WO2011024888A1 - Medical manipulator - Google Patents

Abstract

A manipulator (10) serving as a medical manipulator is provided with: a hollow connection shaft (18); a wire (80a) and a rod (82a) which are inserted in the connection shaft (18); a pulley (70a) and a trigger lever (36) which are provided to one end side of the connection shaft (18) and driving the wire (80a) and the rod (82a) so that the wire (80a) and the rod (82a) advance and retract in the axis direction; a tip operation section (12) provided to the other end side of the connection shaft (18) and operated as the wire (80a) and the rod (82a) are driven so as to advance and retract; and an airtight seal (100) which has formed therein holes (110a-110f) for allowing the wire (80a) and the rod (82a) to be slidably inserted therein and which is disposed so as to be in close contact with the inner surface of the connection shaft (18) to thereby divide the inside of the connection shaft (18) into the tip operation section (12) side and the pulley (70a) side.

Description

Medical manipulator

The present invention relates to a medical manipulator that operates a distal end working unit via a power transmission member.

In endoscopic surgery (also called laparoscopic surgery), a plurality of holes are made in a patient's abdomen, etc., and a trocar (tubular instrument) is inserted as a passing port of the instrument, and then a shaft is provided. The distal end of the forceps is inserted into a body cavity through a trocar and the affected area is operated. A gripper, a scissors, an electric scalpel blade, and the like are attached to the distal end of the forceps as a working unit for gripping a living tissue.

As forceps inserted from the trocar, in addition to general forceps having no joint at the working portion at the tip, forceps having a plurality of joints at the working portion, so-called manipulators have been developed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-2004). No. -105451). According to such a manipulator, an operation with a high degree of freedom is possible in the body cavity, the procedure is easy, and the number of applicable cases increases.

The manipulator has a working unit including a distal end working unit (also referred to as an end effector) provided at the distal end of an elongated shaft, and an actuator that drives the distal end working unit by a wire is provided in the main body (operation unit). Yes. The wire is wound around the pulley on the proximal end side.

In the laparoscopic surgery as described above, the abdomen is inflated to a positive pressure with carbon dioxide gas or the like by a pneumoperitoneum, thereby ensuring a large surgical space and visual field. Accordingly, since a pressure difference is generated inside and outside the body, instruments (surgical tools) such as an endoscope and forceps are put in and out through a port having an airtight structure such as a trocar. Devices that are inserted into the device, particularly tubular devices, must be configured to seal pneumoperitoneum pressure.

Usually, a manipulator has a structure in which a wire for driving a tip working portion is inserted into a tubular and thin shaft. Therefore, there is a need for a configuration that suppresses as much as possible the gas in the body cavity from leaking through the tubular shaft.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a medical manipulator that can suppress gas leakage from inside the body cavity as much as possible.

A medical manipulator according to the present invention includes a hollow shaft, a plurality of power transmission members inserted into the shaft, and a drive mechanism that is provided on one end side of the shaft and drives the power transmission member to advance and retreat in the axial direction. And a tip operating portion provided on the other end side of the shaft and operated by the advance / retreat driving of the power transmission member, and a plurality of holes through which the plurality of power transmission members are slidably inserted. A seal member that is formed and arranged in close contact with the inner surface of the shaft so as to partition the inside of the shaft into the distal end working unit side and the drive mechanism unit side, and one of the plurality of holes. A slit continuous from the outer surface of the seal member is formed only in the hole portion of the portion, and a portion of the hole portion in which the slit is formed and a hole portion in which the slit is not formed each The sliding portion of the hole having the slit formed therein and the sliding portion of the hole having no slit formed therein are the sliding portions of the power transmitting member. The position in the direction is shifted.

According to such a configuration, by providing the seal member that partitions the inside of the hollow shaft into the front end side and the base end side, airtightness in the axial direction of the shaft can be ensured. For this reason, for example, it can suppress as much as possible that the gas (pneumoabdominal pressure) enclosed in the body cavity leaks from the distal end working part to the outside through the shaft. In addition, the position of the sliding portion of the hole where the slit is formed and the position of the sliding portion of the hole where the slit is not formed are shifted. For this reason, in order to tightly seal the slit, even if the sliding portion where the slit is formed is compressed from the outer peripheral side of the sealing member, the compression portion is not applied to the sliding portion where the slit is not formed. The influence is effectively prevented. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the sliding portion in which the slit is not formed from being in close contact with the power transmission member and the operability of the power transmission member from being lowered.

In this case, when pressure is applied to the seal member from the outer peripheral side of the seal member, the sliding portion of the hole portion in which the slit is formed is compressed among the plurality of hole portions, and the slit is formed. It is preferable that the sliding part of the non-hole is not compressed.

The drive mechanism section includes an electric mechanism section that electrically drives a part of the power transmission member, and a manual mechanism section that manually drives the rest, and the electric mechanism among the plurality of holes. The slit may be formed only in the hole corresponding to the power transmission member driven by the portion. Even if the sliding resistance at the sliding part increases slightly, the power transmission member that is driven electrically has little effect on the operation, and even if the sealing member is compressed to tightly seal the slit, the manipulator This is because the operability is hardly lowered.

The seal member is continuous with the sliding portion of the hole portion where the slit is not formed and is formed to have a larger diameter than the sliding portion, and the diameter of the power transmission member inserted through the sliding portion is inserted. If the position of the enlarged diameter portion in the sliding direction of the power transmission member is set so as to overlap the position of the sliding portion of the hole in which the slit is formed, the slit is formed. Thus, the compressive force applied to the hole portion is effectively absorbed by the enlarged diameter portion, and the sliding portion of the hole portion where no slit is formed can be prevented from being excessively contracted.

In this case, if the guide pipe into which the power transmission member is inserted is inserted into the diameter-enlarged portion and made of a material harder than the material constituting the seal member, for example, when the manipulator is assembled. Even if the shaft center of the sliding portion into which the guide pipe is inserted and the shaft center of the power transmission member inserted through the guide pipe are displaced due to a manufacturing error, the guide pipe is displaced together with the power transmission member. Thus, the sliding portion and the enlarged diameter portion are integrally deformed. For this reason, the axial center of the sliding part in which the guide pipe is inserted and the axial center of the power transmission member can be appropriately matched, and gas leakage, damage to the seal member, and the like are avoided.

The seal member includes a first portion having a hole portion in which the slit is formed, and a second portion having a hole portion that is configured separately from the first portion and in which the slit is not formed, The first part and the second part may be connected. That is, by making the sealing member have a divided structure, it is possible to prevent the influence of the compression on the hole where the slit is formed from reaching the hole where the slit is not formed.

If there is a cleaning port that opens in the shaft on the distal end working part side with respect to the seal member, the inside of the shaft on the distal side relative to the seal member can be easily cleaned.

The sealing member is provided with a cleaning hole through which a cleaning tube for supplying a cleaning liquid is inserted into the shaft closer to the distal end working unit than the sealing member. You may extend over the said washing | cleaning hole from the washing | cleaning port provided in the drive mechanism part side. That is, when the cleaning port is set on the proximal end side with respect to the seal member, it is possible to easily clean the inside of the shaft on the distal end side with respect to the seal member by providing a cleaning tube communicating with the cleaning port. Become.

The outer diameter on the front end side of the seal member has a small diameter portion smaller than the inner diameter of the shaft, so that the seal member can be easily and smoothly inserted and assembled into the shaft with the small diameter portion at the head.

The outer diameter of the base end side of the seal member has a large diameter portion larger than the inner diameter of the shaft, so that when the seal member is inserted into the shaft and assembled, the large diameter portion reliably adheres to the inner wall surface of the shaft. In addition, airtightness can be ensured more reliably.

