CN117017502A

CN117017502A - Mechanical arm and slave operation device

Info

Publication number: CN117017502A
Application number: CN202310920826.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 请求不公布姓名
Original assignee: Shenzhen Konuositeng Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Konuositeng Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2023-07-25
Filing date: 2023-07-25
Publication date: 2023-11-10

Abstract

The application provides a mechanical arm and a surgical robot, the surgical robot comprises a mechanical arm, the mechanical arm comprises a first arm, a second arm and a support frame assembly, the first arm is pivotable at a first joint around a first axis, and the second arm is pivotably connected to the first arm at a second joint around a second axis. A carriage assembly is coupled to the second arm, the carriage assembly being configured to mount at least one implement and to drive the implement for movement along and/or rotation about a third axis, the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis intersecting at a point distal to the center. The mechanical arm can realize RCM movement of the execution instrument positioned on the support frame assembly through the first arm, the second arm and the two joints, has simple structure and is more flexible to use.

Description

Mechanical arm and slave operation device

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to the technical field of medical instruments, and more particularly to a robotic arm and a slave operating device.

Background

The surgical robot is a robot that can remotely manipulate to complete a surgery, and includes three components: doctor's console, patient side robotic arm system and imaging system. The mechanical arm system comprises a plurality of mechanical arms, each mechanical arm is provided with a plurality of connecting arms, two adjacent connecting arms are relatively movable in a specific degree of freedom, the tail end of each mechanical arm can achieve the movement of multiple degrees of freedom, a surgical instrument or an endoscope is arranged at the tail end of each mechanical arm, and when in operation, the surgical instrument passes through tissues such as chest, abdominal wall and the like to replace hands to perform operation.

Remote center of motion (remote center of motion, RCM) is a mechanical design widely used in robotic arms of minimally invasive surgical robots, defined as ports into the abdominal cavity of a patient during surgery. The mechanical arm is operated to enable the surgical instrument to realize movements such as pitching, deflecting, inserting, rotating and the like, and the longitudinal axis of the surgical instrument or the extension line of the longitudinal axis of the surgical instrument is required to always pass through the RCM point in the movement process so as to avoid non-surgical injury of the surgical instrument to the abdominal incision of a patient.

Disclosure of Invention

In the summary, a series of concepts in a simplified form are introduced, which will be further described in detail in the detailed description. The summary of the application is not intended to define the key features and essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

To at least partially solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present application provides a robot arm including:

a first arm pivotable about a first axis at a first joint;

a second arm pivotally connected to the first arm about a second axis at a second joint;

a carriage assembly coupled to the second arm, the carriage assembly for mounting at least one implement and capable of driving the implement to move along a third axis;

wherein the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis intersect at a telecentric point.

According to an example of the application, the carriage assembly comprises at least one first carriage, each of which is provided with an instrument drive for driving the implement along the third axis.

According to one example of the present application, the support frame assembly includes a plurality of the first brackets, and the plurality of first brackets are spaced about the third axis.

According to one example of the application, the carriage assembly includes carriage drive means for driving the first carriage along an arc about the third axis.

According to one example of the application, the first bracket is movably mounted to the second arm along the third axis and/or the second axis.

According to one example of the application, the second arm comprises:

a first arm pivotally connected to the first arm about the second axis at the second joint; and

a second arm connected to the first arm, and configured to be movable relative to the first arm in an extending direction of the third axis;

wherein the first bracket is connected to the second support arm.

According to one example of the present application, the support bracket assembly further includes a second bracket spaced from the first bracket along the third axis, the second bracket for allowing the implement to pass therethrough.

According to one example of the application, the first bracket is movably mounted to the second arm along the third axis and/or the second axis, and the second bracket is movably mounted to the second arm along the third axis and/or the second axis.

According to one example of the application, the second arm comprises:

wherein the first and second brackets are connected to the second arm, or

One of the first and second brackets is connected to the first arm and the other of the first and second brackets is connected to the second arm.

According to an example of the present application, the first mount and the second mount are fixedly disposed with respect to the second arm in a direction along the third axis.

According to an example of the present application, one of the first mount and the second mount is movably disposed along the third axis with respect to the second arm, and the other of the first mount and the second mount is fixedly disposed with respect to the second arm in a direction along the third axis.

