JP4131731B2 - Manipulator support device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a support device for a manipulator, and more particularly to a support device for a medical manipulator having a simple mechanism, light weight, compactness, and a wide operating range.

  Conventionally, in laparoscopic surgery such as gallbladder extraction surgery, as shown in FIG. The endoscope 161, forceps 171, 172, and the like are inserted into these holes, and an operator (usually a surgeon) 160 performs an operation while viewing an image of the endoscope 161 on the monitor 162.

  Since such an operation method does not require laparotomy, the burden on the patient is small, and the number of days until recovery and discharge from the operation is greatly reduced. For this reason, such an operation method is expected to expand the application field.

  The above-described laparoscopic surgery is an excellent surgical method in that the burden on the abdomen 150 of the patient is small, but the fact that the operator 160 cannot actually see the surgical site can be problematic in some cases.

  Further, the forceps 171 and 172 are provided only with a clipper that opens and closes, and it is difficult to freely change the posture of the clipper and the operability is poor.

  Due to the above factors, only a skilled operator can perform appropriate treatment by the above-described surgical method. Moreover, it takes a very long time to become skilled in the surgical method.

  In order to deal with such problems, research is being conducted to apply remote control robot technology such as a master-slave manipulator to the medical field.

  Remotely-operated robot technology is a robot system in which the master arm operated by the operator and the slave arm that actually operates the surgical site are completely separated, and the command value of the master arm is sent to the slave arm as an electrical signal. It is transmitted. Therefore, the master arm and the slave arm usually have a number of joints of 6 degrees of freedom or more, and a controller is provided corresponding to each degree of freedom. It is a complex system with

  Due to the complexity, the reliability of the operation of the master slave manipulator system is not yet high enough. In addition, since the system itself is large, purchase costs and maintenance costs are also expensive. Furthermore, in the master-slave manipulator system, since the operator operates the master arm at a distance from the patient, there is a problem that the patient cannot be treated immediately in an emergency.

  In order to solve such a problem, the inventors, as shown in FIG. 17, operate command unit 102, connection unit 103 having one end connected to operation command unit 102, and connection unit 103. A medical manipulator 100 that is connected to the other end side and includes a working unit 101 is proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 11-165961). The medical manipulator 100 is supported by the support device 1 so as to have a fixed point 23. That is, the medical manipulator 100 is supported by the horizontal rotating part 105 and the arc guide 106 via the connection support part 16 so as to be rotatable about two axes.

  In addition, there are support devices used in conventional medical master-slave manipulator systems and the like as shown in FIGS. 18 shows a method in which the rotating shaft 105 and the arc guide 106 are combined, FIG. 19 shows a method in which the rotating shaft 105 and the parallel link 107 are combined, and FIG. 20 shows a combination of the arc guide 106a and the arc guide 106b. Indicates the method.

  Basically, a system in which a rotating shaft, an arc guide, and a parallel link are combined is adopted. However, in the configuration using the arc guide 106, since the arc guide 106 can be provided only in a limited range, there is a problem that the operation range is narrow and the weight is heavy. Further, the method using a plurality of stages of the parallel links 107 similarly has a narrow operation range, and since it is necessary to form a plurality of parallel links, the mechanism becomes complicated and there is a backlash, and high assembly accuracy is required. There is a problem.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, simplify the mechanism, have a light weight and a compact size, have a wide operating range, and further enable a manipulator system with good operability. It is to provide a support device.

In order to achieve the above object, a support device for a manipulator system according to the present invention includes an operation command unit, a connection unit having one end connected to the operation command unit, and a working unit connected to the other end of the connection unit. In a manipulator support device that supports a manipulator having at least two rotation axes of a first rotation shaft and a second rotation shaft, the manipulator is supported around the first rotation shaft with respect to a fixed portion. A first arm; a second arm rotatably supported at the tip of the first arm; a passive rotary provided at the tip of the second arm; and a connection support fixed to the passive rotary. And a flexible connecting member that connects the passive rotating part to the first arm in a state where the reduction ratio is greater than 1, and the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft intersect. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, since the support device for the manipulator is configured without using the arc guide, the operating range can be widened, and the weight can be reduced. In addition, since a plurality of stages of parallel links are not used, the mechanism is simplified, there are few problems of backlash, and the assembly accuracy as high as that of a multi-stage link configuration is not required. Since the operation range is wide and the weight is reduced, the operability of the manipulator supported by the support device of the present invention is extremely high as compared with the prior art.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, since the support device for the manipulator is configured without using the arc guide, it is possible to widen the operating range and reduce the weight. It is. In addition, since a plurality of stages of parallel links are not used, the mechanism is simplified, there are few problems of backlash, and the assembly accuracy as high as that of a multi-stage link configuration is not required. Since the operation range is wide and the weight is reduced, the operability of the manipulator supported by this support device is extremely high as compared with the prior art.