Further, the outer diameter on the distal end side of the seal member has a small diameter portion smaller than the inner diameter of the shaft, and the proximal outer diameter of the seal member has a larger diameter portion larger than the inner diameter of the shaft, If there is a reduced diameter portion between the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion, the seal member can be assembled more smoothly by the reduced diameter portion provided at the rear of the small diameter portion on the leading side of insertion into the shaft. Is possible.

In this case, in the sliding direction of the power transmission member, when the sliding portion of the hole portion in which the slit is formed is arranged at a part of the large diameter portion, it is applied from the inner wall surface of the shaft to the large diameter portion. The compression force that is applied allows the slit to be brought into closer contact.

Further, in the sliding direction of the power transmission member, if the sliding portion of the hole portion in which the slit is not formed is arranged at a part of the small diameter portion, the small diameter portion is not compressed from the inner wall surface of the shaft. Further, it is possible to prevent excessive shrinkage from occurring in the sliding portion where no slit is formed.

The medical manipulator according to the present invention is provided on a hollow shaft, a plurality of power transmission members inserted into the shaft, and one end side of the shaft, and drives the power transmission member forward and backward in the axial direction. A drive mechanism, a tip operating portion provided on the other end side of the shaft and operated by the forward / backward drive of the power transmission member, and a plurality of holes through which the plurality of power transmission members are slidably inserted And a seal member that partitions the inside of the shaft into the distal end working unit side and the drive mechanism unit side by being arranged in close contact with the inner surface of the shaft, of the plurality of holes The guide portion is disposed in the vicinity of at least a part of the holes.

According to such a configuration, by providing the seal member that partitions the inside of the hollow shaft into the front end side and the base end side, airtightness in the axial direction of the shaft can be ensured. For this reason, for example, it can suppress as much as possible that the gas (pneumoabdominal pressure) enclosed in the body cavity leaks from the distal end working part to the outside through the shaft. In addition, the guide portion is arranged in the vicinity of at least a portion of the plurality of holes provided in the seal member, so that it intersects the sliding direction generated in the hole when the power transmission member slides. Since it is possible to suppress the force acting in the (orthogonal) direction (right angle direction or radial direction), it is possible to effectively reduce friction and wear in the hole. Further, in order to bring the inner wall surface of the shaft and the outer wall surface of the seal member into close contact with each other, even when the seal member is strongly compressed and inserted into the shaft, the compression of the hole portion is reduced by the guide portion, The sliding resistance between the holes can be reduced, and the friction of the holes can be reduced.

If the guide portion is a guide pipe made of a material harder than the material constituting the seal member, for example, the power transmission member can be inserted into the guide pipe, so that the installation is easy, and the movement of the power transmission member Accordingly, since the guide pipe deforms the seal member, the hole and the power transmission member can be easily maintained on the same axis.

In this case, the inner diameter of the guide pipe is preferably equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the hole. As a result, a predetermined range of radial force (pressing force, sealing force) can be generated between the hole and the power transmission member that slides through the hole, ensuring airtightness. Secured.

Further, it is preferable that the guide pipe is disposed closer to the drive mechanism portion than the plurality of holes. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the guide pipe from falling into the body.

The seal member has a diameter-enlarged portion that is continuous with the plurality of holes and has a larger diameter than the hole, and through which the power transmission member inserted through the hole is inserted. When the guide pipe is arranged, it is easy to make the hole and the axial center of the power transmission member coincide with each other. Even when the shaft center of the power transmission member is offset due to a manufacturing error or the like when the seal member is assembled to the shaft, the hole and the shaft center of the power transmission member are aligned by the guide pipe. The power transmission member can be smoothly operated, and the seal member can be prevented from being damaged.

The drive mechanism section includes an electric mechanism section that electrically drives a part of the power transmission member and a manual mechanism section that manually drives the rest, and the seal member is disposed in the plurality of holes. The power that is continuous and has a larger diameter than the hole, the diameter of which the power transmission member inserted through the hole is inserted, and the guide pipe is connected to the manual mechanism. When the transmission member is placed in the enlarged diameter part, the sliding resistance between the power transmission member and the hole corresponding to the manual mechanism part that tends to deteriorate operability due to the sliding resistance due to the seal member increases. Since this is effectively avoided, the force acting on the hole in the direction crossing the sliding direction is suppressed, and the friction and wear of the seal member can be reduced.

The outer surface of the guide pipe is in close contact with the inner surface of the enlarged diameter portion, so that the airtightness due to the seal member can be further improved.

It is a perspective view of the manipulator concerning this embodiment. It is a partial cross section side view of a manipulator in the state where a work part and an operation part were separated. It is a partially omitted cross-sectional plan view of a working part. It is a perspective view of a front-end | tip operation | movement part. FIG. 4 is a partially omitted perspective view of a composite input unit and its peripheral part of a manipulator. It is a perspective view of an airtight seal and its peripheral part. It is a cross-sectional side view of an airtight seal | sticker and its peripheral part. 8A is a front view of the hermetic seal, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIIB-VIIIB in FIG. 8A. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows the modification of a wire and a reinforcement rod. FIG. 10A is an explanatory view showing a state in which the shaft center of the rod and the shaft center of the sliding portion coincide with each other when the manipulator is assembled, and FIG. 10B shows the shaft center and the sliding portion of the rod when the manipulator is assembled. It is explanatory drawing of the state from which the axis center of is offset. FIG. 11A is an explanatory view showing a state in which the shaft center of the rod and the shaft center of the sliding portion coincide with each other when the manipulator is assembled, and FIG. 11B shows the shaft center and the sliding portion of the rod when the manipulator is assembled. It is explanatory drawing of the state by which the shift | offset | difference of the shaft center of this was corrected with the guide pipe. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows the 1st modification of the installation place of the guide pipe to an airtight seal. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows the 2nd modification of the installation place of the guide pipe to an airtight seal. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows the 3rd modification of the installation place of the guide pipe to an airtight seal. 15A is a cross-sectional side view of a hermetic seal having a split structure, and FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional side view in a state where the hermetic seal shown in FIG. 15A is connected. It is a cross-sectional side view of the modification of the connection structure of the airtight seal shown to FIG. 15A. It is a cross-sectional side view of the other modification of the connection structure of the airtight seal shown to FIG. 15A. It is a partial cross section side view of the manipulator to which the example of change of the installation place of a washing port is applied. It is a cross-sectional side view of the injection port of the washing tube of the manipulator shown in FIG. 18, and its peripheral part. It is a perspective view of the robot system which connected the manipulator to the front-end | tip of a robot arm.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the medical manipulator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the manipulator (medical manipulator) 10 according to the present embodiment grips a predetermined part of a living body or a curved needle or the like on a distal end working unit 12 provided at the distal end of a connecting shaft 18. It is a medical instrument for performing treatment, and is usually called a grasping forceps or a needle driver (needle holder).

In the following description, the width direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the X direction, the height direction is defined as the Y direction, and the extending direction of the connecting shaft 18 is defined as the Z direction. Further, the right side is defined as the X1 direction, the left side as the X2 direction, the upward direction as the Y1 direction, and the downward direction as the Y2 direction. Further, the front of the connecting shaft 18 is defined as the Z1 direction and the rear as the Z2 direction. Stipulate. Unless otherwise specified, the description of these directions is based on the case where the manipulator 10 is in the reference posture (neutral posture). These directions are for convenience of explanation, and it is a matter of course that the manipulator 10 can be used in any direction (for example, upside down).