According to an example of the present application, the first and second brackets are respectively movably disposed along the third axis with respect to the second arm.

According to one example of the present application, at least one of the first and second arms is configured to be retractable along the second axis to move the first and/or second brackets along the second axis.

According to one example of the application, the first arm is configured as a crank arm having a first connection end and a second connection end spaced apart in both the first axis direction and the second axis direction, the first joint being located at the first connection end and the second joint being located at the second connection end.

According to one example of the application, the first arm comprises a first portion extending at least in a direction parallel to the second axis and a second portion extending at least in a direction parallel to the first axis, the first connection end being located at the first portion and the second connection end being located at the second portion.

According to one example of the application, the second portion is movably connected to the first portion in a direction parallel to the first axis.

According to one example of the application, the first axis perpendicularly intersects the second axis at a point of telecentricity.

A second aspect of the application provides a slave manipulator for a medical system, the slave manipulator comprising at least one robotic arm, the robotic arm being in accordance with the first aspect of the application.

The details of one or more embodiments of the application are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the application will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Drawings

The following drawings of embodiments of the present application are included as part of the application. Embodiments of the present application and their description are shown in the drawings to explain the principles of the application. In the drawings of which there are shown,

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a robotic arm system according to one embodiment of the application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of a robotic arm according to a preferred embodiment of the application, wherein only a partial structure is shown;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a robot arm according to a second preferred embodiment of the present application, in which only a partial structure is shown; and

fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of a robot arm according to a third preferred embodiment of the present application, in which only a partial structure is shown.

Reference numerals illustrate:

10: the robotic arm system 11: base seat

12: upright post 13: adjusting arm

100: mechanical arm 111: first arm

111A: first portion 111B: second part

112: second arm 112A: first support arm

112B: the second arm 120: support frame assembly

121: first bracket 122: second support

123: the annular bracket 131: first joint

132: second joint 212A: first support arm

212B: second arm 312A: first support arm

312B: second arm AX1: a first axis

AX2: the second axis AX3: third axis

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the application may be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments of the application.

In the following description, a detailed structure will be presented for a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present application. It will be apparent that embodiments of the application may be practiced without limitation to the specific details that are set forth by those skilled in the art. The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, however, the present application may have other embodiments in addition to the detailed description, and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application, as the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," and/or "including," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right" and the like are used herein for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting.

Ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" cited in the present application are merely identifiers and do not have any other meaning, such as a particular order or the like. Also, for example, the term "first component" does not itself connote the presence of "second component" and the term "second component" does not itself connote the presence of "first component".

The related art RCM mechanism is mainly implemented using a parallelogram mechanism and its variants. However, the inventor finds that the parallelogram mechanism needs at least 3 swinging arms and 4 joints to realize the functions, has the problems of complex structure, large volume and heavy weight, and increases the movement error along with the service time; in addition, the need to cover the sterile drape made of plastic film on the robotic arm 100 during the surgical procedure, the parallelogram mechanism increases the difficulty of arranging the sterile drape prior to surgery, thereby adversely reducing the preparation time for the surgery.

To this end, the present application provides a way to achieve movement about the RCM point that is quite different from the parallelogram mechanism to at least partially solve the above-described problems.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present application will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate representative embodiments of the present application and not limit the present application.

The present application provides a robot arm 100 and a slave operating device having such a robot arm 100, which are applied to a medical system.

Referring to fig. 1, a slave manipulator according to an embodiment of the present application is a robotic arm system 10. The robotic arm system 10 may include at least one robotic arm 100 (only one robotic arm 100 is shown in fig. 1), with several links of the robotic arm 100 (e.g., a first arm 111, a second arm 112, as will be described below), with adjacent links being movable relative to each other with a particular degree of freedom such that the ends of the robotic arm 100 may be movable to multiple degrees of freedom. The distal end of the robot arm 100 is mounted with a carriage assembly 120, and an implement such as a surgical instrument or an endoscope applied to a medical system is detachably mounted on the carriage assembly 120.

