CN116269794A - Staggered connection continuum structure and surgical robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to continuum instrument field, discloses a staggered connection's continuum structure and surgical robot, and the continuum structure includes: a plurality of spacer disks and a plurality of connection structures. The connection structure includes: the first ends and the second ends of the one or more flexible structural bones are respectively fixedly connected with the adjacent spacing discs, and the one or more flexible structural bones are distributed along the circumferential direction of the spacing discs. The plurality of connecting structures at least comprise a first connecting structure and a second connecting structure, the first connecting structure comprises one or more first flexible structural bones, the second connecting structure comprises one or more second flexible structural bones, the circumferential distribution of the one or more first flexible structural bones along the spacing disc is different from the circumferential distribution of the one or more second flexible structural bones along the spacing disc, so that the continuous body structure can bend towards different directions.

Description

Staggered connection continuum structure and surgical robot

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of continuum instruments, and more particularly, to a staggered continuum structure and surgical robot.

Background

Traditional disease diagnosis and surgical treatment are largely divided into open diagnosis and surgery and endoluminal intervention diagnosis and treatment. The intracavitary intervention diagnosis or treatment is to make incision on blood vessel and skin to form channel or to reach target position via the original cavity of human body under the guidance of imaging equipment without opening to expose focus.

Traditional intra-cavity interventional procedures are mainly manually operated by doctors. In order to reduce the burden of doctors and improve the efficiency and safety of the intra-cavity intervention, a method for assisting the intervention diagnosis or operation by using the intra-cavity intervention instrument gradually becomes a research hot spot of the industry. The intra-cavity interventional instrument can be remotely controlled to eliminate risks caused by misoperation caused by physiological tremble and fatigue of doctors in the manual operation process.

However, in order to facilitate control operation, the currently adopted intracavity interventional device is generally provided with isotropic bending, so that the flexibility of the interventional device is relatively poor, the bending space is limited, the interventional device cannot adapt to a human body cavity with complex bending, and the cavity is easily damaged.

Disclosure of Invention

In some embodiments, a continuum structure, comprising:

a plurality of spacer disks; and

a plurality of connection structures, the connection structures comprising:

the first ends and the second ends of the one or more flexible structural bones are respectively fixedly connected with the adjacent spacing discs, and the one or more flexible structural bones are distributed along the circumferential direction of the spacing discs;

the plurality of connecting structures at least comprise a first connecting structure and a second connecting structure, the first connecting structure comprises one or more first flexible structural bones, the second connecting structure comprises one or more second flexible structural bones, and the circumferential distribution of the one or more first flexible structural bones along the spacing disc is different from the circumferential distribution of the one or more second flexible structural bones along the spacing disc.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure also provides a surgical robot comprising a continuum structure as described in any one of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following will briefly describe the drawings that are required to be used in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The drawings in the following description illustrate only some embodiments of the disclosure and other embodiments may be obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art from the disclosure's contents and drawings without inventive effort.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 (a) shows a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 (b) shows a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 (c) shows a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a partially exploded schematic view of a continuum structure according to some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 (a) illustrates a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial projection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 (b) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial projection according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 (a) shows a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 (b) shows a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 (c) is a schematic perspective view showing a continuum structure according to other embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 (d) shows a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 (e) shows a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 (f) shows a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 (a) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial projection according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 (b) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial projection according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 (c) is a schematic view showing a projection of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial direction according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 (d) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial direction according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 (a) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial projection according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 (b) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial projection according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 (c) is a schematic view showing an axial projection of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 (a) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial direction according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 (b) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial direction according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 (a) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial projection according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 (b) shows a schematic view of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial projection according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 (c) is a schematic view showing a projection of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure in an axial direction according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic structural view of a spacer disk of a continuum structure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 11 illustrates a structural schematic of a surgical robot according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems solved by the present disclosure, the technical solutions adopted and the technical effects achieved more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all embodiments.

In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, are merely for convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "coupled" are to be construed broadly, and may be either a fixed connection or a removable connection, for example; can be mechanically or electrically connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; may be a communication between the interiors of the two elements. The specific meaning of the terms in this disclosure will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as the case may be. In this disclosure, the end proximal to the operator (e.g., physician) is defined as proximal, or posterior, and the end proximal to the surgical patient is defined as distal, or anterior, anterior. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be used with medical instruments or surgical robots, as well as with other non-medical devices.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a continuum structure 1000 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, a series-connected continuum structure 1000 may include a plurality of spacer disks 1200 and a plurality of connection structures 1100. The connection structure 1100 may include one or more flexible structural bones 1110, the first and second ends of the one or more flexible structural bones 1110 are fixedly connected with the adjacent spacer disc 1200, respectively, and the one or more flexible structural bones 1110 are distributed along the circumferential direction of the spacer disc 1200. Wherein the plurality of connection structures 1100 may include at least a connection structure 1100a and a connection structure 1100b. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that while fig. 1 shows only two connection structures 1100a, 1100b, the plurality of connection structures 1100 may include other types of connection structures.

