KR20100078562A - Surgical instrument, master interface of surgical robot for manipulating the same and operation method of surgical robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An instrument for an operation, a master interface of a robot for the operation for controlling the same, and a driving method for the robot for the operation are provided to grant the particular function of corresponding to a wrist or an elbow to a shaft of the instrument by bending shaft through the manipulation of a driving unit. CONSTITUTION: A shaft(30) is combined in a driving unit(20). The shaft is expanded in a specific direction. An elbow(32) is formed in the middle of shaft. An effector(50) is combined in the end unit of shaft. The effector is operated according to the user operation about the driving unit. The shaft is bent around the elbow. The elbow is composed of the expansion unit formed in the other side of the section feature of the hinge shaft formed in one side of the section feature of the shaft and shaft. The shaft is bent around the hinge shaft to the retracting direction of the expansion unit.

Description

Surgical instrument, master interface of surgical robot for manipulating the same and operation method of surgical robot}

The present invention relates to a surgical instrument, a master interface of a surgical robot for operating the same and a method of driving the surgical robot.

Medically, surgery means repairing a disease by cutting, slitting, or manipulating skin, mucous membranes, or other tissues with medical devices. In particular, open surgery to incise and open the skin of the surgical site to treat, shape, or remove the organs therein causes problems such as bleeding, side effects, patient pain, and scars.

On the contrary, instead of dissecting the skin, a small insertion hole is drilled, and through this, a medical device such as an endoscope, a laparoscope, a surgical instrument, a microsurgical microscope is inserted to allow surgery to be performed in the body. So-called 'minimally invasive surgery' is in the spotlight.

On the other hand, such minimally invasive surgery may be performed manually by the chief physician, but recently, a surgeon has been suggested as an alternative to the robot surgery in which the surgeon performs the operation by precisely manipulating the instrument using a surgical robot instead of manipulating the instrument directly. .

Surgical robots for robotic surgery consist of a master robot that generates and transmits the necessary signals by manipulating the instrument, and a slave robot that receives signals from the master robot and directly applies the necessary operations to the patient. The master robot and the slave robot can be integrated or configured as separate devices and placed in the operating room.

The slave robot is provided with a robot arm for operation for surgery, the surgical instrument is mounted on the tip of the robot arm. The conventional instrument 54 mounted to the robot arm includes a drive unit 108 including an adapter 110 mounted with a plurality of drive wheels, and a shaft 102 extending from the drive unit 108, as shown in FIG. And it is made of a forceps 112 of the forceps type mounted on the end 106 of the shaft 102 and inserted into the surgical site.

Conventional instrument 54 is mounted to the adapter 110 and rotates a plurality of driving wheels (not shown) coupled to each part of the effector 112 by wires to move each part of the effector 112, manual In the case of the instrument, the surgeon manipulates the driving unit to move the effector, thereby picking up or cutting the surgical site.

However, the conventional surgical instrument is one insertion hole in the case of surgery performed by drilling one insertion hole in the surgical site, for example, single port access surgery or microsurgery Since the operation is performed by inserting all of the laparoscope or the instrument, there was a limitation that the inserted instrument could not move freely.

The background art described above is technical information possessed by the inventors for the derivation of the present invention or acquired during the derivation process of the present invention, and is not necessarily a publicly known technique disclosed to the general public before the application of the present invention.

The present invention is to provide a surgical instrument that can be operated intuitively as if the surgeon uses the hand directly, without interfering or colliding with each other even when using several at once. Technical problems other than the present invention will be easily understood through the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the drive unit, coupled to the drive unit is extended in one direction, the shaft is formed with an elbow (elbow) in the middle, the effector is coupled to the distal end of the shaft and operated in response to a user operation on the drive unit Surgical instruments are provided, including an effector, wherein the shaft is curved about the elbow.

The elbow consists of a hinge shaft formed on one side on the cross section of the shaft and an elastic portion formed on the other side on the cross section of the shaft, and the shaft may be bent in a direction in which the elastic portion contracts about the hinge axis. The expansion and contraction portion may include an elastic body that applies an elastic force in a direction in which the expansion and contraction portion is extended to straighten the shaft or in a direction in which the expansion and contraction portion is contracted so that the shaft is bent. In this case, the driver includes a driver, and the driver and a predetermined point near the elbow are connected by wires, and the shaft can be bent about the elbow by applying tension to the wire by manipulating the driver.