As shown in fig. 1, the robot arm system 10 further includes a base 11, on which a column 12 is provided, and the robot arm 100 is connected to the column 12 through an adjustment arm 13. The adjustment arm 13 is rotatably connected to the upright 12 about the axis of the upright 12, so that the whole of the mechanical arm 100 can rotate about the axis of the upright 12. The adjustment arm 13 may also be movably disposed along the axis of the upright 12 to adjust the height of the robot arm 100 as a whole. The adjusting arm 13 may also include several connecting arms and joints (not shown) connecting two adjacent connecting arms, so as to increase the freedom of movement of the end of the adjusting arm 13, and make the overall position adjustment of the mechanical arm 100 more flexible. A handle (not shown) may also be provided on the base 11 by which an operator may assist in completing the movement of the base 11.

The embodiment of the application adaptively shows the application scenario of one adjusting arm 13 and one mechanical arm 100. However, it is understood that in other application scenarios, the robotic arm system 10 of the present application may include multiple robotic arms 100. For the case of multiple robotic arms 100, in some examples, the number of adjustment arms 13 may be one, with all of the robotic arms 100 each being movably connected to the adjustment arm 13; in other examples, the number of the adjusting arms 13 may be plural, and each adjusting arm 13 is connected to at least one mechanical arm 100, further, the number of the adjusting arms 13 may be equal to the number of the mechanical arms 100, where each mechanical arm 100 is connected to a corresponding adjusting arm 13.

Before manipulating the medical system to perform a surgery, it is necessary to operate the adjustment arm 13 so that the surgical instrument mounted at the distal end of the robot arm 100 reaches a designated position and then lock the joint of the adjustment arm 13. During surgery, the surgical procedure is accomplished by remotely controlling the robotic arm 100 while maintaining the articulation of the adjustment arm 13 locked to ensure that the adjustment arm 13 does not move relative to the base 11 during surgery.

The structure of the robot arm 100 according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 4.

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, the robot arm 100 according to the embodiment of the present application includes a first arm 111, a second arm 112, and a support frame assembly 120.

The first arm 111 is pivotable about a first axis AX1 at a first joint 131. For example, in the example shown in fig. 1, the first arm 111 is connected to the adjustment arm 13 by a first joint 131 such that the first arm 111 can pivot about the first axis AX1 with respect to the adjustment arm 13. The second arm 112 is connected to the first arm 111 at a second joint 132, and the second arm 112 is pivotable relative to the first arm 111 about a second axis AX 2.

A carriage assembly 120 is connected to the second arm 112, and the carriage assembly 120 is used to mount an implement. At least one implement is mounted on the carriage assembly 120. The carriage assembly 120 is configured to drive the implement to move in a predetermined movement. The predetermined movement of the implement may include movement along the third axis AX3, etc. Wherein the first axis AX1, the second axis AX2, and the third axis AX3 intersect at a telecentric point (telecentric point is the RCM point described above).

It will be appreciated that when the second arm 112, along with the carriage assembly 120, is pivoted about the second axis AX2 relative to the first arm 111, it can be rotated to a position where the third axis AX3 coincides with the first axis AX1, with the robotic arm 100 in the collapsed state.

The implement may be a surgical implement that performs a surgical procedure, or an endoscope for image acquisition of a surgical field.

Compared with the conventional parallelogram mechanism for moving around the RCM point, the mechanical arm 100 of the application can move around the RCM point only through two connecting arms and two joints, has a relatively simple structure, is beneficial to simplifying the control mode of the mechanical arm 100, is convenient for aseptic arrangement before operation, is beneficial to shortening the operation preparation time, and reduces the movement error.

Optionally, the first axis AX1 perpendicularly intersects the second axis AX2 at a telecentric point, which is advantageous for simplifying the control manner of the mechanical arm 100.

In one example, the carriage assembly 120 includes at least one first bracket 121, each first bracket 121 being provided with an instrument drive. The instrument driving means may be adapted to drive the implement instrument to move in a predetermined movement. The predetermined movement pattern may include movement along a third axis AX3 to effect insertion of the implement. In addition, the predetermined movement pattern may also include rotation about a central axis of the implement itself. Typically, the central axis of the implement is parallel or coincident with the third axis AX 3. For example, in the example where the carriage assembly 120 includes a first bracket 121, the central axis of the implement may be coincident with the third axis AX 3. For another example, in instances where the carriage assembly 120 includes a plurality of first brackets 121, the central axis of the implement may be parallel to the third axis AX 3.