Fig. 2 (a) -2 (c) respectively show different perspective schematic views of a continuum structure 1000 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. As shown in fig. 2 (a) -2 (c), the connection structure 1100a may include one or more flexible structural bones 1110a, and the connection structure 1100b may include one or more flexible structural bones 1110b, with the one or more flexible structural bones 1110a being distributed differently along the circumferential direction of the spacer disc 1200 than the one or more flexible structural bones 1110b are distributed along the circumferential direction of the spacer disc 1200. As shown in fig. 2 (a), the connection structure 1100a may include a flexible structural bone 1110a and the connection structure 1100b may include a flexible structural bone 1110b. As shown in fig. 2 (b), the connection structure 1100a may include two flexible structural bones 11110a and the connection structure 1100b may include two flexible structural bones 1110b. As shown in fig. 2 (c), the connection structure 1100a may include three flexible structural bones 1110a and the connection structure 1100b may include three flexible structural bones 1110b. It should be appreciated that the connection structure 1100a may also include more flexible structural bones 1110a and the connection structure 1100b may also include more flexible structural bones 1110b.

Fig. 3 illustrates a partially exploded schematic view of a continuum structure 1000 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. It should be appreciated that a plurality of spacer disks 1200 may be spaced apart and that adjacent spacer disks 1200 may include one or more flexible structural bones 1110 disposed in parallel along the central axis O of the continuum structure, as shown in fig. 3. In some embodiments, one or more flexible structural bones 1110 may be distributed along an inner contour or inner circumference of spacer disk 1200. It should be appreciated that the inner contour or inner peripheral line may include a curve, an arc, a straight line, or the like, which is circumferentially or radially distributed from the central axis O of the continuum structure to the radial end surface of the spacer disk 1200. For example, one or more flexible structural bones 1110a or one or more flexible structural bones 1110b may be circumferentially distributed, curvilinearly distributed, rectangularly distributed, etc. along an inner contour or inner peripheral line of spacer disk 1200.

Fig. 4 (a) and 4 (b) respectively illustrate different schematic views of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure along an axial direction according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4 (a), the projection of the one or more flexible structural bones 1110a and the one or more flexible structural bones 1110b along the axis of the continuum structure may be distributed along the same circumference a along the circumference of the spacer disc 1200. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 4 (B), one or more flexible structural ribs 1110a are respectively distributed along a circumferential direction a of the spacer disc 1200, and one or more flexible structural ribs 1110B are respectively distributed along a circumferential direction B of the spacer disc 1200, the circumferential direction a being radially spaced apart from the circumferential direction B.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the one or more flexible structural bones 1110a or the one or more flexible structural bones 1110b are differently distributed along the circumference of the spacer disc 1200, including, but not limited to, the one or more flexible structural bones 1110a being distributed in a first region of the spacer disc 1200 and the one or more flexible structural bones 1110b being distributed in a second region of the spacer disc 1200 different from the first region; alternatively, one or more flexible structural bones 1110a are distributed over a first region of the spacer disc 1200 and one or more flexible structural bones 1110b are distributed over a second region of the spacer disc 1200 that partially overlaps the first region; alternatively, the number of flexible structural bones 1110a and 1110b may be different, resulting in a different distribution of the two; alternatively, the number of flexible structural bones 1110a and 1110b is the same, and the two are distributed differently due to the difference in the distribution spacing between the flexible structural bones. The flexible structural bones 1110a and 1110b are distributed differently along the circumferential direction of the spacer disc 1200 so that the continuum structure may bend in different directions, and the bending direction and degree of bending may be adjusted according to the number and distribution of the flexible structural bones, for example, the continuum structure may bend to a side where the flexible structural bones are less or not distributed.

