaft rotation driving device 4 is driven to move by the movement driving device 5, so that the feeding or pulling movement of the flexible instrument 1 on the shaft rotation driving device 4 is driven, and the automatic control of the feeding or pulling movement of the flexible instrument 1 can be realized by moving the driving device 5, so that the operation difficulty of the ultrasonic probe passing through the esophagus is further reduced.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the first driving mechanism 31 and the second driving mechanism 32 of the bending driving device 3 realize the bending movement of the tail end of the flexible instrument 1 with two degrees of freedom in four directions, the shaft rotating driving device 4 realizes the rotation of the flexible instrument 1 around the axis of the shaft rotating driving device, and the moving driving device 5 realizes the feeding or the pulling back of the flexible instrument 1, so that the automatic control of the flexible instrument 1 with four degrees of freedom can be realized, the manual participation is not needed, and the working intensity of medical workers is effectively reduced.

Further, fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the movement driving device provided by the present invention, and as shown in fig. 8, the movement driving device 5 includes a fixed frame 51, a ball screw 505, a nut, and a fourth driving member 512.

Wherein, the ball screw 505 is arranged on the fixed mount 51, the nut is arranged on the ball screw 505, the nut is connected with the shaft rotation driving device 4, and the fourth driving piece 512 is connected with the ball screw 505; the nut is not shown in fig. 8.

Specifically, the fixing frame 51 includes a support 506 and a first fixing plate 501 and a second fixing plate 502 disposed at both ends of the support 506; both ends of the ball screw 505 are supported on the bearing supports 504, the bearing support 504 at one end of the ball screw 505 is connected with the first fixing plate 501 through the base 503, and the bearing support 504 at the other end of the ball screw 505 is connected with the second fixing plate 502 through the base 503; the fourth driving member 512 may be a motor, and the fourth driving member 512 is disposed on the second fixing plate 502 and connected to the ball screw 505 through the coupling 511; the fourth driving member 512 drives the ball screw 505 to rotate, and the ball screw 505 drives the nut to move, thereby realizing the movement of the shaft rotation driving device 4 connected with the nut.

Further, the movement driving device 5 further includes a fixing plate 508 and two guide assemblies, each guide assembly includes a guide shaft 510, a shaft sleeve connector 507 and two linear bearings 509, two ends of the guide shaft 510 are respectively connected with the first fixing plate 501 and the second fixing plate 502, and an axis of the guide shaft 510 is parallel to an axis of the ball screw 505; the two linear bearings 509 are arranged on the guide shaft 510 at intervals, and the two linear bearings 509 on the same guide shaft 510 are fixedly connected by the shaft sleeve connector 507; the fixing plate 508 fixedly connects the two bushing connectors 507 of the two guide assemblies, and the fixing plate 508 is connected with a nut, and the shaft rotation driving device 4 is disposed on the fixing plate 508. When the output shaft of the fourth driving member 512 rotates, the output shaft drives the ball screw 505 to rotate together through the coupling 511, and due to the guiding and limiting effects of the guiding shaft 510 and the linear bearing 509, the nut on the ball screw 505 drives the fixing plate 508 to move linearly, and then the shaft rotation driving device 4 fixed on the fixing plate 508 drives the flexible instrument 1 to move linearly together, so that the feeding or pulling-back movement of the flexible instrument 1 is finally realized.

According to the flexible medical equipment provided by the invention, the four-degree-of-freedom movement of the flexible instrument 1 can be automatically controlled by the four driving parts respectively, the manual operation of a traditional doctor can be replaced, and the movement control precision and stability of the flexible instrument 1 are effectively improved, so that the flexible medical equipment has the characteristics of high industrialization degree and strong practicability.

The flexible medical equipment provided by the invention realizes automatic control of the flexible instrument 1, can realize remote control of the flexible instrument 1, can avoid long-term exposure of operators to X-ray, reduce or avoid radiation damage of other equipment to doctors, and also reduce physical consumption of the operators to a certain extent so as to relieve physical fatigue of the operating doctors and the like; because the control precision of the flexible medical equipment is higher than that of the traditional manual operation, the requirements of the operation on the skill experience of the doctor can be reduced to a certain extent, the learning period of the doctor is shortened, and the like.

The above-described embodiments of the apparatus are merely illustrative, and the units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the present embodiment. One of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without inventive effort.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only intended to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, but not to limit it; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible medical device, comprising: the device comprises a flexible instrument, a probe fixing device and a bending driving device; the flexible instrument has a first rotating portion and a second rotating portion; the bending driving device comprises a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism; the probe fixing device comprises a probe fixing support and a transmission mechanism arranged on the probe fixing support;

the first driving mechanism is used for driving the first rotating portion to rotate, and the second driving mechanism is used for driving the second rotating portion to rotate.

2. The flexible medical device of claim 1, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises a first transmission assembly and a second transmission assembly;

3. The flexible medical device of claim 2, wherein the first transmission assembly comprises a first mating gear and a first gear in mesh with the first mating gear; the second transmission assembly comprises a second mating gear and a second gear meshed with the second mating gear;

the second matching gear is rotatably arranged on the probe fixing support and is connected with the second rotating part; the second gear is rotatably arranged on the probe fixing support and is used for being connected with the second driving mechanism.

4. The flexible medical device according to claim 3, further comprising at least one locking means, wherein the locking means comprises a locking bracket and two locking assemblies, the locking bracket is disposed on the bending driving means, the locking assemblies comprise an elastic member and a locking member rotatably disposed on the locking bracket, the elastic member is connected to the locking bracket and the locking member, respectively, and the locking member is provided with a locking portion; the probe fixing bracket is provided with at least two locking holes;

5. The flexible medical device according to claim 4, wherein the probe fixing bracket is provided with a positioning hole, and the locking bracket is provided with a positioning pin;

6. The flexible medical device of claim 4, wherein the bending actuator further comprises a base plate;

7. The flexible medical device of any of claims 1-6, further comprising a shaft rotational drive, the bending drive being disposed on the shaft rotational drive;

8. The flexible medical device of claim 7, wherein the shaft rotational drive means comprises a rotationally fixed support, a rotational support, and a third drive member;

and the third driving piece is used for driving the rotating bracket to rotate.

9. The flexible medical device of claim 8, further comprising a translation drive, the shaft rotation drive disposed on the translation drive;

10. The flexible medical device of claim 9, wherein the movement drive comprises a fixed mount, a ball screw, a nut, and a fourth drive;