JPWO2009037945A1 - Laparoscopic surgery support robot - Google Patents

Abstract

A novel robot for assisting laparoscopic surgery that reduces the limitation in surgery is provided. A laparoscope having a power unit that rotates a rotating shaft, a first arm unit that is connected to the rotating shaft and that rotates based on the rotation of the rotating shaft, and a gripping member that is disposed on the first arm unit Surgery support robot. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot for assisting laparoscopic surgery.

  Laparoscopic surgery is an operation that is performed on a patient while inserting a forceps into the body and observing the display on the monitor in the same manner as a laparoscope while inserting a laparoscope into the patient's body and displaying the image on the monitor. Say. This operation has the advantages that the skin incision and muscular tissue can be less damaged, the post-operative pain can be reduced, and post-operative recovery can be accelerated.

  However, in general, laparoscopes and forceps have long rod-like members, which may limit the operation of the operation. This means that the surgeon requires advanced skills.

  For this reason, it is useful to have a support system that assists this operation in laparoscopic surgery. As a technique related to a conventional manipulator for assisting laparoscopic surgery, there is a proposal of a long forceps manipulator for a laparoscope having a plurality of nodes and added flexibility.

  Certainly, according to the laparoscopic long forceps manipulator having a plurality of nodes and added flexibility, complicated movements can be easily performed in laparoscopic surgery.

  However, even with the above technique, as long as the manipulator is arranged outside the patient's body, this still remains as a limitation of movement.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel laparoscopic surgery support robot that reduces the limitation in surgery in view of the above problems.

  The inventors of the present invention have made extensive studies on the above-mentioned problems. As a result, a robot that can perform operations required for surgery such as movement freely inside the patient's body, rather than placing a manipulator or the like outside the patient's body. We focused on usability.

  That is, a laparoscopic surgery support robot according to a first means of the present invention includes a power unit that rotates a rotating shaft, a first arm unit that is connected to the rotating shaft and rotates based on the rotation of the rotating shaft, A second arm part connected to one arm part and having a slide hole; a slide shaft arranged fixed to the power part and arranged in the slide hole of the second arm part; and a second And a gripping member disposed on the arm portion.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a novel robot for assisting laparoscopic surgery that reduces the limitation in surgery.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and examples shown below.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing functional blocks of a laparoscopic surgery support robot (hereinafter simply referred to as “robot”) according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the robot according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the robot 1 according to this embodiment includes a power unit 2 that rotates a rotary shaft 21 and a first arm unit that is connected to the rotary shaft 21 and rotates based on the rotation of the rotary shaft 21. 3, a second arm part 4 connected to the first arm part 3 and having a slide hole 41 formed thereon, and fixedly arranged with respect to the power part 2, and a slide hole 41 of the second arm part 4. The slide shaft 5 disposed inside, the gripping member 6 disposed on the second arm portion, the imaging unit 7, the control unit 8, the power unit 2 and the control unit 8 are stored, and the slide shaft 5 is fixed. At least.

  The size and weight of the robot 1 according to the present embodiment are not limited as long as surgery can be supported, but are large enough to be inserted through an incision formed during laparoscopic surgery. Preferably, the width (outer diameter) is 20 mm or less, the weight is 30 g or less, and the moving speed is 3 mm / s or more, more preferably the width (outer diameter) is 10 mm or less. It is 20 g or less and the moving speed is 5 mm / s or more.

  The power unit 2 is not limited as long as it can rotate the rotating shaft 21 and rotate the first and second arm units through this rotation, but generally, the power unit 2 does not use electrical energy. A motor that converts to mechanical energy is preferred. The desired size and weight of the motor are not limited, and a commercially available motor can also be used, but it is preferable to employ a motor that falls within the above desired performance range.

  The first arm unit 3 is connected to, preferably fixed to, the rotation shaft 21 of the drive unit 2, and rotates with the rotation of the rotation shaft 21. The first arm portion 3 is rotatably connected to the second arm portion 4 via a pin 32.

  As described above, the second arm portion 4 is connected to the first arm portion 3 via the pin 32 and has a slide hole 41 formed therein. The slide shaft 5 is disposed in the slide hole 41, and the first arm 3 is rotated so that the slide shaft 5 slides in the slide hole 41, and the tip portion on the opposite side to the side on which the pin 32 is disposed. (The side on which the gripping member is disposed) can be rotated. FIG. 3 shows an outline diagram of the side surface of the robot according to the present embodiment.

  The length of the second arm portion 4 is not particularly limited as long as the robot can perform a rotational motion to such an extent that the robot can grasp and advance the ground contact surface (the patient organ surface or the like). It is necessary that there is a position that is sufficiently longer than the arm portion 3 and that the tip portion where the gripping member 6 is disposed is located below the bottom surface of the housing 9 while the arm rotates once. The length of the slide hole 41 in the second arm portion 4 is not particularly limited as long as it is equal to or longer than the distance that the slide shaft 5 slides while the first arm portion 3 rotates once.