The manipulator 10 includes an operation unit 14 that is manually gripped and operated, and a work unit 16 that is detachable from the operation unit 14. A cable 28 that extends from the lower end of the grip handle 26 is connected to a controller 29. The manipulator system.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the operation section 14 is configured in a substantially L shape extending in the Z1 direction and the Y2 direction, and includes a pair of upper covers 25a and 25b divided substantially symmetrically in the Z direction. The housing is configured as a grip handle 26 in which a drive unit (actuator unit) 30 and the like are housed, and a portion extending in the Y2 direction on the base end side is gripped by a hand. The grip handle 26 has a length suitable for being manually gripped, and the composite input section 24 is provided on the upper inclined surface 26a.

Near the top of the operation unit 14 in the Y1 direction, a master switch 34 is provided that is exposed from the upper cover 25b, and an LED 35 is provided at a location that is easily visible in the Z1 direction of the master switch 34. In FIG. 1, an electrode plug 41 extending in the Y1 direction from the vicinity of the end of the operation unit 14 in the Z1 direction is an electrode to which a high voltage power source is connected when the manipulator 10 is used as an electric knife. A voltage can be supplied to the distal end working unit 12 side.

The working unit 16 includes a distal end working unit 12 for performing work, a long and hollow connecting shaft (shaft) 18 provided with the distal end working unit 12 at the tip, and a pulley box to which a proximal end side of the connecting shaft 18 is fixed. 32 and a trigger lever 36 pivotally supported by a trigger lever support 33 extending from the Z2 direction end of the pulley box 32. The working unit 16 has a pair of lower covers 37a and 37b divided substantially symmetrically in the Z direction as a housing, and houses a pulley box 32 therein. The trigger lever support portion 33 is a pair of plates extending in parallel with the Z2 direction from the Z2 side end surface of the pulley box 32, and the trigger lever 36 is pivotally supported by a trigger shaft 39 extending between the plates. (See FIG. 3).

Such a working unit 16 is connected and fixed to the operation unit 14 by a pair of left and right attachment / detachment levers 40, 40 provided in the operation unit 14, and can be separated from the operation unit 14 by opening the attachment / detachment lever 40. Yes, replacement work and the like can be easily performed at the operation site without using a special instrument.

As shown in FIG. 1, the distal end working unit 12 and the connecting shaft 18 are configured to have a small diameter, and can be inserted into a body cavity 22 from a cylindrical trocar 20 provided in a patient's abdomen or the like. Various operations such as excision of the affected part, grasping, suturing and ligation can be performed in the body cavity 22 by operating the 24 and the trigger lever 36.

The tip operating unit 12 that operates based on the operation of the composite input unit 24 and the trigger lever 36 includes, for example, a gripper 48 (see FIG. 4), a yaw axis operation that tilts with respect to the Y axis, and an axis that points the tip (neutral) A three-axis operation including a roll axis operation that rotates based on the Z axis in the posture and a gripper axis operation that can be opened and closed is possible. In the case of this embodiment, the yaw axis and the roll axis are electrically driven based on the operation of the composite input unit 24, and the gripper axis is mechanically driven based on the operation of the trigger lever 36. Here, mechanical is a system driven through wires, chains, timing belts, links, rods, gears, etc., and is a system driven mainly through solid mechanical parts that are inelastic in the power transmission direction. is there. Wires, chains, and the like may inevitably have some elongation due to tension, but these are inelastic solid mechanical parts.

Next, the drive unit 30 and the pulley box 32 that can be attached to and detached from each other will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drive unit 30 includes two motors (actuators) 50a and 50b arranged in the X direction, a bracket 52 that supports the motors 50a and 50b, and the rotational directions of the motors 50a and 50b. And a gear mechanism unit 54 that converts the signal and transmits it to the working unit 16 side.

The motors 50a and 50b are cylindrical, and output shafts 56a and 56b that are decelerated by a reduction gear (not shown) pass through one surface of the bracket 52, and a drive umbrella that constitutes a gear mechanism portion 54 with respect to the output shafts 56a and 56b. Gears 58a and 58b are fixed. The motors 50a and 50b are, for example, DC motors, and a rotary encoder or the like is provided as an angle sensor (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the gear mechanism portion 54 is provided in a space in the bracket 52, and is fixed to two drive shafts (drive shafts) 60a and 60b arranged in the X direction, and the drive shafts 60a and 60b. And two driven bevel gears 62a and 62b that mesh with the drive bevel gears 58a and 58b. The output shafts 56a and 56b of the motors 50a and 50b, the drive shafts 60a and 60b, and the like are pivotally supported on the bracket 52 by bearings (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower end side of the drive shaft 60a (60b) protrudes from the lower surface of the bracket 52, and an engagement convex portion 64a (64b) having a tapered shape with a corrugated hexagonal shape at the tip, for example. ) Is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pulley box 32 includes a hollow portion 66 opened on both sides in the X direction, pulleys (driven shafts) 70a and 70b and wire guide portions 72a and 72b housed in the hollow portion 66. The connecting shaft 18 is fixed and supported by a hole that penetrates the cavity 66 on the Z1 side.

The pulleys 70a and 70b are coaxial with respect to the drive shafts 60a and 60b, and engagement concave portions 74a and 74b that can be engaged with the engagement convex portions 64a and 64b on the drive shafts 60a and 60b side are provided on the upper ends thereof. Is provided. The engaging recesses 74a and 74b can be engaged (fitted) with the engaging protrusions 64a and 64b. For example, the engaging recesses 74a and 74b have recesses having a tapered corrugated shape with a corrugated cross section.

Therefore, when the operating portion 14 and the working portion 16 are mounted, the engaging convex portion 64a (64b) and the engaging concave portion 74a (74b) are engaged with each other, and thereby the rotational driving force from the drive shaft 60a (60b). Can be transmitted to the pulley 70a (70b). At this time, for example, the operation unit 14 includes an attachment / detachment detection sensor (not shown) that detects attachment / detachment of the operation unit 14 and the working unit 16, a phase detection sensor (not shown) that detects the phase of the drive shaft 60a, and the like. Further, the engagement structure of the engagement convex part 64a and the engagement concave part 74a may be another structure. For example, the overall configuration of the manipulator 10 may be substantially the same as the configuration disclosed in the specification and drawings of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2009-111344 and 2009-111502.

As can be understood from FIGS. 2 and 3, the wire guide portion 72a (72b) is disposed on the Z1 side of the pulley 70a (70b), and the interval between the wire guide portions 72a (72b) is set narrow. And a wire (power transmission member) 80a (80b) wound between the front end working unit 12 and the gear 78 of the distal end working unit 12 to guide and smoothly guide the wire 80a (80b) into the connecting shaft 18. By using such wire guide portions 72a and 72b, the connecting shaft 18 can be made sufficiently thin without depending on the diameters of the motors 50a and 50b and the inter-axis distances of the pulleys 70a and 70b. It can be easily set to an outer diameter of about 5 mm to 10 mm suitable for being inserted into 20.

In the hollow portion 66 constituting the pulley box 32, two rods 82a and 82b, which are rod-shaped or linear power transmission members, are further aligned in the Y direction and penetrated in the Z direction. The rods 82a and 82b are, for example, sufficiently strong and thin stainless steel pipes or solid rods, and extend in the Z1 direction through the hollow portion 66 into the connecting shaft 18, and through the wire (not shown) or the like, the distal end working unit 12 is inserted. The Z2 direction extends through the pulley box 32 to the trigger lever support portion 33 and is connected to the trigger lever 36 via a wire (not shown).

2 and 3, a pair of pin holes 84, 84 that are symmetrical with respect to the Z direction are formed on the Z2 side of the pulley box 32. As shown in FIG. A pair of guide pins 86, 86 projecting from the bottom surface of the bracket 52 in the Y1 direction are inserted into the pin holes 84, 84 when the working unit 16 and the operating unit 14 are mounted. The part 16 is positioned and mounted with high rigidity.