The elbow may be formed in plural on the shaft, and the plurality of elbows may be formed such that the shafts are bent in opposite directions to each other so that the effector may move closer to the driving unit as the shaft is bent.

The shaft includes a flexible core and a guide member surrounding the core and having an elbow formed thereon, and the core may be bent as the guide member is bent. In this case, the guide member can be used as a surgical trocar.

A wire is connected near the elbow of the guide member, and by applying tension to the wire, the guide member can be bent around the elbow. The driving member is coupled to the guide member, the wire is connected to the driving wheel, and tension may be applied to the wire by manipulating the driving wheel. In this case, the driving unit includes a driver, and the driving wheel may be connected to the driver to be operated in conjunction with the operation of the driver.

The wire is installed to be exposed to the surface of the shaft, and as the tension is applied to the wire, the wire may be drawn out of the shaft as the shaft is bent. In this case, the shaft is formed in a cylindrical shape, the wire may be formed in a form forming a part of the outer periphery of the shaft. In addition, the shaft may be formed in a shape in which a passage through which a wire is accommodated in a cross section thereof is perforated.

The drive unit is coupled to the surgical robot arm (coupling), it may be formed in the form of a handle that is operated by receiving a driving force from the robot, or manually operated by the operator.

On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, in order to operate the surgical instrument mounted on the slave robot to perform the robot surgery, as an interface (interface) mounted to the master robot connected to the slave robot, the predetermined operation to operate the instrument Including an elbow handle for generating a manipulation signal, an elbow is formed on the shaft of the instrument, the shaft is bent around the elbow, the elbow handle is a master of the surgical robot, characterized in that for generating the manipulation signal to bend the shaft An interface is provided. In this case, the elbow handle is mounted on the elbow of the operator and can be operated according to the movement of the elbow.

Meanwhile, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of connecting a slave robot to a master robot and operating a surgical instrument mounted on the slave robot by operating the master robot, the method comprising: (a) an operator Generating a predetermined operation signal corresponding to the movement of the elbow handle provided in the master robot to be mounted on the elbow, (b) converting the operation signal into a drive signal corresponding to the bending operation of the shaft of the instrument, and (c There is provided a driving method of a surgical robot comprising the step of transmitting a drive signal to a slave robot. In addition, after step (c), (d) using the drive signal may further include the step of bending the shaft to correspond to the movement of the elbow of the operator.

These general and specific aspects may be practiced using systems, methods, computer programs, or any combination of systems, methods, computer programs. Other aspects, features, and advantages other than those described above will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by forming an elbow on the shaft of the surgical instrument and operating the drive to bend the shaft, it is possible to impart a joint function corresponding to the wrist or elbow to the shaft of the instrument, accordingly Intuitive operation is possible as the surgeon performs the surgery by hand.

In addition, since the instrument's shaft is bent as needed, even if multiple instruments are inserted in different directions through one insertion hole, the effector of each instrument can be used to bend the shaft toward a specific surgical site, and thus a plurality of instruments can be used. Even when instruments are used together, they do not interfere or collide with each other, enabling effective 'minimally invasive surgery'.

As the present invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component. When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to or connected to that other component, but it may be understood that other components may be present in between. Should be.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof described on the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, components, or a combination thereof.

In the following description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant explanations thereof will be omitted. In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

2 is a conceptual diagram showing a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is an enlarged view showing the elbow portion of the surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 3, an instrument 10, a driver 20, a shaft 30, an elbow 32, a hinge shaft 34, an expandable portion 36, and an effector 50 are shown.

In this embodiment, by applying an elbow (elbow) structure in the middle of the shaft 30 of the surgical instrument to make the shaft 30 bent in the middle, the end of the shaft 30, that is, the effector (effector) during the surgical procedure In the state in which the 50 is inserted into the body, it is possible to operate the surgical instrument as if the operator's arm is directly put into the body.