Fig. 5 (a) -5 (f) respectively show different perspective structural schematic views of a continuum structure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5 (a) -5 (f), the plurality of connection structures 1100 may include one or more series connection structures 1100a and one or more series connection structures 1100b, with the one or more series connection structures 1100a and the one or more series connection structures 1100b being periodically or aperiodically distributed along the axis of the continuum structure. For example, one connection structure 1100a and one connection structure 1100b may be alternately distributed in sequence to form a plurality of periodic units T. As shown in fig. 5 (a), the connection structures 1100a and 1100b each include a flexible structural bone, alternately connected in series along the axial direction of the continuum structure. As shown in fig. 5 (b), the connection structure 1100a and the connection structure 1100b respectively include two flexible structural bones alternately connected in series in the axial direction of the continuum structure. As shown in fig. 5 (c), the connection structures 1100a and 1100b each include a flexible structure bone, and one connection structure 1100a and a plurality of connection structures 1100b connected in series may be sequentially and alternately distributed. It should be appreciated that one or more connection structures 1100a and one or more connection structures 1100b in series may also be distributed non-periodically, such as shown in fig. 2 (c).

As shown in fig. 5 (d), the connection structure 1100a and the connection structure 1100b respectively include two flexible structural bones, and a plurality of connection structures 1100a and one connection structure 1100b connected in series may be sequentially alternately distributed. As shown in fig. 5 (e), the connection structure 1100a includes two flexible structural bones, the connection structure 1100b includes three flexible structural bones, and a plurality of connection structures 1100a and one connection structure 1100b connected in series may be alternately distributed in sequence. It should be appreciated that multiple series-connected connection structures 1100a and one connection structure 1100b may also be distributed aperiodically. It should be appreciated that the plurality of series connected structures 1100a and the plurality of series connected structures 1100b may be alternately periodically distributed or non-periodically distributed in sequence, which is not shown. It should be appreciated that the number of flexible structural bones comprised by the connection structure 1100a and the connection structure 1100b in some embodiments of the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to, one, two, three, or more. The above embodiments are merely examples, but are not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5 (f), the plurality of connection structures 1100 may also include one or more additional connection structures 1100c. The one or more additional connection structures 1100c in series are periodically or aperiodically distributed along the axial direction of the continuum structure with the one or more connection structures 1100a in series and the one or more connection structures 1100b in series. It should be appreciated that the additional connection structure 1100c may include one or more flexible structural bones 1110c, with the one or more flexible structural bones 1110c having a different circumferential distribution along the spacer disc 1200 than the circumferential distribution of the flexible structural bones 1110a and/or 1110b. Fig. 5 (f) shows, by way of example only, a flexible structural bone 1110c. The number and distribution of flexible structural bones of the various additional connecting structures may vary. For example, as shown in fig. 5 (f), one additional connection structure 1100c, one connection structure 1100a, and one connection structure 1100b may be alternately distributed in sequence to form a plurality of periodic units T. It should be appreciated that one additional connection structure 1100c, one connection structure 1100a, and a plurality of connection structures 1100b connected in series may be alternately distributed or non-periodically distributed in sequence. It should be appreciated that the plurality of additional connection structures 1100c, the plurality of series connection structures 1100a, and one connection structure 1100b may be alternately distributed or non-periodically distributed in sequence. It should be appreciated that one additional connection structure 1100c, a plurality of series connection structures 1100a, and a plurality of series connection structures 1100b may be alternately distributed or non-periodically distributed in sequence. It should be appreciated that the plurality of additional connection structures 1100c in series, the plurality of connection structures 1100a in series, and the plurality of connection structures 1100b in series may be alternately distributed or aperiodically distributed in sequence. It should be appreciated that the plurality of additional connection structures 1100c, the plurality of series connection structures 1100a, and the plurality of series connection structures 1100b may be alternately distributed or non-periodically distributed in sequence. The foregoing is by way of example only, and not by way of limitation,

it should be appreciated that embodiments of the present disclosure may also include other periodic or aperiodic distributions or combinations of distributions, or multiple connection structures as desired to meet a particular bending direction. It should be appreciated that the number of flexible structural bones included in one or more additional connection structures 1100c in some embodiments of the present disclosure may include, but is not limited to, one, two, three, or more. The above embodiments are merely examples, but are not limited thereto. A variety of different periodic or aperiodic distributions along the axis of the continuum structure may be achieved by one or more additional connection structures 1100c, one or more series connection structures 1100a, and one or more series connection structures 1100b to increase the applicability of the continuum structure.

