JP2004351231A - Manipulator for medical use - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve reliability and maintainability, and reduce cost of a manipulator for medical use by simplifying its mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: The manipulator for medical use has an operation ordering part, a driving part having a first and a second motors driven by signals from the operation ordering part, a first gripper rotating on a rotating axis by motive power of the first motor, and a second gripper rotating on the rotating axis by motive power of the second motor. The manipulator for medical use opens/closes by moving the first gripper and the second gripper in reverse phase with each other. The manipulator for medical use rotates on the rotating axis by moving the first gripper and the second gripper in an identical phase with each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical manipulator used for laparoscopic surgery and the like.

In laparoscopic surgery, several small holes are made in the abdomen of a patient, a thin tube called a trocar is attached to the hole, an endoscope or forceps are inserted, and the operator displays the video from the endoscope on a television. I am performing surgery while looking at the screen. Since such a surgical method does not require laparotomy, the burden on the patient is small, the postoperative recovery is quick, and the number of hospital stays is significantly reduced. For this reason,
Such a surgical method is expected to expand its application field.

Laparoscopic surgery is an excellent surgical method in that the burden on the patient is small.However, the surgeon cannot see the real image of the operative site, and the forceps have only a gripper function that opens and closes, making it easy to operate. There is a problem that there is no. Therefore, the surgeon who can perform laparoscopic surgery by an appropriate procedure according to the above-mentioned surgical method is limited to doctors having skilled skills.

In order to solve such a problem, research is being conducted on applying remote-controlled robot technology such as a master-slave manipulator to the medical field. Remote operation robot technology is a robot system in which the master arm operated by the operator and the slave arm that actually performs treatment on the operation section are completely separated from each other.The command value of the master arm is transmitted to the slave arm as an electric signal. It is transmitted.
JP 2000-350735

Normally, each of the master arm and the slave arm has a joint number of 6 degrees of freedom or more, a controller is provided corresponding to each degree of freedom, and electrically has many control systems, parts, and wiring. It is a complicated system. Due to the complexity of the system, the reliability of the operation of the master-slave manipulator system is not high and the maintenance costs are high.

In addition, since the surgeon performs an operation using a plurality of treatment units suitable for the treatment, a plurality of slave arms having different functions of the treatment units are required. Therefore, there is a problem that the slave arm becomes very expensive, and furthermore, maintenance of a plurality of slave arms is troublesome.

On the other hand, the slave arm must have a small diameter, and its power transmission is mainly performed using a wire and a pulley.Because the wire is connected between the power source and the drive unit,
It was mechanically impossible to remove only the tip part. The maintenance due to the elongation of the wires arranged in a complicated arrangement is a small diameter, so that it takes a long time to perform the operation and requires a special technique, so that the system is expensive.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a medical manipulator that simplifies a mechanism, improves reliability and maintainability, and reduces cost.

In order to solve the above problem, in the present invention, an operation command unit, a driving unit having first and second motors driven by a signal from the operation command unit, and a power of the first motor, A first power transmission unit that transmits as a rotational power having an axis in a second direction different from the first direction in which the rotation shaft is formed; and a power transmission unit that transmits power of the first power transmission unit, and A second power transmission unit that converts the rotation power around the rotation axis; a third power transmission unit that transmits the power of the second motor as a rotation power having an axis in the second direction; A fourth power transmission unit that transmits the power of the third power transmission unit and converts the power to a rotational power around the rotation axis; and rotates around the rotation axis by the power transmitted by the third power transmission unit. By the first gripper and the power transmitted by the fourth power transmission unit A second gripper that rotates about the rotation axis. The first gripper and the second gripper are opened and closed by operating the first gripper and the second gripper in opposite phases. The first power transmission unit and the second power transmission unit are detachably fitted and connected to each other or opened by operating the grippers of the same type in phase with each other, and the first power transmission unit and the second power transmission unit are detachably connected to each other; A medical manipulator comprising: a detachable unit that detachably fits and connects or opens a third power transmission unit and a fourth power transmission unit to each other.

Here, the first power transmission unit includes a first gear, and the second power transmission unit includes a second gear transmission.
When the first power transmission unit and the second power transmission unit are fitted and connected,
The first gear and the second gear may mesh with each other.

The third power transmission unit includes a third gear, the fourth power transmission unit includes a fourth gear, and the third power transmission unit and the fourth power transmission unit When mated and connected, the third
And the fourth gear may mesh with the fourth gear.

An axis through which the first power transmission unit transmits the power of the first motor as rotational power and an axis through which the fifth power transmission unit transmits the power of the third motor as rotational power are common. There may be.