  In addition, with the conventional rigid support device, the fixed point is determined mechanically regardless of the patient, and if the patient's abdomen and the fixed point are slightly shifted, the patient's abdomen is extremely burdened. However, the manipulator is supported flexibly using the elasticity of the flexible connecting member, and even if the patient's abdomen is slightly displaced from the fixed point, the patient's abdomen should not be overloaded. Is possible.

  It also enables an ideal manipulator operating area suitable for the surgical area within the patient's abdomen.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are a perspective view and a side view showing a configuration of a support device 1 for a medical manipulator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an operation command unit 102, a connection unit 103 having one end connected to the operation command unit, The medical manipulator 100 including the working unit 101 connected to the other end side of the coupling unit 103 is rotatable around at least two axes, that is, around the first rotating shaft 10 and the second rotating shaft 20. It is the support apparatus which supports.

  The support device 1 includes a first rotary shaft 10 that is rotatably supported with respect to the fixed portion 201, a first arm 12 that is rotatably supported on the output shaft side 11 of the first rotary shaft 10, A first passive rotating portion 13 (in the figure, the passive rotating portion 13a and the passive rotating portion 13b are integrated with each other) provided at the distal end portion 12a of one arm 12, and the first passive rotating portion 13 are fixed. The second arm 14, the second passive rotating portion 15 provided at the tip 14 b of the second arm 14, and the connection support portion 16 fixed to the second passive rotating portion 15. The first passive rotating unit 13 is connected to the output shaft side 11 of the first rotating shaft 10 (the fixed side portion of the first arm 12) via the flexible connecting member 17 with a reduction ratio of 1. And the 2nd passive rotation part 15 is connected with the 1st arm 12 through the flexible connection member 18 in the state whose reduction ratio is 1. Here, the rotation diameter of the first passive rotation unit 13 and the rotation diameter of the output shaft side 11 are set to be equal to each other so that the reduction ratio is 1, and the flexible connecting member 17 includes the first passive rotation unit. 13 and the output shaft side 11 are operated in a parallel link manner. Similarly, the flexible connecting member 18 performs a parallel link operation via the first passive rotating portion 15 and the first arm 12. The second rotating shaft 20 is disposed on the general extension line of the first rotating shaft 10, and the first rotating shaft 10 and the second rotating shaft 20 intersect at substantially the fixed point 23 or the vicinity thereof.

  The speed reduction mechanism including the flexible connecting members 17 and 18 can be configured by combining a one-to-one pulley and a belt. It is only necessary to use a power transmission mechanism that does not cause slipping, such as a toothed belt or steel belt, and by using a friction drive belt, it does not slip normally, and it is configured to slip when overloaded, It can also serve as a safety mechanism (overload prevention mechanism).

  The connection support unit 16 has a function of supporting the medical manipulator 100 in a state in which the medical manipulator 100 can move directly in the insertion direction 21 with respect to the connection unit 103 and can rotate about the axis 22. The function of the connection support part 16 is determined by the number of degrees of freedom and the free arrangement of the medical manipulator 100 itself.