In some embodiments, the projections of the flexible structural bones 1110 (e.g., flexible structural bones 1110a, or 1110b, or 1110 c) of the plurality of connecting structures 1100 along the axial direction of the continuum structure may be asymmetrically distributed (e.g., as shown with reference to fig. 4 (a) and 4 (b)) or asymmetrically distributed. In the present disclosure, the symmetrical distribution may include an axisymmetrical distribution and a centrosymmetric distribution. For example, the non-centrally symmetric distribution may include, but is not limited to, an axisymmetric distribution that does not pass through the center of the spacer disk. It should be appreciated that the projections of the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a in the axial direction may be asymmetrically distributed or asymmetrically centrally located; alternatively, the projections of the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b along the axial direction may be asymmetrically distributed or asymmetrically centrally distributed; alternatively, the projections of the one or more flexible structural bones 1110a and the one or more flexible structural bones 1110b in the axial direction may be asymmetrically distributed or asymmetrically distributed with respect to the center. It should be appreciated that the flexible structural bones 1110c, 1110a, and 1110b of the one or more additional connecting structures 1100c may also be asymmetrically distributed (e.g., as shown with reference to fig. 4 (a) and 4 (b)) or asymmetrically distributed along the axial projection.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2 (a) and 5 (a), the connection structure 1100a may include a flexible structural bone 1110a, and the connection structure 1100b may include a flexible structural bone 1110b, with the flexible structural bone 1110a and the flexible structural bone 1110b being offset at an included angle along the circumference of the spacer 1200. For example, the projections of the flexible structural bones 1110a and 1110b in the axial direction may be distributed along the same circumference along the circumference of the spacer disc 1200 and circumferentially spaced apart from each other as shown in fig. 4 (a). It should be appreciated that the projections of the flexible structural bones 1110a and 1110b in the axial direction may be distributed along different circumferences along the circumference of the spacer disc 1200 and circumferentially or radially spaced apart from each other as shown in fig. 4 (b). The included angle may include an angle formed by the central axis O with the projection of the flexible structural bone 11110a and the flexible structural bone 1110b.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5 (b), 5 (d), and 5 (e), the connection structure 1100a may include a plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a, and the connection structure 1100b may include a plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b. Fig. 6 (a) -6 (d) respectively illustrate different schematic views of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure along an axial direction according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 6 (a) -6 (d), a plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a form a connection line AA and a plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b form a connection line BB. For example, the line AA may be a straight line formed by two flexible structural bones 1110a, and the line BB may be a straight line formed by two flexible structural bones 1110b, as shown in fig. 6 (a) -6 (d). It should be understood that the AA wire may also be a straight line formed by three or more flexible structural bones 1110a, and the wire BB may be a straight line formed by three or more flexible structural bones 1110b.

The projection of lines AA and BB in the axial direction may comprise at least one of the following distributions: the line AA intersects the line BB at an angle (see fig. 6 (a)) at the central axis O of the continuum structure, the line BB crosses the central axis O of the continuum structure and intersects the line AA outside the central axis O of the continuum structure (see fig. 6 (b)), the line AA intersects the line BB off the central axis O of the continuum structure (see fig. 6 (c)), or the line AA intersects the line BB off the central axis O of the continuum structure and on an extension (see fig. 6 (d)). It will be appreciated that the angle at which line AA intersects line BB at the central axis O of the continuum structure may allow the continuum structure to be driven more stably and reliably, as well as with greater structural stability. The angle at which line AA intersects line BB away from the central axis O of the continuum structure may allow the continuum structure to bend more easily to a side of the flexible structure where there is little or no bone distribution.

Fig. 7 (a) -7 (c) respectively illustrate different schematic views of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure along an axial direction according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7 (a) -7 (c), the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a form a curve AA 'and the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b form a curve BB'. For example, curve AA 'may be an arc formed by two flexible structural bones 1110a and curve BB' may be an arc formed by two flexible structural bones 1110b, as shown in fig. 7 (a) -7 (c). It should be understood that curve AA 'may be an arc formed by three or more flexible structural bones 1110a and curve BB' may be an arc formed by three or more flexible structural bones 1110b. It should be appreciated that forming the arc may facilitate stable and controlled driving of the flexible structural bone. In some embodiments, curves AA 'and BB' may also be irregular curves.

Curves AA 'and BB' may include at least one of the following distributions: the curve AA 'partially overlaps the curve BB' (see fig. 7 (a)), the curve AA 'is adjacent to the curve BB' (see fig. 7 (b)), the curve AA 'is opposite to the curve BB', the curve AA 'is circumferentially spaced from the curve BB' (see fig. 7 (c)), the curve AA 'is an arc, or the curve BB' is an arc.

In some embodiments, the connection structure 1100a may include a plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a, and the connection structure 1100b may include one flexible structural bone 110b, with the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a forming a line AA or curve AA'. The projection of the flexible structural bone 1110b along the axial direction of the continuum structure overlaps, is adjacent to, or is distributed relative to the projection of the line AA or curve AA' along the axial direction.