In such a working part 16, since the wires 80a and 80b reciprocate between the pulleys 70a and 70b and the distal end working part 12 side, there are a total of four wires in the hollow space of the connecting shaft 18. The wires 80a and 80b and the two rods 82a and 82b are inserted. For example, all power transmission mechanisms may be configured with only wires instead of rods.

The wires 80a and 80b can be of the same type or different types, and have the same diameter or different diameters. The wires 80a and 80b are made of a flexible bendable wire, and a straight portion that passes through the connecting shaft 18 and does not require flexibility is surrounded by reinforcing rods (hypotubes) 81a and 81b. It is reinforced (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The reinforcing rod 81a (81b) has a higher rigidity than the wire constituting the wire 80a (80b) and is a hard conduit that does not bend in a normal use state, and the wire 80a (80b) is inserted in the inside thereof. The front and rear ends are caulked against the wire 80a (80b) and fixed by crimping. The reinforcing rods 81a and 81b are made of, for example, a metal selected as having biocompatibility such as stainless steel.

That is, even when the wires 80a and 80b are driven to advance and retreat within the reciprocating movement range L (distance L) (see FIG. 7), they are straight lines that are not wound around the pulley 70a or the like and do not require flexibility. The reinforcing rods 81a and 81b as described above are attached to the portion. As a result, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the elongation due to the driving of the wires 80a and 80b or aging, and to drive the wires 80a and 80b with higher responsiveness and higher accuracy with respect to the operation of the pulley 70a and the like. The tip operating unit 12 can be accurately operated. In other words, the wires 80a and 80b, which are power transmission members, include at least a flexible first portion (wire portion portion of the wires 80a and 80b) and a second portion (reinforcing rod 81a) having higher rigidity than the first portion. , 81b), it is possible to achieve both smooth winding around the pulley 70a and the like and highly accurate driving with high reactivity by reducing elongation during driving and the like.

In the manipulator 10, when the composite input unit 24 is operated and the motors 50a and 50b are driven, the wires 80a and 80b are driven to reciprocate from the drive shafts 60a and 60b via the pulleys 70a and 70b. Operations in the roll direction and the yaw direction are applied. Further, when the trigger lever 36 is turned, the rods 82a and 82b are mechanically driven to reciprocate, and an opening / closing operation is given to the gripper 48 of the distal end working unit 12.

That is, the pulleys 70a and 70b ( motors 50a and 50b) and the trigger lever 36 apply driving force to the wires 80a and 80b (reinforcing rods 81a and 81b) and the rods 82a and 82b, which are power transmission members, and the distal end working unit 12 It functions as a drive mechanism unit that operates. More specifically, the pulleys 70a and 70b ( motors 50a and 50b) apply driving force to the wires 80a and 80b (reinforcing rods 81a and 81b), and apply motion in the roll direction and yaw direction to the distal end working unit 12. It functions as an electric mechanism part. The trigger lever 36 functions as a manual mechanism that applies a driving force to the rods 82 a and 82 b and applies a gripper opening / closing operation to the distal end operating unit 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, the composite input unit 24 that electrically drives the distal end working unit 12 has a symmetric structure about the Z axis (Y axis) in the X1 and X2 directions. This is a composite input unit that gives rotation commands in the roll direction (axial rotation direction) and the yaw direction (left-right direction).

The composite input unit 24 is supported by a sensor holder 88 disposed on the inclined surface 26a, and is provided on the Z1 side (Y1 side) rotation operation unit 90 of the inclined surface 26a and on the Z2 side (Y2 side) thereof. The tilt operation unit 92 includes three switch operators 94a to 94c disposed on the lower side surface of the tilt operation unit 92, respectively. The input to the rotary operation unit 90 and the like is detected by a switch board (not shown) provided in the sensor holder 88, and the motors 50a and 50b are appropriately driven and controlled under the control of the controller 29. The

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the middle of the connecting shaft 18, an airtight seal (seal member) 100 that partitions the internal space into the Z1 side (the distal end working unit 12 side) and the Z2 side (the pulley box 32 side). Is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the hermetic seal 100 includes a small-diameter portion 102 on the front end side, a large-diameter portion 104 on the rear-end side, and a reduced diameter that decreases from the large-diameter portion 104 side to the small-diameter portion 102 side. A stepped cylindrical shape constituted by a portion (tapered portion) 106 is formed.

The hermetic seal 100 has six holes 110a to 110a through which a total of six rods and wires, that is, rods 82a and 82b and wires 80a and 80b (reinforcing rods 81a and 81b) are inserted and slid. 110f is provided. The hermetic seal 100 functions as a blocking wall that partitions the inside of the connecting shaft 18 and blocks the flow of gas and liquid by the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 104 being closely fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the connecting shaft 18. Of course, when the degree of freedom of the distal end working unit 12 is changed to 2 degrees of freedom, 4 degrees of freedom, or the like, and the number of wires or rods is changed, the number of holes of the hermetic seal 100 may be changed.

The airtight seal 100 flows from the gap A (see FIG. 4) during the operation, contacts the airtight seal 100, and then returns to the patient's body cavity 22 through the gap A (biocompatible). ), It may be formed of rubber or silicone.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the holes 110a to 110f are arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the rods 82a and 82b and the wires 80a and 80b in the connecting shaft 18. Rods 82a and 82b are inserted through the holes 110a and 110b, wires 80a (reinforcing rods 81a) are inserted through the holes 110c and 110d, and wires 80b (reinforcing rods 81b) are inserted through the holes 110e and 110f (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 7). In the case of this embodiment, the reinforcing rods 81a and 81b surrounding the wires 80a and 80b are inserted and slid into the holes 110c to 110f, and the wires 80a and 80b themselves do not contact the hermetic seal 100.

In the airtight seal 100, the configurations of the holes 110a and 110b through which the rods 82a and 82b are inserted are the same, and the configurations of the holes 110c to 110f through which the wires 80a and 80b are inserted are the same. Now, the hole 110b and the hole 110c shown in FIG. 8B will be mainly described, and the other description will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8B, the hole 110b (110a) is formed on the tip opening side (Z1 side) of the small diameter portion 102, and the sliding portion (hole) 112 on which the rod 82b (82a) slides. And a through-hole having a two-stage shape that is continuous with the rear side (Z2 side) of the sliding portion 112 and has an enlarged diameter portion (escape hole) 114 having a larger diameter than the sliding portion 112. Is arranged corresponding to the small diameter portion 102 in the Z direction.

The sliding portion 112 has an inner diameter dimension that allows the rod 82b to slide with the rod 82b (82a) secured in an airtight state, and has a short length in the sliding direction (Z direction) of the rod 82b. It consists of L1. Thereby, the sliding part 112 functions as a lip seal which can respond to the movement of the rod 82b to some degree of flexibility (free).

As shown in FIG. 7, when the hermetic seal 100 is assembled in the connecting shaft 18, a tubular guide pipe 116 is fitted into the diameter-expanded portion 114 and is firmly fixed. The inner diameter of the guide pipe 116 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rod 82b, so that the movement of the rod 82b is not obstructed. That is, the dimensional relationship is set such that the inner diameter of the guide pipe 116> the outer diameter of the rods 82 a and 82 b> the inner diameter of the sliding portion 112.

Such a guide pipe 116 is made of, for example, a stainless material, and is made of a material harder than at least the material constituting the hermetic seal 100. Note that the guide pipe 116 is harder than the hermetic seal 100, for example, when the force is applied to the guide pipe 116, the hermetic seal 100 is substantially deformed before the guide pipe 116 is deformed. It refers to a state where the hardness is different.