The operation of the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The operator operates the operation command unit 102 to position the working unit 101 to the surgical site in the patient's abdomen. For example, when operated in the direction of the arrow in the figure, the support device 1 is driven passively. In the second arm 14, the first passive rotating unit 13 to which the second arm 14 is connected is in a state in which the reduction ratio is 1 on the output shaft side 11 (fixed side of the first arm 12) of the first rotating shaft. Since it is connected via the flexible connecting member 17, it moves in parallel. Further, the connection support portion 16 is connected to the first arm 12 through the flexible connection member 18 with the second passive rotating portion 15 to which the connection support portion 16 is connected in a state where the reduction ratio is 1. Therefore, it moves parallel to the first arm 12. Therefore, the surgical manipulator 100 can be rotated with respect to the second rotating shaft 20. On the other hand, the first rotation shaft 10 can be rotated by operating the operation command unit 102 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface.

  Moreover, you may add a gravity compensation mechanism as needed. 2 and 3, a configuration using the counterweight 24 as an example of the gravity compensation mechanism is indicated by a dotted line. Furthermore, a method is also conceivable in which the counterweight is driven mechanically or electrically (for example, a motor) in the vertical direction in accordance with the operation (position) of the operation command unit 102 to achieve a balance. Of course, you may arrange | position a torsion spring in a rotation part. If the inverted (neutral) state is the neutral point of the torsion spring, the restoring force of the torsion spring increases corresponding to the increase in the load due to its own weight according to the angle.

  4 and 5 are a perspective view and a side view showing the configuration of the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The medical manipulator support device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a first rotary shaft 10 that is rotatably supported with respect to a fixing portion 201 of the support device 1, and a first rotary shaft 10. The first arm 12 rotatably supported on the output shaft side 11, the parallel link mechanism 30 configured for the first arm 12, and the output shaft side 11 of the first rotation shaft of the parallel link mechanism 30 The second arm 14 fixed to the link (first link) 31 driven in parallel, the passive rotating part 15 provided at the second arm tip 14b, and the connection support part 16 fixed to the passive rotating part 15 And have. The parallel link mechanism 30 includes an output shaft side 11, a first arm 12, a link 31, and a link (second link) 32. The passive rotating unit 15 is connected to the first arm 12 or the link 32 driven in parallel with the first arm 12 via the flexible connecting member 18 with a reduction ratio of 1. The second rotating shaft 20 is disposed on the general extension line of the first rotating shaft 10, and the first rotating shaft 10 and the second rotating shaft 20 intersect at substantially the fixed point 23 or the vicinity thereof.

The operation of the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As in the first embodiment, the operator operates the operation command unit 102 to position the working unit 101 at the surgical site in the patient's abdomen. For example, when operated in the direction of the arrow in the figure, the second arm 14 is translated by the parallel link mechanism 30. Further, the connection support portion 16 is a flexible connection member in which the second passive rotating portion 15 to which the connection support portion 16 is connected is in a state where the reduction ratio is 1 with respect to the first arm 12 (or the link 32). Since it is connected via 18, it moves parallel to the first arm 12. Therefore, the surgical manipulator 100 can be rotated with respect to the second rotating shaft 20. On the other hand, the first rotation shaft 10 can be rotated by operating the operation command unit 102 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a case where the first rotating shaft 10 is in the vertical direction. The direction of the first rotating shaft 10 is not limited to horizontal and vertical.

  In the above description, the support device 1 is fixed to the fixing unit 201. However, as shown in FIG. 14, the position of the fixed point 23 may be arbitrarily moved. In FIG. 14, the first rotating shaft 10 is attached to a three-dimensional moving mechanism 202 instead of the fixed portion 201, and the three-dimensional moving mechanism 202 includes an up / down moving mechanism 41, a rotating mechanism 42, and an expansion / contraction mechanism 43. ing. The fixed point 23 in the support device 1 can be set to a desired position by the three-dimensional movement mechanism 202.

  As described above, according to the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention, for example, the medical manipulator is supported without using the arc guide 106 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the operating range is widened, and the weight can be reduced. Further, for example, the medical manipulator can be supported without using a multi-stage parallel link 107 as shown in FIG. 19, so that the mechanism is simplified, there is little problem of backlash, and the assembly accuracy as high as the multi-stage link configuration is required. It will never be done.

  In addition, since the support device 1 according to the present embodiment has a wide operation range and is lightened, the operability of the medical manipulator is greatly enhanced by the support device 1 as compared with the conventional device.