The instrument 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a driver 20, a shaft 30 extending in one direction from the driver 20, and an effector 50 coupled to an end of the shaft 30. In the case of a robot surgical instrument, the driving unit 20 is a part that is mounted on the surgical robot and receives a driving force from the surgical robot. In the case of a manual instrument, the driving unit 20 is operated by a human hand by an operator by hand. This is where the direct driving force is transmitted.

Such a driving unit 20 may be provided with a driving wheel or a driver engaged with the actuator of the robot, or a wheel, a lever, a switch, etc., which the operator moves by hand. Receiving a driving force from the robot, or when the operator manually manipulates the drive unit 20, the effector 50 moves according to the forceps operation, rotation, tilting, etc. to implement the operation required for surgery.

That is, the driving unit 20 according to the present embodiment is coupled to the surgical robot arm in the case of a robotic surgical instrument and is operated by receiving a driving force from the robot. In the case of a manual instrument, the operator manually It may be implemented in the form of a handle to be manipulated.

The shaft 30 is formed in a straight line shape extending in one direction, and by using a tubular member such as a cylindrical body, the driving unit 20 and the effector 50 so that the driving force is transmitted from the driving unit 20 to the effector 50. The pulley wires connecting the respective portions of the c) are accommodated in the shaft 30. Accordingly, when manipulating each part of the driving unit 20, each part of the effector 50 is moved through the pulley wire connected thereto.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shaft 30 of the instrument 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment has an elbow 32 formed therein so that the shaft 30 is bent around the elbow 32. The elbow 32 serves as a joint to allow the shaft 30, which is a straight member, to bend at a predetermined angle. The elbow 32 is manufactured by forming the entire shaft 30 or the elbow 32 into a corrugated pipe or a bellows shape. It can also play a role in.

On the other hand, the elbow 32 according to the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, on the cross section of the shaft 30, one side may form a hinge axis 34 and the other side can be configured in a flexible structure. As a result, the shaft 30 is bent in the direction in which the elastic portion 36 is contracted about the elbow 32, and more specifically, about the hinge axis 34. As such, according to the structure of the shaft 30 according to the present embodiment, the direction in which the shaft 30 is bent and the degree of bending may be determined according to the structure of the elbow 32 formed therebetween.

The elastic part 36 is a component for maintaining the shape even when the shaft 30 is bent or extended, and may be made of a corrugated pipe, a bellows shape, or an elastic material.

In addition, the elastic part 36 may include an elastic body that provides an elastic force in a direction in which the elastic part is extended. That is, the expansion and contraction portion further includes an elastic body such as a spring, and the hinge shaft is formed with a stopper or the like so that the expansion and contraction portion is not excessively extended. Accordingly, the elastic portion is contracted, the shaft is bent around the elbow, and when the tension is removed by the wire may be configured to straighten the shaft back to its original state by the restoring force of the elastic body.

Alternatively, the expansion and contraction portion 36 further includes an elastic body such as a spring that imparts an elastic force in the direction in which the expansion and contraction portion contracts, and the shaft is bent at normal times (when no force is applied). By applying the expansion and contraction to expand the shaft to straighten, when the external force is removed by the restoring force of the elastic body by configuring the shaft to be folded back to its original state, it is possible to enhance the safety in the surgical process.

Hereinafter, the operation of the instrument 10 according to the present embodiment will be described by taking the elbow structure shown in FIG. 3 as an example.

4 is an operational state diagram of the surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the driver 20, the driver 22, the shaft 30, the elbow 32, the hinge shaft 34, the stretchable part 36, and the wire 44 are illustrated.

According to the present embodiment, the shaft 30 in which the elbow 32 is formed may be operated by the tension of the wire 44. That is, the wire 30 is connected to the driving unit 20 by connecting the wire 44 near the elbow 32, and the shaft 30 is centered on the elbow 32 by applying a tensile force to the wire 44 by operating the driving unit 20. Can be folded.

When the part in which the wire 44 is connected to the driver 20 is called the driver 22, the shaft 30 of the instrument 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment has the elbow 32 by the operation of the driver 22. Will be bent around. On the other hand, the driver 20 may be provided with another driver 22 for operating the effector 50, the other driver 22 may be connected to another wire connected to the effector 50. Detailed description of the structure, function, operation method, etc. of the driver 22 and the wires connected to the effector 50 will be omitted. Hereinafter, the components described as 'driver' and 'wire' are not limited. Means the driver 22 and the wire 44 which serves to bend the shaft 30.