An axis through which the first power transmission unit transmits the power of the first motor as rotational power; an axis through which the third power transmission unit transmits the power of the second motor as rotational power; A fifth power transmission unit may share a common shaft with which the power of the third motor is transmitted as rotational power.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, since the treatment part can be attached to and detached from the support part, a plurality of treatment parts can be easily replaced with respect to the arm composed of the operation command part and the connection part, and the maintenance performance is excellent at low cost. Medical manipulator can be realized.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, since the treatment part can be attached to and detached from the support part, a plurality of treatment parts can be easily attached to the arm composed of the operation command part and the connecting part, and the maintenance cost is low. The medical manipulator which is excellent in the above can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of a medical manipulator. The medical manipulator 1 includes an operation command unit 2, a working unit 3, and a connecting unit 4 having both ends connected to the operation command unit 2 and the working unit 3. The surgeon inserts the medical manipulator 1 into the trocar 5 attached to the patient's abdomen and operates the operation command unit 2 to perform surgery. The working unit 3 includes a gripper 31 as a treatment unit for performing a treatment on the operation unit, and an A-axis support unit 32 and a B-axis support unit 33 that support the gripper 31 so that the posture can be changed with two degrees of freedom. The gripper 31 is configured to open and close. The A-axis support portion 32 supports the open / close shaft portion of the gripper 31 and also holds the gripper 3 around the A-axis.
1 is configured to rotate. The B-axis support portion 33 supports the entire A-axis support portion 32 and rotates the A-axis support portion 32 around the B-axis.

The operation command unit 2 includes a handle 21 as a posture operation unit and a finger operation unit 2 as a treatment unit operation unit.
Two. The finger operation section 22 has two finger insertion sections 22a and 22b into which fingers of the hand holding the handle 21 are inserted. The finger insertion portions 22a and 22b are configured to rotate so as to match the movement of the finger. The finger insertion sections 22a and 22b are provided with sensors (not shown) for detecting opening and closing movement amounts. The handle 21 includes a pedestal portion 21a, a turning arm 26, and a grip portion 21b that is gripped by an operator's hand. Base 21a
And the turning arm 26 are connected via a C-axis rotating portion 23, and the grip portion 21b is rotatable around the C-axis. The turning arm 26 and the grip 21b are connected via a D-axis rotating unit 24, and the grip 21b is rotatable around the D-axis. Although not shown, the C-axis rotation unit 23 and the D-axis rotation unit 24 are provided with rotation angle sensors. The sensor values obtained by opening and closing the finger insertion portions 22a and 22b correspond to the opening and closing operations of the grippers 31a and 31b. Similarly, the sensor value of the C-axis rotation unit 23 corresponds to the rotation angle of the A-axis, and the sensor value of the D-axis rotation unit 24 corresponds to the rotation angle of the B-axis.

Further, in the present embodiment, the driving section 40 is provided between the connecting section 4 and the pedestal 21a. The driving unit 40 is configured to control the corresponding driving units 41, 42, 4 based on the detection signal from the above-described square axis sensor.
3, the power is transmitted to the gripper 31, the A-axis support 32, and the B-axis support 33 of the working unit 3.

FIG. 2 is a power transmission system diagram from the drive unit 40 to the working unit 3 of the medical manipulator 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the working unit 3. The gripper 31a of the tip 3
It is driven by the power of the motor M1 of the drive unit 41. The power of the motor M1 is transmitted to a power transmission unit T1 composed of a rod-shaped tube via a gear unit G1. The power transmission unit T1 rotates around an S-axis parallel to the axis of the connecting unit 4 and, via a gear 51a attached to an end,
The gear 52a is rotated. The gear 52a is mounted so as to be rotatable on the axis B,
The rotation around the axis S is converted into the rotation around the axis B. The gear 52a has a tooth profile that meshes with the gear 53a on the side opposite to the surface that meshes with the gear 51a. The gear 52a is a gear 53
The gear 54a is rotated via a. The gear 54a meshes with the gear 55a to which the gripper 31a is attached, and rotates the gear 55a around the axis A. Similarly, the gripper 31b of the working unit 3 is driven by the motor M2 of the driving unit 42. Motor M2
The rotational power of the gear unit G2, the power transmission unit T2, the gear 51b, the gear 52b, the gear 53
b, the gear 55b to which the gripper 31b is attached is rotated about the axis A to open and close the gripper 31b. Since the gear 52 needs to mesh with the gear 51 and the gear 53 at the same time, as shown in FIG. Gear 5 used in this configuration
The gear 1 and the gear 52, and the gear 54 and the gear 55 are a combination of a spur gear and a face gear, or a combination of a bevel gear. The size of the treatment section 3 needs to be 15 mm or less, and a spur gear and a face gear are suitable for producing a gear having a small diameter. Further, since the face gear is a mechanism that can adjust the backlash by adjusting the axial direction, it can be said that this is the most suitable combination for the embodiment of the present proposal.

The A-axis support 32 is connected to the gear 72 of the B-axis support 33. The gear 72 can rotate around the axis B by the power of the motor M3 of the driving unit 40. The rotational power of the motor M3 is transmitted to the gear 72 via the gear unit G3, the power transmission unit T3, and the gear 71. Similarly, the gear 71 and the gear 72 are suitably a combination of a spur gear and a face gear. The gear 72 is connected to a support member 84 and rotates the A-axis support 32 around the axis B.