  The number of second arm portions 4 is preferably two from the viewpoint of movement, but is not limited and may be two or more. Two or more second arm portions 4 are provided, and a motor, a first arm portion, or the like is provided for each of the second arm portions 4 so that they can operate independently, so that complicated operations such as turning can be performed more easily. become. Even if the height of the step is different for each arm, even if the arm can be operated independently, it is possible to get over the complicated step as described above.

  The slide shaft 5 is fixed to the housing 9 and is disposed in the slide hole 41 in the second arm portion 4 as described above, and controls the rotation of the second arm portion 4. In the present embodiment, the slide shaft 5 is fixed to the housing 9, but it is sufficient that the positional relationship with the rotary shaft 21 is fixed, and a mode in which the slide shaft 5 is not fixed to the housing is also possible.

  The grasping member 6 is a member for grasping the patient's body so as not to slip when the robot moves around in the body at the time of surgery support. The gripping mechanism is not limited as long as the above effects can be obtained, but it is preferable that the gripping mechanism has a gripping force that does not damage the human body by gripping. As the gripping mechanism, a suction cup, rubber, or the like can be adopted. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of plate members 61 and 62, an elastic member 63 that pulls the pair of plate members 61 and 62, and a pair of plate members A configuration in which one end of the thread member 65 and the other end of the thread member 65 fixed to the rotating shaft 64 and a gripping member driving unit 66 that rotates the rotating shaft 64 is also a preferable aspect.

  The pair of plate members 61 and 62 in the grasping mechanism 6 shown in FIG. 4 is for sandwiching a patient's organ between the plate members 61 and 62 and grasping it lightly. In addition, an elastic member 63 such as rubber for pulling them is disposed between them to realize grasping of the organ surface. On the other hand, the gripping mechanism 66 is provided with a gripping mechanism drive unit 66 that rotates the rotating shaft 64, and a thread member 65 is disposed between the rotating shaft 64 and one plate member 62. The thread member 65 is wound around the rotary shaft 64 when the rotary shaft 64 rotates in one direction and is released when rotated in the opposite direction. In this way, when the thread member 65 is wound around the rotary shaft 64, a force can be applied to the side that opens the pair of plate members 61 and 62. When the thread member 65 is opened, It becomes possible to enable gripping by the pulling elastic member 63.

  The imaging unit 7 is for imaging a patient's abdominal cavity, and is not limited, but a small imaging device such as a CCD camera is a preferred embodiment. The image data acquired by the imaging unit 7 may be transmitted to an external image processing apparatus via the control unit 8, for example.

  The control unit 8 is a mechanism for controlling the driving unit 2 and the gripping member 6, and is driven based on a control signal for driving the driving unit 2 or the gripping member driving unit 61 of the gripping member 6 transmitted from the outside. The unit 2 or the gripping member 6 is controlled. In the case where remote control is performed for use without further limitation of operation, it is preferable to provide a small transmitter and a small receiver.

  The housing 9 accommodates the driving unit 2, the imaging unit 7, and the control unit 8, and is not essential, but ensures the dropout and connection of the above components and damages to the organ surface. In order to reduce this, it is preferable to provide it. The material and shape are not limited as long as the above functions can be achieved.

  With the above configuration, the robot according to the present embodiment can further reduce restrictions during laparoscopic surgery. In the human body, particularly in the abdominal cavity, human organs are very soft and viscoelastic and have irregularities on the surface. A small amount of liquid is also present and the coefficient of friction is low. Furthermore, when the patient breathes, the organ surface in the abdominal cavity fluctuates up and down and is unstable. On the other hand, the robot according to the present embodiment can exhibit a high effect in such a presence. According to the robot according to the present embodiment, the first and second arm portions are used, the gripping member is arranged apart from the driving portion 2, and it becomes easy to get over the step in the organ and the turning radius at the time of turning Can also be reduced. Furthermore, since the exterior has a simple configuration of the casing and the arm portion, not only can the size be reduced, but also damage to the organ can be reduced. Further, there is an effect that the positional accuracy is superior to that of the first embodiment described later.

(Embodiment 2)
The present embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment except that the second arm member 4 and the slide shaft 5 are not provided and the gripping member 6 is disposed at the distal end portion of the first arm 3. A functional block diagram and a perspective view of the robot for assisting laparoscopic surgery according to the present embodiment are shown in FIGS.

  According to the present embodiment, a problem remains that the impact generated when the casing is placed on the organ surface during movement is stronger than that of the first embodiment, but the movement speed is faster than that of the first embodiment. There is an advantage that the turning radius becomes smaller.

  Based on the above embodiment, the effect of the robot for assisting laparoscopic surgery was actually confirmed. This will be described below.

Example 1
In this example, a robot was designed based on the first embodiment. As a driving unit, a φ2.5 mm DC motor (SBL02-06, Namiki) is used. The length of the first arm is 3 mm, the width is 4 mm, and the thickness is 0.5 mm. The thickness was 36 mm, the width was 3 mm, and the thickness was 1 mm. The position of the slide shaft was set at a position 13 mm away from the rotation shaft 21, and the slide hole was made long enough to allow the slide shaft to be disposed and to support the rotation of the first arm. The length of the casing was 36 mm, the height was 10 mm, and the width was 6 mm.