As described above, the shaft 30 according to the present embodiment may be formed of a tubular member such as a cylindrical shape, and in this case, the wire 44 is accommodated in the shaft 30 and the longitudinal direction of the shaft 30. It may extend along and be connected to a predetermined point near the elbow (32).

As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of elbows 32 may be formed in the shaft 30 according to the present embodiment. For example, if the shaft 30 according to the present embodiment is compared to the human arm, the elbow 32 shown in FIG. 4 may correspond to the elbow and the wrist joint, respectively.

Meanwhile, when the effector 50 coupled to the end of the shaft 30 is bent, the shaft 30 is folded in a zigzag shape, that is, each elbow 32. The elbow 32 may be formed such that the shaft 30 is bent in opposite directions from each other. As a result, the effector 50 may be driven by bending or squeezing the shaft 30 about each elbow 32 as if the human hand is close to or separated from the shoulder according to the operation of the elbow joint and the wrist joint. Can be moved close to or spaced apart.

5 is an operational state diagram of the surgical instrument according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the driving unit 20, the driver 22, the shaft 30, the elbow 32, the hinge shaft 34, the stretching unit 36, the core member 38, the guide member 40, Drive wheel 42, wire 44 is shown.

In this embodiment, the shaft 30 is composed of a double structure, that is, the inner core 38 serving as a passage for receiving the wire 44 and the guide member 40 surrounding the core 38. Core material 38 is made of a flexible material (flexible) to be bent freely, but wraps around the core material 38 with a rigid guide member 40, as described above in the middle of the guide member 40 The same elbow 32 may be formed to allow the core member 38 to be bent as the guide member 40 is bent, that is, to allow the shaft 30 to be bent.

In this case, the core material 38 is made of a material and / or structure such as a corrugated pipe that is flexible but does not deform its shape when no external force is applied, and maintains a predetermined shape (e.g., a straight line shape) in general. When the 40 is bent around the elbow 32, it is preferable to be deformed into the curved shape accordingly to maintain the deformed shape.

On the other hand, the guide member 40 according to the present embodiment can also be used as a surgical trocar (trocar), in this case, the guide member 40 (trocar) is first inserted into the surgical site, the core material of the instrument 10 38 can be inserted through the trocar, such that the core 38 inserted into the guide member 40 (trocar) serves as the shaft 30 as a whole. In order to bend the shaft 30 at a predetermined angle, the core member 38 is deformed accordingly by bending the guide member 40 about the elbow 32 formed in the guide member 40. 30 is to bend.

In order to bend the guide member 40, the wire 44 is connected to the elbow 32 of the guide member 40, as in the above-described embodiment, and the tension is applied to the wire 44 to guide member ( 40 may be curved about the elbow 32. Furthermore, the driver 22 is provided in the driver 20, the wire 44 is connected to the driver 22, and the driver 22 is operated to control the guide member 40 by the tension of the wire 44. May be bent around the elbow 32.

On the other hand, by coupling a separate drive wheel 42 to the guide member 40, and connecting the wire 44 to the drive wheel 42, the tension is applied to the wire 44 by the operation of the drive wheel 42. The guide member 40 may be curved. When the guide member 40 is used as a trocar as described above, the instrument 10 is inserted into the guide member 40 and then the trolley, that is, the guide, is operated by operating the driving wheel 42 coupled to the guide member 40. The member 40 can be bent by a predetermined angle.

The operation of bending the guide member 40 by combining the separate driving wheels 42 may be performed manually, or by connecting the driving wheels 42 to the driver 22 provided in the driving unit 20. It is also possible to configure the driving wheel 42 to operate in conjunction with the operation for (22). Of course, the driving wheel 42 may be linked to the driver 22 by applying various mechanical connection methods such as a pulley wire or a link so that the driving wheel 42 operates in conjunction with the driver 22. .