On the other hand, the holes 110c (110d to 110f) are continuous to the sliding part (hole part) 118 through which the reinforcing rod 81a (81b) ( wires 80a and 80b) slides and to the front (Z1 side) of the sliding part 118. The diameter-enlarged portion (relief hole) 120 having a larger diameter than the sliding portion 118 and the rear portion (Z2 side) of the sliding portion 118 are continuous and have a diameter larger than that of the sliding portion 118 and smaller than that of the expanded portion 120. This is a three-stage through-hole formed of a diameter portion (relief hole) 122, and a sliding portion 118 is arranged corresponding to the large-diameter portion 104 in the Z direction.

The sliding portion 118 has an inner diameter dimension that allows the reinforcing rod 81a to slide in a state in which airtightness is ensured with the reinforcing rod 81a, and is slightly longer in the sliding direction (Z direction) of the reinforcing rod 81a. It consists of a length L2. As can be seen from FIG. 8B, the length L2 of the sliding portion 118 in the sliding direction is longer than the length L1 of the sliding portion 112.

The enlarged diameter portion 120 and the middle diameter portion 122 respectively provided before and after the sliding portion 118 are even when the wire 80a is reciprocated and the winding position on the pulley 70a is displaced in the X direction or the Y direction. The reinforcing rod 81a that slides on the sliding portion 118 functions as an escape portion that prevents the reinforcing rod 81a from abutting against the inner surface or the opening edge of the hole 110c.

In the hermetic seal 100, the interval W1 (see FIG. 8A) between the holes 110a and 110b is set to correspond to the interval between the rods 82a and 82b, and the interval W2 between the holes 110c and 110e ( holes 110d and 110f) is set to the wire. It is set so as to correspond to the interval between the guide portions 72a and 72b. As a result, the axial centers of the rod 82a, the reinforcing rod 81a, etc. and the sliding portions 112, 118 are matched, and smooth sliding can be ensured.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8A, slits 124 are formed in the holes 110c to 110f corresponding to the wires 80a and 80b. The slits 124 are cut from the outer peripheral surface to the sliding portions 118 of the holes 110c to 110f. Has been. By providing the slit 124, when the manipulator 10 is assembled, for example, when the wires 80a and 80b are wound around the pulleys 70a and 70b, the gear 78, etc., the wires 80a and 80b to which the reinforcing rods 81a and 81b are attached are previously provided. It is possible to insert the loop-shaped wires 80a and 80b into the holes 110c to 110f from the slit 124 in advance. As a result, the assemblability of the manipulator 10 can be greatly improved as compared with the case where the wire 80a and the like are inserted into the holes 110c to 110f and then configured in a loop shape.

Each slit 124 is tightly sealed when the hermetic seal 100 is inserted into the connecting shaft 18, and does not impair the sealing performance of the hermetic seal 100. Of course, after inserting the wire, the slits 124 may be bonded with an adhesive or the like and sealed more firmly.

2, the manipulator 10 has a cleaning port 126 that can inject a cleaning liquid such as water or an enzyme cleaning agent into the connecting shaft 18 closer to the distal end working unit 12 (Z1 side) than the hermetic seal 100. The cleaning port 126 can be opened and closed simply by attaching and detaching the lid 128, and the cleaning liquid can be easily injected into the front end side of the airtight seal 100 in the connecting shaft 18 to clean the inside.

Next, the operation of the manipulator 10 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, the distal end working unit 12 includes a mechanism with three degrees of freedom of a roll shaft, a yaw axis, and a gripper shaft, and has a plurality of joints, and the distal end working unit 12 is formed with a gap A in each part. ing. Of course, even a one-degree-of-freedom mechanism is provided with a joint. Accordingly, during the operation by the manipulator 10, carbon dioxide gas or the like enclosed in the body cavity 22 by an insufflation apparatus (not shown) or the like (see FIG. 1) is positive pressure in the body cavity 22, so that the connecting shaft is connected via the gap A. Try to leak into 18. When the leak occurs, the space of the body cavity 22 contracts and smooth surgery may become difficult.

Therefore, the manipulator 10 is provided with an airtight seal 100 that divides the inside of the connecting shaft 18 into the distal end working unit 12 side and the pulley box 32 side that is the drive mechanism unit side. Thereby, the airtightness in the axial direction of the connecting shaft 18 is ensured, and the gas (pneumo-abdominal pressure) in the body cavity 22 passes through the connecting shaft 18 from the gap A (see FIG. 4) of the distal end working unit 12 and the like. To prevent leaks.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8B, the hermetic seal 100 includes an outer diameter D1 of the small diameter portion 102 that is smaller than an inner diameter D0 of the connection shaft 18 and an outer diameter D2 of the large diameter portion 104 that is the connection shaft 18. The inner diameter D0 is larger. Thus, when the hermetic seal 100 is press-fitted into the connecting shaft 18, the large diameter portion 104 receives the compressive force F (see FIG. 7) from the inner wall surface of the connecting shaft 18 and is compressed in the inner diameter direction. Adhere securely. Accordingly, the sliding portions 112 and 118 of the holes 110a to 110f are sealed between the rod 82a and the reinforcing rod 81a and the like, and further, the large diameter portion 104 is sealed between the connecting shaft 18 and the like. Regardless of the operating state of the rod 82a, the wire 80a, etc., the airtightness and liquid tightness in the longitudinal direction in the connecting shaft 18 are ensured. The large-diameter portion 104 may be fixed in the connecting shaft 18 only by press fitting, but may be fixed by adhesion or welding.

Further, the airtight seal 100 prevents liquid such as blood that has entered from the gap A of the distal end working unit 12 from flowing from the distal end working unit 12 side to the pulley box 32 side along the inner peripheral surface of the connecting shaft 18. Therefore, it becomes easy to clean the connecting shaft 18 and the pulley box 32 after the operation, and the maintainability can be improved. In addition, since the airtightness in the connecting shaft 18 is ensured by the airtight seal 100, the gas in the body cavity 22 functions so as to substantially seal the inside (tip side) of the connecting shaft 18. For this reason, the situation where liquids, such as blood, permeate into the connection shaft 18 from the gap A due to the gas in the sealed state can be suppressed as much as possible.

Since the hermetic seal 100 includes the small-diameter portion 102 and the tapered reduced-diameter portion 106, when the gas-tight seal 100 is inserted into the connecting shaft 18, the hermetic seal 100 can be easily inserted into the connecting shaft 18 with the small-diameter portion 102 as the head. Assembling property can be improved.

By the way, in the case of the manipulator 10 according to the present embodiment, the yaw axis and the roll axis are electric drives in which the wires 80a and 80b reciprocate via the motors 50a and 50b based on the operation of the composite input unit 24, and the gripper axis Is a manual drive in which the rods 82a and 82b mechanically reciprocate based on the operation of the trigger lever 36.

Since the rods 82a and 82b do not need to be formed in a loop shape like the wire 80a or the like, the rods 82a and 82b can be easily inserted into the holes 110a and 110b without a slit when assembled to the hermetic seal 100. . Accordingly, the sliding portions 112 of the holes 110a and 110b are easier to ensure airtightness than the holes 110c and the like in which the slits 124 are formed. Therefore, the length L1 in the sliding direction of the rod 82a and the like is set short. However, it is possible to ensure sufficient airtightness while reducing the sliding resistance with the rod 82a as much as possible (see FIGS. 7 and 8B). Moreover, since the sliding resistance between the manually driven rods 82a and 82b and the hermetic seal 100 which are more susceptible to sliding resistance than electric driving is reduced, the operability is not impaired.

