CN116115350A

CN116115350A - Flexible joint assembly, surgical instrument and surgical robot

Info

Publication number: CN116115350A
Application number: CN202310098521.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 请求不公布姓名
Original assignee: Hangzhou Weijing Medical Robot Co ltd
Current assignee: Hangzhou Weijing Medical Robot Co ltd
Priority date: 2023-01-31
Filing date: 2023-01-31
Publication date: 2023-05-16

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a flexible joint assembly, a surgical instrument and a surgical robot, and relates to the technical field of surgical instruments. The flexible joint assembly comprises a first joint, a connecting joint and a second joint, wherein the first joint, the connecting joint and the second joint are sequentially and movably connected, the contact mode between two adjacent joints is a line contact mode, the contact friction force between the two adjacent joints can be effectively reduced, the rotation angle of the joints can be accurately controlled, and the control precision of the flexible joint assembly is improved; not only can also improve the rotation angle between two adjacent joints, improve the reliability of flexible joint assembly transmission for the operation effect is showing and is improving.

Description

Flexible joint assembly, surgical instrument and surgical robot

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of surgical instruments, in particular to a flexible joint assembly, a surgical instrument and a surgical robot.

Background

Minimally invasive surgery refers to a surgical mode for performing surgery in a human cavity by using modern medical instruments such as laparoscopes, thoracoscopes and related devices. Compared with the traditional operation mode, the minimally invasive operation has the advantages of small wound, light pain, quick recovery and the like. However, the minimally invasive instrument in the minimally invasive surgery is limited by the size of the incision, so that the operation difficulty is greatly increased, and actions such as fatigue, tremble and the like of a doctor in the long-time operation process can be amplified, which becomes a key factor for restricting the development of the minimally invasive surgery technology. With the development of robot technology, a new minimally invasive medical field technology, namely minimally invasive surgery robot technology, capable of overcoming the defects and inheriting the advantages, has been developed.

A common minimally invasive surgical robot consists of a physician console, a patient side cart, and a display device, where the surgeon operates an input device and communicates input to the patient side cart that is connected to a teleoperated surgical instrument. Based on the surgeon's input at the surgeon console, the teleoperated surgical instrument is actuated at the patient side cart to operate on the patient, resulting in a master-slave control relationship between the surgeon console and the surgical instrument at the patient side cart. The single-hole surgical robot has the advantages of few incisions and quick postoperative recovery, and generally uses flexible surgical instruments to enter a human body through one incision to perform surgery. It can be seen that flexible surgical instruments are critical to single hole surgical robots.

The existing single-hole minimally invasive surgery is usually performed through a special surgical instrument, however, the rotating friction force of a plurality of joints of the existing flexible surgical instrument is large, the transmission precision of the plurality of joints is difficult to control, and the plurality of joints cannot realize a large rotating angle.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a flexible joint assembly, a surgical instrument and a surgical robot, which can reduce contact friction between two adjacent joints and improve control precision of the flexible joint assembly.

Embodiments of the invention may be implemented as follows:

in a first aspect, the present invention provides a flexible joint assembly comprising a first joint, at least one connection joint and a second joint connected in sequence;

the first joint, at least one connecting joint and the second joint are all provided with connecting parts, and two adjacent joints can be movably connected through the two connecting parts;

at least two adjacent connecting parts of the joint are respectively provided with a convex tooth part and a concave tooth groove, and the tooth part is meshed with the tooth groove.

In an alternative embodiment, the flexible joint assembly further comprises a connecting member disposed between at least two adjacent joints, the connecting member being configured to connect the two adjacent joints, and the teeth and the tooth slots of the two adjacent joints being rotatable relative to the connecting member.

In an alternative embodiment, the connecting piece comprises a connecting section and two connecting shafts, wherein the two connecting shafts are respectively connected with two ends of the connecting section, and the two connecting shafts are respectively arranged in the mounting holes of two adjacent joints in a penetrating manner.

In an alternative embodiment, two adjacent joints are provided with avoiding grooves communicated with the mounting holes, and the avoiding grooves are used for accommodating part of the connecting piece.

In an alternative embodiment, the first joint is provided with a first mounting hole, the second joint is provided with a second mounting hole, and the connecting joint is provided with a third mounting hole and a fourth mounting hole;

the two connecting shafts are used for penetrating through the first mounting hole and the third mounting hole respectively, penetrating through the fourth mounting hole and the second mounting hole respectively, and penetrating through the third mounting hole and the fourth mounting hole of two adjacent connecting joints respectively.

In an alternative embodiment, the first joint is provided with a first avoidance groove communicated with the first mounting hole, the second joint is provided with a second avoidance groove communicated with the second mounting hole, and the connecting joint is provided with a third avoidance groove communicated with the third mounting hole and a fourth avoidance groove communicated with the fourth mounting hole;

the first avoidance groove, the second avoidance groove, the third avoidance groove and the fourth avoidance groove are all used for accommodating parts of the connecting piece.