In one example, the first bracket 121 is mounted to the second arm 112 and is configured to be movable along the second axis AX2 relative to the second arm 112. In another example, the first bracket 121 is mounted to the second arm 112 and is configured to be movable along the third axis AX3 with respect to the second arm 112. In yet another example, the first bracket 121 is configured to move relative to the second arm 112 along both the second axis AX2 and the third axis AX 3. In practice, an implement or implement drive mounted on the first carriage 121 may move relative to the second arm 112 along at least one of the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2 in synchronization with the first carriage 121.

In one example, the support bracket assembly 120 may include a plurality of first brackets 121, the plurality of first brackets 121 being spaced about the third axis AX 3. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the support bracket assembly 120 may include an annular bracket 123, the annular bracket 123 being mounted to the second arm 112 with its center axis coincident with the third axis AX 3. The plurality of first brackets 121 are mounted to the annular bracket 123 and are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the annular bracket 123. In other words, the plurality of first brackets 121 may be mounted to the second arm 112 by the annular bracket 123. The ring support may be movably mounted to said second arm 112 along a third axis AX3 and/or a second axis AX 2.

Further, the carriage assembly 120 may further include a carriage drive (not shown) for driving the first carriage 121 to move along an arc about the third axis AX3 (i.e., rotate about the third axis AX 3). For example, the annular bracket 123 may include an outer ring mounted to the second arm 112 and an inner ring rotatable with respect to the outer ring, the outer ring and the inner ring being coaxially disposed, and the inner ring being rotatable with respect to the outer ring about a central axis by a bracket driving means, the plurality of first brackets 121 being mounted to the inner ring and being disposed at intervals in a circumferential direction of the inner ring.

In an alternative implementation, as shown in fig. 1, the second arm 112 may be configured as a swing rod, one end of which is connected to the first arm 111 and capable of rotating relative to the first arm 111 about the second axis AX2, and the connection position between the first arm 111 and the second arm 112 is the second joint 132. The other end of the second arm 112 is a connection end for connecting to a support bracket assembly 120, the support bracket assembly 120 not being shown in fig. 1. It will be appreciated that the second arm 112 may have other implementations as well, as will be exemplified below.

Referring to fig. 2-4, in some examples, the carriage assembly 120 further includes a second bracket 122 disposed spaced apart from the third axis AX3 along which the first bracket 121 extends, and an implement may be threaded through the second bracket 122. For example, the second bracket 122 may include a cannula and/or a cannula adapter for mounting the cannula through which a surgical instrument passes into a surgical field of a patient. During the surgical procedure, the central axis of the cannula always passes through the RCM site. When the robot arm is in the folded state, the first axis AX1 passes through the first joint 131, the first bracket 121, and the second bracket 122 in this order, i.e., the first bracket 121 is closer to the first joint 131 than the second bracket 122.

Alternatively, the second bracket 122 is mounted to the second arm 112, and the second bracket 122 may be configured to be movable relative to the second arm 112 along at least one of the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX 2.

Specifically, in the example shown in fig. 2, the second arm 112 includes a first arm 112A and a second arm 112B. The first arm 112A is connected to the first arm 111 at the second joint 132 and extends along the second axis AX 2. The second arm 112B is fixedly coupled to the first arm 112A and extends at least parallel to the third axis AX 3. The first bracket 121 is connected to the second arm 112B, and the second bracket 122 is connected to the first arm 112A. When the first arm 112A is rotated about the second axis AX2, the first arm 112A can rotate about the second axis AX2 in synchronization with the second arm 112B, the first bracket 121, and the second bracket 122. Further, the first arm 112A is configured to be telescopic along the second axis AX2 to move the second bracket 122 along the second axis AX 2. Thereby facilitating maintenance and replacement of the second bracket 122, and accurately resetting the second bracket 122 after maintenance is completed.

In the example shown in fig. 2, the positions of the first bracket 121 and the second bracket 122 relative to the RCM point in the direction along the third axis AX3 are fixed, which is applicable to the case where the operation space of the robot arm 100 is continuous (i.e., there is no obstacle in the space).