On the other hand, since it is effective to configure the wires 80a and 80b in a loop shape as described above when assembled to the hermetic seal 100, the holes 80c to 110f include the wires 80a and 80b configured in a loop shape. A slit 124 for inserting (reinforcing rods 81a, 81b) is provided. Accordingly, since the airtightness of the sliding portions 118 of the holes 110c to 110f may be reduced by the slits 124, the length L2 in the sliding direction of the wire 80a or the like is set to the length L1 of the sliding portion 112. Longer (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 8B), so that the airtightness can be secured more stably. Since the wires 80a and the like are electrically driven, even if the sliding resistance with the hermetic seal 100 is somewhat high, the operability is affected if the sliding resistance is less than the rated output of the motors 50a and 50b. There is hardly any extent, and good operability is maintained.

Moreover, in the sliding direction of the wire 80a and the like, the sliding portion 118 is disposed corresponding to at least a part of the large diameter portion 104, and the large diameter portion 104 is compressed from the inner wall surface of the connecting shaft 18 by a compression force F. (See FIG. 7) and compressed in the inner diameter direction. For this reason, the slit 124 is more tightly sealed by being compressed by the large diameter portion 104, and gas leakage from the slit 124 is more reliably prevented. That is, if the outer diameter D2 of the large-diameter portion 104 is set to be as large as possible than the inner diameter D0 within a range that can be press-fitted into the connecting shaft 18, the compression rate of the hermetic seal 100 is increased, and the hermeticity is further improved. The airtightness at 124 can be further ensured.

In the case of this embodiment, the reinforcing rods 81a and 81b correspond to the sliding portion 118. Usually, the wires 80a and 80b are constituted by a winding made of a plurality of wires in consideration of strength and the like. Therefore, when the winding portion corresponds to the sliding portion 118, the wires 80a and 80b There is a possibility that a gap is formed between the sliding portion 118 and a gas leak occurs through the gap. In view of this, in the manipulator 10, the reinforcing rod 81 a and the like are always slid on the sliding portion 118, so that the sealing performance with the airtight seal 100 can be further ensured. In order to further improve the airtightness, the reinforcing rods 81a and 81b may be bonded to the wires 80a and 80b with an adhesive or the like.

As shown in FIG. 9, instead of reinforcing rods 81a and 81b, wires 80a and 80b are connected to both ends of rods 83a and 83b made of metal or the like, and wires 80a and 80b are connected to both ends of pipes 85a and 85b. The pipes 85a and 85b may be sealed with an adhesive 87 or the like. In short, any configuration may be used as long as the wires 80a and 80b are securely adhered to the sliding portion 118 of the hermetic seal 100 and can be smoothly slid.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8B, in the hermetic seal 100, the sliding portions 118 of the holes 110c to 110f in which the slits 124 are formed and the sliding portions 118a and 110b in which the slits 124 are not formed. The position of the moving part 112 in the sliding direction of the wire or rod is shifted. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, the center position 112Z in the sliding direction of the sliding portion 112 is shifted from the center position 118Z in the sliding direction of the sliding portion 118, and the center position 112Z is the small diameter portion 102. The center position 118Z is disposed corresponding to at least a part of the large diameter portion 104.

Therefore, a compressive force F is applied to the large diameter portion 104 from the inner wall surface of the connecting shaft 18 in the inner diameter direction, and the slits 124 of the holes 110c to 110f can be securely sealed by the compressive force F. The sliding portion 118 is also more securely brought into close contact with the reinforcing rod 81a and the like. On the other hand, the sliding portions 112 of the holes 110a and 110b that are displaced in the Z direction from the sliding portion 118 and the large diameter portion 104 are hardly affected by the compressive force F, that is, are not compressed. For this reason, it is effective that the sliding portion 112 is excessively brought into close contact with the rods 82a and 82b to prevent the smooth movement of the rods 82a and 82b, and the operability of the trigger lever 36 which is a manual mechanism portion is reduced. Can be avoided. In addition, the sliding portion 112 is set to have an outer diameter D1 smaller than the inner wall surface of the connecting shaft 18 and is disposed corresponding to the small diameter portion 102 that is not subjected to compression from the inner wall surface. Is more reliably prevented from shrinking excessively.

The hole portions 110c to 110f that receive the compressive force F are provided with an enlarged diameter portion 120 and an intermediate diameter portion 122 that serve as relief portions of the reinforcing rods 81a and 81b before and after the sliding portion 118. For this reason, the expanded diameter portion 120 and the intermediate diameter portion 122 also function to absorb the compression force F, and the influence of the compression on the sliding portion 112 is more reliably avoided. On the other hand, the hole portions 110a and 110b in which no slit is formed are provided with an enlarged diameter portion 114 that is continuous with the sliding portion 112 and has a larger diameter than the sliding portion 112. The enlarged diameter portion 114 is a sliding portion of the rod. It overlaps with the positions of the holes 110c to 110f (sliding portion 118) where the slits 124 are formed in the moving direction. For this reason, even when the large-diameter portion 104 is compressed, the influence of the compression is effectively absorbed by the enlarged-diameter portion 114, and it is effectively avoided that the operation of the manually driven rod 82a and the like is affected. .

As shown in FIG. 10A, when the manipulator 10 is assembled, ideally, the center positions (axis centers) of the rods 82a and 82b in the X direction and the Y direction, and the X direction and the Y direction of the sliding portion 112. Is set so as to coincide with the center position (axis center) of the wire 80a and the sliding portion 118. However, in actuality, the attachment positions of the rod 82a and the like on the distal end working unit 12 side and the trigger lever 36 side may be slightly shifted and offset in the X direction and the Y direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the shaft center of the rod 82a and the shaft center of the sliding portion 112 are shifted, and the sliding portion 112 receives an overload corresponding to the offset of the rod 82a and the like. B may occur, and in some cases, the hermetic seal 100 may be damaged, and the sealing performance may be reduced.

Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, a guide pipe 116 as a guide portion is inserted into the enlarged diameter portion 114 attached to the sliding portion 112 of the hole portions 110a and 110b through which the rods 82a and 82b are inserted (see FIG. 7). By providing the guide pipe 116, when the axial center of the rod 82a and the like and the axial center of the sliding portion 112 coincide (see FIG. 11A), the axial center of the sliding portion 112 and the guide pipe 116 coincide. To do. On the other hand, when the shaft center of the rod 82a and the like is shifted from the shaft center of the sliding portion 112 (see FIG. 11B), the guide pipe 116 is offset simultaneously with the offset of the rods 82a and 82b. For this reason, since the enlarged diameter portion 114 and the sliding portion 112 also move (deform) following the offset of the guide pipe 116, the axial centers of the sliding portion 112 and the rod 82a coincide. Therefore, an overload is generated in the sliding portion 112 and damage to the hermetic seal 100 is avoided, and a sealing property can be ensured.

The hole 110a and the like have a stepped structure including the sliding portion 112 and the enlarged diameter portion 114, and the guide pipe 116 is disposed in the enlarged diameter portion 114, so that the axial center of the sliding portion 112 and the rod 82a and the like is arranged. Can be more easily matched, and damage to the hermetic seal 100 due to offset of the rod 82a and the like can be avoided.

The guide pipe 116 functions as a guide portion that suppresses a force acting in a direction (perpendicular direction or radial direction) intersecting (orthogonal) with the sliding direction generated in the hole portion 110a or the like due to sliding of the rod 82a or the like. Friction and wear at the moving part 112 can be effectively reduced.

Further, by arranging the guide pipe 116 in the enlarged diameter portion 114, the guide pipe 116 can be connected to the rod 82a or the like (wire) even when the holes 110c to 110f side where high adhesion is required are strongly compressed. 80a and the like), the sliding resistance between the rod 82a and the like (wire 80a and the like) and the sliding portion 112 (118) is reduced, and wear of the sliding portion 112 (118) is reduced. can do. In other words, since the inner wall surface of the connecting shaft 18 and the outer wall surface of the hermetic seal 100 are brought into close contact with each other, even if the hermetic seal 100 is strongly compressed and inserted into the connecting shaft 18, it functions as a guide portion. Since the compression of the holes 110a to 110f (sliding parts 112, 118) is reduced by the guide pipe 116, the rod 82a, the wire 80a, etc., which are power transmission members, and the holes 110a to 110f (sliding parts 112, 118). ) And the friction of the holes 110a to 110f (sliding portions 112 and 118) can be reduced.