In an alternative embodiment, the flexible joint assembly further comprises a shaft clamp, two connecting pieces are oppositely arranged between two adjacent joints, and the shaft clamp is abutted between the two connecting pieces which are oppositely arranged.

In an alternative embodiment, the shaft clamp comprises a shaft collar and propping parts arranged at two sides of the shaft collar, the connecting piece is provided with a through groove, and the propping parts are embedded into the through groove.

In an alternative embodiment, the abutting part is further provided with a limiting part in a protruding mode, and the limiting part is used for abutting against the connecting piece.

In an optional embodiment, the flexible joint assembly further comprises an elastic member, the connection joint is provided with an opening, the elastic member is arranged through the opening and is in butt joint with the connection member, the opening is used for allowing the control tube to pass through, and the elastic member is arranged outside the control tube in a sleeved mode.

In an alternative embodiment, the flexible joint assembly further comprises an abutment provided to the first joint and/or the second joint, the abutment being adapted to abut the elastic member.

In an alternative embodiment, the first joint and/or the second joint and/or the connecting joint are provided with an abutment step for abutment with the elastic member.

In an optional embodiment, the first joint, the connection joint and the second joint are provided with holes and a plurality of through holes, the through holes are annularly arranged around the holes and are radially distributed, the through holes are in one-to-one correspondence with the first joint, the connection joint and the second joint, and the through holes are all used for the driving rope to pass through.

In an alternative embodiment, the connection portions of the first joint, the connection joint and the second joint are all gear-shaped, so that the connection portion of the first joint is engaged with the connection portion of the connection joint, and the connection portion of the second joint is engaged with the connection joint.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a flexible joint assembly comprising a first joint, a connection joint, a second joint, and a connector;

the first joint, the connecting joint and the second joint are connected in sequence in a movable mode, a connecting piece is arranged between at least two adjacent joints, the connecting piece is used for connecting the two adjacent joints, and tooth parts and tooth grooves of the two adjacent joints can rotate relative to the connecting piece.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a surgical instrument comprising an active joint, a follower joint, an instrument tip, and a flexible joint assembly according to any of the preceding embodiments, the active joint, the follower joint, the flexible joint assembly, and the instrument tip being connected in sequence.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a surgical robot, including a console, an operator and a surgical instrument according to the foregoing embodiment, where the console is connected to the operator, and the surgical instrument is detachably disposed on the operator.

The flexible joint assembly, the surgical instrument and the surgical robot provided by the embodiment of the invention have the beneficial effects that at least: the adjacent two joints are movably connected with the tooth grooves through the tooth parts, so that the contact mode between the adjacent two joints is line contact, the contact friction force between the adjacent two joints can be effectively reduced, the rotation angle of the joints can be accurately controlled, and the control precision of the flexible joint assembly is improved; moreover, the line contact form between the joints is also beneficial to improving the rotation angle between two adjacent joints, so that the transmission reliability of the flexible joint assembly is improved, and the operation effect is obviously improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments will be briefly described below, it being understood that the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope, and other related drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a second schematic structural view of a first embodiment of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a clamping assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of portion A of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of portion B of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of portion C of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a support structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a second schematic view of a support structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of a flexible joint assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of a first joint according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a second schematic structural view of a first embodiment of a first joint according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of a joint according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a second schematic structural view of a first embodiment of a joint according to the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of a second joint according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a second schematic view of a first embodiment of a second joint according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of a shaft clamp according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a third schematic view of a first embodiment of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a fourth schematic view of the structure of the first embodiment of the surgical instrument according to the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the I-I direction of FIG. 2, provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of portion D of FIG. 18 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of a flexible joint assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of a joint according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of a shaft clamp according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 25 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of portion E of FIG. 23 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 27 is an enlarged view of portion F of FIG. 23 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 28 is a schematic view of a portion of a third embodiment of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is an exploded view of a portion of a third embodiment of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 30 is a schematic structural view of a third embodiment of a first joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Icon: 1-a surgical instrument; 10-a flexible joint assembly; 11-opening holes; 12-through holes; 13-claws; 14-connecting part; 15-tooth; 16-tooth grooves; 17-chamfering; 18-abutting the step; 100-first joint; 110-a first mounting hole; 120-a first avoidance slot; 200-connecting joints; 210-a third mounting hole; 220-fourth mounting holes; 230-a third avoidance groove; 300-second joint; 310-a second mounting hole; 320-a second avoidance groove; 400-connecting piece; 410-connecting segments; 420-connecting shaft; 430-through groove; 500-shaft clamps; 510-a collar; 520-a holding portion; 530-a limit part; 600-elastic member; 700-abutting piece; 20-active joint; 30-follow-up joint; 40-instrument tip; 41-supporting seats; 42-standing lugs; 43-jack; 44-hose vias; 50-driving rope; 51-a first drive string; 52-a second drive string; 53-a third drive string; 54-fourth drive rope; a 60-clamp assembly; 610-handling tube; 620—a lever; 630-clamp.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more apparent, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments of the present invention. The components of the embodiments of the present invention generally described and illustrated in the figures herein may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.

Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, as presented in the figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

It should be noted that: like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further definition or explanation thereof is necessary in the following figures.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, if the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", and the like indicate an azimuth or a positional relationship based on the azimuth or the positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the azimuth or the positional relationship in which the inventive product is conventionally put in use, it is merely for convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and it is not indicated or implied that the apparatus or element referred to must have a specific azimuth, be configured and operated in a specific azimuth, and thus it should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, if any, are used merely for distinguishing between descriptions and not for indicating or implying a relative importance.

It should be noted that the features of the embodiments of the present invention may be combined with each other without conflict.

However, the conventional flexible surgical instrument has a large joint rotation friction force, so that the transmission precision is difficult to control, and on the other hand, a plurality of joints cannot realize a large rotation angle.

Based on the above problems, the embodiment of the invention provides a surgical robot (not shown), which comprises a main control console (not shown) and an operator (not shown) and surgical instruments, wherein the main control console is connected with the operator, the operator is detachably provided with the surgical instruments, and the surgical instruments are used for performing minimally invasive surgical operations.

Further, referring to fig. 1 to 6, the surgical instrument 1 includes a flexible joint assembly 10, an active joint 20, a follower joint 30, an instrument end 40, a driving rope 50, and a clamping assembly 60, wherein the active joint 20, the follower joint 30, the flexible joint assembly 10, and the instrument end 40 are sequentially connected and in an axial shape, so as to be convenient for extending into a surgical site of a patient.

In this embodiment, the clamping assembly 60 includes an operating tube 610, an operating rod 620 and a clamp 630, the operating tube 610 is sleeved outside the operating rod 620, the operating rod 620 is disposed inside the driving joint 20, the follower joint 30, the flexible joint assembly 10 and the instrument end 40, and the clamp 630 is disposed at an end of the operating rod 620 extending out of the instrument end 40.

The opening and closing actions of the clamp 630 can be realized by driving the operation rod 620 to stretch and retract relative to the operation tube 610, thereby completing the operation of minimally invasive surgical operation. The operation tube 610 may be a hose, and the operation rod 620 may be a flexible rod, so that the operation tube 610 and the operation tube 610 are deformed to some extent, and the operation tube 610 sleeved outside the operation rod 620 may reduce friction force generated by the operation tube 610 during the expansion and contraction process and provide supporting thrust for the operation rod 620.

In this embodiment, referring to fig. 7 and 8, the instrument end 40 includes a support 41, one side of the support 41 is provided with a lug 42, the lug 42 is used for mounting a clamp 630, and the other side of the support 41 is provided with a jack 43, and the jack 43 is used for clamping and matching with the flexible joint assembly 10. The central part of the support 41 is also provided with a hose via hole 44, and the hose via hole 44 is used for the operation pipe 610 to pass through, so that the operation pipe 610 and the operation pipe 610 are connected with a clamp 630 arranged on the vertical lug 42, and the clamp 630 is clamped under the drive of the operation rod 620.

Further, referring to fig. 9 to 15, the flexible joint assembly 10 includes a first joint 100, a connection joint 200 and a second joint 300, wherein the first joint 100, the connection joint 200 and the second joint 300 are provided with an opening 11 and a plurality of through holes 12, and the openings 11 of the plurality of joints are in one-to-one correspondence for penetrating the operation tube 610; the through holes 12 are in one-to-one correspondence with the first joint 100, the connection joint 200 and the second joint 300, and the through holes 12 are used for the driving rope 50 to pass through.

It is understood that the joint refers to any one of the first joint 100, the connection joint 200, and the second joint 300, wherein the number of connection joints 200 may be plural.