Similarly, the connection structure 1100a may include one flexible structural bone 1110a and the connection structure 1100b may include a plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b, with the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b forming a line BB or curve BB'. The projection of the flexible structural bone 1110a along the axial direction of the continuum structure and the projection of the line BB or curve BB' along the axial direction may overlap, be circumferentially spaced apart, or be adjacent. Fig. 8 (a) and 8 (b) respectively illustrate different schematic views of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure along an axial direction according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 8 (a), the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a form a curve AA ', and the projection of the flexible structural bones 1110b along the axial direction of the continuum structure is circumferentially spaced from the projection of the curve AA' along the axial direction.

In some embodiments, the connection structure 1100a may include a plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a, and the connection structure 1100b may include a plurality of flexible structural bones 110b, with the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a forming a line AA or curve AA'. The plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b form a line BB or curve BB'. The line AA or curve AA 'and the line BB or curve BB' may partially overlap, intersect, be adjacent to, or be circumferentially spaced apart. As shown in fig. 8 (b), the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a form a curve AA ', and the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b (e.g., two flexible structural bones 1110 b) form a line BB, with the curve AA' being circumferentially spaced from and disposed opposite the line BB. It should be appreciated that the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a may form a line AA and the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b may form a curve BB'.

Fig. 9 (a) -9 (c) respectively illustrate different schematic views of a flexible structural bone of a continuum structure along an axial direction according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9 (a), the projection of one or more flexible structural bones 1110 along the axial direction of the continuum structure may form a high density distribution region M and/or a low density distribution region N. It should be appreciated that the number of flexible structural bones of the high density distribution area M may be greater than the number of flexible structural bones of the low density distribution area N. Alternatively, the distribution interval of the flexible structural bones of the high-density distribution area M may be smaller than the distribution interval of the flexible structural bones of the low-density distribution area N.

In some embodiments, no flexible structural bone is disposed within the low density distribution region N. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a plurality of high density distribution areas M and a plurality of low density distribution areas N may be included, and that the high density distribution areas M and the low density distribution areas N are relative concepts, and the division is not absolute and may be adjusted according to the actual application. For example, as shown in fig. 9 (a), the high-density distribution area M may refer to an upper left semicircular area, and the low-density distribution area N may refer to a lower right semicircular area.

It should be understood that the high density distribution area M or the low density distribution area N may be one or more arc-shaped areas or one or more rectangular areas or one or more irregular areas or the like along the circumferential direction of the spacer disc 1200. The high-density distribution area M and the low-density distribution area N may be adjacent two-stage areas, or two-stage areas spaced apart, or the high-density distribution area M may be opposite to at least a portion of the low-density distribution area N. The high-density distribution area M and the low-density distribution area N may form the circumferential direction of the complete spacer disk 1200 or may form the circumferential direction of the incomplete spacer disk 1200 (refer to fig. 9 (a)). For example, as shown in fig. 9 (b), the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a may form a high-density distribution area M1 and a low-density distribution area N1, and the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b may form a high-density distribution area M2 and a low-density distribution area N2, and the high-density distribution area M1 and the high-density distribution area M2 may be adjacent, opposite, circumferentially spaced apart, or at least partially overlapping or completely overlapping. Similarly, the low density distribution area N1 and the low density distribution area N2 may be adjacent, opposite, circumferentially spaced apart, or at least partially overlapping or fully overlapping. The low density distribution area N1 and the low density distribution area N2 may be connected to form one larger low density distribution area as shown in the lower right semicircle of fig. 9 (b) or the lower semicircle of fig. 9 (c). In the low-density distribution area N1 and the low-density distribution area N2, a flexible structural bone may not be provided, as shown in fig. 9 (c). It should be appreciated that the plurality of additional connecting structures of flexible structural bones 1110c may also form the high density distribution area M and the low density distribution area N together with the flexible structural bones 1110a or 1110b, or separately.