If the guide pipe 116 is tightly fixed to the enlarged diameter portion 114, the airtightness of the hermetic seal 100 can be further improved, and the guide pipe 116 can be prevented from falling off from the enlarged diameter portion 114. Further, since the guide pipe 116 is disposed on the pulley box 32 side which is the base end side (drive mechanism part side) of the sliding portions 112 and 118 in the holes 110a to 110f, the guide pipe 116 is connected to the connecting shaft 18. Can be reliably prevented from falling into the body from the distal end side.

Regarding the guide pipe 116, as described above, the dimensional relationship of the inner diameter of the guide pipe 116> the outer diameter of the rods 82a and 82b> the inner diameter of the sliding portion 112 is defined, and at least the inner diameter of the guide pipe 116 is slid. It is desirable to set it equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the moving part 112 (hole part 110a, etc.). As a result, a predetermined range of radial force (pressing force, sealing force) is always generated between the sliding portion 112 (hole portion 110a and the like) and the rod 82a and the like which slides through the sliding portion 112. It is possible to ensure airtightness. The predetermined range means that the radial force becomes 0 (zero), a gap is opened between the sliding portion 112 and the rod 82a, etc., or friction and wear of the sliding portion 112 increase. The sealing force is such that the sliding portion 112 is not damaged.

As the installation location of the guide pipe 116, it is effective to install the guide pipe 116 in the vicinity of the sliding portion 112 having the short axial length L1 as described above, but may be another location.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the enlarged diameter portions 114 may be provided before and after the sliding portion 112, and the guide pipes 116 may be installed on both the enlarged diameter portions 114, or only on one of the enlarged diameter portions 114. May be. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the reinforcing rods 81a and 81b ( wires 80a and 80b) may be installed on the enlarged diameter portion 120 (medium diameter portion 122) on the side through which the reinforcing rods 81a and 81b are inserted. Then, since the slits 124 are formed, even if the holes 110c to 110f that require high adhesion are strongly compressed, the sliding between the reinforcing rods 81a and 81b ( wires 80a and 80b) and the sliding portion 118 is performed. Dynamic resistance is reduced, and wear of the sliding portion 118 can be reduced. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14, the guide pipe 116 may be connected from the outside of the hermetic seal 100 by adhesion or the like.

Thus, the guide pipe 116 only needs to be installed in the vicinity of the sliding portion 112 (118), either on the front or back side of the sliding portion 112 (118) or on both sides, or on the side corresponding to the wire 80a or the like. Furthermore, it may be installed outside the hermetic seal 100 as long as it can be arranged so as to coincide with the axial center of the sliding portion 112 (118).

Note that the guide pipe 116 may be omitted depending on the design dimensions and use conditions of the manipulator 10. Also in this case, since the sliding portion 112 is configured to have a length L1 that is short in the axial direction of the hermetic seal 100, and the enlarged diameter portion 114 is formed on the rear end side, the rods 82a and 82b are temporarily provided. Even when the above-described offset occurs, the airtightness at the sliding portion 112 can be maintained.

As shown in FIG. 15A, the seal member for partitioning the inside of the connecting shaft 18 is replaced with the airtight seal 100 formed integrally as described above, and the first seal portion (first portion) on the wires 80a and 80b side. An airtight seal 140 having a split / coupled structure having 140a and a second seal portion (second portion) 140b on the rods 82a and 82b side may be used. Such an airtight seal 140 can be used in substantially the same manner as the airtight seal 100 described above, for example, by integrating the first seal portion 140a and the second seal portion 140b by bonding as shown in FIG. 15B. is there.

In this case, in the hermetic seal 140, the first seal portion 140a on the wires 80a and 80b side and the second seal portion 140b on the rods 82a and 82b side have a divided structure, so It can prevent more reliably that the compressive force given to the seal part 140a affects the sliding part 112 of the 2nd seal part 140b.

The connection structure of the first seal part 140a and the second seal part 140b of the hermetic seal 140 may be other than adhesion, for example, a connection structure by a guide pipe 116 (see FIG. 16), a bolt 142 as a fastener, A connection structure using a nut 144 (see FIG. 17) may be used.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the manipulator 10, a cleaning port 126 facing the connecting shaft 18 on the distal end working unit 12 side (Z1 side) with respect to the hermetic seal 100 is disposed. The inside of the connecting shaft 18 on the side can be easily cleaned.

As shown in FIG. 18, the cleaning port 126 is provided on the proximal end side (Z2 side) of the connecting shaft 18 from the airtight seal 100, for example, the pulley box 32, and when the operation unit 14 and the working unit 16 are mounted, You may arrange | position in the position which cannot be seen from the outside. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the cleaning hole 132 formed substantially at the center of the hermetic seal 100 is inserted, and the injection port 130 a at the front end is opened to the front operation part 12 side of the hermetic seal 100. By connecting the cleaning tube 130 to the cleaning port 126, when the manipulator 10 is cleaned, the lid 128 is removed and the cleaning liquid is allowed to flow from the cleaning port 126 into the cleaning tube 130, so that the inside of the connecting shaft 18 and the tip operation are performed. The inside of the portion 12 can be easily cleaned. The ejection port 130a of the cleaning tube 130 opens in the connecting shaft 18, but since the cleaning port 126 is closed by the lid 128 during the operation, the internal pressure of the cleaning tube 130 is maintained at a predetermined pressure. Therefore, the gas in the body cavity 22 does not leak.

The present invention can also be applied to, for example, a surgical robot system 200 as shown in FIG.

The surgical robot system 200 includes an articulated robot arm 202 and a console 204, and the same mechanism as the manipulator 10 is provided at the tip of the robot arm 202. Instead of the operation unit 14, a base portion 14a that houses the drive unit 30 is fixed to the distal end portion 208 of the robot arm 202, and the working unit 16 is detachably attached to the base portion 14a. The robot arm 202 may be any means that moves the working unit 16, and is not limited to a stationary type, but may be an autonomous moving type, for example. The console 204 may take a configuration such as a table type or a control panel type.

If the robot arm 202 has six or more independent joints (such as a rotation axis and a slide axis), it is preferable that the position and orientation of the working unit 16 can be arbitrarily set. A base portion 14 a constituting the manipulator 10 at the distal end is integrated with the distal end portion 208 of the robot arm 202. The manipulator 10 has a motor (not shown) instead of the trigger lever 36 (an actuator linked to an input unit operated manually), and the motor drives the two rods 82a and 82b.

The robot arm 202 operates under the action of the console 204, and may be configured to perform automatic operation by a program, operation following a joystick 206 provided on the console 204, and a composite operation thereof. The console 204 includes the function of the controller 29 described above. The working unit 16 is provided with the distal end working unit 12.

The console 204 is provided with two joysticks 206 as operation command units and a monitor 210. Although not shown, the two robot arms 202 can be individually operated by the two joysticks 206. The two joysticks 206 are provided at positions that can be easily operated with both hands. On the monitor 210, information such as an image by a flexible endoscope is displayed.

The joystick 206 can move up and down, move left and right, twist, and tilt, and can move the robot arm 202 according to these operations. The joystick 206 may be a master arm. Communication means between the robot arm 202 and the console 204 may be wired, wireless, network, or a combination thereof. The joystick 206 is provided with a trigger lever 36. By operating the trigger lever 36, the gripper can be driven to open and close via a motor (not shown).