However, for some more complex surgical scenarios, there may be obstacles in the operating space of the robot arm 100 that cannot move or can move only to a small extent, such as other organs of the human body, or other medical instruments erected during surgery, etc., which may interfere with the movement of the robot arm 100 or an implement attached to the end of the robot arm 100. In other words, these obstacles divide the operation space of the surgical instrument into a plurality of subspaces, and during the operation, there are cases where it is necessary to avoid these obstacles, and to perform the operation across from one subspace to another subspace. In order to quickly cross these obstacles during surgery and ensure the safety of the surgery, the embodiment of the present application also provides a solution in which the position of the first bracket 121 and/or the second bracket 122 in the direction along the third axis AX3 is adjustable with respect to the RCM point, which can be achieved by the following example.

In one example, for one variation of the example shown in fig. 2, the second arm 112B is configured to be capable of telescoping in a direction parallel to the third axis AX3 to move the first bracket 121 along the third axis AX3 to change the position of the first bracket 121 relative to the RCM point in the direction along the third axis AX 3.

Further, referring to fig. 3 and 4, the second arm 112 may also be configured to enable the first bracket 121 and/or the second bracket 122 to be adjustable in position relative to the RCM point along the third axis AX 3. In particular, the second arm 112 may be configured to have at least two arms relatively movable in the direction of the third axis AX 3.

In one example, referring to fig. 3, the second arm includes a first arm 212A and a second arm 212B. Wherein the first arm 212A is connected to the first arm 111 at the second joint 132, the first arm 212A being pivotable relative to the first arm 111 about the second axis AX 2. The second arm 212B is connected to the first arm 212A, and the second arm 112B is configured to be movable in the extending direction of the third axis AX3 with respect to the first arm 212A. The first arm 212A and the second arm 212B may be connected by a kinematic pair, for example. The carriage assembly 120 is coupled to the second arm 212B.

In this example, referring to fig. 3, the first bracket 121 and the second bracket 122 are both connected to the second arm 212B such that the carriage assembly 120 as a whole is movable along the extension direction of the third axis AX3 with respect to the first arm 212A along with the second arm 212B. That is, by moving the second arm 212B, the positions of the first bracket 121 and the second bracket 122 relative to the RCM point in the direction along the third axis AX3 can be changed while keeping the relative distance of the first bracket 121 and the second bracket 122 in the direction along the third axis AX3 unchanged. Thus, the carriage assembly 120 and the implement mounted therein are facilitated to be moved entirely out of the RCM site and then repositioned entirely (back to the location of the RCM site), i.e., moved entirely in and out of the surgical site.

Further, the portion of the second arm 212B connected to the second bracket 122 may be configured to be able to telescope along the second axis AX2 to drive the second bracket 122 to move along the second axis AX2, so as to facilitate maintenance and accurate homing of the second bracket 122.

In this example, the first mount 121 and the second mount 122 are each fixed relative to the second arm 212B in a direction along the third axis AX 3. In other examples, the first bracket 121 and/or the second bracket 122 may be movably coupled (e.g., by a kinematic pair) to the second arm 212B in a direction along the third axis AX3 based on the example of fig. 3 to facilitate adjusting the position of the first bracket 121 and/or the second bracket 122, respectively. For example, the first bracket 121 may be disposed movably with respect to the second arm 212B in the direction along the third axis AX3, and the second bracket 122 may be fixedly disposed with respect to the second arm 212B. For another example, the first holder 121 may be fixedly disposed with respect to the second arm 212B, and the second holder 122 may be movably disposed with respect to the second arm 212B in the direction along the third axis AX 3. For another example, the first and second brackets 121 and 122 may be respectively movably disposed with respect to the second arm 212B in a direction along the third axis AX 3.

Further, the respective adjustment of the positions of the first and second brackets 121 and 122 may also be achieved by providing the first and second brackets 121 and 122 to the first and second arms, respectively, i.e., one of the first and second brackets 121 and 122 is connected to the first arm and the other of the first and second brackets 121 and 122 is connected to the second arm.