In the present embodiment, the openings 11 are disposed at the central portions of the first joint 100, the connection joint 200 and the second joint 300, and the plurality of through holes 12 are uniformly disposed in the areas between the openings 11 and the outer walls of the first joint 100, the connection joint 200 and the second joint 300, respectively, so as to ensure the processing strength of the structures of the first joint 100, the connection joint 200 and the second joint 300 and improve the reliability of the apparatus.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of through holes 12 are circumferentially disposed around the opening 11 and radially distributed, in other words, the plurality of through holes 12 are distributed in a region between the opening 11 and the edge of the joint, so as to ensure that the plurality of through holes 12 are uniformly distributed on the joint, thereby ensuring the processing strength of the joint structure and improving the reliability of the apparatus. It should be noted that the follower joint 30 and the instrument end 40 may be connected by the flexible joint assembly 10, and the active joint 20 and the follower joint 30 may also be connected by the flexible joint assembly 10, so as to increase the range of motion of the surgical instrument 1. Further, the first joint 100 and the second joint 300 are joint head and joint tail, respectively, wherein the first joint 100 is fixedly connected to the instrument tail 40 and the second joint 300 is fixedly connected to the follower joint 30 with the flexible joint assembly 10 connected to the follower joint 30 and the instrument tail 40. Of course, in the case where the flexible joint assembly 10 is connected between the active joint 20 and the follower joint 30, the first joint 100 may also be fixedly connected to the follower joint 30, and the second joint 300 may also be fixedly connected to the active joint 20.

In the present embodiment, the first joint 100 and the second joint 300 are provided with the claws 13, the first joint 100 is in a clamping fit with the insertion holes 43 of the mount 41 through the claws 13, and the second joint 300 is in a clamping fit with the follower joint 30 through the claws 13. Of course, the first joint 100 may also be in a snap fit with the follower joint 30 via the pawl 13, and the second joint 300 may be in a snap fit with the active joint 20.

In this embodiment, the first joint 100, the connection joint 200 and the second joint 300 are discoid, and the first joint 100, the connection joint 200 and the second joint 300 are sequentially and movably connected.

The first joint 100, the connecting joint 200 and the second joint 300 are all made of metal materials, for example, stainless steel materials can be used, the processing is simple, the processing cost is low, and the processing precision can be effectively ensured.

Further, the first joint 100, the connecting joint 200 and the second joint 300 are each provided with a connecting portion 14, and two adjacent joints are movably connected by the two connecting portions 14.

Wherein, two connecting parts 14 of at least two adjacent joints in the plurality of joints are respectively provided with a convex tooth part 15 and a concave tooth groove 16.

In this embodiment, the tooth portion 15 and the tooth groove 16 are meshed, so that the curved wall surface of the tooth portion 15 is abutted against the planar side wall of the tooth groove 16, that is, the arc surface where the tooth portion 15 is located is tangent to the plane where the side wall of the tooth groove 16 is located, thereby realizing the line contact between the tooth portion 15 and the tooth groove 16.

Specifically, the connection portion 14 of the first joint 100 is in the shape of a tooth 15, the connection portion 14 of the second joint 300 is in the shape of a tooth slot 16, the connection portions 14 of the connection joints 200 are respectively located at two opposite sides of the connection joints 200, one of the connection portions 14 is in the shape of the tooth slot 16, and the other connection portion 14 is in the shape of the tooth 15.

Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the number of teeth 15 and slots 16 may be plural, such that the connection portions 14 of the first joint 100, the connection joint 200, and the second joint 300 are all gear-shaped, in which case the connection portions 14 of the first joint 100 are engaged with the connection portions 14 of the connection joint 200, and the connection portions 14 of the second joint 300 are engaged with the connection joint 200. In this embodiment, the contact manner between two adjacent joints is line contact, so that the contact friction between two adjacent joints can be effectively reduced, and the rotation angle of the joints can be accurately controlled, so that the control precision of the flexible joint assembly 10 is improved; not only can the rotation angle between two adjacent joints be improved, the transmission reliability of the flexible joint assembly 10 is improved, and the operation effect is obviously improved.

It will be appreciated that the line contact, i.e. the contact between two adjacent joints, is a single line. Therefore, the contact forms between the first joint 100 and the connection joint 200, and between the connection joint 200 and the second joint 300 are all line contacts, the first joint 100 and the connection joint 200 are rotatably connected through the line contacts, thereby enabling the first joint 100 and the connection joint 200 to rotate with each other, and the connection joint 200 and the second joint 300 are rotatably connected through the line contacts, thereby enabling the second joint 300 and the connection joint 200 to rotate with each other.

It should be noted that, the number of the connection joints 200 may be only one, or may be plural, the plural connection joints 200 are sequentially connected, and the connection joints 200 at both ends are respectively in line contact with the first joint 100 and the second joint 300, and two adjacent connection joints 200 in the plural connection joints 200 are also in line contact; the number of the connection joints 200 may be adjusted according to actual requirements, and is not particularly limited herein.

Further, referring to fig. 16 and 17, the flexible joint assembly 10 further includes a connector 400 and a shaft clamp 500.

Wherein the connecting member 400 is disposed between at least two adjacent joints among the plurality of joints, the connecting member 400 is used for connecting and supporting the two adjacent joints, and the teeth 15 and the tooth slots 16 of the two adjacent joints are rotatable relative to the connecting member 400. The shaft clamp 500 is used for being sleeved outside the operation pipe 610 and abutted against the connecting piece 400, so that the connecting piece 400 is fixed, and two adjacent joints are stably connected.