As such, when the driving wheel 42 is coupled to the guide member 40 and the driver 22 is provided in the driving unit 20, the core 38 of the instrument 10 is inserted into the guide member 40. In the process or after insertion, the drive wheel 42 may be operated in conjunction with the operation of the driver 22 by connecting the drive wheel 42 to the driver 22.

6 is an operational state diagram of the surgical instrument according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, the driver 20, the driver 22, the shaft 30, the elbow 32, the hinge shaft 34, the stretchable part 36, and the wire 44 are shown.

The wire 44 used to tension the shaft 30 to bend about the elbow 32 may be received within the shaft 30 as described above, but as in the present embodiment the surface of the shaft 30 Or may be installed to be drawn out of the shaft 30.

That is, when the wire 44 connecting the driver 22 and the elbow 32 is accommodated in the shaft 30, the wire 44 in the process of bending the shaft 30 by applying tension to the wire 44. May not rule out the possibility that the wire 44 and / or the shaft 30 are damaged or the bending operation is not performed properly by rubbing on the bent portion in the shaft 30.

In this case, the material of the shaft 30 may be changed or a separate bearing member may be used so as to minimize friction between the wire 44 and the bent portion of the shaft 30. As shown in FIG. As the tension is applied to the 44, a portion of the shaft 30 may be opened so that the wire 44 is drawn out of the shaft 30.

For example, by drilling a slit in a portion of the shaft 30 and installing the wire 44 so that it can be exposed to the surface of the shaft 30 through the slit, the wire as the shaft 30 is bent. The 44 may be drawn out of the shaft 30 in correspondence with the shortest distance between the elbow 32 and the drive unit 20, thereby minimizing unnecessary friction between the wire 44 and the shaft 30, 44) it is possible to effectively apply the tension.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a shaft of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, a shaft 30, wire 44 is shown.

The present embodiment, as mentioned in the above-described embodiment, has a cross-sectional shape of the shaft 30 for each case when the wire 44 is configured to be received within the shaft 30 or exposed to the surface of the shaft 30. It relates to an embodiment.

FIG. 7A illustrates a cross section of the shaft 30 having a circular cross section, in which a passage through which a plurality of wires are accommodated is separately drilled. Each perforated passage accommodates the wire 44 according to the present embodiment, as well as a plurality of wires used to operate the effector 50. In this case, the wires may effectively transmit the tension generated by the manipulation of the driving unit 20 without interfering with each other or rubbing in the shaft 30.

7 (b) forms a shaft 30 in a cylindrical shape to accommodate a plurality of wires used to operate the effector 50 therein, and the wire 44 according to the present embodiment includes the shaft 30. It shows the cross section installed to be exposed to the surface of the. In order to ensure that the wire 44 does not protrude from the surface of the shaft 30 and the surface of the shaft 30 is smooth as a whole, a portion of the outer edge of the shaft 30 is embedded, as shown in FIG. It is possible to form a groove, and to install a wire 44 having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the groove.

7 (c) forms the shaft 30 in a cylindrical shape with a portion thereof open to accommodate a plurality of wires used to operate the effector 50 therein, and the wire 44 according to the present embodiment is The cross section shown in the form of covering the open part of the shaft 30 is shown. That is, the wire 44 forms a part of the outer circumference of the shaft 30 so that the space in the shaft 30 is normally closed by the wire 44.

In the case of FIGS. 7B and 7C, as described in FIG. 6, as the shaft 30 is bent by applying tension to the wire 44, the wire 44 is drawn out of the shaft 30 and the wire is pulled out. Unnecessary friction between 44 and shaft 30 can be minimized and tension can be effectively applied.

On the other hand, although not shown, a tubular shape does not use the shaft 30, but a plurality of wires used to operate the wire 44 and the effector 50 according to the present embodiment are combined to form a single shaft. Each wire may be configured to form a cross section of the 30, in which case the wire 44 according to the present embodiment is exposed to the surface of the shaft 30 and naturally the shaft 30 is bent as the shaft 30 is bent. Can be operated in such a way that it is withdrawn.

8 is a block diagram showing a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a master interface of the surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. 8 and 9, the master robot 1, the interface 3, the elbow handle 5, the slave robot 7, the robot arm 9, the instrument 10, the shaft 30, and the elbow ( 32 is shown.