In such a surgical robot system 200 as well, by providing the above-described hermetic seals 100 and 140, it is possible to effectively prevent the leakage of pneumoperitoneum pressure and to improve the maintenance properties such as cleaning and sterilization.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various configurations and processes can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims (20)

1. A hollow shaft (18);
   A plurality of power transmission members (80a, 82a) inserted through the shaft (18);
   A drive mechanism (36, 70a) provided on one end side of the shaft (18) and configured to drive the power transmission member (80a, 82a) forward and backward in the axial direction;
   A tip operating portion (12) provided on the other end of the shaft (18) and operated by the advance / retreat drive of the power transmission member (80a, 82a);
   By forming a plurality of holes (110a to 110f) through which the plurality of power transmission members (80a, 82a) are slidably inserted and closely contacting the inner surface of the shaft (18), Seal members (100, 140) for partitioning the inside of the shaft (18) into the distal end working part (12) side and the drive mechanism part (36, 70a) side;
   With
   Of the plurality of holes (110a to 110f), only some of the holes (110c to 110f) are formed with slits (124) continuous from the outer surface of the seal member (100, 140),
   The holes (110c to 110f) in which the slits (124) are formed and the holes (110a, 110b) in which the slits (124) are not formed are partially part of the plurality of power transmission members (80a, 82a) with sliding parts (112, 118) in contact with
   The sliding part (118) of the hole part (110c to 110f) in which the slit (124) is formed and the sliding part (112) of the hole part (110a, 110b) in which the slit (124) is not formed. The medical manipulator characterized in that the position of the power transmission member (80a, 82a) in the sliding direction is shifted.
2. The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein
   When the pressure is applied to the seal member (100, 140) from the outer peripheral side of the seal member (100, 140), the slit (124) is formed among the plurality of holes (110a to 110f). The sliding portions (118) of the holes (110c to 110f) are compressed, and the sliding portions (112) of the holes (110a, 110b) where the slit (124) is not formed are not compressed. Medical manipulator.
3. The medical manipulator according to claim 1 or 2,
   The drive mechanism (36, 70a) manually drives a part (80a) of the power transmission member (80a, 82a) by electric drive and the rest (82a) by hand. A manual mechanism (36),
   Of the plurality of holes (110a to 110f), the slit (124) is formed only in the holes (110c to 110f) corresponding to the power transmission member (80a) driven by the electric mechanism (70a). A medical manipulator characterized by being made.
4. The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein
   The sealing member (100, 140) is formed to be continuous with the sliding portion (112) of the hole (110a, 110b) where the slit (124) is not formed and to have a larger diameter than the sliding portion (112). The power transmission member (82a) inserted through the sliding portion (112) has a diameter-expanding portion (114) through which the power transmission member (82a) slides. The medical manipulator characterized in that the position in the moving direction overlaps with the position of the sliding part (118) of the hole part (110c to 110f) in which the slit (124) is formed.
5. The medical manipulator according to claim 4, wherein
   A guide pipe (116) made of a material harder than the material constituting the seal member (100, 140) and through which the power transmission member (82a) is inserted is fitted into the enlarged diameter portion (114). A medical manipulator characterized by being made.
6. The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein
   The seal member (140) includes a first part (140a) having holes (110c to 110f) in which the slits (124) are formed, and is configured separately from the first part (140a). And a second part (140b) having a hole (110a, 110b) in which (124) is not formed, wherein the first part (140a) and the second part (140b) are connected to each other. Medical manipulator.
7. The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein
   A medical manipulator having a cleaning port (126) that opens into the shaft (18) on the distal end working portion (12) side of the seal member (100, 140).
8. The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein
   The cleaning member (100, 140) is inserted with a cleaning tube (130) for supplying a cleaning liquid into the shaft (18) closer to the distal end working part (12) than the sealing member (100, 140). Hole (132) is provided,
   The cleaning tube (130) extends from the cleaning port (126) provided on the drive mechanism (36, 70a) side to the cleaning hole (132) from the seal portion (100, 140) material. A medical manipulator characterized by being present.
9. The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein
   The medical manipulator characterized in that the outer diameter of the seal member (100) has a small diameter portion (102) smaller than the inner diameter of the shaft (18).
10. The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein
    The medical manipulator characterized in that the proximal end side outer diameter of the seal member (100) has a large diameter portion (104) larger than the inner diameter of the shaft (18).
11. The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein
    The outer diameter on the front end side of the seal member (100) has a small diameter portion (102) smaller than the inner diameter of the shaft (18),
    The proximal end side outer diameter of the seal member (100) has a large diameter portion (104) larger than the inner diameter of the shaft (18),
    A medical manipulator having a reduced diameter portion (106) between the small diameter portion (102) and the large diameter portion (104).
12. The medical manipulator according to claim 10 or 11,
    In the sliding direction of the power transmission member (80a, 82a), the sliding portion (118) of the hole (110c to 110f) in which the slit (124) is formed is a part of the large diameter portion (104). A medical manipulator characterized by being arranged in
13. The medical manipulator according to claim 10 or 11,
    In the sliding direction of the power transmission member (80a, 82a), the sliding portion (112) of the hole (110a, 110b) where the slit (124) is not formed is a part of the small diameter portion (102). A medical manipulator characterized by being arranged in
14. A hollow shaft (18);
    A plurality of power transmission members (80a, 82a) inserted through the shaft (18);
    A drive mechanism (36, 70a) provided on one end side of the shaft (18) and configured to drive the power transmission member (80a, 82a) forward and backward in the axial direction;
    A tip operating portion (12) provided on the other end of the shaft (18) and operated by the advance / retreat drive of the power transmission member (80a, 82a);
    By forming a plurality of holes (112, 118) through which the plurality of power transmission members (80a, 82a) are slidably inserted, and closely contacting the inner surface of the shaft (18), Seal members (100, 140) for partitioning the inside of the shaft (18) into the distal end working part (12) side and the drive mechanism part (36, 70a) side;
    With
    A medical manipulator characterized in that a guide portion (116) is arranged in the vicinity of at least some of the plurality of hole portions (112, 118).
15. The medical manipulator according to claim 14, wherein
    The medical manipulator, wherein the guide portion (116) is a guide pipe (116) made of a material harder than a material constituting the seal member (100, 140).
16. The medical manipulator according to claim 15, wherein
    The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the guide pipe (116) is equal to or larger than an inner diameter of the hole (112, 118).
17. The medical manipulator according to claim 15 or 16,
    The medical manipulator, wherein the guide pipe (116) is disposed closer to the drive mechanism (36, 70a) than the plurality of holes (112, 118).
18. The medical manipulator according to claim 15, wherein
    The seal member (100, 140) is continuous with the plurality of holes (112) and has a larger diameter than the hole (112), and is inserted into the hole (112). 82a) has a diameter-expanded portion (114) to be inserted, and the guide pipe (116) is disposed in the diameter-expanded portion (114).
19. The medical manipulator according to claim 15, wherein
    The drive mechanism (36, 70a) part manually drives the electric mechanism part (70a) for electrically driving a part (80a) of the power transmission member (80a, 82a) and the rest (82a). A manual mechanism (36),
    The seal member (100, 140) is continuous with the plurality of holes (112) and has a larger diameter than the hole (112), and is inserted into the hole (112). 82a) has an enlarged diameter portion (114) to be inserted,
    The guide pipe (116) is disposed in the enlarged diameter portion (114) through which the power transmission member (82a) connected to the manual mechanism portion (36) is inserted. manipulator.
20. The medical manipulator according to claim 18 or 19,
    The medical manipulator characterized in that an outer surface of the guide pipe (116) is in close contact with an inner surface of the enlarged diameter portion (114).

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