In some embodiments, the one or more flexible structural bones 1110a and the one or more flexible structural bones 1110b may form only the high density distribution area M (e.g., M1 or M2), or the high density distribution area M and the low density distribution area N (e.g., N1 or N2). For example, the projections of the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a along the axial direction may be distributed along the same circumference, or along portions of the same circumference, or along different circumferences. In this way, the spacer disc 1200 is asymmetrically circumferentially distributed so that the continuum structure may bend better toward the areas of low density distribution where the flexible structure is less likely to be fractured. In some embodiments, the projections of the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a and the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b in the axial direction form a half circumference. For example, the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a may be distributed along a quarter circumference and the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b may be distributed along a quarter circumference adjacent to the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110 a. Alternatively, the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a and the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b may be uniformly staggered along the half circumference. The continuum structure 1000 may include one or more series connected structures 1100a and one or more series connected structures 1100b that are periodically staggered. By pushing or pulling the flexible structural bones 1110a and 1110b, the continuum structure is bent to the side where the flexible structural bones are not distributed, and stable and controllable bending in a specific direction is realized.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the continuum structure 1000 may include one or more driving structural bones 1300. One or more driving structural bones 1300 axially slide through the plurality of spacer disks 1200 and are fixedly attached at a first end thereof to the most distally located spacer disk 1200. The plurality of connecting structures 1100 are driven to bend by pushing or pulling on one or more of the driving structure bones 1300. In some embodiments, a second end of the one or more drive structure bones 1300 extends proximally through the plurality of spacer discs 1200 for fixed connection with a drive mechanism by which the one or more drive structure bones 1300 are pushed or pulled to drive the plurality of connecting structures to bend. It should be appreciated that the drive mechanism may comprise a linear motion mechanism, such as a lead screw nut structure or a double-ended screw structure, etc., by which one or more of the drive structure bones 1300 are linearly pushed or pulled to drive bending of the continuum structure.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9 (a), the number of the one or more driving structural bones 1300 projected in the axial direction of the continuum structure at the low density distribution area N is greater than the number at the high density distribution area M of the flexible structural bones 1110 of the plurality of connecting structures 1100. It should be appreciated that the one or more driving bones 1300 may also be distributed only in low density distribution areas. Providing more driving structure bones in the low density distribution region N allows finer, more stable control of bending of the continuum structure, such as bending angle, direction, etc.

For example, the plurality of driving bones 1300 may be distributed along the same circumference, or may be distributed along a portion of the circumference (see fig. 9 (a)), or may be distributed along different circumferences. In some embodiments, the one or more driving structural bones 1300 may include driving structural bones 1300 distributed at a location intermediate the low density distribution area N. For example, as shown in fig. 7 (a), the flexible structural bones 1110a and 1110b form a high-density distribution region M (e.g., right semicircle region) and a low-density distribution region N (e.g., left semicircle region), the low-density distribution region not distributing the flexible structural bones, and the driving structural bones 1300 may include driving structural bones distributed at the middle position of the low-density distribution region N. The driving structure bone 1300 distributed in the middle position of the corresponding low-density distribution area is used for realizing stable and controllable driving.

In some embodiments, the plurality of driving structural bones 1300 may be symmetrically distributed along the circumference of the spacer disc 1200. For example, the projections of the plurality of flexible structural bones in the axial direction form the high-density distribution area M and the low-density distribution area N, and the plurality of driving structural bones 1300 are distributed in the high-density distribution area M and the low-density distribution area N, and may be symmetrically distributed about the center of the spacer disc 1200 or non-centrally symmetrically distributed. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9 (a), the plurality of driving structural bones 1300 are asymmetrically distributed along the circumference of the spacer disc 1200. For example, the circumferentially asymmetric distribution may include, but is not limited to, the plurality of driving structure bones 1300 may be distributed along different inner contours or inner circumferences at the high density distribution region M and the low density distribution region N, respectively; or along the same inner contour or inner peripheral line (refer to fig. 9 (a)), and the number of low-density distribution areas N is greater than the number of high-density distribution areas M; or the plurality of driving structural bones 1300 may be distributed at different intervals, etc., to form an asymmetric distribution along the circumferential direction of the spacer disc 1200. By driving the structural bones 1300 in a symmetrical or asymmetrical distribution, one or more flexible structural bones 1300 in different distributions can be driven to achieve bending in multiple directions. The number of flexible structural bones can be reduced in the direction in which bending is desired according to actual demands, and the number of unnecessary driving structural bones 1300 can be reduced to achieve miniaturization of the continuum structure.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9 (c), at least two flexible structural bones 1110a of the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a form a connection AA, at least two flexible structural bones 1110b of the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b form a connection BB, and one or more driving structural bones 1300 include driving structural bones 1300 passing through a position on the spacer disk 1200 corresponding to the connection AA and/or a perpendicular bisector of the connection BB (e.g., one driving structural bone 1300a may pass through a position of the perpendicular bisector of the connection AA, one driving structural bone 1300b may pass through a position of the perpendicular bisector of the connection BB). It should be appreciated that the low density distribution area N may include an area corresponding to a perpendicular bisector formed by the connection lines AA and/or BB, where one or more driving structural bones 1300 are located, and where portions of the driving structural bones 1300 pass through the spacer disc 1200 at locations corresponding to the perpendicular bisector of the connection lines AA and/or BB. In some embodiments, the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110a form a curve AA ', the plurality of flexible structural bones 1110b form a curve BB', the low density distribution region N may include an arc corresponding region of the curve AA 'and/or the curve BB', the one or more driving structural bones 1300 are positioned at the low density distribution region N, and the portion of the driving structural bones 1300 are positioned at the center line of the arc of the curve AA 'and/or the curve BB'. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above distribution of the driving structural bone 1300 is only exemplary, not limited thereto, and other asymmetric or symmetric distribution of the driving structural bone 1300 may be included.