  Further, in the conventional high-rigidity support device, the fixed point 23 is mechanically determined regardless of the patient, and when the patient's abdomen and the fixed point 23 are slightly deviated, a heavy burden is placed on the patient's abdomen. There was a problem. On the other hand, according to the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the medical manipulator 100 can be flexibly used by utilizing the elasticity of the rubbing connecting members 17 and 18. Even if the patient's abdomen and the fixed point 23 are slightly deviated from each other, it is possible to adopt a configuration that does not place much burden on the patient's abdomen.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  A medical manipulator support device 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention includes a first rotary shaft 10 that is rotatably supported with respect to a fixing portion 201 of the support device 1, and a first rotary shaft 10. A first arm 12 fixedly supported on the output shaft side 11, a second arm 14 rotatably supported on the tip 12a of the first arm 12, and a passive rotating part 15 provided on the second arm tip 14b. And a connection support portion 16 fixed to the passive rotation portion 15. The passive rotating unit 15 is connected to the first arm 12 through the flexible connecting member 10 in a state where the reduction ratio is larger than 1. The second rotating shaft 20 is disposed on the general extension line of the first rotating shaft 10, and the first rotating shaft 10 and the second rotating shaft 20 intersect at substantially the fixed point 23 or the vicinity thereof. The reduction mechanism for connecting the passive rotating unit 15 to the first arm 12 in a state where the reduction ratio is larger than 1 is constituted by a normal belt and a pulley as in the first and second embodiments. be able to.

  FIG. 8 shows a modification of the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The speed reduction mechanism in this embodiment is constituted by a combination of a planetary gear speed reduction mechanism 19, a belt and a pulley. Of course, other deceleration mechanisms may be used.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views showing the operation of the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
Description will be made with attention to the reduction ratio. When the reduction ratio R is 1 (not in the present embodiment), when the second arm 14 is rotated by θ degrees, the connection support portion 15 is rotated by −θ degrees with respect to the second arm 14, and as a result As shown in FIG. Accordingly, the connecting portion 103 does not change its posture while keeping downward. However, as shown in FIG. 9, when the reduction ratio R is 2, when the second arm 14 is rotated by θ degrees with respect to the first arm 12, the connection support portion 16 is rotated with respect to the rotation angle of the second arm 14. As a result, the connection support portion 15 rotates by θ−θ / 2 = θ / 2. Therefore, it always rotates by θ / 2, and if the length of the second arm 14 is L, the second rotary shaft 20 is located at the same distance L from the center of rotation of the second arm 14. Become.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, when the reduction ratio R is 3, the position x of the rotation center is x <L (x≈0.5L), and approaches the root side 14a side of the second arm 14. However, the second rotating shaft 20 moves slightly rather than at a fixed position. The second rotating shaft 20 passes through the approximate vicinity of the fixed point 23.

When the rotation angle of the second arm is θ, the reduction ratio is R, and the length L of the second arm 14 is, as shown in FIG.
x = L sin θ / tan (θ−θ / R) −L cos (1)
It can be expressed. Expression (1) can be expressed as shown in FIG. The position x of the rotation center is closer to the rotation center 14a of the second arm 14 when the reduction ratio is increased. For this reason, the magnitude of the swing angle (rotation angle of the second rotating shaft 20) θ−θ / R is larger than θ.

  For example, when the reduction ratio R = 3, the movement amount of the second rotation shaft 20 is x / L = 0.5 when θ = 0 [°], and x / L = 0 when θ = 90 [°]. .577. Therefore, when L = 100 [mm], the movement amount is about ± 4 [mm]. If the amount of movement of the rotation center position x is within a few millimeters, there is no particular burden on the patient, and there is no problem in the operation of the operator. The reduction ratio R and the length L of the second arm may be appropriately determined according to the position and operating range of the second rotating shaft 20 and the allowable movement utilization.

  The medical manipulator support device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is also characterized by the relationship between the rotation angle of the second rotating shaft 20 and the position where the working unit 101 arrives (operation range in the insertion direction). There is. In the first and second embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the arrival position (operation range in the insertion direction) of the working unit 101 is an arc shape (fan shape) centered on the second rotation shaft 20. )become. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, it does not have an arc shape (fan shape), and as θ increases, the reaching position (operation range in the insertion direction) of the working unit 101 is increased. Deepen.