Further, the connecting piece 400 includes a connecting section 410 and two connecting shafts 420, the two connecting shafts 420 are respectively connected with two ends of the connecting section 410, the plurality of joints are provided with mounting holes, and the two connecting shafts 420 are respectively arranged in the mounting holes of the two adjacent joints in a penetrating manner.

Specifically, the first joint 100 is provided with a first mounting hole 110 adjacent to the first connection portion 14, the second joint 300 is provided with a second mounting hole 310 adjacent to the second connection portion 14, and the connection joint 200 is provided with a third mounting hole 210 adjacent to the third connection portion 14 and a fourth mounting hole 220 adjacent to the fourth connection portion 14.

The two connecting shafts 420 are respectively and vertically connected with both ends of the connecting section 410, and the profile of the connecting section 410 is larger than that of the connecting shaft 420, so that the processing and manufacturing of the connecting piece 400 are facilitated.

In case that the number of the connection joints 200 is one, the two connection shafts 420 are rotatably provided to the first mounting hole 110 of the first joint 100 and the third mounting hole 210 of the connection joint 200, respectively, and rotatably provided to the fourth mounting hole 220 of the connection joint 200 and the second mounting hole 310 of the second joint 300, respectively, thereby connecting the first joint 100, the connection joint 200, and the second joint 300. In the case that the number of the connection joints 200 is plural, the two mounting shafts are rotatably provided in the third mounting holes 210 of the connection joints 200 and the fourth mounting holes 220 of the adjacent connection joints 200, respectively.

When the two adjacent joints are rotated relative to each other, the two connecting portions 14 of the two adjacent joints are displaced to a certain extent so that the two connecting shafts 420 of the connecting member 400 are always inserted into the two mounting holes.

In the present embodiment, the first joint 100, the connection joint 200, the second joint 300, the connection member 400, and the shaft clamp 500 are simple in manufacturing and convenient in assembly, and greatly save the production cost, thereby indirectly saving the operation cost for the patient.

Further, the two adjacent joints are provided with avoiding grooves communicated with the mounting holes, and the avoiding grooves are used for accommodating part of the connecting piece 400.

Specifically, the first joint 100 is provided with a first avoidance groove 120 communicated with the first mounting hole 110, the second joint 300 is provided with a second avoidance groove 320 communicated with the second mounting hole 310, and the connection joint 200 is provided with a third avoidance groove 230 communicated with the third mounting hole 210 and a fourth avoidance groove communicated with the fourth mounting hole 220; the first relief groove 120, the second relief groove 320, the third relief groove 230, and the fourth relief groove are all configured to receive the connector 400.

In this embodiment, two ends of the connection member 400 are respectively used for being mounted in the first avoidance groove 120 of the first joint 100 and the third avoidance groove 230 of the connection joint 200, or for being mounted in the fourth avoidance groove of the connection joint 200 and the second avoidance groove 320 of the second joint 300; in the case that the number of the connection joints 200 is plural, both ends of the connection member 400 are also used for being installed in the third escape groove 230 of the connection joint 200 and the fourth escape groove of the adjacent connection joint 200.

In this embodiment, the joint is provided with the avoiding groove so as to facilitate the installation of the connecting member 400, and the connecting member 400 can rotate relative to the joint, thereby increasing the rotation range of the joint. As shown in fig. 11 to 14, the avoidance groove and the connecting portion 14 are arranged at intervals, so that the mounting hole has a two-stage structure, that is, one side of the mounting hole away from the avoidance groove is in a circular hole shape, the side of the mounting hole close to the avoidance groove is in a semicircular groove structure, the semicircular groove structure is communicated with the avoidance groove, and the structure can improve the structural strength of the part matched with the connecting piece 400, so that the bearing capacity of the flexible joint assembly 10 is further improved.

Further, two connectors 400 are oppositely arranged between two adjacent joints, and the shaft clamp 500 is abutted between the two connectors 400 which are oppositely arranged, so that the connectors 400 are fixed, connection falling from the mounting holes of the joints is avoided, and the structural stability of the flexible joint assembly 10 is improved.

Specifically, the shaft clamp 500 includes a collar 510 and a holding portion 520 disposed on two sides of the collar 510, the connecting member 400 is provided with a through slot 430, and the holding portion 520 is embedded in the through slot 430.

In this embodiment, the collar 510 is used for the operation tube 610 to pass through, so as to avoid interference with the operation tube 610, and solve the problem that the operation tube 610 is difficult to reset due to extrusion or interference with the joint after bending deformation, thereby improving the reliability of the flexible joint assembly 10, and ensuring the operation effect. By arranging the abutting portions 520 at two sides of the collar 510, the abutting portions 520 are abutted in the through grooves 430 formed in the connecting piece 400, that is, the abutting portions 520 are in interference fit with the through grooves 430, so that the function of stably pressing the two connecting pieces 400 is achieved, and the overall mechanism stability of the flexible joint assembly 10 is improved.