Fig. 10 illustrates a schematic structural view of a spacer disc 1200 of a continuum structure 1000 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 10, the plurality of spacer disks 1200 may include one or more mounting holes 1210 distributed along a first inner contour or inner perimeter (e.g., inner perimeter) and one or more mounting holes 1220 distributed along a second inner contour or inner perimeter, the first inner contour or inner perimeter being radially spaced from the second inner contour or inner perimeter. One or more flexible structural bones 1110 are fixedly connected with corresponding mounting holes 1210 of adjacent spacer disks 1200, and one or more drive structural bones 1300 are slidably disposed through corresponding mounting holes 1220 of a plurality of spacer disks 1200. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the first inner contour or inner perimeter is a distance D1 from the central axis O of the continuum structure and the second inner contour or inner perimeter is a distance D2 from the central axis O of the continuum structure, the distance D2 being greater than the distance D1. For example, the first inner contour or inner circumference may be a first circumference, the second inner contour or inner circumference may be a second circumference, the plurality of mounting holes 1210 may be distributed along the first circumference, the plurality of mounting holes 1220 may be distributed along the second circumference, and the first circumference and the second circumference may be radially spaced apart. In some embodiments, the first inner contour or inner contour and the second inner contour or inner contour may also be on the same circumferential line. For example, a first inner contour or inner contour may be distributed over a first region of a circumference and a second inner contour or inner contour may be distributed over a second region of the same circumference, the first region being adjacent or at least partially opposite the second region.

In some embodiments, the flexible structural bone 1110 and the driving structural bone 1300 may include, but are not limited to, thin rods or tubes made of deformable material, such as nitinol material. It should be appreciated that the flexible structural bone 1110 may also be a biocompatible, deformable polymeric material.

Fig. 11 illustrates a schematic structural view of surgical robot 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 11, surgical robot 10 may include a continuum structure (e.g., continuum structure 1000) in any of the embodiments disclosed above. In some embodiments, the surgical robot 10 may include a base 1, one or more robotic arms 2, and one or more continuum instruments 100 disposed at the ends of the robotic arms 2. The continuum instrument 100 may include a continuum structure (e.g., continuum structure 1000) and an end tool 3 disposed at an end of the continuum structure. The end tool 3 may include, but is not limited to, a surgical implement, an imaging device, an illumination device, a drug delivery device, an ultrasound probe or probe, and the like. One or more robotic arms 2 having multiple degrees of freedom may be provided on the base 1, with one or more continuum instruments 100 being detachably provided on the one or more robotic arms 2, the one or more robotic arms 2 being configured to adjust the position and orientation of the one or more continuum instruments 100. It should be appreciated that surgical robot 10 may extend into the cavity through one or more continuum instruments 100 for intra-cavity interventional diagnosis and treatment. The continuum structure (e.g., continuum structure 1000) can accommodate complex bending environments without damage to the lumen by virtue of asymmetrically distributed flexible structural bones (e.g., flexible structural bones 1110).

Note that the above is merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and the technical principles applied. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, and that various obvious changes, rearrangements and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, while the present disclosure has been described in connection with the above embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, but may include many other equivalent embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (17)

1. A continuum structure, comprising:

a plurality of spacer disks; and

a plurality of connection structures, the connection structures comprising:

the first ends and the second ends of the one or more flexible structural bones are respectively fixedly connected with the adjacent spacing discs, and the one or more flexible structural bones are distributed along the circumferential direction of the spacing discs;

the plurality of connecting structures at least comprise a first connecting structure and a second connecting structure, the first connecting structure comprises one or more first flexible structural bones, the second connecting structure comprises one or more second flexible structural bones, and the circumferential distribution of the one or more first flexible structural bones along the spacing disc is different from the circumferential distribution of the one or more second flexible structural bones along the spacing disc.