The present embodiment relates to a surgical robot driven by mounting the above-described instrument 10 and a master interface thereof. That is, when the master interface 3 is provided with a dedicated handle for its operation in order to bend the shaft 30 of the instrument 10, the slave robot receives a predetermined signal generated according to the operation of the dedicated handle. Transfer to (7) is to correspond to the bending operation of the shaft (30). Hereinafter, the dedicated handle will be described as 'elbow handle'.

Surgical robot according to the present embodiment is composed of a master robot (1) and a slave robot (7), the master robot (1) is provided with an interface (interface 3) that is a part that the user manipulates the interface (3) By operating various handles, levers, buttons, clutches, and the like, a signal corresponding to each operation is transmitted to the slave robot 7, so that the slave robot 7 is operated.

The slave robot 7 is provided with one or a plurality of robot arms 9, and the robot arm 9 is equipped with a surgical instrument 10 and according to a signal transmitted from the master robot 1, each robot arm ( 9) and the instrument 10 mounted on the robot arm 9 are driven to perform robot surgery.

The master interface 3 according to the present embodiment is provided with a separate elbow handle 5 for generating a predetermined operation signal. As described above, since the elbow 32 is formed on the shaft 30 of the instrument 10 according to the present embodiment, and the shaft 30 is bent around the elbow 32, the elbow handle 5 is operated. The operation signal generated accordingly is transmitted to the slave robot 7 and used for the operation of bending the shaft 30 of the instrument 10.

As described in the above embodiment, the instrument 10 according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the shaft 30 is bent as if the elbow joint is folded, so that the elbow handle 5 is mounted on the elbow of the operator. By installing in shape and structure, the operator mounts the elbow handle 5 to the elbow and, as the shaft moves, the shaft 30 can be operated corresponding to the movement of the operator's elbow.

To this end, the elbow handle 5 according to the present embodiment may be configured in the form of a U-shaped cradle in which the elbow portion of the operator can be inserted, and the elbow portion of the operator is inserted into the elbow handle 5 to be manipulated. By doing so, the shaft 30 of the instrument 10 can be operated like an operator's arm, thereby enabling more intuitive robot operation.

10 is a flowchart showing a method of driving a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment relates to a method of driving the instrument 10 mounted on the slave robot 7 by manipulating the master interface 3 described above.

That is, the present embodiment is a method for driving the instrument 10, the shaft 30 is bent, mounted on the slave robot 7 connected thereto by operating the master robot 1, which is first installed in the master interface 3 Manipulate a separate elbow handle (5). The elbow handle 5 is a dedicated handle provided in the master interface 3 to be mounted on the elbow of the operator, and a predetermined manipulation signal is generated in response to the movement of the elbow handle 5 (S10).

The generated operation signal is converted into a predetermined drive signal that can correspond to the bending operation of the shaft 30 (S20), and the converted drive signal is transmitted to the slave robot 7 (S30), the instrument 10 of the The shaft 30 is operated corresponding to the manipulation of the elbow handle 5. That is, the instrument 10 according to the present embodiment is to bend the shaft 30 in accordance with the movement of the elbow of the operator operating the master interface 3 (S40). As a result, the surgical robot according to the present exemplary embodiment may intuitively operate the instrument 10 as if it is an operator's arm.

On the other hand, the driving method of the above-described surgical robot may be implemented in the form of a computer program that can be read and executed by a digital processing device such as a microprocessor embedded in the robot itself or installed outside the robot and connected to the robot. have.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be understood that the invention may be varied and varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a robot surgical instrument according to the prior art.