Further, one side or both sides of the supporting portion 520 are further provided with a limiting portion 530, and the limiting portion 530 is used for supporting the connecting piece 400.

In the present embodiment, the limiting portion 530 is protruded on the abutting portion 520, so that the limiting portion 530 abuts against two side walls of the connecting section 410 under the condition that the abutting portion 520 is in abutting engagement with the through groove 430, thereby playing a role in limiting, preventing the connecting member 400 from being separated from the shaft clamp 500, and significantly improving the structural stability of the flexible joint assembly 10.

Further, the driving rope 50 is connected with a plurality of joints in the flexible joint assembly 10, so as to drive the joints to rotate relatively, thereby realizing reversing of the instrument tail end 40 connected with the flexible joint assembly 10 and improving the operability of the surgical instrument 1.

In the present embodiment, referring to fig. 18 to 21, the driving rope 50 includes a first driving rope 51, a second driving rope 52, a third driving rope 53, and a fourth driving rope 54.

Specifically, the middle part of the first driving rope 51 is fixedly connected to one side of the support 41 of the instrument end 40 through a pipe clamp, that is, one end of the first driving rope 51 is connected with a driving mechanism (not shown), the other end sequentially penetrates through holes of a plurality of joints, finally penetrates through the support 41 and sequentially penetrates out of the through holes of the joints from the other through hole of the support 41, and is connected with the driving mechanism. The number of the first driving ropes 51 is two, and the two first driving ropes 51 are symmetrically arranged.

It should be noted that, the symmetrically distributed first driving ropes 51 are fixed on the same rotation shaft, so that when the length of the first driving rope 51 on one side is reduced, the length of the first driving rope 51 on the other side is correspondingly increased, so that the joint deflects relative to the other adjacent joint. It will be appreciated that after the first drive strings 51 are fixed to the support 41 by pipe clamps, they can be regarded as two first drive strings 51, and therefore, two first drive strings 51 respectively fixed to the support 41 may be used instead of the first drive strings 51. The two degrees of freedom of movement of the instrument tip 40 can be achieved by the drive mechanism driving the first drive cord 51.

The second driving rope 52 is connected in a similar manner to the first driving rope 51, and the only difference is that the second driving rope 52 is fixedly disposed on the connection joint, so that the same driving principle is not repeated. By providing a plurality of connection joints and a plurality of sets of second drive strings 52, the accuracy of control of the instrument tip 40 can be improved, as well as the angle of rotation of the instrument tip 40.

It should be noted that the two second driving ropes 52 and the two first driving ropes 51 are symmetrical with respect to the operation rod 620, respectively, that is, the cross-sectional ends of four driving ropes of the four driving ropes are located on the same straight line and on the axis.

The third driving rope 53 is connected in a similar manner to the first driving rope 51 and the second driving rope 52, the second driving rope 52 is connected to a third connecting joint close to the first joint, and the third driving rope 53 is connected to a third connecting joint close to the second joint, and the driving principle is similar to the first driving rope 51 and the second driving rope 52, so that the description is omitted.

One end of the fourth driving rope 54 is connected to the first joint close to the follow-up joint through a pipe clamp, the other end of the fourth driving rope 54 is connected to the rotating shaft of the driving mechanism after penetrating through the through holes of the connecting joint and the second joint, the number of the fourth driving ropes 54 is four, the four fourth driving ropes 54 are symmetrical with respect to the axis of the operating rod 620, and the driving principle of the fourth driving ropes is similar to that of the first driving rope 51, the second driving rope 52 and the third driving rope 53, so that the description is omitted.

Second embodiment

For a brief description, reference is made to the content of the first embodiment for a part not mentioned in this embodiment.

Referring to fig. 22 to 24, the structures of the first joint 100 and the second joint 300 may be identical, the connection portion 14 of the first joint 100 and the second joint 300 may be a three-tooth portion 15 structure, and the connection portion 14 of the connection joint 200 may be a two-tooth portion 15 structure, so that two adjacent joints may be guaranteed to still be engaged under a large rotation angle, thereby improving the rotation angle of the distal end of the surgical instrument 1, and further improving the flexibility of the surgical operation.

It should be noted that it is not appropriate to provide the first joint 100, the connecting joint 200, and the second joint 300 with more teeth 15, because the two adjacent joints may interfere with each other when the rotation angle of the two adjacent joints is too large, and if the disc space is increased, the structural stability and the bearing capacity of the flexible joint assembly 10 may be affected, but the use requirement is not met.