As a result of a simulation of the performance of this robot, the average speed is 14 mm / s, the impulse in the vertical direction is 1.460 gm / s, the stepped height is 4 mm, and the moving distance per rotation is 5.1 mm. all right. The parameters of the drive unit and the like in this simulation are as follows. In power transmission, the gear ratio was 1: 8 and the transmission efficiency was 0.2. The weight of the robot was 20 g. Further, WorkingModel 2D (MSCS Software, USA) was used as a physical model simulation, and MATLAB (Mathworks, USA) was used as a power model simulation.

(Example 2)
In this example, a robot having a size three times that of the robot of Example 1 was created and its operation was confirmed. That is, the length of the first arm portion was 9 mm, the length of the second arm portion was 96 mm, and the distance between the slide shaft and the rotation shaft was 34 mm. The gripping member was a hemispherical rubber material having a diameter of 5 mm. A DC motor (HS-GM21-ALG, STLJAPAN) was used as the drive unit. The created robot is shown in FIG. As a result, the movement per cycle was 41 mm, and the turning of 90 degrees was successful with a rotation radius of 15 mm. Further, when a 12 mm step was formed with viscosity, it was able to get over in walking.

  Based on the above, it was confirmed that the new robot for assisting in laparoscopic surgery has sufficient speed of movement and ability to cope with steps, and can move freely within the abdominal cavity, thus reducing the limitations on surgery. .

(Example 3)
In this example, a robot was designed based on the second embodiment. As a driving part, a φ2.5 mm DC motor (SBL02-06, Namiki) was used, and the length of the first arm part was 5 mm, the width was 4 mm, and the thickness was 2 mm. The length of the casing was 36 mm, the height was 10 mm, and the width was 6 mm.

  As a result of the simulation of the performance of the robot, the average speed is 36 mm / s, the impulse in the vertical direction is 2.487 gm / s, the stepped height is 5 mm, and the moving distance per rotation is 31.3 mm. all right. Note that the parameters of the drive unit and the like in this simulation are the same as those in the first embodiment. In power transmission, the gear ratio was 1: 8 and the transmission efficiency was 0.2. The weight of the robot was 20 g. Further, WorkingModel 2D (MSCS Software, USA) was used as a physical model simulation, and MATLAB (Mathworks, USA) was used as a power model simulation.

Example 4
In this example, a robot having a size three times that of the robot of Example 3 was created and its operation was confirmed. That is, the length of the first arm portion was 15 mm, the length of the casing was 70 mm, the height was 20 mm, and the width was 3 mm. The gripping member was a hemispherical rubber material having a diameter of 5 mm. A DC motor (HS-GM21-ALG, STLJAPAN) was used as the drive unit. The created robot is shown in FIG. As a result, the movement per cycle was 21 mm, and the turning of 39 degrees was successful with a turning radius of 39 mm. Further, when a 12 mm step was formed with viscosity, it was able to get over in walking.

  Based on the above, it was confirmed that the new robot for assisting in laparoscopic surgery has sufficient speed of movement and ability to cope with steps, and can move freely within the abdominal cavity, thus reducing the limitations on surgery. .

  The present invention has industrial applicability as a robot for supporting laparoscopic surgery.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the robot according to the first embodiment. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a robot according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the robot according to the first embodiment. 3 is a schematic view of a gripping member according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a robot according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a robot according to a second embodiment. 6 is a photograph (substitute drawing) of a robot according to a second embodiment. 10 is a photograph (substitute drawing) of a robot according to Example 4.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Robot for laparoscopic surgery assistance, 2 ... Power part, 3 ... 1st arm part, 4 ... 2nd arm part, 5 ... Slide axis, 6 ... Gripping member, 7 ... Imaging part, 8 ... Control part, 9 ... Body

Claims (6)

A power unit that rotates the rotating shaft;
A first arm connected to the rotating shaft and rotating based on the rotation of the rotating shaft;
A laparoscopic surgery support robot having a gripping member disposed on the first arm portion.   The robot for assisting laparoscopic surgery according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of the power unit and the first arm, wherein the plurality of first arm units operate independently.   The laparoscopic surgery support robot according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls an operation of the power unit. A power unit that rotates the rotating shaft;
A first arm connected to the rotating shaft and rotating based on the rotation of the rotating shaft;
A second arm part connected to the first arm part and having a slide hole;
A slide shaft that is fixedly disposed with respect to the power unit and disposed in the slide hole of the second arm unit;
A robot for assisting laparoscopic surgery, comprising: a gripping member disposed on the second arm portion;   The robot for assisting laparoscopic surgery according to claim 4, comprising a plurality of the power unit, the first arm, and the second arm unit, wherein each of the plurality of second arm units operates independently. The laparoscopic surgery support robot according to claim 4, further comprising a control unit that controls an operation of the power unit.