  As shown in FIG. 13, taking into account the motion region in the patient's abdomen 150, it means that the region reaches a wider region than the arc-shaped motion region 203 indicated by the dotted line. You can say that. In addition, it is possible to reduce restrictions on the operation area of the support device.

  In the above description, the support device 1 is fixed to the fixing unit 201. However, as shown in FIG. 15, the position of the fixed point 23 may be arbitrarily moved. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the fixed position of the first rotating shaft 10 is set to 3 in order to be able to arbitrarily set the position of the fixed point 23. It is necessary to move in a dimensional manner, which may increase the installation space and cause problems such as interference between the patient and the support mechanism.

  On the other hand, in the case of the modification of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the first rotary shaft 10 is supported by the vertical mechanism 41 so that the position of the first rotary shaft 10 can be moved up and down. The first arm 12 is slidably supported by an expansion / contraction mechanism 43. According to the example shown in FIG. 15, compared to the case shown in FIG. 14, the installation space can be increased and problems such as interference between the patient and the support mechanism can be solved, and the position of the fixed point 23 is arbitrarily moved. Can be set.

  As described above, the medical manipulator support device 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the basic features of the first and second embodiments and further simplifies the mechanism. And an ideal operating region suitable for the region of the surgical site within the abdomen 150 of the patient.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a medical manipulator support device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The side view of a 1st Example. The side view explaining operation | movement of a 1st Example. The schematic perspective view which shows the support apparatus of the medical manipulator by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The side view of a 2nd Example. A modification of the second embodiment. The schematic perspective view which shows the support apparatus of the medical manipulator by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and its modification. The schematic perspective view which shows the support apparatus of the medical manipulator by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and its modification. A side view explaining operation of the 3rd example. A side view explaining operation of the 3rd example. The figure explaining the position of the 2nd rotating shaft in a 3rd Example. The figure which shows the relationship between the 2nd arm length L, the position x of a 2nd rotating shaft, and the rotation angle (theta) of a 2nd arm in a 3rd Example. The figure explaining the rotation angle | corner (theta) of the 2nd arm and the reach | attainment area | region of an insertion direction in a 3rd Example. The figure which shows enabling the position of a fixed point to be set to arbitrary positions in the 1st Example and the 2nd Example. The figure which shows enabling the position of a fixed point to be set to arbitrary positions in the 3rd Example. Schematic which shows the conventional medical manipulator (forceps). Schematic which shows the conventional medical manipulator. It is the schematic which shows the support apparatus of the conventional medical manipulator, (a) and (b) show the case where the position of a rotating shaft exists in a different position. It is the schematic which shows the support apparatus of the conventional medical manipulator, (a) and (b) show the case where the position of a rotating shaft exists in a different position. Schematic which shows the support apparatus of the conventional medical manipulator.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Support apparatus 10 of a medical manipulator 1st rotating shaft 11 1st rotating shaft 1 output shaft side 12 1st arm 13 1st passive rotating part 14 2nd arm 15 2nd passive rotating part 16 support connection part 17, 18 flexible connecting member 19 planetary gear speed reduction mechanism 20 second rotating shaft 23 fixed point 24 counterweight 100 medical manipulator 101 working unit 102 operation commanding unit 103 connecting unit 105 horizontal turning unit 106 arc arm 100 medical manipulator 101 working unit 102 Operation command unit 103 Connection unit 105 Horizontal rotation unit 106 Arc arm

Claims (1)

A manipulator comprising an operation commanding unit, a connecting unit having one end connected to the operation commanding unit, and a working unit connected to the other end of the connecting unit, at least a first rotating shaft and a second rotation In a support device for a manipulator that rotatably supports two axes,
A first arm supported around the first rotation axis with respect to the fixed portion;
A second arm rotatably supported at the tip of the first arm;
A passive rotating part provided at the tip of the second arm;
A connection support part fixed to the passive rotation part;
A flexible connecting member that connects the passive rotating unit to the first arm in a state in which a reduction ratio is greater than 1,
Equipped with a,
The manipulator support device, wherein the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft intersect .

Images