Further, in order to improve the rotation angle between two adjacent joints and prevent the two joints from interfering with each other during the rotation process, the first joint 100, the connecting joint 200 and the second joint 300 are each provided with a chamfer 17, the plane where the chamfer 17 is located is inclined to the surface where the corresponding joint is located, and the two chamfers 17 of the two adjacent joints are oppositely arranged.

It should be noted that, the surfaces of the first joint 100 and the second joint 300 facing the connection joint 200 are provided with two chamfers 17 and two connection portions 14, and the connection line of the two connection portions 14 is perpendicular to the connection of the two chamfers 17; two chamfer angles 17 and two connecting parts 14 are arranged on two side surfaces of the connecting joint 200, the connecting line of the two connecting parts 14 on the same side is perpendicular to the connecting line of the two chamfer angles 17, and the connecting line of the two connecting parts 14 on one side of the connecting joint 200 is perpendicular to the connecting line of the two connecting parts 14 on the other side.

Specifically, the two sides of the collar 510 corresponding to the joints are also provided with chamfers 17 to avoid interference between two adjacent joints and the collar 510.

Third embodiment

Referring to fig. 25 to 30, the flexible joint assembly 10 further includes an elastic member 600, the connection joint 200 is provided with an opening 11, the elastic member 600 is disposed through the opening 11 and abuts against the connection member 400, the opening 11 is used for passing through the control tube, and the elastic member 600 is disposed outside the control tube.

In this embodiment, the elastic member 600 can cover the entire operating tube 610, further improving the protection effect on the operating tube 610, and the elastic member 600 can be firmly abutted with the connecting members 400 at two sides.

Alternatively, the elastic member 600 may be a plurality of spring tubes, and the plurality of spring tubes are disposed in the openings 11 of the one or more connection joints 200 end to end.

Further, to improve the mounting stability of the elastic member 600, the flexible joint assembly 10 further includes an abutment 700, where the abutment 700 is disposed on the first joint 100 and/or the second joint 300, and the abutment 700 is configured to abut against the elastic member 600.

In the present embodiment, by providing the abutment 700 on the first joint 100 or the second joint 300 or on both the first joint 100 and the second joint 300, both ends of the elastic member 600 are respectively abutted with the abutment 700, thereby improving the installation stability of the elastic member 600; furthermore, the abutment 700 may be used to fix the end of the operating tube 610, and thus, the abutment 700 is generally provided to the first joint 100.

Of course, in other embodiments of the invention, one or both abutments 700 may be omitted or provided.

The first joint 100 may be provided with a first abutment step 18, the second joint 300 may be provided with a second abutment step 18, and the connection joint 200 may be provided with a third abutment step 18. It should be noted that, the first abutting step 18, the second abutting step 18 and the third abutting step 18 are all used for abutting against the elastic member 600, and one, two or three of the first abutting step 18, the second abutting step 18 and the third abutting step 18 may be optionally provided, so as to play a role in fixing the elastic member 600, and may be correspondingly provided according to the number or the requirement of the elastic member 600, which is not limited herein.

In summary, the embodiment of the invention provides the flexible joint assembly 10, the surgical instrument 1 and the surgical robot, and the contact mode between two adjacent joints is line contact, so that the contact friction between two adjacent joints can be effectively reduced, the rotation angle of the joints can be accurately controlled, and the control precision of the flexible joint assembly 10 is improved; not only can the rotation angle between two adjacent joints be improved, the transmission reliability of the flexible joint assembly 10 is improved, and the operation effect is obviously improved.

In addition, by disposing the connection member 400 between at least two adjacent joints among the plurality of joints to support the two joints, the adjacent two joints are stably connected; through establish the axle clamp 500 cover outside the operating tube 610, solved the operating tube 610 after bending deformation with joint extrusion or interfere and lead to the problem that is difficult to reset, simultaneously, the axle clamp 500 has still played the effect of compressing tightly two connecting pieces 400, because the axle clamp 500 is hollow structure, can supply operating tube 610 and action bars 620 to pass through, avoided operating tube 610 to produce the interference problem with axle clamp 500 to the reliability of flexible surgical instruments performance has been improved, the operation effect has been guaranteed.

Moreover, a plurality of through holes 12 are uniformly formed in the joints in a surrounding mode, the through holes 12 are distributed radially, machining strength of the joint structure can be guaranteed, and reliability of the instrument is improved.

The first joint 100, the connection joint 200, the second joint 300, the connection member 400 and the shaft clamp 500 are simple in manufacturing and convenient in assembly, and the production cost is greatly saved, so that the operation cost is indirectly saved for the patient.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions easily contemplated by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention should be included in the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A flexible joint assembly comprising a first joint, at least one connecting joint and a second joint connected in sequence;

2. The flexible joint assembly of claim 1, further comprising a connector disposed between at least two adjacent ones of the joints, the connector being configured to connect adjacent ones of the joints, and the teeth and the tooth slots of adjacent ones of the joints being rotatable relative to the connector.