In one example, referring to fig. 4, the second arm includes a first support arm 312A and a second support arm 312B. Wherein the first arm 312A is connected to the first arm 111 at the second joint 132 and is pivotable relative to the first arm 111 about the second axis AX 2. The second arm 312B is connected to the first arm 312A, and the second arm 312B is configured to be movable in the extending direction of the third axis AX3 with respect to the first arm 312A. The first arm 312A and the second arm 312B may be connected by a kinematic pair, for example. The second bracket 122 is connected to the first arm 312A, and the first bracket 121 is connected to the second arm 312B. Thereby, the position of the first bracket 121 can be adjusted by moving the second arm 312B. Further, the portion of the first arm 312A connected to the second bracket 122 may be configured to be able to telescope along the second axis AX2 to drive the second bracket 122 to move along the second axis AX2, so as to facilitate maintenance and accurate homing of the second bracket 122.

In another example, as a variation of the example shown in fig. 4, the second bracket 122 may be connected to the second arm 312B, and the first bracket 121 may be connected to the first arm 312A. Thus, the position of the second bracket 122 can be adjusted by moving the second arm 312B.

In addition, the examples shown in fig. 3 and 4 may be combined, so that the positions of the first bracket 121 and the second bracket 122 may be adjusted simultaneously, and the positions of the two may be adjusted separately. For example, the second arm 112 may be configured to have three arms relatively movable in the direction of the third axis AX3, i.e., a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm. Wherein the first arm is connected to the first arm 111 at a second joint 132, the first arm being pivotable about a second axis AX 2. The second arm is connected to the first arm, and the second arm is configured to be movable in the extending direction of the third axis AX3 with respect to the first arm. The second arm may be coupled to the first arm by a kinematic pair. The third arm is connected to the second arm, and the third arm is configured to be movable in the extending direction of the third axis AX3 with respect to the second arm. The third arm may be coupled to the second arm by a kinematic pair. One of the first and second brackets is connected to the second arm and the other of the first and second brackets is connected to the third arm. The support bracket assembly 120 may be moved entirely along the extension direction of the third axis AX3, and the first bracket and the second bracket 122 may be moved relatively along the third axis AX3, respectively.

Alternatively, the kinematic pair described in the foregoing may be in the form of a slider and a slide, for example. Correspondingly, a driving piece can be arranged to drive the sliding block to move along the sliding rail so as to realize linear relative movement between the two support arms, and the driving piece can be a motor, a cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, for example. Of course, other modes of achieving linear relative movement between the two arms of the connection may be selected, and will not be described in detail herein.

Alternatively, in all the examples described above, the portion of the second arm connected to the first bracket 112 may also be configured to be able to telescope along the second axis AX2 to move the first bracket 112 along the second axis AX2, so that the position adjustment of the first bracket 112 is more flexible, further facilitating the crossing of the obstacle.

In one example, the robotic arm 100 also includes a drive device. Corresponding driving means are provided at the first joint 131 and the second joint 132, respectively, to rotate the first arm 111 about the first axis AX1 and the second arm 112 about the second axis AX 2. The drive means may be, for example, an electric motor.

In one example, the first arm 111 may be configured as a crank arm. The crank arm has a first connecting end and a second connecting end that are spaced apart in the extending direction of the first axis AX1, and the first connecting end and the second connecting end are spaced apart in the extending direction of the second axis AX 2. The first joint 131 is located at the first connection end, and the second joint 132 is located at the second connection end. For example, referring to fig. 1 to 4, the first arm 111 includes a first portion 111A extending at least in a direction parallel to the second axis AX2 and a second portion 111B extending at least in a direction parallel to the first axis AX1, the first connecting end being located at the first portion 111A, the second connecting end being located at the second portion 111B.

Further, the second portion 111B may be movably connected to the first portion 111A in an extending direction parallel to the first axis AX 1. In this way, the second connection end can move relative to the first connection end in the extending direction of the first axis AX 1. Thereby, the second arm 112 (together with the support frame assembly 120 provided to the second arm 112) can be moved along the first axis AX1 with respect to the first connection end.

It will be appreciated that the size of the crank arm is related to the size of the movable range of the support frame assembly 120, and the size of the first arm 111 can be flexibly designed according to practical needs. The second arm 112 has three connection portions that connect the first bracket 121, the second bracket 122, and the first arm 111, respectively. Likewise, the shape and size of the second arm 112 can be flexibly designed according to practical needs.