2 is a conceptual diagram showing a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view showing the elbow portion of the surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an operational state diagram of the surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an operational state diagram of the surgical instrument according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is an operational state diagram of the surgical instrument according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a shaft of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a block diagram showing a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a perspective view showing a master interface of the surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a flow chart showing a method of driving a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1: master robot 3: interface

5: elbow handle 7: slave robot

9: robot arm 10: instrument

20: drive unit 22: driver

30: shaft 32: elbow

34: hinge axis 36: expansion and contraction

38: core 40: guide member

42: drive wheel 44: wire

50: Effector

Claims (21)

A drive unit; A shaft coupled to the driving unit and extending in one direction and having an elbow formed therein; An effector coupled to the distal end of the shaft, the effector actuating in response to user manipulation to the drive, And the shaft is curved about the elbow. The method of claim 1, The elbow is composed of a hinge shaft formed on one side on the cross-section of the shaft and the elastic portion formed on the other side on the cross-section of the shaft, the shaft is bent in the direction in which the elastic portion is contracted around the hinge axis. Surgical instruments. The method of claim 2, The stretchable part, the surgical instrument, characterized in that it includes an elastic body for applying an elastic force in the direction in which the stretched or contracted. The method of claim 2, The driver includes a driver, wherein the driver and a predetermined point near the elbow is connected by a wire, and the shaft is bent around the elbow by applying tension to the wire by manipulating the driver. Surgical instruments. The method of claim 1, The elbow is a surgical instrument, characterized in that formed in plurality on the shaft. The method of claim 5, And the plurality of elbows are formed such that the shafts are bent in opposite directions to each other, such that the effector moves closer to the driving unit as the shafts are bent. The method of claim 1, The shaft includes a flexible core material and a guide member surrounding the core material and having an elbow formed therein, wherein the core material is bent as the guide member is bent. The method of claim 7, wherein The guide member is a surgical instrument, characterized in that used as a surgical trocar (trocar). The method of claim 7, wherein A wire is connected near the elbow of the guide member, and the guide member is bent around the elbow by applying tension to the wire. 10. The method of claim 9, The drive member is coupled to the guide member, the wire is connected to the drive wheel, the surgical instrument, characterized in that the tension is applied to the wire by operating the drive wheel. The method of claim 10, The driving unit includes a driver, the driving wheel is surgical instruments, characterized in that operated in conjunction with the operation of the driver connected to the driver. The method according to claim 4 or 9, The wire is installed so as to be exposed to the surface of the shaft, the surgical instrument, characterized in that the wire is drawn out of the shaft as the shaft is bent and the wire is bent. The method of claim 12, The shaft is formed in a cylindrical shape, the wire is a surgical instrument, characterized in that it is formed in a form forming a part of the outer periphery of the shaft. The method according to claim 4 or 9, The shaft is a surgical instrument, characterized in that the passage is formed in the shape of the perforated passage of the wire. The method of claim 1, The driving unit is coupled to the surgical robot arm (coupling), the surgical instrument, characterized in that the operation is received by receiving a driving force from the robot. The method of claim 1, The drive unit is a surgical instrument, characterized in that formed in the form of a handle that is manually operated by the operator. As an interface mounted to a master robot connected to the slave robot, to perform a robot surgery by operating a surgical instrument mounted on the slave robot, An elbow handle for generating a predetermined operation signal to operate the instrument, Elbows are formed in the shaft of the instrument, the shaft is bent around the elbow, And the elbow handle generates the manipulation signal such that the shaft is bent. The method of claim 17, The elbow handle is mounted to the elbow of the operator, the master interface of the surgical robot, characterized in that operated according to the movement of the elbow. A method of connecting a slave robot to a master robot and manipulating the master robot to drive a surgical instrument mounted to the slave robot, (a) generating a predetermined manipulation signal corresponding to the movement of the elbow handle provided in the master robot to be mounted on the elbow of the operator; (b) converting the operation signal into a drive signal corresponding to the bending operation of the shaft of the instrument; And (c) transmitting the driving signal to the slave robot. The method of claim 19, After step (c), and (d) bending the shaft to correspond to the movement of the elbow of the operator using the driving signal. A slave robot is connected to a master robot, and a program of instructions that can be executed in the surgical robot that operates the surgical instrument mounted on the slave robot by operating the master robot is tangibly implemented. As a recording medium that can be read by the surgical robot, (a) generating a predetermined manipulation signal corresponding to the movement of the elbow handle provided in the master robot to be mounted on the elbow of the operator; (b) converting the operation signal into a drive signal corresponding to the bending operation of the shaft of the instrument; And (c) a recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the step of transmitting the drive signal to the slave robot.

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