3. The flexible joint assembly of claim 2, wherein the connector comprises a connecting section and two connecting shafts, the two connecting shafts are respectively connected with two ends of the connecting section, and the two connecting shafts are respectively arranged in the mounting holes of two adjacent joints in a penetrating manner.

4. A flexible joint assembly according to claim 3, wherein adjacent two of said joints are each provided with a relief groove in communication with said mounting aperture, said relief grooves being adapted to receive a portion of said connector.

5. The flexible joint assembly of claim 4, wherein the first joint has a first mounting hole, the second joint has a second mounting hole, and the connection joint has a third mounting hole and a fourth mounting hole;

6. The flexible joint assembly of claim 5, wherein the first joint is provided with a first avoidance groove in communication with the first mounting hole, the second joint is provided with a second avoidance groove in communication with the second mounting hole, and the connection joint is provided with a third avoidance groove in communication with the third mounting hole and a fourth avoidance groove in communication with the fourth mounting hole;

7. The flexible joint assembly of claim 2, further comprising a shaft clamp, wherein two of the connectors are disposed opposite each other between two adjacent joints, and wherein the shaft clamp is abutted between two of the connectors disposed opposite each other.

8. The flexible joint assembly according to claim 7, wherein the shaft clamp comprises a collar and a holding portion disposed on both sides of the collar, the connecting member is provided with a through slot, and the holding portion is embedded in the through slot.

9. The flexible joint assembly of claim 8, wherein the abutment is further provided with a stop portion for abutment with the connector.

10. The flexible joint assembly according to claim 2, further comprising an elastic member, wherein the connection joint is provided with an opening, the elastic member is disposed through the opening and abuts against the connection member, the opening is used for passing through a control tube, and the elastic member is disposed around the control tube.

11. The flexible joint assembly of claim 10, further comprising an abutment disposed at the first joint and/or the second joint for abutment with the resilient member.

12. The flexible joint assembly according to claim 10, wherein the first joint and/or the second joint and/or the connection joint is provided with an abutment step for abutment with the resilient member.

13. The flexible joint assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first joint, the connection joint and the second joint are provided with openings and a plurality of through holes, the plurality of through holes are annularly arranged around the openings and are distributed radially, the plurality of through holes are in one-to-one correspondence with the first joint, the connection joint and the second joint, and the plurality of through holes are used for the driving ropes to pass through.

14. The flexible joint assembly of claim 1, wherein the connection portions of the first joint, the connection joint, and the second joint are each gear-shaped such that the connection portion of the first joint engages with the connection portion of the connection joint and the connection portion of the second joint engages with the connection joint.

15. A flexible joint assembly, comprising a first joint, a connecting joint, a second joint and a connecting piece;

16. The flexible joint assembly of claim 15, wherein the connector comprises a connecting section and two connecting shafts, the two connecting shafts are respectively connected with two ends of the connecting section, and the two connecting shafts are respectively arranged in the mounting holes of two adjacent joints in a penetrating manner.

17. The flexible joint assembly of claim 16, wherein the first joint is provided with a first mounting hole, the second joint is provided with a second mounting hole, and the connection joint is provided with a third mounting hole and a fourth mounting hole;

18. The flexible joint assembly of claim 17, wherein the first joint is provided with a first relief groove in communication with the first mounting hole, the second joint is provided with a second relief groove in communication with the second mounting hole, and the connection joint is provided with a third relief groove in communication with the third mounting hole and a fourth relief groove in communication with the fourth mounting hole;

19. The flexible joint assembly of claim 15, further comprising a shaft clamp, wherein two of the connectors are disposed opposite each other between two adjacent joints, and wherein the shaft clamp is abutted between two of the connectors disposed opposite each other.

20. The flexible joint assembly of claim 19, wherein the shaft clamp comprises a collar and a holding portion disposed on both sides of the collar, the connector being formed with a through slot, the holding portion being embedded in the through slot.

21. The flexible joint assembly of claim 20, wherein the abutment is further provided with a stop portion for abutment with the connector.

22. The flexible joint assembly according to claim 15, further comprising an elastic member, wherein the connection joint is provided with an opening, the elastic member is disposed through the opening and abuts against the connection member, the opening is used for passing through a control tube, and the elastic member is disposed around the control tube.

23. A surgical instrument comprising an active joint, a follower joint, an instrument tip, and the flexible joint assembly of any one of claims 1-22, wherein the active joint, the follower joint, the flexible joint assembly, and the instrument tip are connected in sequence.

24. A surgical robot comprising a console, an operator and the surgical instrument of claim 23, wherein the console is connected to the operator and the surgical instrument is detachably disposed on the operator.