2. The continuum structure of claim 1, wherein said plurality of connection structures comprises one or more of said first connection structures and one or more of said second connection structures in series, said one or more of said first connection structures in series and said one or more of said second connection structures in series being periodically or aperiodically distributed along an axial direction of said continuum structure.

3. The continuum structure of claim 2, wherein said plurality of connection structures further comprises one or more additional connection structures, one or more of said additional connection structures in series with said first connection structure of said one or more series and said second connection structure of said one or more series being periodically or aperiodically distributed along an axial direction of said continuum structure.

4. The continuum structure of claim 1, wherein the one or more flexible structural bones are distributed along an inner contour or inner circumference of the spacer disk.

5. The continuum structure of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first connection structure comprises a first flexible structural bone and the second connection structure comprises a second flexible structural bone, the first flexible structural bone and the second flexible structural bone being offset by a first included angle along a circumferential direction of the spacer disk.

6. The continuum structure of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first connection structure comprises a plurality of first flexible structural bones, the second connection structure comprises a plurality of second flexible structural bones, the plurality of first flexible structural bones form a first wire, the plurality of second flexible structural bones form a second wire, the first wire and the second wire comprise at least one of the following distributions: the first wire and the second wire intersect at an angle at the central axis of the continuum structure, the first wire passes through the central axis of the continuum structure and intersects at an angle outside the central axis of the continuum structure, the first wire and the second wire deviate from the central axis of the continuum structure and intersect, or the first wire and the second wire deviate from the central axis of the continuum structure and intersect on an extension line.

7. The continuum structure of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first connection structure comprises a plurality of first flexible structural bones, the second connection structure comprises a plurality of second flexible structural bones, the plurality of first flexible structural bones form a first curve, the plurality of second flexible structural bones form a second curve, the first curve and the second curve comprise at least one of the following distributions: the first curve partially overlaps the second curve, the first curve is adjacent to the second curve, the first curve is opposite to the second curve, the first curve is circumferentially spaced from the second curve, the first curve is an arc, or the second curve is an arc.

8. The continuum structure of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the plurality of connection structures comprises one or more of the first connection structures and one or more of the second connection structures in series in a periodically staggered arrangement, wherein a projection of the plurality of first flexible structural bones and the plurality of second flexible structural bones in an axial direction forms a half circumference.

9. The continuum structure of any one of claims 1-4, wherein a projection of the flexible structural bone of the plurality of connection structures along an axial direction of the continuum structure is asymmetrically distributed or asymmetrically centrally distributed.

10. The continuum structure of any one of claims 1-4, further comprising:

one or more driving structural bones extending longitudinally through the plurality of spacer discs and having a first end fixedly connected to the spacer disc at a distal-most end for driving the plurality of connecting structures to bend by pushing or pulling the one or more driving structural bones.

11. The continuum structure of claim 10, wherein a second end of said one or more driving structure bones is configured to be coupled to a driving mechanism by which said one or more driving structure bones are pushed or pulled to drive bending of said plurality of connecting structures.

12. The continuum structure of claim 10, wherein a number of projected low density distribution areas of the one or more driving structure bones in an axial direction of the continuum structure is greater than a number of high density distribution areas of the flexible structure bones of the plurality of connecting structures.

13. The continuum structure of claim 12, wherein said one or more driving structural bones comprise driving structural bones distributed at intermediate locations in the low density distribution region.

14. The continuum structure of claim 10, wherein the plurality of spacer disks comprises one or more first mounting holes distributed along a first inner contour or inner perimeter and one or more second mounting holes distributed along a second inner contour or inner perimeter, the first inner contour or inner perimeter being radially spaced from the second inner contour or inner perimeter, the one or more flexible structural bones being fixedly connected to corresponding first mounting holes of adjacent spacer disks, the one or more driving structural bones being slidably disposed through corresponding second mounting holes of the plurality of spacer disks.

15. The continuum structure of claim 14, wherein the first inner contour or inner perimeter is a first distance from a central axis of the continuum structure, the second inner contour or inner perimeter is a second distance from the central axis of the continuum structure, the second distance is greater than the first distance.

16. The continuum structure of claim 10, wherein at least two first flexible structural bones of the plurality of first flexible structural bones form a first link and at least two second flexible structural bones of the plurality of second flexible structural bones form a second link, the one or more driving structural bones comprising a driving structural bone passing through a position on the spacer disk corresponding to a perpendicular bisector of the first link and/or the second link.

17. A surgical robot comprising a continuum structure according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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