In the present embodiment, the gripper 31a and the gripper 31b can be independently rotated around the axis A. Therefore, the opening / closing axis of the gripper and the A axis are coaxial. If the gripper 31a and the gripper 31b are operated in opposite phases, the opening and closing operation can be performed. If the grippers 31a and 31b are operated in the same phase, they can rotate around the axis A. Since the power transmission from the drive unit 40 uses a gear mechanism, the A-axis support 32 can be easily removed from the B-axis support 33. The support member 84 of the B-axis support portion 33 and the support member 81 of the A-axis support portion 32 are configured to be rotationally restrained and can be accurately positioned (not shown). Are fitted and connected. In the present embodiment, a pin is used as the attachment / detachment member 83, but a screw or the like may be used.

Since the A-axis support portion 32 and the B-axis support portion 33 are mechanically independent from each other, the method of transmitting power from the drive portion 40 is not limited to the method using a rod-shaped tube. A power transmission method using the wire 75 and the pulleys 76 and 77 may be used. As shown in FIG. 2, the motor M4 and the gear unit G4 are installed in parallel with the rotation axes of the pulleys 76 and 77, and the wires 75 are wound around the respective pulleys 76 and 77 to transmit power. Since the pulley 77 is rotatably installed on the B axis, the gripper 31a and the gripper 31
b can be operated. The method using the rod-shaped tube has a merit that a large power can be obtained and mechanical play hardly occurs. On the other hand, the wire and pulley method has an advantage that the weight can be reduced. Both have simple maintenance.

Another embodiment of the power transmission from the drive unit 40 is shown in FIG. The gear 94 rotates the motor 93
, And the tip gear 96 is rotated via a rod-shaped transmission member 95 formed in the gear 94. A gear 98 on which a treatment section 97 is attached is engaged with the gear 96.
Is rotated. Since the rod-shaped transmission member 95 is composed of a member that transmits power by a pulling force acting on the axis, there is an advantage that rigidity can be increased even with a small diameter.

From the above, since the medical manipulator 1 can be easily detached from a part of the working unit 3, the operation command unit 2, the connecting unit 4, the driving unit 40, and the so-called B-axis supporting unit 33 of the working unit 3 are so-called. By making the arm portion common and replacing the treatment section including the A-axis support section 32 and the gripper 31 of the working section 3 with necessary work, the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced. An operator performs an operation by attaching an appropriate treatment section to the distal end of the arm in advance in accordance with an operation (a grasping operation, a cutting operation, a suturing operation, and the like), removes the operation portion after the operation, and performs cleaning and sterilization. In particular, since the gripper directly handles the tissue, the gripper is intensely consumed and maintenance and replacement are frequently performed. In the medical manipulator of the present embodiment, such replacement work can be easily performed without any trouble and without any special knowledge.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a power transmission system diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a working unit according to the present invention. The schematic diagram which shows another embodiment of the power transmission part by this invention.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medical manipulator 2 Operation command part 3 Working part 4 Connecting part 21 Handle 22 Finger operation part 31 Gripper 32 A axis support part 33 B axis support part 40 Drive parts 51-55, 71, 72, 91, 94, 96 Gear 81, 84 Supporting member 83 Attaching / detaching members T1 to T3 Rod-shaped tube type transmitting member 75 Wires 76, 77 Pulley 95 Rod-shaped transmitting member M1 to M4 Motor G1 to G4 Gear unit

Claims (5)

Operations Command,
A drive unit having first and second motors driven by a signal from the operation command unit;
A first power transmission unit that transmits the power of the first motor as a rotating power having an axis in a second direction different from the first direction in which the rotation axis is formed;
A second mechanism for transmitting the power of the first power transmission unit and converting the power to a rotational power about the rotation axis;
Power transmission section,
A third power transmission unit that transmits the power of the second motor as rotating power having an axis in the second direction;
A fourth power transmitting unit that transmits the power of the third power transmission unit and converts the power into a rotational power around the rotation axis;
Power transmission section,
A first gripper that rotates around the rotation axis by power transmitted by the third power transmission unit;
A second gripper that rotates around the rotation axis by power transmitted by the fourth power transmission unit;
With
The first and second grippers are opened and closed by operating in opposite phases, and the first and second grippers are operated in the same phase to rotate around the rotation axis. Move
Further, the first power transmission section and the second power transmission section are detachably fitted and connected to each other or opened, and the third power transmission section and the fourth power transmission section are detachably fitted to each other. A medical manipulator comprising: detachable means for coupling or opening. The first power transmission unit has a first gear,
The second power transmission unit has a second gear,
The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other when the first power transmission unit and the second power transmission unit are fitted and connected. . The third power transmission unit has a third gear,
The fourth power transmission unit has a fourth gear,
The medical manipulator according to claim 2, wherein the third gear and the fourth gear mesh with each other when the third power transmission unit and the fourth power transmission unit are fitted and connected. . An axis through which the first power transmission unit transmits the power of the first motor as rotational power and an axis through which the fifth power transmission unit transmits the power of the third motor as rotational power are common. The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein: An axis through which the first power transmission unit transmits the power of the first motor as rotational power; an axis through which the third power transmission unit transmits the power of the second motor as rotational power; The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein the power transmission unit (5) has a common shaft for transmitting the power of the third motor as rotational power.

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