A second aspect of the present application provides a slave manipulator for a medical system, the slave manipulator comprising at least one manipulator 100, the manipulator 100 being a manipulator 100 according to the first aspect of the present application.

It will be appreciated that medical systems may generally include a control system (master manipulator), a robotic arm system 10 (slave manipulator), and an imaging system, with a physician operating on the master manipulator to control the slave manipulator to perform a surgical procedure. Wherein, the control system can be provided with a display unit for displaying the environment of the surgical instrument, a doctor operation control mechanism, an armrest and the like. Wherein, set up the observation window on the display element and be used for the doctor to observe, operation control mechanism constructs for its action can correspond the action of surgical instruments, and the handrail is used for placing doctor's arm. In addition, the control console of the doctor is also provided with other control switches which are convenient for touching or pressing by hands or feet and are used for performing various functional operations to complete man-machine interaction. The imaging system may include a display screen, an endoscope controller, system electronics, an image processor, and the like.

Unless defined otherwise, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. Terms such as "disposed" or the like as used herein may refer to either one element being directly attached to another element or one element being attached to another element through an intermediate member. Features described herein in one embodiment may be applied to another embodiment alone or in combination with other features unless the features are not applicable or otherwise indicated in the other embodiment.

The present application has been described in terms of the above embodiments, but it should be understood that the above embodiments are for purposes of illustration and description only and are not intended to limit the application to the embodiments described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations and modifications are possible in light of the teachings of the application, which variations and modifications are within the scope of the application as claimed.

Claims

1. A robotic arm, the robotic arm comprising:

a first arm pivotable about a first axis at a first joint;

2. The robotic arm of claim 1, wherein the carriage assembly comprises at least one first carriage, each first carriage being provided with an instrument drive for driving the implement along the third axis.

3. The robotic arm of claim 2, wherein the support frame assembly comprises a plurality of the first brackets, and wherein the plurality of first brackets are spaced about the third axis.

4. A robotic arm as claimed in claim 3, in which the carriage assembly includes carriage drive means for driving the first carriage along an arc about the third axis.

5. The robotic arm of claim 2, wherein the first bracket is movably mounted to the second arm along the third axis and/or the second axis.

6. The robotic arm of claim 2, wherein the second arm comprises:

wherein the first bracket is connected to the second support arm.

7. The robotic arm of claim 2, wherein the support frame assembly further comprises a second support frame spaced from the first support frame along the third axis, the second support frame for allowing the implement to pass therethrough.

8. The robotic arm of claim 7, wherein the first bracket is movably mounted to the second arm along the third axis and/or the second axis, and the second bracket is movably mounted to the second arm along the third axis and/or the second axis.

9. The robotic arm of claim 7, wherein the second arm comprises:

wherein the first and second brackets are connected to the second arm, or

10. The robotic arm of claim 9, wherein the first and second brackets are fixedly disposed relative to the second arm in a direction along the third axis.

11. The robotic arm of claim 9, wherein one of the first and second brackets is movably disposed relative to the second arm along the third axis, and the other of the first and second brackets is fixedly disposed relative to the second arm in a direction along the third axis.

12. The robotic arm of claim 9, wherein the first and second brackets are each movably disposed relative to the second arm along the third axis.

13. The robotic arm of any one of claims 6 and 9-12, wherein at least one of the first and second arms is configured to telescope along the second axis to move the first and/or second brackets along the second axis.

14. The robotic arm of any one of claims 1-12, wherein the first arm is configured as a crank arm having a first connection end and a second connection end spaced apart in both the first and second axial directions, the first joint being located at the first connection end and the second joint being located at the second connection end.

15. The robotic arm of claim 14, wherein the first arm comprises a first portion extending at least in a direction parallel to the second axis and a second portion extending at least in a direction parallel to the first axis, the first connection end being located at the first portion and the second connection end being located at the second portion.

16. The robotic arm of claim 15, wherein the second portion is movably coupled to the first portion in a direction parallel to the first axis.

17. The robotic arm of any one of claims 1-12, wherein the first axis perpendicularly intersects the second axis at a point of telecentricity.

18. A slave manipulator for a medical system, characterized in that the slave manipulator comprises at least one manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 17.